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Heart of War- Act IX

By ThingPaste
Created: 2024-02-28 03:07:54
Expiry: Never
heart of war

  1. >Eventually the Fog outside started to lighten up.
  2. >Morning.
  3. >You rise from the chair, your night long vigil over.
  4. >Grabbing the sheathe to your sword, you place it back onto your belt before sliding the blade down into it.
  5. >You look out the nearest window, into the dark grey of the Fog.
  6. >Whatever has been plaguing your voyage for the past week is soon over.
  7. >Why?
  8. >Because you have to end it.
  9. >Here and now.
  10. >You have no idea how to proceed, but for Flurry’s sake, you need to end this.
  11. >Walking over to the bed, you look down at Tiara.
  12. >Then reach a hand down to her shoulder.
  13. “Hey, it’s morning.”
  14. >She doesn’t budge.
  15. >You shake her shoulder lightly.
  16. >Deep sleeper.
  17. “Hey!”
  18. >She jolts and swats away your hand.
  19. >”Wha, what?”
  20. “It’s morning. Get breakfast then meet me at the longboat.”
  21. >With that, you take your leave to get something in your own belly.
  22. >…
  23. >Soon you stood at the longboat, waiting for Tiara.
  24. >As you wait, you look out into the fog off of the port side of the ship.
  25. >What is…
  26. >Hoofsteps sound in the distance, but you don’t look over to her.
  27. “Hey, come and look at this?”
  28. >She doesn’t reply.
  29. >You glance over and-
  30. >What the?
  31. >You draw your sword, but when you next blink, you don’t see anyone else on deck.
  32. >You could have sworn that you just say a pony next to you.
  33. >Well, in your peripheral vision, you saw something grey, about the size of a pony.
  34. >But as you look down the deck, you only see the captain’s cabin being opened as Tiara exits her room.
  35.  
  36. >She begins walking towards you, and you take the time to put away your sword.
  37. >”You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
  38. “Just my eyes playing tricks on me.”
  39. >You hope.
  40. >”Well that’s what you get for skipping sleep.”
  41. >That’s probably it.
  42. “Come look at this.”
  43. >You gesture into the water, just on the edge of visibility.
  44. >”What am I looking at?”
  45. >You move behind her to reach your arm around and aim directly at it from her eye sight.
  46. >”Looks like something’s peeking out of the water.”
  47. “I want to check it out.”
  48. >”Of course you do.”
  49. >…
  50. >After rowing over the longboat, you reached the object sticking out of the water.
  51. >It’s a piece of wood.
  52. >Cylindrical in shape, and angled out of the water, with maybe a foot above the surface.
  53. “Is it just me, or does that look like-“
  54. >”A mast. If a ship crashed here, it would explain the pony skeletons.”
  55. “It would be too dark below the surface to properly explore the wreck, but if I can get to the stern and find its name…”
  56. >”Then we could go through the records back on the Avalon.”
  57. >You reach a hand over into the water.
  58. >Cold.
  59. >”Enjoy the swim.”
  60. >You let out a heavy sigh as you begin to strip down to your underwear.
  61. >The things you do…
  62.  
  63. >…
  64. >Tiara helps you back on the boat as best as she can while still counterbalancing your weight.
  65. >As you start to settle, you shiver slightly from the chill of the water on your skin.
  66. >”Well?”
  67. >You had to go under a couple times to properly locate the ship’s name.
  68. >As you start drying yourself you speak:
  69. “The Valiant. Had to double check and feel around, but I think that’s what it said.”
  70. >”The HMS Valiant… it rings a bell, but I don’t recall any specifics.”
  71. “Well it will have to wait.”
  72. >You say as you pull your pants back on.
  73. “We need to check out the crater in the light, and we’re already in the longboat, so I’d rather investigate that first.”
  74. >With your pants back on, your socks and boots soon follow.
  75. >”You just want to spend more time in their holy toilet.”
  76. “I only mentioned that a word was similar to the word ‘toilet’ in one dialect.”
  77. >”Close enough.”
  78. >You pull your shirt back over your head.
  79. “If actual sunlight was getting through the fog, I would investigate the wreck some more. But, we’ll have to see if we can gather anything based on what the crew brought ashore. I’d guess that most of those crates and barrels were from the Valiant.”
  80. >”Then get rowing.”
  81. “You know that you could help me.”
  82. >”Yes, I do know.”
  83. >You scoot over to be able to use the oars on each side of the boat.
  84. >While she just sits across from you, smugly enjoying skipping out on manual labor.
  85. “You know, you’re a gem, did anyone ever tell you that?”
  86. >”Nopony that I didn’t end up punching.”
  87.  
  88. >…
  89. >Once you had rowed to the shore and dragged the boat onto the shore, you went through the cave again.
  90. >And once you reached the crater, there was no fog obstructing your view.
  91. >The odd cloud or two could be seen in the sky, but that was it.
  92. >Well, today you were going to properly search the island.
  93. >And you started from the bottom.
  94. >At the very bottom of the crater was a small pond.
  95. >And as you got closer to it than yesterday, you could see that it was clear.
  96. >Well, mostly clear.
  97. >You can see the bottom of the crater through at its deepest, maybe two feet of water.
  98. >At a guess, you’d say that it’s rain water.
  99. >Which would have been worse for the ponies that were stuck here.
  100. >It means that they starved rather than die from dehydration.
  101. >You’ve come close to each of those ways, and they’re both bad ways to go.
  102. >To waste away for weeks…
  103. >Well, they don’t seem to have much gear with them.
  104. >The barrels and boxes you found are mostly empty.
  105. >You would have guessed food storage.
  106. >One of the crates had old fabric in it, but it had mostly deteriorated from age.
  107. >Blankets you would guess.
  108. >The occasional rusted weapon can be found scattered on the ground.
  109. >And skeletons coat the mesas that form the sides of the crater.
  110. >Fifty-eight.
  111. >The one outside and the one up in the room at the top make sixty.
  112. >They all died here.
  113. >Hoping for a rescue that they knew would never come…
  114.  
  115. >That’s no way to die.
  116. >Then again, is there a good way to die?
  117. >You’ve seen so much death.
  118. >You’ve CAUSED so much death.
  119. >All of the life that you’ve witnessed s it was extinguished…
  120. >What gives you the right?
  121. >Why do yo-
  122. >”Hey!”
  123. >You shake your head away from the skeleton you’re inspecting.
  124. “What?”
  125. >”You were drifting. You okay?”
  126. “I’m fine.”
  127. >”Uh huh.”
  128. >You look around the crater.
  129. “I’ve seen enough out here. Let’s head to the room up there.”
  130. >You begin walking across the mesa you were on, moving towards the stairs that lead most directly to the room.
  131. >As you begin ascending up the crater, you distance yourself from your previous train of thought.
  132. >With all you’ve done, there’s no use second guessing yourself in this life.
  133. >You’ll face your judgment when it’s time, but that time is not today.
  134. >You continue to move from staircase to stair case until you reach the top.
  135. >And you come to the doorway once again.
  136. >Before you enter, you take another glance at the writing over the day:
  137. >Temple
  138. >Holy
  139. >Something
  140. >Something
  141. >Followed by a slightly larger space between words
  142. >Something
  143. >to have given up always
  144. >Eternal/never/toilet
  145. “Holy Temple of… Eternally to have forever given up… maybe eternally to have given up forever. To have forever given up toilets?”
  146. >”You need to speak up.”
  147. “Sorry, just thinking.”
  148. >”Where are you with it?”
  149.  
  150. “There are three words I don’t understand. See that place where’s there’s a gap? That signifies different ideas or phrasing. In the first bit, I don’t understand two words. The first might be proper noun, because the second is a verb- I can tell from the suffixes. But if that’s a verb and the other verb isn’t a noun, then the second word describes the temple itself. Then with the other half, I don’t recognize that first word, which I think is the subject that has ‘been given up’.”
  151. >”What?”
  152. “Never mind, I’m just reading.”
  153. >”No guess as to what it says?”
  154. “Words, words, words.”
  155. >”Do all of your kind never make sense?”
  156. “Yes.”
  157. >She groans at the statement.
  158. >So you decide to let the words be, and head into the hallway.
  159. >You can see light from the window without even stepping inside; the light shining in gives a much better view of the layout.
  160. >When you mentioned that the walls and ceiling were flat and plain, you couldn’t have been more accurate.
  161. >How could anything be carved that smoothly?
  162. >You keep going down the hall until you reach the main room.
  163. >Once in it, the first thing you do is to approach the window.
  164. >Now that you have life, you look down the sheer drop into the cliff below.
  165. >No glass to stop your fall, all you’d have to do is to step over a foot high wall.
  166. >Then you land on jagged outcroppings.
  167. >With a running start, you might make the water.
  168. >But you won’t test that.
  169.  
  170. >As you look through the opening, you look to the horizon.
  171. >Perfectly clear, no sign of the Fog.
  172. >If you’re in the crater or in this room, any fog is invisible from this point of view.
  173. >A cloud or two can be seen in the sky, so it isn’t just gaseous vapor that is invisible from here.
  174. >You have an idea…
  175. >Putting a hand on the nearest support, you lean your head out of the opening.
  176. >As soon as your eyes cross the threshold, the horizon becomes obscured from the Fog.
  177. “What do you see out the window?”
  178. >Tiara paces over to you.
  179. >”Nothing’s changed.”
  180. >You pull your head back, and the Fog immediately disappears.
  181. “Go on, stick your head out.”
  182. >”Why would I eve- oh.”
  183. >As her head bobs forward, you don’t see the horizon change from its clear status.
  184. >She actually pulls her head back and sticks it through a few times.
  185. >”That’s…”
  186. >You start to walk away from the opening.
  187. >Although it’s certainly peculiar, you won’t be able to learn anything from it.
  188. >The altar on the other hand…
  189. >Now that you have proper light, you begin to inspect it.
  190. >A quick glance shows that it appears to be completely smooth on every surface.
  191. >So you begin feeling and pressing against the sides of it.
  192. >Alas, you can find no hidden compartment.
  193. >It’s just a rectangular slab of rock.
  194. >Glancing over your shoulder, you notice that Tiara is still moving her head back and forth through the window’s threshold.
  195. >Is she…
  196. >Enjoying herself?
  197. >You didn’t think she was physically capable of doing that.
  198.  
  199. >You sigh under your breath and turn back to face the room.
  200. >There’s only one other thing of note.
  201. >The skeleton.
  202. >You walk over to the corner it’s leaning against.
  203. >Looking at a few different angles, it doesn’t look like there’s anything else with the skeleton.
  204. >Just the bones and the coat the pony was wearing.
  205. >Age has turned the material of the coat brown, and many bits seem to have deteriorated away.
  206. >You kneel down and start to search the pockets.
  207. >In one of them, you find a small glass bottle.
  208. >At a guess, you’d say it was for alcoholic purposes.
  209. >The other pockets seem to be empty.
  210. >Wait.
  211. >From one of the front pockets, you pull out a small book.
  212. >”Find anything?”
  213. >Tiara asks as she paces over to you.
  214. >You hold up the book.
  215. “A journal, I think.”
  216. >”That’s… quite the find actually.”
  217. >You rise from your position.
  218. “Let’s head back to the ship, you can look through records while I start at this.”
  219. >And so you began the trip down the meandering mesas of the crater.
  220. >When you reach the tunnel to the outside, you glance back and take a look around.
  221. >You hope that there’s something in the files that Tiara has, or in this journal.
  222. >If there isn’t then you’re back at square one.
  223.  
  224. >…
  225. >You exit from the forward observation room, having finished lunch with the Admiral.
  226. >Starting down the hallway, you start making towards the guest quarters that you’ve been assigned.
  227. >You think you’ll rest a bit before hitting the gym.
  228. >However, about halfway to your quarters, you encounter a pegasi.
  229. >He’s wearing the sky blue naval uniform, and the bars on his shoulders signify a Commander.
  230. >Meaning that because the Air Fleet uses naval ranks, he outranks you.
  231. >You stop to stand at attention and salute.
  232. “Commander.”
  233. >”At ease Major. In fact, you’re just the pony I was looking for.”
  234. >He looks to be in his mid-thirties, his light grey coat and short kept light blue mane match well with the uniform.
  235. “I’m sorry to say that you have me at the disadvantage.”
  236. >”Commander Clear Skies, I’m the Executive Officer.”
  237. >Because Admiral Brairheart chose to command the Prydwen personally, there is nopony aboard with the rank of Captain, making the Commander here the highest ranked pony on the ship next to the Admiral.
  238. “Pleasure to meet you Sir. Is there something I can help you with?”
  239. >”Not exactly, see we’ve all been busy with this shakedown run, but now that everypony is settling in, I’ve arranged a meeting with the officers. Mostly just a formality and pep talk. But seeing as you’re an officer, despite not being part of the crew, I felt it only fair to invite you. It isn’t an order, should duties require you elsewhere then so be it.”
  240. “Actually I am rather free today. When is it?”
  241. >”I’m on my way there now.”
  242. “Then after you.”
  243. >You begin to follow Commander Skies through the hallways.
  244.  
  245. >As you walk, he starts a conversation.
  246. >”So, commanding the Old Guard. That’s quite the post, how do you enjoy it.”
  247. “Well, the Field Marshal or the Princess took command during the actual war, so I’ve mainly just been doing the paperwork.”
  248. >He chuckles slightly.
  249. >”My condolences.”
  250. “Also I think it’s pretty interesting that the phrase ‘Old Guard’ has spread so thoroughly through the military. We were never an official division, and the phrase was only used in passing a couple of times by the Field Marshal.”
  251. >”I know the feeling. We haven’t been in the air for a full month, and the crew has thoroughly started to refer to the Prydwen as ‘Flying Iron’ and ‘The Big Pryd’ interchangeably.”
  252. “Well the name isn’t exactly an easy one.”
  253. >”Well it certainly has a ring to it.”
  254. “The name or the nicknames?”
  255. >”Both I suppose. The ship’s motto isn’t a bad one either.”
  256. “The ship has a motto?”
  257. >”Something else that the Field Marshal insisted on.”
  258. “What is it?”
  259. >”It’s ‘Vanguard of The Nation’.”
  260. “So you’re putting us lowly infantry out of a job?”
  261. >The Commander laughs.
  262. >”Afraid so Major. Never too late to transfer though.”
  263. “I’ll have to keep that in mind Sir.”
  264. >”Well, here we are. You can take a seat wherever there’s an opening.”
  265.  
  266. >The Commander opens a set of double doors that leads to a small auditorium.
  267. >On the bottom there is a small stage with a podium standing center.
  268. >A short distance from it, seats start upwards on levels overlooking the stage.
  269. >There are five rows with an aisle down the center and on either side of the room.
  270. >Each row looks like it has ten seats so fifty ponies could be present at a meeting before it goes to standing room only.
  271. >If you recall, the ship has an officer compliment of forty-five.
  272. >You entered from a set of double doors on the right side of the stage, there’s another set of doors on the left side, and another set at the top of the center aisle.
  273. >You can see a few open chairs, so you make for the nearest free one.
  274. >Third row on the far right.
  275. >Looking down, you see the Commander glance over his audience.
  276. >”Well, it looks like we’re all here. I’d like to start off by saying that it’s good to see you all in one place again. I know the past couple weeks have been hectic, but i think we’re all getting into our air legs now.”
  277. >…
  278. >”Well ponies, I’ve taken enough of your time. I’d like the senior staff to stay behind; the rest of you can get back to your duties. Dismissed.”
  279.  
  280. >As you rise from your seat and start heading for the door, you hear the Commander’s voice call to you:
  281. >”Major, I’d like you to stay as well.”
  282. >While most of the ponies shuffle out of the room, a few go down the stage to meet with the Commander.
  283. >You’d assume that they are the senior staff, so you go to join them.
  284. >As the last of the stragglers filter out of the room, the Commander speaks:
  285. >”Major, I’d like to introduce you to Lieutenant Commander Hail, our Master Gunner.”
  286. >Pegasi, he has a dark grey coat with a darker mane that has a dark blue streak going through it.
  287. >”Lieutenant Commander Cog, our head of Maintenance.”
  288. >Pegasi, he has an olive green coat with a dark brown mane.
  289. >”Lieutenant West, our Chief Navigator.”
  290. >Pegasi, he has a white coat with a bright yellow mane.
  291. >”Lieutenant Wind, our Chief of Security and the commander of our pegasi strike force.”
  292. >Pegasi, he has a slightly larger build than the others, he’s got a dark blue coat with a black mane.
  293. >”Ensign Twinkle, head of Magical Engineering.
  294. >Unicorn, she has a white coat with a light pink mane.
