Chapter 4 - On Three

"So where exactly are we going?" Vex asked, she and the rest of the ShadowHawks along with the mane six following Princess Celestia's Royal Guards through the castle. Luna's Moon had risen quickly in the time that the ponies had eaten lunch and Celestia suggested that they rest for the night. Agreeing to the thought, the ShadowHawks and the mane six were escorted to their sleeping quarters, Princess Celestia summoning a squad of guards to escort them.
"Our chambers," Strings replied as he trotted down the marble halls. Soon the ponies left the safe walls of the castle and stood outside, looking up at a majestic white tower.
"You'll all be staying up in the towers," one of the guard informed, gesturing towards the spiral stairs that led up to the royal suites.
"I like it!" Rainbow Dash laughed, quickly zooming into the air and up to the suite.
"Honestly, the princess allowing us to stay in such a marvelous place!" Rarity awed, her eyes darting back and forth to admire the décor.

"Mares on the left and stallions on the right," the guard ordered, the ponies obeying and splitting up.
"Well, we've got a lot of room," Strings smiled, looking around the room, Sven making his way to the restroom quickly. Deciding not to look into what his leader was doing, Strings quickly settled himself on one of the three beds in the room, resting his violin case on the soft mattress. Glancing to his right, he found Archimedes already drifting off to sleep underneath the red silky covers.
"Typical Archimedes," Strings chuckled, reaching inside his cloak, and pulling out a silver heart shaped locket, gently fondling the item before opening the piece and staring at the picture inside. Soft music began to play from the opened locket and a small tear gently traveled down his light brown coat. Sighing, Strings picked up his violin and slowly made his way towards the large window. Perching himself upon the black railing, his soft grey eyes surveyed Equestria before hooves made their way to a bow.
"Typical me," Strings sighed, his bow beginning to slide across the violin's strings. His symphony began to echo softly through the marble halls.

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Meanwhile, inside the mare's room, the Elements of Harmony and the two other ShadowHawks were getting settled in.
"Are we really staying in here with them?" Rainbow Dash whispered, Twilight's nervous gaze slowly turning towards Vex and Aurora. The two ponies had already gotten their beds and were busying themselves with what appeared to be sleeping while sitting up.
"Looks like it, let's just try and keep things calm and not anger them," Twilight whispered, not noticing that Vex had suddenly began to make her way towards the group.
"Fluttershy," Vex spoke, her voice heavy and angry. The yellow mare was frozen in place, her eyes hidden behind her pink mane. Vex's light blue eyes stared sharply back at the scared pegasus, remaining silent.
"Y-y-yes?" Fluttershy stuttered, Rarity and Applejack slowly making their way between her and Vex. A moment of silence suddenly fell before Vex smiled softly and hugged the yellow mare.
"Hey, how have you been?" she asked, smiling, the yellow mare giggling softly.

"I've been doing fine, Ponyville has been keeping me busy. I take care of the animals there," Fluttershy giggled, Aurora now joining the two.
"Well you've certainly changed then since we last met. Still got no pet?" the unicorn chuckled, Fluttershy shaking her head and telling the two about Angel.
"Well, we have missed a few things then haven't we?" Vex chuckled, leaning on Aurora who suddenly vanished and appeared above a collapsed Vex.
"You suck."

While the three mares were laughing and apparently catching up on old times, the other five quietly gathered to the side.
"So… They're all friendly with Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused at the sudden personality change of Vex and Aurora.
"So it would seem. They don't seem that bad though," Rarity commented, giving a nervous friendly smile as Vex waved.
"Well I reckon' if they're friendly with 'Shy, then I'll extend my hoof out for civil talk," Applejack spoke, trotting over to the three mares, Rarity in tow.
"I don't know, Twi, I still say these Stalkers are bad news," Rainbow Dash growled, eyeing Vex and Aurora.
"I know Rainbow, but all we can do now is keep watch over them, make sure Fluttershy doesn't get hurt or worse," Twilight whispered.
"You never did help me break in…" Rainbow Dash muttered.
"I didn't think you were being serious!" Twilight exclaimed, surprised that Rainbow Dash even remembered the conversation.

