“No, you’re not coming, that’s final!” Gusty scowled down at Amethyst.

Her tone shocked Zeccaran out of his mid-morning dozing. Sure he was standing up, and in broad daylight, but that was not going to stop his body from quitting. No sir! He rubbed his eyes, knowing he would not be recovering from last nights dreamwalk until later in the afternoon. They stood deep in the Royal Gardens by the lake that was nestled against the mountain. Behind them the Onyx sat on the water bustling with the activity of Royal Guard and Stormwalker troopers.

“Mom, please! I swear I’ll stow away if I have to!” Amethyst pouted.

“If I find you on this ship, I’ll ground you for a month! No flying with Guardian Angel, no staying after school with friends, and no reading!” The alicorn scornfully glared at her daughter.

Somehow the budding filly managed to not huff. She did not even seem to have any form of an emotional reaction at all. Zeccaran took it upon himself to sigh for Amethyst.

“Gusty, what’s it gonna hurt?” He grumbled trying to overcome his headache.

The teal mare turned and gave him a furious look. He just rolled his eyes in response. There was no reason for him to try and debate her logic. Gusty was in ‘mom’ mode and what she said was what was going to happen. However, It simply was not within him just let it go even though he had no real chance at defending the filly. All she wanted was to accompany her parents on what was supposed to be a safe, diplomatic mission. Zeccaran suddenly found Gusty’s reasoning much more sound. This was not going to be any of those things; he could feel it.

“What is all the yelling about? There is more luggage to bring, I’m not carrying it all.” Bunker sauntered up.

Nopony responded. Gusty, however, at least lifted up some of the suitcases in her magic. Zeccaran tried to give the other stallion a bit of a warning look, but he was focused on Amethyst.

“You’ll be good for Princess Celestia, da?” Bunker asked his surrogate daughter.

“Yes, sir,” she answered demoralized.

“It will be only a few days. We’ll be back before you know it!” the burgundy stallion replied before giving the filly a squeeze. Amethyst stifled a small smile with a wiggle of her lips. It seemed that, in fact, Bunker was rather on top of the situation.

Gusty motioned for them to head on up the gangway onto the Midnight Onyx. She turned and gave her daughter a peck on the cheek before the three of them slowly trotted toward the vessel. Amethyst did not follow them to the ship, not willing to risk sacrificing her leisure activities by pressing the moment. Zeccaran could not blame her, Gusty, when in her right mind, ran a tight ship.

As it was, his friend had everything in control. It had been with great trepidation that he and Luna had scoured Gusty’s mind. The process had taken what felt like years. He looked around, realizing they had made it onto the vessel without him noticing. Heaving a few haggard breaths Zeccaran yawned again unsure if he was in the real world or still trapped somewhere within the teal mare’s subconscious. Vaguely, he knew that he was free from that realm, but his own mind was too muddled to fully grasp the concept.

The nightmarish adventure had been no different than the other dreamwalks he and Luna had performed. However, it had drained not only him but also Nyx. His resident additional consciousness was already resting. Whatever the Curse was doing it was both powerful and dangerous. The eldritch beast had remained hiding, refusing to manifest its full form. Instead the magic it produced permeated all of Gusty’s mind, as if it was expanding its existence. When Luna had relayed that information to Stormwalker earlier that morning, his face had turned into a deep concerned frown. He looked no different now.

“Hey.” The big stallion approached him across the deck, sharply gleaming medals adorning his chest on the left of his black dress uniform. “Zeccaran!”

The zebra shook his head, it did little to clear the fog. He did manage to give Stormwalker acknowledgement.

“You need to get some sleep. We’ll need more monitoring tonight. Everything you two described this morning has been corroborated in the book. Her symptoms will only get worse from here,” Stormwalker ordered.

Zeccaran gazed up at him, eyes squinting from the sun. “What book?”

“Remember, Frozen North, Old Shadow-kin Archives, giant lava hole in the ground.” The demon pursed his lips. “You have no idea what I’m talking about.”

