The sky carriage swept effortlessly through the afternoon sky, my silent guard sitting opposite me managing to look both alert and bored at the same time. Fatigued and emotionally drained, my body felt about as heavy as my heart did. Life had shown me its cards and it was a full house, goddesses know i’d tried my best but ultimately…I’d failed. Meadow, Shadow, Sparrow…Tingles…I’d failed them all. Our ‘merciful’ ruler had deemed me an enemy of the state and ever so kindly chose not to have me executed as I’d expected, but rather exiled. Where to, I neither knew nor cared.

My heart was leaden in my chest, the future now seemed to be a frightening uncertainty. I’d been so sure of my path in life once, following in the hoofsteps of my father into the equestrian watch, to protect and to serve the citizens of our home…my home. Now, my hopes and dreams had all crumbled to dust in my hooves and the hour glass of Fairlights life was running out of sand. I had no more tears left to shed.

Shouts from the drivers up front made my guard jump to his hooves and quickly open the communication hatch, something was happening outside. I barely heard any of the exchange, lost as I was in my own dark place at that time. The carriage suddenly shook and banked steeply, picking up speed as it descended below the cloud layer. A high pitched screaming noise rapidly passed beneath us causing the guard to push his face up against the window to try and see what was happening outside.

I recognised the noise even if he didn’t, magical energy weapons…somepony was firing on us. The air around us crackled with the discharge of energy bolts, while our drivers desperately weaved through the sky, trying to evade the attacks. Suddenly, in a blinding flash of green light, the whole side of our carriage disintegrated into wooden shrapnel. The guards head, caught in the same blast, erupted in sizzling chunks of bone and flesh.

My coat was spattered with his gore, the stink of his burnt remains catching in my nostrils making me gag. We rolled through the sky, wind buffeting the interior of what remained of the carriage and making the vehicle creak and groan ominously. There was another shriek of an energy weapons discharge, a shout from outside and a cry of pain which heralded our sudden downward plummet. We picked up speed and I was flung to back wall by the powerful g-forces of our descent. I grit my teeth, wondering whether I would feel anything when we impacted the ground, whether I would suddenly find myself back in the Withers…or worse.

The strong smell of burning wood accompanied the thick smoke that was filling the carriage to the point were I couldn’t see anything. My eyes stang badly and teared up as I squeezed them shut. This was probably the last thing I’d experience here, we can’t have been that far up now, surely. I kept my eyes shut and waited, trying not to think of the ground hurtling up to meet us.

A loud bang and scraping sound, followed by more shouting from outside, brought me to my senses. The carriages terminal velocity had been checked, but I was still falling at a dangerously high speed. I could feel the thing slowing, but a glance out of the wrecked side was enough to see what was coming up to meet me; the river. Mere seconds passed before the tortured carriage made its first bone jarring impact with the ground. I was flung bodily across the floor, my head smashing into the bulkhead sending blue sparks across my vision. The vehicle lifted again, accompanied by more shouts and screaming from outside. It hit the ground and rolled, flinging my battered and bruised body around like a ragdoll. In one final ear splitting bang, the carriage split apart.

Wood, metal, burning timbers and the dead bodies of the drivers were strewn across the banks of the river. The back of the carriage, containing myself, was violently ripped away and rolled down towards the fast running water. ‘Well, this is great’, I thought darkly, I wasn’t going to die in the crash, I’d just drown instead. And, sure enough, the remains of the carriage slowly tipped into the river taking me under into the swirling, bitterly cold depths.

I wasn’t a bad swimmer really, after I’d nearly drowned as a foal, I’d taken it upon myself to learn to swim and kept up with my practice to become quite proficient. Right now, here in the dark waters, chains pulling me down, I surrendered to it…why bother to fight anymore? I was sick of fighting, it was a war I couldn’t win, never could have won in any case. The deck was stacked against this poor fool, but it had been a wild ride though and I’d met some wonderful creatures, ponies, griffins even minotaurs. I hoped they’d be safe, all of them. I gasped out the last of my air and my lungs filled with water…goodbye everypony…I’m sorry I couldn’t be better…I tried…

Huge orange forelegs reached down through the water, grabbing my neck and hauling me upwards, up towards the light. I struggled, why the hell were they trying to save me? For the goddesses sake, just let me go! The forelegs pulled inexorably, powerfully up, my back scraping agonisingly against the wreckage of the cart, and then…I was free.