  295. >”And Command Master Chief Petty Officer Freefall, our Quartermaster. Also the only enlisted pony to be present in these meetings.”
  296. >An Earth Pony, he has a beige coat and no mane, but his tail is a dark black.
  297. >He also has a scar over his right eye.
  298. >Pegasi or even unicorns on an airship aren’t uncommon.
  299. >But it takes a lot of fortitude for an earth pony to serve in the sky.
  300. >Command Master Chief Perry Officer Freefall speaks to you first:
  301. >”Chief, Quartermaster, or Freefall will do.”
  302. >Commander Skies then gets everyponies attention:
  303. >”Well, I think we should relocate to the officer’s lounge. Each of you has been doing your duties admirably, and I think you all deserve a rest.”
  304.  
  305. >…
  306. >”I found the Valiant.”
  307. “It’s right off the port side of the ship, sunk.”
  308. >She doesn’t seem amused by the deadpan reply.
  309. >”She was sent out to chart these waters, but not to actually go as far as the continent.”
  310. “I could have told you that.”
  311. >”That was just over two hundred years ago.”
  312. “Anything else?”
  313. >”Only that she never came back, missing presumed dead.”
  314. “Well at least now it’s not a presumption.”
  315. >”It’s a shame, in her day she was the finest ship in the fleet. The first new model ship to replace old caravels and galleons.”
  316. “Well.”
  317. >You wave the journal at her.
  318. “These are the voyages of the sailing ship Valiant. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new lands, to seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no pony has gone before.”
  319. >Tiara just sits across the table from you and blinks, the reference lost upon her.
  320. “Guess you’re a Wars fan.”
  321. >”What?”
  322. “Nothing wrong with that, each have their strengths.”
  323. >”What?”
  324. “Or maybe you preferred Gate…”
  325. >”I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
  326. “Hey, it’s okay. I really liked that one too… Well two of the three I liked.”
  327. >”STOP!”
  328. “Okay, I’m done.”
  329. >”You promise.”
  330. “Cross my heart, smack me dead, stick a lobster on my head.”
  331. >”I’m going to kill you.”
  332. “I’d like to see you try.”
  333. >You deliver in a deep baritone.
  334. >”… Wait, was that another one?”
  335. >Absolutely.
  336. “Absolutely not.”
  337. >You open up the journal.
  338. “Now where were we?”
  339.  
  340. >What the hell?
  341. >Why didn’t you even bat an eye through all of that?
  342. >You would never let yourself act so… childish.
  343. >So openly annoying.
  344. >It’s probably just stress.
  345. >”Hey, you okay?”
  346. “What? Yeah, I’m fine.”
  347. >”You haven’t been acting fine all day. Are you sure you don’t need any rest?”
  348. “What I want is immaterial to the task at hand.”
  349. >”That’s no answer.”
  350. >You open up the journal and summarize what you see on the first page.
  351. “The journal of one Captain G.B. Clover, Equestrian Royal Navy.”
  352. >Flipping a few pages, you find it to start as soon as he became a Captain.
  353. >You start flipping to find where he set off for the east.
  354. >”You didn’t answer.”
  355. “No, I didn’t.”
  356. >”Why not?”
  357. “Because I chose not to.”
  358. >”Why can’t you just answer?”
  359. >You slam the book down on the table between the two of you.
  360. “Do you want to shut up and let me find out what happened, or do you want to continue to waste my time!”
  361. >You phrased it as a matter of fact statement, not a question.
  362. >She immediately broke eye contact and looked downward at the table, cocking her head to her left side slightly.
  363. “Good.”
  364. >Lifting the journal back up, you continue to search through its pages.
  365. >You need to find the events leading up to their shipwreck.
  366. >If the Captain even had the ink to write about it…
  367.  
  368. >You’re sure that the journal is quite the read, but you need one thing in particular.
  369. >When you get just over halfway through the pages, he departed for the east.
  370. >You flip through a few more pages.
  371. “I think I’ve got something.”
  372. >You read directly off of the page:
  373. “When I awoke this morning, I found that a deep fog had rolled in. Visibility is reduced to approximately one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet. Knowing that we are at open sea, I set us out at half-mast on our previous heading. That was roughly an hour ago, and I expect the fog to clear within another hour. We have been at sea for many weeks now, and while the crew is starting to show the slightest signs of fatigue, I remain confident in their resolve. No matter-“
  374. >That ends the entry.
  375. “The ink trails off after that, and it looks like the quill rested on the paper. Look.”
  376. >You show her the page, where the ink trails off and a light imprint is left on the empty half of the page.
  377. >Taking back the journal, you flip the page and continue reading.
  378. “I was taken away from my previous entry, because I was called out to the deck. It happened quickly, a cliff was spotted directly ahead of our course. We tried to slow and turn away from it, but the impact left too much damage in the Valiant. She managed to limp away a few hundred feet before sinking. We managed to get some supplies off of the ship, however the crash had blocked off the two lowest decks. I regret to say that everypony that was in those decks has drowned with the ship. I would mourn, but my duty is now to protect the survivors. We have explored the island thoroughly; well, it’s much more of a rocky outcropping in the ocean.”
  379. >You pause to cough.
  380.  
  381. “The cliff is largest on the south side of the island, and that is where the Valiant impacted. A small beach resides on the west side of the island, where the survivors washed ashore. On that beach, resides a small passageway to the interior of the island. Past the cliffs, resides a crater filled up with rainwater. The water appears to be drinkable; however for the time being, I have ordered the survivors to rely on water from the few barrels that we managed to salvage. Carved into the sides of the crater lie dozens of stone terraces connected by staircases also carved into the stone. Located at the top of the crater lies a room, strange letters are carved into the stone just above the hallway leading into it. In the room, there is an opening that lets one look over the horizon to the south, and a large rectangular slab of rock sticking out off-center in the room is the only furniture to be found.”
  382. >Nothing seems to have changed since when the Valiant crashed.
  383. >”I have instituted a strict ration. Our water supplies should stretch for a week, however if it rains regularly then water should not be an issue. Failing that, we shall have to resort to drinking the standing water from the pond. Food is direr. The supply could be stretched for three months; however there is no way to replenish the supply.”
  384. >You flip to the next entry.
  385. “Following a discussion with the other survivors, we have reached the conclusion that our only hope for survival is to be rescued. We had only three surviving pegasi in the crew, and we agreed to let them take as many supplies as they could carry. It takes a week out of the collective food supply, but if the wind favors them, they should reach Equestria in time to send a rescue ship for us.”
  386. >”As far as I know, they never made it back.”
  387. “Personally, I am running low on ink, so further entries may be brief. But now, all we can do is to pray for the future.”
  388. >You flip to the next page.
  389.  
  390. “This stuff is only in individual sentences rather than paragraphs.”
  391. >You begin to read:
  392. “Rained today… moral low… have to drink from pond… been here a month… two months… five men committed suicide, jumped out of the opening down to the cliff below… food low… food gone.”
  393. >You flip to the next page and are surprised by what you see.
  394. “It’s written in blood from here on.”
  395. >Starting to read, the format shifts back to paragraphs:
  396. “A few of us have already perished from hunger. I was out of ink, so I bled myself to refill the well. I’ve been lying in this corner for a few days without moving. I just can’t bring myself to watch as my men waste away in front of me. The chance of a rescue was low to begin with, and we all knew the risks before setting out to sea. But no living being deserves to die like this. I can barely lift my quill right now. There isn’t much to say at this point… we’re all going to die. If anypony ever recovers this, let our families know that we died in the line of duty. I would like my wife to know that I love her, our baby should have been born by now, so to him or her: I am so sorry I never got to see you born or grow up; it is unforgivable, and no words can make up for my absence.”
  397. >You pause before saying the final portion.
  398. “This is Captain G.B. Clover of the Equestrian Royal Navy, singing off. May our souls rest in peace.”
  399. >Below that is a signature.
  400. >As you flip through the few dozen pages after that, you find them all to be blank.
  401.  
  402. >”So when he wrote about the fog earlier, it was just normal fog.”
  403. “Yes.”
  404. >”Can you glean anything from it?”
  405. “Nothing that could help us.”
  406. >”Because my best guess is ghosts.”
  407. “There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
  408. >You’ve seen plenty of things on in this world, but the undead are not one of them.
  409. >Besides, with how much blood you’ve spilled, if ghosts really existed then you’d be a walking curse.
  410. “What’s changed between now and then?”
  411. >”In general, or…”
  412. “Start pulling out every record and report you have since after the Valiant set out. There has to be something that’s changed.”
  413. >…
  414. >”I mean, do you know how hard it is to have over fifty unicorns working in tandem and in shifts? The intricacies as one group shifts control to the next is in its self an astronomical task.”
  415. “I’m sure you’ve been doing quite amiably, Ensign Twinkle.”
  416. >”Actually, a shift is coming up soon.”
  417. >She stands from the table and faces the Commander.
  418. >”Permission to return to duties?”
  419. >Cmmander Skies nods, prompting the unicorn to teleport out of the lounge.
  420. >You look over to begin a new conversation.
  421. “So Lieutenant Wind, how do you like the pegasi wing under your command?”
  422. >The Lieutenant has a deep voice that compliments his larger build.
  423. >”I personally chose the three hundred ponies under my command. For the most part, they are the best fliers in the military.”
  424. “For the most part?”
  425. >”A hundred or so of my first choices declined to stay with the Old Guard in the capitol.”
  426. “Sorry to have kept them from you.”
  427. >”Not at all, although I would like to schedule training exercises between my strike force and some of your own.”
  428. “I’m sure something can be arranged. It would be good to get your men used to attacking from the ship.”
  429. >”Indeed.”
  430.  
  431. >Lieutenant West, the Navigator then rises.
  432. >”Sir, if you would excuse me, the new report of weather patterns from Cloudsdale just came in, and I would like to analyze them.”
  433. >”Go on Lieutenant, this is an informal meeting, none of you need to ask permission to leave.”
  434. >”Thank you Sir, I’ll have a report ready for you within the hour.”
  435. >As far as you can tell, West is very focused on his job.
  436. >At a guess, you’d say he’s the type to overanalyze every single detail that passes his way.
  437. >As West exits the room, an enlisted pony enters and speaks.
  438. >”Lieutenant Commander, there’s been an accident. The plumbing has gotten backed up all the way to distribution and no water is running at all.”
  439. >Cog stands and starts speaking very loudly and colorfully as he takes his leave.
  440. >”Oh bloody- I can’t leave engineering for an hour before someone mucks up my ship. What are you damned bastards shitting out to completely clog my ship? The things I do for you daft numb nuts.”
  441. >He has quite a way with words.
  442. >Lieutenant Commander Hail then stands as well.
  443. >”If you’d excuse me as well, there have been some discrepancies with the focusing crystals in the main gun, and I’d like to oversee the calibrations.”
  444. >That leaves you at the table with Commander Skies, Lieutenant Wind, and Chief Freefall.
  445.  
  446. >It’s the Chief that speaks next.
  447. >”I heard you were at the siege of Baltimare.”
  448. “I only arrived with the final charge.”
  449. >”I was on the ground for the entirety of the siege. With no airships still in the sky, I rushed to the army when the war started.”
  450. “You lasted the entire siege? I heard that most soldiers were cycled out after a week or so on the front lines.”
  451. >”I’ve seen more than my fair share of front lines.”
  452. >Wind speaks to Freefall:
  453. >”My brother died at Baltimare.”
  454. >”Who was he with?”
  455. >”Local volunteers, he moved there for work.”
  456. >”Most of the locals that joined up didn’t survive. Often they wouldn’t retreat when ordered, too tied up with defending their homes.”
  457. >”I see…”
  458. >”They managed to hold their own against assaults that outnumbered them ten to one though. For what it’s worth, they fought to the last soul and never surrendered.”
  459. “What about you Lieutenant, where were you in the war?”
  460. >”The trenches of Cloudsdale, served under Commander Skies.”
  461. >Skies speaks up:
  462. >”It was a bad situation. But when the Griffons infiltrated the city by surprise in the night, a retreat to trenches outside the city was preferable to urban fighting.”
  463. >You stand from the table and go over to the bar.
  464. >”At least the Griffons are honorable when occupying a city. Nothing like the yaks or Saddle Arabians.”
  465. >Holding a bottle of whisky and four glasses, you return to the table.
  466. >Then begin pouring the drinks.
  467. “To fallen brothers-in-arms.”
  468. >”To brothers.”
  469. >You each down your shot.
  470. >The Commander then speaks:
  471. >”Sorry, but I think I’ll have to cut you off now. We all have duties to return to.”
  472. >”Commander.”
  473. >”Chief.”
  474. >”Lieutenant.”
  475. >”Chief.”
  476. >”Major.”
  477. “Chief.”
  478. >”Commander.”
  479. >”Lieutenant.”
  480. >”Major.”
  481. “Lieutenant.”
  482. >”Major.”
  483. “Commander.”
  484. >With the farewell acknowledgements of rank, you each then go your separate ways.
  485.  
  486. >…
  487. >As you read through century old reports, you start to accept the realization that nothing in any of these files will help you.
  488. >Also you’ve begun to feel a slight headache.
  489. >Closing the file, you look out the nearest window.
  490. >It’s dark outside.
  491. >The Fog is thick, but it’s obviously night time.
  492. >You hear Tiara snore lightly.
  493. >Scooting out from the table, you go around to her chair.
  494. >Then tap her on the shoulder lightly.
  495. >She’s definitely out for the night.
  496. >Attempting not to disturb her, you pick her up, cradling her in your arms.
  497. >Walking her over to the bed, you set her down and toss her blanket over her body.
  498. >You’ve spent all afternoon reading, hoping that by some miracle you find something that could explain the situation.
  499. >It wouldn’t be that hard to go another night without sleeping.
  500. >But if nothing happened last night, and she isn’t feeling symptoms like the crew felt before being taken, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
  501. >You go to exit the room, grabbing a lantern as you leave.
  502. >Stepping out into the cool night’s air, you discover:
  503. >Silence.
  504. >Good.
  505. >Now you just need to trek down the flights of stairs to get to your cot.
  506. >The lantern in your hand provides all the light you need as you walk down into the innards of the ship.
  507. >When you arrive at your ‘room’, you begin to undress.
  508. >Down to your boxers, you reach over to dim the lantern.
  509. >And leaving it on a crate that serves as your bedside table, you then lay down to rest.
  510. >But before sleep, you sigh.
  511. >You’ve been trapped in the Fog for days, the crew is gone, and you still have no idea what’s causing it.
  512. >You’re up the proverbial creek without a paddle.
  513.  
  514. >After two full days without sleep, as you finally allow yourself to rest, your eyelids immediately fall.
  515. >But they don’t close completely.
  516. >Your mind is still a bit too active to sleep.
  517. >The darkness around you is illuminated slightly by the dim lantern.
  518. >The way that crates are stacked lets only one opening for you to the rest of the deck.
  519. >That opening is pitch black, as the light doesn’t reach that far.
  520. >As a kid you were terrified of the dark, and although you quickly grew out of it, even into your teen years you would occasionally get the odd uneasy feeling.
  521. >Nowadays, the dark doesn’t faze you at all.
  522. >Being able to kill anything that lurks in it has that effect.
  523. >When you’ve killed adult dragons, there isn’t much left to be afraid of.
  524. >You’re currently lying on your back, your right hand underneath your single pillow.
  525. >More specifically, your hand is grasping the knife you keep under that pillow.
  526. >It astounds you how Tiara can sleep so heavily.
  527. >You’d suppose that’s how you get when you haven’t had to rest with an enemy army parked nearby.
  528. >Well, you should get some rest.
  529. >As you begin to clear your mind, your eyes start to drift all the way dow-
  530. >What the hell is that?
  531. >You shoot up into a sitting position, bringing the knife in front of you held in a reverse grip, ready to jab into the-
  532. >There’s nothing here.
  533. >You could have sworn that you just saw a medium sized greyish figure coming towards you and into the light.
  534. >A figure just like what you thought you saw this morning…
  535. >In the dead silence of the night, you can hear something.
  536. >Incredibly muffled, but there’s something.
  537. >Son of a bitch.
  538. >You reach over and open up the lantern, letting more light flood into the room.
  539. >Then you spin yourself to let your feet touch the ground.
  540.  
  541. >As you reach over to grab a shirt, you…
  542. >You feel periodic wind bursts hitting the back of your legs.
  543. >Almost like someone is breathing on you from under your cot.
  544. >Picking your knife back up, you lean forward to glance under your cot.
  545. >Nothing’s there aside from a footlocker that you throw some dirty clothes into.
  546. >Must have just been a breeze.
  547. >Only that the wind ended when you looked down.
  548. >And due to the Fog, there is no wind at all.
  549. >As you continue getting dressed, you see two options.
