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Red Shift Part 4

By Writefag_Is_Kill
Created: 2021-02-02 02:43:18
Expiry: Never
lyrasafebon-bonmysterymy little progress

  1. This was supposed to be SHORTER than Steel Sanctuary.
  2. WHAT HAPPENED?
  3.  
  4. >Lyra approached the palace, her breathing ragged and strained.
  5. >The climb to the top of Canterlot was a long and steep one, a great enough effort to tax the stamina of all but the healthiest of ponies.
  6. >Under ordinary circumstances she’d have taken a break around halfway to the summit.
  7. >These were not ordinary circumstances.
  8. >Bon-Bon was in trouble AT BEST, and Lyra was going to help her.
  9. >Somehow.
  10. >She hadn’t thought that through yet. There wasn’t time!
  11. >Lyra quickened her pace. Her knees were trembling from exertion, her heart racing, her lungs burning!
  12. >She didn’t care.
  13. >Morning had come in the hours since her ascent had begun.
  14. >The palace was open to the public once more and the gathering crowds had filled the foyer.
  15. >Lyra was terribly underdressed for such a formal location. Completely devoid of ornamentation, mane messed by the winds, sweat matting her coat, and bloodshot eyes from a busy night.
  16. >The dress code in this place was imposed culturally rather than by force. Judgemental eyes and passive aggression shaming those who weren’t presentable.
  17. >But despite her disheveled appearance Lyra was spared the barbs and quips she might otherwise endure.
  18. >In their place Lyra was met with fearful glances, hushed whispers, and hastened apologies.
  19. >These ponies recognized her.
  20. >Not as a humble musician, nor the silly eccentric who could often be seen bouncing around in the background.
  21. >They recognised her as the madmare that lashed out at the princess. The pony who’d screamed in the face of their regent during an award ceremony.
  22. >The dangerous lunatic who’d fought the forces of Hell and won.
  23. >The normally crowded throngs were brusquely stepping out of her way as she marched through the palace, fearful that they might attract the wrath of the minty maniac.
  24. >Guards eyed her warily from the sidelines each betraying a perverse mixture of fear, respect, apprehension, and perhaps a touch of envy.
  25. >They hesitantly began to close in on her as she approached the throne room, no longer able to hope that she was merely sightseeing.
  26. >A great crowd of ponies and various other sapients were seated in a large yet still somehow cozy waiting room each awaiting their chance to speak to their regent.
  27. >They all looked up at Lyra as she approached.
  28. >Her disheveled and unwashed appearance was complimented by the maddened glare of one who had nothing left to lose.
  29. >A pair of guards sheepishly stepped between her and the heavy oaken doors that marked the entrance to throne room, their ornamental plate armor padded with what Lyra recognized as the plastic armor she’d borne before.
  30. >Were she thinking clearly she’d have asked herself why they didn’t have that the night before.
  31. >Questioned if she’d merely overlooked it or if they were going upscale.
  32. >Didn’t matter.
  33. >Lyra wasn’t interested in the guards or their equipment.
  34. >Her quarry lie beyond the doors.
  35. >”Umm, you can’t go in without an appointment?”
  36. >The unicorn guard before her spoke hesitantly, fearfully.
  37. >Lyra looked positively rabid as she glared at them.
  38. “Bon-Bon.”
  39. >She growled more than spoke. There was no negotiating to be done, no bargaining or reasoning.
  40. >She was making a demand that would be met come hell or high water.
  41. >The pair before her steeled themselves and produced their spears, their training finally kicking in when they realised that this was really happening.
  42. >She wasn’t going to leave.
  43. >They were going to have to take her down.
  44. >They were going to fail.
  45. >Lyra called on her magic.
  46. >She drank deeply and greedily, pulling more and more power into her body.
  47. >A terrible ringing filled her ears, a throbbing in her skull, the sensation of being overfull to the point of bursting permeated her every fiber.
  48. >Her vision went white and the world seemed to turn itself upside down.
  49. >And yet she continued to drink the mana, to fill herself with Aquarius.
  50. >The master ley line.
  51. >The unimaginably vast ocean of power threatening to pull her down, to consume her consciousness! The crashing waves of mana bashing against her skull while they tried to wash her away!
  52. >But she would not falter.
  53. >She had a mission.
  54. >The physical world returned to her to show the polished stone floors right beneath her eyes.
  55. >She’d been toppled whilst calling upon her power, sent spilling to the ground with a heavy Earth pony guard sitting on her haunches.
  56. >Cuffs attached to one leg, but not yet the other.
  57. >Lyra raised her head to look him in the eye, raw mana dripping from her mouth to spill upon the floors before fizzling out of existence and returning to the not-place from whence it came.
  58. >Only the unicorns could see it.
  59. >Their wide eyed manic expressions betraying the fact that they knew they were completely outmatched.
  60. >”Get a jammer in here!”
  61. >Lyra couldn’t see whoever had said it.
  62. >But she could hear the fear in their voice.
  63. >She lifted the pony who sat atop her with her magic, a normally monumentally difficult feat made trivial by the mighty aquarius.
  64. >She hurled them bodily across the room, a clatter and crash filling the air as he bowled over his companions.
  65. >Lyra swiftly rose to her hooves to see herself surrounded by armed ponies, most wearing the ceremonial armor and spear, some with formal clothing and firearms.
  66. >There was a weapon pointed at her from nearly every angle, save just a bit to the side where two guards lay upon the ground in a dazed heap..
  67. >”You’re surrounded! Don’t move or I WILL shoot!”
  68. >”Wait a minute Nitwit, what if you miss? You’ll hit one of us!”
  69. >”My name isn’t- It’s KNIT WHITLEY! For the LAST TIME!”
  70. >But that’s so-”
  71. >”NO! We are NOT having this conversation now!”
  72. >Yesterday she’d have been stuck.
  73. >It wasn’t yesterday.
  74. >”Get back on the ground. NOW!”
  75. >Lyra called on Leo.
  76. >The rapid and volatile mana washed over her.
  77. >She was already full to the brim. The mana now overflowed, pouring everywhere.
  78. >Lyra’s horn shorted out.
  79. >She collapsed to the ground as blinding pain overtook her.
  80. >”Whoa. She actually did it? Uhh, I mean good! Now stay there! Please!”
  81. >But she refused to let go of the magic.
  82. >Lyra struggled with the temperamental mixture of mana she had made, pouring the unimaginable depth of Aquarius into the volatile rapids of Leo.
  83. >The bizarre mixture of magic flowed with terrifying swiftness and depth, as though an ocean had somehow been strapped to a rocket.
  84. >”Jammer’s up!”
  85. >That didn’t matter to synthesised ley lines.
  86. >She’d pushed through them before and she’d do it again.
  87. >Lyra planned out her spellform, a massive and complex structure that strained the limits of her focus.
  88. >Her target?
  89. >Every weapon in the room.
  90. >Every spear, every firearm, every chair, anything that could be used as a tool to hurt her.
  91. >The spell had to come together as one.
  92. >Define a ring around your target, make it spin and contract, shape it into a serrated blade, and strike in one swift motion.
  93. >Lyra cast Rip Current.
  94. >She failed.
  95. >Spears were snapped, guns crushed or blown aside, debris filled the air, but nothing was cut.
  96. >And not everypony was disarmed.
  97. >Two ponies armed with spears rushed her, apparently having decided the time had come for deadly force.
  98. >They hesitated slightly to approach her. Perhaps they were fearful of what she might do to them, perhaps fearful of what they might do to her.
  99. >It didn’t matter.
  100. >The moment of hesitation was all Lyra needed to prepare a pair of Geyser strikes from the air and smash into their celiac plexus.
  101. >One of them collapsed when the blow hit home, one guard collapsed.
  102. >The other howled in pain but persisted.
  103. >A flurry of blows slammed into the attacking Earth pony. His charge was finally brought to a halt with a sickening snapping noise.
  104. >Lyra had broken his ribs.
  105. >He collapsed to the ground with a shriek that quickly became ragged and shallow.
  106. >The remaining guards all stepped back at the sight, none of them eager to face what stood before them.
  107. “WHERE’S BON-BON?”
  108. >Many of them flinched when she yelled.
  109. >None of them answered her.
  110. >Lyra turned to the heavy oaken doors-
  111. >A pegasus tackled her from behind.
  112. >They grappled for only a moment before Lyra managed to envelop them in her magic and slam their back into the ground.
  113. >The rest closed in on her.
  114. >She cast Undertow between herself and her foes.
  115. >A thick cloud of broken weaponry blocked their advance.
  116. >”WHERE’S THE BACKUP?”
  117. >They weren’t going to give up.
  118. >These guards who were otherwise so easy to shake were going to stand between her and their princess until the bitter end.
  119. >They were going to fight her until either they couldn’t or she couldn’t.
  120. >It wasn’t right to hurt them any further.
  121. >They’d done her no wrong.
  122. >But Bon-Bon was in trouble.
  123. >Lyra climbed to her hooves once more, she had to reach her target.
  124. >But there WAS a way to keep them away.
  125. >She grabbed the heavy oaken doors to the throne room with her magic and ripped them from the hinges, casting them aside casually.
  126. >Princess Celestia sat on the throne, looking serene as usual.
  127. >Lyra cast Eruption.
  128. “I HAVE A BOMB!”
  129. >She walked into the throne room as her explosive continued to form.
  130. >It glowed brightly with heat as she added more and more air to her primed blast.
  131. >”Stand down.”
  132. >Celestia spoke eerily calmly, almost like she was observing some unimportant training exercise that had ended with results just slightly worse than expected.
  133. “IF I LOSE FOCUS THIS THING BLOWS!”
  134. >”I said stand down. She’ll do us no harm.”
  135. >Lyra wasn’t certain that was true.
  136. >A young Earth mare walked out from behind the throne where she’d apparently been hiding.
  137. >”Are you sure?”
  138. >Their yellow coat was contrast by a golden mane with black highlights.
  139. >Their cutie mark was some bizarre S shaped symbol.
  140. >”Yes, Leslie Fair. I am certain. And no, I’m not abolishing all taxes and ceding the throne.”
  141. >”Forget that! You!”
  142. >She gestured eagerly at Lyra.
  143. >”Would you be interested in working for a private militia?”
  144. >Celestia gave an uncharacteristic groan as she shook her head slowly.
  145. >”Just leave.”
  146. >They hesitated only a moment before departing with a little pout.
  147. >”Perhaps I should be thanking you for interrupting that meeting, she does tend to drone on. But it occurs to me that there may have been better ways to do it. What’s the matter, my little pony?”
  148. >Celestia’s soothing presence was doing nothing to calm Lyra.
  149. “You are going to tell me what happened to Bon-Bon.”
  150. >That’s what did it.
  151. >That’s what made Celestia finally show fear.
  152. >Not the crazed mare before her who was waving a bomb around.
  153. >The pony who’d taken down multiple armed guards with nothing but a flick of her horn.
  154. >The pony who was FURIOUS with her.
  155. >What scared Celestia was the knowledge that Bon-Bon was in trouble.
  156. >Was it because she only now took Lyra’s threats seriously?
  157. >Was it because they’d lost one of the few things that yet stood between Eurynomos and Equestria?
  158. >Or was she afraid for Bon-Bon herself?
  159. >Lyra wasn’t certain, but she knew one thing for sure.
  160. >Celestia was right to be scared.
  161. >”Something happened to her? Hold on.”
  162. >She pressed a hoof against her ear, presumably activating some unseen earpiece.
  163. >”I need a status report. Agent Zero.”
  164. >Celestia grew paler.
  165. >Twilight Sparkle poked her muzzle around the corner of the now ruined doorway.
  166. >”What in the wide world is going on- Lyra?”
  167. >Her eyes were transfixed on the hovering ball of burning hot air.
  168. >”Twilight, get out of here! It’s not safe!”
  169. >Twilight ignored the order.
  170. >She approached Lyra slowly.
  171. >Carefully.
  172. >”Lyra, why is there a floating ball of liquid here, and why is there so much magic going into it?”
  173. >Wait.
  174. “Liquid? I- oh wow! I did it! Liquid air! And he said I couldn’t.”
  175. >She’d actually done it!
  176. >”Well, if it’s air then it’s mostly nitrogen. At this temperature it’d technically be a supercritical fluid. WAIT WHAT? Supercritical- that thing’s DANGEROUS! Get rid of it!”
  177. “Uhh, I’m not sure I can?”
  178. >Twilight gasped.
  179. >Celestia groaned.
  180. >”Well how bad is it? Can you- no? Half the cell, are you serious? What were they even DOING there? Oh, she’s in for it now! Listen, I want Zero in Canterlot as soon as it’s safe to move her! No, safe for HER, I know she’s not a threat right now! Okay, see that you do. And keep me posted!”
  181. >Celestia lowered her hoof away from her ear, the fear on her face suppressed but not gone.
  182. >”Lyra, we’re going to do everything we can to save her life.”
  183. >She’d been right.
  184. >Bon-Bon was in serious danger.
  185. >”If..”
  186. “WHAT?”
  187. >IF?
  188. >”If you stand down immediately. Dispose of your bomb and surrender. Do not leave this room without my explicit permission.”
  189. “You’re using her LIFE as a BARGAINING CHIP?”
  190. >”Yes.”
  191. >Lyra could hardly believe what she was hearing.
  192. “You wouldn’t DARE! You would NEVER do that!”
  193. >”And you would never be willing to take that risk.”
  194. >Lyra was aghast.
  195. >It was GHOULISH to sentence Bon-Bon to death for Lyra’s actions.
  196. >But princess Celestia was right.
  197. >It was something she couldn’t imagine the princess ever doing, something that she’d wager every bit she’d ever had against.
  198. >And yet there was this nagging shadow of doubt in the back of her head.
  199. >An unshakeable fear.
  200. >Lyra couldn’t take that risk.
  201. >She slowly expanded the Eruption, gradually decreasing its pressure.
  202. >Undoing the spell was harder than crafting it. The pressure she fought against went down as she progressed, but so too did the density of her spells.
  203. >She had to constantly adjust the barriers that had crushed the atmosphere into a deadly weapon, one slip and it would blow.
  204. >Twilight’s horn came to life.
  205. >She began to reinforce the spell as it was slowly unwound, helping to make sure that it didn’t fail suddenly.
  206. >Finally, when it was all gone, Lyra sat down.
  207. >And began to cry.
  208. >To weep.
  209. >Twilight placed a single hoof on her back in a vain attempt to comfort her.
  210. >”Lyra, what’s wrong?”
  211. >Lyra couldn’t speak for the sobs. Celestia spoke for her.
  212. >”Bon-Bon is in critical condition after a bad op. I’m not entirely certain how Lyra knew. But she did.”
  213. >Only then did Celestia rise from her throne.
  214. >She gracefully and calmly strode over to Lyra.
  215. >And sat down next to her.
  216. >”It’s okay.”
  217. >Somehow the words made Lyra sob all the harder.
  218. >She was trembling from the overwhelming terror and grief.
  219. >”Just let it all out. We’ll do everything we can for her, it’s okay.”
  220. >Lyra felt Celestia calling on her magic.
  221. >Then her consciousness faded away.
  222.  
  223. Later…
  224.  
  225. >Lyra awoke with a start.
  226. >Her head was full of a thick, disorienting fog that seemed to be actively trying to interfere with her thoughts.
  227. >She shook her head groggily, there was something-
  228. “Bonny!”
  229. >”Is alive. I don’t know how bad it is yet, but they got her out.”
  230. >Lyra could feel her blood pressure dropping.
  231. >Bonny wasn’t safe.
  232. >Safer at least
  233. >She’d been wounded by stars know what.
  234. >But at least she wasn’t in Hell anymore.
  235. >With the initial panic gone Lyra felt incredibly drained.
  236. >She looked around herself to find she was in a small, somewhat cramped waiting room.
  237. >The distinct smell of disinfectant coupled with the stench of illness suggested they were at the hospital.
  238. >”You’re in a lot of trouble.”
  239. >Celestia spoke sternly but without a hint of anger.
  240. “I know.”
  241. >”If that spell had gone off it would have killed you. Probably killed and wounded several innocents in the process.”
  242. “Yeah.”
  243. >”So why did you do it? What were you thinking?”
  244. >Lyra craned her neck up to gaze at her accuser, sitting beside her but still towering over her.
  245. >She wasn’t sure how to answer.
  246. >She didn’t know the answer.
  247. >Celestia’s face betrayed no malice, no rage. She merely sought to understand.
  248. >She wanted answers.
  249. >Lyra could provide none.
  250. >”One thing at a time. Why did you attack my guards? Did you want to hurt them?”
  251. “No, of course not! I… they weren’t letting me see you.”
  252. >”And your first instinct was to attack them?”
  253. >Yes.
  254. >It had been.
  255. >She hadn’t stopped to consider any alternatives.
  256. >Lyra said nothing, but Celestia nodded in understanding regardless.
  257. >She seemed to understand.
  258. >”You were in a hurry, and you weren’t thinking straight. I understand. Sweetie Drops was in danger, you might have even thought she was dead. You didn’t know where she was or how to find her, but you knew who to blame.
  259. “I don’t blame you.”
  260. >”Don’t lie to me.”
  261. >The faintest hint of anger had wormed its way into her words.
  262. >It wasn’t the assault on her palace that had done it.
  263. >But was was she upset because Lyra had lied to her, or was she angered by the accusation?
  264. >”You know, don’t you? Of course you do, you were there, you saved me from my own naivety. You know that I created this monster. Luna told me to stay out of the way, that Deimos and Phobos couldn’t be reasoned with. That the ceasefire with Achlys was a small miracle that would never happen again. I didn’t listen, and now this happened. It IS my fault and you’d BETTER blame me! But-”
  265. >The anger drained from her voice, and Celestia returned to her normal serenity.
  266. >”I still can’t look the other way this time.”
  267. >Lyra understood.
  268. >She was going to wind up facing justice for this one.
  269. >But she didn’t have the mental capacity to spare right now.
  270. >She was too busy worrying about Bon-Bon.
  271. >”If it’d just been me you’d hurt I would have pardoned you, I probably deserve some punishment. But it wasn’t, and I can’t.”
  272. >Did princess Celestia just say she deserved to be blown up?
  273. >Lyra must have been misunderstanding, maybe she just meant beaten up.
  274. >But still…
  275. >It looked like the princess was taking this pretty hard.
  276. >Celestia was right, this WAS her fault and Lyra DID blame her.
  277. >But she also felt sorry for her.
  278. >Celestia had meant well, she’d envisioned a peaceful reconciliation where nopony had to die.
  279. >A happy ending that wouldn’t scar bodies and minds for a lifetime.
  280. >And she’d sought to do it with the only tool that had ever worked for her, the only thing she’d ever needed save for the Elements.
  281. >She used her diplomacy to try and reason with a demon.
  282. >A pointless and perhaps mad idea, but diplomacy and harmony were what the princess knew.
  283. >Were they really that different, Celestia and her?
  284. >Lyra too had good intentions. She’d wanted an ending to the madness where nopony had to die, where wounds could heal.
  285. >The two of them had similar goals.
  286. >But Lyra didn’t wield diplomacy as Celestia could.
  287. >The only tool she’d found was violence.
  288. >Power.
  289. >The ability to FORCE your way against somepony else’s will.
  290. >And now she wielded it as foolishly as Celestia had.
  291. >The two of them were just desperate ponies, fruitlessly trying to deny reality the only way they knew how.
  292. >No, not fruitlessly.
  293. >Celestia had failed to prevent the horror, but Lyra was going to succeed in ending it.
  294. >If, no, WHEN the Tide worked, all her struggle would have been made worthwhile.
  295. >This latest move had been a pointless failure, but everything she’d done leading to the moment of Eurynomos’ inevitable demise had been worth it.
  296. >But what if it didn’t work?
  297. >Celestia had been confident she could negotiate out of this, who was to say that Lyra’s confidence wasn’t also ill advised?
  298. >Who was to say that her plan wouldn’t end in ruin as well?
  299. >”But I suppose that can wait for a while. At least until Sweetie Drops is dealt with.”
  300. “Really?”
  301. >Despite the situation a small, quivering smile formed on her face.
  302. >”I trust you’ll be spending as much time with her as you can. You’ll be easy enough to find. But I need you to cooperate.”
  303. “Of course!”
  304. >”Good. Why did you want to see me so badly?”
  305. “I told you I’d hold you accountable if anything happened to her.”
  306. >”I do recall. You said if anything happened to Bon-Bon you’d come after me. And what was it you’d intended to do?”
  307. >That WAS a good question.
  308. >She wanted Bonny to be okay.
  309. >But what would she have done if she wasn’t?
  310. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
  311. >Princess Celestia looked her straight in the eyes, an uncomfortable and piercing gaze that felt as though she was studying something only she could see.
  312. >”I believe you. As mad as it may sound I believe you. It must have been a terrible shock. How did you find out anyway?”
  313. “She was wearing an artifact I’d made for her.”
  314. >”Oh yes, I’d heard about that. A very sweet gift. I dare say she’s lucky to have a pony like you in her life. But why were you in Canterlot?”
  315. >Uh-oh.
  316. >”She was wounded not long before you arrived. Enough time to move through the city, but not to come in from Ponyville. You were already here.”
  317. >Lyra considered lying.
  318. >But she couldn’t think of anything.
  319. >If she said she was visiting somepony it would be too easy for princess Celestia to check.
  320. >And if she mentioned Moondancer? She didn’t want to get her dragged into her mess.
  321. >And she couldn’t tell the truth either, she couldn’t acknowledge knowing so much about the Tide or being Red.
  322. >”Lyra? Answer me.”
  323. >Out of time.
  324. “Princess? Is your sister a demon?”
  325. >Hopefully this was good enough.
  326. >”NO.”
  327. >Celestia spoke firmly, loudly, FIERCELY.
  328. >Lyra flinched at the force of the sudden words, taken aback by the abruptness and volume with which the princess spoke.
  329. “Sorry. It’s- her magic is tainted somehow. And you said you had to believe you could live in peace with them. I thought maybe you believed that because your sister…”
  330. >”Sister’s personal affairs are of no concern to you.”
  331. “Didn’t you want me to find out what she was up to?”
  332. >Celestia grimaced.
  333. “You told me to find out why she’d invaded Orcus-”
  334. >Celestia flinched that time.
  335. >But she didn’t interrupt.
  336. >There was no point, the seal was open. That name no longer held power.
  337. “And try to figure out what her plan is.”
  338. >”We… I need to know. What have you found?”
  339. “That depends. Is she insane?”
  340. >”What makes you think that?”
  341. “Well, she sought out the devil. You only do that if you’re insane. Or desperate.”
  342. >Celestia nodded.
  343. >”I wish I could tell you my sister was sound of mind, but she’s not. She’s been… unstable ever since her return. I thought she was getting better. I might have thought wrong.”
  344. “Yeah. I remember the Tantabus. But… Bonny was working with her. I don’t think she’d have done that if Luna was nuts.”
  345. >”You trust her judgement.”
  346. >It wasn’t so much a question as a statement of fact.
  347. >Lyra answered regardless.
  348. “Implicitly.”
  349. >”So then what do you think she’s after?”
  350. “No clue. I can’t even figure out who she is! One minute she’s a fearless warrior princess who charged head first into Hell, the next she’s cowering when she hears a name. She doesn’t seem to concern herself at all with the wellbeing of her agents, pitting them against unspeakable evils without a second thought, but she remembers the name of every pony she’s ever lost! She said that strength was the only thing that really mattered, that because she was stronger than anyone else she could do what she wanted, but then she’s constantly second guessing herself! Hay, she even asked ME for moral guidance. ME! Why? Doesn’t she know anypony better? I don’t get her.”
  351. >”Sister… she’s a complex pony. She’s been through a lot, anypony would be changed.”
  352. >Was Celestia trying to convince Lyra that her sister was on the straight and narrow?
  353. >Or was she trying to convince herself?
  354. “I need you to help me on this. I’m not going to get anywhere if I spend all my time trying to figure out the basics. Does she have a past history with them?”
  355. >Celestia stared at the wall, or perhaps through it. Lyra could almost see the gears turning in her head, the distinctive chewing of the lower lip, her eyes darting off to the top left.
  356. >Her silence was telling.
  357. >Or rather, it would have been if Lyra didn’t already know.
  358. >Luna taunted them.
  359. >She went out of her way to poke at them, to mock them, she even had that annual ritual Derpy had mentioned.
  360. >It was clearly personal to her.
  361. >Anyone else would have been happy to just let them rot away in their prison, but Luna had to remind them of their impotence.
  362. >Right up until they were no longer impotent.
  363. >”They have caused her a great deal of trouble in the past.”
  364. “Do you think this is revenge?”
  365. >”The thought had occurred to me.”
  366. >She wasn’t denying it.
  367. >”If it was revenge, what will you do?”
  368. “Huh?”
  369. >”If all the things that have happened to Sweetie Drops were pointless, what will you do?”
  370. “Dunno. That’s not what worries me though.”
  371. >”Oh?”
  372. “If she did this to Bonny selfishly, made her go through this whole mess with all the danger and pain without a REALLY good reason? Well, then I can hate her. But what if she’s right? What if this really was the right thing to do? What if there really was no better way and she absolutely had to start this fight, what do I think of her then?”
  373. >Lyra chewed on her lip for a while, thinking the situation over.
  374. “It’d better be a REALLY good reason.”
  375. >She wanted to hate Luna.
  376. >She really did.
  377. >What Bonny had gone through, was currently GOING through, that couldn’t be ignored.
  378. >But if Luna really could stop the Tide with this mess?
  379. >Wasn’t that worth it then?
  380. >Wouldn’t Luna be a heroine for saving everypony except those poor few who fell?
  381. >But why did it have to be Bonny?
  382. >”I need to go, can’t be late for this meeting. And you should go see her.”
  383. “Wait, Bonny’s here?”
  384. >”Yes. She got here a while ago.”
  385. “Why-”
  386. >”The doctors were still busy with her, I didn’t want you rushing there to see her and getting in the way.”
  387. “I wouldn’t- okay, that’s exactly what I would have done. Thank you princess.”
  388. >”Three doors to the left to get to the main hall, SECOND elevator on your right not the first one, that only goes down. Take it up to floor 8, she’s in quarantine. If the doctors there tell you to do something I’d suggest you do it, you don’t want to catch the plague again. Try not to blow anything up? It’s just assaulting officers, reckless endangerment, and battery so far. No prior felony convictions. Zone B offence, good behaviour and a guilty plead could get you out on parole in… wait, you have a Solstice Star. Your lawyer will argue that you deserve lenience for your service to Equestria. Probably between 1 and 2 years. PLEASE don’t make it worse.”
  389. “Isn’t there a special punishment for endangering a princess?”
  390. >Lyra immediately regretted saying that.
  391. >”I’m not pressing charges.”
  392. >She stood up and made for the door.
  393. “Wait, princess? Were you really going to let Bonny die if I didn’t give up?”
  394. >The princess stopped short.
  395. >She turned her head to look Lyra in the eye.
  396. >She looked hurt.
  397. >”Heavens no! I would never!”
  398. >Lyra smiled at her, an earnest and genuine grin.
  399. “Good answer.”
  400. >Celestia departed.
  401. >And Lyra wasted no time in seeking out the quarantine.
  402. >She soon found herself face to face with the familiar double doors of a hospital ward, but this time the doors were locked tight.
  403. >There was no clear sign of any locking mechanism, no keyhole, no padlock, nothing.
  404. >But there was a doorbell fixed to the wall nearby.
  405. >Lyra poked it.
  406. >A voice replied through an intercom system.
  407. >The sound was so terribly muffled and grainy that she couldn’t tell if it belonged to a mare, stallion, foal, or even if it belonged to a pony at all.
  408. >”Name.”
  409. “Lyra Heartstrings?”
  410. >”Hold on.”
  411. >It didn’t take long for somepony to appear at the door, a young Earth mare with a cream coloured coat and a tied back light pink mane.
  412. >She bore a clean and pressed lab coat but was otherwise unadorned.
  413. >”Come in.”
  414. >They bore the same voice as what came through the intercom, grainy and muffled despite the absence of any extra machinery.
  415. >That’s just what she sounded like apparently.
  416. >”We were told to expect you.”
  417. “By whom?”
  418. >”It was the strangest thing. Princess Celestia herself came by and told me you were coming.”
  419. >Lyra stepped into the ward.
  420. >She felt a strange gust of wind seemed to be trying to suck her into the ward as she crossed the threshold. The interior was lit just a bit too brightly beneath the fluorescents built into the ceiling. The waxed linoleum floors were a brand new kind of white, practically glowing with not so much as a hint of dirt to be found.
  421. >Lyra took a shallow breath but was assaulted viciously by the smell of disinfectant.
  422. “Ugh.”
  423. >”Yeah, tell me about it. But we have to be careful. The diseases in here- wait, I recognise you. You’re…”
  424. >They blanched a bit.
  425. >Lyra groaned.
  426. “Yes. I’m the pony from the award ceremony. No, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’ve had more than enough of that lately. I’m just here to check on a patient, uhh… what was your name again?”
  427. >They shook their head briefly before replying.
  428. >With their bizarre voice Lyra couldn’t even guess at what emotion they were feeling.
  429. >”Dr. Caduceus.”
  430. “I’m here to see Bon-Bon.”
  431. >”Right this way.”
  432. >She gestured for Lyra to follow.
  433. “Wait, that’s it? No secrecy or anything? Not even a form to fill out?”
  434. >”Says on her file that you’re her emergency contact. If the princess hadn’t said you were coming we’d have tried to call you.”
  435. >Huh.
  436. >That sure was easy.
  437. >”We can’t let you into her room without precautions, but there’s a window for observation and an intercom for when she wakes up.”
  438. “So what happened to her?”
  439. >”Mauled by a bugbear.”
  440. “Pardon?”
  441. >”Yeah, I know! It’s scary! To think one could get this close to Canterlot…”
  442. >They didn’t know.
  443. >They had no idea what they were dealing with, nor whom.
  444. >How could they be trusted to treat her if they didn’t even know what had happened?
  445. >”The guard apparently chased it away, but not before several ponies got hurt.”
  446. >Several.
  447. >Bon-Bon wasn’t the only one who’d been hit.
  448. >”Now, before you see her I want you to brace yourself. She’s hurt pretty bad, but we’re optimistic about the prognosis. We’ve got surgery scheduled for tomorrow, and you’ll probably be able to take her home in less than a month. Surgical methods have improved a LOT over recent years, don’t you worry. Set her bones, remove some foreign materials and Bob’s your uncle.”
  449. “No he’s not. Apple Bob isn’t even related to me, he’s just a family friend. Say, why’s she in quarantine anyway?”
  450. >”Tested positive for an antibiotic resistant strain of a fairly mundane disease. It’s not that dangerous, but we don’t want it to spread to the rest of the patients.”
  451. >”Caduceus, go to room 8.”
  452. >An overbearing tinny voice cut in.
  453. >The two of them looked to the source of the noise, a trio of ponies in hazmat suits.
  454. “Does everypony here have a funny voice?”
  455. >”Not Brown.”
  456. >Squeaked the one in the middle as he gestured to his right.
  457. “Oh, good. What does he sound like?
  458. >”He’s mute. Anyway, Caduceus, seal yourself in room 8.”
  459. >”Excuse me, but this is MY ward and these are MY patients! What are you even doing here?”
  460. >”We’re from the Canterlot Council for the Containment and Control of Contagions.”
  461. >”The quintuple C?”
  462. >The two doctors flanking the speaker walked away, one of them muttering to themselves in a distinctively squeaky voice as they left.
  463. >The speaker stayed.
  464. >”We don’t believe you’re infected. If you followed proper practice it’s a million to one, but we can’t take that chance. You’re in quarantine, but only for one night; the thing we’re after progresses fast. If no symptoms develop by noon tomorrow you’re free to go.”
  465. >”What’s going on?”
  466. >”We’re still investigating the possibilities and are unable to comment at this juncture.”
  467. >That might have been the most convoluted non-answer she’d ever heard.
  468. “Will you be shoving me in quarantine too?”
  469. >”Yes. Again, just overnight. Million to one.”
  470. >Lyra had been in quarantine before.
  471. >But that was different.
  472. >She’d been thrown out into the thick of things.
  473. >This time she’d just talked to somepony who was near a sick pony.
  474. >There was no way she was infected.
  475. >Right?
  476. “Can I at least see Bonny before you do?”
  477. >Lyra was pretty sure they shrugged, though it was kinda hard to tell what was going on under their suit.
  478. >”Might as well. If the doc had anything then the whole ward’s infected already, not like you’ll make it worse. We just need you sealed off before we sterilize the place. Come with me.”
  479. >The two of them continued to walk toward Bon-Bon’s room.
  480. >“You’re Lyra, right?”
  481. “You know me?”
  482. >”Yeah, I was briefed on this case. It’s- wait, aren’t you that pony that got the Solstice Star?”
  483. >Lyra firmly applied a hoof to her face.
  484. “Augh, not you too.”
  485. >”Damn fine work, you should be proud.”
  486. “Pardon?”
  487. >”I’ve spent too much time stitching ponies back together after they ran into those… THINGS. I know what they do, what they’re capable of. You stood up to them, can’t say I’d have done the same. What’s more you somehow managed to win.”
  488. “You’re not upset with me for snapping at Celestia?”
  489. >”Pfft, who cares? Those were just words, and in all my years I’ve never seen words mess anypony up half as bad as those things.”
  490. >He stopped just before they reached one of the observation windows.
  491. >”She’s here. Try to keep calm, she’s stable at the moment. If anything changes we’ll let you know.”
  492. >Lyra hesitated for but a moment before peering through the double paned windows.
  493. >Bon-Bon was lying upon a hospital bed, clean blankets and sheets carefully placed upon her unmoving body.
  494. >Most of her face was covered by a mask affixed to her muzzle, a hose leading from it to the wall no doubt carrying life sustaining oxygen.
  495. >An I.V. drip of 4 bags was wired into her, three clear fluids mixing with one deep red bag trickling down into her veins.
  496. >It wasn’t as bad as Lyra had been expecting.
  497. >She still felt faint.
  498. “What happened to her? And don’t tell me it was a bugbear!”
  499. >”Well, you ARE her emergency contact… okay. I can tell you what’s wrong with her. I can’t tell you HOW it happened though. Hay, they wouldn’t even tell ME! And I spent TWO HOURS filling out forms, just to get my hooves on her medical chart! It was insane!”
  500. “Yeah, they do like their secrets.”
  501. >That was fine though.
  502. >Lyra didn’t need him to tell her what had hurt Bonny, there was only one thing down there that could do that to her.
  503. >Eurynomos.
  504. >She’d faced him on their first day down there and barely walked away.
  505. >And from what she’d gathered Bon-Bon had been thrown against him time and again, the only pony to ever wound the beast in any meaningful way.
  506. >”The patient was hit twice. Numerous parallel lacerations across the chest, dug right down to the bone. Looks like a claw of some kind, and there’s a puncture wound from a stinger. The sting managed to collapse her left lung and break one of her ribs, caused a lot of internal bleeding too. Antivenom was administered almost immediately for the infernal toxins but there was still some damage done to the circulatory system.”
  507. >This was terrible.
  508. >That toxin had gutted Dinky in minutes!
  509. >When they said SOME damage, how much did they mean?
  510. >”Chart says that by the time they got her out of danger she’d entered respiratory arrest and had to be ventilated. She entered hypovolemic shock shortly after. The, uh, the wounds had been closed well enough but not quick enough. Combined with the internal bleeding from the sting she needed a transfusion. Transfusions are usually safe but we need to keep an eye on her until we’re certain the bleeding has stopped. Once her blood pressure was deemed acceptable and she’d started breathing on her own they put her on oxygen and transferred her here.”
  511. >By the stars, Lyra could hardly believe it.
  512. >So much trauma in just the blink of an eye.
  513. >While she’d been playing about, taking her sweet time figuring out how to stop that monster, it had ripped Bon-Bon apart.
  514. >AGAIN.
  515. >If she’d just been a LITTLE faster, a LITTLE smarter…
  516. >A little more aggressive…
  517. >She could only hope Twilight hurried up.
  518. “Wait. A STINGER broke HER ribs?”
  519. >”It was a big stinger. We had a lot of trouble getting it out without making things worse, but it’s gone and her wound’s been cleaned and packed. I don’t know what did this, but I hope I never meet it. We’ll have to operate to fix her lungs and ribs, she’s scheduled for tomorrow.”
  520. “Why not tonight?”
  521. >”She was in shock. It’s way too dangerous to operate right now, we might even have to delay further. She can survive with one lung, but she can’t survive surgery.”
  522. >Lyra felt hollow.
  523. >Once again she knew that Bon-Bon was suffering.
  524. >And once again she could do nothing about it.
  525. “Those… THINGS. I’ve run into them before, so have you. These wounds aren’t the whole story, are they.”
  526. >The doctor sighed.
  527. >Without being able to see his face through the suit Lyra couldn’t tell exactly why.
  528. >Was he tired of her questions? Tired of this case?
  529. >Or was he just sick of seeing good ponies brought to him after being chewed up?
  530. >”We were in a big hurry to get the stinger out for a reason. We found high levels of the Infernal toxin around it, even with antivenom it’s dangerous. We also found poneratoxin, the same toxin as you see in bullet ants. It causes certain cells like muscles and neurons to constantly be firing, causing pain and paralysis. We think it’s why she stopped breathing. We’re monitoring her heart, and will be ready if it gets paralysed too, but that’s unlikely at this point. Odds are most of the toxin was bled out of her. We actually considered leaving the stinger in for a while, it was barbed so there was some trauma getting it out. But it was- I don’t know how it’s possible, but it was still producing. Not fast, but plenty fast enough to cause trouble.”
  531. >Lyra felt faint.
  532. >”And she has the Burning Plague. She’s had it for a while but it was kept in check by antibiotics and her immune system. Problem is now that’s she’s weakened…”
  533. “It’s going to run wild.”
  534. >”And it’s resistant to most antibiotics at this point. We’re going to keep giving them to her but they won’t work like they used to. We aren’t seeing any symptoms yet but that’s going to change soon. It’s a bad one.”
  535. “Yeah. I’m familiar. Had it myself.”
  536. >She’d never felt that sick before.
  537. >The fever had gotten so bad that she couldn’t remember some of those days she’d spent in the hospital.
  538. >And she was glad for that.
  539. >But as bad as it’d been it could have been worse, she hadn’t been wounded when it happened.
  540. >Bon-Bon was in trouble.
  541. “These things are bad enough on their own, but together they’re…”
  542. >”Really bad. The plague is dangerous to an otherwise healthy patient. She’s not healthy.”
  543. “Doc, level with me. Is she going to make it?”
  544. >He didn’t answer for nearly half minute.
  545. >30 seconds of agonizing silence and what she could only assume was uncomfortable eye contact.
  546. >”I don’t think so.”
  547. >Lyra felt like she’d been hit with a hammer.
  548. >She stopped breathing, a cold numbness crept into her heart, an agonizing nothing had taken up residence in her throat.
  549. >Then the intercom turned on.
  550. >A weak, raspy, and quivering voice came through.
  551. >”I’ll be fine.”
  552. >The two of them whipped their heads to the window to see Bon-Bon, blanket cast aside to reveal layer after layer of bandages.
  553. >A small crimson dot could be seen just over her lung, presumably from blood that had seeped through the packing in the puncture wound.
  554. >She held her leg out, rested against a button on the intercom system that sat atop her bedside table, oxygen mask pushed aside allowing her to speak.
  555. “BONNY!”
  556. >”Hi Lyra. Sorry to worry you. But it’ll be okay, I’ll get better myself if I have to.”
  557. >She stopped talking for a moment to catch her breath.
  558. >”But any help you can offer is appreciated.”
  559. >Lyra watched through tear filled eyes as Bon-Bon slowly and clumsily affixed the mask to her own muzzle before collapsing into the bed once more.
  560. >”There’s- there’s no way! We had her sedated, there’s no way she could be awake. That’s impossible!”
  561. >Lyra couldn’t help but giggle.
  562. >There was nothing funny about the situation, but relief was washing over her and making her giddy.
  563. “That’s not impossible. That’s Bon-Bon.”
  564.  
  565.  
  566. * * * * *
  567.  
  568. >Lyra hadn’t slept the night before.
  569. >How could she hope to?
  570. >She was far too wound up to sleep.
  571. >Bon-Bon had refused to perish, but she wasn’t so silly as to assume all would be well.
  572. >But she did dare hope.
  573. >If THIS hurdle was overcome, if this one last problem was resolved, her troubles would be more or less over.
  574. >Eurynomos would be crushed, Luna’s prize would stop the Tide, and Bon-Bon would be safe.
  575. >There was still the question of Luna herself, but that was nowhere near so dire in her eyes.
  576. >Perhaps in less interesting times she would have viewed that as being of the utmost importance.
  577. >At present she was too busy worrying about Bon-Bon.
  578. >She lie in bed beneath the scratchy blankets and closed her eyes.
  579. >It was a futile attempt, there was no chance she’d find peace in her current state of mind.
  580. >But she tried anyway.
  581. >Life was better when she was asleep.
  582. >No stress, no fear, no monsters.
  583. >No responsibilities.
  584. >She wondered at times if it would be better to be totally helpless.
  585. >As it was in her strange state of half potency she was cursed with the responsibility of power, but still lacked the means to ensure all would be well.
  586. >Of course there was nothing too special about that, nopony had the means to ensure EVERYTHING would be okay at all times.
  587. >But some had nothing to do with this mess at all.
  588. >Some lacked the power and the knowledge to change their fates.
  589. >Some could sleep at night.
  590. >A squeaky voice chimed in.
  591. >”Lyra? How are you feeling?”
  592. >She didn’t bother to get up to look at them.
  593. “Sleepy.”
  594. >”Any pain or nausea?”
  595. “Nope. Kinda thirsty but I don’t feel cold or anything.”
  596. >”We need you to take your temperature before we can release you. There’s a thermometer in the night stand.”
  597. >She wasted no time in gathering the device and placing it in her mouth.
  598. >”Under the tongue.”
  599. >It didn’t take long for the plastic and metal device to beep.
  600. >She took a quick glance at the display.
  601. “37.5 celsius.”
  602. >Lyra levitated the thermometer near the window to show the displayed value.
  603. >”She’s clean.”
  604. >A gust of air filled the room when they opened the door, the high pressure front outside rushing in to ensure that no pathogens could accidentally leak out in an errant breeze.
  605. >Lyra eagerly vacated her room despite the weariness that afflicted her.
  606. >She began to speak before even rounding the corner and casting eyes upon the attendant.
  607. “How’s Bon-Bon, uhh, you?”
  608. >She came face to face with an off white pegasus stallion with strawberry a blonde mane.
  609. >”Code White.”
  610. >The intercom system came to life, blaring with a loud and anxious voice.
  611. >”CODE WHITE IN ISOLATION! CODE WHITE!”
  612. >”No you- ugh! CANCEL, FALSE ALARM!”
  613. “What’s that about?”
  614. >”Code white means a patient is being aggressive.”
  615. >”CODE WHITE IN ISOLATION! CODE WHITE!”
  616. >He groaned with exasperation, the expression on his face fluctuating between annoyed and tired.
  617. >”CANCEL THE CODE! Honestly.”
  618. “This happen often?”
  619. >He merely rolled his eyes in response.
  620. “How’s Bonny?”
  621. >”We actually need to talk to you about that. I assure you that anything you say is covered by patient confidentiality.”
  622. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”
  623. >”Not even the courts can make me share what you tell me, so don’t hold anything back.”
  624. >The law assured secrecy.
  625. >But S.M.I.L.E. didn’t seem too concerned with the public justice system.
  626. >Who was to say this assurance had any value at all?
  627. “What’s wrong? Why are you so worried all of a sudden?”
  628. >He looked her in the eye with a stern expression.
  629. >”The patient is exhibiting some strange behavior-”
  630. >Lyra broke away from him and ran to check on Bon-Bon.
  631. >It was a far different sight from what she’d seen the night before.
  632. >Blankets had been discarded in exchange for ice packs, her mostly dry bandages now soaked with sweat and water.
  633. >Lyra gasped in horror at the sight of the steel chains that now held her Bonny down, the unrelenting steel links holding her every appendage in place.
  634. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”
  635. >Lyra called upon her magic and began to fiddle with the chains.
  636. >”Stop it, stop it right now or I WILL call security!”
  637. “Yeah, good luck with that. I’m freeing her.”
  638. >”This is for her own good!”
  639. >She turned to the doctor and glared him in the eye, stepping toward him and shoving her face just a little bit too closely to his.
  640. “And HOW exactly is chaining her down like a mad dog GOOD for her?”
  641. >”Because she’s BEHAVING like a mad dog. She’s having night terrors, keeps ripping her IV and oxygen out. We’ve got her sedated but she’s still at it and we don’t dare administer a higher dose. She’ll kill herself if we don’t stop her.”
  642. >Lyra turned away from him to look at Bon-Bon.
  643. >She was thrashing wildly against her restraints.
  644. “Bonny could get out of that easily. But she isn’t.”
  645. >”Because she’s asleep and can’t use her magic properly. I don’t like restraining patients, but sometimes you have no choice.”
  646. “But did it have to be chains?”
  647. >”For her? Yes.”
  648. >Oh.
  649. >”Does she have any history of mental illness or night terrors?”
  650. “No. We’ve known each other for years and I’ve never seen this!”
  651. >”What about drug abuse?”
  652. “No! She doesn’t even drink coffee.”
  653. >”Are you certain? We need to know everything if we’re going to get her through this.”
  654. >Wait.
  655. “You know what her job is, right?”
  656. >”We know enough.”
  657. “Do you know about their stimulants?”
  658. >He was visibly relieved when she said that.
  659. “Good news?”
  660. >”Probably terrible. But not as bad as what I was thinking. BROWN! Check the dossier for mention of their stimulants. I’m guessing amphetamines, probably some adrenaline too. It’d explain her heart rate earlier and why it was so hard to knock her out. Could explain the weight loss too. Let’s hope withdrawal isn’t too rough.”
  661. “It is.”
  662. >He rubbed his face with his hoof in irritation.
  663. >”Of course it is.”
  664. >A chocolate brown Earth stallion came by and began to gesture in a bizarre manner.
  665. >Lyra didn’t know Standardized Sign Language, she was at a loss.
  666. >”What’s the half life?”
  667. >He stomped 12 times.
  668. >”12 hours? So most of it should be gone, she’ll be easier to manage. But the crash is still coming. What should we look out for?”
  669. >Again, Lyra couldn’t make sense of what he was gesturing.
  670. >”Well, loss of consciousness isn’t too bad at least.”
  671. “What’s he saying?”
  672. >”Brachycardia- uhh, very slow heart rate, and she might stop breathing or breath too slowly. With the missing lung that could be bad, but on the other hoof she’s already on oxygen. This isn’t bad news, Lyra. I know it sounds bad but it’s actually a relief.”
  673. >He didn’t seem to be lying.
  674. >But they’d messed Twilight up REALLY bad!
  675. “How exactly is it a relief?”
  676. >”Because we know what we’re looking for, and if it is this stuff then we can treat it. We’ll still take a blood sample to confirm, but things are much easier once we know what we’re looking for. If you’ll excuse me.”
  677. >He walked away, presumably returning to his business.
  678. >Lyra couldn’t help but be surprised that they didn’t already know about the stimulants.
  679. >Apparently they were able to request the information, they must have been allowed to know about them.
  680. >Had that detail simply been forgotten in the panic of the previous day?
  681. >In the end that didn’t really matter.
  682. >All that mattered at the moment was that Bon-Bon recovered.
  683. >She peered through the glass, watching the pony she cared for most thrashing violently at her bindings.
  684. >The intercom wasn’t on but Lyra could imagine the whimpering cries of grief and terror, the tortured sounds of a mare being tormented by the shadows of their imagination.
  685. >Lyra pushed the button.
  686. >And she began to sing.
  687. “Hush now quiet now it’s time to lay your sleepy head…”
  688. >Her sweet voice carried the soothing tune, the melody seeming to ease a previously unseen tension.
  689. >The overwhelming stench of sanitiser and glaring of the fluorescent lights seemed to fade away into nothingness, leaving in their wake a sensation of safety and comfort.
  690. >The feeling of home.
  691. “Hush now quiet now it’s time to go to bed…”
  692. >Bon-Bon had stopped her thrashing.
  693. >Lyra had done this last time Bonny had come home messed up.
  694. >And she’d do it a million times more if she had to.
  695. >Though she was quite hopeful she wouldn’t have to.
  696. >Somepony came by wearing a hazmat suit and walked into the room.
  697. >They fiddled with the IV bags and began to wipe Bon-Bon down with a sponge.
  698. >Once they were satisfied that they’d gotten the bulk of the sweat they swapped out the ice packs and then produced a syringe to draw some blood.
  699. >Bon-Bon didn’t so much as flinch.
  700. >The pony made a point of removing the sharp and properly disposing of it before walking away, doubtlessly well aware of the hazard it represented.
  701. >It took a few minutes for them to finally vacate the room, the smell of ammonia was overpowering.
  702. “You really don’t mess around with this stuff, do you?”
  703. >They shook their head as a response.
  704. >Not talking.
  705. >They were probably the mute one.
  706. “Good. I had the plague, you know. I’d never been more sick in my life.”
  707. >He stared at her in silence.
  708. “I didn’t used to understand that it was possible to be this evil. Maybe I still don’t understand.”
  709. >They cocked their head slightly.
  710. “I understand hurting others to get what you want. I don’t like it, but sometimes you have no choice. Sometimes circumstance decides that there’s no other way, that you need to force yourself on others. You need to stop them or else something terrible will happen. Sometimes it’s not even their fault and you still need to do it. Most of the time it’s not a problem, right? Equestria’s usually pretty safe. Ponies are pretty peaceful.”
  711. >Lyra hesitated for a moment before continuing, not entirely certain how to proceed.
  712. >She had just started speaking without thinking, overcome by the emotion of seeing Bonny in this terrible condition.
  713. “They’re different, aren’t they? All the poisons, all the plagues- you don’t need to do that to win the fight. You don’t need to risk infecting all of Equestria to protect yourself. You don’t need to sack Ponyville either. They’re not hurting others to achieve their goals, hurting others IS their goal.”
  714. >”I didn’t understand that either.”
  715. >Lyra jumped in shock.
  716. >”Sorry, I thought you were mute. And you sound exactly like princess Celestia? Oh.”
  717. >Lyra turned around to gaze upon the princess.
  718. >”I’ve come to apologize. Seems as though I’m doing that quite often as of late.”
  719. “What for?”
  720. >”It’s my fault that you risked exposure to the plague. My fault that Caduceus was endangered as well. I’d read that these ponies would be taking charge at 12 and understood it to mean noon rather than midnight. It’s really quite embarrassing.”
  721. “It’s okay, princess. I’m fine.”
  722. >”So I see. I’m glad.”
  723. >The princess didn’t say anything for a while.
  724. >She looked almost afraid to speak.
  725. >”How is she?”
  726. “Not great.”
  727. >”Yeah. I know. I’ve read the reports, I just… I’m scared, Lyra.”
  728. “Yeah. Me too.”
  729. >”It was supposed to be over by now. Maybe it would have been. I keep getting ponies coming by with petitions about taxes and public services, some ponies saying there are too many national parks and some saying there aren’t enough. Time was I’d do my best to find a solution that worked for everypony, I’d think these little things through from every angle to try and fix even the tiniest of problems.”
  730. >She stayed silent for several seconds.
  731. >”That’s what I’m good at. That’s what I understand. That’s what I LIVED for! Devoting myself to polishing Equestria to perfection, trying to make a shining beacon of harmony that all might aspire to. No, not trying. Succeeding. Today I cancelled court entirely. I turned everypony away, cancelled all of my meetings. I’m tired, Lyra.”
  732. >Lyra couldn’t blame the princess.
  733. >She was tired too, and she hadn’t been tied up in this for nearly as long.
  734. >The princess stared through the glass at Bon-Bon.
  735. >Lyra wasn’t certain, but she thought she heard some faint sniffling.
  736. >”She’s not the only one. Their last outing was a catastrophe.”
  737. “Are they...”
  738. >She didn’t want to say it.
  739. >”One is. We’ll see about the rest. We’d have lost them all were it not for Bon-Bon.”
  740. “Really?”
  741. >”She kept fighting even after getting stung. Broke the stinger off and kept going. She somehow managed to break his leg before blacking out. He was slowed enough that they could be flown out.”
  742. >That certainly sounded like her.
  743. >Bon-Bon had always been unwilling to give up.
  744. >Or perhaps unable.
  745. >”While I was busy ruining everything, she managed to pick up most of the pieces. I owe her more than I can ever repay.”
  746. >Bon-Bon sat up.
  747. >It came as quite a surprise given she was ostensibly asleep and chained down.
  748. >The mask was pushed aside and the ice packs moved down to her belly.
  749. >Broken chains dangled from her one leg as she activated the intercom.
  750. >”What, did my last pay cheque bounce?”
  751. >”You’re awake?”
  752. >”I think so. Hold on, I’ll go check.”
  753. >She still sounded so weak.
  754. >But she was joking around.
  755. >That was a good sign, right?
  756. >”Agent- no. Sweetie Drops. I’m sorry. I know it’s not worth much, but I am so so sorry.”
  757. >Bon-Bon held the mask to her muzzle for a while.
  758. >It was clearly taxing on her to try and speak in this condition.
  759. >It didn’t take too long for her to take it off and speak once more.
  760. >”I don’t blame you.”
  761. >”But it’s my fault. I made the thing that did this to you.”
  762. >”I know. But I don’t blame you.”
  763. >”But it’s my fault!”
  764. >”Lyra? Please bop her on the back of the head for me. Not hard, just enough to feel.”
  765. “Uhh, okay?”
  766. >She tapped Celestia lightly with her magic.
  767. >”You blew it. But it’s not your fault.”
  768. >The princess blinked a couple of times, clearly confused by what was going on.
  769. >Bon-Bon took a few more breaths from her mask.
  770. >”You’re the peaceful friendly one. You aren’t cut out to deal with them, but that’s okay. We still need you for other things.”
  771. >”But I’m responsible for so much suffering, I’ve ruined everything!”
  772. >”You screwed up. In your position you get to make really big mistakes. But you’re still just a pony, and everypony makes mistakes. But you’ll learn from this one, and you’ll do better next time. And there will be a next time. We’ll clean this up, don’t you worry.”
  773. >The princess didn’t say anything.
  774. >A look of confusion was plastered on her face, the words coming out of Bon-Bon’s mouth not quite making sense to her.
  775. >”The fever. You’re delusional.”
  776. >”I’m tired. Lyra, please make her stop beating herself up. And tell them to stop trying to knock me out.”
  777. >She lie down once more, mask and ice returned to their rightful positions.
  778. >Only then did Lyra notice that one of the IV drips had been disconnected.
  779. >When had she done that?
  780. >Celestia just stood around for a while, evidently lost in thought.
  781. >Lyra wasn’t sure what to say.
  782. >She was shocked!
  783. >Bon-Bon had a serious grumpy streak, she’d get irritated at every little thing!
  784. >And here something terrible had happened to her, and she was trying to cheer up the pony responsible.
  785. >”I- I have to go.”
  786. >Celestia vanished in a flash of light and a wave of soothing radiance.
  787. >”Lyra? I need to talk to you in private for a while.”
  788. “You should rest.”
  789. >”I can’t.”
  790. >Lyra looked around herself.
  791. >There were no other ponies in sight, but the intercom was hardly private.
  792. “Hold on.”
  793. >She ran off to find Dr. White.
  794. >It didn’t take long for her to discover him reading through a stack of papers on a clipboard.
  795. “Can I go in her room?”
  796. >”No.”
  797. “But-”
  798. >”No.”
  799. “I need to talk to her in private.”
  800. >”We’ll give you some privacy.”
  801. “Can’t I just-”
  802. >”No.”
  803. “You’re mean.”
  804. >”Yup.”
  805. “And there’s nothing I can do to convince you to-”
  806. >”No.”
  807. >Lyra left with a pout on her face.
  808. “Sorry, Bonny. They won’t let me in.”
  809. >”That’s okay.”
  810. >She hadn’t sat up to speak that time.
  811. >Her words were barely intelligible, her voice weak and distant.
  812. >”I don’t want you getting sick.”
  813. “Are you sure you should be talking?”
  814. >She took another draw from her mask.
  815. >”They cancelled the surgery until my fever breaks.”
  816. “Are you going to be okay?”
  817. >”Sure. Plenty of fluids and all that. Why do they say fluids instead of water? There are plenty of fluids I shouldn’t have. I don’t think they want me drinking mercury.”
  818. “Probably not. What about Berry’s special sauce?”
  819. >”Sounds like a good idea.”
  820. >She smiled slightly.
  821. >”What about gases? Will chlorine gas help?”
  822. “Maybe. But I’ve heard that the best thing for a fever is supercritical fluids. I can hook you up.”
  823. >”Sounds like something they’d offer at one of those fancy clinics. I think I’ll stick to ocean water for now.”
  824. >Lyra’s face was aching.
  825. >She hadn’t smiled this much in quite a while.
  826. >Yes, Bon-Bon was hurt.
  827. >But she was acting like herself.
  828. >She was being her slightly goofy self.
  829. >Lack of grumpiness aside, of course.
  830. “Does it hurt?”
  831. >”Not bad. They’re giving me pretty good painkillers. Kinda worried about giving up on them, but that’s a problem for future Bon-Bon.”
  832. “What about the stimulants?”
  833. >”Yeah. That’s going to be rough. If I get really weepy or yell at you I’m sorry.”
  834. >She put the mask on yet again.
  835. >Lyra wasn’t certain, but it seemed as though she was using it less than before.
  836. >Surely she was just imagining it, Bonny hadn’t recovered that much over the last couple of minutes.
  837. “You having any trouble breathing?”
  838. >”Yeah. But not that bad. Honestly I’m not sure I’d need the mask if I wasn’t talking. The poison’s been worked out and I think I’ve stopped bleeding, so the worst is over. Except for the fever. You know, some ponies train at high altitude to get used to low oxygen environments. Gets more hemoglobin in the blood, helps with cardio. I never bothered with that. Maybe I should have.”
  839. >Maybe.
  840. >But that didn’t matter anymore.
  841. >That life was behind her.
  842. >There was no way she could return to the field after this.
  843. >”I’m looking forward to getting out of here and going home.”
  844. “So am I! It’s been way too long. I miss you.”
  845. >”I miss you too.”
  846. “Are...”
  847. >She really didn’t want to ask.
  848. >”Yeah. I’m sure I’m be coming home.”
  849. “But the doctor said-”
  850. >”The doctor doesn’t know how stubborn I am. I’m not going to die on you, I like living too much.”
  851. “But you sound so weak.”
  852. >”How about now?”
  853. >Her voice was much stronger suddenly.
  854. >Still weaker than it was meant to be, but nowhere near so bad as before.
  855. >”I’ve still got one lung. It just hurts to talk louder. I’m going to be okay, I promise.”
  856. >Lyra could hear yelling in the distance.
  857. >It sounded kinda like Luna.
  858. >”And I’m telling you that’s not good enough!”
  859. >She was getting closer.
  860. >It sounded like she was talking to Dr. White.
  861. >”We’re surprised she’s ALIVE! And you want me to promise you she’ll make a full recovery?”
  862. >”No, I want you to DELIVER a full recovery, and I want it soon!”
  863. >”She was IMPALED!”
  864. >”She’s a survivor. It’ll take more than a little impaling to stop her.”
  865. >Something was wrong with Bon-Bon.
  866. >She looked agitated, her eyes darting around like mad.
  867. >Her breathing looked rapid and shallow despite the obvious pain of the broken rib.
  868. >Celestia piped in.
  869. >”Sister, I’m sure they’re doing their best.”
  870. >”They’d damn well better! I need her back in the field.”
  871. >The trio had come into view.
  872. >White was yelling at Luna in shocked anger.
  873. >”You’re SENDING her BACK?”
  874. >Luna was SENDING her back?
  875. >”She’s the best we’ve got, of course I am.”
  876. >”Are you insane? Her lung’s going to be half scar tissue! She can’t fight!”
  877. >”She can fight better with one lung than most of our agents could with five.”