Whoever it was, was not gentle. I was flung bodily across the muddy bank, coughing water and blood from my mouth, replacing it with the damp air from beneath the stone bridge. A hoof kicked me viciously in the stomach, making me retch and cough violently. My ears were still full of water but I could just make out a gruff voice yelling obscenities at me. Opening my eyes painfully, I had trouble focussing, but I could see enough to know who the large muscular orange unicorn in the black overcoat was before me…Warlock.

He reached down and punched me across the side of the head, rattling my teeth, the iron taste of my own blood strong in my mouth. The stallion grabbed my head and glared into my eyes with unadulterated malice.

“Why aren’t you dead?” he snarled, “Why cant you just die like the stinking rat you are!”

Another kick and a blow across my head caused my vision to waver sickeningly, why was he here? What the hell had I ever done to this pony?

A pistol appeared before my muzzle, the furious orange unicorn’s eyes shining with unrestrained malice, lost in a world of hatred for the grey pony before him.

“You think I don’t know what you did?” Warlock spat, “She stank of stallion, she stank of you! You…you fucked Luna…my Luna!”

The pistol levelled at me, “I’m going to send you back to the hell you came from, you fucking little bastard!”

He fired, the green bolt of superheated magical energy punching a hole through my shoulder. The all too familiar stink of burning pony flesh and the onset of searing pain made me cry out. In my agony, a mare’s frantic cry drifted down the embankment,

“No! Oh goddesses Warlock, please don’t!”

I recognised that voice.

“Don’t interfere girl, you played your part and now its time to close the curtain on the final act.”

Tingles rushed over to me, tears in her eyes, kneeling beside me, “Fairlight…I’m sorry! Oh goddesses I’m sorry, I never meant for this. I tried to tell you, to warn you…”

I coughed out blood, a small trickle dribbling down my cheek, “You…you were working for Celestia all along…?”

“Yes! Fairlight…I….i’m so sorry…”

“Was it all a lie Tingles? All of it?”

“No!…No, not all. Maybe at first, but later…Fairlight, I didn’t want this!”

Warlock shoved her roughly out of the way, “How fucking touching. Trying to fuck another mare eh? Or have you already?”

He aimed the pistol and fired again, this time straight into my side. I don’t know how much damage he did but the pain was beyond anything I’d felt since those bastards Mel and Gates had worked on me. I tried not to scream, but my body reacted on it’s own.

Tingles pushed past the orange unicorn and threw herself between us, hugging me. Looking over her shoulder at Warlock, her voice was full of fear and anger, “For Celestia’s sake Warlock, you’ve done enough! You never said you’d kill him!”

“Get away from him”, he growled, raising the pistol once more, “get away or I’ll shoot you too, you already stink of that animal.”

“No!”

I tried to push Tingles off me, “Get…away…please…” I gasped, blood filling my lungs.

“Damn you Fairlight!” she sobbed, “I won’t leave you behind again!”

“Get out of the way girl!” Warlock shouted smashing Tingles across the side of the head and roughly kicking her off me. I spat blood at the lousy bastard who merely wiped the scarlet drops from his face with a hoof, “Nice…but now, its time to die…”

Warlock aimed his pistol at my face. Well, this was it, time to bow out. Pity it had to be by this fucker, but I suppose on some level I could see his point. I’d be pretty pissed too if somepony slept with my girl, but Tingles? She didn’t need to be here, to see this.

It was all like slow motion. I saw Warlocks magic squeezing the trigger, the beam gathering at the muzzle, Tingles throwing herself in front of it, the blood, hair and flesh erupting from her back in a hellish fountain. Even my cry of horror was muted as her blood hit my face. Warlock’s eyes filled with hatred for the mare that had spoiled his shot.

Even as she fell, more shots screamed out from the top of the embankment, narrowly missing the orange stallion. He shouted orders to his fellows “Get her out of here, pull back!”

Two agency ponies grabbed Tingles’ lifeless body and hurried off up the embankment followed by Warlock. More shots flashed out, chewing up chunks of earth around the agents who returned fire in kind, climbing into their sky carriages and taking wing.