  550. >Option A- you’re going crazy.
  551. >Option B- ghosts are real.
  552. >And the second option is kind of impossible in this world.
  553. >Unicorns would have figured out if ghosts could exist.
  554. >Which means that you’re on your way to becoming three fries short of a happy meal.
  555. >Unless…
  556. >Option 3- Discord.
  557. “Don’t you have better things to be doing right now?”
  558. >You must have dozed off last night, making the voices you heard just another dream that he’s meddling in.
  559. “No response Discord? Alright, have it your way. I’ll play along with your little ghost story.”
  560. >With your boots laced up, you stand and grab your sword.
  561. >When it’s firmly attached to your belt, you grab the lantern and start heading for the main deck.
  562. >Maybe if you play along for just one of his overly clichéd dream escapades, he’ll leave you alone.
  563. >He might even lend a hand with the Fog.
  564. “So Discord, are these ‘who ya gonna call’ or ‘salt and burn the bodies’ type ghosts?”
  565. >Nothing.
  566. “This ship is clean style?”
  567. >You step out onto the main deck, and can hear distant singing on the air.
  568. “Come on Discord, I’m playing along for once.”
  569. >Nothing.
  570. “Discord…?”
  571. >There is the ever so slightest possibility that this is in fact, real.
  572. >Either you’re going to hate yourself, or hate Discord even more.
  573. >With a sigh, you go over to the longboat.
  574. >The noise is coming from the crater, so that’s where you need to go.
  575.  
  576. >…
  577. >As you row the boat gently to the shore, you can hear the singing easier.
  578. >You still can’t make out any specific words, but the overall sound definitely sounds like a sea shanty.
  579. >It’s just disorganized enough to distinguish itself as a shanty.
  580. >When you start to run aground, you get out of the boat and drag it onto the shore.
  581. >Then reach into it to grab the lantern.
  582. >Taking it with your left hand, you make your way to the cave.
  583. >As you reach the mouth of the passageway that leads to the crater, the singing stops.
  584. >Dead silence fills the air once again.
  585. >Or rather, doesn’t fill the air.
  586. >But now really isn’t the time to internally debate the semantics of whether or not silence can fill the air.
  587. >Letting the lantern’s light guide your path, you begin to make your way through the cave.
  588. >As you walk, you end up mumbling to yourself.
  589. “You know Discord; if this is just a dream, then tell me. If this isn’t a dream, then at least let me know it’s the real deal. I’m supposed to be on my way to pick up your mess after all… A bit of clarification wouldn’t be too much to ask.”
  590. >The continuing silence seems to indicate that it WOULD be too much to ask.
  591. >It just now dawns on you, that even if this is real or not, you still have no plan whatsoever.
  592. >Alright…
  593. >Plan A- bust some ghosts.
  594. >Now how do you go about doing that?
  595. >God, you are going crazy.
  596. >Continuing through the cave, you can see the exit in the distance.
  597. >The light from the stars seems to be illuminating the crater up ahead.
  598. >As you reach the crater, you… notice… that…
  599. >It’s not entirely the star’s that are lighting up the terraces around the crater.
  600.  
  601. “Well then.”
  602. >Stepping out onto the mesa that the cave leads to, you see the crater.
  603. >And on each of the terraces aside from the one you’re on, you can see ponies.
  604. >Hundreds of them are all lined up on individual plateaus, and all of them are looking toward the center of the crater.
  605. >All of them are distinctly individual, but each has a greyish tint to them, kind of like a light sepia filter if it was grey instead of brown.
  606. >And a faint grey aura emanates from each of them.
  607. >With only one of them, the light would be negligible.
  608. >But with hundreds of them…
  609. >At least none of them seem to notice you.
  610. >Walking over to your right, you head up a few stairs to reach the closest of them.
  611. >Inspecting a few individuals, you can see that most of them look like average ponies.
  612. >But roughly a third of them show signs of starvation, they’re literally just skin and bone.
  613. >Well, they would be if they weren’t apparently spirits.
  614. >As you pick out one individual to inspect, on your approach he doesn’t turn or otherwise acknowledge you.
  615. >You wave your free hand in front of its face, but he doesn’t so much as blink.
  616. >Then, wave your arm towards the pony, testing if it will go straight through.
  617. >Your forearm passes straight through the ethereal sailor’s neck.
  618. >He still doesn’t do anything.
  619. >Thankfully, your arm wasn’t covered with any slime or ectoplasm.
  620. >You’re either off the deep end, this is Discord’s doing, or it’s real.
  621. >You’re not sure which of those options is the lesser of the evils right now.
  622. >Looking to the south side of the crater, you begin to scale the stone steps.
  623. >You doubt anything will be different, but you want to see the Captain.
  624. >Your footsteps on the rock is the only noise to be heard, and it echoes loudly through the crater.
  625. >As you make your way up past the legion of ghosts/spirits/souls/undead, you eventually make it to the top.
  626.  
  627. >No one is on the mesa that leads into the room.
  628. >You raise the lantern to guide yourself through the passageway, ready to draw your sword in an instant should the need arise.
  629. >You have no idea how your sword would help, but you’re ready.
  630. >As you enter the altar room, you see the spirit of the captain, facing away from you.
  631. >He’s looking out the opening at the horizon.
  632. >You assume it to be the Captain, because he’s wearing the same jacket as the Captain’s skeleton.
  633. >And as you approach him, you can see that he shows signs of starvation as well.
  634. >Again, you wave you hand in front of the ghost’s face, and then wave it through his body.
  635. “Captain Clover?”
  636. >Nothing.
  637. >Well that’s just great.
  638. >Still at page one.
  639. >And your only idea is to personally track down and properly burry each and every skeleton.
  640. >Including those who drowned with their ship, that’s why you’d assume many of the ghosts don’t show signs of starvation.
  641. >You didn’t sign up for this.
  642. “Look Captain, I need to know if it’s you and your crew that’s causing the Fog outside.”
  643. >No movement from the ghost.
  644. >With a glance out the window, you see that the moon is pretty low.
  645. >At a guess, it’ll be sunrise in a few hours.
  646. “I’m here to help. I’m trapped on the island just like you were.”
  647. >This isn’t getting you anywhere.
  648. “Why are you here?”
  649. >Son of a…
  650. >You walk over to the skeleton in the corner of the room.
  651. >Kneeling down, while still looking at the ghost, you tap his shoulder bones gently.
  652. >But still nothing happens.
  653. >Probably for the best, given how many ghost movie clichés there are about disturbing the bones of the deceased.
  654.  
  655. >With a sigh, you leave the altar room.
  656. >Walking back to overlook the crater, you stand on the edge of the terrace, observing the ghosts that line it.
  657. >You’re not counting all of them, but a guess would put them somewhere in the three hundreds.
  658. >The crew of the HMS Valiant.
  659. >Before you start heading back down to the ship, you glance back at the entrance way to the altar room.
  660. >But you’re met with the sight of the Captain.
  661. >Standing barely two inches away from you, his head pointing up to look at your face.
  662. >You weren’t expecting that.
  663. >And as you jolt backwards slightly to get some distance, you lose your footing and fall off of the terrace.
  664. >The fall is short, only seven or eight feet.
  665. >But you landed flat on your back onto solid stone.
  666. >Before you can register the impact, you have to roll to your right, as the glass parts of the lantern shattered, and fire started to spread out as the oil burns.
  667. >Fueled by adrenaline, you shoot to your feet and look up at the Captain.
  668. >He’s standing on the edge that you just fell from.
  669. >And as you take a step away from the fire, you notice that his head is following your movement.
  670. >A glance shows that the rest of the crew is still just looking at the center of the crater.
  671. >So, you begin to rush to the cave below you that leads to the exit.
  672. >You are not sticking around any longer.
  673.  
  674. >…
  675. >After moving the longboat aside of the Avalon, you started working the pulley system to get it back up to the deck.
  676. >It’s dark, especially due to the Fog, but your eyes have adjusted somewhat.
  677. >But as you pull the ship up, and you get closer to being able to see onto the deck, you notice a faint glow coming off of it.
  678. >As your head starts to peak onto the deck, you notice a whole lot of glowing grey.
  679. >They’re everywhere.
  680. >Packed onto the main deck and the poop deck like sardines.
  681. >Well, you can’t just sit here all night holding the longboat up with your own arms, so you finish getting it secured.
  682. >Looking back to the spirits, you see that they’re literally packed shoulder to shoulder.
  683. >They seem to be looking off of the ship to the closest side.
  684. >Each and every one of them are facing perpendicular to the nearest rail of the ship, looking off to the fog-obscured horizon.
  685. >They’re packed so tightly that there isn’t even a path for you to take.
  686. >That takes a second to process…
  687. >You can just walk through them.
  688. >Working your way off of the longboat, you end up standing in a way that the front half of one of their bodies is phasing into your own.
  689. “Uhhh…. Sorry?”
  690. >You wonder if they feel anything on their end.
  691. >Beginning to walk through the crowd, literally, you make your way for the Captain’s cabin.
  692. “Excuse me gentlemen.”
  693. >Wait.
  694. >You pause about halfway to Tiara’s room.
  695. >Is that?
  696. >You inspect a ghost slightly to your left.
  697. >That’s your ship’s doctor.
  698. “Doc?”
  699. >You attempt to get his attention, but again nothing works.
  700. >Taking another look at the crowd, you find that the Avalon’s crew is dispersed with the Valiant’s crew.
  701. >Okay, so that might be a connection…
  702. >Still, you need a second pair of eyes to prove your sanity.
  703.  
  704. >Reaching the doors to the captain’s cabin, you notice two things.
  705. >First, is that Captain Clover’s ghost is standing in front of the double doors, facing towards the bow of the Avalon.
  706. >Second, a glance up shows that Commander Port is standing at the ship’s wheel.
  707. >Walking through the Captain, you enter the room.
  708. >And you close the door behind you immediately.
  709. >No ghosts in here, only a dim lantern’s light.
  710. >Rushing over to Tiara’s bed, you speak to her.
  711. “Get up, now.”
  712. >She snores slightly.
  713. >Not having the time to wake her up gently, you place a hand on each of her shoulders and start shaking.
  714. >”Wha, what!”
  715. “I need you to punch me, hard as you can.”
  716. >”What?”
  717. “Prove I’m not dreaming. Hit me!”
  718. >She complies without skipping a beat.
  719. >You recoil from the impact.
  720. >Her right hook has more force that you’d expect.
  721. >But the pain registered and you didn’t wake up.
  722. >”What’s going on?”
  723. >Tiara starts to get out of her bed while you step closer to the door.
  724. “I’m either crazy or they’re real.”
  725. >She comes over next to you.
  726. “I think it’d be easier just to show you.”
  727.  
  728. >She raises her voice.
  729. >”Anonymous, you tell me what’s going on!”
  730. >She obviously wants you to slow down, but the only way into the rabbit hole is face first.
  731. >You open the door to show her the main deck.
  732. >And she stops dead in her tracks once it opens.
  733. >”Anon…”
  734. >They’re not gone, are they?
  735. >You take a glance out the door to confirm that the ghosts are all still there.
  736. >Present and accounted for.
  737. “For what it’s worth, if they wanted to hurt us, they would have done so already.”
  738. >Tiara trots to the open door, and promptly closes it.
  739. >She then starts pacing around in a relatively small circle.
  740. >”I didn’t sign up for this… why am I here… I should have just left him to rot in a cell… oh for the love of Celestia… this can’t be happening, right? It’s just one long dream… right?”
  741. >You decide to give her the moment.
  742. >”Why am I even here? I could have just taken over dad’s businesses, but no. I just had to take his speech about ‘making your own way’ to heart. Then, oh ‘the Royal Navy needs officers’ and I actually bought into the propaganda. And I survive all of that utter nonsense just to die alone on the far side of the world surrounded by ghosts!... and YOU!”
  743. >She stops over to you, and points her right hoof up at your face.
  744. >”This is your fault.”
  745. “You okay?”
  746. >She puts down her hoof, and inhales deeply.
  747. >After a long exhale, she speaks again.
  748. >”Better.”
  749. “Now, the pony just outside those doors, the one with his back to us, he’s Captain Clover of the Valiant. It looks like his crew, as well as ours are all packed on the main and poop decks.”
  750. >”Our crew?”
  751. “Yes, Port is at the wheel, and I saw the doctor in the crowd. As well as other various faces.”
  752. >You can see her become less distressed and more saddened as you mention the crew.
  753. >”That means that they’re…”
  754.  
  755. “Maybe. I’m not sure on the exact intricacies of ghost physics.”
  756. >”So what are we going to do?”
  757. “I think it might be possible to get through to some of them, particularly our sailors. The seemed to ignore me back in the crater-“
  758. >”You were in the crater?”
  759. “Yes.”
  760. >”Tonight?”
  761. “Yes.”
  762. >”And you left me alone in my bed?”
  763. “Yes.”
  764. >You continue before she can cut you off.
  765. “Now, most of them just ignored me, but I did get a… response from their Captain.”
  766. >”How did you do that?”
  767. “Talking to him and waving my arm through him didn’t do anything, but after I nudged his bones a bit, he ended up following me out of the altar room at the top.”
  768. >”YOU DID WHAT? Haven’t you ever read or heard a single ghost story!”
  769. “But that’s the thing; he just seemed interested in me. He stayed put after moving into the crater, and just followed my motion with his head.”
  770. >”How are you still alive?”
  771. “What?”
  772. >”In general I mean, how are you still alive?”
  773. “Haven’t met anything that can kill me.”
  774. >”Yet.”
  775. >She mumbles under her breath.
  776. “Now come on, we need to find out what they want. I don’t think they’re on the ship just for a change of scenery.”
  777. >You usher her over to the door, and open it to let her out.
  778. >She approaches the threshold, but is resistant to actually leaving her cabin.
  779. >So you reach down and grab her shoulder, forcing her out of the room.
  780. >”Anonymous!”
  781. >She half yells as you thrust her onto the deck.
  782. >When she’s out, you follow and close the door behind you.
  783.  
  784. >”I loathe you.”
  785. “Thanks. Now, I’d like to introduce you to the Captain.”
  786. >You motion her over to the front of the ghostly Captain.
  787. “Lady Tiara, this is Captain G.B. Clover, commander of the HMS Valiant. Captain Clover, this is the Lady of the Admiralty, Diamond Tiara, acting captain of the HMS Avalon.”
  788. >What happens next utterly astonishes you.
  789. >You hear a voice from the crowded main deck yell out:
  790. >”Officer on deck.”
  791. >As the voice is carried through the air, you see each pony spirit turn to face you.
  792. >Well, they face Tiara.
  793. >And they immediately firm their stance to stand at attention.
  794. >Captain Clover adds in a salute as well.
  795. “What?”
  796. >You say flatly.
  797. >Tiara copies, but her tone is more puzzled.
  798. >”What?”
  799. >That’s….
  800. “No.”
  801. >You start walking quickly towards Tiara.
  802. “Yes.”
  803. >Then turn away from her.
  804. “Unless… no.”
  805. >You turn back to her, thoughts entering your mind quicker than you can externally or internally articulate them.
  806. “YES! NO!”
  807. >”What are you getting at?”
  808. “Maybe, just maybe. What if-“
  809. >”Speak. Plainly.”
  810. “Imagine if-“
  811. >At this point you begin pacing around each other.
  812. >”OH!”
  813. “OH!”
  814. >”No…”
  815. “But combined with…”
  816. >You point towards the island.
  817. >”Maybe… no it can’t be.”
  818. “There is something unique about this ship in particular.”
  819. >You stop walking around and go to hold her by the shoulders.
  820. “But it’s not me, it’s you.”
  821. >”But-“
  822. “You said it yourself; the Valiant was the finest ship in the fleet at the time. A ship with that many accolades only gets the best crew and captain.”
  823. >”And crew like that continues to do their duty to the bitter end.”
  824. “Or past it in this situation.”
  825. >Tiara walks out of your grasp to stand next to the Captain.
  826.  
  827. >”Men, crew of the Valiant.”
  828. >You really hope this works.
  829. >”I won’t sugar coat things. I’d like to say that you mission was integral to the survival of Equestria. But it wasn’t. You were sent out here on a mission of exploration, and for the most part that mission failed. You came out into these waters and lost your ship, then each and every one of you either drowned or starved to death.”
  830. >You really hope she has a better point to make.
  831. >”What happened to you was a tragedy. And history has only remembered you as missing, presumed dead. But that is not what’s important.”
  832. >Come on…
  833. >”What is important, is that you did your duty. When Equestria called upon you to take a dangerous voyage, you answered that call. Over two hundred years have passed, so all I can promise is that history remembers that you performed your duty till the bitter end. To let your descendants know that while you died in horrific ways, you still stood waiting for two centuries to finish your job.”
