Chapter 30- Loose Ends, and the Ties That Bind

(Bon Bon)

I- I just can’t believe it. Dead? Johnny’s dead? How? Why? He was… the BEST of us. Of all of us. Sure we never talked about it out loud, but we all read the reports. Some agents claimed it was just the runes. That if they were willing to throw away their ponyhood, then they too could become a superagent. But it was more than that, and deep down we all knew it. The runes were just tools. It was the mind of a pony, the heart, the soul, the drive. That was what made Johnny exceptional.

The tragedy that occurred to him back at the school, accidentally killing those ponies, losing Twilight. Yeah, mom hushed it all up as best she could, but she couldn’t hide the truth from me. No other agent understood him like I did. And now he’s gone. Oh Johnny, I could have made you happy! I could have given you all the love you ever needed. I could have healed your heart, and you could have filled mine with joy. But now it’s too late. They took you from me, and all that is left in my heart is rage. I’ll find them Johnny. The ponies that took you from me. I’ll find them in that shadow city, and show them such darkness as they have never seen.

(Lyra)

What in Equestria have I gotten myself into? I thought I was joining Bon Bon on an adventure. But now ponies are dead and dying, there are plots against Luna. Celestia was CRYING for Zacherle's sake! Crying! And now she’s dragging us back to Whinnyappleous on some quest for vengeance?

She’s angry. I’ve NEVER seen her this angry. And Bon Bon isn’t trying to calm her in the least. If anything Bonny seems as scary as her mom. Johnny must have been really, really, important to them. About all I can think of to do is to stay out of their way, and support them as best I can.

I feel really sorry for whoever it is they are after, because when an angry goddess is coming for you, even Discord would be smart enough to feel fear.

(Celestia)

Kill them! Kill them all! Burn that rats nest of a city to bare rock with solar fire. Crack the foundations, send the whole sorry mess tumbling into Tartarus.

Half of me wants to do that.

Just stop. Stop trying, stop caring. Stop this foolish grand design that grinds good ponies up into dust. Give up, abdicate, leave this planet to fall, and fly off into the silence of the void.

Half of me wants to do that instead.

But I’ll do neither. I’ll dry my tears, avenge my fallen hero, fix this mess in Luna’s city, and move on like I always do.

That’s what I’m telling myself.

That’s how a leader thinks. That’s how a ruler shoulders the burden of command. But right now, I’m not a leader. I’m not a goddess. Right now, flying between cities, for just these few minutes, right now I’m just a pony. A pony filled with guilt and regret. Oh Johnny, this is all my fault. I’m so, so sorry.

Without meaning to I flash back once again to that stupid accident. I was so concerned about Twilight. Her future, her destiny. Her importance to the grand design. It was all I was worried about at the time.

Switching her memories with Johnny seemed like the perfect solution. They were becoming too close anyway. It wasn’t the time for Twilight to be pulled away from her studies. Her path had to be guided just so, if her true destiny would ever have a chance of coming to pass.

So I made the hard choice. I told myself Johnny would never want for anything, that he would be taken care of until the day he died. And no pony would ever know what a sacrifice he had made for the good of Equestria. But then he surprised me. He really did.

That guilt, that guilt of what happened to his classmates. It ate at him, nearly crushed him. Until one day something happened to him.

In all of my planning, I had overlooked something. The most basic of things. And that was, the NATURE of the pony I had chosen for my deception.

One morning, he just got up, and trotted right out of the hospital. His jaw was set, and his eyes were on fire with determination. And on his flank, was a brand new cutie mark.

At some point, deep inside his mind, he had overcome the demons that had been falsely implanted inside him. He determined that the only way to atone for the loss of so many innocent ponies, was to become somepony that could save ponies instead.

A week later he demanded the spell runes. I asked him what in Equestria he was talking about. He said that he had worked it out. That he had spent the last week trying to determine how he could do the most good for Equestria. His cutie mark was shining, as he told me how he determined that I must have more than just my regular pony agents out there. That given the nature of some of the threats there were to Equestria, that I had to have some special branch to combat them. He, barely a week out of the hospital, had managed to, on his own, investigate the secret branches of my agency to the point where he could even identify several key ponies as special agents. And he wanted in.