I lay there in shock, physically and emotionally. Tingles…Warlock…you bastard, why? I didn’t know if she were dead or alive, but at the very least she was badly hurt. I could save her if I could only reach her. Pain wracked my body and I screamed, I was losing a little blood but the cauterising nature of the weapons energy kept it to a minimum. It didn’t help much.

I had to get out of here, had to reach Tingles somehow. I tried impotently to crawl away but my hooves just slipped helplessly on the slick mud of the bank. White hot pain lanced through me, but I wouldn’t let it stop me, couldn’t, damn it if it wasn’t for that fucking horn lock…

From behind me, a hoof pulled me over and onto my back. I found myself staring up into a surprisingly familiar face, the neat little pink mare with the red and white striped hair…Sweetie?

Her blue eyes peered into mine, “Hello agent Nox, long time no see…glad I was in time.”

I tried to speak, but I was in so much pain, all I could do was gasp.

“Lets get this over with shall we?”

Expecting a helping hoof up, I was shocked to feel hooves pulling at the remains of my flight suit. I saw her darting furtive glances left and right, like she was doing something she didn’t want any pony else to see.

“Well”, she murmured, “this isn’t damaged at least, let’s see if theres anything left shall we?”

Sweetie grabbed my member and began rubbing roughly with her hooves. I could barely feel anything over the pain but tried feebly to kick her off me. What the hell was she doing? She suddenly grabbed one of my hind legs and pulled, making me shriek as the pain from my wounds raced through my brain, “Shut up! If I hear another squeak from you or you don’t comply, I’ll kill that stupid little pegasus of yours…do I make myself clear, ‘Nox’?”

I stared hatred at the bitch, “Damn you…Sweetie…why? What the fuck are you…doing?”

She kept stroking me and the traitorous thing responded. Sweetie licked her hoof and reached down, wetting herself, ready for what she did next. With a grunt, she sheathed my stallionhood within her body. Letting out a little whimper, the mare collapsing on my chest which had me gritting my teeth against the sheer intolerable suffering my body was experiencing.

Sweetie smirked and began to rock back and forth, “Fairlight…you naughty boy. Oh yes, I know who you are…mmmmm….yes, your power, your strength!...Fairlight…you really ought to be better behaved…”

She moved faster and faster, hammering herself against me, puffing and panting. There was nothing I could do. Consciousness threatened to escape me and I partly hoped it would. Damn it, I didn’t want this !

“Oh, Celestia…we’ll make a fine foal Fairlight…one with my brains, your power, imagine the possibilities!”

With a groan, Sweetie shook and twitched as my seed filled her. The mare pulled herself up abruptly looking round and ducked as a pulse of green weapon discharge flashed past her head and flared against the bridge support. Sweetie reached down and patted me on the cheek with her hoof, “Later, big boy” and rushed off in the opposite direction.

A racking cough took me, blood spattering my hoof from my nose. Looking at it I knew that I needed to get help or I was going to die here. Probably slowly too, and as much as being able to underline all of this was strangely attractive, I was starting to develop a deep sense of outrage. The princess, Warlock, the fucking governor and her damned goons Melon Patch and Gates…If not for them, none of this would have happened, the suffering inflicted on my wife, my foal, countless others…now Tingles.

What of Shadow? I had no idea what was happening with her, whether she was safe or not. Celestia had destroyed my hopes of the princess of the night finding her, but maybe there was still some way of getting to her; preferably one that didn’t involve being killed first. I wasn’t sure that I could return to the mortal realm then, but hey, hope springs eternal right?

I tried to get to my hooves but I had no breath left in me, my lungs had been punctured and goddess damn it, it hurt like hell. Where the hell was I anyway? If I could just get away from here, get my bearings, perhaps there was some way I could get help. Then I could…

“He’s here!”

The clatter of hooves over rock and mud announced the approach of at least three ponies. One of them looked familiar too, but I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. Had they come to finish me off? They were all heavily armed and one of them was sporting a large bandage over a foreleg.

“Pick him up, carefully now, he’s hurt. Get him to the others by the carriage.”