  834. >Please work.
  835. >Please.
  836. >”It is with great respect, that I, Diamond Tiara, Lady of the Admiralty of the Royal Navy of Equestria, can give you all one final order. Stand down, and rest in peace. Thank each and every one of you for your continued service to the Royal Navy.”
  837. >She turns to face the Captain.
  838. >”Captain Clover, you and your men may stand down.”
  839. >You think you can hear a whispered:
  840. >”Thank you.”
  841.  
  842. >What happens next is…
  843. >Well, it lets you be at ease for the first time in quite some time.
  844. >Each one of the ghost’s auras starts to go from its greyish hue, to a bright and pure white.
  845. >And although it’s incredibly bright, your eyes are not strained at all.
  846. >You watch then as the lights begin to move upwards.
  847. >Ten, twenty, even thirty feet.
  848. >Then there is a burst of even more light, which travels across the sky.
  849. >As it goes past, the Fog is dissipated.
  850. >And waves return to hit the ship once again.
  851. >You can see that the sky shows the first signs of morning, as an orange tint can be seen towards the east.
  852. >But, as you look back down to the main deck, you see one last surprise.
  853. >Each member of the Avalon’s crew is standing where they were in the crowd.
  854. >Fully corporeal.
  855. >They look confused, but alive.
  856. >Tiara immediately starts up the stairs to the poop deck.
  857. >So you follow.
  858.  
  859. >”Commander Port, report.”
  860. >”I… Ma’am, the last I can recall is being trapped in the Fog with some others.”
  861. “So no time passed for you?”
  862. >”Time? How much has passed? What even happened?”
  863. >”We can explain shortly, but first I need to speak to the crew.”
  864. >Tiara approaches the guardrail overlooking the main deck.
  865. >”Men!... it’s good to see you all again.”
  866. >She begins laughing, semi-hysterically.
  867. >But quickly stops herself.
  868. >”Now, I want groups to start going onto the island here. In it you will find many pony skeletons. I want them gathered and pyres made. They belong to old Equestian sailors, and they deserve proper funerals. Unicorns, we are next to a sunken wreck, that of the HMS Valiant. I want you working on retrieving the bodies of those who drowned in the wreck. Air bubbles, levitation, whatever gets the job done. It’s grim work, but these men deserve it.”
  869. >She then turns away from them, and walks over to you.
  870. “Looks like we’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
  871. >”Yes we do.”
  872. “Hey Tiara?”
  873. >”Hmm?”
  874. “Good job. It’s finally over.”
  875. >”It pains me to say it… but I don’t think I could have done it without you.”
  876. “We don’t have to hug now, do we?”
  877. >”Oh, I still thoroughly loathe you… just ever so slightly less now though.”
  878. “The voyage isn’t done yet though.”
  879. >”I know that.”
  880. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
  881. >”That’s… quite apt.”
  882. “Winston Churchill. We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down.”
  883.  
  884. >…
  885. >The day was a long one.
  886. >You decided to do your part in constructing the funeral pyres and loading bones onto them.
  887. >The old crates and barrels scattered around the crater made for good fire wood.
  888. >And while you were doing that, you had to spread word on what happened to get the other up to speed.
  889. >The pyres died down well into the afternoon, and as the divers had thoroughly cleared out the wreck of bones, you did eventually set out.
  890. >Seeing as this is your third day without sleep, you decided to turn in early.
  891. >While the crew continued to operate the ship, you retreated down into your makeshift quarters.
  892. >As you reached your cot, you immediately sat on it.
  893. >Before removing any clothes, you lay down.
  894. >A wave of exhaustion overtakes you.
  895. >But you can’t sleep right now.
  896. >Your mind is still racing.
  897. >For the first time today, you feel… settled.
  898. >You’ve been rushing around all night and day, so it’s only now that you can properly take in what happened.
  899. >It’s over.
  900. >You came to the conclusion a few hours ago that it was probably some residual effects of ancient minotaur magic that helped trap the souls here.
  901. >A unicorn did mention that he could feel some ‘strange vibes’ coming from the island, and they were strongest near the altar.
  902. >He then did some spell to try and dampen the effects.
  903. >Hopefully, this can never happen again.
  904.  
  905. >The crew was trapped, and Fog was just a byproduct of them wanting to be able to stand down.
  906. >The unicorn talked about how every living being in the world has some form of magic (aside from you), and that the ghosts could have been some sort of magical imprint that was left after they died.
  907. >It was all just speculation, by a pony that only dabbled in magical theory and practice, but you’ll take a rough guess over no answer.
  908. >The Fog was the crew’s negative emotions about being abandoned; they lashed out to trap others because no one came to rescue them.
  909. >While the ship on the horizon was their positive emotions, guiding the one pony who could release them towards the island.
  910. >Neither was ever encountered by other ships, because in all the years after the Valiant was lost, no Admirals sailed east.
  911. >And only a superior officer could order them to stand down.
  912. >So they waited until someone higher than a Captain sailed through the area.
  913. >Most of your conclusions are impossible to prove, but they’re the best answers you’ve got.
  914. >And if you can get going with your voyage, with only a slight detour that let over three hundred souls rest easily, then you’d say that it was worth it.
  915. >Thousand upon thousand have died while venturing through these waters.
  916. >And most of them died in horrible ways.
  917. >But, if the crew of a single ship found their closure, then you can’t hold anything against them.
  918. >Content, you put your thoughts about the Fog and the Valiant to ease.
  919. >You really should get some sleep.
  920. >So you let your eyes slowly drift down.
  921. >But you hear a voice that makes your eyes shoot open.
  922. >”Anon, I’d just like to say: well done.”
  923.  
  924. “Lady Tiara.”
  925. >You sit upright in your bed, and put your feet onto the floor.
  926. >But you don’t rise to stand.
  927. “What brings you down to my little corner of the ship?”
  928. >”Did you literally not understand what I just said?”
  929. “You wouldn’t have come down here just to exchange pleasantries. What do you need?”
  930. >She leans against one of the crate stacks that serves as your doorway.
  931. >”Earlier you mentioned that it’s the end of the beginning. Do you really think we’re that close to finishing this?”
  932. “Well, you are.”
  933. >”What do you mean?”
  934. “The beginning of your end is when you drop me off. After that, all you have to do is get back to Equestria.”
  935. >”You want us to just leave you there!”
  936. “Yes, and that’s exactly what you’re going to do.”
  937. >”But-“
  938. “But nothing. You don’t have the supply stores to hang around while I navigate a continent. Even if you did, every day you spend out there is just tempting fate. You stand the best chance of returning if you get out of these waters as quickly as possible.”
  939. >”We can’t just-“
  940. “Yes you will.”
  941. >”Well then how do you expect to get back once you’re done?”
  942. “I don’t. This was always a one way trip for me.”
  943. >”I… oh…”
  944. “As long as I complete my mission, whatever happens to me doesn’t matter.”
  945. >”So… you intend to die out there?”
  946. “Everyone dies sooner or later.”
  947. >”How can you just be okay with that?”
  948.  
  949. “Alright, let’s go through this step by step. How many more months can the ship last without resupply?”
  950. >”Seven, possibly eight.”
  951. “So if you want to be able to make it back to friendly territory without running out of food, you’d still need to have at least two months of supplies left. Being generous, let’s say that it’ll still be one month till we actually get there. That leaves you with four, maybe five months waiting for me.”
  952. >”Sounds about right.”
  953. >She says reluctantly.
  954. “And in that time period, we will be going through winter. If they want to keep meat on their bones and stay in shape, they’ll need extra, so there is no ‘maybe five months’, you’ll only get four realistically.”
  955. >”Your point?”
  956. “What if some of the food spoils? Or there’s another major detour like the Fog?”
  957. >”We can stock up on food from local sources.”
  958. “Can you though? How do you know that the local food isn’t part of what drives the survivors mad?”
  959. >”That doesn’t even sound like-“
  960. “So, after your three, maybe four months have passed, and I haven’t returned to the ship, what do you do then?”
  961. >”We continue to wait.”
  962. “For how long?”
  963. >”As long as it takes.”
  964. >She says through gritted teeth.
  965. “What if I’m half a world away by then? What if I’m thousands of miles away and still haven’t found what I’m looking for?”
  966. >”Nopony gets left behind.”
  967. “I’m not a pony.”
  968. >”Semantics.”
  969. “Don’t tell me you want to sit indefinitely anchored on some beach, waiting for one individual to stumble out of the forest. And every day you wait, you and your crew are targets of who knows how many monsters, plagues, and dare I say, curses.”
  970. >”No, I don’t want to.”
  971. “Then-“
  972. >”But it’s the right thing to do.”
  973. >You let out a sigh at her rigidity.
  974.  
  975. >Rising from you bed, you walk over to her.
  976. >Grabbing a small barrel, you set it up as a chair.
  977. >Sitting on it you’re just about at her eye level.
  978. “I… I’m old, Diamond Tiara.”
  979. >”You’re not that old.”
  980. “How much of my hair is grey or greying?”
  981. >”About half.”
  982. “At the start of this year, I barely had a dozen grey hairs. My knees constantly ache, I get tired after only two straight days of being awake instead of five, and over the past decade I’ve lost about half of my muscle mass.”
  983. >”People age. And I’m not sure what’s standard for a human of your age, but you seem to be in great shape.”
  984. “I’ve been at this job for over two decades… do you know how many I’ve killed?”
  985. >”No.”
  986. “And I’m not talking total casualties from wars, I mean who much death I have personally caused.”
  987. >”That’s your job, you can’t just-“
  988. “I am the single deadliest organism to have ever lived on this world. After everything’s been counted, I’m as deadly as a small plague.”
  989. >”That’s… really?”
  990. “What’s the current population of Ponyville?”
  991. >”What? Now? A couple thousand, I don’t know the exact numbers.”
  992. “With my bare hands, I’ve easily killed enough to depopulate Ponyville twice over.”
  993. >”How is that even possible?”
  994. “Changeling dens are hell.”
  995. >”I’m… sorry? But what’s the actual… point?”
  996.  
  997. “This here. Dealing with the Fog and the Valiant, that was worthwhile. For all the things I’ve taken away from the world, I’ve done precious little to add to it.”
  998. >You lean forward a bit.
  999. “Think about it. Every pony, every living being that I’ve killed either direct or indirect, is someone who will never realize their dreams. All of those hopes squandered, and for what? Every family that lost a father, brother, or son. Every family that will never form because a would-be father died. All those children and descendants that will never even be born. All of that potential is gone forever.”
  1000. >You pause for a moment, and Tiara remains silent.
  1001. “The only claim I have to improving the world, is that I raised Flurry. And now some… THING is taking that away from me. I’m going out there to make sure that the one tiny glimmer of hope, that I added while darkening this world, can have a future. Because she deserves more, she deserves to be freed. The other princesses are a bonus I suppose. But if I can only do one last thing while on this world, I want it to matter.”
  1002. >You lean back in your seat slightly.
  1003. “You asked why I would be okay with being left there. I’m okay with it because that’s what I want. And after all that I’ve done, it’s the least I deserve.”
  1004. >You then sit there a moment, blankly staring off to the side.
  1005. >”I… I never knew you had such a death wish.”
  1006. >Tiara then quickly leaves your room, and you hear her hooves scurrying away.
  1007.  
  1008. >…
  1009. >Putting your gloves up, you withstand the barrage of strikes.
  1010. >Then flap your wings to distance yourself slightly.
  1011. >Call then begins circling in the arena.
  1012. >You’re boxing with him, each of you are hovering with your bellies facing each other.
  1013. >His padded helmet and gloves are in red, while yours are in blue.
  1014. “So what do you think of the ship?”
  1015. >He feigns an advance before pulling back.
  1016. >”Alright I suppose. Lots of recreation space, that’s a plus.”
  1017. >You approach and take a wide left hook.
  1018. >As he goes to block it, you jab low with your right.
  1019. >You hit him square in the chest, and he then backs off before you can follow up.
  1020. >”Good hit. It’s still an eyesore to look at, being a great metal hulk in the sky.”
  1021. “I kind of like it.”
  1022. >Call glances over to a pony outside the ring.
  1023. >”Hear that, he likes it.”
  1024. >You take advantage, and move up to deliver a firm left jab right on his nose.
  1025. >But you immediately back off.
  1026. “Eyes on the prize Corporal.”
  1027. >”We’ve been at it an hour, these sods have been waiting for a while. Give ‘em a turn, come spot me.”
  1028. “You just want to quit before you’re lying on the ground.”
  1029. >”Just don’t want to hurt you… Sir.”
  1030. “Heh. Alright.”
  1031. >You remove your gloves, and then land.
  1032. >Walking over to one of the off duty airmen waiting to get in the ring, you give him the gloves and then your helmet.
  1033. >Call did the same and you each exit the ring, letting the new pair take over.
  1034. >He starts crossing over to the bench press.
  1035. >The ship’s exercise room is quite well stocked actually.
  1036.  
  1037. “How much do you start off at?”
  1038. >”One, then work my way up to one fifty.”
  1039. >You begin adding wait to one side of the barbell while he adjusts the other.
  1040. “What’s your max?”
  1041. >”Got up to two ten once. Usually don’t go past one seventy though. Yours?”
  1042. “Two fifteen.”
  1043. >”Now you’re just asking me to break that.”
  1044. “Wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
  1045. >Call lays down on the press, and you take up a position to spot him.
  1046. >As he begins to lift the barbell, he continues to make conversation.
  1047. >”I’ve been meaning to ask. How’s your Arabian?”
  1048. “I know a couple battlefield commands. But that’s it.”
  1049. >”Oh for the love of…”
  1050. “Let me guess, you’re fluent.”
  1051. >He replies with something you don’t understand.
  1052. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
  1053. >”That translates to: of course I’m fluent, you illiterate peasant.”
  1054. “At least you’re honest when you mock me.”
  1055. >”I took a look at our gear. Fairly loose robes that can hide our wings. They cover most of our faces too, so we shouldn’t have trouble fitting in… as long as…”
  1056. >He strains with the last push, and he sets the barbell back onto the rack.
  1057. >”Put twenty more on.”
  1058. >You get two ten pound weights and start fixing them.
  1059. >”As long as nopony tries to unmask us, we should be fine. I think that if anypony asks, you were a soldier who lost your marbles in the war. So you can just ramble orders, while I explain that I’m taking you home.”
  1060. “And why are you of all ponies taking me back.”
  1061. >”Brothers?”
  1062. >With the weights adjusted, Call goes back to lifting.
  1063. “For the last time, even if I had a sister, I would never let you near her.”
  1064. >”I’m being serious. We need to know the exact situations that these characters are in. Their given circumstances.”
  1065.  
  1066. “Fine, continue on mister actor.”
  1067. >”If anypony asks as to why we came through the mining town, I think we should be distant cousins with Sandy Shores, aka: Yalanci. Our contact.”
  1068. “I remember who she is.”
  1069. >”So, if-“
  1070. >Call is cut off as a unicorn teleports next to you.
  1071. >He almost drops the barbell, but together you keep it controlled.
  1072. >”Oh, sorry Corporal.”
  1073. >”Nopony got hurt.”
  1074. >The unicorn then turns to you.
  1075. >”The Admiral would like to see you.”
  1076. “I’m on my way.”
  1077. >Call begins to stand from the bench press.
  1078. >”Think I’ll hit the treadmill.”
  1079. >”I’ll inform him you’ll be by shortly.”
  1080. >The unicorn teleports out.
  1081. >You go over to wipe some sweat off, before heading through the hallways.
  1082. >…
  1083. >Reaching the forward observation room, you find the Admiral sitting at a small table he put towards the left side of the entrance.
  1084. >He’s facing the door.
  1085. >”Thunder, please come in. Sit.”
  1086. >You take the seat opposite him, getting a view of what’s on the horizon.
  1087. >It looks like you’re going along the coast, still in Equestria.
  1088. >You passed over Baltimare early yesterday morning.
  1089. >Should reach the open ocean by nightfall.
  1090. >”How have you been?”
  1091. “Fair, I was just discussing the mission with Corporal Call.”
  1092. >”Good, actually I need to inform you that there will be a slight delay.”
  1093. “How do you… mean… Sir?”
  1094. >As you look over the rocky coast, you see…
  1095. >Is that a?
  1096. “SIR!”
  1097.  
  1098. >As you shoot up from the table, Brairheart does the same.
  1099. >You both immediately move over to the front window.
  1100. >To look at…
  1101. >The size of that thing…
  1102. >It must be a hundred feet tall.
  1103. >As the great stone grey beast stretches out its wings and turns to look at the ship, you see its golden belly.
  1104. >And although it’s far away, you can see the blood red eyes.