  878. >Lyra was glaring at Luna, not fully believing what she was hearing.
  879. >”Whatever did this to her-”
  880. >”Is STILL out there, and she’s the ONLY one who’s EVER gotten in its way. You’re going to tell me how long until she’s ready for duty, and you’re going to tell me now.”
  881. >The good doctor showed an incredible amount of bravery.
  882. >He looked Luna in the eye as he defied her.
  883. >”Never.”
  884. >”What was that? I must have misheard you.”
  885. >Luna said as she returned the glare.
  886. >”Sweetie Drops is NEVER going back to the field. She’s getting an honorable discharge the instant we send her home.”
  887. >Luna called on her magic.
  888. >Bon-Bon screamed.
  889. >It was a bizarre shriek, high pitch and shrill but lucking in the force one might expect from a cry of sheer terror.
  890. >The trio of visitors immediately looked her way only to see her fall gracelessly out of bed, pulling the IV pole down atop her as she landed on her face.
  891. >Luna seemed confused.
  892. >”What’s going on here?”
  893. >”No- no! They’re everywhere! Stay away, no!”
  894. >She thrashed about wildly, striking at things that only she could see.
  895. >”The darkness is coming! THE DARK IS COMING! IT’S COMING FOR US AGAIN AND MORE!”
  896. >The bed exploded into shrapnel as her hoof clipped the side, the nearby table exploded not long after.
  897. >”Get her away from me!”
  898. >Tears were falling freely from her face.
  899. >”No, Lyra help!”
  900. >That’s all Lyra needed to hear.
  901. >She turned to Luna and called her magic.
  902. >She wasn’t armed and she was horribly outmatched, but she had to try!
  903. >Bon-Bon was counting on her.
  904. >Lyra threw a geyser strike at one of the windows to the unoccupied rooms, shattering the glass.
  905. >She hurled the shards at Luna.
  906. >This was excessive force, THIS was going too far.
  907. >But she could afford to hold nothing back right now.
  908. >Luna was the superior fighter, and Bon-Bon needed her to win.
  909. >As the sharpened shrapnel approached something bizarre happened.
  910. >It went straight through her, not so much as drawing a drop of blood.
  911. >Lyra hurled it again, making a razor sharp undertown right in the middle of the night princess’ body.
  912. >Whenever the shards approached small parts of Luna’s body would fade out, turning into pure shadow to allow the blow through harmlessly.
  913. >Celestia ran out of the way while shouting.
  914. >”CALL CODE WHITE!”
  915. >”I’M RIGHT HERE!”
  916. >The doctor replied as he too fled.
  917. >”NO, CALL THE CODE!”
  918. >A stray shard of glass cut into Celestia’s leg, spilling a small amount of blood.
  919. >Lyra hadn’t meant to do that.
  920. >But she was too busy to apologize.
  921. >Too busy to care.
  922. >Luna stood tall, defiant and unfazed.
  923. >”You really don’t want to do this.”
  924. >Lyra threw geyser strikes at Luna’s knees hoping to knock her off balance.
  925. >They too failed to find purchase.
  926. >Luna’s horn began to glow.
  927. >The vile tainted magic filled the air, and with it Bon-Bon’s horrified cries.
  928. >Lyra saw from the corner of her eye as Bonny struggled to her hooves.
  929. >And then collapsed, unconscious.
  930. >Luna’s telekinesis grabbed Lyra by the neck and effortlessly hurled her to the ground.
  931. >The glass wasn’t doing anything!
  932. >She needed another weapon!
  933. >Lyra gathered up Celestia’s blood and threw it at Luna as a final act of desperation.
  934. >A small trickle, barely even a few drops.
  935. >Luna’s eyes bugged out when it hit.
  936. >A blinding flash of crimson light exploded from the sight of impact, eerie otherworldly flames dancing upon her hide.
  937. >Ghastly ethereal noises clawed at the back of her mind, the diabolical presence of Luna's magic seeming to waft out as though it were smoke.
  938. >Luna opened her mouth to scream, but could only croak.
  939. >She collapsed to the ground, her knees failing her.
  940. >This was her chance.
  941. >Lyra threw wild, raw magic at the pony before her to destabilize any nearby spells.
  942. >To reveal the illusion that was now hiding Erebus beneath an equine mask.
  943. >And she found nothing.
  944. >No illusions, no enchantments, NOTHING.
  945. >The only hint of magic was coming from her horn, and it was idle.
  946. >The burning on Luna’s hind quarters was fading.
  947. >Her horn flashed, and she vanished.
  948. >Lyra wasn’t certain what had just happened.
  949. >She’d worry about it later.
  950. “Bonny!”
  951. >Somepony had already suited up and rushed to Bon-Bon’s aid, reconnecting the IV and re-affixing the mask.
  952. >Fresh blood was staining the bandages, her wounds having torn open during her maddened thrashing.
  953. >Celestia was barking orders as she approached, bandage already fixed to her leg.
  954. >”Someone find my sister! Check her room, and if she’s not there look for dark places, anywhere where the lights are out! You! Get Zero’s psychologist in here YESTERDAY! She just had a psychotic episode! I need an agent in here to make an immediate arrest! And you.”
  955. >Celestia glared straight into Lyra’s eyes.
  956. >Lyra had never before seen that kind of anger, that kind of RAGE from the princess.
  957. >”You hurt my sister.”
  958. “She was going to hurt Bon-Bon!”
  959. >”She was going to do no such thing!”
  960. “Bonny-”
  961. >”Was having a PSYCHOTIC EPISODE! Did you THINK that that was a healthy mind speaking there? Raving about how the dark was coming?”
  962. “I had to protect her, and I’ll do it again!”
  963. >”Lyra, you hurt my sister. You’ve been a thorn in my side for far too long, and you’re just getting worse.”
  964. >Something shot past Lyra faster than she could see.
  965. >In the blink of an eye she’d been wrestled to the ground.
  966. >”You’re getting locked away for a VERY long time. Wait, what’s that growling noise?”
  967. >”Sister!”
  968. >A pained yell came from nearby.
  969. >Celestia ran to the source.
  970. >”She cut you, are you alright?”
  971. >”You’re worried about ME? What about you?”
  972. >”No, I’m not bloody alright! You have no idea how bad this hurts!”
  973. >”I’m going to arrest her, she nearly blew up the palace earlier! She can’t keep getting away with this!”
  974. >”Oh, no you aren’t! Not until I’m done with her! I made a pact, I can’t arrest her. But I can damn well break her face!”
  975. >”She forced a pact out of you? Oh, she’s never getting out!”
  976. >”Wait. Is the growling getting louder?”
  977. >A stallion’s voice came from behind Lyra, presumably from the pony who had her pinned.
  978. >”Princess? I think we have a problem.”
  979. >They quickly got off of Lyra’s back.
  980. >She didn’t waste a second in standing up.
  981. >Celestia and Luna returned in a hurry.
  982. >Bon-Bon was lying on the ground, clutching her chest by the bloodied bandages.
  983. >She was growling, her mouth foaming, her eye twitching.
  984. >”Is there a problem?”
  985. >She choked the words more than said them.
  986. >Luna and Celestia shared quick, worried glances.
  987. >Celestia spoke first.
  988. >”Hold on a second.”
  989. >The two of them ran back around the corner again.
  990. >”Oh crap! We forgot about Zero. ‘Tia, we might have to back down a bit.”
  991. >”But she’s wounded!”
  992. >”She’s CRAZY is what she is! Do you want to make an enemy of her?”
  993. >”By the stars, she wouldn’t forgive us until we gave up Lyra. And maybe not even after that! You need her to stop Eurynomos!”
  994. >”Forget that, just imagine what she’d do to US!”
  995. >”You’re RIGHT! Nowhere would be safe! She’d destroy EVERYTHING! Can’t you control her?”
  996. >”Yeah, once I find her I can drop a nuke on her! Just follow the fires, I’m sure I’ll find her somewhere in the crater that used to be Canterlot!”
  997. >The two of them returned, both smiling nervously.
  998. >Celestia didn’t quite look Lyra in the eye when she spoke.
  999. >”Perhaps we’ve been a little hasty. What if we stuck to the two years I’d mentioned before?”
  1000. >The guttural noises coming from the room changed in pitch, becoming less equine over time.
  1001. >Luna cut in.
  1002. >”You know, that’s a bit harsh, and we COULD use a pony with your talents. Our agents are pretty busy as of late, and there’s always nasty stuff coming out of Everfree. Maybe if you scared away the monsters for a while?”
  1003. >Bon-Bon was crawling toward the window, the doctor trying desperately to stop her.
  1004. >Celestia laughed nervously.
  1005. >”You know, I’d rather she stay away from violence for a while, give her a chance to rehabilitate and return to normal society. Maybe a little community service? Is that okay? No? Maybe just pay for the window?”
  1006. >Bon-Bon climbed up against the wall and pressed her face to the window.
  1007. >She glared at the princesses with a mad glint in her eye as she dragged one hoof slowly across her neck.
  1008. >Luna was almost hysterical at this point.
  1009. >”Actually, we could really use help with a very special project. See, agent zero is going to need somepony to help her recover. Maybe you could do that? Just spend time with her and help her out around the house? What, that’s STILL not good enough? Oh, no criminal record of course! We can’t have a paper trail leading back to S.M.I.L.E.”
  1010. >Bon-Bon pointed at her eyes before pointing at the royal sisters, gesturing to them that she would be watching.
  1011. >She then collapsed to the ground.
  1012. >The two sisters deflated, allowing the fear to bleed away.
  1013. >Celestia was clearly unhappy with the situation.
  1014. >”We just let a dangerous felon walk free.”
  1015. >A weak and quivering voice replied.
  1016. >”What did you just call Lyra?”
  1017. >Celestia began to back away.
  1018. >”A talented musician!”
  1019. >Luna followed suit.
  1020. >The two of them and the agent seemed all too eager to leave.
  1021. “What the hay just happened?”
  1022. >”Hold still, you’re making it worse!
  1023. >Lyra returned her focus to Bon-Bon.
  1024. >She was rolling around on the ground, struggling with the physician.
  1025. “Bonny, it’s okay. We’re okay. They’re gone.”
  1026. >And just that quickly Bon-Bon went limp.
  1027. >There were so many questions.
  1028. >Just who was Bon-Bon what she could scare the bejeezus out of the princesses like that?
  1029. >Why did Luna react to Celestia’s blood like that? It looked like what Moondancer had said holy water would do. But Moondancer also said that if she was a demon there would be an illusion and Lyra wouldn't be able to look straight at her.
  1030. >And speaking of Luna, why the hay wasn’t she in quarantine?
  1031. >Had she not been exposed to the plague?
  1032. >None of this made any sense.
  1033. >But there were more urgent things to worry about.
  1034. “Doc? Is Bonny okay?”
  1035.  
  1036.  
  1037. * * * * *
  1038.  
  1039. >Lyra was in a great mood.
  1040. >How could she not be?
  1041. >Bonny’s fever had broken and her surgery was done.
  1042. >It looked like she was going to be okay.
  1043. >Hay, it looked like she was going to be coming home before too long!
  1044. >Hopefully this checkup would go well, hopefully they’d tell her how long before the two of them could finally leave!
  1045. >Lyra could hardly wait to bring Bonny back, this was what she’d been working for all along, THIS was the whole point of all the danger and intrigue!
  1046. >Of course when she’d imagined bringing Bonny home it had involved a lot fewer crippling injuries and emotional scars.
  1047. >And sure it had turned out that there was WAY more at stake than she’d previously thought.
  1048. >But she was still nigh on giddy with excitement!
  1049. >It had been so long since she’d gotten good news, far too long!
  1050. >Knowing that Bon-Bon was alive and safe, she was on top of the world!
  1051. >Lyra was bouncing around the hospital, face sore from smiling too much.
  1052. >She slipped on the polished floors and scrambled to regain her hoofing but was undeterred.
  1053. >Unwilling or perhaps unable to allow a hurt ankle to spoil her mood.
  1054. >It’d take something far worse to upset her on this most wonderful day.
  1055. >Something absolutely dreadful.
  1056. >”Lyra? May we talk?”
  1057. >Something like princess Celestia showing up.
  1058. “Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?”
  1059. >Celestia grimaced.
  1060. >”I do have many important matters to attend to today. You are surprisingly high on the list. Is Sweetie Drops here?”
  1061. “No. The doctors are working on her.”
  1062. >”How is she?”
  1063. “Could be better.”
  1064. >She was actually doing pretty well all things considered.
  1065. >Pretty weak, couldn’t really walk on her own.
  1066. >But she was breathing on her own, and her heart rate seemed healthy enough.
  1067. >There was signs of organ damage from the whole ordeal, but it didn’t look like there was anything life threatening happening.
  1068. >She’d never recover to her full strength.
  1069. >But she would recover.
  1070. >And she had a good chance at living a full life.
  1071. >Unless, of course, they sent her on another suicide mission.
  1072. >Celestia ushered Lyra aside into a small meeting room.
  1073. “You lied to me.”
  1074. >”Sister is not a demon.”
  1075. “Well she CERTAINLY isn’t a pony!”
  1076. >”She IS, Lyra. I’ve known her all my life, and I assure you she is a pony.”
  1077. “Please, don’t you know when to give up? She’s not a pony. And neither are you.”
  1078. >Lyra glared directly in Celestia’s eye, not intimidated by the princess’ stature or station.
  1079. >”Things aren’t always what they seem.”
  1080. “And why should I believe you?”
  1081. >She merely stood there, looking tired.
  1082. >Tired beyond comprehension.
  1083. “You lied to us all. And for what? What good have you done lately, hay, for that matter what good have you done EVER?”
  1084. >The princess broke eye contact, closing her eyes and rubbing her face in frustration.
  1085. >”Oh yeah, nothing much. Just tiny little details, right? Stuff like quadrupling the average pony’s lifespan, holding together 3 different tribes despite seemingly irreconcilable differences such as one of them living in the CLOUDS of all things, eliminated hunger and homelessness, stamping out dozens of communicable diseases, and ushering in consecutive millenia of peace. So yes, I lie sometimes. You’re welcome.”
  1086. >Sarcasm didn’t suit her.
  1087. “Who’s to say we couldn’t have done that ourselves?”
  1088. >”Me. I am. I saw it all, Lyra. I’m old. You wouldn’t have lasted half this long without us.”
  1089. >Lyra scoffed.
  1090. >”What, you don’t believe me? Ever notice how there’s a new apocalyptic catastrophe every year? It’s almost like clockwork. Equestria wouldn’t have lasted a century.”
  1091. “And you expect me to believe that YOU are some great warrior? Good ol’ glass jaw’s going to step in and save us all? At least Luna’s taking things seriously.”
  1092. >”Warrior? No. It is not in my nature.”
  1093. >The princess produced a quill and scroll in a flash of golden light.
  1094. >”Hope you don’t mind if I do some paperwork while we chat. There are a lot of fires to put out right now.”
  1095. “And how exactly did you save us then? How is it that Celestia- if that even is your real name- made everything better?”
  1096. >”Celestia IS my name. You even saw that fiend Name me. And you want to know how I saved you? By doing what I’m doing right now.”
  1097. >Her quill was moving swiftly and with great purpose, seemingly penning a short novel.
  1098. >”Diplomacy. Most ponies are terrible at it.”
  1099. “What, diplomacy? Were the yaks going to come marching in and wipe us out?”
  1100. >”Probably not, they’re not very well organized. And I don’t think you’d have been wiped out exactly, but you would have wound up a slave caste. Probably would have been dragons, or maybe gryphons? Depends on which came up with a jingoist leader first.”
  1101. >The scroll vanished with no fanfare.
  1102. >”I know the pens are easier to use, but after writing millions of words one way you get used to it. I tried ballpoint, didn’t like it.”
  1103. “You expect me to believe that Gryphonstone would come marching in and messing things up? Gryphons and ponies get along great! We’ve been at peace for thousands of years! Ever since- huh.”
  1104. >Ever since the sisters took over.
  1105. >Well, Lyra still didn’t approve of their recent performance.
  1106. >But she had to grant they’d done a lot of good.
  1107. >”I failed many times at first, made the same mistakes as anypony else would. I allowed myself to appear desperate, to show weakness. I let them know just how far I’d go to avoid conflict. But over the years I learned. Everyone, be they equine or otherwise, wants more or less the same thing. Safety, companionship, comfort. They all want peace, but somehow they’re bad at finding it. Once I understood that it became easy. Whenever it came time to negotiate I merely had to offer complete ruin, and then propose giving them the peace they desired.”
  1108. >Lyra’s mind raced back to the throne room.
  1109. >Celestia’s offer to kill Bon-Bon or save her, to give ruin or peace.
  1110. >She’d known it was a bluff.
  1111. >It worked anyway.
  1112. >”The gryphons value wealth. They prize it so highly that it was once a common practice for them to beset travellers and even caravans, lured by lucre. I told them we’d sooner cast our gold into the ocean’s depths than let them steal it, and announced plans to do just that. The idea of all that money being lost to the deep offended them in a way I don’t really understand. And then? I offered to hire them, honest pay for honest work. Sure, many of them found ways to slack off or take more than their fair share. Their employ wasn’t the goal, though. By occupying them I’d ensured they had no time to plunder our caravans. It was so easy, far easier than deterring them with force.”
  1113. >Why was Celestia telling her this?
  1114. >”The Zebras were once suffering from a terrible drought. They’d managed to organize a war band to come to Equestria, seeking greener pastures. I informed them that we’d poison every well, burn all the food, and salt the soil. I made sure they knew that there was nothing for them here, no chance at succor should they strike us. Then I sent them food and drink. It took a single day and pittance to turn a dangerous foe into a lifelong friend. Threaten to take what they want most, then offer to give it to them. There are… subtleties to the art, you must learn to read your negotiating partner to learn their intentions. It’s very easy to offer too much and waste your assets, and just as easy to offer too little and offend the other party. But I learned.”
  1115. “What does this have to do with anything?”
  1116. >”I suppose it wasn’t entirely relevant, just thinking of better times. When one has no future they tend to dwell in the past. When this… mess all started, I thought I saw an opportunity. I tried and tried to understand what the Lords wanted. No matter what I offered I was rebuked. I simply couldn’t understand, it seemed as though there was nothing I could offer that they wanted. Achlys agreed to a ceasefire almost immediately, I thought I understood her. But the others?”
  1117. >She didn’t say what the others had done.
  1118. >She didn’t have to.
  1119. >”I finally get it. Achlys was afraid, she was weak and couldn’t withstand her peers much longer. If we did her forces any harm she’d be undone. I’d accidentally threatened death and offered a chance at life. The others however were in a stronger position. They didn’t fear us. There was only one thing I could have offered them, only one thing they wanted from us.”
  1120. >Celestia looked troubled, bearing the grim visage of a mare who’d just learned their foal was in trouble with the law.
  1121. >”They wanted to hurt us. That was their goal, to destroy us! How do you negotiate with that? How do you offer them what they seek when they seek your death? I can’t negotiate with everyone. I now know that sometimes there can be no compromise, no agreement. Lyra? I can’t negotiate with you.”
  1122. >This sounded bad.
  1123. >”You want Sweetie Drops to be safe. I can’t take that from you, nor can I give it to you. If she recovers, if she is still able, we need her to fight. So I cannot negotiate, but I also cannot force my will upon you, Sweetie Drops wouldn’t allow it. And even if she would I’m starting to suspect you’d find a way to fight your way out of trouble, your siege on my palace made my guards and I look weak.”
  1124. >Look weak.
  1125. >Look.
  1126. >”So if I cannot negotiate and I cannot rely on force, what am I left with?”
  1127. “Uhh…”
  1128. >She really didn’t know.
  1129. >”But I need to stop you somehow. Should you continue you will only invite disaster.”
  1130. >Lyra looked at the princess with a face of appalled disbelief.
  1131. >She replied a bit louder than she’d intended to.
  1132. “ME? I’m the problem? I’m a HERO! Without me you’d be dead and Ponyville would have been burnt to the ground! Hay, if I hadn’t told Luna how to use the bombs S.M.I.L.E. would have probably been wiped out by now!”
  1133. >The princess was unphased by Lyra’s outburst, her serenity only marred by the aura of exhaustion.
  1134. >”I am aware of what you’ve done for us, and I am ever grateful. I promise you your deeds will never be forgotten so long as I live. Saving Ponyville, saving Twilight, and saving me. Each of these things are more important than you realise, had you not stepped in we would already be lost.”
  1135. “Then what’s the problem?”
  1136. >”The reason why these acts were so vital is the very reason why you must leave us be. There is still a chance to stop the Tide, albeit a slim one.”
  1137. “The Tide?”
  1138. >She rolled her eyes.
  1139. >”Please don’t. The problem lie not in destroying it but in outlasting it, as I suspect you already knew. We’ve proposed a few solutions, we even considered evacuating the planet.”
  1140. >Lyra’s eyes widened at those words.
  1141. >Such an ambitious plan, could they really?
  1142. >”The Tide moves faster than we can, and there’s nowhere in the galaxy to run to. Save for Hell. We’re planning on going to Tartarus. It’s a TERRIBLE solution! We’d have no chance of ever returning, there’d be nothing left to return to! And in the end it would only buy us time, we wouldn’t be able to stop it from slipping through the gates for long. We’d buy ourselves a couple decades at most. And what if we did find a way to protect ourselves in this time? The vile magicks will corrupt ANYPONY given enough time, none are immune to temptation. And what of the foals born of hell? Would we even be able to call them ponies? Bathed in the vile taint from conception, they’d be more monster than mare! But it’s the only choice we’ve got.”
  1143. “Y’know, that’s not going to be necessary. There’s a way to stop it.”
  1144. >”I pray you’re right.”
  1145. “I am. But what does that all have to do with me?”
  1146. >The princess took a deep, bracing breath.
  1147. >She’d been psyching herself up to say what was coming.
  1148. >But why would she need to do that?
  1149. >What was she afraid of?
  1150. >”If we are to do this Equestria MUST be stable. We cannot graze in hell, we’d have no shelter from the sulphur storms and no protection from the fiends that dwell there. We would perish, not by the tide but from starvation and exposure. We need to remake Tartarus in our image if we are to make a home there, vast self sufficient shelters with water reclamation and hydroponics- it’s the largest construction project Equestria has ever attempted. I need to press an unprecedented workforce into action, and I need to do it soon. If all goes as planned we start next month. We need millions of tonnes of steel, even more concrete, and every single able hoof must chip in!”
  1151. >Yeah, yeah. It’s hard.
  1152. >”The ponies are scared, Lyra. No, they’re terrified! They’re not safe, and they know it. At this point everypony knows that Hell is wide open, monster sightings are through the roof because S.M.I.L.E. is preoccupied, and all we’ve managed to offer of late is material comfort. What happens to my law and order if things get worse? How would they react to word that they’re being moved to hell?”
  1153. >Ponies would panic.
  1154. >Then more ponies would panic because they saw others panicking.
  1155. “It’d take a long time to get things back in order.”
  1156. >”Too long. Equestria is a powderkeg floating in an ocean of nitroglycerine, a single spark could spell the end. Then you come in and start waving that torch you carry. I’ve got ponies asking why a civilian was seen penetrating into the heart of the palace, casting guards aside as though they were a minor nuisance. They’re wondering why this rabid madmare is being allowed to walk about freely. And most importantly they’re wondering if the guard really can protect them from demons when they can’t even protect the princess from a musician.”
  1157. >Oh.
  1158. >That’s…
  1159. >”I told you all this in the hope that you might some day forgive me for what I must do. It looks like you understand. Which means, I pray, that you’ll understand that I’ve no choice. I’m sorry, Lyra. I must keep you silent.”
  1160. >Lyra quickly began pulling magic into her body.
  1161. >”No, not like that. There are many reasons why I cannot kill you. But… I can talk. It is my way, and I’m quite good at it when I need to be. I’ve come to warn you that when you return home you’ll be perceived as a madmare. A tragic heroine who’s mind snapped in the face of the horrors that threatened to swallow Ponyville. I’ll spin it to ensure the ponies sympathise with you, Sweetie Drops would demand it and you’ve earned it. But none will trust you when you start talking of aliens or demons.”
  1162. “Character assassination? Really? Is nothing beneath you?”
  1163. >”Nope.”
  1164. >Not the answer she’d been expecting.
  1165. >”Nothing is beneath me, not anymore. Ponykind is in danger of being wiped out, and I shall seek a way out until the last breath crosses my lips.”
  1166. “Crosses your- wait, are you a mouth breather?”
  1167. >Celestia’s eyes still bore their tired droopiness.
  1168. >But with it there was now a sense of desperation and fear.
  1169. “Why not just curse me or mind control me? And why can’t I learn to keep my mouth shut? Wow, that’s- that’s gotta be the stupidest thing I’ve ever said.”
  1170. >”Such things leave a mark on their victims. Sweetie Drops would know. Attracting her ire would cause far more chaos than you ever could.”
  1171. >She had a point.
  1172. >Not just about Bon-Bon, about everything!
  1173. >Celestia was right, that was a VERY good reason to stay at home.
  1174. >This was their Hail Mary, their last resort, their plan Z!
  1175. >If Lyra caused so much as a noise complaint it could spell the end.
  1176. >Yet she couldn’t just do nothing!
  1177. “Princess? You probably won’t believe me, but I’m trying to help. Is there anything I can do?”
  1178. >”No.”
  1179. >She answered too quickly, pausing to think moments after the words left her lips.
  1180. >”Actually, yes. Could you keep an eye on Twilight for me? She’s going back to Ponyville soon and I need her healthy.”
  1181. “Of course!”
  1182. >”And if you see a monster threatening Ponyville please try to scare it away. Ideally without being seen. Wait, no, if you can make it look easy try to be seen and say that I sent you.”
  1183. “I’ll try, but I’m not sure I can.”
  1184. >”I trust you’ll do your best. Most importantly though you MUST stay quiet. The secrets you’ve uncovered are more than enough to sink the straws we now cling to. Even I cannot prevent everypony from listening to your words. Some will be attracted to such news regardless of the source. Did you know that there are ponies who genuinely believe the wedding was an inside job?”
  1185. >Hrmm.
  1186. >If the words of a madmare were dangerous…
  1187. >This might be her only chance.
  1188. “I understand. And it looks like I win.”
  1189. >The princess groaned.
  1190. >”What now?”
  1191. “You’re going to tell me everything.”
  1192. >”And if I refuse?”
  1193. >Lyra looked up at Celestia with a self satisfied grin.
  1194. “A detailed account of everything I’ve discovered gets leaked, complete with decoded documents, test logs, and security footage.”
  1195. >Celestia’s light pink complexion turned a ghostly white.
  1196. >”You wouldn’t.”
  1197. “I already did for the most part. Every single computer in Twilight’s little network is ready to spill the beans. Imagine, every home computer, every cash register at the grocery store, even those stupid integrated toasters. All of them spilling the beans all at once.”
  1198. >The princess rushed a hoof up to her ear to activate a hidden earpiece.
  1199. >”I need you to look for unauthorised software. Right. WHAT? She wasn’t bluffing?”
  1200. “Nope!”
  1201. >”How many systems?”
  1202. >The princess was chewing on her lip nervously.
  1203. “Well?”
  1204. >”And how long would it take you to stop it? Oh. HAH! Looks like the joke’s on you, Lyra. They got rid of- wait.”
  1205. “They got it off your central servers.”
  1206. >”But not the home systems. It’ll take… it’ll take days.”
  1207. “It's on a timer. I don't need to turn it on, you need ME to stop it!”
  1208. >The princess pulled something out of her ear and crushed it angrily beneath her hoof.
  1209. >”That’s ONE infected machine down.”
  1210. >Wow, Floor even got their comms systems with it?
  1211. >She’s good.
  1212. >”Lyra, this is a KILLING BLOW. We cannot afford this! And I don’t just mean myself or the other princesses or S.M.I.L.E. I mean PONYKIND cannot afford this! You’re going to murder us all!”
  1213. “Unless.”
  1214. >Celestia snarled at her.
  1215. “You're going to start talking. Tell me everything. Hay, you've got nothing to lose. I already know enough to take it all down. And don't you lie to me, I know a LOT already. You don't want me to catch you fibbing.”
  1216. >”There's no way- you'd NEVER do this.”
  1217. “And yet you're not going to take that risk.”
  1218. >Celestia stared at her in stunned disbelief for a while.
  1219. >Then she deflated.
  1220. >”So this is how it feels. What do you want?”
  1221. >Lyra had done it.
  1222. >With that one threat she’d gotten get way, she’d found her answers!
  1223. “Well, let's start with something simple like what even ARE you two?”
  1224. >”I don't suppose there's much point in feigning ignorance. We used to be ponies. Now I'm not sure.”
  1225. >Now THAT was interesting.
  1226. >Lyra motioned for her to go on.
  1227. >”The change happened about a thousand years ago. I had just lost my sister. She’d tried to kill me, tried really hard! And yet… how did you feel when you thought Bon-Bon was dead?”
  1228. “Furious.”
  1229. >”Yes, but when that was gone.”
  1230. >Drained.
  1231. >Hopeless.
  1232. >Empty.
  1233. >”I know that look in your eyes. Did you blame yourself too?”
  1234. “Yeah… a little. I just thought- there had to be something I could have done! I blamed myself for not saving her.”
  1235. >”As did I. I didn’t cause Luna’s madness, but I felt responsible for not stopping it. I still do to this very day! When it had first happened I mourned for weeks, nay, months! I cried until there were no tears left to shed and then I cried some more. She tried to murder me, but I couldn’t find time to resent her. I just missed her. I wanted her back and I feared that she was lost to me forever.”
  1236. >Celestia sniffled a little bit.
  1237. >This discussion was bothering her.
  1238. >”I still fear that she may be lost.”
  1239. >Ouch.
  1240. >Lyra was starting to feel sorry for Celestia.
  1241. >”I’m not evading the question, just give me a moment to collect myself.”
  1242. >She released a slow, shuddering breath.
  1243. “Sorry, I didn’t- I’m not trying to hurt you.”
  1244. >”I eventually wound up leaving that palace, there were just too many painful memories. But at first I wasn’t willing to let go. I didn’t notice it at first but something was changing inside of me. It started with ponies being a little more relaxed around me than they once were, then the aura around my horn changed to a warmed shade. It took me a while to figure out what had happened.”
  1245. >That seemed pretty hard to believe.
  1246. “Keep talking.”
  1247. >”The Tree of Harmony is an artifact much like the one you made for Sweetie Drops. A portion of someone’s magic was trapped within to ensure a series of spells could run in perpetuity, designed not to calm frayed nerves but to contain evil. It was created to hold the Everfree Forest at bay.”
  1248. “The Plunder Vines!”
  1249. >”The Elements are of the tree. I thought it strong enough to contain Everfree without the elements. And I wasn’t wrong at first, but the tree is weakening.”
  1250. >This was all very interesting, but something didn’t quite add up.
  1251. “Who could create an artefact like that? It took Aquarius to make mine, and it was nowhere near that powerful. I’m not sure even Starswirl could manage something like that, it can’t have been a pon- an angel made the Tree?”
  1252. >”An archangel. His name unpronounceable to our tongues, his visage so pure it cannot be understood by our flawed senses. I call him Harmony. I don’t know where he is now, I’ve not seen him in thousands of years. Somehow I appear to have absorbed some of his power through the elements. I don’t pretend to understand how that is possible, nor do I pretend to be worthy. Perhaps, like the demonic power, it cannot be destroyed? Perhaps his artefact is leaking and that’s why it grew weaker. And perhaps this lost power had to go somewhere, and I was the most suitable candidate nearby. I don’t know. And I likely never will. What I do know is that I am no longer the same. I try to hide this because I wish to be able to connect to the ponies. The more that separates us the harder it will be for me to understand them. They know I’m different, I can’t change that. But they don’t need to know just how different.”
  1253. >Wow.
  1254. >That sure was something.
  1255. >If it was true, of course.
  1256. >But if it wasn’t that was a really impressive lie.
  1257. “What about Luna?”
  1258. >Celestia shrugged.
  1259. >“She doesn’t like to talk about it.”
  1260. >Understandable.
  1261. >”I don’t know what changed her, and I don’t know what it entails.”
  1262. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”
  1263. >”You can bind her with pacts, she doesn’t like holy water, and she’s more ruthless than I remember. I don’t know much beyond that.”
  1264. >Was she bluffing?
  1265. >It didn't sound like Celestia to leave such a question unanswered.
  1266. >But it also didn't sound like Luna to talk about it openly.
  1267. >”I'd recommend you not ask her. She's quite temperamental these days. And she's none too happy about you cutting me.”
  1268. “Really? I thought she'd be mad about hitting her, not that little cut.”
  1269. >”No. I'm the one who's angry about you hitting her. I know I shouldn't be, you were trying to protect Sweetie Drops. But I swear if you ever hurt my sister again I shall find a way to make you regret it.”
  1270. >The way Celestia spoke wasn't emotional.
  1271. >There was no hint of anger nor fear in those words, she was merely stating a mundane fact as though it were a weather plan.
  1272. >Somehow that scared her more than angry Celestia ever had.
  1273. “Uh, yeah! Not sure I could if I tried! Not that I'm going to try of course it's just that-”
  1274. >C'mon Lyra take control here.
  1275. >You're the one with leverage not her!
  1276. >Lyra took a deep breath as subtly as she was able, hoping to calm her nerves.
  1277. “Why are you spying on us?”
  1278. >”Would you believe changelings?”
  1279. “No.”
  1280. >”That's how it started. There are yet undocumented changelings around, I was hoping to flush them out. Any pony who suddenly lost their chip was to be investigated.”
  1281. >The blood donations!
  1282. >They implanted the chip when they took the blood, that way they could test it to confirm it came from a pony!
  1283. >”As with everything else it was repurposed and expanded when we learned of the Tide. Suddenly we needed nigh on perfect information if we were to plan. I told you of the evacuation. We know almost exactly how many bunks we shall need, how much hay and water, how many horseshoes- did you know the average pony consumes about 60 kilos of sugar per year? I suspect Pinkie Pie is about half of that, but even so. We've a health crisis on our hooves. I'd love to have time to worry about it.”
  1284. >It sounded plausible.
  1285. >Lyra wasn't sure it was okay to do that for the changelings, it still seemed like a betrayal.
  1286. >But even so they'd meant well.
  1287. >It seemed like that described Celestia perfectly.
  1288. >A well meaning disaster.
  1289. …
  1290. >Was that what Lyra had become?
  1291. >”Anything else?”
  1292. “Probably? I hadn't planned this so I didn't really think it through. Uh, I know there's more but I can't think of it. I don't suppose I can stop the virus and ask you later?”
  1293. >”You can most certainly try.”
  1294. >That's a no then.
  1295. >”What are you going to do next?”
  1296. “For my next trick? Stop Eurynomos, stop the Tide, and then go home to live in peace with Bonny.”
  1297. >The princess laughed bitterly.
  1298. “What, don’t believe me?”
  1299. >”I tend to doubt ponies when they claim the impossible.”
  1300. “The Tide can be stopped.”
  1301. >The princess stared at her just a bit too intently.
  1302. >It seemed almost like Celestia was trying to decrypt a foreign language, or read the lips of a pony wrapped in the grips of a fever dream.
  1303. >”You know how to stop it?”
  1304. “Not exactly? But I know that it CAN be stopped. That place you sent me to with the cuffs.”
  1305. >”Nexus?”
  1306. “Oh wow, that’s what I call it too! What are the odds?”
  1307. >”What about Nexus, tell me!”
  1308. >Her demand had no weight or conviction to it.
  1309. >She was pleading.
  1310. “It’s floating in the stuff, right? Why hasn’t it been eaten?”
  1311. >”Oh. Is that all?”
  1312. >Celestia’s shoulders slumped, her head sinking just a bit too much.
  1313. “No?”
  1314. >”We’ve thought of that.”
  1315. “Why isn’t that good news?”
  1316. >The princess didn’t answer her.
  1317. “I still have that virus for a little longer you know.”
  1318. >”Oh, why not. It’s not like knowing a little more will change anything. We received a distress signal from an alien source, complete with explanations on how to teleport without magic and detailed directions to find them. We wasted no time in seeking them out hoping there might yet be survivors. There weren’t even bodies. Perhaps someone else out there in the cosmos found them before us, perhaps they yet live. Or perhaps they were consumed entirely and erased from existence. It matters not, there’s little for us out there. The only thing that remains is the shredded fabric of space-time that they left behind and an endless sea of Tide.”
  1319. “AND the platform.”
  1320. >”We’ve analyzed the platform. There’s nothing special about it, we can make the same material with minimal effort. Anywhere else it takes seconds for the Tide to consume it.”
  1321. “AND! The Tide here has all those gamma bursts, right? But it doesn’t there! Why can you go there without instantly getting cancer? It all means something!”
  1322. >”Twilight had noticed that.”
  1323. “And?”
  1324. >”We're taking our samples from there so it has to be the same stuff, but it behaves differently. From the gamma bursts to the U.V. to not destroying the platform-”
  1325. “The U.V.?”
  1326. >”Oh, the spy missed something?”
  1327. “I'm not a spy, I'm a concerned citizen.”
  1328. >”Who spends a lot of time spying. It emits ultraviolet light at a fairly steady pace.”
  1329. >The first time Lyra had gone to Nexus she’d gotten a sunburn!
  1330. >”At the Nexus it emits less, and with a slightly different frequency distribution. We haven’t been able to find any reason for why it would do this nor have we found why it would change behaviour.”
  1331. >That had to mean something.
  1332. >But what?
  1333. >It felt like she was so close to cracking it, just one or two hints away from figuring everything out.
  1334. “Don't worry. Twilight will figure it out. She's super smart.”
  1335. >”I pray you're right. But somehow I doubt it.”
  1336. “Well, Luna's got her thing too. I don't know WHAT it is, but for it to be worth all this trouble it's gotta be big.”
  1337. >The princess didn't answer.
  1338. >She wasn't convinced, but what was the issue?
  1339. >Did she not trust Luna's motives, or did she not believe the fight could be won?
  1340. “And if Luna can't stop the Tide, I will.”
  1341. >Celestia blinked deliberately a few times.
  1342. >Then a few more.
  1343. >”I thought you were joking before.”
  1344. “Nope! I’m going to fix everything, just you wait and see.”
  1345. >Celestia shook her head in disbelief.
  1346. >”You really mean it. You intend to fix it all. How?”
  1347. “Eh. Eurynomos is easy.”
  1348. >Celestia just stared at her in disbelief.
  1349. >Lyra couldn’t help but relish the confusion she was causing.
  1350. >”Easy. Why should I believe you when you say such a thing?”
  1351. “Because I’m so honest. Check my grade 3 report card. I got an A in friendship class for my report on truth telling.”
  1352. >”Ah yes. I remember that report, believe it or not. It wasn’t great but you got bonus marks for admitting you’d procrastinated ‘till the last night.”
  1353. >Wasn’t great?
  1354. >But she’d stayed up past her bedtime working on it!
  1355. >Lyra couldn’t help but pout a bit.
  1356. >”I’d have to be mad to believe you, Lyra. There’s nothing you can do, it’s too late. We’ve had the brightest minds in Equestria working on this for years and they’ve come up with nothing.”
  1357. “See, that’s the mistake you’ve been making. You don’t need clever ponies. You need minty ponies!”
  1358. >A look of confused disbelief was all that met her.
  1359. ”What, don’t you believe in the power of mint?”
  1360. >”You’ve gone mad. You genuinely have lost it! You and Sweetie Drops belong together.”
  1361. >Lyra shrugged at her.
  1362. “You’re right about us belonging together.”
  1363. >”I’m going to go now. You have fun. Being minty.”
  1364. “Oh, I will. Give me all the data you have on the Tide if you want the virus stopped.”
  1365. >”Right, just don’t burn anything.”
  1366. >Celestia left.
  1367. >And shortly after Lyra did too.
  1368. >She had a Bon-Bon to see.
  1369.  
  1370.  
  1371. * * * * *
  1372.  
  1373. >It was finally time to go!
  1374. >Lyra was practically bouncing with excitement.
  1375. >She was going to go home, and Bon-Bon was coming with her!
  1376. >And she was alive too.
  1377. >Bonus!
  1378. >The two of them were side by side as they approached the hospital’s exit, Lyra pushing Bon-Bon’s wheelchair along with her magic.
  1379. >”I can walk you know.”
  1380. “Great!”
  1381. >”Which means you don’t need to push me.”
  1382. “Bonny, the doctor said you need to take it easy. You’re gonna take it easy.”
  1383. >She mumbled her disapproval for a moment before falling silent.
  1384. “I know you don't like it, but right now your job is to get better.”
  1385. >They were nearing the exit.
  1386. >Bon-Bon clamped the breaks down on her chair and climbed out of it.
  1387. >Her legs were a bit wobbly, a clear sign or weakness.
  1388. “Bonny-”
  1389. >”Please, Lyra. I need this.”
  1390. >Lyra didn't pretend to understand, nor did she argue.
  1391. >When Bon-Bon had made up her mind on something there was usually no point in arguing.
  1392. >The recently wounded mare stepped toward the door with more confidence and grace than Lyra had expected.
  1393. >At first glance it seemed as though nothing had changed.
  1394. >But before long her gait grew awkward and slow, the exertion proving to be just a bit too much for her.
  1395. >Little wonder after all she’d been through.
  1396. >But it was still worrying to see the mighty agent Zero struggling to walk.
  1397. >Lyra pushed the thought away, this was going to be a good day!
  1398. >No time to be upset about stuff like that!
  1399. >The two of them stepped out side by side.
  1400. >”I've missed this. The feeling of the sun on my back, the fresh air…”
  1401. >Her smile was bright and wide.
  1402. >”You know, I'd never really appreciated the sky before. It's never really mattered to me, no wings and all that. But you miss it when it's not there.”
  1403. >Bon-Bon was happy.
  1404. >Perhaps even happier than Lyra.
  1405. >This wasn't merely a pony who was glad to be headed home, there was something more to this.
  1406. >”Sorry, could you get the chair again?”
  1407. “Yeah, sure.”
  1408. >A few moments later the two of them were wheeling down the streets.
  1409. >Bon-Bon seemed to look at everyone and everything that they passed.
  1410. >”Actually, how long before the train leaves?”
  1411. “We have a while yet. Where do you wanna go? You hungry?”
  1412. >”Yup. But first can we go to the palace real quick? There's something I need to do.”
  1413. >Her joyful tone had faded a little, but her demeanor was unchanged.
  1414. >A gentle stroll through the bustling streets brought them closer to their goal.
  1415. >And as the world grew more lively so too did Bon-Bon.
  1416. >Her pattern of looking at everyone grew to a frenzied pitch in the crowded streets.
  1417. >And her smile had been replaced with an expression of intense focus.
  1418. >She really was trying to look at everyone at once.
  1419. “Relax, Bonny. There’s nothing dangerous around here.”
  1420. >She blushed slightly, but didn’t stop looking around.
  1421. >Lyra made a detour to go through the less crowded gardens.
  1422. >It was a longer path, but she didn’t want to stress Bon-Bon too much.
  1423. >”Stay out of the maze please.”
  1424. “Sure!”
  1425. >It was a bit late in the year for everything to be in bloom, but the gardens were gorgeous regardless.
  1426. >The perfectly groomed greenery still managed to provide an air of tranquil serenity, a brief respite from the outside world.
  1427. “I loved this place as a filly. It’s so nice to get away from the busy city for a little while.”
  1428. >”I loved it too. Probably didn’t spend as much time here as you did, but I liked to visit.”
  1429. “I always figured it needed a pond though.”
  1430. >”Y’know, I think you’re right.”
  1431. “If you wanted to do it right it’d need to flow somehow. You don’t want it stagnant.”
  1432. >”How about a fountain? Put a submersible pump in the middle, shoot it straight up.”
  1433. “That could work. But if we’re going with pumps why not a gentle waterfall?”
  1434. >”Oh yeah, you could put it over by the lilacs. Maybe have a few fish in the pond?”
  1435. “Could be nice. You’d have to worry about visitors overfeeding them I suppose, but I’m sure something could be arranged.”
  1436. >”What kind of fish? I’m thinking one of those giant goldfish.”
  1437. “It’d be a much better feature than petrified avatars of chaos.”
  1438. >”Right? That thing always creeped me out.”
  1439. >The two of them soon made their way into the palace’s back entrance.
  1440. >Bon-Bon directed the two off them down a seemingly arbitrary maze of corridors and passageways, well beyond the area that was open to the public.
  1441. >Once upon a time Lyra would have been apprehensive about intruding in such a manner.
  1442. >Now it seemed like the obvious thing to do.
  1443. >That’s where all the interesting stuff would be after all.
  1444. >There was no question that recent events had changed Lyra.
  1445. >She wasn’t sure what she thought of that.
  1446. >”OI! Who’s over there?”
  1447. >Bon-Bon nearly jumped out of her chair when the unknown voice called.
  1448. >A guard approached them from behind.
  1449. >”Oh, sorry. Didn’t recognise you at first. How’s life treating you?”
  1450. >The guard seemed to know Bon-Bon.
  1451. >”Better than usual. How’s the colt?”
  1452. >”Better behaved than I was at that age! Say, what’s with the chair?”
  1453. >”Classified.”
  1454. >”Fair enough. Who’s the green one?”
  1455. >”Which green one? I don’t see anyone here.”
  1456. >”Right you are! Must be my imagination. You two take care, imaginary ponies.”
  1457. >”Have a good day!”
  1458. >He turned around and walked away.
  1459. “He seemed friendly.”
  1460. >”SEEMED. But actually yeah he is, nice guy.”
  1461. >She crawled her way out of the chair and strolled into an adjacent room.
  1462. >It was a somewhat spacious meeting room with a large mahogany table and whiteboard.
  1463. >Bon-Bon started fiddling around by the board.
  1464. >”This place has a false ceiling. Displace one of the tiles.”
  1465. “Okay?”
  1466. >A few seconds and a little bit of magic later the job was done.
  1467. >”Under the seat of my chair. Grab one, pass the rest here.”
  1468. >Lyra pulled the seat cushion aside to find tangles of wires woven in with cheap batteries.
  1469. “What?”
  1470. >”I’m bugging this place. The princesses are going to have an emergency meeting here tomorrow, and I want to know what they’re talking about.”
  1471. >Bon-Bon was spying on them?
  1472. >That was interesting.
  1473. “Don’t trust ‘em?”
  1474. >”Nope. Well, kinda? Celestia lies a lot, sure, but she’s always trying to do the right thing when she does. I trust that she’s got out best interests at heart, but I don’t trust her words.”
  1475. >More or less the conclusion Lyra had come up with.
  1476. >”I don’t blame her for lying, by the way. She usually doesn’t have a choice in the matter.”
  1477. “Okay, what about Twilight and Cadence?”
  1478. >”They’re harmless.”
  1479. >Seriously?
  1480. “That’s it? Surely you’ve got something more to say about them. They’re alicorn princesses!”
  1481. >”Mostly harmless? They play their part as well as they can, but they're not as important as the sisters. Celestia has more soft power than you can imagine. EVERYONE owes her a favor, everyone loves her, and she basically controls global trade.”
  1482. >Bon-Bon was right.
  1483. >Celestia did have more power than a mere musician could understand.
  1484. >And yet Lyra had extorted that pony with just a few words and some software.
  1485. >Lyra couldn't decide whether she should be proud or scared.
  1486. >”It’s Luna I’m interested in. She tends to hide it, but she has hard power like you wouldn't believe. Luna doesn't need to ask for anything. And yet she called the meeting.”
  1487. “And if she doesn't need to ask permission
  1488. >She slowly made her way out of the room, seemingly satisfied with her work.
  1489. >Bon-Bon put on a brave face.
  1490. >But Lyra noticed that she was breathing mighty heavily for a pony who’d only walked a few dozen steps.
  1491. >”Let’s leave. We’ve got about 3 minutes before we’re caught.”
  1492. “How do you know? Actually never mind, let’s just go.”
  1493. >The two of them began to make their egress.
  1494. >”Lyra? When you saw Luna at the hospital, was there something… wrong?”
  1495. “Where do you want me to start? Everything about her is wrong. What tipped you off?”
  1496. >”The soil feels dead whenever she’s around.”
  1497. >Lyra was pretty sure dirt wasn’t alive.
  1498. >But she knew better than to argue with the Earth pony on this one.
  1499. >”Try not to panic. It’s sorta an open secret that she uses demonic magic.”
  1500. “What do you think it means?”
  1501. >”Haven’t quite figured that out yet.”
  1502. >Even Bon-Bon didn’t know that one.
  1503. “Does it give her super powers?”
  1504. >”Probably. What did you notice?”
  1505. “Well, she wasn’t in isolation like you were.”
  1506. >Bon-Bon’s expression made it look almost as though she’d been hit between the eyes with a rake.
  1507. “And nopony around her got sick, so that means she wasn’t sick either. Right?”
  1508. >”Good catch!”
  1509. “So unless she’s immune she wasn’t exposed. And those baddies all have the plague, right?”
  1510. >”Yup. Which means unless she’s immune...”
  1511. >Luna hadn’t been exposed.
  1512. >She hadn’t been fighting Eurynomos lately.
  1513. >Then what in the hay had she been up to?
  1514. >This could be the single most important mystery of the day, the biggest-
  1515. >Meh.
  1516. >Today wasn’t a day for worrying about demons and mysteries.
  1517. >Today was a day for spending time with Bon-Bon.
  1518. >”Say, wanna get pancakes?”
  1519. “Actually yeah, that sounds great.”
  1520. >”There’s a nice place over at the corner of Rusholme street and Pea avenue.”
  1521. “Did they really have to pick peas? Like, okay, they had this whole flower name scheme going and peas DO have flowers. But still!”
  1522. >”What’s wrong with it?”
  1523. “We’re going to go to Rusholme and Pea.”
  1524. >”Not as bad as Pansy and Ass. Y’know, they named Ass street to commemorate a treaty with the donkeys? Name didn’t age well.”
  1525. >The two of them headed back into town.
  1526. >This time Lyra paid more attention to the pony she was pushing than she did to her surroundings.
  1527. >She could watch in real time as Bon-Bon tensed up.
  1528. >It wasn’t so much ponies that were agitating her.
  1529. >It was noise.
  1530. >The din of the busy streets had her on edge.
  1531. >Not the throngs of ponies pushing in from all sides.
  1532. >Not the cramped sensation, nor the feeling of being stuck.
  1533. >It was the chatter, the clip clop of hooves, the occasional coughs and sneezes…
  1534. >Maybe taking the train back wasn’t a great idea.
  1535. >Was there quieter way?
  1536. >Maybe they could use the slide thingy.
  1537. >Somepony nearby cleared their throat.
  1538. >Bon-Bon snapped her head toward them and raised a single leg as though to aim a firearm.
  1539. >Her frightened yell was deafening.
  1540. >Every single pony in the busy streets had stopped to stare at them.
  1541. >”Hey, isn't that that crazy pony?”
  1542. “Bonny isn't crazy!”
  1543. >Bon-Bon gestured that it was fine.
  1544. >She didn’t care what they said.
  1545. >But Lyra did.
  1546. >”I actually went to school with her. She always was an odd one.”
  1547. >”Doesn’t she have anger issues? Should we really be this close to her?”
  1548. “You’d be as grumpy as her too if you had to put up with all this gossip!
  1549. >”I think we should leave her alone. You’d be crazy too if you’d gone through what she did.”
  1550. >Wait, they knew?
  1551. >”Maybe she was crazy to begin with. Who else would rush all the monsters that were in Ponyville?”
  1552. >Bon-Bon didn’t have a reputation for that.
  1553. >She was known as a grumpy confectioner.
  1554. >They weren't talking about Bon-Bon.
  1555. >They were talking about her.
  1556. >”Lyra isn't crazy! She's a damn HERO and you all better give her the respect she deserves!”
  1557. “It's okay, Bonny.”
  1558. >”She saved an entire city you- you-”
  1559. >Lyra began to push her way through the crowd.
  1560. >They were mercifully eager to make space.
  1561. >Bon-Bon's face was turning beet red.
  1562. “It's okay, Bonny.”
  1563. >”But!”
  1564. >She didn't finish the sentence.
  1565. “I don't need their respect. Hay, I don't even want it.”
  1566. >Some ponies craved the limelight and would do nigh on anything for fame.
  1567. >She wasn't one of them.
  1568. “Let them talk, it's not my problem.”
  1569. >”You're really not upset?”
  1570. “Upset? How could I be when I've got my very own Bon-Bon?”
  1571. >She’d just said it to make Bon-Bon feel better.
  1572. >But thinking back she realised it was true.
  1573. >Who cared what a bunch of strangers thought of her, she’d gotten what she was after.
  1574. >The rest of their trip passed without incident.
  1575. >Before long the two of them found themselves in Mack’s Flapjack Stack.
  1576. >It was a small restaurant, barely more than a hole in the wall.
  1577. >Clearly the entire place was an afterthought when the surrounding area was constructed, a commercial venture crammed into the cracks of an already overcrowded city.
  1578. >Some might call it cozy.
  1579. >But it wasn’t, it was just small.
  1580. >Bon-Bon parked herself behind one of the larger tables, her back against the wall so as to keep an eye on the entrance.
  1581. >Lyra sat on the opposite side.
  1582. >The irresistible aroma of breakfast assailed her senses, her mouth beginning to water even before the menus arrived.
  1583. >Lyra perused the proffered provisions.
  1584. “Good grief! Why is everything so expensive?”
  1585. >”What do you mean?”
  1586. “TWENTY bits for a meal?”
  1587. >”Eh. Bits are almost worthless these days. This is actually pretty reasonable.”
  1588. >Lyra had noticed that the bit was tanking in value.
  1589. >But it still caught her off guard from time to time.
  1590. “Celestia’s issuing lots of fake bits. Do you think she knew this was going to happen?”
  1591. >”Sure. It’s, uhh, it’s a way to tax savings. Also let's her negate most of her debts since they're tracked in bits. Maybe not the best long term plan, but it'll help her for a while. She knew what she was doing.”
  1592. >Lyra was going to have to find work at this rate.
  1593. >It’d been a long time since she’d had a paying gig, she was going to have to settle for service work.
  1594. >”Stop worrying about money.”
  1595. “Sometimes it feels like you can read my mind.”
  1596. >”I’ve got it covered, you don’t need to worry about it.”
  1597. “That’s sweet of you, Bonny. But I can help! You don’t have to do it all yourself, I can work!”
  1598. >She REALLY didn’t want Bon-Bon to go back.
  1599. >Because sooner or later she wouldn't come home.
  1600. >”No need. I saw the crash coming, we’ll be fine.”
  1601. “Oh?”
  1602. >”I get paid well. But beyond that? I mortgaged the house at every bank in Equestria and invested in some of Rarity’s tech firms. Bought into the biggest boom in history, and we only have to pay back with worthless bits.”
  1603. >Bon-Bon had the world’s smuggest grin on her face.
  1604. >She was proud to have gamed the system.
  1605. “Is that legal?”
  1606. >”I dunno.”
  1607. >Huh.
  1608. “You might wanna be careful there. There's something fishy about her business.”
  1609. >”I know. I'm pretty sure it's a front. We get an awful lot of our gear from them after all.”
  1610. >Good to know.
  1611. >”I’m going to have to diversify our portfolio a bit in case Rarity’s deal crashes. But you don’t have to worry about money, we’re set for life.”
  1612. “This day just keeps getting better!”
  1613. >Bon-Bon could retire!
  1614. >The Tide would wipe out the demons, Luna would get what she was after and stop the Tide, and Lyra and Bon-Bon could live in peace.
  1615. >It was everything she’d wanted since this whole mess had started.
  1616. >”That’s a mighty big grin. I’ve never seen you smile so much.”
  1617. “My face hurts.”
  1618. >Lyra tried to relax her overly joyous visage.
  1619. >She failed.
  1620. >”Can I help you gals?”
  1621. >A slightly overly made up Earth mare had snuck up behind Lyra.
  1622. >Bon-Bon ordered first.
  1623. >”You got any white bread?”
  1624. >”Yes.”
  1625. >”I’ll have a slice of toasted white bread please.”
  1626. >”Jam or peanut butter?”
  1627. >”Dry.”
  1628. “And I’ll take 4 pancake platters and a sarsaparilla.”
  1629. >”The 4 pancake platter.”
  1630. “No, 4 pancake platters. And a sarsaparilla.”
  1631. >”Allllright then. Anything to drink?”
  1632. >“No thank you.”
  1633. “Sarsaparilla.”
  1634. >The mare at the front eyed them suspiciously before retreating to the kitchen.
  1635. >Both Lyra and Bon-Bon were struggling to suppress their laughter.
  1636. “Do you want me to share with you? I don’t think I can eat that much.”
  1637. >”Honestly I could go either way here. Like, I’m hungry and all, but the look on her face!”
  1638. “Okay, okay. You eat when they’re not looking. We can make this work!”
  1639. >”This is going to be great! Oh, it’s already here? That was fast.”
  1640. “Really fast.”
  1641. >Five plates were placed on their table, four weighed down by breakfast cakes.
  1642. >One with a single slice of white toast.
  1643. >”And her sarsaparilla?”
  1644. >”We’re out.”
  1645. “Can’t win ‘em all.”
  1646. >No sooner had the waiter turned their back than Bon-Bon reached out and tore the cakes with her hooves.
  1647. >Lyra had assumed she was going to eat the pieces that she’d taken.
  1648. >Lyra was wrong.
  1649. >Bon-Bon produced a small satchel from beneath her chair and pulled from it a series of droppers and vials.
  1650. “What are you doing?”
  1651. >”Don’t mind me.”
  1652. “Are- are you checking for poisons?”
  1653. >Bon-Bon didn’t answer.
  1654. >She averted her eye slightly though.
  1655. >If Lyra knew her companion half as well as she thought, then that was a yes.
  1656. >She reached one leg across the table and gently grasped Bon-Bon’s hoof.
  1657. “He’s not here.”
  1658. >”I know.”
  1659. “He can’t hurt you here, Bonny. He’s in Hell. You’re in Canterlot.”
  1660. >”I know.”
  1661. >She dripped some unknown chemicals on the samples of the food anyway.
  1662. >Nothing happened.
  1663. “Does he try to poison your food?”
  1664. >”He poisons everything. Y’know, I kinda admire poison specialists.”
  1665. >She nearly swallowed an entire pancake in one bite.
  1666. “Sorta weird, not going to lie.”
  1667. >She picked up her toast and nibbled gently on the corner.
  1668. >Somepony must have been watching.
  1669. >Lyra dug into the food to help maintain the facade.
  1670. >To her surprise it was hot and fresh.
  1671. >She’d assumed it would be premade when it came so quickly.
  1672. >”We normally go for live captures. It makes things harder, but most of the time we can handle it.”
  1673. >Going from capturing enemies to nuclear strikes and gas clouds in a matter of months.
  1674. >It must have been hard for them to adapt.
  1675. >Bonny had been through too much, her retirement hadn’t come a moment too soon.
  1676. >”And when we can’t there are some ponies who are really good with poison. I’ve watched them work, it’s kinda amazing. They know exactly how to get it into their target, and they know exactly how much they need to knock them out. Heh, I remember one time a pegasus dosed an elder dragon and then kicked it in the face. The dragon pursued her through the skies for a while and fell asleep mid-flight. Crash landed right near the train tracks.”
  1677. “Why attack it? Seems risky.”
  1678. >”See, that’s just the thing. They needed to get it on the train to extract it, it’s too heavy to move otherwise. This way they only had to move the thing a few meters.”
  1679. >Bon-Bon scarfed another pancake.
  1680. >To Lyra’s amazement most of the food was gone.
  1681. >She set to work on her second cake.
  1682. >”There’s an art to how they do it. Perfect measurement, carefully planned. It’s subtle. But not with him. With him it’s just more and more. Throw it everywhere. No planning, no art. Just… blech.”
  1683. “Bonny?”
  1684. >”Hm?”
  1685. “Stop worrying about Eurynomos.”
  1686. >”Sometimes it feels like you can read my mind.”
  1687. >It was pretty obvious.
  1688. >Then again her worrying about money was probably pretty obvious too.
  1689. >”I don’t suppose you’ve got a followup like I did about how you’ve already solved it and I just don’t know yet?”