"Twilight dear, you must come over here! We're giving Vex a make over!" Rarity giggled, Vex obviously not amused as Aurora held her down with her magic.
"This is mutiny!" Vex yelled playfully, Aurora laughing before Applejack popped an apple into Vex's mouth, surprising the mare. She then spat the apple out of her mouth, landing the fruit on the brim of Applejack's hat.
"Applejack dear, please fetch my makeup bag!" Rarity called, Vex's eyes widening in mock horror.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"

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"Make up?" Archimedes asked, removing his hood and cloak while searching the room for a mirror. The pony had issues sleeping in a new environment, and the fact that it was in Canterlot did not comfort him any more.
"What else?" String's replied, still playing his violin.
"You miss her?" Archimedes asked, cracking his joints and looking at himself in a mirror hung above a mahogany wardrobe. His eye instantly shot to his eye patch, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"Of course I still miss her, I loved her," Strings replied, his bow missing a chord before quickly recovering.
"Loved? Past tense," Sven muttered, his tone flat and his expression blank as he made his way to the balcony.
"Now, don't be so cold hearted Sven. I'm sure you're still in love with-"
"Quiet," Sven snapped, glaring at the violinist. Strings sighed, and resumed playing, watching Sven pick up his own locket. The corroded silver and the multiple scratches on the engraving - it was definitely Sven's. The sound of the gears opening and the soft music box music playing indicated that the item was opened. Throwing a quick gaze, Strings saw a single tear fall from Sven's emerald eye before the locket was closed.

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Back in the mares room, the girls had had a blast, doing makeovers (Vex and Applejack being the two exceptions), pillow fights, and gossiping. Despite the activities, Vex and Aurora both seemed to keep their cloaks on, though their hoods flew freely in the air. Eventually, the mares decided on playing the game truth or dare, Rainbow Dash producing a glass bottle from her saddlebag and placing it in the middle of the circle of mares. Laughs and blushes of embarrassment were exchanged along with some more 'interesting' dares thanks to Rainbow Dash.
"Alright! Fluttershy! I dare you to…" Rainbow Dash grinned, her eyes darting around the room for something embarrassing for Fluttershy to do. Eventually, her magenta eyes landed on Vex and Applejack.
"...make out with Vex and Applejack for two whole minutes!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly with a smug grin. The three mares' eyes widened, Applejack staring at Rainbow Dash with a hint of anger and embarrassment while Fluttershy let out a soft squeak and hid behind her mane, despite her rosy cheeks revealing her embarrassment. Vex on the other hand gave a slight shrug, her eyes almost asking, "Is that all you've got?"

Fluttershy's body shook violently, her eyes threatening to burst into tears as she slowly made her way towards Applejack and Vex. Applejack was blushing deeply while trying to avert her gaze to the yellow mare's sky blue eyes while Vex just stared at Fluttershy, giving her a playful wink. What happened next was, putting it simply, interesting. Fluttershy let out a loud gasp of air, pulling away from Applejack's lips, her cheeks flushed red. Vex smiled and pecked the already embarrassed mare on the lips before turning to Aurora, smiling.
"O-o-o-o-o-ok… I'll spin now…" Fluttershy whispered, weakly spinning the glass bottle, which eventually landed at Twilight.
"Truth," Twilight spoke, fearing whatever Fluttershy may have chosen as a dare. It wasn't necessarily Fluttershy's dares that she was worried about, it was Rainbow Dash giving Fluttershy an idea for a dare.
"Ok. Why don't you trust Kozak?"

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"Aachoo!" Sven sneezed, his eyes fixated on the night sky that dowsed Equestria in a calm dark blanket.
"Seriously? Why me? Talk about Strings or something," Sven muttered, Strings suddenly sneezing and missing a large proportion of the piece he was playing.
"That's better."

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"Well… I guess I don't trust him mostly because I feel like he has so much power but he's hiding it from us," Twilight explained.
"What about Celestia, I'm sure she's hiding her full power from you but you seem to trust her," Vex pointed out, Aurora nodding in agreement.
"But she'd never use her power to harm anypony!" Twilight protested, shocked and almost insulted that the ShadowHawk brought her mentor into the discussion.
"And what makes you think Kozak would? We've been with him for years and he's never used his power to harm anypony," Aurora countered. Twilight searched for an argument but only silence came out of her mouth. Defeated, she sighed.
"Fine. But I still don't trust him. Why else would Celestia have banished him from Canterlot?" Twilight pointed out, Vex's and Aurora's eyes falling suddenly.
"That's… that's not in our jurisdiction to say," Vex whispered, her voice saddened by the memory, Aurora nodding in agreement.
"Vex…" Twilight spoke softly, now feeling guilty.
"It's fine. It's not in our position to talk about Kozak's past, that's his job," Aurora assured, her eyes motioning to the bottle. Hesitantly, Twilight spun the bottle, the object stopping at Vex.
"Truth," Vex spoke confidently.

