Interlude: A Look Back

The winter winds blew heavily that day as Grit Stratum landed on the doorstep of Hero's studio on the top of Mt. Matterhorn. Nopony was there to greet him as Hero was rehearsing a radio interview with Grit's best friend and co-founder of Adventure Incorporated, Blaze. Grit's feathers were slightly frosted and freezing from the blizzard that had been raging for the entirety of the past several days but his strong body made easy work of the fly to the top of the mountain.

Grit grunted as he shoved the large doors of the studio shut, blocking the wind and snow from entering the heated and finely decorated building. He had to shake himself off for several minutes to remove all of the snow and ice from his body before he made his way to the a small heater that sat in the corner of the room. Hero, being a dragon, had no shortage of fire implements around the building so it was never lacking in magical, dragon fire powered, warming apparatus.

“Anypony home!?” Grit shouted down into the empty hallway.

He had to stand there for several minutes before coming to the realization that nopony(or dragon) would be coming to greet him. He grumbled as he slowly made his way down the hallway, lined with the past articles of his and Hero's many exploits around the city and beyond. When he got to the studio portion of the building he was slightly disgruntled at seeing the 'Recording' sign lit up despite Hero not currently airing her show.

“That explains the lack of a greeting I guess.” Grit sighed, “Damn that dragon, I need to speak with her now.” he asked himself.

Grit had been away for many weeks at that point. He had spent those weeks furious, miserable, and filled with the realization that he had just made what would become the greatest mistake of his career as an adventurer. A mistake of such great enormity that even now, surrounded by his own successes and in one of his favorite places in all of Equestria, he found himself utterly depressed. He needed to find some comfort after everything that happened, he needed to see his friends and garner a level of companionship that he would need to relieve himself of his pain. Grit floundered over to a small couch that sat against the wall and heaved his body onto the soft cushioning. He didn't pay attention to how long he laid there, only that it was some time before a claw tapped his shoulder. Grit turned around to see the excited expression of Hero looming over him with Blaze sporting a relieved look on his face as he stood next to the feathered dragon.

“Well well, look whose back, what took you so long Grit?” Hero said happily, a huge smile on her face. “Where's-”

Hero didn't finish speaking before grit shoved the tip of his wing against her mouth, shutting the dragon up. Grit slowly sat up from his position on the couch as Hero and Blaze watched on in amazement as the strongest pony they knew sported a face of utter misery.

“Grit?” Blaze said, “What's wrong? What happened?”

“They're gone. All of them.” Grit mumbled.

“Whose gone? Where's Rosetta?” Blaze asked. He was starting to get worried now. Grit was always the stronger willed of the pair and to see him so defeated hurt Blaze like nothing else.

“You knew, didn't you.” Grit stared down into Blaze, a look of anger in his eyes.

“Knew what?” Blaze was starting to get very worried now as Grit rose, still glaring at him as he grew to his full stature.

“She was one of them. Those scumbags who you let ruin our dream!” Grit had become extremely angry now. He practically roared at Blaze as his friend shrunk from the accusation of his own best friend.

“I thought she was different from the others!” Blaze yelled, trying to defend himself, “She said she wanted to help.”

Grit swiftly threw his front hooves out towards Blaze, only the timely intervention of Hero prevented Grit from breaking a few of Blaze's ribs on the spot.

“What the hell are you doing Grit?” Hero glowered down at the angry pegasus. “What happened out there?”

Grit backed off from Hero and Blaze, he angrily turned around and bucked a large hole in the wall of the hallway.

“Hey!” Hero yelled, “Why the hell are you acting like this?”

“I'm retiring.” Grit said flatly.

“What!” Blaze yelled. “You can't retire! It'll ruin everything We've worked for!”

“All that's dead already.” Grit growled. “I know it wasn't all your fault Blaze, but A.I has been dying for years now. I'm tired of all the lies and all the secrets. I hate that every time I go out I have to help them with their grubby little projects.”

“I know you hate it but that's what we need to do to keep appearances up.” Blaze was trying to comfort Grit as he gently laid his wing over Grit's shoulder. “Where's Rosetta?” he asked calmly.