  1690. “Actually...”
  1691. >She did.
  1692. >She totally did.
  1693. >Did she trust Bon-Bon with her secret?
  1694. >Of course she did!
  1695. >But…
  1696. >Maybe she should hold it anyway.
  1697. >It’d put Bon-Bon in an awkward position.
  1698. >But Bonny had to know!
  1699. >She was going to keep worrying until the job was done.
  1700. “I was kinda slightly furious that you got hurt? So I might have yelled at princess Celestia a bit.”
  1701. >”Hopefully not too much. She means well.”
  1702. “And I might have yelled at Twilight a little. And she let slip that she’s preparing a super weapon to take him out.”
  1703. >Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow.
  1704. >”Twilight? No surprise, she’s lousy at keeping a secret. Say, did you hear that Spike has a crush on Rarity?
  1705. “Yeah. Twilight told me. She told half of Ponyville.”
  1706. >”What about this weapon, did you get a name? Was it Helios? I’ve heard a lot about that but I haven’t seen it deployed.”
  1707. “She said something about the tide. That’s all I got.”
  1708. >Bon-Bon muttered something to herself.
  1709. >Lyra only caught a little bit.
  1710. >”She can do that?”
  1711. >Bon-Bon’s eye was sparkling with joy.
  1712. >The illusory one didn’t quite match.
  1713. >”Ha! If she can pull that off it might actually work!”
  1714. >If she can pull it off.
  1715. >Was Bon-Bon’s information about the Tide dated?
  1716. >Or was there some hurdle Lyra had missed?
  1717. >Either way, Twilight had promised.
  1718. >And Lyra was willing to trust her.
  1719. >Twilight wasn’t the most reliable pony, she tended to get distracted easily and she usually had her head up in the clouds even before she sprouted wings.
  1720. >But she had a history of pulling through at the last second, and this sciency stuff was exactly up her alley.
  1721. “That’s a mighty big grin. I’ve never seen you smile so much.”
  1722. >”My face hurts.”
  1723. >Bon-Bon climbed out of her chair, legs still somewhat wobbly.
  1724. >”I’ll go settle the bill while you finish up.”
  1725. >She walked over to the counter to pay up as Lyra finished her meal.
  1726. >Before long the two of them were on their way to Ponyville, leaving nothing of their order behind save for half a slice of dry white toast.
  1727. >It was finally time for Bon-Bon to go home.
  1728.  
  1729.  
  1730. * * * * *
  1731.  
  1732. >Lyra woke up to the sounds of songbirds.
  1733. >The light pouring through her window landed gently upon her face, its warm rays penetrating through her eyelids and gently nudging her to get up.
  1734. >She didn’t want to though.
  1735. >She wanted to spend the whole day in bed cuddling the warm lump beside her.
  1736. >Lyra tried to roll over to face said lump only to find herself stuck in a tight embrace.
  1737. >Bon-Bon had wrapped her appendages around Lyra’s body, holding her close.
  1738. >It was a bit too tight to be comfortable.
  1739. >But she wasn’t complaining.
  1740. “Good morning.”
  1741. >A soft snore reached her ears.
  1742. >Bon-Bon was still asleep.
  1743. >It felt weird to awaken before her roommate, Bon-Bon always having been such an early riser.
  1744. >But that was fine.
  1745. >She’d earned her rest, and Lyra was content to stay right where she was.
  1746. >Not like she had much choice in the matter anyway, Bon-Bon wasn’t letting go.
  1747. >It was nice to know where she was, to know she was safe.
  1748. >It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from Lyra’s back, the burdens she’d carried with her vanishing into the ether.
  1749. >Lyra decided not to open her eyes.
  1750. >There was nothing she could possibly see that would make this moment better than it already was.
  1751. >She was just going to enjoy this moment of peace-
  1752. *BANG BANG BANG*
  1753. >Somepony was pounding on the door.
  1754. >In the blink of an eye Bon-Bon had scrambled out of bed onto her hooves.
  1755. >Her head was swiveling around frantically as she hunted for the source of the sound.
  1756. “It’s just the door, relax.”
  1757. >Lyra quickly trotted to the front, grumbling slightly under her breath as she walked.
  1758. >Whoever was here had ruined a perfect morning.
  1759. >Whatever was happening had better be important.
  1760. >Lyra opened the door to see Babbling Brook glaring at her.
  1761. “Good morning?”
  1762. >”You’re late. VERY late.”
  1763. “Pardon?”
  1764. >”You’re over 500 hours late for practice!”
  1765. >He was angrier than usual.
  1766. “You weren’t waiting all that time, were you?”
  1767. >”Of course not, don’t be stupid. Maybe you have nothing better to do than sit in an empty room for weeks, but unlike you my time has value!”
  1768. >Harsh.
  1769. >Brook shoved his wrinkly face in up against Lyra’s and glared in her eyes.
  1770. >”Now listen here, jackass, you’re going to tell me why you stopped coming, and then you’re going to apologize. And then, if you beg me, I MIGHT consider teaching you some more. But make no mistake, I’m doing this for Bon-Bon, not for you!”
  1771. >Lyra took a step back to get away from his glare.
  1772. “I was in Canterlot taking care of Bonny.”
  1773. >”Huh?”
  1774. “She got wounded and I was taking care of her at the hospital.”
  1775. >”Bullshit! She doesn't get wounded! Do you have any idea who you're talking about? I've seen her blocking, that pony makes steel look as soft as a pillow. She wouldn't get hurt unless-”
  1776. >Brook's eyes grew wide.
  1777. >His expression of anger disappeared in a heartbeat, replaced by a face that almost looked worried.
  1778. >”Did you say hospital or hospice?”
  1779. “Hospital. We just got home last night.”
  1780. >Brook pushed Lyra out of the way and walked in.
  1781. “Hay!”
  1782. >”Sweetie Drops? I'm coming inside!”
  1783. “You already did.”
  1784. >He advanced slowly, taking the time to examine everything before he approached.
  1785. >”She's gotten complacent over the years.”
  1786. “What do you mean?”
  1787. >”There are hardly any traps in here.”
  1788. “I think there's only one.”
  1789. >He used his magic to flip the table over.
  1790. >Various things were scattered about the floor, including a couple of glasses which broke on impact.
  1791. “Stop it, what are you doing? Wait, what's that?”
  1792. >There was a small can strapped to the underside of the table with a few wires and a small circuit board attached.
  1793. >”Poison gas.”
  1794. “WHAT?”
  1795. >”Probably not a lethal one, I'd wager it's just meant to incapacitate. Having deadly traps in your home is just asking for trouble.”
  1796. >When had she put that there?
  1797. >He looked up at the ceiling by the doorway.
  1798. >”A net trap? Really? What's that going to stop?”
  1799. >Bon-Bon walked out of the bedroom casually, as though there was nothing weird about the situation.
  1800. >She seemingly made a point of ignoring the mess he’d made.
  1801. >”Yeah, a net trap. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.”
  1802. >”Oh good, it'll buy you 5 seconds.”
  1803. >”And enough sleeping powder to knock out a Reaver.”
  1804. >Brook smirked.
  1805. >”The net's just there to keep them still long enough to take a breath? Makes sense. Good to see you in one piece. How bad is it?”
  1806. >”I'll be fine.”
  1807. >”Oh good. Pull the other one, it'll play a tune.”
  1808. >He ushered her to the couch and made her sit.
  1809. >”Really, I'm okay.”
  1810. >”Don’t kid yourself, you were wounded.”
  1811. >”Yeah, then I went to the doctor and they made me better.”
  1812. >He pressed his horn against her neck.
  1813. >”You got hit by a demon lord, you don't get better from that.”
  1814. >”Well I did.”
  1815. >He pulled his horn away and placed a hoof by her muzzle.
  1816. >”Which is why your heart rate is pushing 100.”
  1817. “That's not THAT high.”
  1818. >”She's supposed to be in peak physical condition. Yeah, keep holding your breath, I can wait.”
  1819. >”Look, I got a blood transfusion. My hemoglobin is probably lower than usual. That's why I'm breathing heavier and why I have a high heart rate.”
  1820. >”Points for creativity, I thought you were going to say you were stressed.”
  1821. >He pulled his hoof away, shaking his head slightly as he went.
  1822. >”Well, that too.”
  1823. >”Or you were seriously messed up. Lyra, have you seen her unredacted chart?”
  1824. “No.”
  1825. >”Damn. Tell me what you know.”
  1826. “Not really my choice. If she doesn't want you to know I'm not telling.”
  1827. >”But-”
  1828. “She doesn't want to talk about it.”
  1829. >”Thanks, Lyra.”
  1830. >”Stop being retarded you two, this is serious. We need to find out how much strength she's lost and adapt her fighting style for reduced stamina.”
  1831. “Why? She's retired now, that life is behind her.”
  1832. >Lyra might have expected Brook to react with some signs of relief.
  1833. >Or perhaps for him to be upset.
  1834. >She didn't expect him to laugh in her face though.
  1835. >It was a bizarre laugh that seemed to be genuinely torn between bitterness and mirth.
  1836. >”Seems you don't know her all that well. Tell her, number 1.”
  1837. “Tell me what?”
  1838. >”Lyra?”
  1839. “Yeah?”
  1840. >”I'm not retired.”
  1841. >Lyra blinked twice.
  1842. >She raised a hoof to her ear and started scratching at it in an attempt to dislodge whatever was messing with her hearing.
  1843. “Sorry, could you repeat that?”
  1844. >”I have to see this through Lyra. I need to finish the job.”
  1845. “You loco in the coco? You're in no condition to fight monster, much less demons!”
  1846. >”I can take him.”
  1847. >”Sure. Which is why you’re wounded and he’s not dead.”
  1848. >”It was a fluke! He got a lucky shot!”
  1849. >”And why, pray tell, did he live long enough to get lucky?”
  1850. >Bon-Bon averted her gaze.
  1851. “You don’t need to though! Twilight has a plan, she’s got it covered!”
  1852. >”I hope you’re right. But our plans have a pretty bad track record lately, I need to be ready when things go wrong.”
  1853. “But you've already done your part. You made it to the top and did things nopony else could do. You don’t have to prove anything anymore, let the others finish up!”
  1854. >Bon-Bon shook her head slowly.
  1855. >”They're not strong enough.”
  1856. >”See? This is why I need to know what happened to her. Sweetie Drops can be an idiot when she feels like it. Thing is she can usually get away with it.”
  1857. >”I'm right here you know.”
  1858. >”I've seen her in action. As much as I hate to admit it she’s stronger than I ever was. It didn't matter what she was up against, nothing could stop her. Now something has.”
  1859. >”Seriously I'm RIGHT HERE!”
  1860. “But she got hurt! She can barely walk, how is she going to fight?”
  1861. >”I still have my magic, Lyra.”
  1862. “That’s not good enough! Brook, tell her!”
  1863. >“Don’t call me that!”
  1864. >He snapped back at her.
  1865. >”But you’re right. If she couldn’t win before you sure as hell won’t now. We need to convince her to stay home, or find a way to make her stronger than ever before even though she’s crippled.”
  1866. >”I’m not crippled!”
  1867. >”I’m not sure which option is easier.”
  1868. “We could teach somepony else to replace her.”
  1869. >Bon-Bon scoffed.
  1870. >”Good luck with that.”
  1871. >”Yeah, that’s not happening. She’s special.”
  1872. >Lyra tilted her head.
  1873. >She didn’t know much about Earth pony magic, it’d never been important to her before.
  1874. >Brook seemed almost eager to explain, his love of talking overtaking his inner jerk.
  1875. >”It can be hard to control mana. It threatens to wash over you and move on before you're done with it. Mana hates staying still.”
  1876. >Lyra knew that well.
  1877. >It was common for mana to leak out if a spell was cast too slowly or improperly.
  1878. >And if you take in too much mana it'll go on its own even if you aren't ready.
  1879. >That's why Aquarius is so hard to use.
  1880. >”Wind is similar, and pegasi need to try for years before they even get off the ground. With wind though you can't even try to control it, the moment you contain it it'll stop. Pegasi need to learn to go with the wind, to let it run free.”
  1881. “That doesn't sound anything like mana.”
  1882. >”The two have way more in common with each other than they do with Earth. Both pegasi and unicorns are given their power on a silver platter, we just need to learn how to use it. We have a certain amount of time to do what we need before things fall apart. Either way the magic wants to flow. Earth ponies have it the other way around, the Earth will give them all the time in the world to do their thing. It's patient, slow. The Earth is never in a hurry, and it sees nothing wrong with taking a few million years to get the job done.”
  1883. >Bon-Bon smiled for some reason.
  1884. “It’s TOO patient, isn’t it?”
  1885. >Brook nodded.
  1886. >”Yup. Most Earth ponies have no trouble controlling their magic. It doesn’t fight them, it doesn’t slip through their hooves while they’re trying to use it, and it's predictable. But they have trouble getting anything done because the Earth takes its sweet time. The challenge Earth ponies face is coaxing their magic into action. I’m not sure how, but she makes Earth move fast.”
  1887. >”I used to have trouble. Took some practice.”
  1888. >”Oh, practice! Why didn’t anypony else think of that? All these years, CENTURIES of tradition with Earth ponies trying to find better ways to stop monsters. Who knows how many of them passing down all they’ve learned after a lifetime devoted to studying combat. And through it all they never thought to practice! Hah! You finally cracked it, you FINALLY figured out the ONE weird trick to attaining superequine power! Practice. It was so simple all along.”
  1889. >Lyra had only seen Bon-Bon kick with Earth’s magic a few times before.
  1890. >There had never been any wind up, any preparation.
  1891. >She’d just casually struck as though she were shooing away a fly.
  1892. >”She’s a freak in the best possible way. Earth ponies are supposed to be slower than others, supposed to take a second or two to prepare their strikes. It’s a big problem, makes them way easier to read, gives their opponent time to evade or sneak in a quick counterattack. Sweetie Drops is way too fast to be an Earth pony, we’re not going to find a replacement. She’s the best and she knows it. Problem is now she thinks she's immortal.”
  1893. >Did she?
  1894. >Naaa.
  1895. >Although, she DID always claim she had it covered.
  1896. >And she DID always say she was going to be okay.
  1897. >Even when she was full of poison and low on blood she insisted she was going to be okay.
  1898. >And now she was insisting she go back and finish the job.
  1899. >”If she doesn't wise up she'll get herself killed.”
  1900. >”You two are worrying way too much. I’m not going to do anything reckless.”
  1901. >Brook and Lyra exchanged deadpan glances.
  1902. >”What?”
  1903. >”You can’t carry the whole damn world on your back!”
  1904. >Brook’s voice was trembling with either anger or fear.
  1905. >He’d lost his composure.
  1906. >But was he upset because Bon-Bon was being bullheaded?
  1907. >Or was he worried about his friend’s wellbeing?
  1908. >”Why not? I've done it before.”
  1909. >”This isn't Typhon!”
  1910. “Wait I know that name from somewhere.”
  1911. >”He's not taller than the sky and he doesn't have more heads than there are stars in the sky. He didn't rise out of the depths of the ocean, he came crawling out of hell.”
  1912. >Ocean? Wait, wasn't that what they called that island chain?
  1913. >Brook took a moment to calm himself before continuing.
  1914. >”What's he like?”
  1915. >“Small for a monster. Nimble, fast. But I can take him! He telegraphs everything, and he's too stupid to plan his attacks!”
  1916. >”Then how did he hit you?”
  1917. >Oh wow those weren't islands, it was a dead monster!
  1918. >”Like I said, lucky shot. It won't happen again.”
  1919. >It was so big that when they buried it it looked like islands!
  1920. >No, that was stupid.
  1921. >It was probably just a coincidence.
  1922. >”Please, I don't want to talk about it.”
  1923. “Yeah, I figure she deserves a break. This isn’t going anywhere anyway.”
  1924. >”Fine. Keep her from doing anything stupid.”
  1925. “I’ll try. I don’t want her getting hurt anymore either.
  1926. >”Good. I'll be back later.”
  1927. >Brook walked away, leaving the mess he’d made in his wake.
  1928. >Lyra turned to Bon-Bon.
  1929. >Was her eye watering up?
  1930. “He actually cares about you.”
  1931. >”Sure.”
  1932. “But he's, y'know.”
  1933. >”Abrasive? “
  1934. “Let's go with that.”
  1935. >”He's a really caring pony.”
  1936. >Really?
  1937. >REALLY?
  1938. ”I thought he hated everyone.”
  1939. >”He likes you.”
  1940. >That didn't sound right.
  1941. >”He’s very protective. Gets upset when ponies get hurt.”
  1942. “Huh. I sorta had him pegged as not caring about anyone but himself. So why is he so mean then? Is it because he resents ponies who get to live safe and carefree lives while he had to risk his neck time and again?”
  1943. >”Nope. He’s proud of what he’s done, I don’t think he’d want the civilian life.”
  1944. “Okay, then is it because he’s contemptuous of weak ponies and thinks they’re beneath him?”
  1945. >”Kinda. But he’s not really any nicer to me most of the time. I think he’d be more or less the same if I was just a random pony.”
  1946. “Alright. Then it has to be because he knows he’s getting old and he’s upset that his best years are behind him!”
  1947. >”I mean, yeah. That bothers him. But he’s been this way ever since I met him, and that was quite a while ago. As far as I can tell he’s just a jerk. Always has been.”
  1948. “Huh. You’re sure it’s not the result of years of mental trauma or...”
  1949. >”Nope. Just a jerk.”
  1950. >Weird.
  1951. >Lyra say on the couch in her unique Lyra way and snuggled up close.
  1952. “You sure you’re okay?”
  1953. >”I’ll be fine, honest!”
  1954. >WILL be.
  1955. >Not AM.
  1956. >Was she reading too much into that?
  1957. “If there’s anything I can do for you, anything at all! Just say the word.”
  1958. >”Which word?”
  1959. “Um, I’d never thought about that. Are you sure you have to go back?”
  1960. >She rubbed her chin for a bit, either thinking over the question or feigning uncertainty.
  1961. >”No, I’m not sure. If Twilight’s planning on using the Tide the job’s almost certainly done already. You’re sure you heard her say Tide?”
  1962. “Yeah.”
  1963. >”Huh.”
  1964. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna-”
  1965. >”The Tide is a weapon that they can’t control. Or at least they couldn’t, they were studying it pretty closely so maybe that’s changed. I don’t really know much more. Honestly I’m not supposed to know that much. Don’t tell anypony?”
  1966. “Of course! Pinkie Promise.”
  1967. >Lyra knew more than Bon-Bon did.
  1968. >She did her best to hide the fact that she was swelling with pride.
  1969. >”And as far as I’m aware there are no big monster threats in sight once this is done, so I’ll be able to take it easy.”
  1970. “I still don’t want you going back.”
  1971. >Lyra wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard Bon-Bon mutter something.
  1972. >Something along the lines of ‘me neither’.
  1973. >”You worry too much.”
  1974. “I thought I was worrying the right amount.”
  1975. >”I intend to do as little dying as possible.”
  1976. “Yeah, but-”
  1977. >”No buts! He’s not going to kill me. I’ll always come back home to you.”
  1978. “Really?”
  1979. >”Yeah!”
  1980. >She stretched out and placed her head on Lyra’s lap.
  1981. >”You’re too comfy, I could never stay away.”
  1982. >Lyra spent a moment rubbing her behind the ears.
  1983. >And before long the two of them were dozing off once more.
  1984. >Lyra wasn't happy that Bonny was planning on going back.
  1985. >She knew Eurynomos was too powerful, Bon-Bon didn't stand a chance.
  1986. >But really it wasn't so bad.
  1987. >As long as they used the Tide she'd be safe.
  1988. >Lyra pried her eyes open to look down at the snoozing heroine.
  1989. >So brave, so noble.
  1990. >She'd suffered enough, and now it was up to Lyra to protect her.
  1991. >She'd failed before and Bon-Bon had been horribly wounded twice.
  1992. >If only she'd been faster, more decisive.
  1993. >If only she'd been better.
  1994. >But there was no way that she would fail again, if ever Bon-Bon needed a hoof again she'd be there.
  1995. >No matter who stood in her way.
  1996. >But that was a promise for later, in the present all was well.
  1997. >It was time to relax.
  1998. >Time to enjoy the moment.
  1999. >No demons, no alien machines, and no mortal danger.
  2000. >Just the two of them-
  2001. >”ACK!”
  2002. >Bon-Bon jolted to her hooves in a sudden, swift motion.
  2003. “What? What's wrong?”
  2004. >”I forgot about the meeting!”
  2005. >She rushed over to the computer, stumbling slightly on the upturned table as she passed.
  2006. “Do you want me to leave?”
  2007. >”Your call.”
  2008. “Really?”
  2009. >”Might as well. I didn't want you to worry, but it's too late for that now. Somehow you wound up in the heart of it.”
  2010. >Lyra trotted over to her side.
  2011. >”Great, I might need a second set of ears for this. Something's incredibly fishy and I need to know what.”
  2012. “How are we going to listen?”
  2013. >”Those things are sending out a wireless signal that'll be picked up by a small relay I planted nearby. It'll send its data up to a machine orbiting the planet which will bounce back down for us to intercept.”
  2014. “Wait, you're telling me the data's going to SPACE?”
  2015. >Why am I even surprised?
  2016. >”It's broadcasting, not a direct transfer. I'm using a system they put in place for emergency notifications.”
  2017. “Meaning?”
  2018. >”Meaning we don't send any data back up, we're just listening to the signal being blasted everywhere. That way they can't tell who was listening even after they find out something's up.”
  2019. “Wow.”
  2020. >Lyra wished she had Bon-Bon on her team.
  2021. >Hay, from the sound of it Bon-Bon didn't NEED a team!
  2022. >A loud crackling sound started up.
  2023. “Is it broken?”
  2024. >”No. I had to make sure not just anypony could listen in. Audio's going to be a bit distorted.”
  2025. >”-keep telling you she's on her way.”
  2026. >Was it ever!
  2027. >Lyra wasn't sure who that was.
  2028. >”Let me get this straight. She calls an emergency meeting with next to no warning, scheduled it so we all have drop important things just to be here, and then she can't even show up on time?”
  2029. >”Twilight, please calm down.”
  2030. >Okay, so that first one was Twilight.
  2031. >”I'm certain sister has a good reason for all of this.”
  2032. >Celestia confirmed.
  2033. >”Princess, just how much do you trust her?”
  2034. >”Implicitly.”
  2035. >”But why? All she does is lie!”
  2036. >”She's my sister. You would do well to remember that.”
  2037. >It was hard for Lyra to read them at the moment.
  2038. >The lack of visuals and the noisy audio made assessing their emotions tricky.
  2039. >Even so it was plainly obvious that things were tense among the tetrarchy.
  2040. >A third voice piped in.
  2041. >Cadence?
  2042. >”She tried to kill you. She obviously can't be trusted.”
  2043. >”That wasn't her fault!”
  2044. >”Yes. It was.”
  2045. >A fourth voice.
  2046. >But who?
  2047. >Celestia was unwilling to let that stand, her response loud and seemingly heated.
  2048. >”That wasn't you! That was the Nightmare!”
  2049. >”I made the Nightmare, it is my responsibility.”
  2050. >Luna?
  2051. >”There is no need to downplay my failings. Now, if I may, there are more pressing issues.”
  2052. >Lyra couldn't make out what happened next.
  2053. >A panicked yell, some galloping maybe?
  2054. >There was too much going on at once and too much interference to tell what was being said.
  2055. >When things finally settled Celestia cried out.
  2056. >”We need a doctor! My sister's hurt!”
  2057. >”I just came from the doctor. It's not as bad as it looks.”
  2058. >”You've been-”
  2059. >”It can wait.”
  2060. >Had one of them wounded Luna?
  2061. >No way.
  2062. >She was way too tough for that lot.
  2063. >”53 days ago I detached a small strike team for a surprise offensive against Achlys.”
  2064. >Bon-Bon looked surprised.
  2065. >”We had a ceasefire. Why would she…”
  2066. “It explains why Luna wasn't sick at least.”
  2067. >She'd been fighting with Achlys.
  2068. >”Unfortunately she saw it coming. Achlys was able to reposition for an ambush, our offensive fell apart immediately. Since then we've taken catastrophic losses on the northern front, allowing Eurynomos to overrun our position.”
  2069. >Twilight butted in.
  2070. >”Your reports said you had nearly secured victory.”
  2071. >”That was true when they were written. Things were largely going according to plan E.”
  2072. >The voice Lyra believed to be Cadence chined in next.
  2073. >”Getting into a war of attrition with two overwhelmingly powerful opponents was according to plan?”
  2074. >”Plan E, yes. We had nearly secured victory by striking at Achlys’ heart. She was Ill prepared for our weapons and would have fallen easily had our northern front held.”
  2075. >Bon-Bon chewed her lip for a moment.
  2076. >”How would that help though? Like, she'd still have Eurynomos.”
  2077. >”Things went sour and our forward position was stormed. Eurynomos’ forces managed to deplete our munitions and storm our entrenched position. We were forced to fall back, with most of our operatives being wounded or killed in the process, including Zero. Plan F involved myself and a crew of pegasi and gryphons attacking Achlys while she retreated from Eurynomos’ forces. Didn't work. Ow, ow! ‘Tia, stop that!”
  2078. >”You need to sit down, or maybe lie down!”
  2079. >”They're shallow cuts, I promise.”
  2080. >”Yeah, shallow cuts. Covering half your body! What happened to you?”
  2081. >”Achlys is tougher than we thought.”
  2082. >Twilight seemed far less concerned about Luna's wellbeing.
  2083. >”So plan F didn't work. What's plan G?”
  2084. >”There- ow! There isn't one.”
  2085. >A heavy silence hung over the conversation for far too long.
  2086. >Even Bon-Bon seemed taken aback.
  2087. >”We have been totally expelled from the lower hells and are losing what little control we had over Tartarus. Achlys has vanished, we believe she escaped into Elysium. Eurynomos will follow as soon as he finds out she's gone.”
  2088. >Still, nobody dared to speak.
  2089. >”Ideas, everyone! We need ideas!”
  2090. “She can't- but! But!”
  2091. >Lyra didn’t have anything else to add.
  2092. >Just “But!”
  2093. >Bon-Bon shook her head somberly.
  2094. >”I shouldn't have let you listen in.”
  2095. >Twilight's voice was quieter than Lyra might have expected.
  2096. >”You should have come to us sooner.”
  2097. >”I thought I could handle it.”
  2098. >”Cadence? Tell her about Helios.”
  2099. >”Helios is an orbital weapon designed to heat targeted areas to temperatures that rival the surface of some stars. We believe Helios 2 is fully operational, but Helios 1 has a design flaw that prevents it from sustaining the target temperature.”
  2100. >There was something a bit off about the way she spoke.
  2101. >Maybe she was just tired?
  2102. >Luna wasn't satisfied.
  2103. >”Unless it’s worse than a nuke I’m not interested. They're from Hell, they can handle heat.”
  2104. >Twilight had the answer.
  2105. >”Helios won’t stop them. I just want it ready to clean up afterwards.”
  2106. >Here it comes.
  2107. >There was a banging sound.
  2108. >”Q! Is it ready?”
  2109. >”My name is Quantum Quandary! Not Q!”
  2110. >”Q is one of the major players from engineering!”
  2111. >”THAT’S NOT MY NAME!”
  2112. >”He's been working on the Tide, and helping with a side project.”
  2113. >”Hold on. The room is bugged.”
  2114. “Bonny? How did Celestia know?”
  2115. >”I… don’t know.”
  2116. >”Luna, grab Q.”
  2117. >There was a loud crashing noise the instant Celestia had said those words.
  2118. >”Let me g- AUGH!”
  2119. >”Don't be too hard on him, Lu. He might know something useful. Guards! Take the fake doctor to a holding cell. We've a rogue changeling. I want the real Q found and cared for immediately. He's likely being held prisoner nearby.”
  2120. >”Oh my gosh!”
  2121. >Twilight sounded annoyed through the distortion.
  2122. >But Lyra was pretty sure she was actually surprised and worried.
  2123. >”I just talked to him the other day and he was working so hard! When did this happen? “
  2124. >Cadence replied.
  2125. >”Probably just recently. They don't need much time to replace somepony. How did you know it was a changeling? Was it the tracking chip?”
  2126. >”Indeed. They're paying for themselves.”
  2127. >”Princess?”
  2128. >”Yes, Twilight?”
  2129. >”What tracking chip?”
  2130. >”The ones I didn't tell any of you about after I caught wind Chrysalis knew about them. Luna? Whoa! Don't kill her, she's the only one who knows where Cadence is. Guards! Take Chrysalis to lockup. Make sure you don't look in her eyes. And Chrysalis?”
  2131. >”What, another lecture on friendship? You're too weak, Pony. I WILL have my revenge!”
  2132. >”I don't have time to deal with you right now. Hell has broken loose, you aren't important. But Cadence is, and I swear if she's hurt? I'm going to feed your hive to Eurynomos personally. How much time do you think they'll buy us before the avatar of decay turns them all to rot?”
  2133. >That didn't sound like Celestia.
  2134. >”I'll take you to her! She's still in the palace!”
  2135. >”See that she does. I want to know what's happening with both Cadence and Q the moment they're found. Both of them are very important ponies.”
  2136. >”Princess? Are you okay?”
  2137. >”I'm fine, Twilight.”
  2138. >She certainly didn’t sound fine.
  2139. >That was not the Celestia Lyra knew.
  2140. >”Just short on patience. What was it you were going to tell us?”
  2141. >”Oh right! Um, shouldn't we wait for Cadence?”
  2142. >”I'd love to. But…”
  2143. >”Twilight Sparkle! There are more important things than Cadence!”
  2144. >”But she's our friend!”
  2145. >”Yes, my student. She is and always shall be. We all hope for her safe return, but sister is right. Hell shan't wait on friendship.”
  2146. >Something was SERIOUSLY wrong with Celestia.
  2147. >”Ooh, I can't focus! I'm too worried!”
  2148. >”Take a deep breath. Okay, now just give us a summary, we can worry about the details later.”
  2149. >”Are you sure we can’t wait for her?”
  2150. >”Lu? Tell her.”
  2151. >”Achlys is in Equestria. It can’t wait.”
  2152. >”I’m sorry, Twilight. But we need to act swiftly. Stalling will do Cadence no good, but waiting might well do her harm.”
  2153. >”Right. Okay. I know how to stop Eurynomos. You're not going to like it though. It's pretty cruel, but-”
  2154. >”Do it.”
  2155. >That wasn't Luna.
  2156. >That was Celestia.
  2157. >”What?”
  2158. >”What?”
  2159. “What?”
  2160. >”What?”
  2161. >”We no longer have the luxury to stand by my principles. Banish him, cripple him, befriend him, kill him. I don’t really care what you do I just want him dealt with.”
  2162. >”Sister…”
  2163. >”It's okay, Luna. You were right about them all along. Their goal is our ruin, there can be no compromise.”
  2164. >”But princess? What about all that stuff you said about kindness and mercy?”
  2165. >”He was right about mercy. It is a weakness of mine.”
  2166. >”But what about their right to life?”
  2167. >”The enemies of my ponies have no rights.”
  2168. >Celestia wasn't kidding.
  2169. >She'd hit her limit.
  2170. >And not a moment too soon.
  2171. >”Do what thou wilt, I just ask that you leave me out of it. I'll only get in the way.”
  2172. >”Sister, you can't blame yourself. You had no way of knowing-”
  2173. >”We'll talk about it later, once he's gone. Go on, Twilight.”
  2174. >”Uhh, right. We've been trying to develop methods to contain the tide, and while we haven't exactly managed we've gotten good at slowing it down. We can store it for nearly half an hour.”
  2175. >Silence, save for a few exaggerated breaths.
  2176. >”By stunning it and storing it in extremely hard materials like hyperdiamond we can store it for nearly half an hour, less with larger samples. Manufacturing isn't easy since the materials need to be layered as thin as possible, preferably only a few atoms thick. Once a layer is compromised it'll be consumed very quickly which grows the sample so to control it… Are you sure Cadence is okay?”
  2177. >”We'll know the second they find her. Keep going.”
  2178. >”Okay… this storage technique should allow us to weaponize the Tide. If we use SLIDE to relocate our sample and plan our angle of attack we can have it breach containment briefly after arriving. Princess? Are you okay?”
  2179. >”No. This is monstrous!”
  2180. >Here we go.
  2181. >”Only one pony has touched it and lived.”
  2182. >SOMEPONY HAD SURVIVED TOUCHING IT?
  2183. >”They described unimaginable pain as it spread, I don't even want to think about inflicting that on another.”
  2184. >”‘Tia, he'd do it to us in an instant.”
  2185. >”I know. Do it, we have no choice. If you'll excuse me I need some air. And a shower.”
  2186. >Celestia left.
  2187. >”Poor girl. Sister's been through so much lately, this is going to eat away at her. Twilight?”
  2188. >”Yes?”
  2189. >Even through the distortion it was clear there was no love lost between these two.
  2190. >Something had happened between them that they'd not get over any time soon.
  2191. >”Take care of her for me.”
  2192. >”What are you talking about?”
  2193. >”Make sure she knows it's not her fault.”
  2194. >”Okay?”
  2195. “Hey, Bonny. Is Luna dying?”
  2196. >”I don't think so.”
  2197. “That kinda made it sound like she wouldn't be around.”
  2198. >”Yeah. I'm not sure what to make of this.”
  2199. >Neither was Lyra.
  2200. >”Thanks, Twilight. You're a good pony, don't let me convince you otherwise. When can you have a sample ready?”
  2201. >”I only need a few hours, the containers are on standby. From what I've seen he might be able to withstand it for a while. The Tide is slow to act on extremely hard materials, but if you can get it inside him it should work pretty well.”
  2202. >”Alright. Anything I should know?”
  2203. >”It'll attack everyone and everything, especially if it's alive. Keep your distance after using it. And we should try and deploy it somewhere safe, there's going to be a lot of collateral damage. I'll send you what we know so you can plan. With any luck there'll be nothing left.”
  2204. >”Pardon?”
  2205. >”If it works like it should there won't be anything left after a few seconds.”
  2206. >”We're not using the tide.”
  2207. >”What?”
  2208. “What?”
  2209. >”What?”
  2210. >”Come up with something else, we're not using the Tide.”
  2211. >”But-”
  2212. >”No.”
  2213. >The sound of hooves on the move echoed.”
  2214. >”But Luna!”
  2215. >”If you know what's good for you you'll do what I say. We're not…”
  2216. >The voices faded out as the two of them walked away.
  2217. >”Huh. That was interesting. Say, you getting hungry?”
  2218. “A little- that can wait! What just happened?”
  2219. >”Not sure yet. But I don't have enough information to work with, so there's no point in worrying.”
  2220. >That was one way of looking at it.
  2221. “Bonny?”
  2222. >”Yeah?”
  2223. “I don’t want you going back.”
  2224. >”Somepony has to- OOF!”
  2225. >Lyra grabbed Bon-Bon and pulled her close.
  2226. >She held onto Bon-Bon for dear life, seemingly fearful that she’d disappear.
  2227. >”Ow ow OW!”
  2228. >Lyra relaxed her grip on the recovering surgery patient.
  2229. “Please don’t go.”
  2230. >”I have to, Lyra.”
  2231. “But… but you’ll get killed!”
  2232. >”Or die trying! Wait, no. That’s- I’m going to be okay.”
  2233. >Bon-Bon began to stroke Lyra’s mane in a vain attempt to cheer her up.
  2234. >But there was only one thing that could fix Lyra’s mood.
  2235. >She needed Bon-Bon to be safe.
  2236. >That was the only thing Lyra wanted at the moment.
  2237. >And she knew EXACTLY how she was going to get it.
  2238. >Nopony would stand in her way.
  2239. >Not even Luna.
  2240.  
  2241.  
  2242. * * * * *
  2243.  
  2244. >Lyra sat upon the park bench, staring intently at nothing.
  2245. >A passerby could easily be lead to believe she was watching something given the look of intense focus that currently adorned her face.
  2246. >The truth was she was barely aware of her surroundings, her thoughts taking her to a different place and time.
  2247. >Bon-Bon sat beside her, a look of concern growing on her face.
  2248. >Not too long ago she'd been sunning herself.
  2249. >She'd been relishing the relative tranquility of a public park, the sounds of fillies and colts unwinding after another torturous day of school was apparently relaxing for Bon-Bon.
  2250. >Contrasted with hell, the noises of construction work might have seemed soothing.
  2251. >”Lyra? What's the matter?”
  2252. “Just have a lot on my mind is all.”
  2253. >”It's going to be okay, you'll see.”
  2254. >Somehow Lyra was unconvinced.
  2255. >Way back when it had all began Bon-Bon's words had been comforting.
  2256. >Lyra was willing or perhaps even eager to believe her Bonny could make all the bad things go away.
  2257. >Things change.
  2258. >Lyra looked down at the battered and scarred pony she cherished so dearly.
  2259. >Bon-Bon looked fine. Great even!
  2260. >The spell work was good. Lyra couldn't detect the illusion at all without first disrupting it.
  2261. >But no matter how sound, no matter how believable it was just another lie.
  2262. >A beautiful facade that hid a terrible truth.
  2263. >Bon-Bon wasn't fine!
  2264. >And she wasn't going to be able to stop Eurynomos either.
  2265. >”Wanna talk about it?”
  2266. “Maybe not here.”
  2267. >”I promise you I'll come back home to you. It's- AUGH!”
  2268. >Something had knocked her off the bench.
  2269. >Bon-Bon reversed their roles in the blink of an eye, pinning her assailant to the ground.
  2270. >Bon-Bon looked up to Lyra, a crazed glint in her eye.
  2271. >”Run! Get to safety!”
  2272. “STOP!”
  2273. >Bon-Bon stepped on her attacker's throat, putting the bulk of her bodyweight on their trachea.
  2274. >”Why are you here? Who sent you?”
  2275. >They didn’t answer.
  2276. >They couldn’t! Bon-Bon was crushing their throat!
  2277. >”TALK!”
  2278. >Their face started to turn blue from lack of breath.
  2279. >It was a sharp contrast to Bon-Bon's own face which had turned red with rage and panic.
  2280. >Lyra started wrestling with Bon-Bon, using all of her modest strength to pull the crazed pony away.
  2281. >To her surprise it wasn’t that hard.
  2282. >Bon-Bon was weak.
  2283. >It took only a few seconds before Bon-Bon had been physically removed.
  2284. “Bonny, stop!”
  2285. >”RUN! GET TO SAFETY!”
  2286. “No! It’s just Derpy!”
  2287. >Bon-Bon looked down at what she’d done.
  2288. >Derpy lay upon the ground, gasping desperately for breath.
  2289. >Bon-Bon gasped, her eyes far too wide.
  2290. >She took a few steps backward but immediately ran into something.
  2291. >A small crowd had amassed, fearful and judgemental ponies circling around the scene.
  2292. >Lyra offered Derpy a hoof, helping her get up.
  2293. “D, I am SO sorry! She didn’t realise it was you, she would NEVER hurt you on purpose!”
  2294. >”That’s okay. Nothing to see here, everypony. Just a simple misunderstanding.”
  2295. >Derpy was a little hoarse.
  2296. >But amazingly enough she didn’t seem upset.
  2297. >She faced the world with her usual grin.
  2298. >”I’m okay, everypony. Thanks for helping.”
  2299. >The crowd began to slowly dissipate.
  2300. >There was no shortage of murmurs and worried glances as the masses scattered, but at least they were leaving.
  2301. >Bon-Bon didn’t look straight at Derpy.
  2302. >She averted her gaze and kept her distance.
  2303. >”D, I’m so sorry. I- oh no. I thought you were someone else!”
  2304. >Derpy did the last thing any sane pony would expect.
  2305. >She quickly trotted over to Bon-Bon and gave her a great big hug.
  2306. >”It’s okay! Sorry for crashing into you like that.”
  2307. >That mare was way too forgiving.
  2308. >Bon-Bon struggled for an uncomfortably long time trying to get out of Derpy’s grasp.
  2309. >Her forgiving friend finally got the hint and let go.
  2310. >”I’m glad you’re okay, D. I should go. Before I hurt anyone else.”
  2311. >”What? No, stay around for a while. How’ve you been?”
  2312. >”Uhh… could be better?”
  2313. >This was so weird.
  2314. >”Aww. What’s wrong?”
  2315. >”I’d really rather not talk about it.”
  2316. >”Okay, if you’re sure. What about you, Lyra? You just disappeared for weeks without warning! And then we hear these rumors that you tried to blow up the palace? Everypony was worried about you!”
  2317. “Oh. That. Yeah, well y’see…”
  2318. >She couldn’t say Bon-Bon had been impaled by Eurynomos.
  2319. >Derpy wasn’t supposed to know stuff like that!
  2320. >What was the cover story again?
  2321. “Bonny got hurt by a Bugbear.”
  2322. >”No she wasn’t.”
  2323. “Yeah? She was. I was in Canterlot helping take care of her.”
  2324. >Lyra winked several times in a grossly exaggerated manner, hoping Derpy would get the hint.
  2325. >She didn’t.
  2326. >”Why was she around bugbears? Wasn’t she supposed to be in hell or something?”
  2327. “Ha. Ha. What would give you a crazy idea like that?”
  2328. >”Are you feeling okay, Lyra? Did you forget about everything? We’ve spent a lot of time over the last while trying to track S.M.I.L.E. and their actions, remember? At first we were wondering if they were the good guys or the bad guys but since then we’ve kinda decided that it doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad because we need them to win either way?”
  2329. >Lyra smacked her own face with her hoof.
  2330. >”And then you decided that they weren’t going to win on their own so you kinda became a low profile terrorist and used your magic to force Twilight into saving the day. Don’t you remember?”
  2331. “I wasn’t going to tell her that, D.”
  2332. >”Who?”
  2333. “Bonny. She has enough to worry about without me putting her in an awkward position like that.”
  2334. >”Bon-Bon’s not here.”
  2335. “Huh?”
  2336. >Lyra quickly surveyed her surroundings.
  2337. >No Bon-Bon.
  2338. >”She left a little while ago.”
  2339. “Oh. I’d better go find her. Umm, I learned a lot while I was away. I’ll try to swing by and tell you, but right now I need to be with her.”
  2340. >”Okay! You two have GREAT day!”
  2341. >She was amazingly chipper for a pony who was being strangled just moments ago.
  2342. >Lyra started to search for Bon-Bon.
  2343. >What should have been futile turned out to be a very quick and easy task, Bon-Bon having apparently run out of breath shortly after leaving.
  2344. >Lyra found her sitting in the grass beneath a large willow, its branches heavy with leaves swaying gently just overhead.
  2345. “Bonny? Are you okay?”
  2346. >Her ears twitched a bit and she repositioned to hide her face, but other than that she didn’t react.
  2347. “If you don’t wanna talk, that’s fine. But I just want you to know it’s okay to be scared. But you’re safe right now! He’s not here. You’re in Ponyville, and nothing’s trying to hurt you.”
  2348. >”That’s not it.”
  2349. >Her voice was trembling.
  2350. >Lyra approached slowly so as not to startle her.
  2351. >She made sure that she was plainly visible with every step.
  2352. “It’s okay. You don’t have to go back. They’ll find another way to deal with him. You’re safe.”
  2353. >”You don’t understand.”
  2354. >A few teardrops fell to the ground beneath her.
  2355. >She still refused to show her face.
  2356. “No. I don’t. Help me understand?”
  2357. >She sat down next to the trembling Bon-Bon, making sure she was just close enough to make contact without crowding her out too much.
  2358. >"I just don't know anymore."
  2359. >The willow swayed gently in the wind.
  2360. >The rustling of its many branches was the only sound Lyra could hear for the moment.
  2361. >Bon-Bon was doing an excellent job of hiding her pain.
  2362. >But still, Lyra could see it.
  2363. >The trembling, her balled up posture, the errant tears that fell in defiance of her efforts.
  2364. "It's okay. I'm here for you."
  2365. >Lyra gently patted Bon-Bon on the back.
  2366. >And the dam broke.
  2367. >It only took a few minutes for the tears to stop falling from the tormented rictus she bore as her face.
  2368. >The illusory visage didn't quite seem to fit her head, instead choosing to sag beyond beyond what was anatomically possible.
  2369. >Minutes passed, her fit growing weaker as it took its toll on her battered body.
  2370. >Finally she lay still.
  2371. >But Lyra knew better than to assume it was over.
  2372. >Bon-Bon was not okay.
  2373. >She was just too tired to keep crying.
  2374. >Lyra searched long and hard, desperately seeking the words she ought to say.
  2375. >Hoping against all odds that there was something, ANYTHING she could do to help.
  2376. >There wasn't.
  2377. >They sat beneath that tree for hours in relative silence.
  2378. >Hours doing nothing but holding each other close.
  2379. >The sun would set soon.
  2380. >”Lyra?”
  2381. “Yeah?”
  2382. >”Can you take me downtown?”
  2383. >Her voice was level and composed.
  2384. >Lyra didn’t believe for a second that she’d gotten over it, but she’d collected herself.
  2385. “Of course! Should I go get the chair?”
  2386. >”I’d rather not. Can you help like last time?”
  2387. “Sure! But first.”
  2388. >Lyra focused intently on Bon-Bon’s face.
  2389. >Not all of it was illusory, just the parts that had been scarred up.
  2390. >The rest was tear stained and matted.
  2391. >She produced a small cloth and started rubbing at the messy face.
  2392. >”Thanks.”
  2393. >She didn’t sound thankful.
  2394. >But she couldn’t be out in public like this, ponies would talk.
  2395. >Though they probably were already come to think of it.
  2396. >No need to give them more to gossip about.
  2397. >Lyra focus her magic around Bon-Bon’s barrel and began to levitate.
  2398. “I could probably carry you if you want.”
  2399. >”I’d rather walk. Even if I am cheating a bit.”
  2400. “You sure? I don’t mind.”
  2401. >”I need this.”
  2402. “Alright, lead the way.”
  2403. >Bon-Bon started trotting at a fairly brisk pace.
  2404. >It was hard for Lyra to get a good read on Bon-Bon’s physical state.
  2405. >Sometimes she seemed stronger than Bulk Biceps.
  2406. >Other times she seemed weaker than Angel Wings.
  2407. >Right now she seemed almost normal, disregarding the magical assistance in walking of course.
  2408. >But as they started to get closer and closer to town, her pace slowed to a crawl.
  2409. “You okay?”
  2410. >Her legs sped up quite suddenly.
  2411. >She wasn’t tired, something else was slowing her.
  2412. “If you don’t want to go we don’t want. Where are we going anyway?”
  2413. >She just sighed.
  2414. >The journey was just a little too long through the busy streets.
  2415. >Bon-Bon insisted on looking at each and every pony they passed on their way, and more than a few of them made a point of looking at her in turn.
  2416. >Ponyville was too large to be the close knit community Lyra used to know.
  2417. >But still gossip spread quickly, ponies no doubt knew that Bon-Bon had tried to hurt Derpy.
  2418. >And they certainly did not approve.
  2419. >Derpy had been kind enough to try and downplay the situation, to tell everypony that it wasn’t a big deal.
  2420. >But there were limits even to her power.
  2421. >There was nothing to do for it but wait it out.
  2422. >Everyone would forget eventually.
  2423. >Hopefully.
  2424. >Bon-Bon pulled on the front door, a fancy if somewhat sterile glass entrance that showed a somewhat ostentatious interior.
  2425. >A welcome blast of cool air met them when they passed through the doorway.
  2426. >Lyra was starting to worry.
  2427. >Bon-Bon was stalling as much as possible, each step growing ever closer.
  2428. >She REALLY didn't want to be there!
  2429. >What was the worry?
  2430. >Was there some incredible monstrosity lurking in the shadows? Or perhaps a gruesome sight secreted away in the foundation?
  2431. >Whatever was going on there was something bad here.
  2432. >Something so terrible and awful that even agent Zero dreaded to tread here.
  2433. >An eerie oppressive silence set in over them, and before long Lyra too was on guard.
  2434. >Through here.
  2435. >The two of them flanked a doorway much like any other.
  2436. >Lyra called upon Sagittarius and Leo in an attempt to prepare herself for what came next.
  2437. >She linked the mana in preperation for battle.
  2438. >Nothing could have readied her for what happened when the door opened.
  2439. >”I'm sorry, we're- oh! Please, come right in!”
  2440. >Lyra knew that voice, but from where?
  2441. >She stepped around the corner ready to strike at a moment's notice.
  2442. >A powder blue pegasus with a straight black mane was seated at an overly organized desk.
  2443. >She bore a pair of half moon glasses over her cyan eyes.
  2444. >The room was mostly occupied by plush seating, the decor seeming to follow a theme of warmth and comfort, but taking it far enough that it felt kinda weird.
  2445. >”Are you Lyra? Oh it's good to finally meet you!”
  2446. >Bon-Bon sat on an overly plush sofa and sank deep into its cushions.
  2447. >Only the tip of her muzzle was visible.
  2448. >The pegasus motioned for Lyra to sit.
  2449. >She chose the oversized office chair.
  2450. >”It’s good to finally meet you, Lyra. I’ve heard a lot about you. All of it good.”
  2451. “Thanks? Sorry, but have we met?”
  2452. >”I don’t believe so. I’m Dr. Breeze, a psychotherapist.”
  2453. >That’s where she knew the name from!
  2454. >It was Bon-Bon’s psych!
  2455. >Oh, it had been so long since Derpy had dug up that recording, she couldn’t remember much of it.
  2456. >Had there been important stuff on it?
  2457. >“Sorry for showing up so late.”
  2458. >”Oh, think nothing of it. You’re welcome here any time. What’s on your mind?”
  2459. >She didn’t say anything.
  2460. >And then she continued to not say anything.
  2461. >The doctor seemed perfectly content to wait all night if that’s what it took, she wasn’t going to rush her patient.
  2462. >Lyra saw no reason to rush things along either.
  2463. >Bon-Bon was under enough stress.
  2464. >”We’ll be here if you wish to talk. Lyra? If I may ask, how long have the two of you known each other?”
  2465. “Oh. Uhh, do you want a number? I’m not really sure. A long time?”
  2466. >”Do you know what her profession is?”
  2467. “I do. Do you?”
  2468. >”I know enough. I want you to know that it’s very important that we not pry too much. She needs to know that it’s safe to share her thoughts, and that we won’t try to push her.”
  2469. “Right!”
  2470. >”I also need you to know that everything said in here is strictly confidential. Nothing you say will leave these walls.”
  2471. >Then why had she heard the previous meeting?
  2472. >”Neither of us will tell anypony what happens in here without your explicit permission.”
  2473. >”Stop recording.”
  2474. >”Of course.”
  2475. >She reached out over her desk and pressed a switch.
  2476. >”I record these meetings so that I can review them at a later date. But if she doesn’t wish for that-”
  2477. >”I tried to kill Derpy.”
  2478. >What?
  2479. >Lyra had thought she was just intimidating her.
  2480. >”I was going to flatten her brain to make good and sure she was dead.”
  2481. >The doctor’s jaw hung agape.
  2482. >A chill ran down Lyra’s spine.
  2483. >They were seconds away from living in a world without Derpy.
  2484. >What would become of Dinky?
  2485. >What would Bonny do to herself?
  2486. >Lyra didn’t want to think about it.
  2487. >”Is Derpy okay?”
  2488. >”Yeah. Lyra was there. She stopped me.”
  2489. >”Oh that’s a relief. Derpy is such a sweet thing, I’d hate for her to be hurt.”
  2490. “Seriously. Does EVERYPONY know her?”
  2491. >”I thought I was in Hell.”
  2492. >”You had another episode.”
  2493. >”Yeah. This would be my third.”
  2494. >THIRD?
  2495. “Can you help her, doc?”
  2496. >”I believe we can help her together. But it will take time for her to recover.”
  2497. >She turned to face Bon-Bon.
  2498. >”You need to know that this isn’t your fault.”
  2499. >That was probably the wrong thing to say.
  2500. >Bon-Bon was more likely to be annoyed by such platitudes than comforted.
  2501. >”An Earth pony’s magic is able to protect their body, but it does nothing to protect their mind.”
  2502. >Bon-Bon’s body was trashed.
  2503. >What kind of condition was her mind in?
  2504. >”It’s okay to need help sometimes, and you need to know you aren’t the only one.”
  2505. >”What am I?”
  2506. >It had gone in one ear and out the other.
  2507. >That was probably for the best, if Lyra knew Bon-Bon half as well as she thought that approach was doomed for the beginning.
  2508. >”I’m not Bon-Bon. Bon-Bon isn’t a psychotic murderer.”
  2509. “Attempted!”
  2510. >That probably wasn’t helping either.
  2511. >”I’m not Sweetie Drops. She protects ponies, she doesn’t slaughter them. And I’m definitely not agent Zero. Zero is strong, I can barely walk. What am I?”
  2512. >Dr. Breeze looked over at Lyra.
  2513. >Neither of them knew how to handle this one.
  2514. >”Zero is a weapon. Sweetie Drops a shield. Bon-Bon a pony. I used to be able to keep them seperate.”
  2515. >”It isn’t uncommon for ponies to come up with different labels for themselves when they’re doing different things. A pony’s mind isn’t equipped for the extremes you’ve faced, ponies in your position often need to think and behave in manners that are inequine. They often find it easier to cope if they give the different facets of themselves different names, that way they can think of themselves as one pony while at work and a different one while at home.”
  2516. >That sounded WAY too familiar.
  2517. >Where had Red come from anyway?
  2518. >Lyra remembered making the disguise, but she didn’t really remember making the persona.
  2519. >It had just kinda happened.
  2520. >”Do you remember a time when it was simple? When you just went by one name?”
  2521. >Bon-Bon chewed on her lip for a while.
  2522. >”No. I’ve always had two faces, I even got my cutie mark for it.”
  2523. >Wait, what was that?”
  2524. >”Oh?”
  2525. >”I’ve gone over the story in my head a million times. I don’t know how much of this memory is real, and how much I put together myself. When I was really little my family and I lived in Silver Shoals. We had a quiet and peaceful life there. My daddy was a lumberjack, collecting timber for the shipwrights.”
  2526. >Lyra had never heard this before!
  2527. >Bon-Bon had always dodged the question or said she didn’t want to talk about it.
  2528. >”Sometimes I’d go with him when he wasn’t going far or had to do something different for the day. I liked those days. But we didn’t have all the heavy machinery we do now, so he spent a lot of time hauling timber back to town. Sometimes he left before I got up and got home after I went to bed. When he was away I spent time with my mommy, and she was a confectioner.”
  2529. >Was that where she’d learned it?
  2530. >Bonny had always said she was self taught.
  2531. >”When I wasn’t with daddy or at school I was with her. I helped her with everything. I got to learn how to make all sorts of sweets. I loved to see the faces on the ponies when they ate the candies I made. It felt good to know that I’d helped make them smile like that. I’ve loved eating candy my entire life, but I love making candy for others more. I was so sure I’d found my cutie mark, but even after years it never came. I started to think I was never going to get one, and I’d even come to accept that was never going to get one.”
  2532. >A filly being okay with no cutie mark?
  2533. >Had it been anypony else Lyra wouldn’t have believed it.
  2534. >”One day my parents brought me out to the beach on a picnic. We wound up staying out way later than we’d planned, we were just having too much fun. When the sun was starting to set something weird happened. The waves started crashing higher and higher, we hurried to try and pack up our things but we had to leave them to the ocean. We were going to be swept away if we stayed there any longer. We thought we were okay, we’d gotten off the sand and the waves were starting to subside. But then something came out of the water. A giant eel monster, I remember it being bigger than our house.”
  2535. >Eel monster?
  2536. >Bon-Bon had never once in her life mentioned an eel monster to Lyra.
  2537. >”I was so scared of it, I’d never seen a monster before. I was too scared to move, too scared to think. I think my mommy picked me up and started to run.
  2538. >”It was a weird one. A giant head, the rest of its body much too small by comparison. Three massive horizontal slits for eyes stacked on top of each other, it had two mouths. One of them was full of sharp teeth, the other full of tongues. It had very few tentacles for a sea monster, only a few. All of them coming off of its long slender tail. It looked like something out of a fever dream. It was fast, too fast for me to get away. My daddy turned around to face it so mommy and I could get away.”
  2539. >This must have been where she learned to fight!
  2540. >Her father taught her!
  2541. >”It wrapped him up with one of its long tongues and swallowed him whole. Things get… blurry after that. I wasn’t scared anymore. I was angry. Angrier than I had ever been. It had taken my daddy away. I liked my daddy. Everything went red for a while… when I’d calmed down there was a terrible mess on the beach. My parents were cowering behind some driftwood.”
  2542. >She let out a sigh.
  2543. >”And I had a cutie mark. I knew that there was something hidden inside of me. Something scary, disguised as something sweet.”
  2544. >Her cutie mark wasn’t candies.
  2545. >It was all about the wrapper.
  2546. “What did your parents think about it all?”
  2547. >”We never talked about it. We didn’t want to. I think we wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened.”
  2548. >”I can understand that. It must have been quite traumatising.”
  2549. >”I’m scared, doc. There was a terrible monster on that beach, and I don’t know what it was.”
  2550. >”There are catalogues of monsters you could consult that likely-”
  2551. >”No. Not that monster. The other one.”
  2552. >She was talking about herself.
  2553. “You’re calling it a monster? That’s a mighty fine way to thank the one that saved your parents.”
  2554. >Breeze smiled at Lyra and nodded.
  2555. >The two of them were in agreement.
  2556. “That was you, Bonny. You saved your parents lives, and you saved any other ponies that sea thing would have hurt.”
  2557. >”So that’s who I am.”
  2558. “No, that’s part of you. A very small part of you. You’re also the pony that makes the best sweets in Ponyville, the pony that always finds a way to make me smile, and the pony everypony else should try to be! It’s all a part of you. You don’t need to choose one or the other, you can smash things one day and make them the next! And if you don’t want to fight anymore that’s okay.”
  2559. >”I agree with Lyra. You don’t have to be that if you don’t want to be. But if you do, it doesn’t have to be what defines you. A pony can do more than just one thing.”
  2560. >Bon-Bon sat up and got on her hooves.
  2561. >”I’m going home.”
  2562. >Breeze smiled at her and nodded.
  2563. >”Yes, you must be tired. It’s been a very trying day for you. If I may make a suggestion, try to make more time for Lyra. I think she’s good for you.”
  2564. >Bon-Bon didn’t answer.
  2565. >She just left.
  2566. “Is she cured?”
  2567. >”Cured? Pft. She’s completely nuts.”
  2568. >And the professional and soothing air was totally gone.
  2569. >”But that was a good sign. Sweetie Drops has had a terrible burden placed upon her. She’s special, and when you’re special everypony asks the world of you. They want you to make the most of your gifts, to excel at all times. She knows that there are important jobs that only she can do, and she feels the pressure constantly. Being better is a burden. And she’s more than just better.”
  2570. >Poor girl.
  2571. >”But today I found out that she remembers that she used to be just another pony. She said she didn’t, but she does remember a time from before she had to live two lives.”
  2572. “And that’s a good thing?”
  2573. >”A wonderful thing. No matter how special you are, no matter how strong or smart or talented, you’re still just a pony. No matter how much everypony else wants from you, no matter how important you are, you’re never not going to be a pony. She still knows that deep down. Now we need to let her know it’s okay. I think you’re just the mare for the job.”
  2574. >Lyra pointed at herself, a look of disbelief on her face.
  2575. >”It’s common for their kind to fixate on something normal and healthy. Something that they can use to take their minds off of things, something to keep them grounded. She needs that something really bad. Her world right now must be awful, anypony would try to escape it. Even if they have to escape to a delusion. Ponies with her condition live in their heads because that’s the only place they feel safe. The dream up all sorts of fantastic things and spend their lives in reverie. It helps them cope, but it’s not healthy. The more they do it the more they have to do it. Eventually the fantasy is more real to them than the real world.”
  2576. >That was more than frightening.
  2577. >”Sweetie Drops sometimes has psychotic episodes when she’s startled or frightened. A loud noise or bright lights or being crashed into by a bubbly pegasus. I think that the surprise pulls her out of her head too abruptly, and she doesn’t have time to acclimate to the real world. I think that she then does what she normally does when frightened. What she’s normally supposed to do. But sometimes it’s not appropriate to do it.”