How could I deny him? By then my guilt was all but crushing me over what I had done to him. And here he was, practically demanding a death sentence for himself, just so he could atone for something he didn’t even do.

I preformed the procedure myself. Casting platinum runes with solar fire, and searing each one into his tender flesh. The screams were heart wrenching. But after each rune, he would tell me to go on. ‘Add the next one, I can take it.’ he’d say, even though his voice was raw from screaming, and his eyes were leaking tears. Mine were as well, but I did as he asked, over and over and over again, until the last two were set in place. The Alpha, and the Omega runes. The two runes I hoped that he would never, ever use.

He couldn’t even scream anymore as the Omega was set into place. The smell of burnt flesh was so strong it was all I could do not to empty my stomach. I couldn’t even heal him with my solar radiance. But the magics were in place. They would keep the horrible burns from becoming infected. They would merge metal with flesh until they were one. And when Johnny recover, he’d be more than he ever was. Stronger, faster, more powerful. I crafted these runes myself out of guilt and sorrow. They were my finest and most powerful. And with them Johnny would be the greatest of my knights. No less could I do for the pony I so terribly wronged.

“What do you mean you want to be a ‘covert agent’ again?” I all but shouted at him.

After he had gotten out of the hospital… again, he had requested a private meeting with me, to discuss his future. I had him admitted to my personal chambers, excited at the prospect of telling him personally how I intended to place him at the head of my enhanced legions as their commander. A shining example of our pony race. One who would be at the forefront to defend our borders from any nation who would dare to try and attack us.

He had other plans in mind.

“Haven’t you had your fill of that after that fiasco with the parasprite armor? Axle Grease got away scott free, and we still don’t know who his source was for poison joke. Nor do we have any idea why the Wendigos were involved. Duskwind, I have more important plans for you, you are going to be promoted to commander! You are going to lead my troops! I’m putting you were you can do the most good!”

“I can do the most GOOD,” he says, raising his voice, “doing what I do the best. And that is tracking down leads, solving conspiracies, and rooting out the ponies who are trying to undermine your rule from within. I am not some poster pony for the war effort!”

By the Sky Stallion this pony can be stubborn. I’m putting him in the field because with a squad at his back, and those runes on his body, he’d be proof against whatever he came up against. But where he wants to go could have a knife in his back, poison in his drink, or a slit throat while he sleeps. Can’t he see I’m trying to do what’s best for him?

“And what’s wrong with being an example to others?” I counter. “What’s wrong with leading and inspiring others to be the best ponies they can be? Do you think you wont see battle? I’m planning to send you and your troops out to the edge of the frontier. The Bactrians and Dromedaries of Saddle Arabia are already sending out raiding parties, probing for weaknesses in our borders.”

“Blast it, are you even listening to me?” He all but shouts, coming nose to nose with me. “Any pony commander under you can handle ‘border patrol’. My talents and gifts would be wasted out there. Why are you squandering me? Why are you trying to send me away?”

“Because I don’t want you to die!” I fire back. Too late to take the words back now, they came out without thought. Raw honesty torn from my guilty conscious. “You’ve been through so much, do you think I want you to die in some dingy back alley? That I want to see a heart as noble and strong as yours to stop beating in som-”

That was all I managed to say. Suddenly I had been cut off by a pair of lips covering my own. By the Sky Stallion, I was being kissed. He was kissing me. I made one feeble attempt to push him away, but somehow, my strength was gone. And his was like a tidal wave, enveloping me completely.

I was vaguely aware of furniture being tossed to either side of us. Tables, chairs, whatever was between us and the all consuming softness of the bed in the next chamber. It was as if I had suddenly become ice cold, and his kisses pure fire. Fire that quickly ignited my own passion. I embraced him, and with a single flap of my wings, pulled him back the remaining distance, and we fell onto the bed, still probing each other with our tongues.

I had thought my passions long since withered into dust. But I had been wrong. Oh so very wrong.

For three days we never left my chambers. Food was sent to us, duties were deferred to a smirking sister. In the end he had gotten what he wanted. In all things. And I, I had gotten what I needed. A balm to my guilt, a measure of forgiveness, even though he had no idea what I needed forgiving for.

Our unofficial arrangement continued off and on ever since. Each of us giving each other what the other needed. I relented and let him become the agent he wanted to be. An undercover agent, in more ways than one.