I had to grit my teeth when they put their hooves around me to lift me onto the back of one of the larger ponies, a big lime coloured fellow. Thank Luna for earth ponies. They walked hurriedly, but carefully, back to a number of carriages. Dead royal guard ponies lay scattered around the river bank, their armour had done little to help them against the modern weapons of their attackers. Several wounded ponies were being treated by a medic, who was currently bandaging the head of an injured mare. Thankfully it only looked superficial.

“Doc! We’ve got him, but he’s in bad shape”

“Okay, put him there and lets have a look…” the doctor, a chocolate coloured mare looked me over, “Celestia…” she breathed looking over my wounds, “how the hell is he still alive? Quick! Banjo, get that damned horn lock off him and those shackles too.”

What a relief! The metal chain clattered to the ground with a quick burst of fire from a PDW and the horn lock popped from my head and was unceremoniously thrown into the river. Hang on a minute…did she say ‘Banjo’?

Putting that though to one side, I tried to channel a little of my spirit energy into the wounds but I was so weak, it was like trying to catch a soap bar in the bath. Thankfully, after a little concentration…there, a little, but just enough to mend the worst of it.

The doctor waved at one of the other ponies, “We need to get him out of here, he won’t last if we don’t…”

“B…Banjo?” I whispered.

“Get him some water somepony, quickly!”

One of the mares rushed over and gently lifted my head so I could wet my mouth and throat with something other than congealing blood. It was heavenly, such a simple thing, and yet so sweet.

“Banjo…where are we?”

The familiar face appeared before me, his peculiar accent strangely comforting, “Just north of the Fallow Mountain range, north east of Canterlot. Save your strength mister Fairlight, we need to get you to help.”

“No…Banjo, do you know of a small village…it’s called Hackamore?”

One of the others trotted over wearing, a watch coat? “I know, it’s a fly speck of a place, about fifteen minute’s flight from here.”

“Take me there…” I whispered, “its my aunt Pewters home…she can help me.”

The doctor started to protest, but was cut off by Banjo, “Come on ponies, lets move tail. Doc, you come with us, for the princess’s sake, keep him alive.”

I must have blacked out soon after as the next thing I knew, I was being rudely awoken by a loud hammering and angry shouting. One of the voices, a mare’s, was very familiar indeed…

“I’ve told you bloody kids a thousand times, fuck off the lot of you! I’ll turn you into mice and set the cats on you, you little twats”.

“Open the door you mad old bag!”

The door was flung open by an enraged and bedraggled grey mare with curlers hanging from her damp mane, “What did you call me?! Who the fuck are…Oh goddess, nephew! Get him inside…quickly!”

My rescuers carried me into the dark, musty interior of aunt Pewter’s cottage. Familiar sights and sounds assailed me from every direction, even the incessant bubbling of the old cauldron was like a balm to the beleagured Fairlight soul. Some of my companion’s stared nervously around at the eerie fixtures and fittings that adorned the village mystics home, paying particular attention to a new acquisition. Was that a dragon skull? Good grief, she’d outdone herself this time!

Distant crashing and the noise of plates falling onto a tiled floor assailed my ears from the kitchen as the old mare searched for something. With a cry of victory, she rushed back to my side, barging the doctor out of the way.

“Useless fucker…”, she hissed under her breath.

“Madam!”, she spluttered in indignation.

“Belt up and make yourself useful, give that pot a stir and you two…” she waved a hoof at Banjo and a charcoal coloured mare, “bring those leaves and the oat cakes over here. I know how many there are, so don’t steal any!”

The old grey mare was the mistress in this house and I pitied the ponies who had inadvertently charged into her parlour this day. I’d have to apologise to them later, when I’d got myself together…quite literally I suppose.

Auntie carefully lifted my head up and shoved a large cushion under it giving me good support, “Come on Fairlight, open up, theres a good boy…yes, that’s good, now swallow it down…ready for another one?”

Luna have mercy on me! I was half expecting her to shout, ‘here comes the sky carriage, whoooosh!’ Thankfully, that little treat was not forthcoming. The jam however, was. The sweet sticky preserve tasted strange in my mouth but did its job; I could feel the energy of the berries trickling back into me, giving me the strength I needed to rebuild the damage Warlock had caused me. That bastard…what had he done with Tingles? Was she alright and…hell, reality check; she’d betrayed me, lied to me…used me. She may have had a change of heart at the end, but she’d still done what she did.