The zebra gave him a grimace, a shrug, and a shake of his head. Outside of Gusty ripping an enormous hole in the earth the most he could remember was both Stormwalker and Bunker having insisted he carry the luggage onto the Onyx that day. If there had been a book amongst the items he had gathered he had not noticed. He had just tossed all the scattered equipment into Gusty’s giant sleeping bag and drug it all to the ship.

“Anyway...the point is everything you and Luna have been doing the last month was to double corroborate the descriptions in the book. It’s going to make its move. Soon. We have to keep stressful stimuli to the minimum. The slightest change in pitch will completely unbalance Gusty. I’m certain of it, and we need to be ready. Luna is already pulling double duty as we speak. You need to sleep and pick up monitoring her mind in about seven hours. Got it?” the demon instructed.

Zeccaran stared back up at him. There was a hint of worry in the other stallion’s eyes that was never there before. In fact his whole posture was ridgid. It was usually pretty stiff, but this was like he was expecting to be hit without warning. The tension was palpable.

“I can do that. Right now any cot will do,” the zebra replied, trying to remain calm. Whenever Stormwalker got like this he could not help but feel uneasy.

“You have your own cabin. Captain.” His gaze turned predatory. “In fact, let me show you to your quarters.”

On his back the pressure of a wing declared its presence. Zeccaran cringed. “I assume I don’t have a choice, huh?”

“You know me soooooo well.” Stormwalker dramatized as he began pushing him along.

Anypony that was in their way quickly made room for them as they moved across the deck. It took no time for them to reach the doors that led into the cabins. Zeccaran looked for a possible escape as Stormwalker opened the door. He spied Gusty and Bunker but the latter seemed to be introducing his wife to a number of soldiers. The burgandy stallion talked loudly, smiling and joking as his evident friends bowed to Gusty. With a shove the sight of salvation disappeared as his escorting demon moved him inside the Onyx. Trying to keep his breathing even, Zeccaran let Stormwalker guide him to the left of the corridor and into the room at the end of the wide area. Then they were alone, the loud click of the door’s lock sounding as the demon turned to face the zebra in the small cabin.

“Tell me what you know,” Stormwalker demanded after a few seconds’ pause.

“That’s a loaded question. What I know about what?” Zeccaran made certain to be able to answer whatever question the demon-stallion had. It would not do to be murdered in the cabin of his own ship.

“My sister. What has she been doing? Why is she doing it? And why haven’t you told us?” He made his questions more specific.

Zeccaran heaved a sigh and grit his teeth. It was no surprise that Stormwalker had figured everything out already. That, however, was not something he found comforting, especially when it was striking so close to home.

“I don’t know what she’s been doing. The most I got out of her was that she does, in fact, have some sort of organization she uses to spy with. That she made her move to quote: ‘out-do you,’ but failed because you figured it out. At this point I’d think you’d know more than me,” he explained to the stallion. There was more to tell but frankly he wanted Stormwalker’s side of the story first.

“What? How would I know? I just found out yesterday on accident because that thestral mare basically screams her thoughts so loud I couldn’t tone her out. I only know that Pixie has something to do with the Queen of Fire knowing about me being alive and in Equestria. And that alone has me more than upset!” He was flustered. It was not an act. Zeccaran could feel his frustration and fear in the air like a thick acrid smoke. He paced about the cabin like a caged animal, rattling the glass in a small cupboard that was near the door.

“Why are you so upset?” the zebra blathered out before he could stop himself.

“Because!” Stormwalker stopped his pacing and strode up right next to him. Hot, heaving lungfuls of air nearly pulling the fur off of Zeccaran’s muzzle. “I have no control over this situation! And the last time I didn’t have control of a situation, a lot of good ponies died. Good ponies that were my friends. That I had known for years! Some that I loved. One, I loved more than anything in the world!”

He pulled away from Zeccaran his face lost and worried. He looked at the ground leaving the zebra to release the breath he was holding. Stormwalker hurriedly sucked in more air with tiny little bursts before blustering a long sigh.

“I can’t believe I just said all that...to you.” He paused his face stricken with torment that Zeccaran did not understand. “Listen: just tell me the rest. I know there is more.” The stallion’s face waxed tired, his slitted eyes losing their luster and focus.