"So, Vex! How'd you get into the ShadowHawks?" Twilight asked, her five friends staring at the unicorn as if she had just asked if the princess was pregnant. To their surprise, Vex appeared to chuckle, Aurora smiling and resting her head on Vex's shoulder.
"To be honest, I was born into the ShadowHawks," Vex replied, a soft smile on her face. Noticing the confused expressions on the ponies faces, she decided to continue.
"You see, Aurora and I are foals of a Stalker, Fallenfeather. Our father was also a Stalker, by the name of Raven. We don't know what happened to father, but Fallenfeather was the mare who raised us and taught us the skills that we know and use today," Vex explained.

"And what kind of skills would these be?" Twilight asked, Aurora smiling in response.
"Ah, ah, ah! If we told you, it wouldn't be much fun now would it?" she chuckled, closing her eyes and resting on her sister's hind legs.
"Mother sent us to a special academy in the Stalker organization. It was there that we met Strings - that stallion can be frightening," Aurora shuddered.
"What about Kozak? When did he come into the picture?" Rarity asked.
"Kozak stumbled into a Stalker den a few years later. He was wounded and had a certain mare with him when he fell," Vex replied, her eyes fixating on Fluttershy.
"Yeah, he fell pretty hard but recovered insanely quick. At the time, Strings, Vex and I surrounded him and that mare he was with, but then he-" Aurora began before Vex shot her a glare.
"Quickly assumed a fighting stance, showing pure aggression but at the same time, giving off a passive yet intimidating vibe," Aurora finished. While the other mares didn't catch the glare Vex threw, Twilight's perceptive eyes detected the look, making a note of how Aurora quickly changed her tone and what she said.

"I'm going to assume that that mare was Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash suddenly asked, turning around to stare at her pegasus friend only to find that the yellow mare was gone.
"'Shy? Where'd she go?!" the pegasus yelled, worry now in her eyes.
"She's meeting Kozak obviously," String answered, his voice coming from the balcony. The mares turned their eyes towards the open glass doors to find Strings sitting on the railing, his violin and bow in hoof. Next to him, Archimedes stood quietly, a toothpick in his mouth while his hat covered his eyes in shadows.
"Vex, Aurora. We've got things to discuss, let's go," Archimedes whispered, falling backwards off the railing, Strings following suit. Vex and Aurora quickly got up on their hooves and galloped towards the railing, both leaping off and pummeling to the ground below. The Elements rushed to the balcony, watching Vex and Aurora laugh as the wind blew through their manes, the ground approaching quickly.
'Vex! Aurora!" Twilight yelled, the two ponies suddenly vanishing into a puff of smoke.
"What in tarnation? Where'd they go?!" Applejack exclaimed, her eyes darting from left to right in hopes of spotting the two.

"Not very bright are they?" Archimedes muttered, watching their pursuers search for them while they stood in a darkened alleyway on the streets below.
"Well we are in the shadows, our element," Vex pointed out, Archimedes huffing.
"Fair enough," he muttered, turning around and vanishing into the shadows.

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"So… um… Fluttershy," Sven stuttered, trying to find the right words but nothing came to mind. The two were sitting quietly outside of a twenty-four hour restaurant, waiting for their food to be served.
"Ummm… How've things been since we last met?" Sven muttered, trying to avert his eyes from Fluttershy's gaze.
"Well… Uhh… I take care of the animals in Ponyville," Fluttershy stuttered, trying her best to keep the conversation alive. It had been years since she saw Sven and she was genuinely curious in what the stallion had been up to.
"Haha, you told me that. And I do believe I met Angel and his disc of fury," Sven chuckled softly, Fluttershy giggling as she remembered. A moment of silence passed before Fluttershy finally spoke.
"So… how have things been for you?" she asked, nervously playing with her hooves.
"Things have been fine, business is still going well. We're still a family of five," Sven sighed, sadness in his voice that did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy.