  2578. “If there’s anything I can do to help her, anything at all!”
  2579. >”Be there for her. Make sure she knows that you’re waiting for her, and that you want to be with her. You’re something she holds dear, something that she’s willing to fight for. And you’re something that’s real. She has to face the world if she wants to be with you.”
  2580. “Bonny told me she’d always come back for me. Is that what she meant?”
  2581. >”Maybe. I don’t know. But I do know she needs you. Keep coaxing her out of her shell, and eventually she’ll realise that living in Equestria and hell aren’t the same place. And also make sure she takes her medication!”
  2582. “What meds?”
  2583. >”Talk to her about them, I don’t think she takes them. Yeah, they probably make her sleepy and make it kinda hard to think, but we can’t have her having another episode like that. I like Derpy, I don’t want her to get hurt. And I like Sweetie Drops, and we both know she’d never forgive herself.”
  2584. “Alright. Thanks, doc.”
  2585. >”No, thank you. Oh! And one more thing. I know this all sounds terrible to you, but this is good news.”
  2586. “I just found out Bonny has had multiple psychotic episodes and is probably living in a fantasy land more often than not. How could that POSSIBLY be good?”
  2587. >”She admitted she was in pain. That means she’s FINALLY ready to start healing. It will take years, and the fear might never totally go away, but she will get better if you stay with her. I promise.”
  2588. >Somehow, Lyra believed her.
  2589.  
  2590.  
  2591. * * * * *
  2592.  
  2593. >It hadn’t taken long for Bon-Bon to fall asleep.
  2594. >She hadn’t showered, nor had she even eaten.
  2595. >Within minutes of the pair arriving at their home Bon-Bon was tucked into bed and snoring softly.
  2596. >It came as no surprise, she’d been put through an emotional wringer on that day.
  2597. >And though she denied it it was clear that going out was physically taxing as well.
  2598. >So while Lyra had expected this she still couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
  2599. >These moments they had together were precious, and this mess had cut their day short.
  2600. >Neither of them had any plans, but that wasn’t exactly how they’d wanted to spend their day.
  2601. >At least the stressful part was over for the moment.
  2602. >Lyra watched her sleeping for a while, long enough that it might have seemed weird or creepy to a passive observer.
  2603. >Lyra was pleased to see a distinct lack of whimpering or twitching.
  2604. >Bon-Bon looked so relaxed, so peaceful.
  2605. >She wasn’t having a nightmare for once.
  2606. >She hoped that at the very least she could relax in her dreams.
  2607. >Bon-Bon had earned her rest.
  2608. “Don’t worry, Bonny. I’ll protect you.”
  2609. >Normally ponies didn’t walk away moments after they’d said that.
  2610. >Normally that meant they were planning on sticking around until things calmed down.
  2611. >This situation wasn’t normal.
  2612. >Lyra walked out into the cool of the evening and cut straight through urban Ponyville.
  2613. >The security checkpoints and fortifications had once seemed so intimidating.
  2614. >But now that she knew what they were for, they provided a strange sense of comfort.
  2615. >She wasn’t entirely sure what it said about her that she found concrete barricade, machine gun nests, and razor wire comforting.
  2616. >In a sane world this would have been a horrific sight.
  2617. >They’d left sanity behind long ago.
  2618. >She knew full well that the ponies stationed in those towers were ill equipped to handle the task they’d been given.
  2619. >They lacked the firepower and the nerve to handle another attack.
  2620. >But they were a reassurance that the princesses still cared, that they were still trying to protect them.
  2621. >All of the princess save perhaps Luna.
  2622. >Lyra knocked in Derpy’s front door, and to her amazement it swung open without any crashing or banging.
  2623. >A smooth transition from closed to open with a smiling pegasus on the other side.
  2624. >Derpy had nailed it!
  2625. >”Oh, hiya Lyra!”
  2626. “Hey…”
  2627. >She hadn’t planned this out.
  2628. >What was she meant to say?
  2629. >Sorry my roommate tried to murder you?
  2630. >”Come on in! We need to talk.”
  2631. >Yeah.
  2632. >Yeah they did.
  2633. >In the blink of an eye the two of them were seated in Derpy’s den.
  2634. >Something was missing.
  2635. >But Lyra couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
  2636. “Look, D. I’m SO sorry!”
  2637. >”Yeah! You should be!”
  2638. >Lyra hung her head in shame.
  2639. >Not even Derpy could overlook that incident.
  2640. >”We were all so worried about you! You just vanished for weeks without a word!”
  2641. >THAT was what she was upset about?
  2642. “Oh. I was talking about earlier today.”
  2643. >”Hm?”
  2644. >She tilted her head slightly.
  2645. “Y’know, when Bonny… hurt you.”
  2646. >”Oh, don’t worry about that! I’m fine.”
  2647. >Yeah, but she almost wasn’t.
  2648. >Maybe it would be best if Lyra didn’t say that though.
  2649. “I’m still so sorry. Bonny scares easily these days. She didn’t realise it was you, she thought she was being attacked.”
  2650. >”Oh my! I must have scared her something horrible. Tell her I’m sorry?”
  2651. “I mean, I will. But I don’t think she feels you’ve done anything wrong.”
  2652. >Bonny knew she’d overreacted.
  2653. >Lyra had discovered early on that Bon-Bon abhorred visiting her psychologist.
  2654. >She’d gone there of her own free will and spilled secrets about herself that she’d buried decades ago.
  2655. >That wasn’t the sign of a confident pony.
  2656. >That was a pony who was scared of herself.
  2657. >”So why did you disappear?”
  2658. “Right. I went on that sortie to see Twilight and talk her into using the Tide.”
  2659. >”Right. I remember that. Then there were rumors going around that you blew up the palace for some reason?”
  2660. >Almost true.
  2661. >”And then there was no sign of you for weeks! And then to make it worse, Floor’s virus disappeared! We’d thought you’d been captured.”
  2662. >Lyra let out a sad sigh.
  2663. “Wow. I’m kinda stupid sometimes, I really should have sent a letter or something. When I was coming home from seeing Twilight I discovered that Bonny had been hurt.”
  2664. >Derpy responded with an exaggerated gasp.
  2665. >From anypony else it might have seemed sarcastic.
  2666. >With Derpy though it was almost certainly sincere.
  2667. >”When she’d said that I thought it was just a cover story! You mean she wasn’t lying?”
  2668. “No. She got hurt really bad and was stuck in the hospital. I wanted to be with her until she could come home.”
  2669. >”Wow. To think a bugbear could hurt somepony as tough as her.”
  2670. “Uhh, no. It wasn’t a bugbear, that was the lie. It was something a lot nastier.”
  2671. >”Really? What could be worse than a bugbear?”
  2672. >Lyra wasn’t entirely sure if that was a joke or not.
  2673. >Derpy blinked a few times, her smile shifting slowly to a look of shock.
  2674. >”Oh.”
  2675. “Yeah.”
  2676. >”But she’s home now, so it’s over. They’re going to use the Tide to stop the demons, use the macguffin to stop the Tide, and Bon-Bon can retire. All’s well that ends etcetera.”
  2677. “Uhh, yeah. That’s where we might have a problem. Can we call Starlight? We’ve got another mission to plan.”
  2678. >”Oh dear. I’d better phone Floor too.”
  2679. >That’s what was missing!
  2680. >The smell of shame and regret!
  2681. “Wait, Floor’s not here? She went back home?”
  2682. >”They got the mould out eventually. I saw her place, it’s nice. Or it was… a week ago when she moved in… It’s kinda gross now. But I’m not going to let her live like she used to anymore.”
  2683. “Y’know, having too big of a heart is a serious medical condition.”
  2684. >She was a treasure.
  2685. >They were all very lucky to know her.
  2686. >Derpy moved over to the corner of the room and started poking around at the computer.
  2687. >”Floor’s gone to bed.”
  2688. “Seriously? It’s only like, 9.”
  2689. >”Yeah. She usually- oh. My mistake. She probably hasn’t gotten up yet.”
  2690. “Ah.”
  2691. >That made more sense.
  2692. >”She probably won’t be up for a few hours. Should we try later?”
  2693. “I need to get home before Bonny notices I’m gone.. Can you get ahold of Starlight?”
  2694. >”Yup! Hold on... Hey, guess who I found!”
  2695. >“D? That you?”
  2696. >”Lyra’s back!”
  2697. >”Oh! Is she there?”
  2698. >Derpy nodded emphatically.
  2699. “I’m not sure she can hear you nodding, D.”
  2700. >”Oh right! My mistake.”
  2701. >”Lyra! You’d better have a pretty good excuse, Derpy was worried sick!”
  2702. >When had the two of them become friends?
  2703. >Whatever, not important right now.
  2704. “We already talked it over. Somepony near to me got hurt pretty bad.”
  2705. >”Oh! I’m sorry, are they okay?”
  2706. >No.
  2707. >No they weren’t.
  2708. “D? Would you mind explaining that later? I want to get back to her soon.”
  2709. >”Of course!”
  2710. “Great. Then let’s get down to business.”
  2711. >Starlight apparently didn’t want to get down to business.
  2712. >”We lost the virus.”
  2713. “Yeah, I had to cash it in. But I got pretty good intel out of it!”
  2714. >Derpy’s eyes lit up.
  2715. >”Oh good! Did you figure out what they’re doing with the schools?”
  2716. “No.”
  2717. >”Oh. How about what happened to Applejack?”
  2718. “I’d kinda forgotten about that one.”
  2719. >”Well, do you know why Rarity owns everything?”
  2720. “Nope.”
  2721. >”How about what Luna’s trying to get?”
  2722. “No clue.”
  2723. >Starlight snorted at her.
  2724. >”Yeah, real great intel there.”
  2725. “Shush. Twilight has developed a way to store the Tide long enough to deploy it. She’s ready to strike anywhere in the world with an hour’s notice.”
  2726. >”Wow! Seriously? So we win then!”
  2727. “Not quite.”
  2728. >Starlight groaned.
  2729. >”Is princess Celestia blocking her? Well, that’s okay. Luna went behind her back a few times before, right? She’ll do it again.”
  2730. “Celestia’s in favor of using it.”
  2731. >Derpy and Starlight reacted in concert.
  2732. >”Eh?”
  2733. “And Luna’s opposed.”
  2734. >”EH?”
  2735. “And she not so subtly threatened Twilight and told her to stay out of it. We only got to Twilight because she was scared of me, but she won’t fear me more than she does Luna.”
  2736. >Derpy was rubbing her chin idly.
  2737. >”You think princess Twilight is afraid of princess Luna?”
  2738. “Twi’s probably terrified. I vaguely recall her calling Luna Nightmare Moon back at the missile silo, and I think she was practically trembling with fear when she did it. At the time I thought it was because Luna was stealing the bombs, but now I think there’s more to it. Luna reacts adversely to holy water.”
  2739. >”EEH?”
  2740. “Which is apparently what princess Celestia bleeds.”
  2741. >”EEEH?”
  2742. “I have it on good authority Luna uses demonic magic. I don’t think that’s the whole story.”
  2743. >Starlight’s voice was trembling slightly when she replied.
  2744. >”She’s a demon!”
  2745. “I’m not certain, but it does look that way.”
  2746. >”We need to do something!”
  2747. >Yup.
  2748. >That’s why Lyra was here.
  2749. “Smile’s forces are broken. They could barely keep up before, but now they don’t stand a chance. They’ve lost. As far as I can tell the Tide is the only way out. We need to intervene. Problem is none of us are anywhere near good enough to handle it. We don’t know how to transport it, and none of us would be able to get anywhere near out target.”
  2750. >”C’mon, CALM DOWN YOU TWO! CALM DOWN! We need to think!”
  2751. >Starlight was freaking out a bit from the sounds of it.
  2752. “I’ve got it mostly figured out. Twilight’s actually the only one we need to do this. She’s the only one around who can actually handle that stuff in the first place. If we can get Twilight to go behind Luna’s back then it doesn’t matter what Luna wants.”
  2753. >”But HOW? You were controlling Twilight with fear, you said it yourself! How is that going to work when you’re up against a demon?”
  2754. “Easy. We need to be even scarier. I think I know how.”
  2755. >Derpy’s jaw hung low.
  2756. “Twilight Sparkle is a good pony at heart.”
  2757. >”I thought you didn’t like her?”
  2758. “Things change, D. She’s not who I thought she was. Twi’s a nice pony despite her obliviousness, and she cares about the ponies around her. That’s her weakness.”
  2759. >”Being nice isn’t a weakness!”
  2760. >Hell disagreed.
  2761. >They were cruel beyond comprehension, jumping at any and every opportunity to inflict harm.
  2762. >There was nothing sacred to them, no atrocity was too much.
  2763. >And she had to be worse.
  2764. “Threatening Twilight herself might work, but it’s going to be way harder. Threatening her friends will almost certainly work, but I bet Luna’s had the same idea. And she’s going to be better at it than we are.”
  2765. >Starlight was the one to interrupt next.
  2766. >She sounded mighty nervous.
  2767. >”So what do we do?”
  2768. “Luna can threaten ponies by the hundreds. We threaten them by the millions. We’re going to steal a nuclear bomb and hold Canterlot ransom.”
  2769. >A deathly silence hung over them.
  2770. “It is their power that makes S.M.I.L.E. a force to be reckoned with. And it is her power that makes Luna so hard to influence. We can never hope to match their power, instead we steal it.”
  2771. >Absolute silence.
  2772. >And a horrified expression from Derpy.
  2773. “I don’t like it either, but we need leverage if we’re going to get anything done. We’re trying to wield the fruits of the biggest research project in pony history, we’re going to need an awful lot of leverage!”
  2774. >”Are you INSANE?”
  2775. >Maybe?
  2776. >Princess Celestia sure seemed to think so.
  2777. >Even so it kinda hurt hearing that from Derpy.
  2778. “We don’t need to actually blow it up, we just need to threaten to!”
  2779. >”D is right. You'll never pull it off.”
  2780. >”That's not the problem though-”
  2781. >”Security is just too tight.”
  2782. “I've done it before.”
  2783. >”Really. You've stolen a nuclear weapon before.”
  2784. “Well, I got to them.”
  2785. >”You got to the general location of where they were being stored. You didn't actually reach them even though the base was in a state of panic because of Luna, you didn't find out how to arm or detonate them-”
  2786. “We need Cadence's keycard.”
  2787. >”Okay. And then what?”
  2788. “Uhh. I dunno?”
  2789. >”And to top it all off didn't you get caught?”
  2790. “Yeah…”
  2791. >”And come to think of it how would going even move them if you DID somehow pull it off?”
  2792. “Hijack the train?”
  2793. >”Pfft! That's an even WORSE idea! How do you hide the fact that you stole a TRAIN? Honestly.”
  2794. >She had a point.
  2795. >But that didn’t matter!
  2796. >They had to do something!
  2797. >Lyra wouldn't fail again, she WOULD save Bonny!
  2798. >”We don't need the missile, we just need the warhead. And we don't even need that.”
  2799. “Huh?”
  2800. >”Power isn't just what you have, it's what your opponent thinks you have. If we convince them we gave a bomb it's just as good as actually having it. Maybe even better.”
  2801. >Hey, yeah!
  2802. >”Their weapons program takes great pains to document everything so that nothing can go missing. If we can forge a document saying a bomb was made then we've got everything we need.”
  2803. “When they do inventory they'll see one is missing! And since it doesn't exist they won't be able to find it! We can threaten any city we want!”
  2804. >Derpy looked appalled.
  2805. >”Are my ears derped too now? Are you really talking about doing this?”
  2806. >Yup.
  2807. >She was going to protect Bon-Bon, end of story.
  2808. “Star? What about an alibi?”
  2809. >”I'll look into it. Should be easy to prove you didn't steal it since you actually aren't. I need to do a bit of digging before we can do this.”
  2810. “Great! Can you figure it out soon? We need to be ready.”
  2811. >”I’ll try. You keep your schedule clear, we might not have much of a window to work with.”
  2812. >”NO! No, no no!”
  2813. >Derpy stomped a few times.
  2814. >Lyra had never seen her do that before.
  2815. >”You two are going WAY too far!”
  2816. >Nuh-uh.
  2817. >”Lyra, I’m SHOCKED at you!”
  2818. >Lyra really didn’t care at the moment.
  2819. >”I thought you were trying to make Equestria better! We’re supposed to bring ponies together, not blow them apart.”
  2820. “THREATEN to blow them apart.”
  2821. >”And Starlight! What part of your friendship studies posessed you to believe this was a good idea?”
  2822. >Friendship studies?
  2823. >What was she, a schoolfilly?
  2824. >”Aren’t I supposed to help friends in need?”
  2825. >”Lyra is no friend of ours!”
  2826. >The words cut deeper than Lyra would have ever expected.
  2827. >Like an icey blade the the heart.
  2828. >In an instant everything felt distant, cold.
  2829. >She was gripped with a strange sensation of loss.
  2830. >Lyra didn’t like that feeling.
  2831. “D? What’s the matter?”
  2832. >”Out! OUT!”
  2833. “But, but we’ve done lots of shady stuff. What’s so different about this?”
  2834. >”If I need to explain to you what’s wrong, I- get out of my house!”
  2835. “Okay…”
  2836. >Lyra stood up and turned to leave.
  2837. >Derpy tried to glare at her as she went.
  2838. “You do understand I’m not actually planning on blowing anypony up, right? It’s not really a big deal.”
  2839. >”If you do this the princesses WILL react! They’re going to try and get everypony to safety while they look for the bomb!”
  2840. “Okay.”
  2841. >”When families are made to evacuate Canterlot thinking they might never see their home again, will you still be telling me it’s no big deal? When you see little fillies and colts streaming out of the city with tears in their eyes is it still not a big deal? Where are they going to put all those homeless ponies? How are they going to take care of them for the MONTHS or maybe even YEARS it’ll take to figure out there is no bomb? Or is that not a big deal either?”
  2842. >She was angry.
  2843. >REALLY angry!
  2844. >Lyra had never seen her like this before!
  2845. >”And it’ll all be because of YOU! Because you couldn’t be bothered to think of another solution, all because you’re SELFISH and don’t bother thinking about how others feel!”
  2846. >Yeah.
  2847. >Lyra hadn’t thought about any of that.
  2848. >She’d been to busy with her own problems to even notice
  2849. >Maybe she was selfish.
  2850. >Maybe she needed to be.
  2851. >”Mama? Is something wrong?”
  2852. >Dinky had arrived.
  2853. >She looked up at them, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
  2854. >”Go back to bed, dear. I’ll be there to tuck you in in a bit. First Lyra and I have something important to talk about.”
  2855. >Dinky nodded sleepily and turned to go back.
  2856. “You want me to think of how others are feeling, do you?”
  2857. >”Yes!”
  2858. “Hm. Imagine for a moment you know a pony who’s very dear to you. They’ve devoted their life to protecting others, facing horrors that you and I couldn’t imagine. They’ve done it for years, maybe even decades without any thanks. To them, peril is the norm. But they happily take it upon themselves knowing it’s helping the ponies of Equestria live safe and happy lives.”
  2859. >Derpy’s attempted gaze didn’t soften.
  2860. “But then one day something terrible happens. That special pony gets called for a task that she can’t do. It’s too dangerous, but she has no choice. And so she throws herself into the fray every day without fail, hoping desperately that she might find a way to protect everypony. But no matter how hard she tries she just can’t do it. It’s too big! But she never gives up, no matter how hopeless.”
  2861. >”I know what Bon-Bon does, Lyra.”
  2862. “Now imagine that every time you see this pony they’ve been horribly injured. Dozens of scars tearing their sweet face apart, torn ears ripped from their head by unthinkable monstrosities, their eye plucked from its socket. You see them less and less often, and every time they show up they’re harder and harder to recognize. Until finally, one day you find they’d been impaled by pure evil. Filled with some toxin, their entire body screaming in agony as they struggle to breath. Each tormented gasp might be their last.”
  2863. >”Was… was it that bad?”
  2864. “Then when they’re finally discharged you discover that they can’t walk more than a couple blocks. They’re too weak, their body ruined by their ordeals. You get to watch them struggle all day every day, and then when night comes you get to watch over them as they thrash about. Nothing you say or do can ease their nightmares because it’s not just their body that’s been broken. This poor, precious pony has given everything she had to try and protect us, and then? You find out she’s going back.”
  2865. >”WHAT? But didn’t you say she was having trouble walking?”
  2866. “Now imagine you’ve found a way to protect her. There’s just one option available to you, ONE way to keep her from being thrown back into the grinder. This pony who’s lived to protect others, who’s going to die if you don’t do anything. You’ve got ONE shot to help her.”
  2867. >Lyra stared Derpy right in the eye.
  2868. >Both their eyes were watering up from this speech, both of them grieved by Bon-Bon’s pain.
  2869. “Now imagine she’s Dinky.”
  2870. >Lyra turned to leave.
  2871. >There was nothing more to be said, nothing to be discussed.
  2872. >She was going to do everything she could do to protect Bon-Bon.
  2873. >End of discussion.
  2874.  
  2875.  
  2876. * * * * *
  2877.  
  2878. >The sun had barely crested the horizon when Lyra felt movement.
  2879. >The pony who was resting in bed beside her was moving about.
  2880. >Lyra had grown accustomed to this, Bon-Bon was no longer the heavy sleeper she once was.
  2881. >She was often roused by nightmares, visions and memories of things Lyra didn’t want to imagine.
  2882. >But this time it was different.
  2883. >Bon-Bon wasn’t moving in a frightened or excited manner, it was almost normal.
  2884. >Bonny had simply woken up and was now trying to sneak out of bed.
  2885. “Good morning.”
  2886. >”Oh! Sorry, did I wake you up?”
  2887. >Yeah.
  2888. “No, I was awake. Just didn’t want to get up.”
  2889. >Bon-Bon sat on the edge of the bed staring intently at the floor.
  2890. >”Look, Lyra. I’m sorry.”
  2891. “Hm?”
  2892. >”For yesterday. It was a nice and peaceful day and I ruined it by freaking out.”
  2893. “I don’t blame you.”
  2894. >Lyra may not be angry.
  2895. >But she could tell that Bon-Bon was upset with herself.
  2896. >”And sorry for dragging you to the quack. I just… I didn’t want to go alone.”
  2897. >Lyra sat up.
  2898. >She applied her front hooves to Bon-Bon’s back and began to press in a clumsy attempt to work some of the stress out.
  2899. “You’re mighty tense.”
  2900. >”Yeah… Kinda hurts.”
  2901. “Want me to stop?”
  2902. >”Please don’t.”
  2903. >The massage was surprisingly tiring, Bon-Bon’s tight muscles were providing far more resistance than Lyra had expected.
  2904. >She REALLY needed to relax.
  2905. “I went and checked on D last night after you fell asleep.”
  2906. >”She okay?”
  2907. “Fit as a fiddle.”
  2908. >Which wasn’t that fit to her ears.
  2909. >Fiddles were just poorly tuned violins after all.
  2910. >”She probably hates me.”
  2911. “I don’t think she’s capable of hate.”
  2912. >Although she did seem pretty upset with Lyra…
  2913. >Was she really doing the wrong thing?
  2914. >Was this really one step too far, an unforgivable crime against ponykind?
  2915. >Had she become a monster?
  2916. …
  2917. >Would she stop if the answer was yes?
  2918. “You okay?”
  2919. >”Yeah. Better than yesterday, that’s for sure.”
  2920. “You’re still so tense though. Wanna go to the spa?”
  2921. >”NO!”
  2922. “Oh. Sorry.”
  2923. >”It’s okay, I just… I don’t want them touching me.”
  2924. >But she didn’t seem to have any problem cuddling up to Lyra while sleeping.
  2925. >Too tense to be touched by anypony, willing to be completely defenceless with her.
  2926. >Bon-Bon trusted her that much.
  2927. >Lyra smiled.
  2928. “How about a movie?”
  2929. >”Could be nice. Any comedies on?”
  2930. “Comedy? You Me and Derpy is in theaters- oh. You probably don’t want to see that.”
  2931. >She probably didn’t want to think about that episode at all right now.
  2932. >”Darn straight! I’m BOYCOTTING that studio! How DARE they cast D as FLEETFOOT of all ponies!”
  2933. >Not the objection she’d been expecting.
  2934. >”There’s a perfect actor for the role of Derpy right here in Ponyville and they turned her down!”
  2935. “Yeah, I thought that was weird too. The director said that D didn’t understand the role.”
  2936. >Lyra scoffed.
  2937. “He wouldn't know a good Derpy if she crashed into his face.”
  2938. >Which she had.
  2939. “So no to a movie. How about the sunflower festival?”
  2940. >”Now we’re talkin’!”
  2941. >She hopped out of bed and stretched.
  2942. >Lyra could hear her joints popping.
  2943. “You feeling up to it? There’ll be a lot of walking.”
  2944. >”Yup! You worry too much.”
  2945. “Do I?”
  2946. >”Doc said I’d be able to live a normal life. My body just needs a bit of time to adapt.”
  2947. >Hm?
  2948. >Adapt, not recover.
  2949. >No point in pressing the issue, Bon-Bon would talk when she was ready.
  2950. >Pushing the issue would only stress her more.
  2951. “Alright, but if you need a breather just let me know.”
  2952. >Lyra climbed out of bed and into the cool morning air.
  2953. “What would you like for breakfast?”
  2954. >”Something light. I want to leave room for the fair!”
  2955. >Lyra rolled her eyes and smiled while she trotted to the kitchen.
  2956. >She fetched a few slices of bread from the cupboard and slipped them into the toaster.
  2957. “I don’t get it.”
  2958. >”Get what?”
  2959. >Bon-Bon walked in and dropped herself at the table.
  2960. “Well, they say that stuff is the best thing since sliced bread, right?”
  2961. >”Yeah.”
  2962. “What’s so great about sliced bread? Like, it’s convenient I suppose.”
  2963. >”You ever try to cut bread into evenly sized slices?”
  2964. “Sure.”
  2965. >”While holding the knife in your mouth?”
  2966. “Oh.”
  2967. *POP*
  2968. “Yeah, that might be tough. Extra jelly, right?”
  2969. >”If you please.”
  2970. >Lyra spread a healthy portion of strawberry jelly across the bread
  2971. >She pulled the peanut butter out of the cupboard.
  2972. >”Why don’t you use your magic to spread it?”
  2973. “Uhh, I am.”
  2974. >”Right, but you’re using a knife to do it. Can’t you just pull a lump of peanut butter out of the jar and spread it across?”
  2975. “Yeah, I could. But it’d be REALLY hard.”
  2976. >”Oh?”
  2977. “Letting go of the peanut butter after it’s adhered to the toast is tricky. Cling onto it too hard and you just pull it away as you spread. Too weakly and SPLAT!”
  2978. >A sandwich floated through the air toward Bon-Bon who eagerly grabbed it with her teeth.
  2979. >Lyra set to making her own.
  2980. >”Mm! Sho, where ish it?”
  2981. >Talking with her mouth full.
  2982. >She was really excited.
  2983. “Golden Glade.”
  2984. >”Carrot Top’s farm? I didn’t know she was into sunflowers.”
  2985. “Sure! Everypony likes sunflowers.”
  2986. >”Not Sassaflash.”
  2987. “She’s allergic, she doesn’t count.”
  2988. >Lyra’s sandwich vanished in short order.
  2989. >Before long the two of them were out on the town.
  2990. >True to her word, Bon-Bon was moving much more swiftly today.
  2991. >Perhaps a bit sluggish, but Lyra doubted she’d have noticed were she not looking for it.
  2992. >She still wasn’t convinced Bonny was okay, but this was reassuring.
  2993. >After so much bad news for so long ANY signs of improvement were welcome.
  2994. “Looks like we’ve got a nice sunny day for the festival. Remember a few years ago when they accidentally scheduled that downpour on the same day?”
  2995. >”Haha, yeah. There were a LOT of embarrassed pegasi that day. Did they ever figure out who’d done it?”
  2996. “I don’t think so. But it’s not like it’s the first time the weather team has slipped up like that.”
  2997. >”Not by a long shot.”
  2998. >She sounded short on breath.
  2999. >So walking was fine, but walking and talking was pushing it?
  3000. >Normally Lyra would have occupied the time with idle chatter, but she didn’t want to tax Bon-Bon too much.
  3001. >They walked in relative silence.
  3002. >The noise and crowds were steadily growing as the minutes passed by, the city was beginning to wake up.
  3003. >Lyra was getting a little tense.
  3004. >Doubtlessly Bon-Bon was as well.
  3005. >They both breathed a collective sigh of relief as soon as the last tower was behind them.
  3006. “Why are they pushing everypony into big cities anyway?”
  3007. >”What, you think it’s some kind of conspiracy?”
  3008. “Am I wrong?”
  3009. >”Probably not.”
  3010. “So… why?”
  3011. >”Why would they want the population in a centralised location where they were easy to keep track of and easily defended?”
  3012. >That didn’t make any sense, there was no way they were planning on demons getting topside that long ago.
  3013. >”Oh wow!”
  3014. “What? Oh wow!”
  3015. >The sunflowers had finally come into view.
  3016. >It was a strange assortment, far different from previous years.
  3017. >Normally there’s be sunflowers as far as the eye could see, their brilliant yellow petals fluttering in the breeze as their heads drooped, heavy with seeds.
  3018. >This year was different.
  3019. >There were far fewer of them, but they were all perfect.
  3020. >They were tall, full, and most of them had many heads.
  3021. >Their broad and sturdy stocks were bowing beneath the weight of the bountiful harvest.
  3022. >Bon-Bon trotted up to one and sniffed it.
  3023. >”Greenhouse.”
  3024. “You can tell by the smell?”
  3025. >”Pfft, of course not. That would be silly. These would have never survived that cold snap, there’s absolutely no signs of insect or bird damage, and if you look at the ground you’ll see they’re fairly recent transplants. See? Nice rings of potting soil.”
  3026. >Lyra didn’t see at all.
  3027. >But she was willing to take her word of it.
  3028. >But was it really greenhouses?
  3029. >Or was it just the one beneath Everfree?
  3030. >”C’mon, let’s get going before the crowds get here!”
  3031. >The smell of fresh cut hay filled the air around them, a crisp and clean scent that was so welcome next to the smells of the crowded city.
  3032. >”Look! They’ve got mosaics made of sunflower seeds! Ooh! And the fence is made entirely out of sunflower stalks! And look! It’s Fitzgerald the Sunflower!”
  3033. >She walked up to a pony wearing a full body costume.
  3034. >He looked like a big sunflower head with cartoony smile.
  3035. >”Fitz! I’m a HUGE fan!”
  3036. >”Glad to meet a true believer!”
  3037. >He spoke with a goofy and creaky voice.
  3038. “Why Fitzgerald? Wouldn’t Susy Sunflower be better? And why do they need a mascot?”
  3039. >He turned to face her, and dejected answer coming her way.
  3040. >”Look, I didn’t like the idea either, but the board voted against me and I drew the short straw. Can we just pretend it’s not stupid?”
  3041. “Oh. Okay.”
  3042. >”Lyra! Take a picture of me with Fitz!”
  3043. “Uhh, sure.”
  3044. >Bon-Bon was excited.
  3045. >Genuinely happy.
  3046. >Lyra wouldn’t pretend to understand, but she was glad.
  3047. *Snap*
  3048. “Yep.”
  3049. >”You two have a sun-uper day!”
  3050. >Sun-uper?
  3051. “Looks like there’s going to be a band over there. Are there any sunflower themed songs?”
  3052. >“Not really. They mostly adapt songs about sunshine and the like. I’m walkin’ by sunflowers, you are my sunflower, pocket full of sunflower seeds, Monsoon…”
  3053. “Monsoon?”
  3054. >”From the album Darkside of the Sun.”
  3055. “Ahh. Say, wanna go look at the sunflowers?”
  3056. >”Yeah! I hear they’ve got a new cultivar of dwarf that’s meant to be a house plant!”
  3057. “Actually, that sounds nice. Maybe we should get one?”
  3058. >”There you are!”
  3059. >Lyra knew that voice.
  3060. >Babbling Brook.
  3061. “Hey there!”
  3062. >He trotted toward the pair with a stern look plastered on his face.
  3063. >When he got up close he stared Bon-Bon straight in the eye.
  3064. >He raised a hoof.
  3065. >And slapped her as hard as he could.
  3066. >And then he yelped in pain.
  3067. >”FUUUUUUUUU-”
  3068. “Bonny! Are you okay?”
  3069. >”YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT HER? THIS HURTS!”
  3070. >Bon-Bon shrugged.
  3071. >”Feelin’ fine.”
  3072. >”Well that makes one of us!”
  3073. “Maybe you shouldn’t have hit her.”
  3074. >”Gah! It’s like steel and concrete had a bastard foal that was then diddled by uncle diamond!”
  3075. >Ponies were starting to turn their heads, curious as to what was causing the ruckus.
  3076. >”Ah. Alright, I think I’m okay. We need to talk RIGHT now.”
  3077. >He turned around and began to limp into the sunflower maze.
  3078. >Bon-Bon started to breath heavily.
  3079. >Her eyes grew wide.
  3080. >She didn’t want to go in the maze.
  3081. “Y’know, we don’t have to follow him.”
  3082. >”Let’s not. Let’s go and get some toasted sunflower seeds.”
  3083. “Yeah! I was wondering how that works, like, do they just shove them in an oven for a while or is it more of a pan fry deal?”
  3084. >The two of them walked toward the stand.
  3085. >Lyra pouted a bit to see there was a line, but at least it was moving quickly.
  3086. >The smell of salty butter wafted out toward them as they approached the stand, a powder blue cart jacked up onto a few planks to remain steady.
  3087. >The glass panes on either side of the front counter showed dozens of bags of fluffy cotton candy and a heap of browned seeds sitting beneath a warming lamp.
  3088. >Bon-Bon gasped.
  3089. “What?”
  3090. >”Oh my goodness! It’s been way too long!”
  3091. “What? What is it?”
  3092. >They reached the front of the line.
  3093. >A light blue Earth pony with a curly pink mane beamed a smile at them from over the counter.
  3094. >”Fairy Floss!”
  3095. >”Oh wow, Bon-Bon! How’ve you been?”
  3096. >Ah, yes.
  3097. >That explained it.
  3098. >”A lot better now that I’m getting some GOOD cotton candy. You know they sell it in tubs at the theater now?”
  3099. >”Prepackaged and crammed in a tub? Ugh.”
  3100. >”They keep it for DAYS!”
  3101. “Yeah, uh… two medium seeds. And she’ll take a bunch of cotton candy.”
  3102. >”A WHOLE bunch!”
  3103. >Fairy Floss grabbed a paper stick and shoved it down below the counter.
  3104. >She moved it around in a circle while spinning it, Lyra could only guess at what that was about.
  3105. “Do you two wanna catch up?”
  3106. >Bon-Bon scratched her chin for a bit.
  3107. >”We will later. She’s busy right now.”
  3108. >The treats were passed over the counter.
  3109. >Lyra levitated them with her magic while Bon-Bon settled the bill.
  3110. >”Hey, Fairy. How long are you in town for?”
  3111. >”I leave tomorrow night, gotta hit up Folk Fest up north.”
  3112. >”Right, right.”
  3113. >”We can chat tomorrow evening though while I’m closing up shop.”
  3114. >”I’d like that.”
  3115. >”Ahem.”
  3116. >They all turned to look at the long line of ponies behind them
  3117. >There were dozens of them, impatiently awaiting their chance at fair food.
  3118. >Bon-Bon offered a sheepish grin and stepped out of the way.
  3119. “Why were they in such a hurry anyway?”
  3120. >Bon-Bon grabbed one of the sticks of cotton candy out of the air.
  3121. >”Because Fairy Floss is like, one of THREE ponies in all of Equestria that can make good cotton candy!”
  3122. >She took a big bite out of it and shivered with pleasure.
  3123. >Lyra picked off a little bit of it and slipped it in her mouth.
  3124. >”Just leave it on your tongue and let it melt.”
  3125. “Uhh, yeah. Sure does taste like sugar. I don’t get it, it tastes just like any other cotton candy.”
  3126. >”That’s just because you don’t have any taste buds.”
  3127. >They sat down on a log and began snacking away.
  3128. “Y’know, these seeds are pretty good.”
  3129. >”Are they light and fluffy like popcorn?”
  3130. “Well, the thing here is-”
  3131. >”THERE YOU ARE!”
  3132. >Brook had found them.
  3133. >He marched toward the two with a scowl on his face.
  3134. “Are you ever happy?”
  3135. >”Shush! THIS ONE-”
  3136. >He jabbed a hoof into Bon-Bon’s barrel.
  3137. >”Has a lot of explaining to do.”
  3138. >”Can it wait?”
  3139. >”How long?”
  3140. >”Just a minute or two while we finish our snacks.”
  3141. >Brook’s glare softened.
  3142. >”If you give me some of those seeds, yes. I wanna try them but I don’t think I can eat a whole order.”
  3143. “You can’t eat a small?”
  3144. >”No.”
  3145. “Is it ‘cause you’re old?”
  3146. >”Yeah.”
  3147. >Lyra offered the bag, and brook levitated a small pile out.
  3148. >He popped a couple in his mouth and his eyes lit up.
  3149. >”Oh wow, these are good. Whoever made them is actually halfway competent at something.”
  3150. >Somehow that still sounded like an insult.
  3151. “Alright. Looks like Bonny’s finished. What did you want to talk about.”
  3152. >”Not here.”
  3153. >He walked away toward a nearby shed.
  3154. “Do we follow him?”
  3155. >”He’ll keep hounding us if we don’t.”
  3156. “Yeah… Somehow I get the feeling he’s going to ruin the day.”
  3157. >They hesitantly followed him into the shed.
  3158. >It was a brightly lit toolshed, illuminated by a single fluorescent bulb that was way too close to eye level.
  3159. >The room was cramped, everything filled with neatly organized farming equipment of varying types.
  3160. >Shovels, rakes, hoes, plows, and much more.
  3161. >It was all quite dusty, these tools having been largely forgotten by the serious farmers who’d adopted modern machinery.
  3162. >Brook scowled at Bon-Bon.
  3163. >”What?”
  3164. >”Don't play dumb! I dug up your medical records, you are NOT fine!”
  3165. >Wait, what?
  3166. “You found her original medical records? How?”
  3167. >”I snuck in!”
  3168. >Bon-Bon dropped her rump on the floor and rubber her face with a groan.
  3169. >”Can we please not?”
  3170. >”Oh, we’re doing this. You can’t pretend it’ll go away.”
  3171. >”I'll bounce back. I always do.”
  3172. >”No you won't you moron!”
  3173. “Hay! Don’t call her that!”
  3174. >”Lyra, she’s been lying to you in a big way!”
  3175. “I know.”
  3176. >They both turned to look at her.
  3177. “Bonny’s obviously hurt. I just don’t see the point in grilling her on it, if she doesn’t want to talk then she doesn’t want to talk.”
  3178. >Brook’s expression softened.
  3179. >He looked Lyra straight in the eye with an expression that could only be described as pity.
  3180. >”Sorry, Lyra. I didn’t know you were RETARDED! We NEED to press the issue, she has to face reality or she’ll get killed! This is literally a matter of life or death!”
  3181. >”Calm down, I’m going to be fine.”
  3182. “I dunno… maybe we should listen to him.”
  3183. >He wasn’t wrong.
  3184. >Bon-Bon smiled at her.
  3185. >”I’m going to be fine!”
  3186. >Lyra knew her well enough.
  3187. >That smile was about as genuine as Fluttershy’s love of slasher flicks.
  3188. >”Brook here is overreacting.”
  3189. >”BABBLING BROOK IS DEAD!”
  3190. >A heavy silence hung over them.
  3191. “This IS a metaphor, right? Like, you’re not a clone or something?”
  3192. >”Yes, Lyra. When I say that I’m dead it’s a metaphor.”
  3193. >Disdain was dripping from every word.
  3194. >”When I got wounded on that fight I became a shadow of what I once was. The Babbling Brook that was a legend is gone, and so is Sweetie Drops. It’s just Bon-Bon now.”
  3195. >Bon-Bon stepped forward.
  3196. >”I’m planning on retiring when this is all done. I’ve had enough. Just gotta finish up first.”
  3197. >Brook completely ignored her.
  3198. >”Lyra? You know what hurt her right?”
  3199. “Yeah, I can guess.”
  3200. >”And you know what they’re obsessed with, right?”
  3201. “Yeah, but all the poison should be out of her system by now.”
  3202. >”No. Not poison.”
  3203. “Disease? She got the plague.”
  3204. >He shook his head.
  3205. >Rot was the answer.
  3206. >”Lungs don’t normally get gangrene.”
  3207. “WHAT?”
  3208. >Bon-Bon was hanging her head low and covering her face.
  3209. >”She’s only got one lung. Her strength is still pretty good.”
  3210. “But her stamina’s gone.”
  3211. >Bonny had said that she could still live a normal life.
  3212. >Being agent Zero wasn’t normal.
  3213. “Why not get one of those artificial lungs like Dinky has?”
  3214. >Bon-Bon answered, but she did so quietly.
  3215. >”Transplants aren’t really part of my body, even if they come from another Earth pony. I can’t use my Earth magic to harden them.”
  3216. >The first time she got hit they’d rupture.
  3217. >They were more of a liability than an asset.
  3218. >Brook raised a single hoof and patted Bon-Bon on the back.
  3219. >He looked down on her with a face of genuine sympathy.
  3220. >He really was trying to be nice here.
  3221. >”Pack it in. You’ve done your part.”
  3222. “Yeah! It’s okay, you’ve done more than anypony should have ever asked for.”
  3223. >Bon-Bon let out a loud sniff.
  3224. >A few tears fell from her eye.
  3225. “You don’t have to blame yourself. You made it to the top, and nopony can take that away from you.”
  3226. >”That’s not the problem. I HAVE to go back.”
  3227. >”Sweetie Drops, no, Bon-Bon. You’re young. You can have a normal and happy life. Or you can run into Hell and get yourself killed. I know which one I’d choose.”
  3228. >Bon-Bon was trembling.
  3229. >”I don’t have a choice. I NEED to finish this.”
  3230. >Brook grabbed a rake with his magic and smacked it on top of her head.
  3231. >The handle snapped.
  3232. >”Don’t you get it? Here, I’ll spell it out for you. YOUR! BODY! IS! BROKEN! You’re not going to survive another hit like that!”
  3233. >”DO YOU REALLY THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?”
  3234. >A heavy silence once more.
  3235. >”The gates of Hell have been blown open and they’re coming to Equestria! We have no choice but to take them down!”
  3236. >She sagged ever more.
  3237. >”And I’m the only one who’s ever managed to hurt him.”
  3238. >Brook chewed on his lip for a moment, his expression reminiscent of a colt who’d been tasked with proving the Riemann hypothesis.
  3239. >”That changes things. You really don’t have a choice, do you?”
  3240. >”Yeah. I can either face him, or wait for him to slaughter everyone.”
  3241. >Oof.
  3242. >”Everypony is counting on me. And here I am at a SUNFLOWER festival, trying to pretend it’s okay.”
  3243. >She grabbed Lyra tightly, shivering and sobbing erratically.
  3244. >”I don’t wanna die!”
  3245. >Brook stomped on the floor.
  3246. >”ON YOUR HOOVES, AGENT!”
  3247. >Bon-Bon jumped up and stood tall in one swift motion.
  3248. >”You ain’t dyin’ today! You ain’t dyin’ ‘till you’re over a hundred, UNDERSTAND?”
  3249. >Bon-Bon looked stunned.
  3250. “How did you do that?”
  3251. >”Gimme all the intel you got on this thing! Size, hazards, vulnerabilities, everything!”
  3252. >Bon-Bon shook her head vigorously in an attempt to focus.
  3253. >”Look, I appreciate it, but I don’t think-”
  3254. >”EXACTLY! You don’t think! You’ve gotten by on talent and brawn for TOO LONG, it’s made you lazy!”
  3255. >What the hay was going on?
  3256. >”What are you talking about? I’ve studied a ton!”
  3257. >”In WHAT?”
  3258. >”I can pop locks like it’s nothing, I’m a licenced mechanic, I’m great at infiltration, I can even perform minor surgeries!”
  3259. >Wait, really?
  3260. >Bonny was a surgeon?
  3261. >How did that work with Earth ponies, like, wouldn’t it be really unsanitary using her mouth to do stuff?
  3262. >”When was the last time you studied violence?”
  3263. >”Uhhh...
  3264. >”That’s what I thought. You’re like that genius filly who breezes her way through public school then immediately flunks out of university because they NEVER learned how to WORK! It’s time to adapt! You’re losing? THEN REWRITE THE RULES!”
  3265. >Brook HAD advocated for cheating before.
  3266. >And from her limited experience with those fiends?
  3267. >Lyra had to agree.
  3268. >”So tell me what we’re up against!”
  3269. “Should I leave for this? Like, isn’t this super top secret?”
  3270. >”No. If you leave she’s going to start crying again.”
  3271. >”He’s not wrong.”
  3272. *sigh*
  3273. >”Okay. Pretty light for his threat level, around 200 kilos. He’s shorter than me by a fair bit but he’s pretty broad, kinda like a 4 legged scorpion without a tail.”
  3274. >”Right.”
  3275. >”His most destructive attack is his sting. Really nasty sting on the back of each leg like a spur. His bite’s really nasty, but I’ve blocked it a few times. He can spit this corrosive stuff pretty far, and his body’s full of worms and stuff that will try to burrow into you.”
  3276. >”Good melle potential, only one projectile attack. Can he fly?”
  3277. >”No.”
  3278. >”Get a pegasus to do it. They’ll be untouchable.”
  3279. >Bon-Bon shook her head.
  3280. >”He’s nearly invulnerable. They don’t hit hard enough, he just has to spew his poison everywhere until the fumes are too much. Takes a little bit but it happens. Unicorns can’t take him down before he closes the distance, and we can’t poison him.”
  3281. >Brook leaned against the wall of the shed and clicked his tongue a few times.
  3282. >”How much time would a unicorn have to drop him?”
  3283. >”He can run almost 100 meters a second.”
  3284. >”Shit, REALLY? Okay, that’s something. We’ll throw that idea out then.”
  3285. “What idea?”
  3286. >”Have her distract him and focus entirely on defending while somepony hammers away from a distance. If he’s that fast he can switch targets without having to think. You’ll also want to avoid having too many combatants working on him if he’s that tough, there’s going to be collateral damage. What was this about fumes?”
  3287. >”He just poisons everything, and the vapors get to you before too long. You start to get dizzy and sluggish. We’ve tried gas masks, but-”
  3288. >”Have you tried oxygen masks?”
  3289. >Bon-Bon looked like she’d been hit between the eyes with a rake again.
  3290. >”Bring a local air supply and don’t breath his stuff at all. Get it nice and oxygen rich to offset your lung thing.”
  3291. “Aren’t those things heavy? It’d slow her down, and won’t it break if he hits it?”
  3292. >”Yes and yes. Get a small one and have a fast pegasus resupply you when needed. Don’t underestimate pogue work.”
  3293. >”That’s… actually a really good idea.”
  3294. >”What else are we dealing with?”
  3295. >”Amazing stamina. He can go for hours, I can’t.”
  3296. >”Hit and run.”
  3297. >”No good, whenever we disengage he’s fully recovered the next time we see him.”
  3298. “I wouldn’t think he of all pon- demons would be good at healing. There’s a trick of some sort.”
  3299. >”She’s right. You’ve never seen him healing?”
  3300. >”No.”
  3301. >”Healing factor’s a trick. He’s going to have some ritual or magic pool or something like that. If you never disengage he won’t have a chance to recover. Can anypony keep him busy while you catch your breath?”
  3302. >”Yeah, Luna could!”
  3303. >”Tag team him. If you’re clever about it you’ll get surprise attacks in when you come back.”
  3304. >”Hey, yeah! If I engage at high speeds I can break a bone or two, wear him down! Oh, but then I’d be… unless there was a pegasus around to resupply me!”
  3305. >”Right! Kinetic energy formula!”
  3306. “Energy is equal to half mass times velocity squared.”
  3307. >They both looked at her.
  3308. “What? I went to school too you know.”
  3309. >”She’s right. Mass isn’t the whole story. Normally Earth ponies can hit hard enough that you don’t need to be that fast, but if you’re after more power don’t just kick him. Spinning kicks, flying kicks, get creative with it!”
  3310. >”I’ve figured that much out for myself. Never got anything done before, but now I break something from time to time.”
  3311. >”From time to time?”
  3312. >”Usually he’s just knocked aside.”
  3313. >”Because he’s light!”
  3314. >200 kilos was light?
  3315. >”It’s like you’re kicking a plastic bag in midair and wondering why it doesn’t break!”
  3316. >”I need to hit even faster.”
  3317. >”Do you like that box?”
  3318. >”What box?”
  3319. >”The one you’re thinking in!”
  3320. >He levitated a bucket between his front legs.
  3321. >Then he raised his right leg to the side…
  3322. >And swung it down on the bucket, pressing it against his other leg.
  3323. >Bon-Bon’s jaw dropped.
  3324. >”CRUSH him.”
  3325. >”That’s… that’s brilliant! If I can grapple him I can hit him into my own body!”
  3326. >”RIGHT! Let’s get going.”
  3327. “Wait, where are you going?”
  3328. >”To an armory. She’s going to show me what tools she has at her disposal.”
  3329. >Bon-Bon nodded with a look of steely determination.
  3330. >”Sorry, Lyra. You can’t come to this. I don’t think I’d be able to convince security you had clearance.”
  3331. “I understand. But Bonny?”
  3332. >”Yeah?”
  3333. “Promise me you’ll be okay?”
  3334. >Bon-Bon grabbed her in a tight embrace.
  3335. >She held it for nearly a minute before answering.
  3336. >”I’m going to come back to you, Lyra. It’s all going to be okay. I promise.”
  3337. >Brook and Bon-Bon walked out of the shed toward town.
  3338. >This was… promising.
  3339. >But did Lyra really believe it would be so simple?
  3340. >Did she really think that such tricks could tilt the scales in their favor?
  3341. >Was she giving up on getting the Tide in play?
  3342. “Not a chance in Hell.”
  3343. >”Hay, what are you doing in my shed?”
  3344.  
  3345.  
  3346. * * * * *
  3347.  
  3348. >Lyra was walking through the plains to the north of Canterlot.
  3349. >There was something soothing about the untamed flatlands, the relative silence and lack of crowds were such a sharp contrast from the city life she found so distasteful.
  3350. >Out here she could hope to find peace, if only for a moment.
  3351. >A brief reprieve from the stress of her confused existence.
  3352. >The sun bore down on her, its oppressive heat made worse by the disguise she bore.
  3353. >She hadn't brought enough water for the trek, not by a long shot.
  3354. >Her legs were sore, no longer accustomed to walking in uneven terrain or soft soil after spending so much time on pavement.
  3355. >Yet despite the weariness, thirst, and the heat she found herself enjoying this moment of solitude.
  3356. >A reprieve from the crowds, the noise, the stress.
  3357. >She could briefly forget how bad things were and just focus on the empty space before her.
  3358. >It would have been nigh on perfect were she not missing one critical thing.
  3359. >Bon-Bon.
  3360. >She’d have to finish up quickly so she could get home to her.
  3361. >Lyra shook her head to snap herself out of her reverie.
  3362. >There was work to do!
  3363. >A rail had been erected through the wilderness, following along the river.
  3364. >Starlight had said it extended through to the mountains to the northeast.
  3365. >A map of the rail network confirmed what she’d said, it appeared to lead to a mining camp in the mountains.
  3366. >But Starlight had also dug up some redacted shipment manifests which vanished into the ether.
  3367. >Trains going out full of bizarre materials, and officially coming back empty.
  3368. >There had to be a stop on the rail that wasn’t part of the map.
  3369. >Starlight was insistent that this was where they made the bombs.
  3370. >And Lyra had finally found it.
  3371. >Or so she thought, it was possible she was wrong.
  3372. >Old trains had to make frequent stops for water to generate steam, the new diesel-electric models didn’t.
  3373. >One could still find old abandoned watering stations littered along the tracks.
  3374. >She’d just stumbled upon one such station.
  3375. >Water towers stationed by the tracks to dump into the engines’ tanks, heavy pipes leading into the nearby river with a manual pump station.
  3376. >But why would they place that by new track?
  3377. >She pulled out her binoculars and looked around.
  3378. >No signs of life.
  3379. >Maybe it was abandoned?
  3380. >Maybe that’s just what they wanted her to think.
  3381. >She marched forward swiftly, not bothering to attempt to conceal her movements.
  3382. >Red was eager to get the job done, and there was nowhere to hide anyway.
  3383. >As she approached she went over the parameters one last time.
  3384. >She had to find the facility, sneak in, find their manufacturing AND shipping records, and make a false entry.
  3385. >All without being spotted.
  3386. >She couldn’t just beat her way in and out this time, if she was spotted it could raise suspicion.
  3387. >They had to believe a bomb had been shipped out without ever arriving.
  3388. >Lyra was nervous, there was no way this place wasn’t going to be secure.
  3389. >She was just a musician! This was crazy!
  3390. >Red sped on.
  3391. >A small wooden shelter had been erected near the water towers, a place for the pump operators to rest and hide away from storms.
  3392. >Or perhaps a secret entrance?
  3393. >She pulled on the door, locked of course.
  3394. >It would be trivial to bash it down.
  3395. >But then they’d know she was here.
  3396. >And so Lyra waited.
  3397. >And waited.
  3398. >And waited some more.
  3399. >How confident was she that this was the right place?
  3400. >Was she wasting her time?
  3401. >Was this a fool’s errand?
  3402. >Starlight had insisted that this was the place, but she’d been so vague on the details.
  3403. >What did it look like?
  3404. >How far out of town was it?
  3405. >Was it even attached to the rails, or was it a ways out?
  3406. >She sat down behind the shack and displaced her cloak.
  3407. >A gentle breeze mercifully blew to cool her body.
  3408. >She could be at home, spending time with Bon-Bon.
  3409. >Was she lonely?
  3410. >Was she scared?
  3411. >Was she hurt that Lyra would rather spend time with Moondancer?
  3412. >Maybe she even saw through the lie.
  3413. >How much did she trust Starlight’s intel?
  3414. >Was she good enough to pull this off?
  3415. >A train was approaching in the distance.
  3416. >Lyra nearly jumped when it happened, the water towers started to fold in on themselves.
  3417. >Servo motors whirred and hinges creaked, the panels that made up the water tower dropped to the ground in an orderly manner.
  3418. >When they’d fallen she could see a crane sticking out of a hole in the ground.
  3419. >This was DEFINITELY it.
  3420. >Lyra pulled her mirror from her bags and put her cloak back in place.
  3421. >She levitated the mirror around the corner and watched intently.
  3422. >The train slowed to a crawl and parked itself before the water tower.
  3423. >Five cargo cars tailed the traction, who knew what if anything was inside them.
  3424. >The door to the shelter creaked open, a heavyset yellow pegasus walked out.
  3425. >Lyra slipped in to find herself on a freight elevator.
  3426. >Nowhere to hide.
  3427. >No point in even trying.
  3428. >She pressed the button and sank below the Earth.
  3429. >She took a moment to use her magic to unscrew the lights within, plunging the elevator into darkness.
  3430. >And she was glad she’d thought to do it too.
  3431. >The instant the door open she was met with a battery of automated guns with a very bored looking unicorn standing behind them.
  3432. >The middle aged grey stallion called out to her with a gruff voice.
  3433. >”What’sa matta? Somethin’ wrong with the elevata?”
  3434. >Please don’t come into the elevator.
  3435. >Please don’t come into the elevator.
  3436. >Please don’t come into the elevator.
  3437. >”Guess I’d better check it out.”
  3438. >Of course.
  3439. >Lyra cowered in the corner as he approached.
  3440. >All too soon he was right next to her.
  3441. >She pulled her tail in to try and keep him from stepping on it.
  3442. >”Lesse… Somethin’ with the bulb?”
  3443. >Red quickly and quietly slipped out as he busied himself with the machinery.
  3444. >”Bulb’s just loose! No big.”
  3445. >She slipped around the corner.
  3446. >Two directions were open to her.
  3447. >Left or right?
  3448. >LEFT OR RIGHT?
  3449. >Lyra chose right arbitrarily and set off.
  3450. >Hopefully nopony would think anything of the self moving elevator.
  3451. >Lyra rounded a corner to see two Earth mares chatting with each other.
  3452. >They didn’t turn to face her.
  3453. >Had they not seen her?
  3454. >”Who comes up with these production schedules anyway?”
  3455. >This time there were plenty of places to hide.
  3456. >This room metallic crates.
  3457. >Most of them were open, their thick metal walls allowing only a relatively small disc or cylinder inside.
  3458. >There was a clear locking mechanism on the inside, but she could see no obvious way to open them once they were sealed.
  3459. >The few that weren’t open had stickers over the lid’s seams, each bearing a telltale hazard symbol.
  3460. >She hoped they were safe while closed.
  3461. >”Well, in theory it actually might be possible.”
  3462. >”But in practice!”
  3463. >”Oh yeah, I know! It’s crazy. Especially since they keep shutting us down for, ahem, upgrades.”
  3464. >”In all fairness the model they’re proposing looks promising.”
  3465. >”They’re changing it AGAIN? What have they changed this time? More heat?”
  3466. >Lyra crept around them almost at random.
  3467. >A bright light was coming down from above.
  3468. >She was near the fake water tower.
  3469. >”Not quite. They seem happy with using lasers to vaporise the oralloy for now. They’re talking about ditching the centrifuges.”
  3470. >”Seriously? How’s that work?”
  3471. >”Magnetic resonance. The 235 has a negative spin, the 238 a zero spin.”
  3472. >What the hay were they talking about?”
  3473. >”Ooh! So there’s a magnetic moment on the 235, you could sort it magnetically! Geeze, how strong of a magnet would that take?"
  3474. >”Yeah, that’s just one of the problems. Wait, what’s that?”
  3475. >EEP!
  3476. >”Great, one of the centrifuges is slowing. Start the shutdown process.”
  3477. >”Cutting the heat. I think we'd be further ahead if they hadn't upgraded so many times."
  3478. >"Yeah, we never used to have these problems. The fancier these things get the more they seem to malfunction."
  3479. >Lyra slipped around the corner.
  3480. >And around another.
  3481. >For some reason she had to go around multiple concrete barriers to get in.
  3482. >She stopped in place, confronted by a hazard sign.
  3483. >The same one as she’d seen on the boxes.
  3484. >She didn’t actually know what it was, but Starlight had said that this one meant deadly and invisible.
  3485. >What was involved in bomb making that was invisible?
  3486. >She didn’t care, she just knew to stay away.
  3487. >But that meant that she couldn’t go any further.
  3488. >She crept back wondering what to do.
  3489. >The ponies were standing right by the exit!
  3490. >This was all going wrong! She hadn’t found her goal, she couldn’t go forward, and now she was stuck!
  3491. >She sat down, blood pumping uncomfortably hard, and tried to think.
  3492. >Nothing came to mind.
  3493. >NOTHING!
  3494. >What felt like an eternity passed as she listened to the ponies by her chattering, desperately trying to find a way out.
  3495. >Lyra kept her eye on the exit, on her only path to freedom.
  3496. >She wasn’t entirely certain she saw it…
  3497. >But she thought there was a little bit of movement down the hallway.
  3498. >Somepony whispered in her ear.
  3499. >Lyra nearly screamed in shock, but barely managed to restrain herself.
  3500. >”You stuck?”
  3501. >She knew that voice.
  3502. >”Hold on.”
  3503. >Somepony picked her up.
  3504. >And quietly flew her up to the surface through the crane hole.
  3505. >Lyra got a bird’s eye view of the scene, the first pony speaking with a waifish mare in a conductor’s hat.
  3506. “Thanks, D. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
  3507. >”We’ll talk when we’re done.”
  3508. >Lyra tried to listen to what was going on on the ground.
  3509. >It was a bit noisy with the wind, but she was able to make it out.
  3510. >The fat pegasus was yelling at the conductor.
  3511. >”I don’t CARE what the schedule says, WE CAN’T DO IT!”