“She said that you’ve stopped her agents, stopped her plans, and now she’s at your mercy. At least that is what she told me. She didn’t exactly divulge everything to me yesterday, considering you had me spirited away to help Princess Luna pretty quickly,” Zeccaran replied.

The room fell silent as the bigger stallion turned to gaze out the picture window that faced the Palace. It was actually a rather posh cabin. A queen-sized bed was nestled against the wall, the foot looking out the glass. There were also a bookshelf and a few nightstands adorned with oil lamps. If it not for the circumstances the quaint little lodging would have been very welcoming.

“It would seem by sheer circumstance my sister and I have been playing two different games and I accidently won hers,” Stormwalker commented as he stared out the window.

Zeccaran remained silent. He gazed at the demon-stallion with apprehension, wishing he understood what was going on between the two siblings. The quiet drip of fear rolled a single bead of sweat down his neck. He had been occupied enough to not have his mind run through the reality of the situation. Everything hinged on what could happen when Gusty met with the Queen of Fire. The realization put Zeccaran even more on edge than he had been, the uncertainty striking him as egregious. It was like Stormwalker said: good ponies would die and there was nothing they could do about it until it happened.

“I should sleep like you said.” He gestured towards the rather comfortable looking bed.

“Yes,” Stormwalker answered. His words carried no weight, as if his body had answered while his mind remained focused elsewhere. His eyes refocused and he turned to meet Zeccaran’s gaze.

“Be very careful this evening. There is no telling what the Curse has planned. None of this feels right.” He drew a breath before continuing, “And if possible, report any new information my sister tells you to Luna this evening.”

“I understand. It’s not like I have much of a choice at this point,” Zeccaran commented.

Stormwalker snorted and moved to leave. He paused only to garner the zebra’s attention long enough to toss him the key to the room. Only narrowly, and rather clumsily, catching the large ringed object in his hooves. Zeccaran followed the other stallion to the door with the intention of locking it. The demon stopped in its threshold facing into the hall as he opened the portal.

“My lord, we have been looking for you, what would you like us to do with your armor?” an unfamiliar male voice questioned.

Shuffling up next to Stormwalker, Zeccarn stood on the ends of his hooves to barely see a team of ponies guiding a cart that held the enormous gear. The stallion twisted his head to the side before folding his ears making Zeccaran grimace as he remained silent.

“Sir?” the same stallion from before questioned.

“Shhsh! Not another word about what you see,” Stormwalker hissed quietly. In a deft motion, he took a quick step forward and reached inside the harness of the platemail with a hoof.

A short, girly gasp came from inside the armor. A wing followed his hoof and with a bit of a scuffle a small pony was pulled from the metal hiding spot. To his surprise Amethyst and her curly pink mane was said pony that appeared wrapped in his wing. Standing with his jaw agape Zeccaran let Stormwalker scoot him back into the cabin just by sheer force of his weight alone. The stallion commanded the attendants to take his armor to his cabin in a rather course manner. The door closed and the three of them stood, and in Amethyst’s case stuck in a wing, leaving Zeccaran to stare on in shock. The filly pouted quietly, her eyes flicking around the cabin, unable to settle on anything.

However, it was a surprise when Stormwalker sat Amethyst down with a warm smile and gave her a wink. The sadness on her face vanished and was replaced with a confusion that Zeccaran felt like he should be wearing instead of the filly. The demon-stallion turned to leave prompting the zebra to speak.

“Hey! What the heck are you doing just walking off?!” he interrupted.

“Huh? Is there some sort of problem I missed?”” Stormwalker asked looking over his shoulder casually. Zeccaran pointed at Amethyst with a hoof, the look on his face most assuredly a scowl.

“Yes. That is Amethyst,” the other stallion replied plainly. Just barely, the edges of his mouth curled into a smile. This only upset the zebra more, making him wish he did not understand that subtle task that had been gifted to him.

“You know this is flying right in the face of what Gusty wants right?” Zeccaran struck at the only nerve he knew could potentially bother the stallion.

“Sometimes things are...just that important.” Stormwalker turned and faced them, his smile widening. “And Amethyst joining us on this quest is one of them, even as dangerous as that may seem.”