"Something wrong?" she asked, curious and concerned for Sven.
"I'm in love…" Sven muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
"What?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm in love…" Sven repeated, feeling his cheeks starting to warm up.
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Fluttershy apologized.
"I'M IN LOVE!" Sven yelled, startling the mare and anyone else who heard him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," Sven apologized, "I'll be right back." Sven left quickly, making his way towards the restroom, not noticing that his locket had fallen out of his cloak pocket. The trinket clattered on the floor before Fluttershy who curiously scooped it up in her hooves.
"That's his scent…" Fluttershy thought, her cheeks bursting into crimson blushes when she realized that she knew Sven's scent. Fumbling with the item for a minute, she accidentally opened it, the soft music echoing in the air. Her eyes widened as she stared at the picture. Dropping the locket onto the black metal table, Fluttershy raised her hooves to her mouth, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. Her mouth opened, struggling to speak but was only able to choke out two words.
"No way."

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The silhouettes of four ponies hung on the stone walls of the crystal caverns beneath Canterlot Castle. Archimedes, Strings, Vex, and Aurora all stood around a crystal table, a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink resting on the colorful transparent surface. Moonlight shone through a hole in the ceiling while the wind blew gently, whistling softly in the dark caverns. Strings had summoned the four to discuss a topic that had been on all four of their minds for a long time.

"So that's the case… What do you think the boss will think about it?" Vex asked, Aurora's eyes glancing over the map that Strings had laid out before them.
"It's for the best… we've been doing this for too long," Archimedes muttered, his eyes hidden by his hat.
"As much as I hate to say, I would have to agree, with no one knowing our real names, we should be able to settle in quiet easily," Strings spoke, placing his violin down.
"What about us?" Aurora asked, eyes turning to her.
"What do you mean sis?" Vex asked, leaning her head against Aurora's shoulder.
"Will we keep in touch? I mean, I don't know about you three, but you guys are basically all that Vex and I have as family. I don't want to lose that," Aurora replied.

"Well I know where I'm going," Archimedes announced, "Ponyville. Sounds like a nice quiet place where Rayne and I can relax."
"What a coincidence, I planned to stay there too, I hear that the cliffs overlooking other parts of Equestria are quite a sight to see," Strings chuckled.
"We've always wanted to start a business in clothing designs," Vex admitted, blushing softly as Archimedes and Strings stared at her. A moment of silence fell over the four ponies before they all burst into laughter.
"Well looks like we're going to be family nonetheless," Strings laughed, smiling warmly.
"While I'd hate to break up this touching moment, would somepony please tell me who will be responsible for writing Sven that letter?" Archimedes coughed, his eyes falling on the parchment of paper before the four. The laughter stopped and stern expressions were shared.

"Now wait just a minute, should we be doing this just as war is brewing? Shouldn't we wait a bit longer?" Aurora asked.
"She does have a point," Vex added, Strings nodding in agreement.
"It's not our war, it's theirs," Archimedes spoke, his tone flat but a slight hint of venom laced in his words.
"What's your problem, Arc? You've been acting more hostile than usual," Vex asked, curious about her teammate's actions.
"It's nothing," Archimedes replied, turning away from the group.
"By your will or not, I'm out," he spoke quietly, whistling softly before a phoenix appeared before him.
"Hey girl, let's go," Archimedes cooed, bursting into flames and then vanishing into the darkness.

Vex and Aurora turned to Strings, hoping to see sympathy in the old stallion's eyes. The stallion smiled picking up his violin case before turning to the girls.
"I'm old. Too old for war. I'm sorry," he smiled gently, closing his eyes before vanishing into a puff of smoke. Vex and Aurora stared at the sheet of paper before them the sisters looking at each other before hugging.
"On three?" Aurora asked, Vex nodding.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
Dead silence.