Grit was barely able to stifle a laugh. “Look at you, staying so calm in all of this. I left her on the Equestrian border. She...she told me everything there. She told me the truth.”

“Grit, for the hundredth time, what happened in Khaweth!?” Hero persisted.

Grit trembled, his body shaking not from the cold but from a feeling of some great guilt that he now carried on his back. He shut his eyes as a few tears rolled down his cheek, he began to cry as Hero gently placed her friend in her warm arms.

“Those fuckers you said had to go with us Blaze.” Grit began, “We got attacked by some monster I've never seen before. It chased us further than we thought and eventually turned towards the town we were based in. Rosetta and I wanted to go and protect the town but...but those others wanted to let the beast kill those zebras while we made off with the treasures it had been guarding. I told them they could all fuck off and ran after the monster. Rosetta she...she suddenly sided with those fuckers and made me go with them. That's when I knew, that's when I knew she had been working for them all along. I didn't have a choice, They practically own us and Rosetta...I couldn't say no to her.” Grit stopped talking as his tears overcame him. He completely broke down in Hero's arms as Blaze looked on, worried for his friend.

“What happened to the team?” Blaze asked.

“They fell behind in the jungle on the way back. Folk get lost in there every day, ain't too much of a stretch for anypony to believe that.”

“Fuck.” Blaze grumbled, rubbing his forehead as he began to sweat a bit.

“Listen Grit,” Hero began, “We're going to have to be very careful from here on out. Equestria isn't going to understand why you lost over two dozen ponies in the middle of a zebra jungle, not to mention an entire village of zebras. As for the ponies who matter, they'll see right through that little lie of yours. We're going to have to come up with something better, especially if Rosetta is there to speak against you.”

“Hero's right Grit.” Blaze said, still worried, “If they find out what you did then it'll be both of our hides.” Blaze stood in thought for a moment before speaking up again, “I know you and Rosetta...liked each other, but she does work for the Family so her loyalty is going to be questionable.”

“I don't think she'd betray me, not like that.” Grit said, still sobbing.

Blaze breathed a slight sigh of relief, “Well then, we'll say that I was with you and that I messed it up. They trust me more than you anyway.”

“I know they do.” Grit said, nearly growling at Blaze again.

“Don't go thinking Blaze is against you now too.” Hero said, giving Grit a slap across his face. “He's your friend and he cares about you just as much as the rest of us.” Hero gave a reassuring nod towards Blaze.

“Thanks.” Blaze said, “As I was saying, I've been cooped up since you left. Nopony pays any attention to me anyway so it won't be much of a stretch to say that I was with you the whole time, especially if Rosetta backs us up. I haven't been in the field in years, I'll just tell them that I made a bad call against some monster and got the team killed. I'll take the blame and whatever punishment they want to give me.”

Grit got back up from within Hero's arms. He wiped the tears from his face with his wings as he turned towards Blaze, embracing him in a big hug.

“I'm sorry Blaze. I shouldn't have attacked you.”

“I'm sorry about Rosetta, Grit. I should have told you but she pleaded with me not to.” Blaze said to his mournful friend.

“What?” Grit asked in disbelief.

“If you think she doesn't care about you then you're the biggest idiot in Equestria.” Blaze smiled, “She thought you'd hate her if you found out who she really worked for. I wanted to tell you but she made me promise not to.”

“See Grit.” Hero said softly, “The whole world isn't out to get you. You can trust your friends as well as your girlfriend.”

Grit separated from Blaze, straightened himself up and wiped the tears from his face.

“No, I can't trust her, not anymore. Even if she doesn't rat us out to her masters her place on the team is gone. Like I said, I'm retiring and ending all of this.” Grit's face somehow grew even more depressed as he said this.

“Even if you retire, they'll still expect you to cooperate with them.” Blaze said.

“Fine, at least I won't be getting them any new artifacts. If they want those, they'll have to get them on their own.” Grit huffed.

“I hate this entire situation.” Hero sighed, “I wish I could just go right up to that boss of theirs and bit his head off.” Hero's mouth filled with a flicker of flame as her anger rose up.