And, as I thought, he had gotten hurt. Over and over. He became harder, bitter at times. Sometimes it became very hard to still see the pony that I lo-… cared for. But he was still in there. Fighting the good fight. For Princess and country.

Until now. Now he was dead. Dead and gone, like so many others. Too many others. My fault. My sin. A sin I can never atone for. Perhaps, after this is all over, I will have Luna banish me to the sun. Maybe a thousand years of penance can burn away my guilt. But I somehow doubt it.

The three of us began to make our descent outside Luna’s castle. Her spell of darkness shattered, it gleamed in the morning sun. Such a beautiful thing. Luna always had such vision. My thoughts were interrupted by a chuff, chuff sound. I turned to see an oddly shaped carriage making it’s way toward us quite rapidly. It must be one of those steam vehicles Johnny talked about in his reports. Fascinating!

Moments later a tired and haggard pony climbed out and approached us, his eyes wide in surprise.

“Princess Celestia?!? Oh thank the Sky Stallion! I have no idea why you are here, but we need you’re help!”

“We, who are we? And what exactly is going on?”

“Right, of course. Well, my name is Ebon Shard, and right now-”

“Ebon Shard?!?” Bon Bon And Lyra yell simultaneously, as they move in front of me protectively.

“Don’t listen to him Mom, this is the turncoat that Johnny and Agent Shadow were looking for, he’s a traitor to the Night Watch. He’s working for the bad guys.”

“Wait, hold on, give me a chance to explain! Please!” The pony known as Ebon Shard says, his hooves held in the air, his eyes pleading.

I can see something in those eyes, something filled with desperation, and sincerity.

“Stand down Bonny, I want to hear what he has to say. But afterwords mister Shard, I have a great many questions for you.”

“There’s no time!” Shard says. Even now this castle is under attack. My companions are slowly them down as best they can, but very soon an army of cyber ponies will be at these very walls!”

“An army of cyber ponies eh? And why exactly should we believe the likes of you?” Bon Bon asks with disdain.

“Please, you HAVE to believe me. I was brainwashed before. Dr. Double Helix used some kind of changeling based machine to turn me into his slave. But these two ponies, Agent Moonlight Shadow, and Johnny Appleseed freed me from his control. We were trying to stop the cyber pony attack, but Johnny had me break off and come and warn the castle. We need help, they are going to be overrun!”

At the mention of the changeling machine, my heart goes cold. But Johnny? Alive? Impossible! Our soul link was broken. He’s dead.

“Mister Shard,” I say, my voice going cold, what you say cannot be true. Johnny Appleseed is dead.”

“I know, I know, I killed him myself! Shot him six times, right after he gave up some kind of God powers that made him almost like you. But then hours later he comes back, not a mark on him. Wearing some kind of bug armor, just like those two are wearing. He keeps calling it ‘Junior’ for some reason. Look, I know this sounds hard to believe, but I’m telling the truth! Please, you have to help them!”

Junior? By the Sky Stallion, it has to be Bob’s offspring! I knew he was due to birth a new command bug, but I thought he died before doing so. All this time Johnny must have been raising it, wanting to make sure nothing happened to it out of loyalty to Bob. That is so like him. But wait, that means… that means that the rest of his story is true! Johnny is alive! Oh sweet harmony, he’s alive!

“Lyra! Bon Bon! You two stay here and protect the castle! Don’t let anything get past these gates. Shard, you’re with me. We’re going back. If what you say is true we don’t have a moment to lose.”

“Mom, wait. You believe this guy?” Bonny says incredulously.

“Yes. Call it a gut feeling. Isn’t that what Johnny would say?” I ask her, tears threatening to spill from my eyes once more.

“Y-yeah. That’s exactly the kind of thing he would say.” She replies, her voice breaking.

I lift from the ground, my powerful wings preparing for what is to come. I grasp Ebon Shard tightly.

“Prepare yourself mister Shard. For now, I go to war, and Tartarus help anything that gets in my way!”

Author's Notes:

Yesterday was my Birthday, but I feel I owe you all the present. Sorry it's been so long between updates. World of Warcraft Legion dropped, and I have been devoting all my time to getting at least one character to max level. Which one ? Why Duskwind of course. I'll still be playing quite a bit, but will try to get the new chapters done sooner. Expect the next one to be... interesting.