  3512. >”But the princesses-”
  3513. >”Send them here then! Do you have ANY idea what goes into refining this stuff?”
  3514. >”No. It’s classified.”
  3515. >”Oh right.”
  3516. >”So what do you want me to tell them?”
  3517. >”I don’t know! Do they even understand what we do here?”
  3518. >Derpy fluttered into the shed.
  3519. >There was a sheer drop down, the elevator was still down.
  3520. “That seems dangerous. Wait, there’s a pony down here that’ll see us.”
  3521. >”No, he went to help with something.”
  3522. >The two of them set down.
  3523. >Lyra immediately started walking.
  3524. >This time she went left.
  3525. “So you’re here to help?”
  3526. >”Uh-huh! I’m going to go take care of the cameras.”
  3527. “So you’re plugging Floor in?”
  3528. >”Nope. This place isn’t connected to the internet. I’m going to do it all by myself.”
  3529. >They were doomed.
  3530. “I’m counting on you.”
  3531. >”You have those warp dealies with you?”
  3532. “Yeah. I got the S.L.I.D.E.”
  3533. >”Alright. Meet me behind Sugarcube Corner when you’re done.”
  3534. >She wanted to talk.
  3535. >Lyra wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
  3536. >Derpy walked away.
  3537. “Trust in her, Lyra. She’s impressed you before.”
  3538. >Red walked swiftly and confidently down to a nearby room, noting that there were no doors to be found in this place.
  3539. >She came upon a peculiar place.
  3540. >Normally there’d be nothing too strange about breaker rooms.
  3541. >They’re poorly lit, cramped, and full of wires leading through a master switch and a breaker box.
  3542. >This one was no different.
  3543. >Save for the size of the beast!
  3544. >The cable coming in was the size of a transmission wire which was bad enough, but to her amazement there seemed to be only three breakers to the whole place.
  3545. >And yet the breaker box was massive, a huge cube of metal that jutted out of the ground with the switches facing upward.
  3546. >No, wait.
  3547. >That wasn’t just a breaker box.
  3548. >It was also a backup generator, it had a fuel tank attached.
  3549. >An uninterruptible power supply with an entire transmission wire going to three circuits.
  3550. >Just how much power was this place sucking down?
  3551. >Probably best not to try and find out.
  3552. >She shuddered to think what might happen if she were to touch a live wire in there.
  3553. >The next room looked promising, if tricky.
  3554. >It was what one would expect of somepony’s cubicle.
  3555. >Cramped, fluorescent lighting, a workstation with a picture of somepony’s colt.
  3556. >Aww, they’re a cutie.
  3557. >What was most interesting though was the dainty little pegasus mare sitting at the desk, carefully sorting through a ream of papers.
  3558. >Every now and then they’d glance over to an unusually thick and narrow monitor, possible an older model from before they hit the consumer market.
  3559. >Red waited until they were looking at the display.
  3560. >Then she quickly slipped a paper away with her magic.
  3561. >Let’s see here…
  3562. >It was a form.
  3563. >There were dozens of checkboxes littered throughout.
  3564. >Was the oralloy created?
  3565. >Was it at the desired potency?
  3566. >Was it of the right dimensions?
  3567. >Has it been stored properly?
  3568. >Was anypony exposed?
  3569. >Is background radiation at acceptable levels?
  3570. >If production was interrupted, describe the cause of the failure in ten thousand words or more.
  3571. >Huh.
  3572. >That sounded nasty.
  3573. >And there WERE those warning signs littered throughout.
  3574. >But no sign of bombs.
  3575. >Just oralloy.
  3576. >What WAS that?
  3577. >She’d never heard of oralloy before.
  3578. >The name implied it was a metal of some sort, but it felt like there was more to it than that.
  3579. >It could very well be a code for something more sinister.
  3580. >Whatever it was though, it was dangerous.
  3581. >Maybe that was good enough.
  3582. >Lyra snuck a pen off of the desk and grabbed a form from a different stack.
  3583. >Blank form.
  3584. >Excellent.
  3585. >She backed out into the hallway and placed the blank atop the original.
  3586. >She then began the arduous task of tracing it to near perfection.
  3587. >But she left out the bit about the failure, and ticked the box that said it had been made.
  3588. >She then slipped the form back in place.
  3589. >Oralloy core RDS-220 had been made, the paperwork said so.
  3590. >It was far from a perfect ruse and she knew it.
  3591. >The ponies here would probably remember the breakdown.
  3592. >They'd likely find it suspicious that someone would make off with such a deadly thing.
  3593. >Hay, if they're keeping a close eye they might even see they've got too much of the stuff left to have lost some oralloy.
  3594. >But Lyra was confident that didn't matter.
  3595. >If this stuff was half as deadly as she thought then it could cause immense damage.
  3596. >And as she'd learned when she'd threatened to unleash the virus…
  3597. >Princess Celestia wasn't willing to take that risk.
  3598. >In the blink of an eye Lyra found herself at the nexus.
  3599. >A dizzying jolt later and she was in Whitetail woods.
  3600. >Lyra looked up in the trees that surrounded her, finding the exact right branch where she’d stashed her bags.
  3601. >A quick flick of the horn brought them to her, another stripped her cloak and stowed them away.
  3602. >Lyra jumped in the nearby river, its cool waters biting at her overheated hide.
  3603. >She watched the red dye flow down the river, a blood red stream that carried away her mask.
  3604. >And her confidence.
  3605. >How had it come to this?
  3606. >How had she managed to get to this point?
  3607. >Yes, Bon-Bon’s name had shielded her from her failures.
  3608. >But it still beggared belief that she’d taken S.M.I.L.E. on for so long.
  3609. >She wanted to believe it was her genius that had carried her.
  3610. >Or her natural talent with magic.
  3611. >But as she saw the dye wash away Lyra knew that her disguise wasn’t the only mask she bore.
  3612. >It was all a lie.
  3613. >The heroism for which she’d been lauded wasn’t truly heroic.
  3614. >Her bravery was a fabrication.
  3615. >At first there’d been no nobility to her quest, she’d been driven by curiosity and excitement.
  3616. >Not duty nor honor.
  3617. >Her journey had if anything grown more ignoble over time.
  3618. >Everything she’d done since the moment she’d found out Bon-Bon was in danger had been driven by fear.
  3619. >Terror.
  3620. >She wasn’t brave, she was scared of losing the ponies she cared about.
  3621. >Every risk she’d taken, every step she’d taken had been pushed onward by fear.
  3622. >She was simply too afraid of what might happen if she didn’t act.
  3623. >Frightened into action.
  3624. >Too terrified to tarry.
  3625. >She wasn’t cut out for this life.
  3626. >She neither had the nerve nor the talent to keep going.
  3627. >But there was no choice but to press onward.
  3628. >She could only hope that this was nearly the end, because somehow Red knew.
  3629. >Lyra couldn’t take much more of it.
  3630. >She trotted out of the woods and headed into town.
  3631. >Her gait was slow, her steps clumsy.
  3632. >The fact was Lyra didn’t want to go.
  3633. >She didn’t want to meet up with Derpy.
  3634. >She was afraid of what she might have to say.
  3635. >But there was no evading this discussion.
  3636. >She owed Derpy an explanation, and the longer she put it off the worse things would get.
  3637. >She found herself in the city all too soon.
  3638. >And far too soon she saw her friend standing in a back alley, munching on a scone.
  3639. >Lyra reluctantly approached.
  3640. “Hi, D.”
  3641. >Derpy attempted to look straight at her.
  3642. >She replied quietly, with an air of regret.
  3643. >”Hi.”
  3644. >Neither said anything for a while.
  3645. “So… scones? Not muffins?”
  3646. >”I eat things other than muffins you know.”
  3647. “Yeah… just trying to break the ice.”
  3648. >”Want one?”
  3649. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
  3650. >They looked good.
  3651. >But she wasn’t hungry.
  3652. “I’m sorry.”
  3653. >”I’m sorry.”
  3654. >They spoke over each other, each rushing the words out as quickly as they could.
  3655. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
  3656. >Lyra sat on the warm, dusty pavement with a sigh.
  3657. “I shouldn’t have brought your daughter into it.”
  3658. >”No. You shouldn’t have.”
  3659. >It felt like there was a burning lump of ice in the pit of her stomach.
  3660. “I’m scared all the time, D. Scared of what will happen if we fail, scared of Bonny getting hurt, scared of everything. I’m jumping at shadows, running from the wind, I’m coming apart.”
  3661. >Derpy sat beside her.
  3662. “That doesn’t excuse what I said though. I went too far, and I’m not going to ask you to forgive me.”
  3663. >”You don’t need to ask. I can’t stay mad at you.”
  3664. >Derpy patted Lyra on the back.
  3665. >She was too forgiving for her own good.
  3666. >”I thought about what you said.”
  3667. “About what?”
  3668. >”About what you’re going through. You’d asked me how I’d handle it if it was somepony important to me.”
  3669. “Yeah?”
  3670. >”I tried.”
  3671. >She shrugged.
  3672. >”I can’t. I can’t even imagine how awful it is, and I have no clue what I’d do.”
  3673. “Yeah. I’d have never imagined I’d go this far. It really gets to you after a while. Honestly, I'm still not sure how far I’d go. Maybe it only gets worse.”
  3674. >”Lyra?”
  3675. “Hm?”
  3676. >”You need to step back from this.”
  3677. >Not an option.
  3678. >Lyra shook her head.
  3679. >”I know you don’t want to. And I know I’m not going to be able to talk you out of it. But this mess is changing you.”
  3680. “I know.”
  3681. >If only Derpy could be wrong more often.
  3682. “I've lied, cheated, and stolen. Sometimes without even noticing. I don't think anything of breaking and entering anymore. Hay, I've assaulted and sometimes even battered ponies without thinking, and now apparently I'm a terrorist. This isn’t Lyra, the worst thing she’d ever done was litter that one time.”
  3683. >”You were a peaceful and happy pony.”
  3684. >Neither of those things were true anymore.
  3685. “I’ve killed, D. Multiple times.”
  3686. >”They were demons though, and you were protecting us. You can't blame yourself for that.”
  3687. >Lyra took a deep breath to try and calm herself.
  3688. “I don't. That's the problem. Lyra wasn't a killer, she was disgusted by the sight of blood. When I saw that stuff under the post office I nearly vomited! But on that day…”
  3689. >She’d shredded living things with glass.
  3690. >She’d crammed explosives into a living creature’s mouth.
  3691. >That’s not what Lyra was about.
  3692. “When I go out on these missions I don’t think of me as myself.”
  3693. >”I don’t think I understand.”
  3694. “I have to be so different from who I am to get by. I have to be confident, aggressive, ruthless. I have to be everything Lyra isn’t. At first I just forced myself to do it, but at some point it became natural. Sometimes it feels like somepony else is in charge and I’m just watching.”
  3695. >Derpy looked at her with a face of sympathy.
  3696. “Her name is Red. A few days ago Bonny snapped and attacked you. She’d done something she’d never do, the stress had gotten to her. I wonder how much longer it’ll be before I break.”
  3697. >”I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
  3698. >Lyra wasn’t so sure.
  3699. >”We’ve done our part already, right? We just need to demand they use the tide and we’re done?”
  3700. “I wish. We didn’t fake a bomb, just one part of it. Maybe that’ll be enough, it seems to be pretty dangerous stuff. But I wouldn’t count on it.”
  3701. >”Oh… Well, then there’s only like, one more mission right?”
  3702. “Maybe…”
  3703. >She doubted that too.
  3704. >They’d been counting on Luna to stop the tide.
  3705. >Lyra was no longer convinced that was a good plan.
  3706. >Who knew what terrible machinations she’d planned?
  3707. “Princess Celestia once told me that knowledge gained was innocence lost. I didn’t take her seriously. I asked myself what good innocence was, and how knowledge could be bad. You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.”
  3708. …
  3709. “D?”
  3710. >”Yeah?”
  3711. “Stop me if I go too far.”
  3712. >”That’s what I was trying to do the other day.”
  3713. “Oh yeah… Sorry.”
  3714. >That hadn’t gone so well.
  3715. >”Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a bit, and I think I know the solution.”
  3716. “Oh?”
  3717. >”Tell them we have the thing, but don’t say where it is. If they don’t know what they’re trying to protect they can’t evacuate.”
  3718. >Lyra smiled at her.
  3719. “Hey, yeah! They can’t evacuate every city at once, where would they put everypony? And knowing how they work they’d probably try to keep it quiet. The public would never know. That’s a really good idea.”
  3720. >Derpy smiled at her.
  3721. “I’m going to get Starlight to dig into the thing I faked. They called it oralloy, but it’s not something I’ve ever heard of before. Apparently it’s dangerous. If it’s nasty enough that we can use it I’m going to ask you to decide how.”
  3722. >”Why?”
  3723. “Because I trust you more than I trust me.”
  3724. >The words surprised Lyra.
  3725. >It sounded absurd, yet it still rang true.
  3726. >”I won’t let you down. We’re going to get through this. And about what I said… I’ll always be your friend.”
  3727. >She grabbed Lyra just a little too tightly in a friendly embrace.
  3728. “URK!”
  3729. >”C’mon, let’s go see Floor. She sent me a message saying she had good news.”
  3730. >Lyra gasped for breath, desperate to refill her lungs once Derpy had let go.
  3731. “Yeah.”
  3732. >She took a few heavy breaths.
  3733. “I could use some good news. Besides, I haven’t seen her new place yet.”
  3734. >The two of them trotted down the streets toward the familiar apartment building.
  3735. >Lyra noted a small package of pastries was resting on Derpy’s back, likely a care package for Floor.
  3736. >She couldn’t help but marvel at her friend’s ability to carry things like that.
  3737. >The idea of having such a think resting on her back, bouncing around with every step, and still staying rock steady?
  3738. >It was an amazing feat.
  3739. >It wasn’t unique to Derpy, far from it.
  3740. >She’d seen it a thousand times before and she had little doubt she’d see it a thousand times more.
  3741. >Yet she couldn’t imagine herself ever accomplishing such a thing.
  3742. >She’d been using magic for such tasks for as long as she could remember, had they developed these talents while she simply levitated everything around her?
  3743. >”Lyra?”
  3744. >Lyra nearly jumped at the shock of being pulled from her reverie.
  3745. “Oh. We’re here. My bad. Think Floor will let us in?”
  3746. >”Oh sure. She even gave me a key.”
  3747. >Wow.
  3748. >The door swung open the moment D pushed on it.
  3749. >”Not that we really need it. Somepony broke the lock right away.”
  3750. >Of course.
  3751. >Lyra had to admit the new place looked nice, the faded and stained carpet had been pulled out and replaced with tasteful wooden flooring.
  3752. >Careful examination revealed it was just laminate with a faux wood pattern, but it still lent to a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
  3753. >The stairs didn’t creak as she ascended, nor did the stench of rot permeate the whole building.
  3754. >They approached Floor’s room.
  3755. >The final test of the renovations.
  3756. >Derpy knocked gently upon the door.
  3757. >”Floor? It’s Lyra and me. Can we come in?”
  3758. >No answer.
  3759. >Derpy opened the door and pushed it open.
  3760. >Everything was black as pitch as usual.
  3761. >But when the lights flicked on Lyra couldn’t help but gasp.
  3762. >The same flooring as the hallways was present, but there were far more changes than that.
  3763. >She was greeted by a rich floral pattern wallpaper, a full sized oven and range, a proper refrigerator that closed.
  3764. >Floor had a bed!
  3765. >Sure, it was unmade. All the bedding was on the ground beside it, but that was beside the point!
  3766. >There was litter scattered about the place, along with the unmistakable scent of arousal.
  3767. >But it was a home, not a dump.
  3768. >Lyra gave it about 3 weeks before Floor trashed the place.
  3769. >An audible hissing noise came from nearby.
  3770. >Floor was shielding her eyes from the light and recoiling in pain.
  3771. “Hey Floor, how’s it going?”
  3772. >”It burns!”
  3773. >”I got her one of those full spectrum bulbs, figured she could use some sunlight from time to time.”
  3774. “Have we considered the possibility that she’s a vampire?”
  3775. *HISSSS*
  3776. >”Do vampires like scones?”
  3777. >Floor suddenly perked up.
  3778. >”Did somepony say scones?”
  3779. >Derpy rolled her eyes, though there was no sign of irritation on her face.
  3780. >She passed the package over to Floor, who held it close but didn’t open it.
  3781. “So I hear you’ve got big news?”
  3782. >”Hm? Oh yeah! I was watching some security camera footage of one of the places you were at.”
  3783. “Why?”
  3784. >”For fun.”
  3785. “Fun?”
  3786. >”I like to watch ponies without them knowing.”
  3787. >That was pretty creepy.
  3788. >”Right. So I saw princess Celestia right here in Ponyville!”
  3789. >That wasn’t THAT interesting.
  3790. >She did tend to get around.
  3791. “What was she doing?”
  3792. >”Well, that’s just it! It was- actually? I’ll just show it to you.”
  3793. >She could do that?
  3794. >Lyra wasn’t sure she was comfortable with Floor being able to watch and rewatch everypony’s actions…
  3795. >Her screen flashed to a black and white display.
  3796. >Princess Celestia stood in a crowded office space, pacing back and forth.
  3797. >Was that the office of those ponies who were studying the Tide?
  3798. >Somepony else walked on screen.
  3799. >No way!
  3800. >Princess Celestia took a bracing breath, it almost seemed as though she was afraid of talking.
  3801. >”Good day.”
  3802. >”Princess.”
  3803. >”I do apologize for dragging you in on such short notice. I understand your leave is precious, and none are more deserving of a break than you. But I have an unusual mission and I can think of none better suited to it.”
  3804. >”You wouldn't call me in if it wasn't important. I take it this is big.”
  3805. >”It is.”
  3806. >”Eurynomos?”
  3807. >”Yes.”
  3808. >Princess Celestia was getting involved.
  3809. >If Lyra knew her half as well as she thought she did, their back was against the wall.
  3810. >But that wasn’t news...
  3811. >”Our Intel suggests he is aware Achlys is in Equestria. He's no doubt rallying his forces for one final push. He could arrive any day now.”
  3812. >It was amazing how calmly she’d said that.
  3813. >She spoke as casually as though she were reading a shopping list.
  3814. >Celestia continued, no fear apparent on her face or in her voice.
  3815. >”Can you stop him?”
  3816. >A simple question.
  3817. >One that could be answered in an instant.
  3818. >One that none wished to discuss.
  3819. >”No.”
  3820. >”I see…”
  3821. >Celestia let out a long suffering sigh.
  3822. >She sounded profoundly weary.
  3823. >Drained in a way Lyra couldn't hope to understand.
  3824. >”Twilight Sparkle and her team have developed the means to store the Tide for short periods. In appearance it's little more than a small capsule, an alloy of titanium and nickel. Layered within are thin plates of hyperdiamond, an allotrope of carbon that is harder than even diamonds.”
  3825. >”How long would that hold it?”
  3826. >”On its own? Seconds. The genius is in the microscopic conductive coils between the layers. The first nanite to penetrate will short out and create a localized electromagnetic pulse, briefly disabling the rest of the sample. It's small enough to carry, making it a vast improvement over the simple titanium nickel she was using before. Even if they are tricky to manufacture.”
  3827. >Microscopic?
  3828. >How did they even pull that off?
  3829. >”Won’t that burn the coils out?”
  3830. >“Yes. Each layer will only work once. Even with this the Tide is hard to contain.”
  3831. >”How long?”
  3832. >”7 minutes. I hate to ask this of you. I hate to ask anything of you after all your ordeals. But I ask regardless. Drown Eurynomos beneath this relentless blight. Feed his vile carcass to the horrors that have swallowed the galaxy. Let him be the first to be swallowed by the infinite hunger that bears down on us.”
  3833. >This was Celestia?
  3834. >”I want him dead. I don’t care how, I just want it done. Please, I beg of you. Grant me this wish.”
  3835. >”You can't talk your sister into doing it?”
  3836. >”She has explicitly forbade us from even discussing it. If you are unwilling to go behind her back-”
  3837. >”Consider it done.”
  3838. >Celestia nodded slowly.
  3839. >”I thank you, agent.”
  3840. >”And thanks to you. This saves me a lot of trouble.”
  3841. >”Oh?”
  3842. >”Yeah. Now I don’t need to go and steal a sample of the Tide myself. This is way easier.”
  3843. >Princess Celestia let out a half hearted chuckle.
  3844. >”Had anypony else said that I’d think they were joking. There’s to be a meeting tomorrow to discuss how he is to be engaged. I’d appreciate it if you were to attend.”
  3845. >”I’ll be there. Oh, and I’m going to be putting in some unusual equipment requests. The quartermaster doesn’t much like me, I usually bring my stuff back slightly exploded. If it comes back at all.”
  3846. >”I shall have a word with them.”
  3847. >”Great. Saves me the trouble of breaking into the armory.”
  3848. >Celestia smiled and rolled her eyes.
  3849. >”If there’s anything else you need to steal, feel free to ask first. I’ll support you in any way I can. Thank you, Sweetie Drops.”
  3850. >Bon-Bon merely nodded before walking away.
  3851. “Huh.”
  3852. >Lyra wasn’t sure what to make of all that.
  3853. >Derpy looked worried.
  3854. >”Lyra? Are you going to be okay?”
  3855. >”Why wouldn’t she be?”
  3856. >Right.
  3857. >Floor didn’t know who Bon-Bon was.
  3858. “If there’s anything we can do to help them at all we should. Any ideas?”
  3859. >Neither of them responded.
  3860. “Keep thinking on it. Stopping Eurynomos is our top priority, he’s too dangerous to ignore. In the meantime we need to learn more about the tide.”
  3861. >They both stared at her in confusion.
  3862. “We were counting on Luna’s plan to clean it up. Knowing what we do now, do either of you trust her?”
  3863. >Derpy pouted slightly.
  3864. >”No…”
  3865. >Floor shook her head.
  3866. >”We don’t have any leads though.”
  3867. “Not quite true. We know somepony touched the tide and survived. I have a hunch as to who it is. I think it’s time we had a chat.”
  3868. >Derpy put her hoof on Lyra’s back.
  3869. >”Don’t hurt them.”
  3870. “I wasn’t planning on.”
  3871. >”Weren’t planning on? Or weren’t going to?”
  3872. >Lyra frowned.
  3873. >Derpy wasn’t wrong.
  3874. “I can’t promise you I won’t scare them. But I Pinkie Pie swear I won’t hurt them.”
  3875. >”I believe you. Now go home and spend some time with Bon-Bon. Both of you need to relax.”
  3876. “Thanks, D. Floor.”
  3877. >Lyra left without another word.
  3878. >They didn’t need the oralloy after all.
  3879. >But it wasn’t like she could give it back…
  3880. >Lyra wasn’t sure what to do with that.
  3881. >But it was something she could worry about later.
  3882. >For now it was time to go home and cook dinner for Bon-Bon.
  3883. >The apocalypse could wait, she had a night to enjoy.
  3884.  
  3885.  
  3886. * * * * *
  3887.  
  3888. >Lyra was trotting along quickly.
  3889. >She was in no danger, nor did she have a clear deadline.
  3890. >Regardless, she was eager to be done with the job and return home.
  3891. >The sooner she finished the job the sooner she could goof off with Bon-Bon.
  3892. >What frivolous thing might they do today?
  3893. >Relaxing by the lake?
  3894. >Checking out the rainbow falls?
  3895. >A quiet stroll through the woods?
  3896. >Or maybe they’d just go admire some of Fluttershy’s cuddly critters?
  3897. >There was an embarrassment of riches to be had even in these trying times.
  3898. >So many wonders and joys to be had it gave one pause by the sheer magnitude.
  3899. >How could she be asked to choose but one thing from the plethora of pleasures that surrounded her?
  3900. >It was a beautiful world.
  3901. >And she intended to see it stay that way.
  3902. >She and Bon-Bon had lots of good years ahead of them.
  3903. >Lots of sights to see, lots of benches to sit on.
  3904. >And with just a little bit more work and a little bit of luck it was going to happen.
  3905. >The Tide had wiped out most of the galaxy, there was NO WAY Eurynomos could withstand that.
  3906. >All she had to do was figure out how to keep the Tide from destroying Equestria.
  3907. >She was close.
  3908. >She could feel it.
  3909. >Just a few more clues and it would all fall into place!
  3910. >Lyra wasn’t under any illusions about being able to stop it on her own, Twilight had a whole team working on it for well over a year.
  3911. >And Lyra wasn’t too proud to admit that Twilight was smarter than her.
  3912. >But Twilight herself had admitted to overlooking something in that memo they’d intercepted.
  3913. >Sure, it was… rambly.
  3914. >And sure, Twilight wasn’t exactly in a great state of mind at the time either.
  3915. >But there was truth in those words.
  3916. >The universe followed a strict set of rules, and all things within had to conform.
  3917. >The Tide appeared to break those rules.
  3918. >So either they were wrong in their assessment of how it worked in which case she just needed to understand hyper advanced alien technology, or they were wrong about the fundamental laws of reality in which case she just needed to re-invent physics.
  3919. …
  3920. >Maybe this wouldn’t be so easy.
  3921. >Still, she had to try.
  3922. >And if she was going to crack the code she needed information.
  3923. >Problem was she was running low on leads.
  3924. >Unless Starlight found something big there were only a few ponies left for her to get information from.
  3925. >Twilight Sparkle herself was almost certainly worth talking to.
  3926. >It would be difficult to persuade her to cough up the info Lyra needed without resorting to violence, and more difficult still to sort through the avalanche of information that would follow.
  3927. >Twilight was more likely to confuse Lyra than to inform her.
  3928. >But still it was a lead she could pursue.
  3929. >The other princesses MIGHT know something, but it was unlikely.
  3930. >They had their hooves full with other projects already.
  3931. >Twilight's researchers would DEFINITELY know something.
  3932. >But that was risky.
  3933. >Last time she'd meddled with their stuff an actual agent was chasing her down within minutes.
  3934. >And this time Lyra couldn't see in the dark.
  3935. >But there were two others who she knew to be involved in this mess.
  3936. >Rarity, for one.
  3937. >And if her hunch was correct, Applejack.
  3938. >The pony who'd been horrifically maimed by something.
  3939. >The pony who'd been the first to use the super linear displacement engine.
  3940. >The first pony to step hoof on Nexus, the place where they got their samples of the Tide.
  3941. >And Lyra was willing to bet Applejack was the pony who'd touched the Tide and lived.
  3942. >Who better than an Earth pony to touch it and live?
  3943. >They could naturally harden their flesh after all.
  3944. >Hard enough to withstand the Tide?
  3945. >Probably not.
  3946. >Hard enough to buy time?
  3947. >To hold out long enough for help to arrive?
  3948. >It was time to find out.
  3949. >Sweet Apple Acres was huge, and despite the recent snowfall there was ample greenery to be found.
  3950. >Many of the trees were barren, the deep cold they’d been exposed to not so long ago having proved to be too much for them.
  3951. >But even so the arcadian nature of this place shone through, the innumerable leaves of so many trees stretched up to the heavens that they might relish in the sun’s warming rays.
  3952. >A verdant sea of vitality stretched out in all directions, with new life already growing in to replace what had been lost.
  3953. >This place had been wounded by these trying times.
  3954. >But it refused to be destroyed.
  3955. >As always, life found a way.
  3956. >A small smile formed on Lyra’s cloaked face as she surveyed the land.
  3957. >It wasn’t just an orchard.
  3958. >It was a symbol.
  3959. >A symbol that, unfortunately, was huge.
  3960. >It was going to be difficult to find Applejack out here.
  3961. >Was she even here today?
  3962. >Truth be told Lyra had no way of knowing.
  3963. >Without the Rangefinder visor she was almost blind.
  3964. >It hadn’t really occurred to her just how many advantages she’d lost in this mess until now.
  3965. >She no longer had exotic super-knives, she couldn’t see in the dark nor through walls, she didn’t even have a pistol anymore!
  3966. >The Lyra who’d held all those cards hadn’t used them to their fullest.
  3967. >She’d lacked the will to act and had tarried while everything burned around her.
  3968. >No point in fretting about that now…
  3969. >Lyra pried a barn door open and stepped inside, thankful for the shade.
  3970. >The heavy cloak was great for hiding her identity, but not so good for keeping cool in the sun.
  3971. >Great bales of hay surrounded her, their heft doubtlessly too great even for a strong Earth pony to handle.
  3972. >Applejack had doubtlessly taken to using machines to move them about.
  3973. >And based on how tightly bound they were Lyra was willing to bet they’d even been made by machine.
  3974. >She wasn’t certain why this surprised her, the mechanical marvels she’d witnessed made hay balers seem mundane by comparison.
  3975. >Dinky’s viscera alone was more remarkable, hay, Applejack herself was a miracle by comparison.
  3976. >One might have thought nothing would surprise Lyra at this point.
  3977. >One might have been wrong.
  3978. >She sat upon one of the mighty bales and began to ponder.
  3979. >She had to find Applejack, sure.
  3980. >But there was more to it than that.
  3981. >Unless things had changed since their last meeting, A.J. was armed.
  3982. >She wasn’t the kind of pony who’d shoot another intentionally.
  3983. >But as Lyra was well aware, fear did strange things to one’s mind.
  3984. >She had to find Applejack before Applejack found her.
  3985. >And then she had to disarm her.
  3986. “Let’s see…”
  3987. >School would be out for the day.
  3988. >The three troublesome tykes would be at their clubhouse soon.
  3989. >Perhaps A.J. would go and check on them?
  3990. >It was as good of a bet as any, and as a bonus Lyra actually knew where the clubhouse was.
  3991. >She jumped down from her seat and stepped outside, only to see Applejack walking in the direction of the clubhouse.
  3992. >Good timing!
  3993. >Lyra slammed the door to the barn shut
  3994. >With a little luck A.J. had heard it and would come to investigate.
  3995. >Lyra then hid behind a stack of hay bales and waited.
  3996. >It took only seconds before she could hear the door creek open.
  3997. >”I know y’all are in here. No point in hidin’.”
  3998. >Lyra prepared her magic to rip through the illusion that Applejack bore.
  3999. >Had there been another unicorn around she’d have given away her position.
  4000. >A quick peek around the corner and a pulse of mana brought the illusion down.
  4001. >”What in tarnation?”
  4002. >There were many things Lyra might have felt at the sight before her.
  4003. >Horror at the disfigured pony before her, disgust at the mockery of life that she saw.
  4004. >Perhaps terror at the prospect that that was coming for them all.
  4005. >Instead she felt pity.
  4006. >What stood before her was mostly equine.
  4007. >The front half was clearly a pony, her head, neck, and front legs undoubtedly flesh and blood.
  4008. >Her hind half was sleek shiny metal, large segmented cylinders ran down her back to simulate a spine, sturdy stainless steel structures formed her legs in a nigh on perfect recreation of pony anatomy.
  4009. >Her synthetic rump was perhaps a bit too blocky, but maybe that didn’t matter?
  4010. >What was worse was her waist. There was no smooth or elegant transition between living flesh and stylish steel.
  4011. >Instead there was the ragged and frayed ends of tormented tissue, fur missing, hide red and raw.
  4012. >Scars of varying breadth were scattered about her side in a pattern reminiscent of a drunken spider’s web.
  4013. >Tide or not, whatever had hit A.J. had hit her hard.
  4014. >Lyra called upon her magic and grabbed Applejack’s fake hips.
  4015. >There was no magic to be found in the metal, nothing that might interfere with her levitation.
  4016. >It was a trivial matter to lift them into the air, pulling the rest of the pony along with them.
  4017. >Applejack was floating.
  4018. >Vulnerable.
  4019. >Helpless.
  4020. >Two heavy cannons unfolded from beneath her belly, but they were of no use.
  4021. >She was in no position to aim them at anything save some hay.
  4022. >”Y’all lemme down this instant!”
  4023. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, A.J.”
  4024. >Lyra grabbed onto the cannons and began to twist.
  4025. >It was challenging, their structure was sturdy.
  4026. >But in time she broke the weapons off.
  4027. >Lyra stepped out and turned the apple horse around to face her.
  4028. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anypony, much less you.”
  4029. >Applejack looked confused.
  4030. >”Who are ya, and what do you want?”
  4031. “I just want information. I need to know what you know about the Tide.”
  4032. >”And I ain’t talkin’!”
  4033. “So you don’t deny that you know something?”
  4034. >There was no sign of her confused expression left.
  4035. >It had turned into a bitter scowl.
  4036. “Look. I NEED to know about the Tide. You’re going to talk, or else I’m going to raze this barn.”
  4037. >”Oh hardy har. Were ya up all night thinkin’ on that one?”
  4038. >Not the reply she’d been expecting.
  4039. “You DO understand I’m threatening to burn this place down with you in it, right?”
  4040. >”You go right on ahead, I ain’t sayin’ nothin’!”
  4041. >Wow.
  4042. >That was unexpected.
  4043. “Uhh… you do realise you’ll DIE, right?”
  4044. >”Yup! What next, smart guy? How’re you gonna figure out what you want if I’m dead?”
  4045. >Wow.
  4046. >She was fearless!
  4047. “Good point. Maybe I just work you over with my magic for a while? Just slap you around until you break.”
  4048. >”Pfft.”
  4049. “What? What’s so funny?”
  4050. >”You got ANY idea how much losin’ my hind quarters hurt? No way y’all can top that. Go right on ahead, I’ll be fine!”
  4051. >Good grief.
  4052. >What was with her?
  4053. “Well. Looks like I can’t break you. Sorry for wasting your time.”
  4054. >”Sorry? REALLY? That’s the best you’ve got?”
  4055. “Yup. I’m going to go pay your sister a visit now. If you’ll excuse me.”
  4056. >Applejack’s eyes went wide.
  4057. >”You WOULDN’T!”
  4058. “Why not?”
  4059. >”She’s JUST a little FILLY!”
  4060. >Lyra nodded.
  4061. “Which means she’s really easy to hurt. Makes my life easier.”
  4062. >”But- but she dindu nuffin! She’s a good girl!”
  4063. “Look, I’m not happy about this either. She seems like a nice filly, doesn’t deserve to be worked over by somepony as mean as me. But I NEED to know. Please don’t force me to hurt a little filly.”
  4064. >”You tryin’ to make ME look like the bad guy here? You’re the one who threatened to kill me and mess up my sister! What’d we ever do to you?”
  4065. >Lyra was getting more confused by the second.
  4066. >A.J. wasn’t reacting at all like she was supposed to.
  4067. >There wasn’t even a hint of fear in her voice.
  4068. >Just anger!
  4069. “I NEED to know! I don’t have any choice in the matter. Whatever I do to find out is YOUR fault!”
  4070. >Applejack spat on Lyra’s cloak.
  4071. “Ugh! Gross!”
  4072. >”I’ve shovelled pig plop that weren’t as dirty as you.”
  4073. “I’m TRYING to stop the Tide. You’d think it would be easier to get ponies to cooperate!”
  4074. >”What, do y’all expect me to think you’re the hero here? You figure that just ‘cause you might want somethin’ good you can do no wrong?”
  4075. >No.
  4076. >It wasn’t so simple.
  4077. >Lyra carefully put Applejack down, but didn’t release her grip.
  4078. “Look. The first time I ever fought a demon, I was scared. Who wouldn’t be? You’d have to be crazy to face off with those things and not freak out. But… I wasn’t just scared of them.”
  4079. >Applejack tried to walk toward Lyra.
  4080. >She couldn’t get free from the telekinetic grip.
  4081. “I was scared if ME. I don’t think I knew it at the time, but I was terrified of myself. Maybe not as scared as I was of them, maybe that’s why it took so long for me to figure it out. But there was no denying it, I was scared of my own magic.”
  4082. >”What are y’all gettin’ at?”
  4083. “I’d fought monsters before. I’d beaten them up pretty bad, messed up some timberwolves. But I hadn’t killed them, even though they were trying to eat me. I hadn’t needed to, nor had I wanted to. Everything was simple and clear. I was a pony, and ponies are peaceful. That’s all there was to it. Of course, sometimes things aren’t so simple.”
  4084. >Lyra wasn’t even certain A.J. was listening.
  4085. >But it was worth a try.
  4086. “The demons… I tried to avoid fighting them. I tried to run away from them, but they just chased me. When I stood and fought I could hurt them, but the moment I let up my attacks they’d try again. Sometimes I’d even get them to run away! But… they’d just come back when my back was turned. I eventually killed some. I’m not sure if I’d intended to or if it was an accident, I really don’t know anymore. But it was the only thing that worked. When I looked down at the shredded remains of those hounds my stomach turned. It was a gruesome and agonizing fate. And I’d made it happen. It was my fault that they were gone.”
  4087. >Lyra sighed.
  4088. “I might have broken down there if I wasn’t being pushed. That might have been where it ended. I owe that stallion my thanks…”
  4089. >Applejack was starting to look concerned.
  4090. >”Why are y’all tellin’ me this?”
  4091. “I’m getting to that. We ran into more of them. There was no end, of course we found more. The pony who I’d been working with was wounded though, couldn’t do much good this time. It was all up to me. I hesitated. I tried to scare the thing away, or maybe to knock it out. I maybe I wanted to give it a chance to surrender? Whatever my reason I held back. And because of this an innocent pony was horribly killed.”
  4092. >Not true.
  4093. >Dinky was alive.
  4094. >That was almost a technicality.
  4095. >But for a small miracle Dinky would have died, and it would have been Lyra’s fault.
  4096. “I did the right thing, and it wasn’t worth it. Had I done the wrong thing and mercilessly crushed that demon when I’d had the chance? Had I thrown all notions of mercy, peace, and fairness to the wind? Well… I wish I had. My regret on that day isn’t that I was violent, it isn’t that I killed them. My regret is that I wasn’t WORSE. My regret is that I wasn’t just as vile as they were, that I tried to be better than them. So no, I’m not a hero. What I’m doing isn’t nice, it isn’t what I’d consider to be good. Under any other circumstances I’d NEVER do any of this. These aren’t other circumstances.”
  4097. >Applejack’s expression had softened.
  4098. >There was still concern, sure.
  4099. >But any trace of anger had been replaced by sympathy.
  4100. “If I don’t find out everything I can about the Tide, bad things are going to happen. I don’t know how far I’d go to stop that, and I BEG you. Don’t make me find out.”
  4101. >Applejack chewed on her lip.
  4102. >”I… can’t say much..”
  4103. “The contract?”
  4104. >”Yup.”
  4105. >That wasn’t foolproof.
  4106. >She could discuss things that the other party knew of.
  4107. >And it hadn’t been properly updated for the latest messes.
  4108. >Lyra could work around it.
  4109. “So. S.M.I.L.E.’s tech R&D developed the Superlinear Displacement Engine.”
  4110. >”Linear? I thought it was limerick.”
  4111. >Not you too.
  4112. “They sent machines through first to see what was on the other side. Didn’t find much, but it looked safe enough and spacetime there had been torn apart so they could use it to travel to known locations. Also it gave them easy access to the Tide for their experiments. They wanted to know how it would affect a pony to go through it.”
  4113. >”Actually, they were more worried about Earth ponies and Pegasi. Unicorns they figured would be fine on account of teleportin’ spells.”
  4114. >Huh.
  4115. >Probably not that useful.
  4116. >Well, at least she was cooperating.
  4117. “You sent yourself through even though Twilight objected. Why?”
  4118. >”Wanted to be useful.”
  4119. >Really?
  4120. “That’s it? It wasn’t that you were the only one that could do the job or anything?”
  4121. Look, I ain’t some super smart scientist and I ain’t some martial master neither. Weren’t that much I could do t’ help. Figured the best I could do was bein’ a test subject.”
  4122. >Poor girl.
  4123. >She’d put herself on the line because she knew too much.
  4124. >And she’d paid the price.
  4125. “Quite noble of you. Sorry that it didn’t turn out better. Because when you went through, the Tide found you. It seeks out living things and tries to hunt them down. It didn’t react to the machines, but…”
  4126. >”Didn’t even notice anything was wrong at first. Probes didn’t spot any Tide on the platform, we figured it had some way of keepin’ the stuff off. Turns out we got it wrong. Twi says that the platform somehow pretends it’s made of the Tide, makes it so it doesn’t bother goin’ on it.”
  4127. >So the nanites didn’t try to consume it or even cover it.
  4128. >No point in moving in if it was already there.
  4129. >Wasn’t that what Twilight was trying to mimic?
  4130. >By copying the signal it sent out she wanted to fake that the Tide was already here.
  4131. >If she was right about how Nexus worked, there was proof of concept.
  4132. >”Musta been a tiny little bit of it somewhere though, maybe I stepped on it or somethin’. Dunno. What I do remember is that it started on my left hind hoof. Felt a ticklin’ sensation for ‘bout a second or two. Changed to burnin’, then I ain’t sure there’s a word for what I felt.”
  4133. “Did it spread quickly?”
  4134. >”At first, yeah. Think I’d lost near half my leg before I figured out what was goin’ on. Started usin’ my Earth magic to try to slow it down. Didn’t work right so far from home.”
  4135. “Oh? No, I suppose it wouldn’t.”
  4136. >Bonny had mentioned something about how Earth pony sailors couldn’t go far from land for too long.
  4137. >Applejack was about as far from land as she could get.
  4138. “So what happened then?”
  4139. >”Don’t remember. Heck, it took months before I woke up"
  4140. >Applejack started struggling against Lyra's magic.
  4141. >An amazing show of force was coming from her hind legs, lashing out and kicking against the invisible bondage.
  4142. >”Whoa nelly!”
  4143. “Is she here? And stop fighting!”
  4144. >”I can't! They got a mind of their own!”
  4145. >Lyra could feel her grip weakening.
  4146. >Her horn burned, ached to meet the demands of the spell.
  4147. >Even though she wasn’t technically levitating living tissue she had to struggle to keep her grip.
  4148. >Lyra called upon the mighty Cancer to shore up her spell.
  4149. >The powerful mixed currents of her combined mana still wavered.
  4150. >She closed her eyes and took charge of her breathing.
  4151. >Moments later she opened her eyes once more, a brilliant blue light radiating out of them.
  4152. >Aquarius held.
  4153. >Applejack fell still.
  4154. “That was a very stupid thing to do.”
  4155. >”Weren’t me, honest! They just do that sometimes!”
  4156. >A transparent and laughable lie.
  4157. >Coming from Applejack.
  4158. >The pony who was honest to a fault.
  4159. >The pony who was terrible at lying even when they tried.
  4160. “If it were anypony else I’d say they were lying. What do you mean they do that sometimes?”
  4161. >”Exactly what I said. Sometimes they just go off on their own.”
  4162. “Seriously? That’s a little hard to believe.”
  4163. >”Y’know how I said I wanted to help, an’ that all I could do was be a test? Still true. Some of these bits ain’t workin’ right just yet. Sometimes they itch for no reason, an’ sometimes they just start kickin’.”
  4164. >That was interesting.
  4165. “Go on.”
  4166. >Applejack opened her mouth.
  4167. >Nothing came out.
  4168. >Her tongue was frozen in place.
  4169. “Contract?”
  4170. >She nodded.
  4171. “I know you’re not the only one who’s got synthetic pieces in place. And I know they don’t play nice with Earth pony magic.”
  4172. >What else did she know?
  4173. >Who else had synthetic bits?
  4174. >Rarity, Dinky, Twilight-
  4175. >Twilight’s leg was fake.
  4176. >And she’d said she couldn’t feel it.
  4177. “You itch for no reason you say? Funny. Others say they can’t feel anything. Which means you’re different. Which means… you’re a prototype.”
  4178. >Applejack nodded.
  4179. >”They ain’t worked on ‘em much lately on account of all the other stuff they’ve been dealin’ with. I’ve been told these things look for the little bits of electricity your nerves send out when tryin’ to talk to your body an’ use that to figure out how you wanna move. Mine? They try to send feelin’ back up the other way. Sometimes it goes wrong.”
  4180. >An experimental interface.
  4181. >Fake eyes could send information to the brain, fake limbs could read it.
  4182. >They wanted to do both at once, probably in a limited area.
  4183. >Innervating the machines like that would be a nightmare, trying to get the exact nerve to be stimulated at the exact right time.
  4184. >And Applejack had lost so much, they were probably interfacing directly with the spinal column.
  4185. >Plenty of opportunity for wires to get crossed.
  4186. >”Most of the time the fancier stuff never gets sent out into the field, it just don’t work right.”
  4187. “It needs to be reliable.”
  4188. >”The hardest worker in the world ain’t no good if they don’t show up.”
  4189. >Helios had exploded the first time they’d tried to use it.
  4190. >Such a massive project, doubtlessly looked over time and again by brilliant minds.
  4191. >Still didn’t work right.
  4192. >”Sadly all the best stuff either breaks too easy or it’s too hard t’ make. That limerick teleportin’ thing, for a while they were tryin’ to go straight to wherever ‘twas you wanted to go in Equestria without botherin’ with the Nexus. Tried all sorts of things, but they just kept missin’ their target.”
  4193. >S.M.I.L.E. did seem to have a lot of troubles with malfunctions.
  4194. >Nemesis was a total failure, Helios, they had those troubles destroying their Tide samples, their problems with making Oralloy.
  4195. >Hay, even Luna’s gun broke down that one time.
  4196. >And those were the things that they DID think were stable enough to be used!
  4197. >This meant something, Lyra just wasn’t sure what yet.
  4198. “Alright. I don’t suppose you know much about how the Tide works?”
  4199. >”Can’t say I do.”
  4200. “And I don’t suppose you know why they wanted to build these giant cities?”
  4201. >”Not my department.”
  4202. >Lyra released her magic.
  4203. >There was nothing more to be done here.
  4204. “Thank you, Applejack. And I’m sorry. I have nothing against you or your family, hay, I actually know a couple of Apples. You’re a good lot. I just needed to know more.”
  4205. >”So y’all are gonna leave us alone?”
  4206. “Probably. I might come back to you with some questions later on. If I do can we skip the first part? I don’t much enjoy threatening good ponies.”
  4207. >”Coulda fooled me.”
  4208. >Ooh.
  4209. >She’s mad.
  4210. >”Y’know ya can’t do it, right?”
  4211. “What do you mean?”
  4212. >”Ya can’t stop the Tide. Nothin’ can.”
  4213. >It was strange.
  4214. >She didn’t sound saddened by this.
  4215. >She didn’t even sound scared.
  4216. >It was as though Applejack was resigned to that fate, like she’d just accepted this was the end.
  4217. >It wasn’t like her to give up on anything.
  4218. >What had broken her spirit so?
  4219. >Was it the wounds she’d suffered?
  4220. >Or was it just that she knew she couldn’t help?
  4221. >That she’d spent months or even years lying in bed awake at night, knowing what was happening?
  4222. >And knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop it?
  4223. >Feeling useless?
  4224. >Feeling like Lyra had when Bon-Bon was out on assignment.
  4225. >”Lots of really smart ponies have been beatin’ their heads against this problem, you aint about to crack it on your own.”
  4226. >It was a good thing Lyra wasn’t on her own then.
  4227. “We’ll see. Try to have a good rest of your day.”
  4228. >Lyra backed out of the barn, not daring to take her eyes off of Applejack.
  4229. >Applejack followed her.
  4230. >Fearless.
  4231. >Or perhaps simply uncaring.
  4232. >Lyra made a point of going in the opposite direction of the Crusader’s clubhouse, a path that Applejack seemed to make note of.
  4233. >She didn’t break eye contact until Lyra was well away.
  4234. >Realisation hit Lyra.
  4235. >Applejack’s behaviour all made perfect sense.
  4236. >She slowly approached once more.
  4237. >Applejack tensed visibly, but stood her ground.
  4238. “You’re sterile, aren’t you.”
  4239. >”Got no naughty bits. Not that it’s any of your business.”
  4240. >Apples were well known for their love of family.
  4241. >She’d lost her raison d’être.
  4242. “I’m so, so sorry. It’s-”
  4243. >”Don’t. I’ve come to terms with it. Don’t need you openin’ that old wound up again.”
  4244. “Alright, but if you ever want to talk about it you know where to find me.”
  4245. >”I don’t even know who you are!”
  4246. >Oops.
  4247. >”Been told they might be able to do something about it someday, but I ain’t holdin’ my breath. Most of that kind of stuff got put on hold.”
  4248. >The Tide had caused far too much pain.
  4249. >It was who knows how many astronomical units away and still it found ways to hurt good ponies.
  4250. >It was high time to stop it.
  4251. >”Well? Git!”
  4252. “Oh right!”
  4253. >Lyra left for real this time.
  4254. >She was proud of herself for that one.
  4255. >Sure, she'd said some terrible stuff.
  4256. >But she'd kept her promise to Derpy, nopony got hurt.
  4257. >Starlight had been right, the threat was all you really needed.
  4258. >Lyra was so close, she could feel it!
  4259. >She just needed to ask the right pony the right questions.
  4260. >Maybe it was time to chat with Rarity?
  4261. >Yes, that’s what she’d do next.
  4262. >Lyra levitated some rainwater out of a barrel and washed herself up.
  4263. >She began to trot her way back to town with a slight spring in her step.
  4264. >As she breached the outskirts of town she couldn’t help but hum happily.
  4265. >It was all coming together.
  4266. >There WAS light at the end of the tunnel, they WERE going to get through this.
  4267. >And best of all, the fighting was almost over.
  4268. >Nopony else had to get hurt.
  4269. >She and Bon-Bon and everypony else could live happily and peacefully-
  4270. “Why am I lying down? And why do I hurt?”
  4271. >There was no sun.
  4272. >There was no LIGHT!
  4273. >All around her reality itself seemed to fade away.
  4274. >There was no light, not even darkness.
  4275. >All that existed was an oppressive murky nothingness, an infinite void of null.
  4276. >The void hungered, its infinite cold crying out, echoing through something more empty than space, calling for something older than time.
  4277. >Somehow, Lyra KNEW.
  4278. >It was angry.
  4279. >She tried to move, to run, to scream, to do ANYTHING!
  4280. >But there was nothing.
  4281. >There wasn’t even nothing.
  4282. >Her very essence was being bombarded by an unknowable power, something that passed straight through her body and her mind to bore deep into her very soul.
  4283. >The cosmos itself was glaring at her, judging her, casting its innumerable condemnations.
  4284. >She wasn’t even a speck of dust in this place.
  4285. >She was infinitesimal.
  4286. >Not worthy of the reckoning that she KNEW as coming.
  4287. >As it always had been and always would be!
  4288. >This HATRED and FURY that bore down upon her was eternal, unending, and most of all?
  4289. >Impatient.
  4290. >”WHERE IS IT?”
  4291. >Reality itself trembled at the roar, every molecule, atom, quark- even the quantum foam scurried to get away from this terrible power.
  4292. >Lyra instinctively reached for her magic, desperate for anything to protect herself.
  4293. >She pulled in as much power as she could, a mere match against an omnipresent blizzard.
  4294. >And she nearly vomited.
  4295. >There was no mana to be found.
  4296. >Just a sickly oil that burned in her veins, an impossibly vile toxin that seemed intent on destroying her very essence.
  4297. >Her body, if she still had one, was no doubt convulsing violently in a vain attempt to jettison this otherworldly concoction.
  4298. >There was nothing to be found in this realm but hate and pain and fear hatefearpainfearNONONONONO!
  4299. >”WHERE DID YOU PUT THE ORALLOY!”
  4300. “I don’t have any!”
  4301. >Lyra was falling.
  4302. >Fast.
  4303. >There was no bottom to this pit, no chance of escape.
  4304. >An eternity plummeting into the nothing that surrounded her, an unending torment from which not even death could save her.
  4305. “I swear I didn’t steal any!”
  4306. >”I don’t have time for this.
  4307. >Everything stopped.
  4308. >Suddenly Lyra was quite calm.
  4309. >So calm.
  4310. >Beyond calm.
  4311. >There was no reason to do anything, she didn’t even have to think.
  4312. >Lyra barely registered that Ponyville was back.
  4313. >She noticed that there was a dark blue alicorn standing in front of her, glaring down at her.
  4314. >It didn’t matter.
  4315. >She should just stop noticing things.
  4316. >”Did you steal any oralloy?”
  4317. “No, Erebus.”
  4318. >Erebus looked angry.
  4319. >But that was okay.
  4320. >It didn’t really matter.
  4321. >”Do you know anypony who did?”
  4322. “No, Erebus.”
  4323. >”Do you know where any oralloy is?”
  4324. “Yes, Erebus.”
  4325. >”I KNEW IT! Where? Where is the oralloy?”
  4326. “Beneath a fake water tower near the railroad north of Canterlot, Erebus.”
  4327. >”No. No, this- do you know of any other places where I might find some?”
  4328. “Yes, Erebus.”
  4329. >”Well, WHERE?”
  4330. “In a missile stockpile north of the Crystal Empire, Erebus.”
  4331. >”WHERE ELSE? Where is it?”
  4332. “I don’t know, Erebus.”
  4333. >”No, no. This isn’t happening.”
  4334. >Erebus began to pace back and forth hurriedly.
  4335. >Something was bothering her.
  4336. >But that didn’t matter.
  4337. >”Do you know of ANYONE who stole ANYTHING related to a nuclear weapon?”
  4338. “Yes, Erebus.”
  4339. >”TELL ME!”
  4340. “You did. You stole multiple nuclear weapons, Erebus.”
  4341. >A fog began to drift out of Lyra’s mind.
  4342. >A murky veil that she hadn’t even noticed fell away from her eyes.
  4343. >Something was wrong.
  4344. >”I was CERTAIN it was you! This isn’t good, we need to find it.”
  4345. “Ugh. What just…”
  4346. >Lyra tensed up.
  4347. “Did- was that mind control?”
  4348. >”Lyra, some oralloy has gone missing. I don’t know how you know what that is and I don’t care right now. You know things you’re not supposed to so maybe you can help. If you find out ANYTHING about this tell somepony RIGHT AWAY! It is INCREDIBLY dangerous. Any madmare armed with that could slay ponies by the score, if they haven’t accidentally killed themselves already. We need to get a team together to track this down, perhaps-”
  4349. >Luna’s eyes went wide.
  4350. >”I thought we had more time.”
  4351. >She vanished in a burst of light.
  4352. >Lyra sat on the ground.
  4353. >Her memory was… fuzzy.
  4354. >Something terrible had happened.
  4355. >She knew that it was bad…
  4356. >And she knew that it had happened to her.
  4357. >But she wasn’t quite sure what it was.
  4358. >Something felt… dirty.
  4359. >Impure.
  4360. >Something on the inside.
  4361. >Her heart was hammering away, her breathing was quick and frantic.
  4362. >Her legs were trembling.
  4363. >And she was so sleepy.
  4364. >Something had scared her.
  4365. >Luna had scared her.
  4366. >But she couldn’t remember how.
  4367. >No, that wasn’t true.
  4368. >She just couldn’t understand the memory.
  4369. >It didn’t make sense, her brain couldn’t quite process what had happened.
  4370. >Luna had done something to intimidate her.
  4371. >Something evil.
  4372. >Then she’d used mind control, one of the most taboo spells.
  4373. >She’d thrown morality away to root out the danger and protect the ponies.
  4374. >Just as Lyra had.
  4375. >It didn’t feel good to be on the receiving end.
  4376. >She struggled to her hooves and began to walk as briskly as she dared back home.
  4377. “Deep breaths.”
  4378. >She just had to get home and relax.
  4379. >Hang out with Bonny.
  4380. >Be safe.
  4381. >Today had been-
  4382. “No.”
  4383. >No, there were only TWO reasons Lyra could think of for Luna’s parting words.
  4384. >Only TWO things that would be more urgent than missing oralloy.
  4385. >Either the Tide was a decade early, or…
  4386. >Eurynomos was coming.
  4387. >Lyra began to gallop home at full tilt.
  4388.  
  4389.  
  4390. * * * * *
  4391.  
  4392. >Lyra rounded the corner ‘round the block, her legs carrying her far too slowly for her tastes.
  4393. >The sky had darkened a great deal since that morning, the once bright and warm rays having faded out until a dull and cool twilight.
  4394. >The promise of evil hung over Ponyville and indeed, all of Elysium, casting a malevolent shadow of rage and fear across the land.
  4395. >The warmth, the light, the Harmony- all had stepped aside to make way for what was to come.
  4396. >It felt as though the heavens themselves were looking down on them, observing their failings and judging their solutions.
  4397. >Judging, maybe even condemning, but not intervening.
  4398. >There would be no help from on high, no salvation from above.
  4399. >Houses and shops blurred past in the periphery of Lyra’s vision.
  4400. >Each window glowing faintly with light, a portal into a shelter from the coming storm.
  4401. >An oasis of sanity, of normalcy, a small little pinprick of harmony that had yet to sink beneath the rising waters.
  4402. >Dozens of homes, each and every one of the residents blissfully ignorant of the world at large.
  4403. >Would they appreciate the atrocities being committed to keep them safe?
  4404. >Would they condemn them?
  4405. >It mattered not what they thought, they were useless, vestigial!
  4406. >The common pony could contribute nothing at this moment.
  4407. >At best they’d be a burden.
  4408. >Even Lyra herself, for all her practice and all her magical prowess, was outmatched.
  4409. >For her to face Eurynomos would be as futile as trying to mop up the ocean, more dangerous than playing russian roulette with a chain gun.
  4410. >What did it matter what they thought?
  4411. >What did it matter what anypony thought?
  4412. >Did thinking matter?
  4413. >Lyra shook her head violently in an attempt to clear her head.
  4414. >Racing thoughts and panic were to be expected in this moment, but they weren’t helping.
  4415. >She HAD to get home before Bon-Bon left.
  4416. >Home came into view.
  4417. >The lights were on.
  4418. >She wasn’t too late.
  4419. >Lyra burst through the door without bothering to close it behind her.
  4420. “Bon!”
  4421. >There she was, sitting in the kitchen.
  4422. >Writing a note as though she had not a care in the world.
  4423. >Wait, no.
  4424. >It was subtle.
  4425. >Her eyes were just a bit too wide, her muscles a bit too tense.
  4426. >She was all scared.
  4427. >”Lyra? What's wrong?”
  4428. >Lyra dragged her hooves through the kitchen, her heart pounding and lungs burning.
  4429. “You're leaving, aren't you.”
  4430. >Bon-Bon averted her gaze slightly.
  4431. >”Yeah. I have to.”
  4432. “But you CAN'T! They can't make you face that thing again! We'll run away, live with the dragons or something, put it ALL behind you! PLEASE!”
  4433. >Lyra wrapped her forelegs around Bon-Bon protectively.
  4434. >”You know we can't run from this. He'll find us eventually. Probably only take weeks.”
  4435. “What's wrong with weeks? Weeks is a long time, we can do a lot in weeks!”
  4436. >”Lyra, please. We can beat him. We have a plan, we have allies, he's walking into a trap!”
  4437. “But-”
  4438. >”Shh. It's going to be okay.”
  4439. >Bon-Bon started patting Lyra on the back gently.
  4440. >”I wouldn't go if I didn't think I could win. When all's said and done I'm going to be the last one standing, I promise.”
  4441. “But-”
  4442. >”When he's gone I'm going to be put if the game. Then we can celebrate however you like. You know how you've always wanted to see the glacier fields up north? We'll go on a vacation. Together.”
  4443. “But… what if you don’t come back?”
  4444. >Lyra couldn't hold her tears back a second longer.
  4445. >She buried her muzzle in Bon-Bon's mane, took a breath of the soft sugary scent.
  4446. >And then she wept.
  4447. >Lyra tried to talk, tried to say anything and everything at once.
  4448. >Not a single word left her mouth.
  4449. >She couldn't think, much less talk!
  4450. >She was only vaguely aware of the world around her, there was no house, no furniture, no Bon-Bon, there wasn't even a self!
  4451. >All that existed in this world was grief, the sheer weight of it all crushing any thought or emotion that dared to try and make itself known.
  4452. >Whether she wept for seconds or hours she couldn't say.
  4453. >Her body fell limp on Bon-Bon.
  4454. >Lyra’s legs dangled off her roommate's back limply.
  4455. >It was just too much work to stand up, too tiring to go on.
  4456. >”Hush now quiet now it's time to lay your sleepy head…”
  4457. >Bon-Bon’s singing voice was as smooth as gravel.