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Sven finally returned, his eyes locking onto a shy yellow pegasus who's eyes were fixated on her daffodil daisy sandwich.
"Something wrong?" Sven asked, sitting down only to spot a silver locket in the center of the table. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed crimson.
"Ummm," Sven stuttered, Fluttershy's cheeks had turned to a rosy pink hue.
"So… yeah that's the deal," Sven muttered, his eyes finding his salad quite interesting.
"Kozak?" Fluttershy squeaked, Sven's eyes slowly looking up.
"I… um… I want to give it a try. N-n-not because I pity you or anything… but… because I want to too," Fluttershy stuttered, her face turning as red as Big Macintosh's coat. Sven's eyes widened, not expecting Fluttershy to actually want to give him a try.
"O-o-o-ok," the stallion stuttered, Fluttershy giggling at Sven's stutter, it was cute to her. Sven heard the yellow mare laughing at him and his embarrassment increased tenfold.
"Now who's the shy one?" Fluttershy teased softly, Sven squirming uncomfortably in his seat.
"Well… that'd still be you… Flutters," Sven replied, chuckling at Fluttershy's sudden blush at the nickname.

Unknown to the two, a black flame flew through the sky, red eyes locking onto the two ponies with pin point accuracy. The flame turned around, flying straight back towards the Canterlot Castle before landing on Archimedes back. The bird cawed and Archimedes trotted towards the balcony, his eye locking onto a small glow in the distant Canterlot. A bittersweet smile slowly spread onto his lips while a lone tear trailed down his cheek. Turning to Rayne, Archimedes stroked her head gently.
"Ready?" he asked softly, the bird nodding its head.
"Goodbye…" the stallion murmured, his body and Rayne slowly vanishing into the night's air, a black and green orb floating in his place.

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Strings watched from a crack in the bathroom as Archimedes vanished from the balcony.
"So he left…" he sighed, glancing down at his violin. He slowly trotted towards the balcony where his friend once stood before gently drawing the bow across the strings of the violin, producing a melancholy melody that floated down to the streets of Canterlot.
"I'm sorry… but I'm too old," he cried softly, tears staining the wood of his violin before his body was slowly consumed by smoke. The melody stopped, the smoke cleared, Strings was gone, and a light grey orb floated in his place.

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Vex and Aurora sat upright in their beds, watching as the other ponies slept soundly. The two mares smiled as they observed each mare's sleeping habits. Applejack snored softly with her hat covering her face. Rarity seemed to sleep like a princess, her blanket barely ruffled and her posture still elegant. Twilight had fallen asleep with a book covering her face, a soft snore emitting from the mare's lips. Pinkie Pie had fallen asleep upside down with a party horn still held securely in her mouth, her soft snores unwinding the paper. Rainbow Dash's bed was an absolute mess, the flier tossing and turning, muttering something about Soarin while a goofy smile rested on her lips.

"They seem… so happy…" Aurora sighed, "They have no burden of persecution, danger, torment. It's not fair." Vex climbed out of her bed, slipping beneath the covers of her sister's bed and hugging her.
"It's ok Aurora, they live in their world and we live in ours…" Vex assured, stroking Aurora's mane. The mare smiled and nuzzled into Vex, a smile spreading on her lips.
"I know… but I… I… I want to live like that. Carefree… Find love… Raise a family… You know," Aurora sighed, a tear trailing down her cheek. Shock took over Vex, her sister had never told her this before, all the years the two had worked together, she seemed content with living the life of a Stalker.
"I know… Because I still want that life…" Vex sobbed softly, feeling Aurora's hooves wrap around her gently.
"Maybe… maybe we should…" Aurora asked, a tone of hopefulness in her voice. Vex remained silent, contemplating the morals and possible outcomes of whatever decision she chose.

"Vex?" Aurora asked. Vex snapped out of her thoughts, turning to her sister, determination in her eyes.
"I swore to mom that I'd make sure you were safe and were happy… And that's what I'm going to do. On three?" Vex whispered. Aurora's eyes widened, shock and surprise flooding her mind. Her sister was willing to give up the life she had always lived just to make her happy. She felt tears coming to her eyes, Vex quickly wiping them away.
"On three," Aurora smiled, Vex nodding and closing her eyes, hugging her sister tightly.
"One."
"Two."
"Vex?" Aurora suddenly spoke. Vex opened her eyes, looking down at her sister before she felt Aurora's lips peck hers gently.
"I love you," she smiled, gently nuzzling into Vex's mane.
"I love you too," Vex smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Aurora's forehead. The two sister's looked into each other's eyes, knowing deep down that they'd always be there for each other, helping each other through thick and thin. The two closed their eyes slowly, a soft smile spreading on both of their lips before they uttered a single word.
"Three."

Author's Notes:

Edited by Helloman892