None of it justified what happened in the chamber of the fortress though, and…I still loved her. Auntie’s preserves could mend my spirit and help repair the physical damage, but for my heart, there was no cure.

One of the stallions walked over to Banjo and whispered in his ear. With a few hoof movements the rest of his team rushed out and he turned to me, “Mister Fairlight, we must go, the royal guard will be looking for us. We’ll cover our tracks but you must stay here until we can move you somewhere safer. Here…”

He pushed a small golden transmitter into my hoof, “It’s encrypted. We’ll be in touch, soon. Goddesses bless you.”

With a swish of his short tail, the orange stallion rushed from the cottage and out into the waiting sky carriage. What was with all the orange ponies lately? I sighed, I’d always liked that colour…

“Oh, shut the frigging door wont you!” auntie spat, walking over and slamming it shut, “bloody kids…”

“Auntie…” I mumbled, still weakened.

“And you can shush too, Fairlight, get this down you and have a rest, we can talk later.”

She looked about her as if she’d lost something, “Is that orange filly with you? The one with the ice cubes on her arse.”

I closed my eyes, willing the image of Tingles’ body bursting into bloody chunks away. The betrayer, the one I…

Auntie kissed me on the forehead, “Fairlight…I’m sorry love, really. Me and my bloody big mouth, here…you get comfy and have a nice rest. I’ll watch over you until you’re better, okay?”

She started to sing softly as I drifted off, the words so familiar, “Hush now, quiet now…” I fell into the soft dark embrace of sleep, seeing a wavering, smiling face above me, one full of unquestioning love…”Mum?”

My dreams were a mess of disjointed images and disassociated memories. Mum and Dad playing with me at the beach, my first day at the watch training school, Meadows eyes watching me from under her sun hat, so many happy and yet bitter sweet memories. I was better for having them, but some of them…knowing I would never see them again, at least not in this world. I wondered how they were? The eternal herd was their home now and seemed so far away, how I wished I could be with them…but there were others who needed me still. Well, Shadow did, maybe…but of Tingles, I just didn’t know. If Warlock had wanted her dead, he’d have just left her there, unless she was already…No! I wouldn’t think of that, she’d betrayed me after all, the lies, the deceipt. ‘No more lies’, eh? Ha! What a bloody fool I’d been, she’d used me like a dirty fucking rag…playing with my emotions like a puppet master jerks the marionettes strings. I bet she and Warlock were laughing at me right now. Damn them all…the fucking princess, the murdering bitch! Tingles, Warlock, Mel, Gates…to hell with them, to hell with them all. Tartarus had a special place for betrayers and murders. Maybe I should just send them all there?

Anger and emotional pain overwhelmed me and, Luna forgive me, I let it. I embraced it, bathed in it, letting every fibre of my being be immersed in grief. The foul beings that had started all of this would be first…Mel and Gates. I was grateful to Banjo and his team, but this was something I needed to do…vengeance need to be served and all the old emotions of bitterness, loss, anger and rage, boiled inside me. Forgive me mum, dad…this is something I have to do before somepony else gets hurt by them, like Meadow was, and my little Sparrow Song. Cold anger washed around me, where was the great Celestia then? Murdering more innocents, more foals?

I woke sweating heavily, auntie dozing by my bed next to a pile of blood stained cloths and a bowl of water. As I sat up, a warm damp cloth fell from my brow and plopped into my lap. I picked it up and rinsed it in the cold water, giving myself a quick wipe down. The water felt amazing, the warmth from the fire and the wash giving me a feeling of wellness I hadnt felt in a long time. Poor aunt Pewter, the aged mare had been up for hours tending to me. She was a good one, another descendant of the tribe, one who Celestia would have had no qualms about killing during her attempted annihilation, her genocide of the ponies in the pass.

I helped myself to the remaining jars of jam, stuffing them, some oat cakes and a flask of cold tea into a rucksack I found hanging up next to a large cloak; probably belonged to her late husband, my uncle. I’d never known him but I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded my borrowing his cloak and I needed to be hidden for what was coming. I gently stepped up to my aunt, who murmured in her sleep and kissed her softly on her forehead, careful not to wake her. Quietly, I walked to the door, muffling the latch as I lifted it and stepped out into the night. Closing the door, I peeked back at Pewter who was still sound asleep on the bed. Next to her was the golden communicator, where I was going, no pony should follow.