  4458. >Yet it still brought some semblance of peace to Lyra’s weary soul.
  4459. >Her heart ached to hear more.
  4460. >Her heart sank as the end grew closer, as they steadily approached the final words.
  4461. >As they approached Bon-Bon’s final words.
  4462. *SNIFF*
  4463. “I can't lose you. I need you.”
  4464. >”It's going to be okay.”
  4465. “I'm not ready to say goodbye.”
  4466. >Bon-Bon pushed Lyra back a little and held her up to her face.
  4467. >She stared Lyra straight in her watery eyes.
  4468. >”Lyra. I can beat them. This isn't the end.”
  4469. “How?”
  4470. >”Do you trust me?”
  4471. >Lyra nodded slowly.
  4472. >”I want what's best for you. You mean more to me than I can ever say. And if what's best for you is me surviving then that's just what I'll have to do. I Pinkie promise.”
  4473. *sniff*
  4474. >Somehow, she wasn’t convinced.
  4475. “I thought I was ready for today. I knew it was coming. We both did.”
  4476. >Lyra took in a deep, trembling breath.
  4477. “I made something for you.”
  4478. >Lyra used her magic to pull open the cupboard.
  4479. >A small, shiny piece of metal floated out.
  4480. >A silver pendant in the shape of a candy.
  4481. >”You didn't.”
  4482. “Not yet. I just need to cast the spell.”
  4483. >The pendant floated its way up to Lyra’s horn.
  4484. >Lightning are between the two in a blinding flash, a sound like a thousand frenzied whips in her ear seemed to be trying to bore through her skull.
  4485. >The whole kitchen was consumed by a vortex of ice winds that cast everything into disarray, casting cutlery and dishes about.
  4486. >And just as suddenly as it had started, it was all over.
  4487. >Lyra’s magic was contained.
  4488. >She had created an artifact for a second time, an object that trapped someone's magic in a tiny crystal.
  4489. >Her body went totally limp in Bon-Bon’s grip, and the pendant fell to the ground with a pleasant ringing sound.
  4490. >”LYRA!”
  4491. >Bon-Bon shook her just a little too hard.
  4492. >Panic was evident in her eyes.
  4493. >”No, Lyra! Talk to me!”
  4494. “Ugh. Now I'm dizzy.”
  4495. >”You aren't hurt?”
  4496. “No. Just dry.”
  4497. >”Oh. Oh thank goodness, don't scare me like that!”
  4498. “Sorry, I wanted to get it done when you weren't here as a surprise. I thought I had more time.”
  4499. >Lyra cautiously put her hooves under her body and tried to stand.
  4500. >She swayed a little, but didn't fall.
  4501. >Bon-Bon reluctantly released her.
  4502. >”Lyra, I can't take this.“
  4503. “Why not?”
  4504. >”I was looking into getting a replacement, and I learned how you made it.”
  4505. >Lyra was a little surprised Bon-Bon hadn't known before.
  4506. >”This isn't just a lump of metal. It's you. Your essence. Trapped in a tiny gem. It's not right to do this to you.”
  4507. “It's fine. I knew what I was doing.”
  4508. >Bon-Bon cast a stern glare.
  4509. >Though it may have looked different to others, Lyra knew there was no anger in it.
  4510. >”We're going to destroy it and give you your magic back.”
  4511. >She raised a hoof to stomp on it.
  4512. >Lyra knocked it out of her way with her magic.
  4513. “I want to help, Bonny. I want to make a difference, but I know I'm not strong enough. If I went out there I'd just get in the way. At least this way I'm doing something. Please?”
  4514. >She levitated it up and gently hung it around Bon-Bon's neck.
  4515. >Her stare became far less intense, her stance relaxed.
  4516. >With the fear out of the way Lyra noticed something else.
  4517. >Something that had been buried beneath
  4518. >”I suppose… it doesn’t matter if it gets destroyed now or a little later.”
  4519. >She spoke slowly, cautiously.
  4520. >Her head and shoulders were dropping down and her eyes were half lidded.
  4521. >The fear was gone.
  4522. >But something else had been hidden beneath.
  4523. >Bon-Bon’s eyes started to tear up.
  4524. “Bonny?”
  4525. >”Thank you, Lyra. This is… you’re too good to me.”
  4526. “Nonsense! You’re worth it. You know I’ll always be there for you.”
  4527. >Bon-Bon stared at Lyra, or perhaps through her.
  4528. >Her eyes seemed a little unfocused, her breathing a little ragged.
  4529. >A few tears began to fall.
  4530. “Bonny? What’s wrong?”
  4531. >She just sniffled.
  4532. >It was clear she didn’t want to go.
  4533. >But this wasn’t fear.
  4534. >It was something much worse.
  4535. >This was dread.
  4536. “What aren’t you telling me?”
  4537. >Lyra placed her hoof under Bon-Bon’s chin to tilt her face up.
  4538. >Bon-Bon averted her eyes, not quite able to meet her gaze.
  4539. >She was lying.
  4540. >No...
  4541. “You’re not planning on coming back at all, are you?”
  4542. >Bon-Bon bit down on her lower lip and closed her eyes.
  4543. “But- but you promised. You said you’d come back to me!”
  4544. >”I’m sorry.”
  4545. >She turned around and began to walk to the door.
  4546. >Lyra leapt on her back and wrapped her legs around Bon-Bon’s barrel.
  4547. “No! You- you just CAN’T!”
  4548. >”I have to.”
  4549. >Lyra called on as much magic as she could.
  4550. >She pinned Bon-Bon’s tail to the ground, tried to grab at her legs, tried to do ANYTHING to stop her from moving.
  4551. >She just wasn’t strong enough.
  4552. “You can’t go! PLEASE, I’ll do anything! I- I can’t-”
  4553. >The world turned upside down.
  4554. >Lyra suddenly found herself pinned to the ground, belly up.
  4555. >Bon-Bon was sitting on top of her.
  4556. >”Lyra? Thank you. For everything.”
  4557. >No.
  4558. >”You didn’t just make my life worth living. You made it wonderful. Every day with you was a dream come true.”
  4559. “Please, don’t.”
  4560. >Bon-Bon shot her a sad, tear filled smile.
  4561. >”Please don’t be sad. The world needs your smile more than ever.”
  4562. “Bonny, don’t!”
  4563. >Lyra lost all sense of composure.
  4564. >She shuddered violently and threw her head back in a hysterical cry of sorrow.
  4565. >”I know it’s going to be hard, but try to move on. And don’t cry for me. Please?”
  4566. >Lyra thrashed about as hard as she could, desperate to grab on.
  4567. >To keep Bon-Bon from leaving.
  4568. “YOU CAN’T! NO, PLEASE! I DON’T- I- I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”
  4569. >A few stray tears fell from Bon-Bon’s face, splashing on Lyra.
  4570. >”Goodbye, Lyra.”
  4571. >Bon-Bon’s front hooves gripped at the side of Lyra’s neck.
  4572. >Her carotid arteries collapsed beneath the pressure, blood stopped flowing to her brain.
  4573. >”I’ll always love you.”
  4574. >The world went dark.
  4575.  
  4576. * * * * *
  4577.  
  4578. >The world came back into view swiftly.
  4579. >Lyra wasn’t entirely certain at first why she was lying on the ground, nor did she know why there was a pillow beneath her head.
  4580. >It was one of life’s great mysteries, just like why she kept finding candy wrappers under the bathroom sink whenever Bon-Bon was dieting, or how they always seemed to be out of honey.
  4581. >There were things that a pony just wasn’t meant to know.
  4582. >It was-
  4583. “BONNY!”
  4584. >Lyra scrambled fruitlessly for a while, her hooves skidding across the floor tiles in a frenzied pitch.
  4585. >She finally found purchase and managed to stand.
  4586. >Bonny was gone.
  4587. “Okay, don’t panic. Don’t panic! I SAID NOT TO PANIC!”
  4588. >Deep breaths.
  4589. >Slow down.
  4590. >FOCUS!
  4591. “Okay. If I were Bonny where would I be?”
  4592. >Hell.
  4593. “Not helping!”
  4594. >Okay, there had to be some clues of some sort.
  4595. >Lyra scanned the room.
  4596. >There was a piece of paper on the table.
  4597. >She cautiously approached it, scared of what it might say.
  4598. >She couldn’t help but notice tears had fallen on the page.
  4599.  
  4600. Lyra,
  4601. Sorry I could say this to your face. I tried a few times, but I just kept choking up. Somehow it’s easier to write it.
  4602. I might not come back from this one. I’d love nothing more than to leave it all behind and spend my days with you, but that’s just not possible anymore. He’s coming, and I have to stop him. I knew that this might happen, and I’ve been preparing for it for years. I’m not just sure that it’s the right thing to do, I’m sure it’s what I want to do. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I walked away from this, even if I somehow managed to escape. If I come home, yell at me as much as you want. But if I don’t? Please don’t cry over me, know that this is what I wanted.
  4603. Thank you for all you’ve done for me, and for making these past years the best I could have ever hoped for. You gave me something worth struggling for, something so wonderful that even Hell was worth it. You were my light, my life
  4604.  
  4605. >The letter stopped there.
  4606. >She’d lied to Lyra’s face.
  4607. >She’d promised she was going to come back home, that she was DEFINITELY going to be okay.
  4608. >She’d PROMISED that everything was going to be okay.
  4609. >Lyra had every right to be angry, to be furious.
  4610. >She would have loved to be angry.
  4611. >She wanted to rage, to scream righteous fury to the heavens, to destroy everything around her.
  4612. >ANYTHING to distract from this hollow feeling that had taken hold.
  4613. >It was over.
  4614. >She had failed.
  4615. >Bon-Bon had gone off to die and she didn’t even know where.
  4616. “No.”
  4617. >Lyra shook her head, tears flying off to the side as she did.
  4618. >She grit her teeth and ran out the door, not bothering to close it behind her.
  4619. >She was going to find Bon-Bon.
  4620. >And she was going to save her!
  4621. >But she couldn’t do it alone, she needed information.
  4622. >She needed Floor.
  4623. >The city streets seemed to mock her.
  4624. >Jubilant laughter could be heard in the distance, the sounds of happy foals enjoying their all too brief reprieve from the prison known as school.
  4625. >Families and friends milled about, each and every one of them blissfully ignorant of the horrors that even now wandered Elysium.
  4626. >Their happy chatter grated on Lyra’s ears like a torturous cacophony.
  4627. >Their idle chit-chat was worse than a thousand compositions by Philip Glass.
  4628. >How DARE they be happy in the face of this madness?
  4629. >They knew not what was at stake, they didn’t understand what Bon-Bon was doing.
  4630. >They didn’t appreciate the sacrifice, the agony that their betters had endured for them!
  4631. >She knew it was stupid to be angry at them, but she didn’t care.
  4632. >Lyra wanted to SCREAM at the whole world, to lash out at ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.
  4633. >Her heart grew heavier with every step, the impotent rage was turning inward.
  4634. >How DARE she not have stopped this?
  4635. >Why hadn’t she been better?
  4636. >Why hadn’t she…
  4637. *sniff*
  4638. >Why was this happening?
  4639. >The brilliant sun seemed blurry for some reason.
  4640. >Its warming rays pierced into every shadow in the city, caressing the streets and alleys, bringing light to even the most forgotten corners of Ponyville.
  4641. >Yet somehow failing to banish the darkness.
  4642. >A perfect, cloudless day beneath the sun yet still everything was cast in an oppressive shadow.
  4643. >Floor’s apartment came into view.
  4644. >A beacon of meaning standing tall amidst the sea of pointlessness.
  4645. >A single point from which there MIGHT be a chance to affect change.
  4646. >Lyra bashed down the front door to Floor’s apartment with a frenzied burst of magic and tore up the stairs without bothering to wipe her hooves.
  4647. >She made her way to Floor’s room and hammered heavily on the door.
  4648. “FLOOR! I NEED YOUR HELP, OPEN UP!”
  4649. >No answer.
  4650. >She hammered more vigorously, more rapidly, now using both her front hooves to slam against the wood.
  4651. “OPEN UP BEFORE I BLOW IT UP!”
  4652. >The door popped open.
  4653. >Lyra fell on her face gracelessly.
  4654. >”Quiet down, I’m trying to sleep. Do you have any idea what time it is?”
  4655. >Actually, she didn’t.
  4656. >She didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious.
  4657. “No, what time is it?”
  4658. >”I have no idea.”
  4659. >Lyra picked herself up off of Floor’s floor and stared in her half lidded eyes.
  4660. “There’s something HUGE going on right now, and I need your help.”
  4661. >”Can it wait until night?”
  4662. “Wh- NO it can’t wait until night! It’ll be too late by then, I need you to find it now!”
  4663. >Floor rubbed her eyes wearily.
  4664. >”Whatever it is it can wait. I’m going back to bed.”
  4665. “C’mon, I saved your life! That has to be worth something!”
  4666. >”You can owe me.”
  4667. >Floor turned around to go back to her bed.
  4668. “But- but- Eurynomos is in Equestria!”
  4669. >Floor stopped mid stride.
  4670. >”Oh. That probably can’t wait.”
  4671. >She walked over to her computer and poked at it a few times.
  4672. >She grabbed a can of some sort from beside her desk and chugged it.
  4673. “Is that an energy drink? Aren’t you supposed to drink those cold?”
  4674. >”I’d have to put them in the fridge though. Who has the time?”
  4675. >She tossed the can on the ground and picked up another.
  4676. >”Alright-”
  4677. >She raised a hoof to stifle a yawn.
  4678. >”I might not be able to find anything, depends on how much they’re trying to keep this quiet. We’ll check through the systems you got me into first since it’ll be easier, and- oh wow.”
  4679. “What?”
  4680. >Lyra was hovering over Floor, fidgeting nervously.
  4681. >She wanted answers NOW!
  4682. >”You were right, something huge is happening! There’s stuff being blasted on all channels, like, ALL of S.M.I.L.E. is watching at least one feed.”
  4683. “Well? What are they watching?”
  4684. >”Can’t say with most of them. It’s technical data I don’t get. Uh… these are waves. Any idea what they are?”
  4685. “That looks like a seismograph. Used to measure Earthquakes.”
  4686. >”It looks like a pattern. Aren’t Earthquakes supposed to get weaker over time?”
  4687. >She was right.
  4688. >It was growing stronger with every beat.
  4689. >About twice per second…
  4690. >120 bpm.
  4691. >Lyra was a musician.
  4692. >She knew a march when she heard on.
  4693. “They’re not measuring Earthquakes. Those are steps, and they’re getting closer.”
  4694. >”That’s an awful lot of ponies.”
  4695. >Somehow, Lyra doubted it was ponies.
  4696. “Any idea where that is?”
  4697. >”Nope. I’m tapping into a terminal in Canterlot, but I don’t know where they’re getting their data.”
  4698. >Useless.
  4699. “What else have we got?”
  4700. >”Uh, some kind of sensor that’s totally idle.”
  4701. >That wasn’t very exciting.
  4702. “Does it have a label?”
  4703. >”001-BH3.”
  4704. >001.
  4705. >Could mean Luna, could mean an agent, could mean the Tide.
  4706. >”Looks like they’re prepping a bunch of their gear. Apparently HE-1 is focusing.”
  4707. “Helios 1 and 2? Are they working again?”
  4708. >”Maybe? They’ve got a huge list of things listed as primed. Explosives?”
  4709. “Probably. Any gear that’s not prepped?”
  4710. >”Not that I can see. Looks like they’re going all out on this one.”
  4711. “I should hope so. Do we know where they’re deploying their forces?”
  4712. >”Uhh… They’ve been divided into different teams from the looks of it. I don’t know who’s in what team, and I don’t know which team is where.”
  4713. “Seriously? We need to track them down!”
  4714. >”Why though?”
  4715. “We just do. Keep digging.”
  4716. >”Weirdo.”
  4717. >Lyra pretended not to hear.
  4718. “Do we have any audio?”
  4719. >”Uhh… Tactical communications? Should I tap into-”
  4720. “YES!”
  4721. >Her speakers crackled for a second.
  4722. >There was a thunderous noise coming in from the distance.
  4723. >An unfamiliar voice spoke.
  4724. >”Bellerophon-2, fall back. Prometheus hasn’t closed the box yet.”
  4725. >”Copy that, Tac-Com. Returning to roost.”
  4726. “Bellerophon. What do we know about them?”
  4727. >”Uhh… access denied.”
  4728. “Excuse me?”
  4729. >Lyra glared daggers at Floor, who recoiled slightly.
  4730. >”Not my fault! The system we’re digging through doesn’t have permission to read those!”
  4731. >Lyra stomped on the ground, a resounding crack echoed through the room.
  4732. “What DO we have?”
  4733. >”Lyra? You’re scaring me.”
  4734. *sigh*
  4735. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m pretty tense. Just… this is really important. Things are going to get BAD here. I need to find out where agent Zero is.”
  4736. >”Zero? Wouldn’t that be their strongest one?”
  4737. “Highest ranking. Though that seems to be more or less the same thing.”
  4738. >”So… the toughest pony alive is going to be throwing down with the toughest demon ever. And you want to get involved.”
  4739. >Uhh…
  4740. >”That might be a bad idea.”
  4741. “I’m not planning on going down there!”
  4742. >”Then what ARE you planning?”
  4743. >She was planning on going down there.
  4744. “I don’t know yet, hopefully something sane. But before we can figure that out we need to find them. What else have you got?”
  4745. >”Video footage.”
  4746. >Her screen flashed a few times.
  4747. >And then they had a pegasus eye view of some remote land.
  4748. >It looked like they were in a desert of some sort, vast spans of desiccated soil were stretched out as far as the eye could see.
  4749. “What’s special about this place?”
  4750. >She didn’t have to wait long for her answer.
  4751. >A bolt of darkness tore through the skies, the dried dirt and clay erupting into a vast cloud of dust in its wake.
  4752. >Whoever it was was too small to see from this perspective.
  4753. >But there was no doubt of their identity.
  4754. >Luna had arrived.
  4755. “Zoom in.”
  4756. >”I can’t. We’re not in control of the camera, we’re just watching.”
  4757. >Tac-Com spoke again.
  4758. >”Thanatos, be advised. Prometheus is running behind schedule and we’re still preparing the fallback position.”
  4759. >”I’ll try to stall.”
  4760. >Luna’s voice was tinged with nervous energy.
  4761. >She sounded like a little filly in line for a roller coaster.
  4762. >A carpet began to spread over the blasted lands, one made of many hideous colours.
  4763. >A mixture of black and green and pus yellow was rapidly approaching Luna’s position.
  4764. >Luna held her position, allowing them to fill the area and surround her.
  4765. >They circled her, a small ring of dirt around Luna being the only visible signs of the land through the innumerable terrors.
  4766. >Lyra could hear them coming through the speakers.
  4767. >Luna’s comms had picked up the hideous and shrill cries, the coughing and choking, the sounds of vomit being sprayed about and teeth grinding against bones.
  4768. >One of the fiends stepped a little too close and was launched into the writhing crowds by some unseen force.
  4769. “There! I need to know where that is!”
  4770. >”I dunno. If we watch though we might get some hints.”
  4771. >Lyra didn’t like that “might” part.
  4772. >But it was the best lead she had at the moment.
  4773. >Something was happening.
  4774. >The vast army of hell was moving, spreading and shifting to allow a clear path to the middle.
  4775. >The camera shifted, and Lyra was treated to a close up view of Luna.
  4776. >She looked… different.
  4777. >She was darker, but that failed to describe the changes.
  4778. >Something was off, it was like she was blurry or just out of sight.
  4779. >A misty apparition that might not have even been real.
  4780. >All around her hideous and tormented faces wailed and moaned, insects crawling freely around gaping eye sockets and maggots falling from mouths.
  4781. >An unimaginably vast field of rot and decay had surrounded Luna.
  4782. >And it was hungry.
  4783. >Eurynomos walked into view.
  4784. >If anything he was more hideous than Lyra remembered, more pustulous, less pale but with more signs of gangrene scattered about.
  4785. >There were dozens of pale segmented worms protruding from open wounds in his hide, wriggling about in the sunlight.
  4786. >He walked up near Luna, his ostensibly small form towering head and shoulders above her..
  4787. >And he cackled.
  4788. >It was a bone chilling, eery laugh. One that was too cold to come from even the most vile of witch, one that didn’t even bear the warmth of life.
  4789. >An echo from some vile fiend who wouldn’t stop their evils even for death.
  4790. >Luna was trying to act calm, but it wasn’t working.
  4791. >She was moving about uncomfortably, shifting between stances and tensing her wings.
  4792. >She was rightfully scared.
  4793. >Eurynomos entered the small circle that contained Luna, and his hoards moved in to close up the exit behind him.
  4794. >Luna was trapped in the midst of all of that, stuck face to face with the thing so vile it had eaten Terror.
  4795. >”I see you still haven’t learned what a shower is.”
  4796. >Her voice was unsteady, her words rushed just a little too much.
  4797. >”Not that I’m surprised. The concept of running water is probably a bit too complicated for you.”
  4798. >Eurynomos made a show of looking around, some vile black ichor dripping from his nostrils as he did.
  4799. >”Where are your soldiers?”
  4800. >”Oh, they’ve been working really hard lately. I decided to give them some time off.”
  4801. >Was Luna mocking him?
  4802. >”Where are YOUR soldiers?”
  4803. >”Have you gone blind? Look around you. There are more Putrid here than there are bones in the Doloran wastes!”
  4804. >”I asked for SOLDIERS, not chew toys.”
  4805. >”Heh. You can’t fool me, Erebus. Maybe it’s my last meal talking, but I’ve developed a taste for fear.”
  4806. >His tongue rolled out, a forked and blackened hunk of tattered muscle.
  4807. >”Yours is exquisite.”
  4808. >”Wow. I’m honestly surprised you knew that word, not like you’ve got a lot of room for brain in that skull there. Did using big words make you sleepy? Do you need a nap?”
  4809. >”THIS is how you choose to spend your final moments? Trying desperately to laugh in the face of doom?”
  4810. >Luna nodded just a little too quickly.
  4811. >”It’s always a good time to laugh at retards.”
  4812. >Eurynomos began to walk at a slow, casual pace.
  4813. >He circled Luna wolf salivating before a wounded lamb.
  4814. >”Will you still laugh when I march through the streets of your precious lands? Will you stand and mock me when the ponies you love so much begin to rot? When their skin sloughs off and their blood turns to acid? Will you find humor when they are reduced to carrion?”
  4815. >Something was happening.
  4816. >Luna was getting harder and harder to look at.
  4817. >Lyra was staring straight at her but still she couldn’t tell for sure whether or not the princess was entirely there.
  4818. >To say she was invisible would be a lie, Lyra could see SOMETHING.
  4819. >But it was impossible to say what she was seeing, and harder still to say where exactly it was.
  4820. >Trying to look at her was like trying to stare down an endless void with one’s peripheral vision.
  4821. >Like trying to pinpoint the exact location of emptiness in an incomprehensible hallucination.
  4822. >Eurynomos finished circling his prey and stood before what was probably Luna’s head.
  4823. >”Will you laugh at me when the one you call sister is reduced to a pool of sludge?”
  4824. >A wild shriek rang out, a bolt of darkness shot out at Eurynomos.
  4825. >It wrapped around his neck and began to grow and writhe.
  4826. >Black smoke wafted from the tendril for a moment before it faded out of existence.
  4827. >Luna was no longer blurry.
  4828. >Eurynomos didn’t flinch.
  4829. >”You have to know it’s pointless. It’s too late to stop me. It’s been too late for a long time. Everything decays, everything dies. Even darkness.”
  4830. >Floor looked up at Lyra.
  4831. >She didn’t look tired for once.
  4832. >”What’s going on?”
  4833. “Uhh…”
  4834. >This made no sense.
  4835. >One versus millions?
  4836. >Luna just standing there slowing things down?
  4837. >There was no way this would work.
  4838. >Wait…
  4839. >She was stalling, attracting as much of the enemy to one position, planning on falling back.
  4840. “It’s a trap!”
  4841. >They were out in the middle of nowhere, far away from any chance of collateral damage.
  4842. >An incredible number of his monsters were crowded in a tiny place…
  4843. >And Luna had the home field advantage.
  4844. >She forced a smirk on her face and threw a rude gesture at her foe.
  4845. >”It’s going to be different this time. You’re not at home. This is OUR realm. The soil beneath you will turn against you, the skies above will betray you, you shall find no succor. THIS is Equestria. THIS is where evil comes to die.”
  4846. >”You think that shall matter? You think that when there are more of us here, ready to die at my whim than have EVER served you that you still somehow have a chance?”
  4847. >Luna laughed.
  4848. >A wild, ecstatic laughter that REEKED of madness assailed Lyra’s ears.
  4849. >Luna’s breathless mirth revelled in the promise of slaughter.
  4850. >She grabbed at her own barrel for a moment in an attempt to recover her composure.
  4851. >”You have no idea just how dead you are. I’m not just going to kill you, you disgusting bastard. I’m going to ERASE you. I am going to hunt down each and every one of your minions and snuff out whatever it is they have that passes for life.”
  4852. >She boldly reached out with a single hoof and placed it under his chin.
  4853. >”Look me in the eye, Eurynomos. Look at me. I am the end. The omega. I am your own personal apocalypse, a vengeful spirit sent from below to get revenge for what you’ve done to my ponies. Mere death is too good for you. You get OBLIVION.”
  4854. >A chill ran down Lyra’s spine.
  4855. >”I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill your followers. I’m going to BURN your camps, your hives, your nests. I’m going to cast the ashes into the depths of Inferno. I’m going to destroy all the evidence that you EVER existed, curse your name, and forbid any from ever mentioning you. I’m not just going to kill you, I’m going to kill your legacy, kill your name and your legend. And I’m going to enjoy every second of it.”
  4856. >She released her grip on his chin and stood back, wings flared.
  4857. >Eurynomos’ long, pale tongue snaked out of his mouth.
  4858. >He licked the bridge of his nose, the frayed edge left behind a sticky translucent goo in its wake.
  4859. >”You’re right about one thing, Erebus. This time is going to be different. You see, I’ve learned your Name.”
  4860. >Lyra’s heart skipped a beat.
  4861. >A true Name.
  4862. >The sound with which one’s soul resonates.
  4863. >A mere symbol to most, but to those who were bathed in corruption, to those who lived for strife?
  4864. >It was a tool.
  4865. >A lever.
  4866. >Something that could be used to terrible effect.
  4867. >”So yes, Scötus. This will be different.”
  4868. >Luna’s body went stiff.
  4869. >Eurynomos grinned.
  4870. >”Bow before me.”
  4871. >Luna fell to the ground.
  4872. >Eurynomos stood over her.
  4873. >Triumphant.
  4874. >It happened too fast to see, one moment Luna was submitting to her doom.
  4875. >The next she stood proud, her horn stabbed straight through Eurynomos’ neck.
  4876. >Eurynomos clawed wildly at Luna but failed to find purchase, she’d pulled out and taken to the air in one swift motion.
  4877. >Black ichor slowly dripped out of what SHOULD have been a lethal puncture wound as he grabbed at his neck, glaring up to the sky.
  4878. >Light pulsed briefly from Luna’s horn.
  4879. >”I told you, I’m not Erebus.”
  4880. >The haze began to form around her form once more.
  4881. >Black smoke wafted out around her, a terrible sense of dread set into Lyra’s stomach.
  4882. >Eurynomos suddenly leapt at Luna, enormous blackened fangs like daggers threatening to close around the shadow.
  4883. >Luna jumped into the air, likely with a flap of her blurred wings.
  4884. >”Is it closed, Tac?”
  4885. >”Negative.”
  4886. >The air grew thick with locusts and flies, tens of thousands of globs of acid and diseased blood fired into the air, and an innumerable hail of stingers from the ground below.
  4887. >Luna darted through the air, swerving and weaving around storm of vile terrors.
  4888. >It was impossible to tell exactly where she was, and if anything harder still to say where she was going.
  4889. >”Can’t keep this up for long! Get ready everyone!”
  4890. >There was something wrong about Luna’s voice.
  4891. >The nervous energy was still there, no doubt.
  4892. >And she still seemed frightened.
  4893. >But her voice was more complex, much richer.
  4894. >More eager.
  4895. >Joyous.
  4896. >The skies were too dark with buzzing insects for anything to be clear, there was NOTHING but an endless ocean of devilry and decay.
  4897. >The buzzing and shrieking was thunderous, each wave of bile making a sonic crack as it tore through the air.
  4898. >There was no room for a pony up there, only madness.
  4899. “I thought I knew them. I thought I knew what we were up against…”
  4900. >This was nothing like the sacking of Ponyville.
  4901. >This made the horrors of that day seem like a ray of sunshine, a joyous romp through a park.
  4902. >There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to stand, nowhere to FLY!
  4903. >This wasn’t a detachment of a few million demons running wild in the streets.
  4904. >This was the entirety of Hell’s might being brought down as one.
  4905. >The desecration of Equestria was merely the beginning of what was in store for them.
  4906. >There was no imagining their sick desires, no anticipating their abominable ambitions.
  4907. >Millions or even BILLIONS of tonnes of rotten flesh, an ocean of poison and torment washing over the land to swallow everything and anything worth protecting.
  4908. >And Luna was willingly facing off against it on her own.
  4909. >”IS IT CLOSED?”
  4910. >”Negative.”
  4911. >”We’re almost out of time, get ready.”
  4912. >”Sis!”
  4913. >Celestia was on the line.
  4914. >”Get out of there! You can’t take them on your own!”
  4915. >No answer.
  4916. >”They’re DEMONS! You have to get out of there while you still can!”
  4917. >”I know what I’m doing.”
  4918. >”They have a Lord on their side!”
  4919. >”Yeah. They do, they have a Lord.”
  4920. >An avatar of evil.
  4921. >A personification of sin.
  4922. >The embodiment of destruction, hatred made flesh.
  4923. >A cruel beast that lived for slaughter, that thrived on ruin!
  4924. >”They’ve got a Lord. But so do we!”
  4925. >The world grew dim.
  4926. >Not just the battlefield, EVERYTHING was dim.
  4927. >The computer’s display burned brilliantly amidst an all consuming darkness.
  4928. >Lyra pushed the blinds aside and peered out the window.
  4929. >The sun still hung in the sky, it still burned bright.
  4930. >But its radiance failed to spread, its rays found no purchase.
  4931. >A brilliant golden orb hanging in an eternal murkiness above.
  4932. >The streets below seemed as rivers of jet black ink, the towers that lined them like obsidian obelisks that hungrily devoured even the faintest hint of light.
  4933. >Lyra could scarcely see Floor’s face in the burning blue glow of the computer’s screen.
  4934. >”Whoa, that’s freaky!”
  4935. “Yeah, I’d noticed! It’s dark everywhere!”
  4936. >”No, not that. Check out Luna.”
  4937. >Lyra chanced a glance at the screen.
  4938. “Okay, that IS freaky.”
  4939. >The blurriness was decentralized.
  4940. >There were dozens of clouds of imperceivable… something scattered about.
  4941. >Non-contiguous emptiness, and archipelago of dark.
  4942. >She, or maybe THEY flitted about the black skies, their whispy and smoky forms seeming to devour the darkness that surrounded them to leave an emptiness more hollow than deep space, darker than pitch.
  4943. >A substance, or perhaps lack thereof, that Lyra could only describe as Null.
  4944. >A lance of silvery flame erupted from one of them, its for twisting and writing for a moment before resolving into a crescent.
  4945. >Within seconds each had formed their own crescent.
  4946. >It took only the blink of an eye for their purpose to be revealed.
  4947. >The crescent moons flickered through the sky at a blinding pace, illuminating their surroundings as they ripped through the endless hordes.
  4948. >The glowed brighter and brighter as each tense second ticked down, the surroundings grew darker and darker.
  4949. >Before long Lyra couldn’t see her own hoof before her face.
  4950. >All she could see was the burning wrath of Luna’s spell, the blood that drenched her weapons, and the flickering of tormented and mutilated flesh that was left in the wake of each slice.
  4951. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
  4952. >Floor made a strange retching noise.
  4953. >”Imagine the smell.”
  4954. “The smell of millions of bodies being ripped apart? I’d rather not!”
  4955. >Lyra’s head felt like it was about to rupture.
  4956. >Her mouth was drier than a desert made of silica gel.
  4957. >She knew this feeling.
  4958. >She was out of mana.
  4959. >She’d assumed that this feeling was the result of some grand unified front, a herd of powerful unicorns coordinating to conjure some mighty enchantment.
  4960. >It looked like she’d been wrong.
  4961. “Floor, you okay?”
  4962. >”Whoa, what’s wrong? You sound terrible.”
  4963. >Are there any other fights going on?”
  4964. >”I think so, but we don’t have video.”
  4965. >Lyra laid down on the ground.
  4966. >She just didn’t have the strength to stand.
  4967. >She tried to look up at the screen, but failed.
  4968. >”Her spell’s coming apart. What’s going on?”
  4969. >Everything was hazy.
  4970. >Lyra felt like vomiting, but couldn’t muster the strength.
  4971. >She lost track of time.
  4972. >When things came back into focus, she could dimly see a worried Floor looking at her face.
  4973. >”Wake up! C’mon, you’re half of the ponies I can talk to, please wake up!”
  4974. “Ah. Water.”
  4975. >She could dimly hear the sound of water running.
  4976. >An agonizing few seconds later something warm and wet was being poured into her mouth.
  4977. >It left behind a putrid aftertaste and a greasy film.
  4978. >Lyra choked on it for a moment.
  4979. >But the worst seemed to have passed.
  4980. “That’s happened a few times before.”
  4981. >”Are you okay?”
  4982. *Cough cough*
  4983. “Yeah. I think Luna took all the magic for a bit.”
  4984. >”She’s still going at it.”
  4985. >Lyra managed to lift her head high enough to look.
  4986. >Sure enough, the spells were still flying through the sky.
  4987. >But they were no longer silver crescents.
  4988. >They had resolved into discs, their colour had changed to a deep fiery red.
  4989. >Something felt tainted in the pit of Lyra’s stomach.
  4990. >She felt guilty for merely witnessing the onslaught.
  4991. “That’s not unicorn magic anymore.”
  4992. >At least, not purely unicorn.
  4993. >That spell was EVIL.
  4994. >She could feel it in the pit of her soul, that THING wasn’t right!
  4995. >An abomination, a cruel and hateful wretch that didn’t belong in their realm!
  4996. >All at once the darkness lifted.
  4997. >The discs vanished from sight.
  4998. >A strange sensation of peace set into Lyra’s heart.
  4999. >And Luna screamed.
  5000. >”SHIT! I’m-”
  5001. >Her voice went silent.
  5002. >Celestia yelled out something unintelligible.
  5003. >The swarm fell from the sky gracelessly, flies and other disgusting bugs raining down like hail on the blasted lands below.
  5004. >And Luna was falling too.
  5005. >Not a blurry shadow that kept just out of vision.
  5006. >A dark blue pony with a massive weeping gash that started at her barrel and headed all the way up to her ear.
  5007. >Down on the ground, beneath the hail of death stood Eurynomos.
  5008. >He had one of his claws pointed toward the heavens, fixed on Luna’s falling form.
  5009. >For what purpose, Lyra couldn’t imagine. Was it an evil incantation? A signal? A threat?
  5010. >It mattered not, he had marked Luna for death.
  5011. >Disgusting monstrosities circled below her, waiting for their chance to rip into her flesh; there was to be no fighting chance, no reprise.
  5012. >But sometimes, even the enemy’s plans fail.
  5013. >Luna vanished from the battlefield with a flash of unicorn magic.
  5014. >And the whole world turned white, consumed in a fiery inferno.
  5015. >Lyra held her breath, as did everyone else watching.
  5016. >Had it worked?
  5017. >Was it over?
  5018. >Floor looked up at Lyra.
  5019. >”So, like, is Luna dead?”
  5020. “I don’t think so.”
  5021. >Lyra had seen her teleport away.
  5022. >Had that been the plan?
  5023. >Group them up, disengage, and wipe them out?
  5024. >It seemed too simple.
  5025. >Too easy.
  5026. >Luna’s voice came back in.
  5027. >”Tell my sister I’m okay. Thanatos, I’m out for- ah, at least five.”
  5028. >Somepony else cut in.
  5029. >”Five? You mean five CENTURIES, right?”
  5030. >”I’ll be ready in five minutes. He’s going to be there before me. Tac, do we have visual?”
  5031. >”Affirmative. He’s on the move.”
  5032. “ALREADY?”
  5033. >He was just nuked!
  5034. >”Signs of light damage, surface burns mostly around the head and neck. No entourage detected. Oracle, any movements?”
  5035. >”Infernal rift’s wide open, backup’s coming. ETA whenever he feels like.”
  5036. >”Roger. Get ready, Thanatos. He’s coming.”
  5037. >The feed flipped through half a dozen displays, each showing a different part of the Equestrian countryside.
  5038. >Each swarming with demons.
  5039. >Grasslands, barrens, deserts-
  5040. “Are those the Macintosh mountains?”
  5041. >That didn’t make sense.
  5042. >There were no swamps around there, no deserts.
  5043. >Unless.
  5044. >No.
  5045. >Lyra REFUSED to believe they spanned the entire continent.
  5046. >That was impossible!
  5047. >But there was no denying there were too many of them, FAR too many.
  5048. >They had emerged from the far south, below Equestria’s border.
  5049. >And they were surging forth almost unopposed, consuming and desecrating everything in their path.
  5050. >It was only a matter of time before they consumed the entirety of Equestria.
  5051. >”ALFA-2, ECHO-3, SIERRA-2, and OSCAR-1 are overrun.”
  5052. >”Fire!”
  5053. >That was Celestia!
  5054. >Cadence chimed in.
  5055. >”Launching. ETA 10 minutes. Get all personnel out of there!”
  5056. >Lyra collapsed on her haunches.
  5057. >This was too much.
  5058. >This was BEYOND too much!
  5059. >There was no counting them, much less stopping them!
  5060. >The ponies were outnumbered beyond comprehension, outgunned beyond measure.
  5061. >This was the end!
  5062. >Forget the tide, they were dying TODAY!
  5063. >Floor seemed impassive.
  5064. “HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?”
  5065. >”They have the Tide, right? What’s there to worry about?”
  5066. >She had no clue.
  5067. >Something was going to go wrong.
  5068. >Something ALWAYS went wrong.
  5069. >”Hey, something’s happening!”
  5070. >Eurynomos had moved on inland, he was carving through the countryside at a blinding speed with massive blasts of dirt and rock erupting into the sky as heavy artillery rained down around him.
  5071. >He paid no heed to the torrent of explosives. He charged straight through.
  5072. >The heavy shockwaves of the explosives tossed him around like a filthy rag.
  5073. >It mattered not where he landed, nor how many times he was hit.
  5074. >He’d ALWAYS land on his claws and dig into the ground with his claws, firing off like a bullet in the blink of an eye.
  5075. >It was hard to get a clear view through the blasts and the speed, but he didn’t even seem to be slowing.
  5076. >But then, quite suddenly, he stopped.
  5077. >Eurynomos skidded along the landscape burning off his momentum and allowing himself to come to a standstill.
  5078. >Tac-Com was as surprised as Lyra.
  5079. >”Tango’s stopped?”
  5080. >He stared at the sky for a moment, seeming to take a chance to appreciate the endless deluge of explosives.
  5081. >Then he raised a claw up to the heavens, appearing to be pointing at a specific missile.
  5082. >The air pulsed and warped, impossible hues permeated the skies around him.
  5083. >And the skies around Lyra.
  5084. >His vile magics had seemingly reached everywhere.
  5085. >But Lyra felt nothing.
  5086. >What was happening?
  5087. >Cadence screamed to the high heavens!
  5088. >Celestia cut in before anypony else could speak.
  5089. >”What the hay is happening? Cadence, talk to me!”
  5090. >”We’re picking up spikes in radiation EVERYWHERE! Missiles, stores, refineries, ore- It looks like a rapid decay of our oralloy across the board! This should take centuries to happen!”
  5091. >”Are you hurt?”
  5092. >”Forget that, we have no nukes!”
  5093. >A deathly silence hung over the comms.
  5094. >The deadliest weapon the world had ever seen.
  5095. >An unimaginable horror, brought in from a long dead race of spacefarers.
  5096. >The fires of creation stolen from the hearts of the stars themselves!
  5097. >A vast arsenal built up over YEARS with nigh on unlimited funding, the best and brightest minds of their generation toiling and slaving away to perfect the art of destruction.
  5098. >Ruined.
  5099. >Made to waste.
  5100. >All from ONE spell.
  5101. >Lyra was lying on the floor trembling.
  5102. >It had taken him SECONDS to cripple S.M.I.L.E.
  5103. >In the blink of an eye he had reached out across all of Equestria and made his presence known.
  5104. >Bon-Bon couldn’t stop that.
  5105. >NOTHING could.
  5106. >Floor gently poked Lyra.
  5107. >”You okay?”
  5108. >Lyra tried to say “no”.
  5109. >She just whimpered.
  5110. >Celestia’s voice returned.
  5111. >To her credit, Celestia was handling it better than Lyra was.
  5112. >”Tac. We have no nuclear arsenal.”
  5113. >”What about the strikes I called in earlier?”
  5114. >”Negative.”
  5115. >”And the mines?”
  5116. >”Negative!”
  5117. >”He’s redirecting toward Echo-3, looks like he has eyes on Cloudsdale. Without our arsenal we’ve got nothing to stop him.”
  5118. >”Luna-”
  5119. >”Do NOT use my name!”
  5120. >The beginnings of a coughing fit could be heard before her microphone cut out.
  5121. >”Right, sorry, umm… Should we move Helios to Echo-3?”
  5122. >”No! Keep it locked on the ambush point.”
  5123. >”But Cloudsdale!”
  5124. >”Can it be evacuated in time?”
  5125. >”No, not a chance!”
  5126. >Several seconds of absolute silence passed.
  5127. >Then Lyra heard something she’d have never imagined in a thousand years.
  5128. >”Keep it locked.”
  5129. >No answer.
  5130. >Lyra could scarcely believe it.
  5131. >She MUST have misunderstood.
  5132. >Were they…
  5133. >No, it was impossible.
  5134. >They weren’t LETTING Cloudsdale be overrun.
  5135. >Right?
  5136. >”Get birds up there and move the city. It’ll be faster than trying to move everypony out.”
  5137. >Lyra knew that voice.
  5138. >There was only one pony with that grating tone.
  5139. >”Zero, hold your-”
  5140. >”Shut it, Tac. Get them moving. I’ll buy you all the time you need.”
  5141. >”Princess?”
  5142. >Luna replied with a furious yell.
  5143. >”Zero, get back in position! This is more important than one city!”
  5144. >”Tac, I’m Oscar Mike. There better be birds flapping by the time I arrive.”
  5145. >Dozens of voices cried out Bon-Bon’s number.
  5146. >Furious and frenzied screams demanding she obey.
  5147. >There was no reply.
  5148. >Bon-Bon was headed to Cloudsdale.
  5149. >Lyra stood up and turned to the door.
  5150. >Something hard and heavy struck her back.
  5151. >She collapsed to the ground, disoriented and dazed.
  5152. >When she’d collected herself and assessed her surroundings, she was stunned to see Floor Bored sitting on her barrel.
  5153. “FLOOR! Get off of me THIS INSTANT!”
  5154. >Floor Bored trembled.
  5155. >Lyra could hear her hyperventilating.
  5156. >The poor girl was terrified.
  5157. >”N-no! No, I won’t let you!”
  5158. >Lyra glared at her captor.
  5159. >Her horn began to glow.
  5160. >And Floor’s hoof came down hard on Lyra’s left cheek.
  5161. >A slow trickle of blood dripped from Lyra’s muzzle.
  5162. >She brought a hoof up to wipe it away, then stared at the red stain on her fur.
  5163. “You hit me?”
  5164. >”Lyra? You saved my life. Now it’s time for me to save yours.”
  5165. “You hit me.”
  5166. >”Do I have to do it again?”
  5167. ”But…”
  5168. >”You saved my life, and Derpy’s, AND her daughter’s. And you taught me that sometimes, violence IS the answer. Do I have to knock you out?”
  5169. “You don’t have what it takes!”
  5170. >A hoof struck her right cheek.
  5171. >Then her chin.
  5172. >Lyra tried desperately to cast a spell.
  5173. >It would take a mere second to knock her assailant aside.
  5174. >But Floor didn’t afford her a second.
  5175. >Her forehead took a heavy hit, then her left eyebrow.
  5176. >Pain wracked her skull.
  5177. >Her vision was hazy, her heart racing.
  5178. >Lyra couldn’t control her magic.
  5179. >She was defenceless.
  5180. >Floor stopped her onslaught to grab Lyra by the neck and shake her.
  5181. >”YOU ARE NOT IMMORTAL!”
  5182. >”But-”
  5183. >”I’m an overgrown filly who’s only exercise is masturbation, and I can still hurt you! You CAN’T FIGHT HIM!”
  5184. “Wasn’t fair! You cheated!”
  5185. >”And you think he WON’T? If you get ANYWHERE NEAR that mess you’re just going to make things worse!”
  5186. “I HAVE to!”
  5187. >”Zero will try to protect you, and she’ll get MURDERED for her trouble! Do you want that? Do you want Zero to die because you were too stupid to stay out of it?”
  5188. >An icy grip clawed at Lyra’s heart.
  5189. >”How would you even get there? Didn’t you lose the slide thing? Do you think they’re running TRAINS down to that?”
  5190. >Lyra sniffled.
  5191. “You don’t understand. I need to help her.”
  5192. >”Then help. You know more about this stuff than nearly anypony else, hay, you know more about it than some of the ponies who are actually involved!”
  5193. “LIKE WHAT?”
  5194. >”You know she has the Tide with her. They don’t.”
  5195. >Lyra blinked her slightly swollen eyes twice.
  5196. >”You’re TacCom now. Now stand up and pay attention!”
  5197. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
  5198. >Floor threw Lyra an energy drink.
  5199. >”You’ll need to focus.”
  5200. >Lyra tried to catch the can with her magic.
  5201. >She failed miserably, the pain in her skull wouldn’t allow spellcasting.
  5202. >It landed gracelessly on her belly and rolled aside.
  5203. >”Sorry I hit you so hard.”
  5204. “We’ll talk about it later. For now we need to win this.”
  5205. >She stood up and grabbed the energy drink with her magic.
  5206. >She cracked it open and took a sip.
  5207. >It didn’t soothe her headache.
  5208. >She cautiously locked eyes on the screen, fearful of what she might see.
  5209. >They had live footage of vast grasslands, lush and green with succulent grasses swaying gently in the breeze.
  5210. >A blissful and peaceful place that spoke to her most primal instincts and tried to soothe her soul.
  5211. >It was the opposite of everything that was happening.
  5212. >Tranquile, lively, harmonious.
  5213. >That was Elysium.
  5214. >And it was about to be consumed by war.
  5215. “Floor. I need you to dig up whatever info you can find on the combatants. I’m talking Eurynomos, Zero, and Luna. Known abilities, vulnerabilities, favorite music. Whatever you have.”
  5216. >”Right.”
  5217. >If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
  5218. >If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
  5219. >If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
  5220. >Brook had taught her that.
  5221. >He’d taught her much other than spellcraft.
  5222. >She wished she’d studied it more.
  5223. >Locusts began to spread over the grasslands, the recently healthy plants quickly wilting and even rotting.
  5224. >Seconds ago all had been green, now all was brown.
  5225. >The decay swept over the land in a swift and inexorable wave that demanded the destruction of all life.
  5226. >Eurynomos entered view.
  5227. >He was no longer running, he seemed content to walk at a leisurely pace.
  5228. >Anyone else, and Lyra would have thought they were tired.
  5229. >She knew better.
  5230. >He was savouring the moment.
  5231. >Staring up at Cloudsdale, anticipating the destruction.
  5232. >It was hard to say for sure, but Lyra thought she could see him shudder in anticipation.
  5233. >For the first time since he’d faced off against Luna, Lyra got a good look at him.
  5234. >His head had been charred, the tattered ears reduced to ash and blisters forming like goiters around the neck.
  5235. >The nuclear strike had had an effect.
  5236. >If only they’d had more...
  5237. >The decayed grass around him fizzled and smoked, a green smokey puddle forming beneath where it once had been.
  5238. >The goo spread out in an intricate pattern in a circle around Eurynomos, some kind of infernal calligraphy or vile symbology.
  5239. >A brilliant flame rushed in from the distance, a rocket launched from parts unknown.
  5240. >It tore across the desecrated countryside like a bolt of lightning, and collided with Eurynomos.
  5241. >The rocket didn’t explode. Rather it entangled with him sending the two sprawling along through the dirt, a massive gash tore into the countryside.
  5242. >Eurynomos regained his footing and dug his claws into the loose soil sending it flying out in a massive wave.
  5243. >He shook his head furiously, some vile fluid splattering everywhere as he did.
  5244. >Something was wrong about him though.
  5245. >She couldn’t tell what it was until he stopped thrashing.
  5246. “His eye is gone!”
  5247. >Something started moving around the wreckage of the rocket.
  5248. >A pony climbed up from the dirt and twisted metal.
  5249. >A brave, beautiful, clever, funny pony had ridden into battle strapped to a rocket.
  5250. >And Bon-Bon had taken an eye for an eye.
  5251. >She took a moment to knock the dirt out of her mane and stretch her hind legs.
  5252. >Then Bon-Bon stood as tall as she could and locked eyes with Eurynomos.
  5253. >She looked PISSED.
  5254. >”Calling in the rain.”
  5255.  
  5256. * * * * *
  5257. >”Uhh… roger?”
  5258. >Tac-Com seemed no less shocked by what had just happened than Lyra was.
  5259. >Bon-Bon had strapped herself to a ROCKET and launched herself at a DEMON.
  5260. >That was quite possibly the stupidest idea Lyra had ever heard.
  5261. >Yet it had worked.
  5262. >Eurynomos was wounded, and Bon-Bon was ready to go.
  5263. >Was this what she had to do to win the day?
  5264. >Was this the level of suicidal madness that the apocalypse demanded?
  5265. >"Where's that artillery strike?"
  5266. >”Where do you want it?”
  5267. >”My location. Needlers.”
  5268. >”You’re calling in an artillery strike… on yourself?”
  5269. >”Yes. And Tac? I have a question. WHY CLOUDSDALE IS STILL HERE?”
  5270. >Floor snorted.
  5271. >”Well, she’s dead.”
  5272. >Lyra cast a glare of enraged disbelief.
  5273. >The kind of look one might give an exceptionally ugly stallion who’d just stolen a foal’s favourite toy.
  5274. >”What? There’s no way she’s surviving this. We all know it.”
  5275. “Just… Find out what she just requested.”
  5276. >”Alright.”
  5277. >She opened a second window and began poking away at different files.
  5278. >Lyra tried to read along, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the action.
  5279. >Eurynomos’ claws groped at the dirt below him for a while.
  5280. >He bolted forward, claws shredding the landscape for traction.
  5281. >Each and every step could be seen by the jets of dirt that he launched out behind himself.
  5282. >They grew progressively further apart as he moved, six strides being all it took to close the gap between him and his prey.
  5283. >He lept at Bon-Bon, and she stood firm.
  5284. >She rolled over onto her back when he landed, striking his underbelly when he tried to claw at her.
  5285. >The vile beast was launched off into the distance, rolling gracelessly through the fields, tearing up dessicated grass and leaving a trail of grubs scattered about in his wake.
  5286. >He recovered his footing almost instantly, turning on a bit and returning for another attack.
  5287. >Something was different this time.
  5288. >Lyra couldn’t tell exactly what it meant, but things seemed… wavey.
  5289. >He leapt once more on his approach, but this time overshot.
  5290. >He landed with surprising grace, turning on a dime to charge at Bon-Bon’s rear.
  5291. >She bucked backwards, her hind hooves connecting with his chin in what should have been a lethal blow.
  5292. >He was launched into the skies, body splayed out as though it were some kind of offering.
  5293. >And he was shuddering.
  5294. >Bon-Bon was breathing mighty heavily already...
  5295. “Floor? Find anything on Eurynomos’ abilities?”
  5296. >”One thing at a time, geeze.”
  5297. >An unearthly cry filled the skies.
  5298. >The ear splitting tone grated horribly on Lyra’s ears, his tone alone was enough to bring her to debilitating pain.
  5299. >Bon-Bon began digging frantically at the ground, throwing as much of the dead grass away from herself as she possibly could.
  5300. >It didn’t take long to find out why.
  5301. >From each and every dead blade of grass erupted a hideous monstrosity, innumerable gnashing teeth, uncountable ragged claws, infinite RAGE came forth from the very ground.
  5302. >Beasts of all imaginable shapes and sizes were EVERYWHERE.
  5303. >She struggled against the walls of flesh as they closed in.
  5304. >An apparent eternity spent madly lashing out at everything that surrounded her.
  5305. >But it was futile.
  5306. >Enormous snow white serpents began to constrict her, leeches with hundreds of heads slithered about to latch onto any exposed flesh, swarms of scorpions crawled about atop the heap of flesh and death.
  5307. >Bon-Bon was consumed by the writhing mass.
  5308. >Swallowed in a pit of evil.
  5309. >Nothing could be heard save for the horrid sounds of the damned.
  5310. >Lyra tried to fall over.
  5311. >To cry.
  5312. >But her body refused to move, refused to acknowledge what had just happened.
  5313. >It was over before it had even started.
  5314. >Floor whistled.
  5315. >”Hey, Lyra.”
  5316. >Lyra opened her mouth.
  5317. >A croaking noise came out.
  5318. >”I found out what she asked for.”
  5319. >Before Floor could elaborate dozens of projectiles shot into view, each and every one detonating well above the battlefield.
  5320. >A shower of debris rained down below, the deadly hail sweeping through and mashing everything in its wake.
  5321. “Was it THAT?”
  5322. >”Yeah. Explosive charges throw heavy flechettes from high up. Think giant, rocket powered arrows.”
  5323. >Floor shook her head.
  5324. >”Needler? Couldn’t they have come up with a cooler name?”
  5325. >Bon-Bon’s microphone was picking up a high pitched shrieking noise coming from above.
  5326. >A frenzied drum roll battered all around her.
  5327. >And on her.
  5328. >Lyra could hear heavy breathing.
  5329. >Pained groaning.
  5330. >Life.
  5331. >A small beacon of life, surrounded by the decaying husks of the dead.
  5332. >She crawled out of the wreckage and gore only to collapse amidst the ichor, greedily drinking down the rancid air.
  5333. >A mere pony.
  5334. >Standing in the middle of the carnage.
  5335. >The endless sea of death, the vast fields that had been washed away by the deluge from the heavens.
  5336. >Eurynomos calmly waded through the carnage, a hunter moving to inspect a kill.
  5337. >Tac called in.
  5338. >”Zero? Zero, do you copy? What’s going on?”
  5339. >”Tac?”
  5340. >She coughed a few times.
  5341. >A dry heaving noise, sure signs of illness already setting in.
  5342. >”WHY IS CLOUDSDALE STILL HERE?”
  5343. >”Uh, right! AL-1, requesting permission to deploy… ugh. Requesting permission to deploy Admiral Awesome.”
  5344. >”I’m already on it!”
  5345. >A high pitched and energetic voice chimed in.
  5346. “Rainbow Dash?”
  5347. >”But even I can’t move a whole city! We’ll need the rest of the Wonderbolts! Princess?”
  5348. >”Negative. Get back to your post, we’ve already got a division en-route to move Cloudsdale.”
  5349. >”But princess-”
  5350. >”I wasn’t asking.”
  5351. >Princess Celestia wasn’t known for giving orders like that.
  5352. >There was not a trace of warmth in her voice, no patience to be found.
  5353. >Cold and commanding, nay, demanding.
  5354. >Even she had reached her breaking point.
  5355. >Lyra held her breath in anticipation as Eurynomos drew ever closer.
  5356. >Bon-Bon struggled to climb to her hooves amidst the bloody mud and carnage, trying to stand before the beast that had bested her in battle so many times before.
  5357. >The only creature to have ever wounded Bon-Bon.
  5358. >The only pony save for Luna to have ever wounded Eurynomos.
  5359. >He seemed to be relishing his chance to take revenge.
  5360. >Bon-Bon leapt at him, spinning her body around to deliver a brutal kick to the neck.
  5361. >Eurynomos slid across the reddened countryside, skittering through the mud.
  5362. >Floor clucked her tongue.
  5363. >”She’s not really hurting him with this stuff.”
  5364. “You’re right. She’s just moving him around, keeping her distance. That can’t be right, she’s hurting him somehow.”
  5365. >”Why?”
  5366. >Eurynomos leapt at Bon-Bon, who threw herself out of the way.
  5367. >She stumbled away from him with an awkward but hurried gait, trying to keep her distance.
  5368. “The chance at victory lie in the offense. If she’s just stalling she’s lost. She’s waiting for something- we need to send a message to princess Celestia, RIGHT NOW! The Tide has been deployed!”
  5369. >”Alright?”
  5370. “They have no nukes, and Helios is aimed at the wrong spot.”
  5371. >Floor’s eyes grew wide.
  5372. >”They won’t be able to clean it up! I’ll see if I can contact her! Shouldn’t be too hard...”
  5373. >Bon-Bon crawled away from Eurynomos as quickly as she was able.
  5374. >The disgusting monstrosity followed her, and all too soon he was standing above her.
  5375. >”I’ve been looking forward to this.”
  5376. >Bon-Bon said nothing.
  5377. >”You did well. For a mortal that is. Very few can claim the honor of having slowed me down.”
  5378. >Lyra couldn’t see what was happening to Bon-Bon with Eurynomos standing in the way.
  5379. >And she didn’t want to.
  5380. >”But through it all you made two big mistakes. Trying to kill me, and not finishing the job.”
  5381. >He was knocked aside by a headbutt, but latched onto his prey as he tumbled.
  5382. >The two entangled bodies wrestled for just a few seconds before Eurynomos once again had Bon-Bon pinned.
  5383. >Lyra could hear her gasping desperately for breath.
  5384. >A bolt of pure darkness slammed into the pair.
  5385. >Both shrieked in pain, cast apart by some invisible force.
  5386. >Luna had arrived.
  5387. >She flew down to Bon-Bon’s prone form and prodded her with a hoof.
  5388. >”You okay?”
  5389. >”Ughh…”
  5390. >”Get up, girl! We’re getting through this.”
  5391. >She offered a hoof to Bon-Bon, but their common foe was having none of it.
  5392. >He was salivating. Pus filled spittle scattered about in his wake as he moved in to destroy the princess.
  5393. >Her shadow crescents appeared before her once more, turning and slashing at the incoming evil.
  5394. >It was pointless.
  5395. >Most of her attacks slid harmlessly across his hide.
  5396. >Serrated shadow magic was accomplishing nothing, her attacks reduced to pathetic slaps.
  5397. >She leapt into the air with a mighty flap of her broad wings.
  5398. >Too late.
  5399. >Eurynomos jumped dozens of meters into the sky.
  5400. >He wrapped his wretched fangs firmly around Luna’s leg.
  5401. >The two of them fell to the ground as a stone.
  5402. >Princess Celestia screamed incoherently over the comms.
  5403. >Luna shoved her hooves into his mouth and tried in vain to pry it apart.
  5404. >A brilliant flash of her horn marked a teleportation spell, and Luna was once more in the air.
  5405. >There was a huge chunk of flesh missing from her leg.
  5406. >Lyra watched in quiet disbelief as the missing tissue seemed to fade into existence, completely mending the wound.
  5407. >But was her coat perhaps a bit lighter than before?
  5408. >And didn’t there used to be a few more stars in her mane?
  5409. “A living shadow. Able to reshape itself at will.”
  5410. >Was it really so malleable that it could simply put itself back together?
  5411. >Just spread out and restore its form?
  5412. >If she could recover from that without any consequences she'd have already won.
  5413. >There had to be a limit or a cost.
  5414. >How thin could she spread it before there was nothing left?
  5415. >A new voice came in.
  5416. >”Uhh, we have a problem.”
  5417. >It sounded like a young stallion
  5418. >Their voice was trembling with terror.
  5419. >Princess Celestia groaned in frustration.
  5420. >”What now? Is the box closed?”