Zeccaran was left curling his lip while Amethyst did a small victory dance. There was not much he could about this decision except go along with it. It was not as if he could just turn Amethyst over to Gusty after what he had heard. Nor could he keep the filly hidden without unpleasant consequences. He choose to move the conversation forward.

“I guess you’ll come get her when Gusty won’t see her?” Zeccaran presumed Stormwalker’s plan. The demon-stallion nodded calmly in response.

“I can handle smoothing things over, too. Just make sure Amethyst is entertained and you shouldn’t have any trouble. Although that does go against you getting sleep doesn’t it?” Stormwalker pondered his contradictions aloud.

“I don’t need to be entertained. I can find something in here to keep me busy for a few hours, it’s no problem,” the filly interjected. She hopped up towards her giant counterpart.

“I know you can, punk. I just like to give Zeccaran lots of trouble.” He smiled at Amethyst before giving her mane a small ruffle. The filly hummed approvingly making Zeccaran himself simply purse his lips in frustration.

“I need to get back to overseeing the load up, as to not raise suspicion. I’ll be back once we are in the air.” Stormwalker turned and quietly opened the door, smiling over his shoulder at Amethyst.

The filly watched as the door closed, not moving for a time, as if she had become transfixed by the stallion’s departure. This made Zeccaran turn and gaze longingly at the bed. Amethyst turned about and pranced by him, making him feel somewhat old and small. The filly was getting closer to his size. He was not really the largest of ponies, especially as a zebra, so that did not help any. He watched her as she peered around the room, examining the woodwork and the bookshelf. Slowly, Amethyst’s gaze settled on him, her sharp ice-blue eyes a little too much like her mother’s.

“Uncle Z, how have you been? You look like how I feel.” Her tone was soft and tired. Her words that of an adult’s, as was Amethyst’s clear understanding of the situation. That sent a chill up Zeccaran’s spine, a chill of sympathy and regret.

“I’ve been better, kid. Your friend there has me strung out.” Zeccaran gave a yawn as he finished speaking.

Amethyst cocked her head to the side. Her youthful nature giving her eyes a curious squint. Relaxing her face the filly let him pass by and slowly pull himself onto the bed. She stood in silence as he mulled the numerous blankets and pillows into the position he desired. Zeccaran did not mind her watching, it gave him a moment to watch her back. He could almost physically see the gears turning in her head as she picked the words and tone to ask whatever question she so clearly wanted to ask.

“Do you remember that book you loaned me? The one about the theory of thaumatic magic?” She questioned finally.

“Of course I do. Why do you ask?” he replied with his own question.

“Well…” Amethyst took a short running leap and landed in the center to the bed. She looked up at him before continuing, “The material in it is...theory, right?”

“Yes and no. But you know that if you read it. Like the laws of magic conversion and storage,” Zeccaran answered. He eagerly waited to see what more his surrogate niece had to say. Amethyst was smart, and lacked the binds of an adult mind, there was always the chance she had an idea that had real merit that none of them had thought of yet.

“It’s just...It just makes me wonder. Maybe some of the rules can be broken. Just think about my mom. She should technically explode from how much magic she has in her. Same goes for Mr. Stormwalker. Maybe this all comes down to the will of a pony...I don’t know, none of it makes sense. But, if that is how magic is actually controlled, doesn’t that mean there is a way for mom or-or-or anybody to overcome what’s happening? Just so long as they have the determination, right?” Amethyst questioned.

The filly looked right through him. Her gaze seemed to penetrate into a different time and place. For a while his niece remained frozen in place, the twinkle in her eyes fading and growing with each passing moment as if thousands of thoughts and ideas passed through her mind in each instant. It seemed surreal for Zeccaran. In an instant emotion and memory flooded over him. Chrysanthemum had once shared her daughter’s sheer intensity of wonder. The specifics of that moment did not matter only the feeling. The contagious hope and desperation, it was fresh in his mind like it had been so many years ago. It lent color to the moment in his mind and the one before him now. It felt good, it made him feel right.

Then it was gone and the tired look on the filly’s face returned and with it the clarity of the sight. All was again made grey and muted like the numb feeling in his heart. However, like the first time it had happened a spark remained ignited in his chest. Zeccaran extended a hoof to touch Amethyst on her shoulder.