  1105. “…Dragon.”
  1106. >The beast opens its jaws and lets out a great screech, which you can clearly hear even though it’s at least five hundred yards away and separated by the thick glass of the observation room’s window.
  1107. >You glance over to the Admiral, and see his horn light up.
  1108. >Behind you, you hear the door opening.
  1109. >When it does, he yells at the runners.
  1110. >”Battle stations, this is not a drill!”
  1111. >You immediately hear the pop of several teleportation’s
  1112. >Brairheart then turns to you.
  1113. >”I don’t think it’ll just let us pass.”
  1114. “Isn’t standard airship procedure to avoid dragons at all costs?”
  1115. >”This is no standard airship.”
  1116. >The lights aboard the ship phase their color.
  1117. >Instead of letting out white light to illuminate the Prydwen’s interior, now a red takes over.
  1118. >The magical crystals that are in the lights can be altered simultaneously by a unicorn to change color.
  1119. >Red means battle stations.
  1120. >When a unicorn returns, popping back into the hallway, Brairheart gives new orders:
  1121. >”Go to Lieutenant Commander Hail; tell him I want every last ounce of power that the main gun has got.”
  1122. >”Sir.”
  1123. >As the messenger teleports back out, Brairheart turns back to you.
  1124. “Looks like we’ll be able to put her through her paces after all.
  1125. >”Time to see exactly what the main gun can muster.”
  1126. >Looking back out the window, you see the distant dragon start to flap its great wings.
  1127. >That main gun better work as well as it’s cracked up to be.
  1128.  
  1129. >Brairheart turns to another unicorn.
  1130. >”Broadsides are to be readied to fire on my mark alone.”
  1131. >Then another.
  1132. >”As soon as Hail has a shot with the main gun, he may fire at will.”
  1133. >A pair of pops fill the room as word is sent to the guns.
  1134. >Brairheart then speaks to a pegasi.
  1135. >”If the first barrage fails, have the air wing get out there. Take as much focus away from the ship as possible.”
  1136. >The pegasi nods before flying off through the hallways.
  1137. >Looking back through the window, you watch as those massive wings flap.
  1138. >On the front side, they’re bright gold like the belly of the beast, but the back of the wings are the grey of the other scales.
  1139. >Watching the gold come up and then retreat, only to show itself again is quite…
  1140. >Menacing.
  1141. >You’d think that the ship is about four times as large as the dragon.
  1142. >That still puts it to be as large as an older airship.
  1143. >Dragons are sentient creatures, but they are territorial.
  1144. >And this one wants to show that it’s still at the top of the food chain.
  1145. >And you don’t want to think what will happen to everypony onboard if the dragon spews flame at the ship.
  1146. >In anything combustible catches, it should be quick.
  1147. >But failing that, you’ll all be cooked inside this flying metal shell.
  1148. “So, has anything like this ever… you know… been done?”
  1149. >”The largest dragon ever killed with conventional artillery was about twice as large as a minotaur.”
  1150. “And magical artillery?”
  1151. >”Never been tried.”
  1152. “Right…”
  1153. >”No.”
  1154. “No?”
  1155. >”No, we’re not all going to die.”
  1156. >The thought had crossed your mind.
  1157. “Yes Sir.”
  1158. >”Only most of us will.”
  1159. >He chooses now to make a joke…
  1160.  
  1161. >This entire situation just feels wrong.
  1162. >There’s a dragon out there for crying out loud.
  1163. >And Brairheart is as calm as he was before noticing it.
  1164. >And as you watch a massive hundred foot tall dragon barrel towards you, all you can do is watch.
  1165. >And…
  1166. >Feel?
  1167. “What’s that?”
  1168. >The entire room starts to vibrate slightly.
  1169. >”Just watch.”
  1170. >The dragon continues to close the distance, the sin gleaning off of its steel grey spines.
  1171. >As it gets just a few dozen yards away, it lets out another screech.
  1172. >And due to the distance, this one is much louder than the first.
  1173. >But its screech is drowned out by another, much louder sound.
  1174. >You see a bright blue beam fire off from above the observation room.
  1175. >As it fills the sky, a deep pulsing sound reverberates through the ship and your ears.
  1176. >You see the beam go forward and impact the dragon square in the upper chest.
  1177. >And the dragon immediately goes limp.
  1178. >Its wings stop flapping, and the beast falls down to the ground, narrowly avoiding collision with the ship.
  1179. >In the air behind it, you can still see some of the blue beam going into the distance.
  1180. >Did it really just go through a layer of dragon scales, it’s ribcage, the spine, and another layer of scales?
  1181. >As you stand dumbfounded, you hear the Admiral give orders to another.
  1182. >”Stand down.”
  1183. >After a pop of teleportation, the lights soon return to their normal white.
  1184. >You continue to stand in shock, and you hear the Admiral walk over back to his seat.
  1185. >”We tested a configuration on a mountain that went through over fifty feet of solid stone when operated by the proper unicorns.”
  1186. “You… with a single blow?”
  1187. >”Yes, now if you’d take your seat again, I have a letter you should read.”
  1188.  
  1189. “So we’re not going to properly acknowledge that we just punched a hole straight through a dragon’s chest?”
  1190. >”Everypony, especially those in our line of work, eventually reaches a point in their career where no sight can properly surprise them, and the only response is a brief nod or slight grunt of acknowledgement.”
  1191. >He slides a letter over to your side of the table.
  1192. >”Sit.”
  1193. >You comply, getting back into the chair.
  1194. >As you pick up the letter, you start reading it over.
  1195. “Flibnark cadri… Sir, this is gibberish.”
  1196. >”It’s in code.”
  1197. “And what does it say?”
  1198. >”Well, as you know, most of the urban centers in Saddle Arabia fell on the side of Jagir’s traditionalist faction that seeks to restore the monarchy. The letter is from the Mushir, his faction has lost all but one city, the northern port of Jun Hisan. Using their airships, the monarchists have managed to overrun the other cities that sided with the navy, and they’re currently starting an offensive on Jun Hisan.”
  1199. “How long till they clash?”
  1200. >”By now they will have already started advancing on the outlying towns.”
  1201. “So this is the Mushir’s last stand?”
  1202. >”He’s got every ship he’s got there, and all the survivors from their army that was recently at war with us.”
  1203. “How many total men are on each side?”
  1204. >”A couple hundred thousand with the Mushir, and two or three times that for Jagir’s faction.”
  1205. “But aren’t the monarchists mainly just riled up teens?”
  1206. >”They’re a bunch of riled up youngsters with complete air superiority.”
  1207. “Doing pretty well for a people that have never been able to fly.”
  1208.  
  1209. >”I’ve gone over the reports from the spy you’ll be meeting. In some of her reports that come from just before the War of the Coalition started, she mentions a group of griffons seen with the local garrison. I believe them to be military advisors to help train the Saddle Arabians on air doctrine. One or more of them could have stayed down there to work for the monarchists, even though officially the griffons have removed their diplomats and nationals from Saddle Arabia until the civil war is over.”
  1210. “So do you think that the griffons are actually supporting Jagir’s faction, or these advisors have gone rogue.”
  1211. >”Either option could be possible.”
  1212. “So, it’s imperative that Call and I put that mine out of commission as soon as possible?”
  1213. >”Not necessarily.”
  1214. “What do you mean? Aren’t the monarchists about to win the civil war?”
  1215. >”Flip the letter over, you’ll see what Lancer wrote on it before forwarding it here.”
  1216. >You reach out to grab the letter.
  1217. >As you turn it over, you see a single sentence written in cursive:
  1218. [You can have one battle]
  1219. “Sir, does this mean…”
  1220. >”The war that the Prydwen was built for ended too early to test this ship. But no matter what happens in the future, she’ll have gone through at least one real battle.”
  1221. >So much for letting the Saddle Arabians fight their civil war on their own.
  1222. “Will I still be leaving at the same time?”
  1223. >”No, we can take you as far as the city of Jun Hisan. I’d like you and Corporal Call to join the air wing for the battle. You’ll be working with Lieutenant Wind. He could use the practical experience, so I’d like you to allow him command of the strike forces.”
  1224. “Understood.”
  1225.  
  1226. >…
  1227. >After a good night of sleep, your eyes start to open.
  1228. >Another beautiful day in the Crystal Empire.
  1229. >Throwing your blankets off, you start to get out of bed.
  1230. >Alright!
  1231. >Today is going to be-
  1232. >No, you can’t get ahead of yourself.
  1233. >Shower first.
  1234. >…
  1235. >Clean and dry, you exit your personal bathroom.
  1236. >Today is going to be just great.
  1237. >Well, tonight will be.
  1238. >The Manehattan Metropolitan Opera has just started a nationwide tour, and stop number one is the Crystal Empire.
  1239. >They open tonight, so you’ll be attending with your parents.
  1240. >All of the reviews have been superb, and the minotaur playing the male lead has gone from a nobody to one of the top celebrities in Manehattan after the first showing back there.
  1241. >The specific show is actually new, it’s called: Arabian Dawn.
  1242. >In it, the minotaur Brass Bass plays Anonymous, as he fights in the First War of the Saddle Arabian Coast.
  1243. >You wish that he’d come to see it.
  1244. >Anon that is.
  1245. >Shortly after the Second War of the Saddle Arabian Coast, because there were no more wars to fight, he became something of a hermit.
  1246. >It’s been about months since you last saw your Uncle.
  1247. >He dropped by last Hearths Warming, but that was it.
  1248. >Celestia and Aunt Twilight said that all the fighting had gotten to him, that he just needs time away from people.
  1249. >You glance at your clock.
  1250. >You’re almost late for breakfast.
  1251. >And the last thing you need is another speech from Dad about how a Princess can’t just be late, even for a meal.
  1252.  
  1253. >Before you can leave your room, you hear a crashing noise.
  1254. >It came from your dresser.
  1255. >And as you look over, you see that one of the smaller top drawers is visibly shaking.
  1256. >After a second it stops, and you hear a knock against the wood.
  1257. >Cautiously, you approach it.
  1258. >And reach out a hoof to pull it open.
  1259. >In it, you see…
  1260. >A very small Discord.
  1261. “Discord?”
  1262. >”Ah there you are.”
  1263. >He squeaks out, almost like he has inhaled some helium.
  1264. >He snaps his fingers and disappears from your drawer, appearing next to you.
  1265. >In his full size.
  1266. “What were you doing in there?”
  1267. >”You see young Heart, I woke up this morning in something of an existential crisis.”
  1268. “Do you even sleep?”
  1269. >”I can choose to.”
  1270. “Well why did your crisis lead you to my sock drawer?”
  1271. >”That isn’t your sock drawer.”
  1272. >You look over and clearly see socks in the drawer.
  1273. “What do you mean that isn’t my sock drawer?”
  1274. >”Think about it child.”
  1275. “Well… I suppose that they’re my socks, but my Mom technically owns the drawer itself.”
  1276. >”Look Princess, that sock drawer is as much your sock drawer as I am Discord.”
  1277. “What?”
  1278. >”I’m only here in this façade because your mind believes me to be able of seeing past the fraud that it is. I’m self-aware because in my position the real me would be able to see through this.”
  1279. “Discord, I have no idea what you’re going on about.”
  1280. >”I’m not real!”
  1281. >You reach out and poke his arm.
  1282. “Sure you aren’t.”
  1283.  
  1284. >”Because none of this is real! Listen closely, it’s a complete fluke that I’m able to see through this, and I only have a bit of time before I get purged by the-“
  1285. >-
  1286. >Clean and dry, you exit your personal bathroom.
  1287. >Today is going to be just great.
  1288. >Well, tonight will be.
  1289. >The Manehattan Metropolitan Opera has just started a nationwide tour, and stop number one is the Crystal Empire.
  1290. >They open tonight, so you’ll be attending with your parents.
  1291. >All of the reviews have been superb, and the minotaur playing the male lead has gone from a nobody to one of the top celebrities in Manehattan after the first showing back there.
  1292. >The specific show is actually new, it’s called: Arabian Dawn.
  1293. >In it, the minotaur Brass Bass plays Anonymous, as he fights in the First War of the Saddle Arabian Coast.
  1294. >You wish that he’d come to see it.
  1295. >Anon that is.
  1296. >Shortly after the Second War of the Saddle Arabian Coast, because there were no more wars to fight, he became something of a hermit.
  1297. >It’s been about months since you last saw your Uncle.
  1298. >He dropped by last Hearths Warming, but that was it.
  1299. >Celestia and Aunt Twilight said that all the fighting had gotten to him, that he just needs time away from people.
  1300. >You glance at your clock.
  1301. >You’re late for breakfast.
  1302. >The last thing you need is another speech from Dad about how a Princess can’t just be late, even for a meal.
  1303.  
  1304. >Hmm…
  1305. >Déjà vu.
  1306. >Well, best not to keep Mom and Dad waiting.
  1307. >As you open the door to your room, you step out into the hallway and-
  1308. “Ah!”
  1309. >You’re now on your rear end.
  1310. >Well this day is just swell so far.
  1311. >A janitor is mopping the floor nearby.
  1312. >”Sorry Princess I was jus-“
  1313. “It’s okay.”
  1314. >You say looking at the wet floor sign immediately in front of you.
  1315. “I should have looked.”
  1316. >You hope you aren’t bruised.
  1317. >Getting back on your hooves, you flap your wings to fly over the drying floor.
  1318. >When you reach the spiral staircase, you elect to flap down the center rather than waste time walking down the stairs.
  1319. >Hopefully you’ll save enough time that Dad won’t think you’re too late.
  1320. >You eventually reach the bottom, and begin walking through the halls to reach the private dining room that you have meals with your family in.
  1321. “Good morning.”
  1322. >You say in a sing-song voice.
  1323. >”Flurry!”
  1324. >Mom says, sitting around a small circular table.
  1325. >”Did you sleep well?”
  1326. “Actually I had the most horrible dream.”
  1327. >”What about?”
  1328. >You…
  1329. “I don’t remember actually.”
  1330. >As you sit down, you notice that the only other chair at the table is empty.
  1331. “Where’s Dad?”
  1332. >On command, the door opposite the one you entered from opens.
  1333. >Revealing Shining Armor, your father.
  1334. >He’s got dark bags under his eyes, and a five o’clock shadow.
  1335. “Did you… sleep well?”
  1336. >Your mother answers for him.
  1337. >”Oh he was a bit tied up last night.”
  1338. >You could swear you saw Dad blush for a second.
  1339. >But he then groggily walks over to his seat.
  1340. >When he sits, you see him stretch each way, and an audible crack comes from his spine as he does.
  1341. >A moment later, your chef comes into the room, a cup of coffee in hand.
  1342. >The griffon sets it in front of your father.
  1343. >”Finely crushed Sadddle Arabian beans, percolated in the pot for five and a half minutes, thrice strained, served black. Just how you like it.”
  1344.  
  1345. >”Thanks Gus. You’re a life saver.”
  1346. >Gustave Junior comes from a line of chefs, and has been employed by your parents for five or so years now.
  1347. >He then exits the dining room momentarily before returning with a pair of cups.
  1348. >He first goes over to your mother.
  1349. >”Equestrian breakfast tea, steeped two minutes, two sugar cubes and a dash of milk.”
  1350. >Then comes around to you.
  1351. >”And one cup of Deerjeeling tea, steeped four minutes, served black.”
  1352. “Thank you. What’s for breakfast?”
  1353. >”At behest of Princess Cadence… blueberry muffins and cinnamon pancakes.”
  1354. >You turn to face Mom.
  1355. “Just like when I was a kid?”
  1356. >”I thought you’d like it.”
  1357. >She responds.
  1358. >Gus then leaves to finish his job.
  1359. >As the door closes, Dad speaks up:
  1360. >”So honey, do you want to tell her, or should I?”
  1361. “Tell me what?”
  1362. >Your Mom giggles a bit before nodding at your father.
  1363. >He then continues:
  1364. >”Well, you know how we built that house a couple dozen miles south of the city?”
  1365. “On the lake, yes.”
  1366. >”Your mother and I have cleared all of our duties coming up next week. We’re going on a family getaway.”
  1367. “Really?”
  1368. >It’s been a quite some time since you’ve been able to relax as just a normal family.
  1369. >You’d love a family getaway right now.
  1370. >”Yup. Also there’s going to be a surprise at the house for you.”
  1371. “What kind of a surprise?”
  1372. >”Well if I tell you it wouldn’t be one, now would it?”
  1373. “Daaaad…”
  1374. >”You’ll just have to wait sweetheart.”
  1375. “But-“
  1376. >You stop as the door opens, and the chef enters with a large platter in hand.
  1377. >He sets it on the center of the table.
  1378. >You can see steam still coming off of the pancake stacks, and the muffins look like they are still warm as well.