  5421. >”I have eyes on Eurynomos.”
  5422. >”What?”
  5423. “What?”
  5424. >That was impossible.
  5425. >”He's guarding the infernal rift. I can't get close.”
  5426. >Lyra looked at the screen again.
  5427. >Eurynomos had somehow pinned Bon-Bon to the ground.
  5428. >His spear like legs were wrapped around her, holding her close.
  5429. >He brought his jaws down only to be struck by a brutal headbutt.
  5430. >His neck snapped back at an impossible angle, but in the blink of an eye he was moving in for another strike.
  5431. >Luna hovered near the duo, her shadow cast on the ground far too dark for the light of day.
  5432. >It stretched and spread, inky black tendrils creeping across the land and meeting with Eurynomos’ shadow.
  5433. >Luna groaned with exertion, struggling and straining against the putrid prince’s shadow.
  5434. >Finally she overpowered him, prying him off of an exhausted looking Bon-Bon and slamming him into the ground.
  5435. >Luna was panting when she called in.
  5436. >”Are you sure? We have Eurynomos right here. Prometheus? Do you copy?”
  5437. >No answer.
  5438. >”Tac! We can’t stop him summoning reinforcements. We need ideas!”
  5439. >Almost on queue the field of corpses shuddered.
  5440. >The corpses of the larger creatures exploded and ushered forth vast swarms of flying and crawling insects.
  5441. >Millipedes a dozen meters long, wasps with stingers like swords, swarms of what looked to be bright green mosquitos that ran through the air.
  5442. >Bon-Bon smashed the larger creatures as quickly as they came, seeming to do so with almost no effort.
  5443. >Enormous stingers and jagged teeth shattered when they reached her hide, exoskeletons and organs ruptured horrifically at her slightest touch.
  5444. >But the smaller ones were overwhelming her.
  5445. >Innumerable bugs crawled around and upon her, their light bodies being thrown aside by the air pressure every time she took a swing.
  5446. >Bon-Bon dropped on the ground and rolled around as though attempting to smother a fire in a desperate attempt to crush the vile creatures that crawled upon her.
  5447. >More and more climbed on as she moved.
  5448. >Before long Lyra could no longer see her.
  5449. >Floor grumbled a bit under her breath.
  5450. >”Luna’s doing a pretty good job of smashing stuff. She’s TOUGH! Say, why are you so pale?”
  5451. >Princess Celestia spoke far too calmly for what was happening.
  5452. >”Twilight, you said that the S.L.I.D.E. works on the same principles as magical teleportation, right? Can you use the engine to bend space so Hell always teleports into itself? Uh huh. Twist it beyond recognition? That’ll have to do. Attention everypony, teleportation will become IMPOSSIBLE in 30 seconds! All units retreat to a safe position immediately!”
  5453. >Floor cocked her head.
  5454. >”They can do that? Just make it impossible to teleport?”
  5455. “Maybe? It’s practically impossible to navigate hyperspace without being familiar with the destination, that’s why unicorns only teleport to places they know well or can see. They need to travel a known path or they’ll screw up. If they mess with the layout enough the known paths shouldn’t work. Never mind, what’s THAT?”
  5456. >A wreath of dark purple flames had surrounded Luna.
  5457. >Lyra’s view had been distorted by the intense heat.
  5458. >She dove into the heart of the swarm with a maddened cry that chilled the bone.
  5459. >Innumerable tiny monstrosities flared up and a thick cloud of vile smoke rose to the heavens.
  5460. >Bon-Bon screamed in agony for just a moment before her microphone cut to static.
  5461. >The smoke was too thick to allow any observer to make sense of what was happening, and Lyra was forced to wait.
  5462. “I think my heart’s going to explode. This is too much.”
  5463. >Floor seemed completely unphased.
  5464. “What is WRONG with you? Do you see what’s going on?”
  5465. >She shrugged.
  5466. “There are ponies RIGHT NOW who are staring those things down trying to protect us. Don’t you care what happens if they lose?”
  5467. >”The worst possible thing has already happened.”
  5468. >Lyra cast her an incredulous look.
  5469. >”There’s a crazy pony in my house yelling at me when I’m trying to sleep. Can’t get much worse than this.”
  5470. >Luna flapped her mighty wings down into the haze, casting the smoke away to reveal a veritable ocean of gore.
  5471. >Bon-Bon stood in the middle, her mane and tail burnt to cinder, her coat scorched and her hide reddened.
  5472. >Eurynomos was rushing at her with terrifying speed.
  5473. >His fangs were practically glowing in the light of Luna’s flames.
  5474. >Already more and more demonic minions were taking to the field, their numbers growing far faster than either Luna or Bon-Bon could possibly hope to manage.
  5475. >Even wreathed in unholy flames, their numbers and their fury only grew.
  5476. >Bon-Bon twist and turned as Eurynomos tackled her yet again, somehow managing to land atop him.
  5477. >She reared up to stomp on his face when he spat out a viscous glob of green slime.
  5478. >Luna’s magic pulled it out of the air and cast it aside in the blink of an eye, and Bon-Bon finally hit home.
  5479. >A deep fissure appeared in the soil, geysers of rock and soil flying into the sky.
  5480. >Lyra suddenly felt as though she was falling sideways.
  5481. >She clumsily stumbled about but didn’t quite fall.
  5482. >Floor wasn’t so lucky.
  5483. >The windows in their room exploded in a shower of broken glass.
  5484. >Lyra moved to pick up Floor Bored.
  5485. “You hurt?”
  5486. >”Was that an EARTHQUAKE?”
  5487. “I think so. Bo- Zero hits hard. You’re not bleeding anywhere?”
  5488. >Floor shook her head and sat up.
  5489. >”An Earth pony did that? How?”
  5490. “She’s the best. That’s how.”
  5491. >But was she good enough?
  5492. >Lyra banished the thought and returned her attention to the fight.
  5493. >Eurynomos was already climbing out of the hole.
  5494. >His lower jaw was missing!
  5495. >He extended a claw toward Bon-Bon and glared at her.
  5496. >He then raised it to the sky.
  5497. >Eurynomos’ eyes went wide.
  5498. >He repeated the action twice more.
  5499. “I think he’s trying to summon more help.”
  5500. >It wasn’t working.
  5501. >Luna cackled and dove down at her prey.
  5502. >A blood red crescent of burning darkness and rage formed before her, slamming into Eurynomos’ neck.
  5503. >Lyra felt dirty just looking at the magic.
  5504. >He rolled along the hideous battlefield for a brief while before a lance of blackness crashed into him from the heavens.
  5505. >The magic impaled him and pinned him to the ground.
  5506. >Bon-Bon climbed atop him for another strike.
  5507. >A second, smaller fissure formed and swallowed the beast.
  5508. >An unfamiliar voice chimed in.
  5509. >They sounded TERRIFIED.
  5510. >”Sector 7-B! We have eyes! Eurynomos are on the move!”
  5511. “Are?”
  5512. >”There’s- there’s THOUSANDS of them! Inbound, headed to your position!”
  5513. >Lyra nearly fainted.
  5514. >Luna didn’t pause for a second before barking out her orders.
  5515. >”We’re going to have to fall back. Move all available agents to the Unicorn Range! Set up overlapping fire zones. Hold your fire until my mark! Reposition Helios one AND two!”
  5516. “Thousands?”
  5517. >That was impossible.
  5518. >There had to be some mistake.
  5519. >Lyra tried to look at the attacker to see what Luna was going to do next.
  5520. >She couldn’t.
  5521. >She knew where Luna was, but it was somehow impossible to look straight at her.
  5522. >Lyra’s eyes refused to focus on the nothingness that had taken to the battlefield.
  5523. >It fluttered around and spread.
  5524. >Eurynomos was soon surrounded by the darkness.
  5525. >Thousands of cuts seemed to form themselves around his body, deep gashes exposing bone and organs alike.
  5526. >Chunks of flesh fell from his body, turning to ooze nearly the instant they touched the ground.
  5527. >Within seconds he’d been relieved of one of his legs.
  5528. >Floor whistled.
  5529. >”Say, Lyra. Didn’t you say you took a swing at her once? Not the best idea.”
  5530. “Ah. Ah…”
  5531. >Bonny?
  5532. >She was lying on the ground, surrounded by the remnants of Eurynomos’ summons.
  5533. >There were still far too many of them to count.
  5534. >A ghostly white cobra slithered up to Bon-Bon’s prone form, enormous fangs shining in the daylight.
  5535. >She stood to face it.
  5536. >And collapsed.
  5537. >Spent.
  5538. >It coiled around her and began to constrict.
  5539. “Ahhhh!”
  5540. >Eurynomos lashed out at the shadows and caught Luna with his vicious claws.
  5541. >He stared at the pony blood that dripped from them for a second, raising it to the sun as though it were a trophy.
  5542. >It burnt and smoked in the sun’s rays until nothing was left.
  5543. >Luna was lying on the ground, unmoving in a pile of rotten death.
  5544. >Not a shadow that can’t be seen.
  5545. >Not a malleable terror that hides in the darkness.
  5546. >A pony.
  5547. >With her mane limp, no longer blowing in the ethereal breeze.
  5548. >A cacophony of chatter and commands erupted on the comms.
  5549. >An incoherent princess Celestia soon drowned it all out.
  5550. >What remained of Eurynomos calmly walked to Luna’s prone form.
  5551. >”You really aren’t Erebus.”
  5552. >His words were ragged and lacking enunciation thanks to the missing jaw.
  5553. >But the message still got through clear as crystal.
  5554. >The words seemed to bypass the ear and go straight to the soul.
  5555. >”You really are just a pony. I have no idea how you have her magic.”
  5556. >He raised a single leg above her.
  5557. >A jagged stinger popped out of it like a dewclaw.
  5558. >”But you clearly don’t deserve it.”
  5559. >Luna squirmed, but seemed unable to move.
  5560. >Eurynomos brought the stinger down like a sacrificial dagger to her heart.
  5561. >Only to be struck by furious looking Bon-Bon moments before Luna met her end.
  5562. >He flew through the air like a rag doll, eventually landing in the mashed remains of a giant white cobra.
  5563. >She could be heard over Luna’s microphone, her breathing heavy and ragged.
  5564. >She proffered a wet, sickly cough.
  5565. >Luna grabbed at her oozing wound which was already closing before Lyra’s eyes.
  5566. >Sure enough, Luna’s coat was growing paler.
  5567. >”Backup’s almost here. We can do this.”
  5568. >She didn’t sound certain.
  5569. >”Wait. He’s not moving.”
  5570. >Sure enough, Eurynomos was still heaped on the dead cobra.
  5571. >A shiny black substance was dripping out of his eye socket.
  5572. >Luna’s eyes went wide, her face twisting into raw hatred.
  5573. >”What did you do?”
  5574. >Bon-Bon smirked at her.
  5575. >”Admiral Awesome. I need loadout two.”
  5576. >Luna looked at her dying opponent in abject horror.
  5577. >”WHAT DID YOU DO?”
  5578. >The dripping accelerated into a steady stream, and within seconds it had accelerated into a waterfall of shining blackness.
  5579. >He reared onto his hind legs and threw his head back as he shrieked at the skies.
  5580. >The viscous goo poured freely from him and scattered across the battlefield, living and dead monstrosities alike melting into the ooze.
  5581. >Bon-Bon turned and began to trot away.
  5582. >She moved almost drunkenly, stumbling with every step and swaying left and right.
  5583. >Luna called upon her magic and began to grab at the tide in a desperate attempt to pull it away from Eurynomos.
  5584. >Globs of alien machinery were cast aside from the wailing form of evil…
  5585. >A rainbow bolt shot past Bon-Bon, leaving a small box in its wake.
  5586. >Luna was pulling harder and harder at the Tide, but it was impossible for her to keep up.
  5587. >Bon-Bon reached into the box and produced a small rifle.
  5588. >A firearm?
  5589. >But why?
  5590. >She levelled it at the middle of the Tide.
  5591. >But held her fire.
  5592. >Blinding flashes of light erupted from the midst of the Tide.
  5593. >Luna howled in pain as the brilliant illumination shone over her.
  5594. >She flew higher into the sky, smoke wafting from her body.
  5595. >But she refused to let ho, she refused to stop trying to dig the monstrosity out.
  5596. >She wouldn’t let him die.
  5597. >Eurynomos charged at Bon-Bon, Tide now pouring out of dozens of open wounds.
  5598. >There was no way she could evade him.
  5599. >He was WAY too fast.
  5600. >A scream of abject terror could be heard over Luna’s microphone.
  5601. >Lyra felt a sharp pain in her horn.
  5602. >Her magic was back.
  5603. >Lyra started to sob almost instantly, the horrifying end of her favourite pony having just unfolded before her eyes.
  5604. >The Tide had become a vortex of oblivion, a massive sinkhole that threatened to swallow the entire countryside.
  5605. >Brilliant flashes of lightning and gouts of flame shot out of it.
  5606. >The blackness quickly turned into an enormous display of light.
  5607. >Fireworks to celebrate Equestria’s victory.
  5608. >A funeral pyre for the heroine.
  5609. >Eurynomos’ form could be seen rearing up into the sky, struggling to escape the rising Tides.
  5610. >He made one last desperate grab at the sky before slowly sinking into the abyss.
  5611. >Before drowning in it.
  5612. >It spread out over the rotten countryside, an enormous sinkpit of blackness and death.
  5613. >The sparks grew more intense, the fire was rising.
  5614. >Everything seemed to ripple a moment.
  5615. >And with one final blinding flash the Tide exploded.
  5616. >Metallic black powder rained down from the sky above the scorched and scarred land.
  5617. >Luna hurriedly flapped down into the exploded Tide and began to frantically dig through it.
  5618. >”Come on, come on! Where are you?”
  5619. >A hoof stuck out of the powder and tried to grab hold of something.
  5620. >It stopped moving almost instantly.
  5621. >Luna started to dig elsewhere.
  5622. >”Where are you?”
  5623. >Tac had his priorities straight.
  5624. >”We need to evac Zero. Admiral Awesome!”
  5625. >”Right!”
  5626. >A distinctive rainbow control shot into the scene and began to paw at the ground around Bon-Bon’s hoof.
  5627. >She stared over at Luna.
  5628. >”Aren’t you going to help?”
  5629. >Luna kept digging around seemingly at random.
  5630. >”She saved Cloudsdale AND you! We owe her!”
  5631. >Luna growled bitterly.
  5632. >”She’s killed us all!”
  5633. >”That’s not what I just saw!”
  5634. >Rainbow Dash grabbed hold of the hoof and began to pull.
  5635. >She took to the air and flapped furiously.
  5636. >After an apparent eternity Bon-Bon was pulled out of the ground.
  5637. >Her body was limp.
  5638. >There were small weeping wounds scattered around her body, too many to count.
  5639. >”She’s breathing!”
  5640. >Lyra let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
  5641. >Her sobbing didn’t cease though.
  5642. >Not yet.
  5643. >A huge part of her couldn’t believe it.
  5644. >She didn’t understand how anypony could survive that.
  5645. >But then, Applejack had.
  5646. >Bon-Bon muttered something that Lyra couldn’t quite hear.
  5647. >Rainbow Dash put her on her back gently.
  5648. >”Don’t worry about that. A.J. had it worse, you’ll be fine.”
  5649. >She flew away.
  5650. “Applejack had it worse?”
  5651. >It looked pretty bad.
  5652. >Bon-Bon’s body's been brutally battered before.
  5653. >Dare she hope?
  5654. “Floor? I want to know how Zero’s doing as soon as possible.”
  5655. >She sniffled.
  5656. “But at least it’s over.”
  5657. >”No it’s not.”
  5658. >”What?”
  5659. >”Weren’t there thousands of them? That’s just one down.”
  5660. “Oh. Oh no. Oh nonono.”
  5661. >Luna was growing more and more desperate with every passing second, more and more disabled Tide was cast aside.
  5662. >She was digging deeper and deeper, several meters into the ground.
  5663. >Huge tracts of what had recently been land were excavated, a mountain of black sand sat at the side of the pit.
  5664. >There was no trace of the blood or gore that had been there moments ago.
  5665. >There wasn’t even a hint of the horrors that had transpired.
  5666. >All that remained was a black powder and slag.
  5667. >Seconds turned into minutes.
  5668. >The distinctive cracking sound of firearms could be heard ringing in the distance, but Luna didn’t stop digging.
  5669. >She seemed intent on scouring the entire pit for any signs of the monstrosity.
  5670. >Thousands of them were approaching her, surrounding the pit.
  5671. >She looked up at the newcomers, her horn flared.
  5672. >A claw of pure bone shot out and grabbed Luna’s leg.
  5673. >She reacted in an instant, kicking it off and jumping into the air.
  5674. >Too late, a trail of Luna’s blood followed in her wake.
  5675. >Eurynomos climbed out of the wreckage.
  5676. >There was almost no flesh left on his body, just exposed viscera around his thorax.
  5677. >All else was bone.
  5678. >Where the bone remained, at least.
  5679. >There was no head, most of his ribs were gone.
  5680. >Yet still he fought.
  5681. >One of thousands.
  5682. >The hoard of his doppelgangers were moving in on her.
  5683. >Luna hollered into her microphone.
  5684. >”Open fire, give them everything we’ve got! And where’s my backup?”
  5685. >A storm of rockets came hammering down on the pack of demons.
  5686. >Explosions flared up by the hundreds, fire consumed the dead countryside.
  5687. >The crippled one ran towards the perimiter.
  5688. >The dense blasts and rising flames swallowed the pit whole.
  5689. >Luna could be seen hovering above the destruction, throwing sickening magics down at it in a frenzy.
  5690. >Floor poked at Lyra.
  5691. >”Hey. Zero’s stable.”
  5692. “Thank the stars.”
  5693. >”What’s going on? I’m confused.”
  5694. “I, uhh, I think Eurynomos broke the Tide. Somehow.”
  5695. >”Yeah, I got that. Why are you so worried about Zero?”
  5696. “Uhh…”
  5697. >”And why are there so many of him? I thought you couldn’t make more evil magic.”
  5698. >She was right.
  5699. >Something didn’t make sense.
  5700. >The smoke and ash rose high into the sky obscuring all vision.
  5701. >Luna flew ever further away and shielded her eyes from the rising fires.
  5702. >And after a far too tense moment...
  5703. >Eurynomos walked out of the flames.
  5704. >Not a skeletal one, a charred and blackened one.
  5705. >There was no sign of the others.
  5706. >How?
  5707. >How could ONE be powerful enough to survive, but the rest erased without a trace?
  5708. >It made-
  5709. “Wait.”
  5710. >Eurynomos wasn’t about recovery or growth.
  5711. >It made no sense for him to heal.
  5712. >But maybe he was like the greater demon in Ponyville?
  5713. >A parasite that took hold of better bodies?
  5714. “He’s changing bodies! Okay, okay. Don’t panic. They just need to kill him again, and make sure no others get to him. Floor! Tell them about that! And tell them to get more Tide out there! It actually worked!”
  5715. >They stood a chance!
  5716. >But Luna was weakened, Bon-Bon was definitely out of the fight, they had no nuclear arsenal…
  5717. >Eurynomos turned to the North.
  5718. >He raised a single claw in the air as he’d done so many times before.
  5719. >He was about to ruin something… what was coming from the north?
  5720. “And tell them to get away from their artillery RIGHT NOW! It’s about to blow!”
  5721. >Celestia’s voice boomed over the line.
  5722. >”All artillery personnel fall back! Your gear’s about to blow! Actually, everyone get away from all explosives NOW!”
  5723. >Luna slammed into him at blinding speeds, crescent shadows once again materialized before her.
  5724. >The blades of pure darkness slashed wildly at Eurynomos.
  5725. >They failed to find purchase, but they did seem to be distracting him.
  5726. >She lunged at his eye, forcing him to lower the one claw and grab the blade.
  5727. >Eurynomos crushed Luna’s weapon in his grasp.
  5728. >”Was that the Tide your sister threatened so long ago? So it was real. No matter.”
  5729. >A series of blasts erupted in the distance.
  5730. >Their rockets were gone.
  5731. >”Nothing is eternal. EVERYTHING decays. Even this Tide is nothing to me.”
  5732. >Luna stepped back in an attempt to put some distance between the two of them.
  5733. >She produced another shadow blade and crossed them before herself.
  5734. >Luna was on the defensive.
  5735. >”Where is she?”
  5736. >”Right here.”
  5737. >A shrill and quivering voice Lyra had never heard.
  5738. >It sounded like a cross between rubbing a balloon against one’s mane and scraping a chalkboard.
  5739. >Lyra’s ears burned just from hearing it.
  5740. >The newcomer stood at least three meters tall, a tripedal burly looking creature covered in a thick scaley hide.
  5741. >Their head was nearly conical, narrowing to a point up top with hundreds of pins protruding from it seemingly at random.
  5742. >Elaborate patterns had been burned into its scales, drawing attention to three tiny little reptilian eyes that blinked sideways.
  5743. >Their torso had sheathed within it six long curved swords, each one appearing to have been crafted from a different material.
  5744. >Bone, bronze, steel, obsidian, ceramic, and jade.
  5745. >Its six long and burly arms reached for the blades and pulled them out of its own torso with a moan of pain.
  5746. >Achlys was here.
  5747. >Bon-Bon had said they had an ally.
  5748. >Lyra would have never guessed it was THIS.
  5749. >Celestia took a few bracing breaths.
  5750. >”Remember, Lu. She’s going to betray us the moment she thinks she can win. Don’t let her get the upper hoof.”
  5751. >”I’m the one who told you that!”
  5752. >Achlys’ blades began to glow white hot with heat.
  5753. >She and Luna moved in to flank Eurynomos.
  5754. >He seemed unphased, choosing to attack Luna first.
  5755. >Luna brought her blades down on his face as he rushed her and jumped into the skies.
  5756. >”Flying is new to me. But that’s fine. You’re already dying, I can feel it. The very air that you breathe is poison. Your blood is turning to acid as we speak.”
  5757. >Achlys swung all six swords at him at once, each coming in from a different angle.
  5758. >Eurynomos ducked and weaved around them.
  5759. >He used his incredible speed to circle around her and bite at her legs.
  5760. >Achlys tried to kick behind herself to stop his advance, but he ducked under it.
  5761. >She stabbed downward with two swords, keeping the rest at the ready to try and stop his escape.
  5762. >But he was just too fast.
  5763. >”You couldn’t stop me before I killed Terror. What chance have you now?”
  5764. >He chomped down on her leg for just a second before another strike forced him back.
  5765. >Achlys didn’t seem to notice she’d been wounded.
  5766. >Eurynomos turned to Luna.
  5767. >”And you. You’re just a pony. You could never hope to kill a demon lord.”
  5768. >”Oh? But I already did!”
  5769. >Her horn glowed brilliantly.
  5770. >Lyra felt weak.
  5771. >She tried feebly to grab at her magic, but found no trace of the familiar rivers of mana.
  5772. >Just a weak trickle of disgusting oil.
  5773. >A brilliant red shadow began to grow around Eurynomos’ base.
  5774. >It spread and consumed his shadow, eating away at it.
  5775. >Corroding it.
  5776. >Shrinking it.
  5777. >He flailed about trying to shake it off, but it wasn’t attached to his body.
  5778. >Lyra could feel a demonic taint flooding the magic, the sickening oily sensation that came from Aquarius and spread to all the other leylines.
  5779. >Eurynomos jumped into the shadows, his teeth and claws ripping at darkness made manifest.
  5780. >He failed to make contact again and again.
  5781. >If Luna could do this all along, why hadn’t she before?
  5782. …
  5783. “Using that much magic puts a huge strain on the body. Normally the horn will give out before you can go that far, but maybe she found some way around it? Brook nearly killed himself by casting a huge spell.”
  5784. >An orange haze came from Achlys’ blades as she waded into the darkness.
  5785. >She swung wildly and furiously at Eurynomos.
  5786. >She brought down all six blades at once, aiming for his back.
  5787. >Eurynomos tried to jump out of the way, but Luna revealed herself right before him.
  5788. >The strike hit home, and six massive gashes cut halfway through his body.
  5789. >Eurynomos screamed in an unearthly shriek of agony.
  5790. >Achlys giggled.
  5791. >”Yes! Focus on the pain. Feel it. Eat the pain. Pleasure will make you an addict, joy is fleeting, and fear is dead. You can only trust PAIN!”
  5792. “What kind of logic is THAT?”
  5793. >Achlys moved for another swing.
  5794. >Eurynomos caught one of the swords in his teeth, shattering the ceramic.
  5795. >Achlys used her now free hand to try and grab at his neck.
  5796. >The moment her hand wrapped around it dozens of worms burrowed out of his flesh and into hers.
  5797. >Achlys amputated her own arm without hesitation.
  5798. >”That’s new.”
  5799. >Bone was already and visibly protruding from the wound with fresh flesh quickly growing around the shoulder.
  5800. “Oh come on! This isn’t even fair!”
  5801. >They could ALL shrug off wounds like that?
  5802. >How the hay was Bon-Bon expected to match that?
  5803. >At least she was well away from it all.
  5804. >Safe at last.
  5805. >And she’d never have to face those things again.
  5806. >They just had to get rid of the demons and everything would be okay.
  5807. >Right?
  5808. >Luna and Achlys began to swing at the rotten husk of flesh with renewed vigor, each and every strike more furious and brutal than anything Lyra could have ever hoped to manage.
  5809. >Eurynomos’ burning shadow continued to flare and shrink, and with it his body.
  5810. >Skin melted away to reveal muscle and sinew, bone and organ.
  5811. >There was no defending from her onslaught, no evading nor reversing.
  5812. >The cruel magics existed purely in the shadows, purely in Luna’s realm.
  5813. >Any mortal would have long since perished from that spell.
  5814. >Eurynomos refused to falter or even to slow, and within seconds both Luna and Achlys were on the defensive.
  5815. >He pushed them both further inland with his every step, breaking into a sprint with his unrelenting assault.
  5816. >The blackened pit left by the tide was soon forgotten, replaced by lush greenery beneath Cloudsdale’s former location.
  5817. >With each and every step rot and mould spread out, consuming ever more of Equestria’s formerly fertile fields.
  5818. >Flaming tooth and claw never ceased their onslaught, and seldom failed to find purchase despite the blinding speed with which his prey fled.
  5819. >Achlys was forced to press her own flaming blades against her flesh to cauterize pustulous sores that sprung up around the slightest of scratches.
  5820. >Eurynomos suddenly stood stock still.
  5821. >He made a horrible retching noise for a few seconds.
  5822. >Both Luna and Achlys fled as swiftly as they could, the former climbing high into the air and the latter turning to sprint away at a stunning speed.
  5823. >A geyser of fluorescent green bile came forth from his mouth, showering the surrounding land.
  5824. >Pale grey smoke wafted to the heavens from wherever it landed.
  5825. >He soaked everything in sight with the substance.
  5826. >Even as high in the air as she was, Luna began to cough violently.
  5827. >Her flapping become erratic. Inconsistent.
  5828. >Feeble.
  5829. >Luna fell more than flew to the ground.
  5830. >She landed gracelessly, stumbling and falling into the dirt by the base of the Unicorn Range.
  5831. >Eurynomos skipped over to her prone form.
  5832. >Luna melted into the soil, vanishing from sight.
  5833. “Wat.”
  5834. >Eurynomos was no less surprised.
  5835. >He tore at the soil with his wicked claws, fruitlessly looking for the princess.
  5836. >She crawled out from inside his shadow.
  5837. >Her wings reshaped themselves into long, bulky chains of incomprehensible blackness.
  5838. >They wrapped themselves around his neck and began to squeeze.
  5839. >Worms and other unmentionable bugs crawled out from his mouth, swarmed around Luna’s grip to bite and gnaw.
  5840. >She refused to release her grasp.
  5841. >Achlys marched in, weapons at the ready.
  5842. >She hacked away at his haunch, chunks of flaming sword and bloodied bone flying aside with every blow.
  5843. >She uttered a triumphant laugh when at last, one of his legs was removed at the knee.
  5844. >Achlys set the severed limb ablaze with her burning blades before collecting the still flaming bone with her free hand.
  5845. >She triumphantly raised the bone to the sky.
  5846. >And brought it down atop Eurynomos’ skull.
  5847. >The crown of his head collapsed, leaving him with a concave skull.
  5848. >At last he freed himself from Luna’s grip.
  5849. >The chains were torn asunder, boiling coils of shadow fell to ground still writhing.
  5850. >A wingless Luna took several steps back, horn burning bright yet again.
  5851. >Lyra felt nothing from this magic.
  5852. >No weakness from the drawing of mana, no taint from the addition of demonic taint.
  5853. >It was completely disconnected from anything even remotely unicorn in nature.
  5854. >The flames around Eurynomos’ shadow grew more intense, more angry, more sanguin.
  5855. >His shadow was almost completely gone, and with it his flesh.
  5856. >There was no sign of skin or organ, just bone and skeletal muscles.
  5857. >Vast swarms of insects crawled around within the ribcage.
  5858. >The glowing of Luna’s horn subsided. But she had already paid the toll for her terrible spell.
  5859. >Her horn was charred from channeling the intense power.
  5860. >Losing control when tapping into Aquarius would do something quite similar, bringing about harsh pain and weakness for days.
  5861. >Dipping one’s hoof into it carelessly, allowing just a little too much into one’s body.
  5862. >That had been far more than just a taste of Aquarius.
  5863. >Lyra could scarcely imagine the pain that must have come with channeling such intense power, with pushing the pony body so far beyond what it was meant to handle.
  5864. >Luna was trying to put on a brave face.
  5865. >Trying to pretend she was still in fighting form.
  5866. >But the exhaustion was clear on her face.
  5867. >There was no way she was going to be able to do that again.
  5868. >”Tac, you’ve gone quiet. Status report.”
  5869. >”AHHHHHHHHHH!”
  5870. >He was just screaming effeminately.
  5871. >Luna recoiled from the noise being pumped directly in her ear.
  5872. >”Somepony shut him up! Geeze, you’d think the world was coming to an end. We’ve got- oh. Oh my.”
  5873. >Eurynomos was not out of forces.
  5874. >Not by a long shot.
  5875. >A sea of rotting madness had moved in from the East.
  5876. >It was fast approaching, moving to preserve their dark lord.
  5877. >Further off in the distance a war cry could be heard.
  5878. >Not the sickly gibbering of the putrid, but the maddened cries of tormented souls.
  5879. >A massive phalanx of demons was approaching right behind them.
  5880. >Scarred ones.
  5881. >A broad array of twisted mammalian monstrosities marched in by claw, hoof, and foot.
  5882. >Lyra couldn’t help but notice that they all had branded upon their foreheads depicting two concentric spirals.
  5883. >Each and every one of them bore some variant of blade or spear crafted from crude iron or steel.
  5884. >They came in a vast array of sizes, some taller than trees and others as small as rabbits.
  5885. >Unlike any other demons Lyra had seen these ones were armored.
  5886. >If it could even be called that.
  5887. >A wide array of improvised plates crafted from bone or broken weapons strapped to their bodies by tightly bound wire.
  5888. >Shields crafted by stretching the tanned faces of their fallen brethren over frames.
  5889. >Luna hazarded a quick glance up to the mountains before hollering a new command.
  5890. >”OPEN FIRE!”
  5891. >A torrential rain of bullets came down from the mountains, the gunners concealed by the forest.
  5892. >The firing squad she’d demanded earlier was unleashing the full might of their arsenal
  5893. >Burning hot phosphorous shells streaked through the sky and laid waste to the incoming hordes.
  5894. >Skulls exploded and bones were shattered as scores of demons were engulfed in flames.
  5895. >Their fire was frenzied, imprecise.
  5896. >It didn’t matter, there were too many targets to miss.
  5897. >The incoming terror didn’t relent, it pressed on against the hail of burning hot lead.
  5898. >Wedged between the wicked blades of Cruelty’s subordinates and the wicked war machine of S.M.I.L.E.
  5899. >Eurynomos’ ruined body began to run toward the crossfire, right at the heart of darkness.
  5900. >Both Luna and Achlys gave chase.
  5901. >His gait was ruined by the missing leg diminishing his speed to a blindingly fast sprint.
  5902. >Luna dropped herself in front of him only to be bowled over by the skeletal fiend.
  5903. >She grabbed onto him as tightly as she could.
  5904. >He dragged her through the dirt without missing a single step, the battered princess bouncing around in his wake.
  5905. >The insect heart of her quarry thinned and dispersed.
  5906. >Hundreds of bugs crawled out onto Luna’s legs.
  5907. >She swatted at them valiantly as she bounced along the ground.
  5908. >Her grip failed and she was cast aside.
  5909. >The bugs didn’t relent, choosing instead to crawl their way inside of her nose and mouth.
  5910. >Achlys stormed by, clouds of dust erupting in her wake with every step.
  5911. >She lunged at Eurynomos, swinging his own severed leg against his ribcage.
  5912. >He collapsed into the dirt.
  5913. >Shards of bone scattered about.
  5914. >Achlys reached into the swarming heart with a giddy look.
  5915. >Luna tackled her from behind.
  5916. >She climbed atop Achlys like a spider, kicking at the demon’s head furiously.
  5917. >Rotten monstrosities teamed up with her to ravage and brutalise Achlys.
  5918. >Shadow and disease, pony and poison.
  5919. >The familiar fluffy mounds of fleas that had been in Ponyville reared up to expose their mouths to try and bite Achlys.
  5920. >She raised an arm to impale it, only to have Luna strike at the joint and knock her blow aside.
  5921. >It sunk its teeth into Achlys.
  5922. >Her veins swelled up, filled with an incandescent green fluid.
  5923. >Achlys refused to be dissuaded.
  5924. >She rooted about with all six hands, grabbing at something slippery.
  5925. >Luna gored her, slamming her horn into the beast’s neck.
  5926. >She bit down on one of Achlys’ shoulders like a wild animal.
  5927. >A small imp climbed out from beneath the melle, jagged lance levelled at Luna.
  5928. >It thrust, piercing her hide with its broad head.
  5929. >Something bit into the back of its head, rot began to spread and consume its body.
  5930. >But it refused to relent.
  5931. >It pierced Luna again and again in a desperate attempt to remove her from their queen.
  5932. >The lines had become so blurred that even the combatants seemed not to know who it was they fought.
  5933. >The broad fields of slaughter had devolved into a frenzied orgy of murder.
  5934. >Luna was tossed aside into the midst of the madness.
  5935. >”Helios! NOW!”
  5936. >”But-”
  5937. >Lyra wasn’t sure who’d objected.
  5938. >Or rather, she wasn’t sure who HADN’T objected.
  5939. >It seems everypony thought it was a bad idea.
  5940. >”DO IT!”
  5941. >Princess Celestia refused.
  5942. >”Sis, it’s LIGHT! It’ll kill you!”
  5943. >”JUST FIRE!”
  5944. >The sky began to glow orange.
  5945. >Streaks of lightning tore through the air, aided by the purple flashes of ionized air.
  5946. >Everything began to waver as with a mirage.
  5947. >The world was consumed in flame.
  5948. >Lyra could see nothing through the incandescent glow.
  5949. >Hellfire had swallowed the countryside, reducing Equestria’s natural beauty to ash.
  5950. >Rivers boiled, forests vaporized, and armies disappeared.
  5951. >The world seemed to stand still in the fading glow.
  5952. >When the world at last returned to focus, Lyra’s heart skipped a beat.
  5953. >Eurynomos was standing tall.
  5954. >He stripped and legless body was gone without a trace, replaced by a charred and bloodied mess.
  5955. >Whatever skin remained was ashen, his features distorted by blistering and swelling.
  5956. >Most striking of all was his face, with half of it reduced to smouldering char and the rest unharmed.
  5957. >He stepped atop Achlys who lay prone, face down in the still glowing ground.
  5958. >Eurynomos extended his wicked claws and tore into her back.
  5959. >Achlys began to thrash about, grabbing at everything around her with her many hands.
  5960. >He butchered his way through her body, ripping it in half.
  5961. >She crawled along the remnants of the countryside, leaving her lower body and viscera behind.
  5962. >And beneath it, a dazed looking Luna.
  5963. >She was covered in boils and burns, her coat was singed, her mane nearly transparent.
  5964. >She had shielded herself beneath Achlys’ body, avoiding the worst of the light.
  5965. >But she wasn’t unharmed.
  5966. >Lyra could hear Celestia sigh in relief.
  5967. >”She needs help down there!”
  5968. >The steady crack of gunfire resumed once more.
  5969. >Precision weapons by the score had been trained on Eurynomos from up the mountain.
  5970. >The valiant gunners continued their offensive even as a galloping blaze spread throughout the forest that concealed them.
  5971. >The flames would soon consume the mountain entirely.
  5972. >The storm of metal only escalated, with uncountable rounds showering down at their target.
  5973. >The great distance between them coupled with his incredible speed made it a fool’s errand to try and strike even had the smoke not ruined all visibility.
  5974. >Vanishingly few hit home.
  5975. >None had any effect.
  5976. >But still they attacked.
  5977. >Rainbow Dash blurred onto the scene, buzzing Eurynomos as she went by.
  5978. >She dropped something heavy as she passed.
  5979. >Something terribly destructive.
  5980. >Something so dangerous that the earth opened up to swallow Eurynomos whole.
  5981. >Rainbow Dash flew onward to land beside Luna.
  5982. >”Oh my gosh, princess! What should I do?”
  5983. >She fumbled around with a box for a while, failing to open it with her hooves.
  5984. >”Give me your microphone.”
  5985. >”Right! What else?”
  5986. >”I need everyone up in that mountain evacuated! Get going!”
  5987. >Luna reached to the box and cracked it open.
  5988. >She pulled out several bags of blood, wiring them into her leg.
  5989. >She then bit her own vein open.
  5990. >Discoloured greenish blood leaked out of the self inflicted wound allowing the clean transfusion to come in.
  5991. >She sighed in relief as the no doubt toxic blood fell to the ground.
  5992. >The green puddle smoked and boiled beneath her, eating away at the burnt soil.
  5993. >She pulled out a tube of some kind of adhesive and sealed her own wounds.
  5994. >She stood on trembling legs
  5995. >Eurynomos clawed his way out of the hole in the ground.
  5996. >His ribcage had been shattered, lungs collapsed and shards of bone protruding through his charred flesh.
  5997. >He skittered toward Achlys and climbed atop her.
  5998. >She rolled over and thrust one of her blades through where his heart should be.
  5999. >He didn’t care.
  6000. >Eurynomos bit her face, ripping her nose right off.
  6001. >He wrapped his jaws around her throat.
  6002. >She thrashed and stabbed, covering him in wounds.
  6003. >And then she lie still.
  6004. >If he killed her then he’d absorb her power.
  6005. >He’d be unstoppable.
  6006. >Luna stood and rushed at him, blood bags still filling her veins.
  6007. >Eurynomos spat some caustic substance in her face, blinding her.
  6008. >She kicked about blindly.
  6009. >Futilely.
  6010. >But she refused to relent.
  6011. >Some feeble magic reached out, Eurynomos’ shadow glowed slightly.
  6012. >And Luna reoriented herself.
  6013. >She faced him without magic, with just hoof and horn seeking to do damage in the crudest way possible.
  6014. >Something emerged from the crater Rainbow Dash had left.
  6015. >Something terrible.
  6016. >Something vengeful.
  6017. >Something grumpy.
  6018. >Bon-Bon had returned.
  6019. “They sent her BACK?”
  6020. >Bandages had been affixed to her seemingly at random.
  6021. >She had affixed to her face a big, black mask.
  6022. >And a look that Lyra had never before seen.
  6023. >A crazed glint.
  6024. >Not anger, nor rage.
  6025. >This was something that transcended even bloodlust.
  6026. >It was a kind of raw, burning hatred that Lyra had never before seen.
  6027. >A look that suggested that she wished for nothing more than to destroy the disgusting thing before her.
  6028. >That surviving the battle was now secondary or even tertiary, her only goal in life was to SMASH that monstrosity.
  6029. >She moved too quickly, side swiping Eurynomos off of his meal.
  6030. >He rolled through the dirt, putting plenty of distance between himself and Achlys.
  6031. >Before he’d even come to a halt a brutal stomp had been delivered to his body, dropping him into the ground.
  6032. >Bon-Bon stood atop the crater.
  6033. >Eurynomos came out of the hole like a bullet, slamming into Bon-Bon.
  6034. >His claws wrapped around her neck in the blink of an eye, the terrible chitinous sabers that had torn even Achlys asunder.
  6035. >Bon-Bon used her front hooves to bash against her own neck, grinding his claws into paste.
  6036. >She bit down on his leg and snapped the bone.
  6037. >And Eurynomos let go.
  6038. >”Enough! I grow weary of- oof!”
  6039. >Bon-Bon headbutt him right in his disgusting muzzle.
  6040. >He fell over, landing on his side.
  6041. >Bon-Bon stood atop him and began to stomp on his barrel like a madmare.
  6042. >Her blows were erratic, fueled more by rage than reason.
  6043. “She’s having another episode! Floor, tell them to- oh, I don’t know what to tell them!”
  6044. >”Another? What, did they send a crazy pony out there? And why should we do anything here, she’s doing great!”
  6045. >No.
  6046. >She wasn’t.
  6047. >All of those strikes were meant to be killing blows, meant to rupture organs or concuss the brain.
  6048. >Eurynomos had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t care about those things.
  6049. >You could cut him to ribbons and he wouldn’t notice.
  6050. >The only thing that’s actually mattered was broken bones.
  6051. >Missing fangs and claws.
  6052. >They couldn’t go for the kill, they had to cripple him first.
  6053. “Tell them not to try and kill him, focus on disabling him. If they can immobilize him…”
  6054. >Her offensive was remarkable.
  6055. >In every moment there was a hoof flying at his face, a body check knocking him off balance.
  6056. >There wasn’t even an instant of reprise for Eurynomos to try his own counterattack.
  6057. >But rage was not enough.
  6058. >No amount of drive could overcome chemistry, her lung simply could not keep up.
  6059. >Bon-Bon’s onslaught slowed to a crawl, her breathing grew ever more rapid.
  6060. >She was exhausted.
  6061. >Eurynomos sideswiped her with his declawed leg.
  6062. >He successfully caught her off guard and knocked her aside.
  6063. >He stood up with a snarl.
  6064. >”I can see through you. Taste your fear, feel your weakness.”
  6065. >Bon-Bon groaned as she rose once more.
  6066. >Eurynomos casually walked toward her.
  6067. >”Did you think I was fooled by these petty illusions? Your recovery is nothing more than a facade, whereas mine is complete. Total. All the injuries I’ve suffered have been mere inconvenience, whereas yours?”
  6068. >The illusion masking Bon-Bon vanished in the blink of an eye.
  6069. >All the scars, all the scrapes and bruises, even the missing eye.
  6070. >Plain for the world to see.
  6071. >”Every encounter I take something from you. Your time has passed. Just accept the- augh!”
  6072. >Luna had claimed one of Achlys’ blades with her magic and impaled him upon it.
  6073. >Floor was pouting.
  6074. >”Shame about Zero. She used to be cute. I mean, I’m no dyke but I would have. Oh… who am I kidding. I still would.”
  6075. >Lyra made no attempt to mask her disgust.
  6076. >Luna pulled the flaming sword out of Eurynomos’ war torn body, making sure to twist the blade as she went.
  6077. >”I still can’t get over how stupid you are. Did you just forget about me?”
  6078. >”No.”
  6079. >He lied.
  6080. >”I just wanted to save you for last. But if you’re so eager to die I can grant your wish.”
  6081. >”I don’t think you get how this works quite yet.”
  6082. >A syringe was floating in front of her.
  6083. >It slowly and deliberately sunk into her neck.
  6084. >”We’re stronger than you.”
  6085. >”Pfft!”
  6086. >The sounds of cruel laughter rang through the air.
  6087. >A wicked and hateful laugh, one so unsettling that it might make even Pinkie Pie swear off of jokes for life.
  6088. >”You are stronger than me? You’re pathetic! You have but a fraction of the power I wield. Perhaps a few thousand years ago you were my equal, but no more! Strength is the only thing that matters in this world. The power to impose your will, the power to crush your foes, the power to KILL! I am the most powerful, and that means that I am victorious.”
  6089. >”Idiot. I’m not stronger than you. WE are.”
  6090. >Her horn came to life.
  6091. >Despite the overload, despite the no doubt blinding pain.
  6092. >Luna turned into a shadow once more.
  6093. >Bon-Bon kicked Eurynomos from behind, casting him into the haze.
  6094. >Lyra couldn’t even see what was happening to him, couldn’t tell how he was being attacked.
  6095. >But the grinding and snapping noises coming through over Luna’s comms…
  6096. >Lyra shuddered to think what the princess was doing.
  6097. >”You can’t begin to imagine what you’re up against. How many ponies there are supporting us! The scientists and engineers who dreamt of our arsenal, the technicians who turned imagination into steel, the laborers and workers- you aren’t fighting a pony. You face all of Equestria! A herd that numbers in the MILLIONS!”
  6098. >Eurynomos was spat out of the shadow, clutching at his own chest with a claw.
  6099. >Strange fluids oozed out around his grasp, an open wound punched into his body.
  6100. >His previously unharmed from leg had been removed entirely from his body, leaving only an open joint from which it had been pulled.
  6101. >One leg gone, three to go.
  6102. >He stood on his three legs, the front right one absent, and began to run with amazing stability at Luna.
  6103. >But he was no longer impossibly swift.
  6104. >Bon-Bon came in from behind, sweeping his hind legs to knock him down.
  6105. >A blood red crescent formed above him and impaled him, pinning his perforated body to the ground.
  6106. >Luna gripped one of his remaining legs with her teeth, biting into the pustulous flesh.
  6107. >”Millions of ponies united as one force, building on each other’s triumphs through the generations. Even the lowest laborer stands atop the shoulders of giants! Their toil made ever more fruitful by the works of the past, all to build a greater future! Strength is what matters to you? Well, together we are unstoppable.”
  6108. >She began to hack away at his joints with her magic.
  6109. >He reached up and grabbed the spell that had impaled him with one of his remaining claws.
  6110. >He burst into flames the second he touched it, but pulled it out regardless.
  6111. >”You can’t keep this up for long, Erebus. Or whoever you are. That needle you pushed into your neck… it gave you power. But it was pure poison. I just need to speed up the process a bit.”
  6112. “He’s right. Those stimulants mess you up really bad…”
  6113. >Luna took another swing.
  6114. >He raised a crushed claw to protect himself, only to have Luna sever it.
  6115. >A rough and dirty cut, the bone was jagged and sharp.
  6116. >She shoved her spell right through his skull, cutting it nearly in half.
  6117. >But not quite getting to his teeth.
  6118. >She was completely in focus.
  6119. >All her defensive tricks had fallen aside to allow for more offense.
  6120. >”I don’t need to keep this up. I don’t even need to beat you. Hell, I don’t even need to survive to win today! We will never fall to the likes of you.”
  6121. >She stumbled for a bit, clearly having trouble keeping her balance.
  6122. >Her legs gave out.
  6123. >Luna fell flat on her face.
  6124. >”I’m just the first step. You’ll never best all of us.”
  6125. >”Fool! I already have! Where is your champion? Your precious Zero?”
  6126. >”Right behind you.”
  6127. >He turned around to look.
  6128. >Bon-Bon was standing in the baked countryside, staring at the monstrosity.
  6129. >The crazed glint in her eye was gone.
  6130. >Replaced with pure terror.
  6131. >She stood stock still, hyperventilating.
  6132. >Luna grabbed him and threw him at her.
  6133. >Bon-Bon shrieked and ran aside.
  6134. >Eurynomos turned back to Luna.
  6135. >She was stumbling around.
  6136. >Her eyelids were drooping.
  6137. >”Really? That’s the strength you were talking about? The power of, ugh, teamwork? Her?”
  6138. >Wait.
  6139. >Somepony was approaching.
  6140. >Lyra knew that coat colour.
  6141. >No way.
  6142. >Eurynomos sauntered closer to Luna, biding his time.
  6143. >Relishing the moment of his victory.
  6144. >She tried to walk away.
  6145. >She tripped and collapsed.
  6146. >Somepony yelled at him from the distance.
  6147. >”Hey, faggot!”
  6148. >Something red lashed through the air, striking him in the eye.
  6149. >He howled for a moment, a small flame was left burning on his eyeball.
  6150. >Eurynomos looked for the source of the intrusion.
  6151. >An old wizened unicorn.
  6152. >Floor recognized him too.
  6153. >”Isn’t that the grumpy guy from when Ponyville got attacked?”
  6154. “Yeah.”
  6155. >Babbling Brook.
  6156. >Luna crawled away a bit before falling limp with exhaustion.
  6157. >Brook struck him again with a simple geyser strike.
  6158. >Another flame formed on his target’s eye.
  6159. >Eurynomos didn’t flinch.
  6160. >”Holy water?”
  6161. >”Generously donated to the cause by the princess. I thought it would be hard to talk her into this, but she was surprisingly cool with it.”
  6162. >”Do you honestly think this would be enough to stop me?”
  6163. >Brook struck again and again.
  6164. >He was running away from Eurynomos as quickly as his feeble body would carry him.
  6165. >Even with the missing leg, Eurynomos was too fast.
  6166. >He was gaining ground quickly.
  6167. >A glowing hot orb was forming in front of Brook, growing smaller and smaller.
  6168. >A spell Lyra was very familiar with.
  6169. >Eruption.
  6170. >He threw it at Eurynomos’ face to throw him aside.
  6171. >Brook ran toward Bon-Bon, already prepping another blast.
  6172. >”Number one, what’s going on? You’re better than this.”
  6173. >One?
  6174. >He seemed to be talking to Bon-Bon.
  6175. >She just whimpered.
  6176. >He patted her on the back, another blast sounded in the distance to throw the enemy away.
  6177. >”Yeah, he’s tough. I get it. But I know his type, you don’t need to fear him.”
  6178. >”I don’t want to die.”
  6179. >”You’re not going to. We’re going to win this.”
  6180. >”But-”
  6181. >”No.”
  6182. >He stood up as tall as he could.
  6183. >Lyra could hear his joints cracking over the microphone.
  6184. >”The only battles worth fighting are the ones you can win. I wouldn’t have shown up if I didn’t think we could take him.”
  6185. >He let out a deep breath.
  6186. >”You might not realise it yet, but he’s a loser. Not just a loser, he’s a colossal failure. All the power in the world and he still can’t get anything right. He doesn’t know how to fight, he can’t plan, he can’t improvise. He’s so strong he’s never needed to learn. I suppose he’s a lot like you.”
  6187. >Luna had recovered a bit.
  6188. >She intercepted Eurynomos, beating at him with relatively frail magics.
  6189. >Her breathing was ragged and pained.
  6190. >But her fury was incredible, her aim perfect.
  6191. >Eurynomos was forced on the defensive, knocking her attacks away with his remaining limbs.
  6192. >Brook gestured toward the two.
  6193. >”Look at that. She’s way beyond half dead and he still can’t finish it. He’s a bottom feeder, preying on his enemies when they’re at their weakest. He’s never overcome anything, he’s never grown. If he was even a tiny bit weaker he’d have never gotten anywhere. He might be scary right now, but the instant he starts to lose control you’ll see what I mean.”
  6194. >Luna took a blow to the cheek from Eurynomos’s declawed leg.
  6195. >Brook’s horn began to glow again.
  6196. >”I’m going to bail her out. Won’t be able to keep this up for long, so get your head in the game.”
  6197. >”I’m scared.”
  6198. >”I know. But you’ll laugh at yourself for that later. Calm down, focus. And remember, Lyra’s rooting for you. We all are.”
  6199. >Floor looked at Lyra.
  6200. >Her jaw dropped.
  6201. >She raised a hoof and pointed at her.
  6202. >Brook walked toward the melle with confidence and calm.
  6203. >”I’m going to be wanting evac in about a minute.”
  6204. >He lashed out at Eurynomos with the holy water again and again.
  6205. >The relentless assault became a blur, a storm from which there was no shelter.
  6206. >Each and every collision flashed with a brilliant golden light and burst into flame.
  6207. >But the holy energies seemed to be growing weaker.
  6208. >Fainter.
  6209. >Eurynomos stumbled toward him, jaws slobbering everywhere.
  6210. >”Do you really think this will be enough to stop me?”
  6211. >”Naa. I’m just here to have a bit of fun with you. Never saw a demon lord before, they should really keep one of you in the zoo.”
  6212. >His horn was burning brightly.
  6213. >Another eruption was forming, a surprisingly large one.
  6214. >It wasn’t quite right though.
  6215. >Lyra couldn’t tell what was up with it, but it was different.
  6216. >Probably a more sophisticated version of her own spell.
  6217. >He never relented in his geyser strikes.
  6218. >”So, this your first time up here? Pretty nice place isn’t it. My favourite part is how there aren’t any losers around. Oh wait. You’re here. Well, it’s still pretty nice.”
  6219. >”FOOL! You can’t begin to imagine what you face!”
  6220. >”A clown?”
  6221. >Eurynomos screamed with rage.
  6222. >He rushed at Brook with single minded fury.
  6223. >Luna grabbed onto him and began to hack away at his body, but he didn’t change course.
  6224. >The only thought in his mind was killing Brook.
  6225. >Silencing the one who’d mocked him.
  6226. >”You’ll pay for your insolence, you welp! I am ROT MADE FLESH! You’ll suffer so much from my bite that you’ll pray for death!”
  6227. >”Whoa. Touched a nerve, did I? Didn’t know your ego was so fragile.”
  6228. >Luna lost her grip on the demon, and he tore across the countryside at Babbling Brook.
  6229. >Bon-Bon jumped in front of him, blocking his path.
  6230. >Eurynomos went around her, hitting Brook with a tiny scratch.
  6231. >He went stiff and collapsed.
  6232. >Eurynomos stopped in his tracks to tower over the fallen unicorn.
  6233. >”Look at that. A tiny scratch is all it took for my poison to drop you. Your muscles have failed, your heart has stopped.
  6234. >Bon-Bon yelled into the comms.
  6235. >”He needs evac NOW!”
  6236. >She reached down to his neck.
  6237. >”A pulse?”
  6238. >The pacemaker!
  6239. >His heart didn’t need to communicate with his brain!
  6240. >”Get here NOW Admiral, he’s not breathing! He’s got minutes to live!”
  6241. >She rushed at Eurynomos in an attempt to keep him away from her fallen friend.
  6242. >The two were locked in battle when Rainbow Dash arrived.
  6243. >Eurynomos was vicious in his offense, never giving Bon-Bon an instant of respite.
  6244. >And Bon-Bon?
  6245. >Was slow.
  6246. >Hesitant.
  6247. >She was trying to keep her distance, trying to minimize her exposure to the fiend.
  6248. >She finally got a lucky hit in and threw him aside.
  6249. >As he tumbled through the dirt, a glowing ball came to his side.
  6250. >And drove itself up his butt.
  6251. >Brook was still paralyzed, but he hadn’t released his eruption.
  6252. >A jet of wind came out of Eurynomos, pressurized air erupting from every opening in his body.
  6253. >A massive blast the likes of which Lyra couldn’t hope to match.
  6254. >A few seconds passed.
  6255. >And he returned to his attack.
  6256. >Unharmed.
  6257. >Luna moved in behind him with what remained of her strength, a single shadow blade ready.
  6258. >”Tac, any signs of more of his doppelgangers coming in?”
  6259. >”Affirmative. We’ve sent a detachment to intercept. Don’t worry, they’re not going to get to you.”
  6260. >”Alright. Sis, get Helios 2 ready.”
  6261. >”There’s no way you’d survive that! Even if you hide under him!”
  6262. >”I know. It’s not looking good. I want you to know… I’m sorry I lied to you.”
  6263. >Eurynomos looked to the sky.
  6264. >”That Tide again? Where did it come from? No matter.”
  6265. >He gestured with his stump.
  6266. >”I have its scent now. That won’t work again.
  6267. >Luna pouted.
  6268. >”Achlys ran it seems. At least we don’t need to worry about her anymore. Attention all agents! Eurynomos is on the ropes. And so am I. I started this campaign thinking it would take a month at the most. Thinking we were ready to face Hell. Well, I was wrong. They were way stronger than I’d ever expected. But I was also wrong about you. Never before had I seen such strength, such grit, such determination. The power that your combined efforts bring would have brought the Hell that I knew to its knees in an instant.”
  6269. >She began to attack, using the destructive power of her shadows to deflect Eurynomos’ advances.
  6270. >”I’ve asked too much of you, and you’ve given more than anyone should ever have to. Yet, I’m going to ask for even more. When I fall, don’t stop fighting. Don’t yield to him. Don’t rest until Equestria has been purged of his evils. It won’t be easy, and some of you won’t make it. But you’re used to that. It’s time! One last push, for our family. For our friends. FOR EQUESTRIA!”
  6271. >She faded out of focus, but only barely.
  6272. >Every now and then she’d appear clearly, like a ghost in a snowstorm or a corrupted image on a static filled screen.
  6273. >Bon-Bon moved in to flank Eurynomos.
  6274. >He cackled maniacally.
  6275. >”Your last stand, and THIS is all you can muster? Look at you, Erebus. Your shadow magics are failing even without my attacks. You’ve got nothing left. And your champion looks like a scared little foal quivering in her horseshoes. Consider it an HONOR that you’ll be killed by me, because you’re not even worthy of my time.”
  6276. >Bon-Bon swept his legs out from under him and knocked him into the shadows.
  6277. >Luna cast him back with a wicked swing of her shadow blade, making a deep gash across his barrel.
  6278. >Bon-Bon answered with a headbutt, knocking him into another wicked stab.
  6279. >The two knocked him back and forth several times, never once letting him recover his footing.
  6280. >Luna flickered faster and faster, the shadows grew paler and paler.
  6281. >She struck him.
  6282. >And he didn’t flinch.
  6283. >Eurynomos landed on his remaining claws and slashed at the princess.
  6284. >Luna fell to the ground.
  6285. >”Fire!”
  6286. “No!”
  6287. >Nothing happened.
  6288. >Eurynomos turned and clubbed Bon-Bon over the head with his broken leg.
  6289. >She fell prone.
  6290. >Luna crawled backwards slowly, staring at him with wide eyes.
  6291. >”C’mon, c’mon! Shoot it! What are you waiting for? ‘Tia!”
  6292. >”I- I can’t.”
  6293. >”You HAVE to! You can’t let him get me, you can’t let him get any stronger!”
  6294. >”She needs evac. Admiral!”
  6295. >”Right!”
  6296. >”Stay out of this, Admiral. You won’t be able to evade him this time.”
  6297. >Eurynomos smirked.
  6298. >”Too right. No more distractions, no more interference. Nothing will get in my way.”
  6299. >He looked up at the rainbow bolt coming into the field.
  6300. >He slashed at the air nearby as she approached, seemingly aiming at nothing.
  6301. >Rainbow Dash crashed into the ground face first.
  6302. >Eurynomos held her severed wing aloft.
  6303. >”Damn it, ‘Tia! This is more important than me! FIRE!”
  6304. >Eurynomos threw the wing aside.
  6305. >”No point in that. Here, I’ll make it easy for you.”
  6306. >He stared at the heavens.
  6307. >Unmoving.
  6308. >Unblinking.
  6309. >”It was built to last. But still. EVERYTHING decays.”
  6310. >Cadence called in.
  6311. >”Helios 1 and 2, batteries have failed! We’ve got nothing left!”
  6312. >That was it.
  6313. >S.M.I.L.E. was beaten.
  6314. >Eurynomos had won.
  6315. >Even as damaged as he was, he radiated power with every step.
  6316. >”You never had a chance to stop me. I am decay. I am rot. I am DEATH!”
  6317. >Luna raised her head.
  6318. >But she could do no more.
  6319. >The wounds and the poisons had taken their toll on the supernaturally powerful princess.
  6320. >”Nothing is eternal. Everything fades away. Everything you know, everything you love. This world you fight to protect? It belongs to ME!”
  6321. >He climbed atop Luna’s fallen form, shattered fangs showing as he smiled down at her.
  6322. >Luna struck at him feebly with her forehead.
  6323. >He brushed her horn aside whilst uttering a wicked laugh.
  6324. >”In the end there is decay. There is rot. Nothing is meant to last, you cannot deny your end forever.”