“It's only impossible if we deem it so. If you I can teach nothing else; learn that please.” He gave her a strong nod.

Amethyst sprouted a small smile and returned the nod, her mood seeming to lighten just in the slightest. It was enough to make Zeccaran feel better at least.

“I said I was going to read but do you mind if I take a nap too? I haven’t been sleeping well recently…” She spoke sheepishly, a face blushing a little.

“I totally understand. Take your choice of pillow.” Zeccaran snagged the fluff filled cushion behind him and slung it at Amethyst with a grin.

Caught off guard the pillow completely wrapped around her face. A muffled explanation of surprise came shortly afterward. Once she had removed the bedding, the embarrassed red on her cheeks and been long since replaced with a brighter more indignant shade that only caused the zebra to laugh at her. She tossed the pillow back to him with her magic and haphazardly pulled herself towards the other side of the large bed grumbling under her breath. She lay on her side and faced away from Zeccaran once she reached her desired spot.

“You know I’m going to get you back for that, right, Uncle Z?” She said over her shoulder haughtily.

“You wouldn’t be my niece if I didn’t expect you to. But just remember I’ve managed to survive your mother’s pranks so you best come up with something particularly good to get past my guard,” he warned, his smile reaching his voice.

“I’ll just dream up the idea when I’m asleep then, and you’ll be none the wiser.” Amethyst yawned as she finished. Zeccaran gave her a simple affirmative grunt as he also felt his mouth open in a similarly long exclamation of breath. It was good to rest.

A warm nose pressed itself into Zeccaran’s neck and the comfortable blackness that he was hoping he would never leave vanished at its touch. It was a familiar sensation, and one that was itself at least tied with the heavy blanket of relief that natural sleep brought him. The addition of teeth and a short hip, however, proved quite surprising and it took everything for him to not toss himself out of bed with a yelp. The heavy sultry breaths of Pixie kept him in place allowing him to slowly open his eyes.

“Cheating on me with your niece? How naughty, Zeccaran,” she breathed into his ear. Her eye that he could see looked right back into his own with a playful sparkle.

“Oh don’t start,” he grumbled back while fighting a yawn.

A curious hum and vibration caught his attention and made him sit up and look out the window. Wide plains extended below, yellow and olive in the late summer afternoon. A hearty casting of trees and a wide river was just visible on the horizon. The sky was cast a yellow from the glare of the still hovering sun against the clouds that the Onyx flew between. A rough judgement of the landmarks below them, they looked to be just crossing into the southern part of the country. The vibration still had not dissipated when he turned to focus on Pixie again giving the zebra the itch to inspect the engines.

“So what are we going to do with her? I already got an earful from Gusty about how she isn’t supposed to be on the ship,” his girlfriend whispered with a nod at the still dozing filly.

“Does she know?” Zeccaran hesitantly asked.

“Nope. And I don’t know how my brother is going to weasel his way out of her freaking out on him either.” Pixie slipped off the bed and offered him a hoof so he might also descend without making noise. He took it and stepped down cautiously.

“He’s always had her number, Pixie. Now more than ever honestly.” Zeccaran huffed something between and sign and a scoff. “Gods, the trouble those two would cause if they actually worked together on something.”

“That’s a thought that makes me terrified,” she grimaced.

“Why’s that? More illicit dealings?” He murmured with a motion that they should take their conversation either to the hall or wherever else Pixie felt comfortable. There was no reason to wake the resting Amethyst.

“No. It’s that two nearly all-powerful beings with their sheer stubborn notions would be able to enforce their world view on the rest of us.” Pixie slowly opened the door. She let him pass as he pursed his lips in disapproval.

“You figure they’ll cut into your game?” He asked sharply. Pixie grunted behind him but did not say anything else. They fell silent as the door closed quietly behind them.