The hillside path was as I’d remembered it, dark, steep and full of the smells of the forest, it was quite invigorating. The air here was fresh and I felt alive like nature itself, full of purpose and drive. I had a defined goal now, and I would complete my mission even if I fell in the process.

Up ahead, lay my first destination and in the darkness, the other worldy light of the small grove awaited me. The silver berry bushes glittered like diamonds in the place where the walls between the worlds was at its thinnest. Here, I took my fill of the sweet fruit and likewise filled my pack for the rest of the journey. This would be the last stop before my next planned destination…Manehattan.

“Meadow…are you there?” I asked the night, but there was no reply. It figured, she’d probably seen what I’d done and I’d sickened her, turned her against me too. It was time to leave this place, and the past. It was dead and buried, just like my dreams…like my family.

I turned to leave, but as I did, a familiar soft voice from behind me made me spin to face it.

“Fairlight?”

Meadow stood before me, a sad look in her eyes, “My goddesses, what have they done to you…”

I shook my mane, dried blood still much in evidence, “Meadow, I…I have to go now, I have a job to do. I just wanted to say how much I love you and Sparrow.”

“Fairlight? What are you talking about? What are you going to do?”

“It doesn’t matter, just…I have to do this. Tell Sparrow daddy loves her, I’ll never forget her…or you my darling Meadow.”

“What?...Fairlight, you’re frightening me! What are you doing? Please…don’t go off like this, love, don’t…”

I closed my eyes tightly against the rush of emotions, “Meadow, I’m a monster, ponies die around me…don’t you see? Celestia has banished me and i’ve failed to find Shadow too. I have to make sure that nopony else suffers the way you did, the way all of us have.”

“Where’s Tingles, Fairlight? She needs to talk some sense into you, I’m not having you going off and doing whatever it is you’re planning on doing…”

“She gone…”

“What do you mean, ‘she’s gone’?”

“I raped her”

“You what!? Oh, Fairlight…what have you done…”

“It was in the chamber at the fortress, the spirit, it was part of the ritual. I had no idea…”

“Starswirl mentioned something about this, but…I never thought it would happen like…”

I nearly choked, “He knew? He bloody well knew?!”

Meadow looked abashed, “Yes…well, he’d read about it in an archive but the details weren’t exact.”

“He could have told me! Warned me somehow, at least tried…dear sweet goddesses, Meadow…You don’t know what it was like.”

Meadow stared at me with her big yellow eyes, “Theres more to this isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me…its about the secret she was hiding isn’t it.”

I took a deep breath to try and steady myself, “She…she was working for Celestia all along, she betrayed me. I thought there was something in her manner which changed when we set out for the fortress. She tried to get me to turn back, I think she also threw away some of the life energy in the flasks I had to weaken me.”

I rubbed my eyes, “I trusted her, believed in her…Meadow, I’m sorry…I loved her.”

She reached out a hoof to me, “I know love, I wish there was something I could do. But please, don’t give in to hate Fairlight. You’re angry and hurt, I can see it in your eyes, please, don’t do this.”

I shook my head, allowing the magic to run through me, the fog curling around my hooves, my mane and coat changing, teeth lengthening. I unfurled my dragon like wings, “Look at me Meadow, is this the stallion you married? I’m a thing from legend, a horror, a nightmare from the story books of foals.”

Meadow took a step back, “Fairlight! No…this is…”

All I saw was her take that single step, a step away from me. Her hesitation, the fear in her eyes…it said all I need to know. Snow began to fall in the glade around me, soft and cold, a single crystalline tear rolling down my cheek and onto the dark grass by my hooves. It had all been a lie… a fleeting dream, even the rock in my ocean of despair, my Meadow, was afraid of me.

She held up a hoof, speaking words I couldn’t here, it was pointless anyway. I had a job to do, a mission that needed to be fulfilled. My wings snapped open and with a few beats, I was airborne, looking down at the rapidly shrinking figure of the little green mare.

“Goodbye Meadow, I’ll always love you.”

A few hard downward thrusts and I flew off into the bitter night sky, arrowing like a comet towards Manehattan and that harsh mistress called destiny.