  6325. >He shoved the jagged bone at the end of his broken leg against Luna’s barrel.
  6326. >And then he pushed, skewering the princess.
  6327. >She let out a wet cry of pain, but didn’t move.
  6328. >Eurynomos pulled the bone out and stared at the bloodied tip.
  6329. >He positioned it again.
  6330. >This time over her heart.
  6331. >”Yes. In this world only the strongest survive. These things you ponies care so much about have brought your downfall. Honesty, generosity, loyalty, kindness, mercy… all this harmony nonsense is a weakness. Friendship shall be your downfall. You should have abandoned it for strength! But you didn’t, and now you pay the ultimate price.”
  6332. >”Oh for the love of- do you EVER shut up?”
  6333. >Bon-Bon?
  6334. >When had she stood up?
  6335. >Her voice was muffled by the gas mask she bore.
  6336. >”Yeah. Life can be cruel, and being nice comes with a cost. Congratulations, you’ve cracked the code. Thousands of years of pony civilization and none of us have ever caught on, we’re all sooooo impressed.”
  6337. >She raised a hoof to her mouth to wipe away a trickle of blood.
  6338. >”I can’t believe it. THIS is what I was afraid of.”
  6339. >Bon-Bon began to casually walk toward the demon.
  6340. >The ultimate in in evil power.
  6341. >She took a moment to size him up.
  6342. >And scoffed!
  6343. >”THIS thing is what had me waking up in the middle of the night screaming. THIS is why I need drugs and therapy. THIS PATHETIC little… TEENAGER is why I almost killed D!”
  6344. >Eurynomos skewered Luna again.
  6345. >She didn't even react.
  6346. >”Persistent one, aren’t you. No matter. You are mortal, and so you die-”
  6347. >Bon-Bon tackled him and climbed upon his back.
  6348. >She shook her head slowly before bringing one hoof down hard on his back.
  6349. >”This... LOSER is why I'm jumping at shadows and hiding from loud birds?”
  6350. >She pinned one of his remaining legs down with her front hoof and gave it a wicked kick with her rear leg.
  6351. >The appendage snapped off, flying through the air into the distance.
  6352. >”We get it. Being strong is good. If you're strong enough, you get to make the rules and blah blah blah.”
  6353. >She stomped down on the back of his head.
  6354. >Then she struck again, and again, each devastating blow causing the earth to tremor.
  6355. >”I'm so sick of all you demons and your stupidity. Oh, look at me, I'm so special. Only I understand things as they really are. Nobody understands the dark brooding within, I have everything figured out and you're all stupid dummies because you like nice things!”
  6356. >She ground his face into the dirt for a while.
  6357. >He struggled for a moment and managed to break away from her.
  6358. >His half melted face glared at the defiant pony, his two and a half legs scrambling to move him about as he tried to circle her.
  6359. >”Silence, you impudent whelp.”
  6360. >Bon-Bon rolled her eyes.
  6361. “You have all this power, all this strength. And what do you do with it? Where are your great works? I get angry at normal ponies because they're weak and arrogant. They think that they take care of themselves while they frolic in their safe homes, never worrying about what goes bump in the night. They think they have everything all figured out with their friendship and harmony. Hay, most of them are PROUD of their weakness. They somehow have it in their heads that it's wrong to be strong, or that using your power to get what you want is bad. I've even heard them say violence doesn't solve anything! But you! Oh, you're so much worse.”
  6362. >Eurynomos rushed at her flank, only to have Bon-Bon hip check him.
  6363. >He skidded gracelessly through the dirt.
  6364. >”You've spent MILLENIA down there and not ONCE have you made anything worthwhile. Not ONCE have you stopped to think what you could do with your power, what greatness you could achieve. You have all the power you could ever need, but you're still useless!”
  6365. >She trotted over to him and stepped on his shattered spine.
  6366. >”Those ponies are weak. PATHETICALLY weak! But they still found a way to do great things! Great works of art, great music, great paintings! What have you accomplished?”
  6367. >”You FOOL! I am the strongest there is!”
  6368. >”Again with the strength! You've done NOTHING with it! I am SICK of this. I hate fighting. I hate the sound of bones snapping, the feeling of blood drenching my coat, the agony of taking a hit. The stench of death, the haunting screams of the dying, the primal terror of being hunted... I HATE seeing good ponies getting killed in this madness, I hate not knowing if I'll ever see my friends again, I hate hurting, I hate killing, but most of all? I hate you.”
  6369. >She squared up against him.
  6370. >”He was right. You’re a faggot. A COLOSSAL faggot. It’s high time I put you in the ground.”
  6371. >The two combatants approached each other calmly.
  6372. >Eurynomos defiling the land with every step.
  6373. >And Bon-Bon leaving hoof print shaped growths of greenery as she walked.
  6374. >She struck first, going for his knee.
  6375. >He reacted by ducking under and going for her barrel.
  6376. >Bon-Bon stomped down on his head to keep him from reaching her.
  6377. >Flowers bloomed around her.
  6378. “This is totally different.”
  6379. >She climbed on his back and stood on his neck.
  6380. >She placed one hoof beside his head, and swung with the other like a golf club.
  6381. >His head popped between her hooves.
  6382. >The ichor that scattered about killed the greenery.
  6383. >New life was already worming its way out of the rot.
  6384. >Brilliant red roses.
  6385. >Bon-Bon’s breathing was rapid, but steady.
  6386. >The headless Eurynomos hobbled toward her backwards.
  6387. >Stingers at the ready.
  6388. >He rushed at her with gusto, telegraphing his moves long before he was an actual threat.
  6389. >”You fight like a young colt. With nothing held back. Admirable, but a mistake.”
  6390. >She wasn’t ducking out of the way, nor was she trying to keep her distance.
  6391. >She face him head on, kicking down on his hips and throwing him into the dirt.
  6392. >”You don’t know how to fight at all. You’ve no idea how to handle being at a disadvantage, you’ve never been the underdog. Complacency has cost you your strength. Victory has defeated you.”
  6393. >She stood on his prone form, hamming at the small of his back.
  6394. >His spine shattered, leaving his rear half immobile.
  6395. >The decapitated Eurynomos tried to crawl away on the only leg he was able to move, the one with no claw.
  6396. >Bon-Bon followed him.
  6397. >”To quote an idiot, your first mistake was trying to kill me. The second was not finishing the job.”
  6398. >She worked one leg beneath his body to serve as an anvil and brought another down atop it like an axe.
  6399. >Eurynomos was split in two.
  6400. >He shrieked in an unearthly voice, struggling to break free from the grip.
  6401. >His right half continued thrashing about for a while before dissolving into a thick ichor of pus and rot.
  6402. >Bon-Bon rolled the remaining half on its side, dumping the contents out.
  6403. >A swarm of skittering insects.
  6404. >And a big, ghastly white maggot.
  6405. >She kicked it away from his body.
  6406. >”A disgusting little insect all along.”
  6407. >She picked it up and brought it close to her face.
  6408. >”To think I once looked at you and felt anything other than disgust. Tac, I need loadout 7 ASAP.”
  6409. >”Agent 16 is en route.”
  6410. >Eurynomos rolled around awkwardly, trying to remove himself from her grasp.
  6411. >To Lyra’s surprise, he spoke.
  6412. >A weak, tinny voice.
  6413. >”Please. I beg you, please! I'll do whatever you want, I'll be good, I'll go back to hell and never come back! Please! Mercy!”
  6414. >”Mercy? You know, I would. But I'd hate for you to think I was weak.”
  6415. >Bon-Bon pressed one hoof atop the other.
  6416. >She groaned and sweat with exertion, pulling in as much Earth pony magic as she possibly could.
  6417. >A field of brilliant red flowers popped out of the dead ground around her, spreading as far as the eye could see.
  6418. >Luna pulled herself together and stood up one last time.
  6419. >Her charred horn was engulfed in demonic flames that seared her own hide.
  6420. >Her magical aura wrapped around the maggot that was Eurynomos and squeezed.
  6421. >And the maggot popped.
  6422. >The two of them collapsed in exhaustion.
  6423. >Luna rubbed her head, doubtlessly nursing a terrible headache.
  6424. >”Tango’s down. Mop up the stragglers, they’ll be weak without him. Good work team.”
  6425. >Everypony on the comms began to cheer ecstatically.
  6426. >Lyra grabbed Floor Bored and squeezed her tightly.
  6427. >”URK!”
  6428. “They did it! They actually did it!”
  6429. >Lyra trembled slightly, waves of tension washing away from her body.
  6430. >Eurynomos was dead.
  6431. >Bon-Bon was coming home.
  6432. >And Lyra really needed a nap.
  6433. >She looked up at the screen to see a dark orange pegasus land by Bon-Bon with a small box in tow.
  6434. >Bon-Bon reached into it and produced a large diamond.
  6435. >She placed it in Eurynomos’ remains.
  6436. >It levitated into the air.
  6437. >A chill went down Lyra’s spine.
  6438. >A bolt of lightning struck the tip of the crystal.
  6439. >And a swirling black and green vortex consumed the skies.
  6440. >Hundreds of tormented voices wailed horribly, ghostly apparitions struggling to escape the vortex.
  6441. >Lyra recognized Deimos and Phobos…
  6442. >Pained expressions reaching out, clawing at anything and everything around them.
  6443. >And being pulled back into the crystal.
  6444. >The last of the vortex vanished into the gem.
  6445. >The crystal fell to the ground, now jet black and smoking.
  6446. “An artifact. Just like the ones I’d made.”
  6447. >Magic contained in a crystal, running a spell in perpetuity.
  6448. >A way to perform magic without end.
  6449. >But also a way to seal it.
  6450. >Eurynomos was inside that diamond.
  6451. >No, not just him.
  6452. >Deimos, Phobos, and who knows how many other demon lords.
  6453. >The sum of all that evil crammed into a rock.
  6454. >Locked away.
  6455. >Luna limped over to the crystal with a great big smile on her face.
  6456. >”Thank you, agent. I owe you a great debt. We all do.”
  6457. >Bon-Bon reached into the box.
  6458. >Luna reached for the crystal, only to have her leg knocked aside by Bon-Bon’s hoof.
  6459. >She howled in pain, her now broken bones twisted at impossible angles.
  6460. >She stared up in horror as Bon-Bon produced a gun from the box.
  6461. >She placed it on Luna’s forehead.
  6462. >Agent 16 rushed at her, delivering a kick to Bon-Bon’s skull at blinding speeds.
  6463. >She broke her hoof on impact.
  6464. >The world stood still.
  6465. >Luna was breathing heavily.
  6466. >She began to shimmer slightly, and the barrel sank into her head.
  6467. >”Zero? You’re having another episode. It’s okay. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
  6468. >Bon-Bon trembled for a while.
  6469. >She was hyperventilating.
  6470. >Luna pushed the gun aside gently.
  6471. >”It’s okay. You don’t have to put the gun down. I’m not scared of it, if it makes you feel safe you can keep it.”
  6472. >When Lyra had attacked Luna she’d become ethereal.
  6473. >Broken glass had passed straight through her without hurting her.
  6474. >That gun wouldn’t do anything.
  6475. >”Agent 16 is your friend. You don’t want to hurt them. And you don’t need to be afraid of us. I’m going to take the soulstone now, okay? Just take a deep breath.”
  6476. >Luna grabbed the gem with her magic.
  6477. >Zero opened fire.
  6478. >A spray of white hot streaks tore into Luna’s flesh, carving her to ribbons.
  6479. >She collapsed on the ground.
  6480. >Unconscious.
  6481. >Unmoving.
  6482. “What?”
  6483. >Bon-Bon pressed the barrel of the gun against the princess’ forehead once again.
  6484. >Sixteen flew at her again and wrapped her legs around Bon-Bon’s weapon.
  6485. >After a brief struggle, Bon-Bon came out on top.
  6486. >She pressed the gun to Luna’s skull, right between the eyes.
  6487. >Gritted her teeth.
  6488. >And walked away without firing.
  6489. >She grabbed the gem, and began to walk to the mountains.
  6490. >Celestia was yelling out orders.
  6491. >”Zero’s snapped! Do NOT approach her! Get a medical team down to the wounded! My sister needs darkness, I’m setting the sun early. Try to keep her stable! Twilight, I want teleportation back ASAP, we’ll need it for triage! 27, go to Ponyville and find Lyra Heartstrings!”
  6492. >Floor Bored shrugged.
  6493. >”Well, looks like you’re in trouble. How did you know Zero?”
  6494. >Lyra let out a sigh.
  6495. “We’ve known each other for a while. “
  6496. >”It’s their own fault for sending a crazy pony into the field.”
  6497. >Yeah…
  6498. >She’d been through way too much.
  6499. >It wasn’t right to send her to face that fiend.
  6500. >But still, she had to wonder…
  6501. “What gear did she ask for there?”
  6502. >”Uhh… first time was a gauss rifle with tracer rounds.”
  6503. “Tracer rounds?”
  6504. >”Munitions that burn brightly so you can see where they went more easily.”
  6505. “A bright light.”
  6506. >The bane of shadows.
  6507. >The one thing Celestia had said would surely kill her sister.
  6508. “Second set?”
  6509. >”Second was the same, but with three “soul stones”.
  6510. >Three.
  6511. >One for Eurynomos, one for Achlys.
  6512. >And one for Luna.
  6513. “That wasn’t a psychotic episode.”
  6514. >That had been her plan all along.
  6515. >Bon-Bon said she planned on being the last one standing.
  6516. >And she’d meant it.
  6517. “She’s in deep trouble. I need to find her right away.”
  6518. >Lyra ran out the door and headed for the Unicorn Range.
  6519.  
  6520. * * * * *
  6521.  
  6522. >Lyra bolted out of Floor’s apartment and hit the street.
  6523. >She galloping through the streets as fast as her legs could carry her.
  6524. >Single minded purpose drove her onward toward the train station.
  6525. >She hadn’t the time for trivial matters such as planning, nor even contemplating if what she was doing was right.
  6526. >She was far too busy worrying.
  6527. >Bon-Bon was hurt. Scared and alone.
  6528. >Worse still she was in deep trouble with the princesses.
  6529. >Lyra knew that both she and Bon-Bon had been above the law.
  6530. >Agent Zero was too important to Equestria’s future.
  6531. >The crown couldn’t risk losing her in these trying times.
  6532. >But even so, there were limits.
  6533. >Bon-Bon hadn’t just stepped over the line, she’d galloped right past it.
  6534. >She’d tried to kill Luna for pony’s sake!
  6535. >Worse still, with Eurynomos gone she wasn’t important anymore.
  6536. >The two of them had lost their protected status.
  6537. >Even if Bon-Bon’s crime hadn’t been so severe, even if she hadn’t premeditated her attempted murder, she was in DEEP trouble.
  6538. >She was in no condition to protect herself.
  6539. >Lyra had to hurry.
  6540. >But even as troubled as she was, even with all the mental turmoil, she couldn’t help but notice something.
  6541. >The streets were empty.
  6542. >It was an eerie feeling being in the middle of the concrete jungle with nopony else around.
  6543. >Total silence.
  6544. >Not even the sounds of wind filled the air.
  6545. >She pressed onward, her stamina already depleted long before she’d reached her destination.
  6546. >As she approached the security checkpoints she finally found signs of life.
  6547. >The imposing barricades were teeming with life.
  6548. >Heavy firearms were mounted all throughout the hastily repaired ramshackle barricades.
  6549. >She saw a pegasus very carefully laying out coils of razor wire with their teeth.
  6550. >Shouldn’t they really get a unicorn to do that?
  6551. >A couple of ponies stood in her way as she approached.
  6552. >”It’s her. Call it in.”
  6553. “Let me through. I need to get to the train station.”
  6554. >”Why?”
  6555. “Uhh, to get on a train?”
  6556. >”Lady, there’s no train service right now.”
  6557. >Oh.
  6558. >Yeah…
  6559. >They probably don’t want to send them out when they don’t have control over the countryside.
  6560. >Probably could have seen that coming.
  6561. >She was going to have to walk.
  6562. >That was going to take DAYS!
  6563. >She turned around and set out.
  6564. >”Whoa, whoa. Get back here! We’ve been told to detain you.”
  6565. “Yeah. Good luck with that. It’ll take a LOT more than two guards.”
  6566. >”There’s like, a hundred of us here. And we’re all armed.”
  6567. >Lyra froze.
  6568. >She looked around herself.
  6569. >She’d walked right into the most obvious trap ever.
  6570. >Razor wire, barricades, gunners in towers…
  6571. >They were set up for hordes of demons.
  6572. >She wasn’t even close to being a threat.
  6573. “Oh. I see your point.”
  6574. >She heard hooves walking up behind her, standing in the path of her escape.
  6575. “Perhaps you’d be willing to compromise?”
  6576. >”How? We want you to stay here, and you want to leave. What’s the midpoint there?”
  6577. “Uhh… I leave but I promise to come back?”
  6578. >They looked to each other.
  6579. >And nodded.
  6580. >”Yeah, that sounds fair. I mean, as long as she REALLY promises it shouldn’t be a problem.”
  6581. >They can’t be serious.
  6582. >”Alright, so you PROMISE you’ll come back later?”
  6583. “I promise I will return to Ponyville. Pinkie promise.”
  6584. >The guards were satisfied.
  6585. >One turned to the group manning the barricades and gestured for them to calm down.
  6586. >They stepped aside.
  6587. >Somepony grabbed Lyra by the barrel and pulled her into the sky.
  6588. >She let out a shrill and cowardly scream as the ground pulled away.
  6589. >”Stop struggling! Geeze, are you trying to make me drop you?”
  6590. “HAAAAAALP!”
  6591. >”Calm down! I’m just here to take you to the princess!”
  6592. “WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO SOONER?”
  6593. >”She said you were expecting me!”
  6594. “Well put me down! I don’t wanna go!”
  6595. >They didn’t answer.
  6596. >It looked like she had no choice in the matter.
  6597. >They were way up in the sky at this point.
  6598. >Even if she did shake free…
  6599. >Maybe if she landed in the river?
  6600. >No, that was a terrible idea.
  6601. “Can you at least tell me what she wants?”
  6602. >”Help.”
  6603. “With?”
  6604. >”I am not at liberty to discuss any specifics about any hypothetical operations at this juncture.”
  6605. >Good grief.
  6606. >Was all that jargon really necessary?
  6607. >Couldn’t he just say he wasn’t telling or he didn’t know?
  6608. >To Lyra’s surprise they were already losing altitude.
  6609. >Dropping down to the north of the city.
  6610. >Right by the train station.
  6611. “Oh. Convenient? Maybe?”
  6612. >”Roger.”
  6613. “That’s not my name.”
  6614. >He didn’t answer.
  6615. >Instead he changed his vector, gaining altitude and pulling a bit to the right.
  6616. >”The princess has decided she’s not landing. I’m going to drop you off in her carriage.”
  6617. “How are you going to do that without landing?”
  6618. >”I said I’m going to DROP you off.”
  6619. >SERIOUSLY?
  6620. “Oh no! No you don’t! That’s WAY too dangerous!”
  6621. >”Oh come on, it’s not so bad!”
  6622. “But what if you miss?”
  6623. >”Try to fall slowly. Don’t worry, I’ve done this before.”
  6624. “How many times?”
  6625. >”Once!”
  6626. >Before long Lyra noticed a slight oddity in the sky.
  6627. >What had seemed like thin and wispy clouds in the distance was in fact a carriage, painted white and blue so as to blend in.
  6628. >As she drew closer it began to resolve into a rather ugly and utilitarian sight.
  6629. >This wasn’t a ride fit for royalty. It was clad in riveted metal plates rather than finery.
  6630. >Hints of rust along the seams betrayed its age and hinted at obsolescence.
  6631. >The sun was setting as Lyra crested the top of the vehicle and dropped in, landing on barren bench seating amongst the decrepit wooden interior.
  6632. >Princess Celestia sat opposite her, horn glowing gently as the sky turned black.
  6633. >An unfamiliar sky appeared above her.
  6634. >Dull, far too dark and largely devoid of stars.
  6635. >Lifeless.
  6636. >Lyra swallowed a lump in her throat.
  6637. >She nervously looked at the princess.
  6638. “So… how’s it going?”
  6639. >”Quite poorly, thank you.”
  6640. >There was no bitterness or sarcasm in her voice much to Lyra’s surprise.
  6641. >It was merely a statement of fact.
  6642. “Yeah… maybe not the best day.”
  6643. >”Sorry about the rather… abrupt way in which I sent for you. I trust he was at least courteous?”
  6644. “Umm… close enough? Is there something you needed?”
  6645. >”Yes, as a matter of fact. There is a rather urgent matter at hoof. I shall spare you the bulk of what is happening as you are no doubt already aware.”
  6646. “Aware of what?”
  6647. >”I received several emails from an anonymous source during the battle, carrying information that you alone had access to. I know you were watching.”
  6648. >Oops.
  6649. >”What I don’t know is where Sweetie Drops is, and I was hoping you could find her for me.”
  6650. “No.”
  6651. >The princess raised an eyebrow.
  6652. >”No? I can’t say I was expecting that answer. Why not, my little pony?”
  6653. “Because I know she’s in trouble. I’m not going to help you catch her.”
  6654. >”Ah. Lyra, I suspect you misunderstand the situation.”
  6655. >Lyra crossed her front legs before her chest and looked away.
  6656. “I’m not selling her out no matter what you say.”
  6657. >”Both Achlys and my sister are after her. As soon as they are physically able they will be HUNTING her! She’s in grave danger.”
  6658. >Lyra’s pulse quickened.
  6659. “Oh. Uhh, yeah. That changes things a bit! Maybe she can take them?”
  6660. >”Really? On her own with no support? As hurt as she is? As quickly as they recover from their wounds? BOTH of them?”
  6661. "Sure! I mean, does she even have to fight them? Didn't one get cut in half and the other gunned down?"
  6662. >”You know as well as I that it takes far more than that to slay them. That power cannot simply be destroyed, and it wasn't contained. They may yet be crippled but I assure you they are already looking for her, and they will undoubtedly recover from their wounds. Many of hers are permanent. Do you genuinely think she can beat them?”
  6663. “Maybe?”
  6664. >The princess just stared at Lyra.
  6665. “No, she really can’t. Oh my goodness, this is bad! What are we going to do?”
  6666. >”We’re going to take the soulstone away from her. Achlys isn’t interested in her, just the rock. If we can convince her to let me take it Achlys will lose interest in her.”
  6667. “And Luna?”
  6668. >”I’ll try to talk her down, but… my sister is likely quite upset..”
  6669. >Ya think?
  6670. >”Sweetie Drops has carried far more than her fair share of our collective burden. We are forever in her debt, and she deserves a chance to live a peaceful life. Both sister and I understand that. Though… we cannot risk having her in our ranks as she is. We may advise her to take an early retirement.”
  6671. >WOOHOO!
  6672. “Alright, if that’s how it’s gotta be. Any hints on where she might be?”
  6673. >”We were tracking her as she made her way into the unicorn range. We were making efforts to suppress the fires, but there’s quite a long way to go. We lost her in the smoke.”
  6674. “Well, she can’t stay in that for very long. She’s left by now.”
  6675. >The princess nodded.
  6676. >”Yet she can’t have gone far, she’s on hoof. We’ve suppressed the spread of the fire with rain, drenching the forest before the fire can reach it. We’ve been keeping an eye on the forest, so we can confidently say she’s not left.”
  6677. “Sounds like you already know where she is.”
  6678. >”Nearly. But Luna knows that much too, and Achlys could figure it out. If we’re to get there first I need you to narrow the search.”
  6679. >Uhh…
  6680. “She’ll want her back to a wall so nothing can sneak up behind her. Probably avoid any brambles even if it would make it easier to get by. She’s been wary of sharp plants ever since she bought that cactus. Oh! Bonny really likes sunflowers. Like, a LOT. I mean, sure, they’re nice and all and their seeds are tasty. But the way she goes on about them-”
  6681. >”I know the place.”
  6682. >Princess Celestia held a hoof to her ear.
  6683. >”She’s probably around theta-4. Keep an eye out, there’s lots of stuff out there looking for her. Do not approach, we have no idea how she’ll react.”
  6684. >Lyra felt the cart pull a bit to the left.
  6685. >”What is it she likes about them?”
  6686. “Well, she likes flowers in general really, but especially sunflowers. I think it’s partly because of the bright colours? And she’s one of those ponies that’s always hungry, so the fact that they’re tasty is probably a big part of it. She’s spent a lot of time trying to make sunflower candies but it never really turns out. She just can’t get the right balance of flavours where the candy doesn’t overpower the sunflower.”
  6687. >The princess nodded somberly.
  6688. >”I’m a monster.”
  6689. “Princess?”
  6690. >”Sorry. It’s easy to lose perspective.”
  6691. >Lyra tilted her head in confusion.
  6692. >”There’s a great deal of pain lately. Far too much… Sat in my throne in Canterlot it’s easy to grow detached.”
  6693. “I don’t follow.”
  6694. >”She’s more than a number. More than an asset. She’s a pony who’s in pain.”
  6695. >The princess slumped over with a sigh.
  6696. >”This is my fault.”
  6697. >Actually, yeah.
  6698. >It kinda was.
  6699. >”If I hadn’t gotten in the way of things Luna would have just killed him a long time ago. She told me to stay out of it. Said I wasn’t cruel enough to deal with them. I didn’t trust her.”
  6700. “She hasn’t given you much reason to trust her. She didn’t even tell you why she was going down there.”
  6701. >A pained grimace flashed on princess Celestia’s face.
  6702. “But I think I’ve figured it out. You’re not going to like it.”
  6703. >”Yeah. I figured it out too. And no, I don’t like it.”
  6704. >An awkward silence set in.
  6705. >Lyra fidgeted about on her seat for a while, trying to find somewhere to look.
  6706. >It was futile.
  6707. >Why was this taking so long?
  6708. “Can’t we just teleport?”
  6709. >”I’d love to, but I can’t seem to reach there. Probably too much interference from all the demonic magics.”
  6710. “And SLIDE?”
  6711. >”Burnt out. We used it to keep them from teleporting, but it wasn’t designed for that. We won’t have it for quite a while.”
  6712. “What, did you only have one pair? Somepony has to have a spare lying around.”
  6713. >The princess raised an eyebrow.
  6714. “I mean, it seemed like everypony important had one.”
  6715. >”You know that’s not the whole machine, right?”
  6716. “Uhh…”
  6717. >”That’s just a beacon for the main system to lock onto. SLIDE is four stories tall, wide as Ghastly Gorge, and can use as much energy as a small city. We have brownouts in the maintenance facility every time it activates.”
  6718. “Oh. Wow, I had no idea. Sorry about your power bill?”
  6719. >”My POWER bill?”
  6720. >Princess Celestia sat up straight and glared right at Lyra, who couldn’t help but shrink back.
  6721. >”Breaking and entering, public disturbances, millions of bits in theift and damages, espionage, DOZENS of assaults, blackmail and terrorism- TREASON!”
  6722. >She stamped a hoof angrily against the bench.
  6723. >”And you apologize for using too much electricity of all things?
  6724. >Lyra couldn’t bear to look at the princess.
  6725. >She stared straight down at the bottom of the carriage.
  6726. >Her eyes started watering.
  6727. >”And also… thank you. Today was a disaster, a terrible disaster. But I’ve no doubt that without you it would have been worse.”
  6728. >Princess Celestia stood up and walked over to Lyra.
  6729. >She sat down next to her, and began petting Lyra’s mane.
  6730. >”I was short with you, and that was wrong. The fact of the matter is that I owe you more than I can possibly repay.”
  6731. “I never wanted to hurt anypony.”
  6732. >”I know. You weren’t given much of a choice. It needed to be done, and I was too weak to do it. So thank you. Thank you saving us today, thank you for kicking Twilight back into gear, and thank you for your invention. I have no idea how you came up with that.”
  6733. >Huh?
  6734. “What invention?”
  6735. >”Oh, you don’t need to play dumb. It’s okay. A mysterious pony snuck into Twilight’s room at night and just talks to her. They were in Canterlot while you were, fit your modus operandi perfectly, and they knew all about the Tide AND knew Eurynomos was out of control. Suddenly Twilight not only has the idea of using the Tide as a weapon, but she has a brilliant new method of storing it right out of the blue.”
  6736. “Yeah, but I didn’t come up with the storage. That was her.”
  6737. >Princess Celestia smiled prettily.
  6738. “Honest!”
  6739. >”Alright, it’ll just be our little secret.”
  6740. >She winked knowingly.
  6741. >A horrid stench assailed Lyra’s nostrils.
  6742. >In the blink of an eye she felt nauseous.
  6743. >Her stomach was determined to eject not only its contents, but her liver and spleen as well.
  6744. >She knew this smell.
  6745. >She would never forget it.
  6746. >Eurynomos’ legions had been here.
  6747. >”Looks like we’re about to land. I’m afraid I must ask another favor of you, Lyra. Sweetie Drops is unstable. I don’t know how she’ll react to my presence.”
  6748. “You want me to talk to her for you. No problem.”
  6749. >The ride started to get extremely bumpy.
  6750. >Lyra nearly fell out of her seat.
  6751. “Ack! We’re hit! We’re going down!”
  6752. >”No, we’ve landed.”
  6753. >They hit an exceptionally bad bump.
  6754. >Both Lyra and Celestia were thrown into the air for a moment.
  6755. >Lyra scrambled about frantically with her hooves trying to grab ahold of something, only to land on the bench rump first.
  6756. >”This is what it’s like landing in the wilderness. Roads are a wonderful thing. Sometimes I wish we’d invested more in aerial vehicles, but I decided it was a low priority with pegasi to fill the job.”
  6757. >They rolled to a halt, much to Lyra’s relief.
  6758. >Princess Celestia called a light spell to her horn as she stood up.
  6759. >The back of the wagon fell outward without ceremony to reveal death.
  6760. >A scorched landscape. Once tall and proud pine trees were charred and blackened; enormous and magnificent woods turned to ash.
  6761. >At the front of the cart stood a pair of pegasi clad in the royal guard’s traditional armor.
  6762. >They looked about nervously, fearfully.
  6763. >It seemed as though they might bolt at a moment’s notice.
  6764. >Lyra looked past them to see the ruined remnants of what was once a beautiful countryside.
  6765. >Rich, green pastures as far as the eye could see, free of strife and malice.
  6766. >It had been a paradise for a peace loving pony.
  6767. >Destroyed.
  6768. >Replaced with baked and dessicated dirt that seemed as though it would never bear life again.
  6769. >An act of incredible destruction caused not by demons, but by ponies.
  6770. >The complete and total indiscriminate eradication of life at pony hooves.
  6771. >”Try not to look.”
  6772. >Princess Celestia put a wing between Lyra’s eyes and the ruins.
  6773. >”It’s… easier if you pretend it’s not there. Ignore it and forget it for now.”
  6774. “We can’t pretend that this didn’t happen though.”
  6775. >”This isn’t my first catastrophe, though it is likely the worst. I’ve learned to prioritize. There are more pressing matters to attend to. We can’t fix it now, first we must stop it from getting worse.”
  6776. >The princess ushered Lyra onward, away from the wreckage.
  6777. >”We’ve got a bit of a way to walk.”
  6778. “Why did we land here? Oh. Nowhere safe to touch down. Too many trees.”
  6779. >”We had an experimental vehicle that would have gotten us here in half the time, and would have been able to drop us off in the woods. We had to shelf the project. There were higher priorities.”
  6780. >They marched through the woods with purpose.
  6781. >Eurynomos himself hadn’t reached out this far, but still there were telltale signs of his taint.
  6782. >Fallen trees were completely overwhelmed by crawling insects.
  6783. >It seemed as though most of the wood had gone to punk.
  6784. >Seemingly healthy trees revealed themselves to be little more than overgrown fungal blooms cased within a thick bark shell.
  6785. >Even a young sapling had lost most of its branches to decay.
  6786. >Lyra probed gently at her magic, ready to summon it at a moment’s notice.
  6787. “It’s not safe here.”
  6788. >”Indeed not. But we’re being escorted.”
  6789. “You sure? I don’t see anypony around.”
  6790. >”That doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They’ve fanned out to ensure nothing gets too close to us.”
  6791. >That didn’t do much to put Lyra at ease.
  6792. >If she couldn’t see the ponies, who was to say she could see the demons coming?
  6793. >She nervously looked about, knowing there could be hostiles almost anywhere.
  6794. >”The smell is overwhelming. I can’t believe our forests were reduced to this.”
  6795. >Yeah.
  6796. >The smell WAS bad.
  6797. >And it was getting worse.
  6798. “I know this smell, and it’s not the forest. Stand back.”
  6799. >Lyra marched past the princess, horn already glowing.
  6800. >”What is it?”
  6801. “This is what Ponyville smelled like.”
  6802. >Princess Celestia’s eyes went wide.
  6803. >She quickly stepped behind Lyra, ignobly shielding herself with the smaller pony.
  6804. >”Hold on, wait for our agents to handle it.”
  6805. >No.
  6806. >If they wait around Achlys or Luna could show up.
  6807. >They had to be fast.
  6808. >Lyra prepared an eruption as she pressed on, nervously searching around herself for signs of trouble.
  6809. “Oh.”
  6810. >She began to depressurize the spell.
  6811. “I… found it. Uhh… yeah, somepony tough was here. Was it our escort?”
  6812. >Lyra looked out at a rocky outcrop.
  6813. >Or at least she thought that’s what it was.
  6814. >There was too much gore to know for sure.
  6815. >She couldn’t tell how many demons had met their end here.
  6816. >There was just too much wreckage to know.
  6817. >”Is it safe?”
  6818. “Yeah. But you don’t want to see this.”
  6819. >Princess Celestia didn’t heed the warning.
  6820. >She stepped out and looked at the mess.
  6821. >Her legs started to shake in an instant.
  6822. >”By the stars…”
  6823. “I warned ya.”
  6824. >”This is horrible!”
  6825. “They would have done the same or even worse to you if they’d had the chance.”
  6826. >The princess stepped backward, eyes transfixed on the sight before her.
  6827. >It clearly pained her to look, but she refused to turn her head away.
  6828. “Pretend it’s not there, remember?”
  6829. >The princess closed her eyes and shook her head violently.
  6830. >They took a detour to avoid the carnage.
  6831. >The poor girl wasn’t handling this very well.
  6832. >She was gentle, pure, and kind.
  6833. >Unfit for such messy work.
  6834. >Little surprise that she was so useless during the actual battle.
  6835. >It wasn’t what she was good at.
  6836. >Wait a second…
  6837. “I have to admit I’m surprised you shot Helios.”
  6838. >”Pardon?”
  6839. “Well, I just didn’t think you had it in you. With your sister down there too no less! Hay, I would have choked. Can’t blame you for not doing it the second time.”
  6840. >”I didn’t do it though!”
  6841. “Pardon?”
  6842. >”I’d thought YOU had hijacked the system at some point!”
  6843. “Seriously?”
  6844. >”I was trying to figure out what to do with you for doing that!”
  6845. “Maybe give me another Solstice Star for helping out?”
  6846. >”Or perhaps address the part about stealing a multi-billion bit weapon of mass destruction?”
  6847. “Or, uhh… huh. Well, good thing I didn’t do it then?”
  6848. >The two pressed onward a bit further.
  6849. >The woods began to grow thin, dead grass began to sneak out from the gnarled roots.
  6850. >And Lyra beheld a strange sight.
  6851. >What was doubtlessly a peaceful garden once upon a time had been reduced to rot.
  6852. >It had been a hard growing season with the heat wave and flash freezing, but whoever had been tending to this place had managed to scrape together a minimalist arrangement of decorative plants.
  6853. >Long, winding cobblestone pathways stretched through the meadow, snaking beneath archways for vines and through trimmed shrubberies.
  6854. >Scattered throughout were flower beds, mostly barren but with a few small survivors poking through the dirt and blooming despite the darkness.
  6855. “Wow. This place is nice. I’d like to see it during the day.”
  6856. >”It’s a wonderful place. Some ponies chose to flee the cities and live a more modest and peaceful life. Away from the business of the cities. I pray she’s unharmed…”
  6857. >The two of them walked along the pathways uphill, heading toward a cozy log cabin.
  6858. >But something felt wrong.
  6859. >Unwholesome.
  6860. >Lyra couldn’t help but notice that the plants were growing more withered with every step, the shrubs’ branches barren, the flowers wilted with petals missing.
  6861. “I don’t think Bonny would like this place.”
  6862. >”Perhaps not, but our recon team says she’s here.”
  6863. “Where?”
  6864. >”Behind the cabin. Approach it carefully. We have no idea how she’ll react.”
  6865. “I think she’ll be glad to see me.”
  6866. >”I pray you’re right, but that stone is more dangerous than you realize. You need to be careful!”
  6867. >Lyra trotted up confidently.
  6868. “Oh, it’s fine. Bonny would never hurt me.”
  6869. >”Wait, Lyra! Stop!”
  6870. >Lyra disregarded the warning and walked around the side of the building.
  6871. >A gunshot rang out.
  6872. >Splinters erupted from the side of the cabin as a bullet sank into its sides, right by Lyra’s head.
  6873. >Lyra dropped to the ground and covered her eyes with her hooves.
  6874. >She trembled for a moment before finally daring to peek.
  6875. >The back of the cabin was lined with blackened and withered stalks that might once have been sunflowers.
  6876. >Bon-Bon was leaning against the cabin, staring intently at the Soulstone which she was holding just before her eyes with one hoof.
  6877. >The other was aiming her firearm right at Lyra, ready to blast any intruders.
  6878. “Bonny?”
  6879. >The gun shook slightly for a moment before falling away.
  6880. >Bon-Bon didn’t take her eyes off the stone.
  6881. >Lyra glanced at hole that had formed in the cabin’s walls and swallowed a lump in her throat.
  6882. >She wanted to get closer to Bon-Bon.
  6883. >To comfort her.
  6884. >But princess Celestia was right.
  6885. >There was something VERY wrong here.
  6886. ”Bonny? Are you okay?”
  6887. >”No?”
  6888. >She sounded confused.
  6889. >Perhaps even surprised.
  6890. >And above all else, she sounded distant.
  6891. >”Why are you here? You’re not supposed to be here.”
  6892. “I heard you needed help.”
  6893. >She continued to stare intently at the rock.
  6894. >What was not so long ago a crystal clear diamond the size of a brick was now visibly corrupted.
  6895. >Twisted.
  6896. >It wasn’t just the swirling black smoke oozing from it, nor was it the now ragged edges and cracked faces.
  6897. >Whenever Lyra could see through the fog, whatever she saw on the other side clearly didn’t belong in this reality.
  6898. >Bon-Bon’s cream coloured legs when seen through the rock were a vision straight from the bowels of Hell.
  6899. >The rotten and wicked twisted flesh that could only be associated with Eurynomos.
  6900. >Seen through the lense of evil, one could easily mistake the weary pony for Eurynomos himself.
  6901. >Was that what Bon-Bon saw in it as well?
  6902. >Her own body, twisted and mutated into the embodiment of rot?
  6903. “That thing’s not good for you, Bonny.”
  6904. >”I know.”
  6905. >Yet still she clung to it.
  6906. “Can I come closer? Or do you want me to stay away?”
  6907. >She continued to stare at the soulstone.
  6908. >Lyra stood up and slowly approached, surprised at her own confidence.
  6909. “Wanna talk about it?”
  6910. >Lyra sat down next to Bon-Bon, her back leaning against the cabin.
  6911. >Bon-Bon lie on the ground next to her.
  6912. >Unmoving.
  6913. >Unblinking.
  6914. >”I’m tired.”
  6915. >Lyra opened her mouth to answer.
  6916. >To say it was understandable.
  6917. >That anypony would be tired after what had happened.
  6918. >But she held her tongue.
  6919. >She knew that she didn’t understand, not really.
  6920. >There were only a hoof full of ponies who understood, and even then only sort of.
  6921. >She was uniquely capable.
  6922. >And uniquely burdened.
  6923. >”I’m so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of hurting. Tired of being hurt.”
  6924. “It’s over. You beat him.”
  6925. >Bon-Bon let out a cold and wicked laugh, one that quickly gave way to a sickly cough.
  6926. >”It’s never over.”
  6927. >Her voice was hoarse and raspy.
  6928. >Diseased and weak.
  6929. >Far more so than it had been just a moment ago.
  6930. >”There’s always another. Lamashtu. Ammit. Ifrit.”
  6931. >Lyra had never before heard those names.
  6932. >She knew well who was left in Orcus.
  6933. >Was this a deeper Hell?
  6934. >Or maybe something else entirely?
  6935. >”Akoman. Wechuge. Moloch.”
  6936. >More Names.
  6937. >Names that were spoken with far too much precision, and far too much care.
  6938. >Reminiscent of when Deimos and Phobos had Names Celestia.
  6939. >Not mere sounds or symbols, but a soul made audible.
  6940. >”Azathoth. C’Thalpa. Cxaxukluth.”
  6941. >She pronounced the Names in a guttural manner that made it sound almost as though she had too many tongues.
  6942. >”Bilé. Aku. Azmodeus. There’s always another Evil.”
  6943. “How do you know those names?”
  6944. >”Didn’t I always know?”
  6945. “No.”
  6946. >She blinked.
  6947. >For the first time since Lyra had arrived, Bon-Bon blinked.
  6948. >”I… didn’t? No, I didn’t. When-”
  6949. >She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head violently.
  6950. >”I can’t remember.”
  6951. >She opened her eyes again, a glazed over glare fixed right in the heart of darkness.
  6952. >”Mephistopheles. Abaddon. Countless names. Countless forms.”
  6953. >Lyra sidled up next to her and began to cuddle the war torn pony.
  6954. “They can wait. It’s time for you to come home.”
  6955. >”But I don’t want to go back to Hell. I like it here.”
  6956. “Hell isn’t your home, silly! You live in Ponyville. With me.”
  6957. >”Ponyville?”
  6958. “Bonny? Stop looking at the rock.”
  6959. >Lyra reached over and placed her leg over Bon-Bon’s eyes.
  6960. “You beat him. You win. It’s time for you to relax.”
  6961. >”But Achlys-”
  6962. “Isn’t your problem. Let somepony else do it. You’ve done your part and then some.”
  6963. >”They’ll be back.”
  6964. >This wasn’t going so well.
  6965.  
  6966. “Bonny? That rock is trouble.”
  6967. >”I know.”
  6968. Nothing good will come of it.”
  6969. >“Yeah.”
  6970. “You need to get rid of it.”
  6971. >She sniffled pitifully.
  6972. >Lyra was confused.
  6973. >This was supposed to be easy.
  6974. >”I don’t wanna.”
  6975. >What?
  6976. “Why not?”
  6977. >”I can’t do it anymore. I can’t.”
  6978. >She choked back a ragged sob.
  6979. >Lyra’s heart ached.
  6980. >Looking at the proud and noble pony before her, the pride of S.M.I.L.E., the unbreakable juggernaut, the unsung heroine…
  6981. >The confectioner, the goofball, the friend.
  6982. >Seeing her quiver and whimper was deeply disturbing.
  6983. >Bon-Bon had always been larger than life.
  6984. >A dominant and commanding personality, one that radiated confidence and grace with every step.
  6985. >She was one who trivialised any and every challenge, one who lived with ease.
  6986. >Bon-Bon was the pony that anyone in their right mind would look up to.
  6987. >Seeing her spirit broken so was surreal.
  6988. >”I don’t wanna.”
  6989. >She pulled the stone close.
  6990. >Wrapper her front legs around it.
  6991. >For some reason she didn’t want to let it go.
  6992. >Was it corrupting her somehow?
  6993. >Maybe.
  6994. >But Lyra was confident that all would be well.
  6995. >Bon-Bon was strong willed.
  6996. >Determined.
  6997. >She’d never give in to a rock of all things.
  6998. >She just needed to be reminded of that.
  6999. “You don’t need it. What’s it got that you don’t?”
  7000. >Bon-Bon raised her head, exposing her eye to the world.
  7001. >She gazed up at Lyra. Teary eyes hollow and sunken.
  7002. >Glazed over.
  7003. >”It says I don’t have to fight anymore.”
  7004. “Oh.”
  7005. >Okay then.
  7006. >Maybe there WAS a problem.
  7007. >Lyra needed help.
  7008. “Is it okay if princess Celestia comes by to chat? Not anypony else, just her. And she’s not going to do anything, just talk. Is that alright?”
  7009. >She half heartedly nodded.
  7010. “Alright. Princess?”
  7011. >Princess Celestia slowly edged around the corner, her knees visibly shaking.
  7012. >She stood out in the open for an uncomfortably long time, staring intently at the gun.
  7013. >Eventually she closed her eyes and swallowed a lump in her throat before cautiously walking closer.
  7014. >She sat down opposite Lyra and Bon-Bon.
  7015. >Body rigid and tense.
  7016. “Princess? It’s okay. She doesn’t want to hurt you. Bonny doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”
  7017. >The princess stared at them intently.
  7018. “Tell he she doesn’t have to fight anymore.”
  7019. >The princess nodded curtly.
  7020. >”Agent- no. Bon-Bon. It’s okay. Your struggle is over, you’ve earned your peace.”
  7021. “You’re safe now.”
  7022. >Bon-Bon slumped over.
  7023. >”It’s never going to be over. There are so many of them.”
  7024. “Eurynomos was the worst of them though.”
  7025. >”So was Typhon. So was Cetus. So were the Keres. There’s always another one. It’s never going to end.”
  7026. >Lyra looked up at the princess in disbelief.
  7027. “How many apocalypses did you send her to exactly?”
  7028. >”Too many. We’ve put her through too much, too many times. And… she might be right. There’s always another monster.”
  7029. “Not. Helping.”
  7030. >”But if it is peace you seek you won't find it in the soulstone.”
  7031. >The princess took a deep breath through the nostrils and held it a moment before releasing it through her mouth.
  7032. >She repeated the exercise a half dozen times before forcing the fear from her face.
  7033. >In the blink of an eye, princess Celestia was the picture of serenity and grace.
  7034. >”This is not my first experience with Hell, Bon-Bon. I know their tricks. May I tell you a story?”
  7035. >Where was she going with this?
  7036. >Neither Lyra nor Bon-Bon objected, and the princess began to regale.
  7037. >”Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a kind pony. Gentle by nature, peaceful. Loving.”
  7038. >She spoke softly and lovingly, as though she were a mother reading a story to their foal.
  7039. >”She was too gentle even for Equestria. Too meek to make her voice heard, too patient to make her needs known. This poor little pony soon found herself thoughtlessly abused and discarded by those she loved most.”
  7040. >The princess averted her gaze.
  7041. >Not from fear this time.
  7042. >But from grief.
  7043. >”There was no malice intended toward her, no intent nor animosity. It was mere thoughtlessness that lead to her fate. All those around her forgot she was there, only remembering when they needed something of her. She soon came to learn that nopony ever wished to see her unless they wanted a favor. That nopony cared for her, just her talents.”
  7044. “Did she ever say no?”
  7045. >”Not once. One might call her a doormat or spineless. A weak willed waif that couldn’t care for herself. Or one could call her a saint. A paragon of patience and selflessness. Whatever the case, she found in time that other ponies were merely a burden. A task for her to perform before she would once again be forgotten and discarded. There was nothing out there for her, and so she turned her attention inward.”
  7046. >The princess returned her eyes to the two of them.
  7047. >Lyra couldn’t help but notice they were watering up.
  7048. >”There was peace in solitude, a calming certainty that nopony would do her any wrong. Locked away in her study she was free from the hassles of other ponies, safe from being mistreated all alone with her books.”
  7049. >Was she talking about Twilight?
  7050. >”But ponies are social creatures at their heart, and no tome can fill that void. She soon found a crushing despair had set in. A pain that weighed heavily upon her soul. But she could not go out and face the world again. She couldn’t bear the pain of being rejected or abandoned once more. And so she stayed alone.”
  7051. >Telling this story clearly pained the princess greatly.
  7052. >Yet she went on.
  7053. >”Years of solitude, years of loneliness and pain. She tried nigh on everything to fill that void. Poetry, painting, gardens, any and every creative endeavour in a vain attempt to find a reason to wake up in the morning. A reason to live. But nothing ever came. This poor, sweet pony would spend days on end lying in bed thinking. Thinking about her life, thinking about death, and finding that neither appealed to her. It was a bleak, grey existence. One without hope.”
  7054. >The princess stared up at the darkened sky.
  7055. >Her glowing horn was the only light against the endless void above.
  7056. >”Once, when I’d bothered to remember she existed, I tried to console her. To say that everypony had a cloudy day from time to time. She told me that she’d never had a cloudy day in her life, for she had no sky. It took me years to figure out what that meant. To understand what it was to feel hopelessness. If only I’d known...”
  7057. >The princess bore a pained smile.
  7058. >One that was clearly forced from a rictus of sorrow.
  7059. >”Until one day, her reading revealed a kindred spirit. One who was alone and isolated as she was. One who knew what it was to have nopony. To this day I’ve no clue how this knowledge fell into her hooved, but that poor pony discovered the demon. The two became fast friends.”
  7060. “Friends with a demon?”
  7061. >”Oh, yes. They were separated by a vast distance, one in Hell and the other Equestria. But they kept in touch, chatting with each other into the wee hours of the morning through seance. Sharing their secrets and desires with each other. The demon was kind and sociable. They were far better to the pony than any others had ever been, listening and understanding her woes, offering a shoulder to cry upon, sharing gossip and the like. Neither of them had anyone else in their life. And they didn’t need anyone else.”
  7062. >Lyra didn’t trust this.
  7063. >There was no way it ended well.
  7064. >”One day the demon proclaimed that they were going to help the pony out. To help them show the world that they had value, that they mattered. They promised that everyone would know their name. The pony was no fool, however. She was hesitant to accept any help. But the demon only asked one thing of her. It wanted to see the night sky. They’d heard such marvelous things about the beauty of the heavens, a delight forever barred from them. A simple and harmless request. But still, the pony was too wise to be tricked so easily. She knew that the demon would be forced to uphold its word if it were to swear an oath on its power, and so she thought on the conditions.”
  7065. >Lyra had already learned that one could never bargain with them.
  7066. >That they would always find a way out.
  7067. >She didn’t hold out hope that this would be any different.
  7068. >”She came up with a foolproof deal. The demon may do nothing to corrupt the pony’s soul. The demon may not harm any living creature. It would not bring anything from Hell with it, nor would it bring anything back to Hell when it departed. It would stay in the pony’s line of sight at any time, and would return to Hell without hesitation at the pony’s command. And, as a failsafe, the demon was made to swear that it would return before sunrise. A simple agreement. Respect and admiration in exchange for a chance to see the sky. Everything was covered, there was no chance for anything to go wrong. And so the pony summoned the demon from its prison.”
  7069. >The princess was looking directly at Bon-Bon now.
  7070. >Doing her best to impress the danger posed by the dark forces.
  7071. >”Within seconds, the pony found herself a prisoner to the demon’s will. It took control of her mind and body, possessing her. The demon had done nothing to corrupt that pony’s soul, they had merely sealed it. The demon was to do nopony any harm, and it had no intention to bring anything from Hell. The possessed pony would do it for them. They would never be out of sight of the pony, and they would never receive the command to return unless they chose to utter it themselves.”
  7072. “What about the failsafe? What about sunrise?”
  7073. >”There would be no need to return. The night was to last forever.”
  7074. >Lyra’s eyes went wide.
  7075. >”And so Erebus’ ruse had worked. She’d been freed from Hell, and given all of Elysium to terrorize. And as promised, everyone knew Luna’s new name. The demon set out to dominate all of Elysium, to twist it into her image. One pony stood in her way. One frail, impotent pony. The elements began to work, but they were too slow. Erebus had me pinned to the ground, neck exposed and blade ready to cut. And then? She did nothing.”
  7076. >What?
  7077. >”I looked her in the eyes right as she was meant to take my life, and for a brief moment I saw my sister in them. A mere flicker. One desperate act of defiance>”
  7078. “But the elements fixed her, right? They made her herself again?”
  7079. >”Wrong.”
  7080. >Luna’s voice!
  7081. >Everypony’s head’s turned to look at the source of the sound.
  7082. >Luna was a terrible mess.
  7083. >She’d been dragging herself along using only her front hooves, her hind legs seemingly paralyzed by her terrible wounds.
  7084. >Wounds and sores had formed nearly everywhere during her journey through the rough terrain, yet still she crawled onward.
  7085. >And somehow, she’d never looked more equine in her life.
  7086. >Her mane no longer flowed in an ethereal breeze, instead it hang gently as a sky blue.
  7087. >Her whole body seemed smaller, less imposing.
  7088. >And her eyes gentler.
  7089. >”You can’t destroy it. Not even the elements can do that, they could only destabilize it. Weaken her grip on me for a moment. We couldn’t get rid of Erebus, we could only contain her.”
  7090. “So what did you do?”
  7091. >”I swallowed her soul.”
  7092. >Even Bon-Bon gasped at that revelation.
  7093. >”She possessed me, so I possessed her.”
  7094. “But that’s awful! How could you do that to yourself?”
  7095. >”A THOUSAND YEARS, Lyra. A THOUSAND YEARS her slave, a thousand years of torment, a thousand years with nothing but the promise of ETERNAL servitude to fill my mind! Don’t presume to know better than I!”
  7096. >Bon-Bon dropped the soulstone and raised her weapon.
  7097. >She pointed it right at Luna’s head.
  7098. >”So you ARE one of them. Worse, you chose to be. I shouldn’t have let you go.”
  7099. >”Isn’t that what you were just thinking about doing?”
  7100. >Her weapon was suddenly unsteady.
  7101. >Shaking all over the place.
  7102. >Luna was eyeing it warily while she spoke.
  7103. >”Something had to contain that evil, and that something was me. Zero, trust me when I tell you that you don’t want that power. It will kill who you once were, twist you into something terrible. Something you hate. Erebus had a small fraction of Eurynomos’ strength, and look at what it did to me. If you let that into you, there won’t be a you anymore.”
  7104. >Bon-Bon didn’t put her weapon down.
  7105. >”I’m tired of fighting.”
  7106. >”That’s because you’re still you. Me? I’ll never get tired of it. Nothing makes me happier than rending flesh and shattering bone. Luna the pony is dead. It’s too late for me, Zero. But it’s not too late for you. Give me the stone.”
  7107. >Everyone watched Bon-Bon.
  7108. >She stood frozen, her face distorted by overwhelming emotional pain.
  7109. >And Lyra knew.
  7110. >No, she didn’t merely know.
  7111. >She understood.
  7112. >She’d felt the horror of demonic destruction.
  7113. >She’d watched what they did, experienced the disgust and torment.
  7114. >It was merely a shadow of Bon-Bon’s experience, but she still knew.
  7115. >There was NOTHING that Bon-Bon hated more than them.
  7116. >The threat of becoming one was inconceivably awful to her.
  7117. >But still, she wouldn’t give it up.
  7118. >She wanted to.
  7119. >She wanted to be free of it.
  7120. >Yet she couldn’t.
  7121. >It had a hold on her.
  7122. >Something about it had grabbed on and wouldn’t let go.
  7123. >Bon-Bon needed help.
  7124. >Lyra reached down with her hooves and picked it up.
  7125. >The world stood still, and she was at peace.
  7126. >For the first time in what felt like forever, Lyra was calm.
  7127. >This stone had the power to fix everything.
  7128. >It could stop the Tide, it could crush Achlys, it could protect Bon-Bon.
  7129. “Get rid of it already!”
  7130. >Lyra tossed the stone at Celestia, and it vanished in a burst of light.
  7131. >Luna spat out a guttural scream.
  7132. >She scrambled to her sister, dragging her torn lower body through the dirt.
  7133. >”Give me the stone, Sister.”
  7134. >”Nope.”
  7135. >Luna tried to look menacing.
  7136. >Tried to come across as an immeasurable threat from her position on the ground.
  7137. >Tried to glare pure death up at her older sister.
  7138. >She looked more like a filly throwing a tantrum.
  7139. >”Give it to me and nopony gets hurt.”
  7140. >Princess Celestia stuck blew a raspberry at her.
  7141. >”I know it’s what you’ve been after all along, Luna. It wasn’t your plan Q or V. Not even your plan Z. This was your plan A. Your solution to the Tide. I know this is why you opened up Hell, and I’m not giving it to you.”
  7142. >Luna tried to scowl at her.
  7143. >She failed.
  7144. >”Don’t you get it? It’s our only hope! The ONLY chance we have to stop the Tide!”
  7145. >”You don’t know that.”
  7146. >”ZERO survivors! Entire WORLDS swallowed by the Tide! This can protect us!”
  7147. >”At what cost?”
  7148. >”I DON”T CARE! I’ve told you before that I will do ANYTHING to save them. I’ve torn open Hell, I will destroy the heavens, burn down Equestria, and piss on the ashes if that’s what it takes! There is no cost too great!”
  7149. >Princess Celestia was unimpressed.
  7150. >She looked down at her little sister impassively.
  7151. >The pristine and clean sister looking at the torn and tainted with more pity than anger.
  7152. >”I’d rather not see Equestria become as Hell, and I’d rather not see my sister hurt even more.”
  7153. >Luna leapt into the air with supernatural speed.
  7154. >Her hind legs were still paralyzed and her wings still missing.
  7155. >Lyra had no idea how she did it, but she did.
  7156. >Celestia tumbled to the ground gracelessly, brought low by the added weight.
  7157. >Luna pressed her horn against Celestia’s neck.
  7158. >She pressed hard against Celestia’s coat, ready to puncture.
  7159. >”Do you think I won’t do it? Do you think I won’t? I’m ready to give up EVERYTHING to save them! Give me the stone and nopony DIES!”
  7160. >Lyra called on her magic, ready to attack Luna.
  7161. >Ready to try in vain to attack the powerhouse before her.
  7162. >Before she could act, a bright flash of light came from Luna’s horn.
  7163. >Luna pulled back as though hurt.
  7164. >”Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean-”
  7165. >A tiny red spot could be seen in Celestia’s fur.
  7166. >Luna looked around in terror.
  7167. >”I was just trying to scare you, I didn’t want to hurt you! Oh my goodness, we need a medic over here! My sister’s bleeding! Does anypony know CPR?”
  7168. >”I’m fine, Luna.”
  7169. >”But- but you’re bleeding!”
  7170. >”I’m more worried about you! I know what my blood does to you. Is your horn harmed?”
  7171. >”Who cares? We need medivac for you right now!”
  7172. >What the hay was going on?
  7173. >One second Luna was the evil demon princess, the next a doting little sister.
  7174. >Celestia carefully disentangled herself from her sister.
  7175. >She looked over Luna’s wretched and battered form.
  7176. >And she smiled softly.
  7177. >”I’m fine, but you’re right. We do need a medic here. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
  7178. >”You’re sure you’re okay?”
  7179. >She nodded happily.
  7180. >”And the stone?”
  7181. >”We have twelve years yet. Plenty of time to find a solution.”
  7182. >Luna chewed on her lip for a moment, considering the offer.
  7183. >She made a token attempt to look frightening once more.
  7184. >”You have ten.”
  7185. >Then she vanished in a burst of blackness.
  7186. >Princess Celestia smiled gaily.
  7187. >”That turned out better than I’d expected. Are you two well?”
  7188. “I’m fine. I think. Bonny?”
  7189. >Bon-Bon glared at princess Celestia for a moment.
  7190. >Burning hatred consumed her eyes.
  7191. >”Princess? I QUIT!”
  7192. >She threw her gun aside before sitting down with a grumpy scowl.
  7193. >Lyra gently pat Bon-Bon on the back.
  7194. “Let’s get you home. You’ve had a long day, so I’ll make you something nice for dinner.”
  7195. >”Can we go to the hospital first? I think I caught something.”
  7196. “Whatever you like.”
  7197. >The battle weary Bon-Bon stood up and began to walk away, princess in tow.
  7198. >Before they left the clearing, Lyra took a quick glance back.
  7199. >The garden was turning green once more.
  7200. >Life was returning in Bon-Bon’s wake.

Steel Sanctuary Part 1

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Steel Sanctuary Part 2

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Steel Sanctuary Part 3

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Red Shift Part 1

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Red Shift Part 2

by Writefag_Is_Kill