A few ponies milled about the hearty hall that set outside the other cabins. A pair of Royal Guard in royal-blue-colored armor stood near the largest cabin door, the one that was directly across from the door to the deck. It was safe to assume that Princess Luna was inside, asleep. Zeccaran ignored them and decided that the persistent awkward vibration of the engines he noticed earlier needed to be fixed. There was no way he could continue to ignore it. Motioning casually for Pixie to follow him down to his allotted destination they got moving. It was a prudent thought, the room would grant privacy to continue their conversation as well as give him something to focus his mind to avoid the looming feeling of stress pounding on the back of his skull.

Reaching the engine room from the cabins proved interesting. A small stairwell towards the end of the opposite end of the hall now existed instead of the trap door and ladder. Below, the stairs led directly down into a wide state room adored with tables maps and all manner of books and logistical records. That was a new sight for Zeccaran. It had been months since the Onyx had docked placidly on the pond in the Royal Gardens and it should have come as no surprise that there had been remodeling done. Conveniently over each of the two doors lead out of the room hung a sign. One was labeled Engines, the other: Gun Deck. If this was truly his ship perhaps Stormwalker should have asked before applying these changes. Zeccaran scoffed at himself for thinking his opinion mattered to the stallion.

He and Pixie quickly found their way into the engine room. A few mechanics resided inside arranged around a small table that had been added to the room. After a bit of small talk they got the picture that they were not needed and left without any objection. Alone, Pixie allowed Zeccaran to start examining the engines and tinker with a few tools before she heaved a long sigh.

“I don’t know where to start,” she said plainly.

“How about starting with telling me your real motive. You always seem to leave pieces of it out every time we’ve talked about your problems with your brother.” Zeccaran did not look at her as he spoke instead focusing on the wrench he had chosen to tighten any pesky nuts and bolts.

“I probably should…” Pixie fell silent for a moment. “Even that is hard to explain to someone outside of the original situation.”

“All I ask is that you try.” Zeccaran met her eyes this time. There was a vacant pause that lasted as Pixie decided on what she was going to say. Eventually she came around.

“Oaths and bloodlines. I’ll start there. A long time ago, my brother and I swore that we would find a way to move the world past this stagnation, this teetering from one near-disaster to the next. If our individual plans conflicted we simply agreed to outdo one another by how many ponies we could recruit to our respective causes,” Pixie explained.

Zeccaran furrowed his brow. This all sounded too strange, too convenient to him. He would have to ask Stormwalker if what his sister was saying was true. She continued.

“But it goes beyond that childish rivalry. Part of it is because I simply can’t stop myself, it’s bred into me. Once I had the taste of control..of power over ponies...I-I liked it. Even to this day that has never sat well with me. And it's so hard to ignore! After all look what it did to Guardian Angel, it completely consumed him. If you and Gusty had not been there at the right place and right time, I can’t imagine the sort of beast he would be now.” Pixie grimaced as she started to pace across the small area.

Zeccaran still remained silent. He could not add anything to her story; other than what was already obvious at this stage. Instead, he noted that the coal doors and the blowers were scrubbed to such a radical level of clean that it seemed faked by illusion magic. The vibration he had noticed before echoed down the maintenance catwalk clearly coming from the left engine’s boiler chamber. He slipped down the path looking for what was loose by checking every fitting. Pixie paced after him her face a mixture of pain and embarrassed.

“I’m here to listen, babe. I want to know but I need to keep my mind occupied so I don’t interrupt you. I’m paying attention, I promise,” he told her with a glance over his shoulder while testing a bolt.

“I know. It-it’s just a lot. I’ve kept most of this a secret for so long...rehearsed saying it in my head so many times that now it just doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel real that my brother doesn’t even care about it either. Everything that I’ve observed in the last two to three years makes much more sense when thinking of it like he did care,” Pixie answered. Her voice waxed desperate and pleading.

Zeccaran put his attention back on his marefriend. He scooted closer to her and placed his hooves on her withers, pulling himself up to meet her face easier. “You seem to be having quite of bit of trouble accepting that too. Why?” He asked, letting his concern reach both his voice and face.

“B-because!” Pixie’s face flushed red with anger before her lips went pouty and she turned her face away from his. “This is the same stallion that holds all the power now. He’s apprehended my agents, whether it was wittingly or unwittingly, he can read minds, and the only thing missing in letting him run totally rampant is Gusty Twilight! And depending on how this little adventure goes she might become his closest ally. Why do you think I intervened by telling the Queen of Fire that he was alive. Fed her information about where her mate’s killer lived, that he held Celestia and Luna hostage. It was all a gambit to get her face to face with Gusty with the hopes that she could hopefully talk some sense into her.”