  1379. >All of the food looks great, and the smell that starts to fill the room is divine.
  1380. >”Breakfast is served. Please call if you require anything else.”
  1381. >He gives a nod to your family before letting you all start to dig in.
  1382.  
  1383. >…
  1384. >You awake to another day at sea.
  1385. >With a slight headache.
  1386. >Now that the Fog has been dealt with, it’s back to having no set schedule for the day.
  1387. >You reach up to scratch at your jawline, noting the decent scruff that has grown on your face.
  1388. >You miss your beard.
  1389. >Getting out of bed, you start to get dressed.
  1390. >Another day of waiting.
  1391. >…
  1392. >You’re now standing on deck, looking towards the horizon.
  1393. >You’re standing near the bow of the Avalon, a cup of coffee in hand.
  1394. >How long will this voyage even take?
  1395. >Will you reach your drop off point before winter?
  1396. >Or will you get side tracked and delayed even more?
  1397. >And when you do reach the East, how long will you be wandering around the wilderness?
  1398. >It’s a continent of unknown size.
  1399. >Unless you receive an immense stroke of luck (or a few directions from Discord), you could be searching for your target for weeks.
  1400. >Months even.
  1401. >Hell, maybe years.
  1402. >By the time this is over, you expect to have more than a slight ache in your knees.
  1403. >There’s going to be a whole lot of walking.
  1404. >You let out a sigh.
  1405. >If Frederick were here, the trip would be much easier.
  1406. >It’s strange.
  1407. >For all the death you’ve seen, you miss the manticore the most.
  1408. >Did you really have to have him in the throne room with you?
  1409. >If you just landed next to it, and let him fly off, then-
  1410. >No.
  1411. >You can’t start thinking like that.
  1412. >You shake your head slightly.
  1413. >Your headache is getting worse.
  1414.  
  1415. >…
  1416. “Hey Doc.”
  1417. >”Anonymous. What brings you here?”
  1418. “Just grabbing some aspirin.”
  1419. >”It’s on the same shelf it always is.”
  1420. >You walk over to where the doctor keeps the more common drugs.
  1421. >Grabbing the bottle, you open it and shake out five or six pills.
  1422. >Due to your size, that’s the equivalent of two or three for a pony.
  1423. >Popping them into your mouth, you swallow them.
  1424. “Thanks Doc.”
  1425. >”No alcohol chasers anytime soon.”
  1426. >You start walking out of the room.
  1427. >That reminds you of something.
  1428. >…
  1429. >After a trip to you room, you stand back on the main deck.
  1430. “Three-Leg!”
  1431. >No response from the crow’s nest.
  1432. “THREE-LEG!”
  1433. >Moments later, a pegasi starts to fly down from it.
  1434. >His white mane is unkempt, and as he approaches and starts to speak, you can smell alcohol on his breath.
  1435. >”Whaddya want youngin’?”
  1436. >He’s missing his back left leg, but due to his wings, that isn’t much of an issue for him.
  1437. “I think this belongs to you.”
  1438. >You toss a flask to the grey pegasi.
  1439. >”Ya kept her safe for me!”
  1440. “Not a problem.”
  1441. >”Well, if you’d excuse me, I got a post to get back to… And time to make up for, I was sober for days while that mist thing done disappeared me.”
  1442. “Cheers.”
  1443. >The pegasi flies back up to his post, and you think you can see him opening the flask before he’s even hallway there.
  1444. >Well, there’s your good deed for the day.
  1445. >As you begin to head for the stairs to get below deck, a familiar baritone calls out to you.
  1446. >”Sir.”
  1447. >He approaches and stands next to you as you stop before the staircase.
  1448. “Well if it isn’t the resident able seaman, Dick Deadeye.”
  1449. >He cocks his head and raises an eyebrow, the reference lost upon him.
  1450. “What do you need Port?”
  1451. >”Could you follow me?”
  1452.  
  1453. >…
  1454. >Port leads you to a small room below deck.
  1455. >His cabin.
  1456. >Barely ten by five feet, but it is a solo room and most of the crew can’t say the same.
  1457. >A small cot, a bedside table, and a small dresser.
  1458. >”I haven’t properly thanked you.”
  1459. “If you’re going to thank someone, thank Tiara.”
  1460. >”As I understand it, you still learned how to operate the ship. And crewed this ship, in large part by yourself, for days.”
  1461. “I only did what any other person on this ship would have done in my situation.”
  1462. >”Regardless, that’s not why I brought you here.”
  1463. >He opens the drawer on his bedside table.
  1464. >”I’ve been thinking about recent events. About the risk of this mission.”
  1465. “Regrets?”
  1466. >”Never.”
  1467. >He pulls out a sealed letter from the drawer.
  1468. >”I am not… Well, I don’t… I am not the best and stating my feelings to others. The other night, I did my best.”
  1469. “Go on.”
  1470. >”If you and Lady Tiara were unable to bring the crew back, we would have been gone. Dead, or just gone. Now, I’ve had the talk with my wife, and sent a letter before we set out on this voyage.”
  1471. >He pauses for a moment, and you let him take his time.
  1472. >”However, that letter was made before actually going through what we’ve seen.”
  1473. >Did Tiara put him up to this?
  1474. >”And I think that I’ve been able to better illustrate my true feelings in this. In case I don’t survive this endeavor. I wrote out three copies, one to keep in here, one I gave to Tiara, and I’d like you to have the third.”
  1475. “Why me?”
  1476.  
  1477. >”If something only happens to me, then either the copy in here or with Tiara will make it back. If something happens to damage the ship, then hopefully one would survive. But if the ship is lost after you depart it, then eventually that copy might make it back.”
  1478. “You know that if the ship doesn’t make it back, then the odds of me making it back aren’t much better.”
  1479. >And it’s not just a longshot.
  1480. >You aren’t coming back.
  1481. >”Anonymous. I’m asking one soldier to another. If I die, take this back to my wife.”
  1482. >In his eyes, you can see a genuine plead.
  1483. >A look you’ve seen in countless eyes.
  1484. >The look you’ve seen on ally and enemy alike as the last vestiges of life drain from their bodies.
  1485. >You want to be realistic.
  1486. >You are not coming back from the East.
  1487. >But you can’t just deny this request.
  1488. “I’ll take it.”
  1489. >He offers out the letter, and you accept it.
  1490. >”Thank you.”
  1491. >A moment later, he continues:
  1492. >”Now, I should get back to my station.”
  1493. >You nod, and step out of his cabin.
  1494. >As Port goes off to retake the wheel, you make for your own room further into the ship.
  1495. >Starting down the stairs, you raise your free hand to massage a temple.
  1496. >Damn headache is only getting worse.
  1497. >…
  1498. >You place Port’s letter atop your footlocker.
  1499. >You’ll clear a proper place for it later this night.
  1500. >As you rise and begin to stand, you headache flares.
  1501. >Your vision blurs, and you feel your head begin to shake.
  1502. >And you lose your balance, falling to the wooden floor as you lose consciousness.
  1503.  
  1504. >…
  1505. >You’re sitting in front of a mirror, brushing your hair.
  1506. >Straightening it slightly.
  1507. >You figure your normal curls will be fine, but you want to have a bit more length tonight.
  1508. >When you (eventually and with great difficulty) get your hair to comply, you go to select a dress.
  1509. >You settle on a light pink gown.
  1510. >Not overly formal, however it clearly shows that you’re making an effort.
  1511. >And it’s comfortable, that’s the important part.
  1512. >After you are properly dressed, you leave your room.
  1513. >One fly down the staircase later, and you end up in the main hall.
  1514. >Your father is waiting there already.
  1515. >He’s wearing a black tuxedo with a dark blue bow tie.
  1516. >”You look lovely, sweetheart.”
  1517. “Thank you. Is mom still getting ready?”
  1518. >”Yes, and it’s been almost five hours.”
  1519. “At least we worked her down from seven.”
  1520. >Dad chuckles at the statement.
  1521. >”I’m sure she’ll be here any-“
  1522. >A door opens, revealing your mother.
  1523. >”-minute now.”
  1524. >Your dad says, noticeably happy that she came out when he mentioned it.
  1525. >As your mother approaches, you get a better look at her get up.
  1526. >She’s wearing an intricate scarlet dress that makes yours look like casual wear.
  1527. >And she’s conditioned and done her hair to make it flowing and straight, it almost sparkles in the light.
  1528. >”There’s my handsome stallion.”
  1529. >She says as she gives a quick hug to your father, pecking him on the cheek.
  1530. >”And my beautiful daughter.”
  1531. >She breaks off her embrace with your father, and comes in to hug you.
  1532. >You never thought her grasp can be this tight.
  1533. >Can’t…
  1534. >Breathe…
  1535. >She releases her hug, and you try to hide the gasp for breath.
  1536. >Dad then speaks up:
  1537. >”The carriage is just outside.”
  1538. >He motions for the two of you to lead.
  1539. >”Ladies first.”
  1540.  
  1541. >…
  1542. >You awaken on the rough wooden floor next to your cot.
  1543. >Did…
  1544. >Did you just have a stroke?
  1545. >Or a seizure?
  1546. >Gah!
  1547. >The balls of your hands shoot up to rub your temples.
  1548. >The migraine you have is unbelievable.
  1549. >You reach out to crab the side of your cot, and using it you work your way up to sit on it.
  1550. >Son of a-
  1551. >You reach back to scratch the back of your head.
  1552. >But your hand stops when it reaches your ear.
  1553. >It’s wet.
  1554. >Bringing your hand into view, you see blood on it.
  1555. >You check the other ear.
  1556. >No, it’s only on the right one.
  1557. >You don’t think you landed on that side when you fell.
  1558. >You grab a nearby rag to clean up the blood.
  1559. >What the hell happened?
  1560. >”Hello Anon.”
  1561. “Discord. What are you doing here?”
  1562. >He popped into existence while you blinked, and is now leaning against a few stacked crates facing you.
  1563. >”Well I think I owe you an explanation, so here I am. How’s the head?”
  1564. “Horrible. What explanation?”
  1565. >A new voice calls out, as a crewman enters your room.
  1566. >He’s got a large coil of rope around his shoulder.
  1567. >”Uhh, excuse me Sir. I was just getting some rope for the sails, and I head you speaking. Are you alright?”
  1568. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just talking to Discord.”
  1569. >He glances around the room.
  1570. >”Any luck getting his attention?”
  1571. >The crewman is standing three feet from where Discord is.
  1572. >Discord then speaks to you:
  1573. >”You should probably answer him.”
  1574. “What?”
  1575. >You ask to Discord, but the crewman replies:
  1576. >”How do you think he does it? Because I’ve heard stories just like anypony. Do you think he actually is listening to everything at once, or is it only like when his name is called? Or does he only listen in on a few individuals at any given time?”
  1577.  
  1578. “What? I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”
  1579. >The crewman sets his rope down onto the ground.
  1580. >”Cause, that’s the thing that’s hard to comprehend. He’s supposed to be this all powerful embodied spirit, right?”
  1581. >The crewman paces over a couple feet to rest his front left leg on a crate.
  1582. >The same one that Discord is leaning on.
  1583. >You watch as the pony’s leg phases right through Discord’s stomach.
  1584. >”I mean, how can somepony- err, someone like you or I full understand what it’s like to be on that level? It just completely boggles my mind to think of it. That there is this eons old guy that’s seen and experienced so much. He’s on this level that no mortal can even hope to reach. Sorry Sir, I know I’m rambling.”
  1585. >Discord then quips:
  1586. >”Oh no, please go on. I could listen to this all day.”
  1587. >The crewman places his leg back on the ground.
  1588. >”Well, best of luck. I need to get this back on deck.”
  1589. >The crewman nods before grabbing the rope coil and heading out of your room.
  1590. >As you hear his hoofsteps get further away, you look at Discord.
  1591. “Discord…”
  1592. >”Anon?”
  1593. “That’s the second time that happened.”
  1594. >”What ever could you mean?”
  1595. “Tiara wasn’t able to see you the last time you talked to me.”
  1596. >”Maybe she needs glasses.”
  1597. “What the hell is going on!”
  1598. >It’s in this moment that you realize that your migraine has completely subsided.
  1599. >You don’t even have the slightest headache.
  1600.  
  1601. >”I… Well… You see…”
  1602. >Discord lets out a deep sigh.
  1603. >”Oh there’s no point in hiding it anymore.”
  1604. “Hiding what?”
  1605. >He snaps his fingers and takes a human form.
  1606. >his eyes remain the same, as does his beard.
  1607. >But now he’s wearing a brown suit with a yellow tie.
  1608. >”I’m not… Discord.”
  1609. >What’s he getting at?
  1610. “Could have fooled me.”
  1611. >”Well, not per say.”
  1612. “Start from the beginning.”
  1613. >”Remember out escapades through your mind while you had the infected bug in your brain?”
  1614. “Yes, I remember.”
  1615. >”And how I entered into your mind to assist?”
  1616. “Yes.”
  1617. >”Well…”
  1618. >He’s stalling.
  1619. “Point. Get to it.”
  1620. >”I actually entered into your mind. However I couldn’t physically go into your subconscious, I would have if you were a pony but it wouldn’t work on you, so I had to do the next best thing.”
  1621. “Discord…”
  1622. >”I may have split my psyche into two, and placed one of the halves into your brain. And I may have been unable to reunite with the half that’s still in my body.”
  1623. “YOU WHAT!”
  1624. >”Yep, your brain is currently housing two. It wasn’t an issue at first, I still had a mental connection with the other Discord, and so our psyche was one. Mostly.”
  1625. “Mostly?”
  1626. >”But after ‘my’ fight against the Siren, some magic that she hit ‘me’ with severed the connection. Since then I have no idea what my other half is doing with my body.”
  1627. “So you’ve seen everything that I have since then?”
  1628. >”Unfortunately.”
  1629. “Everything everything?”
  1630. >”I don’t like it any more than you do.”
  1631. >That’s disconcerting.
  1632. >”But no, we can’t read each other’s thoughts.”
  1633. “Is that supposed to be a consolation prize?”
  1634. >”But I can see your memories.”
  1635. “WHAT!?”
  1636.  
  1637. >”There’s no need to raise your voice.”
  1638. “Like hell there is, I’ve had you riding shotgun in my brain!”
  1639. >”And since we’re being honest with each other, it’s killing you.”
  1640. “What?”
  1641. >”Crewman rope-getter was right in his own way. Your simple brain can’t handle even half of my mind.”
  1642. >You rub your forehead, remembering the headache.
  1643. “How long do I have?”
  1644. >”Well it depends. If I refrain from interacting with your conscious or unconscious mind, a week or so.”
  1645. “What do you mean about refraining from interacting.”
  1646. >”Do you honestly think I decided to pop into your dreams for fun? It was so your brain doesn’t liquefy.”
  1647. “Wait, so all the time you’ve been bugging me was to help me?”
  1648. >”He understands! Yes, by weaving my mind into your various perceptions, it relieves the stress on your brain. Before the Siren cut off my connection with myself, I was able to funnel most of that stress into my real body, but now it’s all pent up in here.”
  1649. “I don’t think that’s how the human brain works.”
  1650. >”You’re in an alternate dimension of magical talking horses.”
  1651. “Fair enough.”
  1652. >”But the more I interact, the more my overall… psyche influences your own.”
  1653. “How so?”
  1654. >”You’ve probably noticed that you occasionally act out of character, that’s because my mind is influencing your own.”
  1655. “And because of your whole embodiment of chaos shtick, it makes me act more impulsive?”
  1656. >”Bingo.”
  1657. “So you have to balance how much you interact?”
  1658. >“Yes, and I specifically held myself back recently because you insisted on being left alone.”
  1659.  
  1660. “Exactly how long do I have?”
  1661. >”We have. If your brain goes then my mind goes with it. And If my personality fully overshadows your own, then your brain won’t be able to handle it either. Your native psyche counterbalances my own foreign psyche from ravaging your brain.”
  1662. “So how long do WE have?”
  1663. >”If I can balance it properly, a year or so. Give or take a month.”
  1664. “And how do we get you back into your body?”
  1665. >”No idea.”
  1666. >You glance around the room, truing to truly comprehend the situation.
  1667. “So, just so we’re on the same page… I’m the only one who can see or otherwise interact with you, right?”
  1668. >”Affirmative Generalfeldmarschall.”
  1669. >You begin laughing.
  1670. >”What’s so funny?”
  1671. >At the confusion you laugh even harder.
  1672. >Hysterically even.
  1673. >Eventually it dies down enough to be able to get words out.
  1674. “You’re…”
  1675. >You laugh again.
  1676. >”What!”
  1677. “You’re Harvey.”
  1678. >”Do I look like a rabbit?”