“We can't fight them yet.” Blaze said, placing a wing on the angry dragon's side, “If they find out we plan on fighting back then they will turn Equestria against us in a matter of hours. We'll have to wait for the right time and that time isn't now.”

“When will the right time be?” Hero snarled.

“You might not want to work with Rosetta again Grit, but if she truly does love you then we should use her to fight the Family.” Blaze draped his wings over his two friends, “She can tell us things about them that we could never find out on our own. She's like a ticket into their inner workings.”

“I'm not talking to her ever again Blaze. If you want that traitor to help then you reach out; as for me I'm going to distance myself as much as I can from all of this. Maybe one day there will be a chance to get even but for now the Family owns us, as you said Blaze.” Grit laid himself back down on the couch.

“Rosetta Stone is one of the best pegasi I've ever had the pleasure to meet.” Hero said as she leaned down towards Grit's face, “The world is built on second chances Grit, you can't let a connection like this just slip away from you.”

“That was her doing. If she truly cared for me she would have told me herself, before foalishly exposing her lies at the expense of so many innocent lives.” Grit started to tear up again as the words left his mouth.

Grit was inconsolable at this point. He hadn't expected that talking about all of this would simply make his pain greater but it did. Each time Rosetta's name was mentioned it was like a stab to his heart as the one and only pony he had ever loved seemingly turned on him.

*****

She had been put there, introduced to him, to spy and ensure his loyalty and cooperation with the Family. Rosetta Stone had always impressed Grit with her intelligence, ingenuity, and skills as an adventurer; it seemed that she had been tailor made for him. Over the course of three years Grit had found himself falling in love with this energetic young pegasi. She was always there with him, they did everything together; Grit had even put her in a few of his books. They were the perfect team, Grit Stratum and Rosetta Stone. Of course he knew now that this had been intentional from the start. Rosetta admitted as much when she finally broke down and told Grit the truth when he pressed the issue on the way back to Equestria. Grit had been far to angry to notice the tears on her face as she admitted everything to him. He had left her there, on the southern Equestrian border, crying as he flew away. To Grit, Rosetta had betrayed him as part of the very body that had been destroying his greatest dream, Adventure Incorporated.

Rosetta had found herself enthralled in the presence that Grit had always exuded. She had been told to ensure the loyalty and cooperation of the most famous pony in Equestria and as a loyal member of the Family, took the assignment with seriousness and energy. Though she would often find herself caught up in his actions, his words, his...eyes. She couldn't help but always stand in awe of his abilities, abilities that matched her own in every way. Her loyalty to the Family would not waver in his presence but with each passing day she found herself wanting to do more to impress grit. She fought every monster that appeared before them, she exposed corrupt archeologists(as long as they were not Family), she traveled the world with him and faced every danger he did so she would not be parted from him. And when they found themselves alone and trapped in a cave by a rock fall deep within the dragon lands she...fell in love.

As Rosetta realized this her fears grew as fast as her love for Grit. Though they always made sure to pocket a bit extra for the Family she knew that Grit hated them for what they had done to his greatest dream. When their relationship began in earnest, Rosetta would live in constant fear that Grit would discover her true mission. When she discovered that Grit's friend Blaze had been made aware of her mission she would go to him and beg to not be exposed. Rosetta was terrified that if Grit discovered her then his hatred for her Family would turn towards her. Unfortunately her fears proved all to true as when Grit did find out the truth he left Rosetta alone and broken on the edge of Equestria, both of their hearts broken. Rosetta returned to her Family and spent the rest of her life protecting Grit from within.

Rosetta would often meet with Hero, passing on information that she would then pass onto Grit, without telling him her exact sources. Her desires changed to helping Grit leave the Family's thrall forever and whenever Hero asked her to help in that mission she would enthusiastically accept. This mission would never succeed, nor could it have. Grit would go on and develop his own plan many years later with no knowledge of the source of the many pieces that had come together to make it possible. Rosetta and Grit would never meet again after their schism and Rosetta herself would not live to see Grit regain his resolve after decades of inaction.