The small flicker of determination in his gut from before suddenly swelled. At his core he took extreme exception with what Pixie had done. She had acted out of selfishness, not doing any of the research and thinking that he so treasured her for. Zeccaran just did not understand why she never asked him more questions, he would have happily told her. They had talked over dreamwalking before and what he and Luna had been doing to help Gusty but apparently it seemed to his marefriend that it was all some scheme controlled by her brother. And here she was telling him that she had been behind the Dragon Queen suddenly sending emissaries to Equestria to find information on the Shadow-kin.

“You. You are the pony behind all this?! You set the stage for the whole thing?!” Zeccaran growled through gritted teeth.

“I was wrong, Zeccaran, that has been more than abundantly clear. But, there is nothing I can do to fix it now. I acted on impulse and now we all pay the price.” Pixie’s voice lost more and more of its emotion as she said each word. Zeccaran could only respond by putting a hoof on his temple. His body shuddered with a fury he had not felt in decades.

“Pixie!” he hissed before trying to calm down. He let himself down from her bodice unable to keep touching her.

There was no reason to yell. As she had said there was nothing to be done about this situation now other than mitigate the damage. He resolved however to make her understand the gravity of what she had done. Everything in the last few months had revolved around the arrival of Ember and her escorts. From Guardian Angel foolishly trying to put some distance between himself and Gusty to Gusty’s continued instability from acquiring more and more memories that she just was not supposed to have. Things had been stable, mendible before that, and not hinged on additional stress and complexity.

“You are disregarding two very important pieces of information. One: Gusty is so stubborn that no one short of the dead gods she worships coming down from the heavens could change her mind. Even the Shadow-kin of old, your very ancestors, failed to do that.” Zeccaran pursed his lips angrily. Pixie was very much allowed to have worries and anxiety but she was falling into full on sociopathic emotional shutdown and that he would not condone.

“Well..what is the second piece?” She asked slowly regaining some emotion in her voice. Clearly she had picked up on his tone and body language without any issue.

“The second is...the damage that they did do has only been amplified by you and your brother’s existence. Both of you have meddled in her life. And while I’m not one for prophecies or fates anymore, not by a long shot...” Zeccaran shook his head at himself. “But, when the two monsters in her memories look exactly like you and him I can only assume that there is something much bigger going on. At least Guardian Angel took responsibility for messing around in her mind, all you did was push her off a cliff and say: ‘oops.’”

“You doomed her,” he breathed after a pause. Hearing his own voice say those words hurt him more than he could have ever expected them to. It took everything to not break down. He shuddered where he stood, seeing defiance, bright in his marefriend’s eyes.

“I mean, come on, Pixie, seriously, do you know what it takes for her to be friends with you and him? How strong and willful she has been for thousands of years just to deny the very faces of her greatest nightmares as enemies? Gusty would sooner die than give into that thing inside of her. And worse I’ve talked to you about this, long before the dragons showed up!” He shook as he spoke. He did not want it to hurt her but it was the simple truth. “It wasn’t in any great detail but it was enough for you to know what is at stake here and yet you acted on some hunch?”

“It wasn’t some hunch! It was based on clear evidence my brother was manipulating not only Gusty but Celestia and Luna as well!” Pixie cried.

Her shrill exclamation bothered him even more than the still present vibration of the engine. The machine’s continued whine only served to amplify the tension making Zeccaran wonder if perhaps the Onyx itself had sensed this conflict was inevitable and had drawn them here where their voices could not be distinguished from the rattles of the engines. Then again, perhaps Pixie had set it all up; Zeccaran could not decide on what to believe at the moment.

“He’s already completely rewired the magic in her mind! I don’t know much about that magic but you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that ponies with their mind locked under spells so powerful it makes the whole planet seem insignificant don’t suddenly have total 180’s in personalities without someone being able to tamper with said magic!” Pixie’s face flushed fuller red than before, her near paranoid hysteria seeming to take over her. The zebra blustered a snort through his nose.