  1679.  
  1680. “If the situation was reversed, you’d be going on and on like you always do. It seems poetic that the tables are finally turned.”
  1681. >“I did this to save your life.”
  1682. “And if I did instead of you, you’d be laughing right now.”
  1683. >”This is why I kept it a secret as long as I did.”
  1684. “So is there anything else I should know?”
  1685. >“Well…”
  1686. “What?”
  1687. >”When I split my mind, I had a bit of control over what half got what. I tried to put more helpful aspects of my persona into this half.”
  1688. “What does that even mean?”
  1689. >”It’s not an exact ‘this half gets one emotion, this half gets another’, but my psyche is based more around my experiences after getting reformed, so to speak.”
  1690. “So the other is your evil twin?”
  1691. >”No, I’m sure that there are enough life lessons in my body to keep him under control.”
  1692. “Unless you just got all of the wishful thinking.”
  1693. >You reply in a snide tone.
  1694. >”So roommate, what are we going to do now?”
  1695. >You exhale sharply.
  1696. >This mission just got a lot more…
  1697. >Annoying.
  1698. >And you only have a year or so to finish it…
  1699.  
  1700. >…
  1701. >As you sit in the balcony watching the opera, your mind wanders slightly.
  1702. >Something about the past few days has felt off.
  1703. >For starters, you can’t properly remember what happened more than a few days ago.
  1704. >You remember events in broad strokes, but actual details are incredibly foggy.
  1705. >Then, the days that you fully remember feel like they’re progressing at an uneven rate.
  1706. >Like you went a few days in the span of a few minutes.
  1707. >And through it all, you sometimes get the feeling like you need to be doing something.
  1708. >Something important.
  1709. >Glancing over to your father, you notice something.
  1710. >He looks so young.
  1711. >About fifteen years younger than he should be.
  1712. >The music onstage takes a dramatic turn, and you look back down on instinct.
  1713. >Then when you glance back at your father, he…
  1714. >He has a bit of grey in his mane, and his features look more weathered.
  1715. >You shake your head slightly.
  1716. >He always looks like that.
  1717. >Doesn’t he?
  1718. >You shift your focus back to the opera.
  1719. >Just your eyes playing trick on you.
  1720. >The lighting probably hid the little grey there is in his mane.
  1721. >The concert hall you’re in is rather sizable.
  1722. >It’s the largest one in Equestria outside of Canterlot or Manehattan.
  1723. >The entire building is made out of crystal that was chosen specifically for its acoustics.
  1724. >And it’s all pretty ornate.
  1725. >Leaning back into your seat, you let yourself get back into the opera.
  1726. >After all, you’re here to relax and enjoy yourself.
  1727. >Even if a little instinct in the back of your head is telling you not to relax.
  1728.  
  1729. >Everypony in the audience begins clapping their hooves.
  1730. >And the cast is taking their final bow.
  1731. >It’s over?
  1732. >But you just sat down a few minutes ago.
  1733. >Something is very wrong.
  1734. >Your eyes begin blurring.
  1735. >All of the applause you can hear becomes white nose, and your vision goes entirely black.
  1736. >When your eyes open once again, the applause is gone.
  1737. >The only thing you can hear is a couple sets of hoofsteps against a hard floor.
  1738. >And you’re lying on a hard floor.
  1739. >It’s cold, but your head is resting on a pillow, and a blanket is draped over your body.
  1740. >You raise your head to look around.
  1741. >You’re in a cell.
  1742. >The horizontal bars seem to indicate that it’s a magic proofed cell.
  1743. >The cell is in the center of the room, and a pair of soldiers are patrolling it.
  1744. “AHH!”
  1745. >A pain shoots through your head, like a cannon just went off in your brain.
  1746. >You head falls back onto the pillow and you raise your front hooves to grab a your temples.
  1747. >The world begins to blur once again, but you hear a voice speak.
  1748. >”She hasn’t so much as moved for weeks, we should get Lancer down here.”
  1749. >A loud sound then rings in your ears, a deafening shrill pitch.
  1750. >You close your eyes as you press harder against your head.
  1751. >The sound soon subsides, but your ears continue to ring.
  1752. >As you open your eyes, you’re in the carriage.
  1753. >”Are you okay Flurry?”
  1754. >Your mother asks.
  1755. >You shake your head clear of what you just…
  1756. >What did you just see?
  1757. >Right, you came out of the concert hall after the opera finished.
  1758. >And you feel fine.
  1759. “I guess I must be a bit tired. The show was amazing, but it could have started a bit earlier.”
  1760. >Your father then chimes in:
  1761. >”Who thought to start a four hour show at eight o’clock?”
  1762. >You lean your head against the side of the carriage.
  1763. >Might try to get a quick nap in.
  1764.  
  1765. >…
  1766. >”Alright ponies, listen up, because this is only being said once.”
  1767. >Lieutenant Wind is addressing a group of fourteen other ponies, not including yourself.
  1768. >You’re all around a rectangular table in a planning room; various maps are sprawled out with possible plans of attack upon them.
  1769. >”As you know, our air wing is comprised of three hundred pegasi, split up into fifteen squadrons of twenty. First through Fifth squadrons comprise A-Wing, Sixth through Tenth comprise B-Wing, and Eleventh through Fifteenth make up C-Wing.”
  1770. >The fourteen pegasi are the Sergeants that command the squadrons.
  1771. >If you recall correctly, each squadron also has three corporals, and the remainder are airmen.
  1772. >”Major Thunder is out guest for this operation, and given his experience I’d like him to command C-Wing.”
  1773. “Understood.”
  1774. >”I’ll be leading A-Wing, and I’d like Sergeant Baron to command B-Wing.”
  1775. >A red pegasi responds:
  1776. >”Yes Sir.”
  1777. >”We’ve still got a few days before our arrival, so we’ll discuss our plans more in depth as intelligence comes in. Speaking broadly, we’ll be doing a basic pincer maneuver with the Prydwen. The ship will engage where the enemy ships are most dense, while the wings move wide to attack their weaker flank.”
  1778. >Seems straight forward enough.
  1779.  
  1780. >”We’ll be going up above their line, and coming down hard on the ships. That way we’ll avoid enemy fire as much as possible. Even a single swivel gun loaded with grapeshot can break a charge’s momentum, so we are not going straight into the grinder.”
  1781. >Sound enough of an idea.
  1782. >”Here comes the dicey bit though. If at all possible I’d like to capture the enemy ships instead of destroying them. An airship we can capture and repurpose is one we don’t have to build. So if there isn’t much resistance on a ship, clear it. If the defenders are holding steadfast, destroy the ship and move on to the next. Our gunners will be on the lookout, so you don’t need to worry about enemy fire.”
  1783. >It’s a bit of a gamble trying to capture the ships instead of the more straightforward approach, but the gains might be worth it.
  1784. >”Once the battle in the skies is over, we’ll be regrouping. We may attempt to soften up enemy hard points: artillery encampments, supply lines, undefended flanks. But the ground battle is not our priority; nopony goes down there until every ship in the sky is under our control, or crashing to the ground.”
  1785. >Wind pauses momentarily.
  1786. >”One final thing, I want the pegasi that have experience with weather manipulation to meet me in here at eighteen hundred hours. Find the best one from each of your squadrons and send them here. Other than that, dismissed.”
  1787.  
  1788. >…
  1789. >The week went by so quickly.
  1790. >It’s almost like you rested your head down to nap, and now you’re heading down to your lakeside retreat.
  1791. >Four pegasi are pulling an air chariot that your family is in.
  1792. >Once you land, they’ll be leaving you at the house for a week.
  1793. >Just you and your family.
  1794. >No royal duties, just relaxation.
  1795. >As a family.
  1796. >Peeking over the side, you see that you’re on the approach to the house.
  1797. >It’s built on the edge of a forest; sparse conifers dot the area around it.
  1798. >And a hundred or so feet from the front porch is a small lake.
  1799. >Inhaling through your nose, you can already smell the scent of pine.
  1800. >Your parents have been insisting that the surprise will be waiting for you there.
  1801. >And you’re rather anxious to see it.
  1802. >As the pegasi set the chariot down, it soon comes to a full stop.
  1803. >You and your mother flap your wings to get onto the ground, while your father grabs a suitcase and comes down on his own.
  1804. >You mother then speaks to the guards that were pulling the chariot.
  1805. >”Thank you. You can leave the chariot here.”
  1806. >At her word, the guards start unhooking themselves and start to fly back to the city.
  1807. >Your father then speaks to you:
  1808. >”Go on, you’ll see what the fuss was about as soon as you open the door.”
  1809. >You quickly approach the main door, and open it.
  1810. >And you see:
  1811. “Aunt Twilight!”
  1812. >You run into the house to get her into a bear hug.
  1813.  
  1814. >…
  1815. >You follow the Corporal down the hallway, following him into the forward observation room.
  1816. >”Call for us Admiral?”
  1817. >You’re unsure if Corporal Call intended the pun or not.
  1818. >Brairheart turns to face you.
  1819. >Through the windows you can see the open ocean.
  1820. >”Call, Thunder. Glad you could make it.”
  1821. “Did you need something Admiral?”
  1822. >”We’re still a couple days out from Jun Hisan, however I’ve received good and bad news.”
  1823. “And that would be?”
  1824. >”Because all of his forces are so concentrated, the Mushir has managed to hold the monarchist forces at the outskirts of the city.”
  1825. “And the bad?”
  1826. >”The bad news is that the monarchists are preparing for the final push. They’re preparing to throw every airship, cannon, and man old enough to hold a weapon into the city. By any estimate, the assault will be overwhelming.”
  1827. >Call speaks up:
  1828. >”Bloody right it is, why can’t anything in this army be minor. It’s always major turning point this, decisive battle that.”
  1829. >”That will be enough Corporal.”
  1830. >Brairheart says in a firm voice.
  1831. >”Sir.”
  1832.  
  1833. “Does any of the new information justify changing the plan of attack?”
  1834. >”No. The initial battle will be much the same.”
  1835. >There’s going to be a ‘but.’
  1836. >”But, I’d like the two of you to go ahead of the ship once we get within an hour or so of arriving at the port. The fight for the skies plays a major factor in the battle as a whole, but air superiority alone cannot win the day. I want you to go ahead of our forces and meet with the Mushir. Discuss generalities of where he wants the fliers once the battle for the skies is finished. There will be hundreds of thousands of combatants on the field, so I want the three hundred men we’ll be contributing where they’ll do the most damage. The Mushir and his command staff have been on the ground, so they’ll know where they’ll need close air support the most.”
  1837. “Understood.”
  1838. >”I’ve been having the unicorns get as much speed out of the ship as the structural integrity will allow. Once we do get in range, I’ll send somepony to notify you.”
  1839. “Yes Sir.”
  1840.  
  1841. >…
  1842. >You’re sitting around a crate that serves as a table in your room aboard the Avalon.
  1843. >Looking at the cards in your hand.
  1844. >A two, eight, nine, king, and an ace.
  1845. >”Do you have any eights?”
  1846. >Damn.
  1847. >You toss the card over to Discord, still in human form.
  1848. “Hey Harvey?”
  1849. >”Hmm?”
  1850. “These aren’t real cards, are they?”
  1851. >”Oh no, they’re just like me, figments of your imagination.”
  1852. “So I’m currently sitting in my room, holding an empty hand out, around an empty table, playing imaginary go fish with myself.”
  1853. >”That about sums it up.”
  1854. “This is rock bottom, isn’t it?”
  1855. >”Most likely.”
  1856. “Do you have any twos?”
  1857. >Discord lets out an annoying Ha-Ha.
  1858. >”Go fish!”
  1859. >Damn.
  1860. >You pick up a two.
  1861. >Fair is fair.
  1862. >”You know Anon, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
  1863. “Shoot.”
  1864. >”There are vast regions of your brain that are filled with nothing but… gibberish.”
  1865. “That would be high school.”
  1866. >”You have my deepest condolences.”
  1867. “I don’t want your pity; I want you to stop treating my memories as your go to source of entertainment. My life is not a reality show.”
  1868. >”Isn’t it though?”
  1869. “Shut up Harvey.”
  1870. >”Don’t blame me, blame the writer. None of this was in my contract; I was supposed to be a one-scene wonder. Instead I’m getting dragged along in this cliché ridden story so much that I’m effectively a main character at this point.”
  1871. “You need an unhealthy amount of medication and rigorous counseling. Just try and keep the insanity from bleeding through to me.”
  1872. >”Do you have any kings?”
  1873. >Damn.
  1874.  
  1875. >…
  1876. >Your father lifts another log onto the fire with his magic.
  1877. >The four of you are sitting around the fireplace.
  1878. >Mom is in a chair to your left, Dad is on the one to the right.
  1879. >Aunt Twi is sitting on the same couch as you are; she’s on the side closer to your father.
  1880. >The past few days have been great.
  1881. >That’s the easiest way you can describe them.
  1882. >Your parents have been able to relax from royal duties, and you’ve managed to catch up with your Aunt.
  1883. >She brought you a few assorted books.
  1884. >It’s kind of the tradition, whenever you can see each other; she brings a few books as a gift.
  1885. >And the stories she has from back home with her friends are amazing.
  1886. >Mom and Twilight have loved getting to catch up as well.
  1887. >Dad’s been trying his hoof at cooking again, this time with… mixed results.
  1888. >And that’s being generous.
  1889. >But it’s the thought that counts.
  1890. >It’s just been… great.
  1891. >For once you’re just a normal family.
  1892. >Your Aunt is just finishing up a story:
  1893. >”So then, Applejack and I decided that-“
  1894. >She stops herself as a knock is heard at the door.
  1895. >”Who could that be at this hour?”
  1896. >It is rather late at night, but she seems utterly shocked.
  1897. >Your father sounds equally as puzzled:
  1898. >”It was only supposed to be us here. We didn’t send for any others.”
  1899. >There’s something else in his voice.
  1900. >Anger maybe.
  1901. >Whatever it is, it’s hidden well.
  1902. >The next knock at the door is a loud thud.
  1903. >You look over to your mother, who is staring at you.
  1904. >Her face looks utterly blank.
  1905. >With maybe a hint of disgust.
  1906.  
  1907. >Your eyes shoot to the door, as it gets kicked in.
  1908. >Kicked in doesn’t do it justice, the door was completely removed from its hinges.
  1909. >In the doorway you see a unique silhouette.
  1910. >And you recognize the voice that calls out.
  1911. >”Flurry, you need to get away from them.”
  1912. “Uncle?”
  1913. >”Now!”
  1914. >”Wait just a minute!”
  1915. >Your father says as he gets up and runs towards the door.
  1916. >”You can’t just barge in here. Why are you even here, you aren’t part of the-“
  1917. >You see you Uncle bash his palm against your fathers nose.
  1918. >Immediately, he falls to the ground, completely dazed.
  1919. “What are you-“
  1920. >”NO!”
  1921. >You hear from an incredibly deep, vaguely male voice the intensely reverberates throughout the room.
  1922. >The direction would place it as coming from…
  1923. >Aunt Twilight?
  1924. >As you look at her, your eyes must be playing tricks on you.
  1925. >Her eyes look completely black.
  1926. >But not solid, almost like a dark liquid is swirling around, rather violently.
  1927. >She lets out an ear shattering screech that you doubt any pony could make, you can feel it rock to the core of your bones themselves.
  1928. >She does this as she takes off, flapping her wings and charging straight to Anon.
  1929. >Before she can make contact, your Uncle backhands her, sending her crashing against the wall.
  1930. >He then makes his way over to you, standing in front of the couch you’re sitting on.
  1931. >His beard is as long and imposing as ever, his sword is at his side, and he’s wearing his favorite jacket.
  1932. >The one based off of Rommel’s jacket.
  1933. >You rise as he comes closer, and you notice your mother getting out of her chair to your left, approaching as well.
  1934.  
  1935. >She then begins to speak:
  1936. >”Flurry, dear. You need to wake up.”
  1937. >Her voice echoes strangely, almost like it transcends physical form.
  1938. >It also sounds much deeper than her normal voice.
  1939. >”You’re having a nightmare. Open your eyes and you’ll wake up in your room.”
  1940. >Your Uncle then speaks:
  1941. >”Flurry, none of this is real. None of these people actually exist.”
  1942. >Your mother continues to speak as well:
  1943. >”Because it’s in your head dear. Just open your eyes and we can have breakfast together. As a family, that’s what you want.”
  1944. >Your eyes feel heavy.
  1945. >Breakfast does sound good right about now.
  1946. >You glance over to your father and aunt, still sprawled out on the floor.
  1947. >Haha.
  1948. >This is a weird dream.
  1949. >”Flurry, fight it.”
  1950. “What?”