“Worse, he’s completely brainwashed Luna into being his otherwise slave. Celestia isn’t much better, being ready and willing to defend him in front of ponies like the Pillars and other heads of government! He’s the one in control, that’s what every paper trail and every observation pointed me towards. I don’t know whether it was just sheer bad luck that I was wrong on this but...I was...I was and…” Pixie trailed off, tears streaming down her face as she grit her teeth. “I don’t understand how I was wrong!”

In her frustration the mare’s control waned and Zeccaran saw that perhaps she had every reason to be afraid of becoming like her brother. The trademark slitted pupils of House Stormwalker became visible along with her fangs. The change lasted for but a moment, leaving Zeccaran somehow more concerned with its rapid disappearance. He had long known that just by simple relation that Pixie had every potential to not only look the part but play it too. It was simply in her nature. He could not fault her for it. But, the rise up to frenzy only to be cooled with a frozen adherence to some other logic unsettled him.

“This is not a matter of opinion Zeccaran, but a matter of fact. My brother has successfully put himself in the most powerful position imaginable. Just because his motives are not what I thought they were does not change that,” Pixie declared conclusively.

“Nor does it change your actions.” Zeccaran had no ground to give so he did not.

“I screwed up...I really, really screwed up. I know I did, bigger than I ever have before and I don’t know how to deal with it! Even if everything turns out okay in the end my brother will never trust me again. Hell, I doubt Gusty will either. I’m sure once she has her wits about her she’ll figure it out. This was a most grievous error on my part.” Pixie continued.

“I’m surprised you think there’s some sort of light at the end of the tunnel,” he whispered back.

“It’s Guardian Angel, Zeccaran. He’ll find a way to get what he wants. He always does.” She leaned away from him. The zebra returned the motion. They sat in silence as the cold and angry look on his marefriend’s face slowly disappeared.

Still, he was not quite satisfied with just letting this go. The gears in mind spun at a rate he could barely control, but it led to a simple conclusion. Pixie would not be able to do anything of import until she had calmed down some. And the best way he could think of was helping him make the still persistent whine of the machines around them stop.

“Help me with this before your brother shows up and makes me do dreamwalking.” He passed her the wrench and pointed at one of the loose fittings he had found that was a little too high for him to reach comfortably.

Pixie nodded and took the tool, leaning up to do as he asked. They spent precious little time working on the equipment afterwards. Zeccaran gauged it to have been about an hour of simple cooperation and companionship. To his delight after checking everything one last time the improper vibrations from the left engine dissipated to a normal revolving rumble. He gave Pixie a smile pleased with their work. She gave him a small grin in return. Her eyes still betrayed her inner conflict, but that look of frustration and desperation had shrunk down to a much more manageable level, and that was enough for him to feel like he could move forward.

“You should help him, even if all you can do is offer an extra set of eyes,” Zeccaran told her.

“You’re probably right. I just can’t imagine my brother would accept my advice.” Pixie looked at him before her head suddenly jerked towards the door to the engine room. Zeccaran did not need to turn around to know what had made her flinch that hard.

“You’d be surprised. I’d welcome the change of pace.” The elder Stormwalker’s dark tones rumbled from behind him. Like usual, his voice the first indication of sound he was even there.

Pixie only nodded in response, the zebra turned to face the stallion, still wearing his black uniform.

“It’s time to get to work, Zeccaran.” He tilted his head back to look down his snout at the zebra.

Zeccaran bid his significant other goodbye with a quick hug and followed Stormwalker. The day already seemed terribly long and it was not even half over. He heaved a sigh vacantly pondering what sort of setup Luna had designed for these dreamwalks. It did not particularly matter what the Princess had decided but he desired to think of anything but the look of defeat Pixie had shown him. It was going to be one of the things permanently burned into his mind but for now he could ignore it.

Nyx! Nyx, wake up! He shouted internally, not caring if the other stallion might divine his thoughts. He already felt like dying anyway.

Huh? What is it? His mental roommate yawned.

We have work to do.

Good. I was getting bored of sleeping.

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