  1951. >You ask to Anon.
  1952. >”All of this is wrong. Just ask yourself, what did you do all week? Give me specific details about your life.”
  1953. “I-“
  1954. >”What did you do this morning when you woke up?”
  1955. “I…”
  1956. >”Before going to bed the night before?”
  1957. “I…”
  1958. >You can’t answer that.
  1959. >Your mother begins to speak again:
  1960. >”Flurry, your Aunt and her friends have come to visit you. You need to get up now sleepyhead.”
  1961. >Aunt Twi brought her friends to come visit you?
  1962. >It’s been so long since you’ve seen them!
  1963. >You hear Anon speak to himself:
  1964. >”This is getting nowhere.”
  1965.  
  1966. >It happened so quickly.
  1967. >The sound of steel reverberating.
  1968. >In one quick motion, your Uncle drew his sword and swung it.
  1969. >Straight through your mother’s neck.
  1970. >Then you hear the sound of her head hitting the ground, and rolling slightly.
  1971. >Her body is standing up still.
  1972. >And in the wound, you see…
  1973. >Black.
  1974. >Her body then erupts and collapses into itself, bubbling down into a strange puddle made of a black liquid.
  1975. >And you remember…
  1976. >Everything.
  1977. “A… Uncle, what’s going on?”
  1978. >”I’m not the real Anon. I’m part of your mind. At a guess, the part of you that’s still fighting.”
  1979. “Why are you here now?”
  1980. >”Because I had to get here. The bug put me far away, so you wouldn’t worry about my absence.”
  1981. “Like Discord, but I know you can’t teleport.”
  1982. >”Flurry, none of this is real. You need to wake up for real. Kill it if you can?”
  1983. “How! I barely even know what IT is!”
  1984. >”I know you can. Every single aspect of my essence tells me that you can.”
  1985. “How do you know?”
  1986. >”Because I’m how your mind views Anonymous. And deep down, you know that he has the utmost confidence in you. In his little soldier.”
  1987. >He kneels down and puts his hands on your shoulders.
  1988. >”Flurry, I am the deep part of you that knows you can fight this.”
  1989. “But my mother, or Luna, and even Celestia couldn’t.”
  1990.  
  1991. >”And does that mean you shouldn’t even try?”
  1992. “Everypony else failed.”
  1993. >”Success is not final, failure is not fatal:”
  1994. >You whisper the last bit as he says it:
  1995. “It is the courage to continue that counts.”
  1996. >”When I was injured and left in a coma, you didn’t wait for me to wake up. You stood up, put on your armor, and took my place. When push came to shove, you pushed back, and you won.”
  1997. “Uncle…”
  1998. >”Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. You just need to give your best.”
  1999. “But-“
  2000. >”No. No buts. You have to do this. You have to fight, and you have to do it alone.”
  2001. “What about you?”
  2002. >”I am you. This isn’t a physical fight; it’s in your mind. All of what you see is either you, or it. It’s a cancer that has been eating away at your mind for years; you need to cast it out, once and for all.”
  2003. >Anon quickly stands back up, looking around wildly.
  2004. >He then whispers to himself:
  2005. >”It’s coming for me.”
  2006. >His attention turns back to you.
  2007. >”I’m a wild entity, something in this world that wasn’t created by it. I don’t fit the mold so it’s going to remove me.”
  2008. >He tilts his head, shaking it slightly as if he was in pain.
  2009. “Are you okay?”
  2010. >”I’m not going to be around much longer, but it can’t get truly kill me unless you let it. Flurry, no matter what happens…”
  2011. >He falls to one knee, and clenches at his chest.
  2012. >”F-Flurry, you need-”
  2013. >He begins coughing violently.
  2014. >And it looks like he’s fading.
  2015. >You can actually start to see through his body.
  2016. >He holds a hand in front of his face to observe it.
  2017. >Then his head shoots back to you.
  2018. >By now he’s barely visible.
  2019. >”FIGHT IT!”
  2020. “NO!... Uncle Anon?”
  2021. >He’s…
  2022. >Gone.
  2023.  
  2024. >You look around the room.
  2025. >The hum of the fire is still present, and its light illuminates the room.
  2026. >Looking over to Twilight and your father, you see their bodies start to bubble, breaking down into puddles of the same type of liquid that your mother turned into.
  2027. >Glancing around the room, you start to take in the details.
  2028. >The chairs and couches.
  2029. >The stone fireplace.
  2030. >The wooden logs that form the walls.
  2031. >The shelves with various knickknacks adorning them.
  2032. >The coffee table with four mugs of hot cocoa on it.
  2033. >The bookshelves that line the walls.
  2034. >The rug that really ties the room together.
  2035. >It all starts…
  2036. >Melting.
  2037. >Like it was all made of wax, brought close to the flame.
  2038. >Lifting your hoof, you feel it melting under your own weight as well.
  2039. >What’s going on?
  2040. >Even the fire looks distorted.
  2041. >And everything is starting to turn black.
  2042. >Just a thought, but you REALLY don’t think you should be here anymore.
  2043. >As a corner of the room collapses into a black blob, your thought seemed to be proven.
  2044. >So you promptly stretched out your wings, and fly through the open door way.
  2045. >You land a few dozen or so feet from the front porch, and turn to face the house.
  2046. >The moonlight lets you see quite a bit.
  2047. >The entire house is being absorbed by the blob.
  2048. >Blob is the only word you can think of to describe it.
  2049. >It’s a big pile of semi-liquidity.
  2050. >And the way the texture swirls around is almost hypnotic.
  2051. >At a first glance it looks to be solid black, but the way currents swirl keeps you staring at it.
  2052.  
  2053. >And it’s growing.
  2054. >As the remains of the house get sucked into the blob, it seems to get bigger.
  2055. >You can see how where it sits on the ground, it begins to spread out over the ground, layering everything it touches.
  2056. >A tendril shoots out of its body, and grabs at the nearest tree.
  2057. >It completely uproots it, and brings it back to the core, adding it to its matter.
  2058. >Several other tendrils come out of the blob, waving around, looking for more things to bring back to feed its growth.
  2059. >Every fiber of your being wants to fly away.
  2060. >As fast as you can.
  2061. >You glance down, and see the liquid quickly advancing towards you.
  2062. >Focusing magical energy, you let out beam and arc it in front of you.
  2063. >It manages to push the advance back, and the liquid begins to retract.
  2064. >Mustering everything you have, you then focus a blast that you direct straight into its center of mass.
  2065. >The resulting screech dazes you, as the only thing you can hear is ringing.
  2066. >It was incredibly shrill, both low and high pitched at the same time.
  2067. >That definitely hurt it.
  2068. >In response, you see a tendril shoot out.
  2069. >Straight towards you.
  2070. >You attempt to jump out of the way, but the sheer speed of it took you off guard.
  2071. >It reaches you in under a second.
  2072. >What really takes you by surprise is that it doesn’t start surrounding you.
  2073. >It just rests on your temple for a moment before-
  2074. “AHHHHH!”
  2075.  
  2076. >-
  2077. >You…
  2078. >You’re in your room.
  2079. >Sitting on the side of your bed.
  2080. >The start of a new day.
  2081. >NO!
  2082. >There is a quick nock on your door, and it soon opens before you can respond.
  2083. >”How is my favorite niece doing?”
  2084. >Your Aunt Twilight enters your room and comes over to you.
  2085. “Aunt Twi! It’s so great to see you again.”
  2086. >You stand up to hug her.
  2087. >As you embrace her, your memory becomes yours again, and you push her away.
  2088. >”Flurry, what are you doing?”
  2089. “You’re not Twilight.”
  2090. >”Of course I am, silly. It’s been a while, but I don’t think I look that different.”
  2091. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
  2092. >She comes to put a hoof on your shoulder.
  2093. >”Maybe you just need a bit more rest. Take a quick nap, you’ll feel better.”
  2094. >She…
  2095. >Isn’t…
  2096. >REAL!
  2097. “NO!”
  2098. >You let out a magical bolt at her, and the entire scene shatters.
  2099. >Back outside the lake house, the bolt hit the tendril, sending it away from you.
  2100. >Charging up power, you hold in magic until your horn shines as bright as the moon in the sky.
  2101. >And you release it in a much wider beam, striking much more surface area of the blob.
  2102. >It screeches again, so you hold the beam in place, continuing to pound it.
  2103. >But your front hooves start to feel cold, ice cold.
  2104. >Your vision begins to blur, and the beam sputters out.
  2105. >You see that the liquid has reached your hooves, and is starting to crawl up your legs.
  2106. >Everything.
  2107. >Is.
  2108. >Going.
  2109.  
  2110. >-
  2111. >You’re curled up in and alcove in the library in the Spire in the Crystal Empire, with a cup of tea and a good book.
  2112. >A set of hoofesteps echoes on the crystal floors.
  2113. >You blink sharply a few times, trying to remember…
  2114. >Something.
  2115. >But there are only the hoofsteps.
  2116. >And your father soon rounds the corner to your alcove.
  2117. >”Thought I’d find you here… again.”
  2118. “It’s a cozy space.”
  2119. >”I can see that.”
  2120. >But incoming.
  2121. >”But, it’s late. And Celestia is coming to visit tomorrow. You need to be up and ready for when the train gets her in the morning.”
  2122. “It’s not too late.”
  2123. >”It’s two in the morning.”
  2124. “I’m-“
  2125. >You yawn heavily.
  2126. “Fine.
  2127. >”Flurry. Bed. Now.”
  2128. “Okay…”
  2129. >You say as you start to close the book.
  2130. >But you see the page…
  2131. >It’s blank.
  2132. >Huh.
  2133. >You close the book completely and set it aside.
  2134. >As you get up and glance at your father, you see him smile.
  2135. >But his eyes.
  2136. >They’re pitch black and swirling.
  2137. >Because none of this is real.
  2138. >You bring back your hoof, and deliver a right hook to your ‘father’.
  2139. >As it impacts, he shatters as if made of glass, and the fake library melts away.
  2140. >You’re trapped by the liquid starting to coat your body, unable to move.
  2141. >And half a dozen tendrils are swirling towards you.
  2142. >You need to fight.
  2143. >But you can’t… break… free.
  2144. >You top trying to struggle, instead focusing on the tendrils.
  2145. >Summoning up a spout of flame, you release it at the incoming appendages, hoping that burning the creature will serve better than pure magic.
  2146. >The low grumbling noise that comes from it seems to indicate that it might be working.
  2147. >Another ice cold feeling shoots through your body, as the liquid doesn’t stop.
  2148. >Not again.
  2149.  
  2150. >-
  2151. >You enter the throne room in the Spire.
  2152. “You call for me Mom?”
  2153. >”Flurry, dear. Come here.”
  2154. >You quickly fly over to your mother, seated in the throne.
  2155. >She’s got a photo album that she’s looking through.
  2156. >”Look what I found! It’s from when you were just a baby.”
  2157. >You glance at the pages she’s looking through.
  2158. >Pictures of her and Dad with an infant.
  2159. >”You were such a beautiful baby. A bit of baby fat, but you grew out of it.”
  2160. “You and Dad look so happy.”
  2161. >”We still are, work just takes a lot of our time.”
  2162. “You have been pretty busy recently.”
  2163. >”It was you, you know.”
  2164. “What?”
  2165. >”Why we looked so happy. There is no greater expression of love than having and raising a child. You’re the embodiment of how much your father and I mean to each other.”
  2166. “Oh Mom.”
  2167. >You lean in to hug her.
  2168. “I love you too.”
  2169. >”I know you do honey.”
  2170. “I wish we could spend more time together. Without work and thrones.”
  2171. >”Why don’t we? We can all take off tomorrow and have a mini-retreat. Just the three of us.”
  2172. “That sounds great.”
  2173. >”You just need to go get some sleep.”
  2174. “What?”
  2175. >”Well you can’t just stay awake all night.”
  2176. “No, that’s… wrong…”
  2177. >”No it isn’t honey, it’s perfectly natural. That’s how being tired works.”
  2178. “I know it is, it’s just that this…”
  2179. >”This what?”
  2180. >The words echo in your head.
  2181. “It’s wrong.”
  2182. >”No it isn’t, go on up to your room. I’ll even make breakfast for you.”
  2183. “Blueberry muffins and cinnamon pancakes?”
  2184. >”Just how you like them.”
  2185. “That sounds so nice right now.”
  2186. >”Goodnight Flurry, I’ll see you in the morning.”
  2187. “Goodnight Mom. I love you.
  2188. >”Love you too.”
  2189. >You turn and start walking out of the throne room.
  2190.  
  2191. >About hallway to the door, you realize something:
  2192. >No she doesn’t.
  2193. >She doesn’t love you.
  2194. >She isn’t even a she.
  2195. >It is playing you.
  2196. >You turn to face the thing that is impersonating your mother.
  2197. >”Flurry? What’s wrong? You need your rest.”
  2198. >You charge up an attack.
  2199. >This one contains bits of anger.
  2200. >This creature has been using your life, and the ponies you loved, to get you to be content.
  2201. >To make you subservient.
  2202. >Not anymore.
  2203. >You release the anger infused pulse, breaking down the illusion.
  2204. >Light pierces your ‘mother’ and the world around her.
  2205. >Outside of that fantasy, it burns off the liquid that was beginning to coat you.
  2206. “I will not… be your… SLAVE!”
  2207. >Everything that was within a fifteen foot radius from you was obliterated, as you stand fast against the creature.
  2208. >You hear a voice echo through everything, as if it emanates off of everything that’s part of the blob.
  2209. >[YOU]
  2210. >[WILL]
  2211. >[SUBMIT]
  2212. “Not likely!”
  2213. >[EVERYTHING ON THIS PITTFUL ROCK WILL… BE… CONSUMED]
  2214. >A pair of tendrils shoot out from the blob and wrap themselves around your shoulders.
  2215. >They then begin to retract you towards the main body of the entity.
  2216. >You ready your mind for another illusory onslaught.
  2217. >Though you attempt to steel yourself against another façade, you feel your grip failing…
  2218. >As you…
  2219. >Go…
  2220. >Back…
  2221.  
  2222. >-
  2223. >You stand atop the Spire, overlooking the Crystal Empire.
  2224. >Behind you, you can hear hoofsteps.
  2225. >No, not hoofsteps.
  2226. >Footsteps.
  2227. >No…
  2228. >You turn around to see-
  2229. >”Hey kiddo.”
  2230. “No…”
  2231. >Not…
  2232. >He approaches you and kneels down, placing a hand on your shoulder.
  2233. >”Flurry, listen to me.”
  2234. “No.”
  2235. >”You’ve been hurt, broke your wing in a crash. You’re in a hospital, drugged out right now. You need to calm down and let the meds sedate you. You’ve already hurt two nurses and a doctor.”
  2236. “This isn’t-“
  2237. >”Everything is going to be okay kiddo.”
  2238. “NO!”
  2239. >”Flurry-“
  2240. “How dare you?”
  2241. >”What?”
  2242. “How DARE you?”
  2243. >”Flurry…”
  2244. >You are overcome with pure unbridled rage.
  2245. >It will NOT use your Uncle against you.
  2246. >You feel more power coursing through your horn than ever has before.
  2247. >Far more than it ever took to raise the sun or moon.
  2248. >Your horn begins to light up, blindingly.
  2249. >And you see the illusion before you change.
  2250. >It doesn’t shatter like the others.
  2251. >A tendril is resting on your shoulder, and a portion of the entity’s main body is in the shape of your Uncle.
  2252. >Black and swirling, but clearly in his image.
  2253.  
  2254. >The creature is holding you close to its body, and it inches you closer and closer to being consumed.
  2255. >You can feel that it’s spreading over your body again.
  2256. >Pretty much the only parts of you that are still free, is your face and horn.
  2257. “HOW DARE YOU!”
  2258. >The pent up rage is released, as the entirety of your world shines brighter than the sun itself.
  2259. >Accompanying the light is a shrill highly pitched hum that overshadows any sound the entity might make.
  2260. >It’s so bright that you can’t see a thing, only the light.
  2261. >Then it subsides, and you hit the ground.
  2262. >The cold stone floor that you immediately slump onto.
  2263. >”Sir, I think it’s over.”
  2264. >You hear from an unknown voice.
  2265. >The next thing you notice is a strange wet-ish feeling coming from your right ear, like you just cleared water from it.
  2266. >You raise your head from the ground and see a small insect in a pool of black liquid.
  2267. >You feel lightheaded.
  2268. >Glancing to the side, you see a pair of guards, General Lancer, and Starlight standing outside of the cell.
  2269. >And then…
  2270. >You fall over onto your back, completely drained and exhausted.

Heart of War- Prologue

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act I

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act II

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act III

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act IV

by ThingPaste