//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Heroes of Vice // by Vectoro //------------------------------// The storm was raging, and we were locked out of the city. The enormous gates could only be opened from the inside, and with great force. The Horn was still blaring, warning the residents to stay inside. A few guards patrolled the top of the wall. They all wore the same armor as the ponies from Cadet's brigade, which led me to the conclusion that it was the standard for the Earth Republic army. After a moment, one spotted us. "You! What are you doing outside the city during a pegasus storm?" he called to us. "We were traveling to the city when the storm started and are stuck out here," Cadet replied. "Hold position until it passes, soldier." Wait, what? They were going to make us wait out here, in the storm? That didn't sound right. A guard was supposed to protect ponies, not keep them in danger, right? What the hell had the war done to this world that made ponies so different, so not like ponies. At least, not like I thought they should be. I felt like screaming obscenities at him until he opened the gate, but decided that would most likely both fail and anger him. Suddenly I noticed something that seemed off. He hadn't said anything about me being a unicorn. Every other pony I had come across had, so why didn't he? Had he not noticed my horn underneath the hood? That must have been it, but I will never know. A lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck the guard, who went limp and fell off the wall a few feet away from us. His body landed with a bone shattering crunch. If the lightning hadn't killed him instantly, the fall would have. I looked over to where it came from and saw three pegasi swoop down from atop a dark cloud. They flew in a triangle, with one leading and the other two following just behind and on each side. They seemed to be heading straight for the ground right in front of the gates, and just behind our wagon. They landed, and I drew my weapon. The three mares wore sleek, black armor and had swords, just like the one I had found in the boat, strapped to their sides. Their helms bore the image of a brilliant violet horned helm. That struck me as odd. Why would somepony have a picture of a helm on one of their own? It also didn't seem like what a pegasus soldier would wear, but what did I know? I was the pony that had woken up with no memory only three days ago. Something else was off. They were just staring at me, as if I were familiar, but they couldn't quite remember from where. I decided to speak up. "Who are you and what do you want?" I yelled over the storm. Their eyes widened, and I saw them change. What had once been intimidation quickly became terror. They whispered something between them and lifted off. They were out of sight before I could process what had happened. They seemed like they were ready to rip my throat out, but as soon as I opened my mouth they fled like a bunch of fillies after hearing a ghost story. I turned to Cadet and gave her a confused look. She looked as confused as me. "Pegasus soldiers don't run away from a fight," she said. "But weren't those scouts? Could they have just been identifying the threat?" I countered. "Yes, but that's not how scouts behave. Pegasus scouts don't get that close. They seemed to be interested in you. I guess they took out the guard to get closer. But why?" Why indeed. Something about me was suspicious, so they needed to get a closer look. But why? What was so suspicious about me that they were willing to risk being attacked to find out who I was? And why had they fled when I asked them? Had my voice given me away? What was with their armor and that symbol? Questions buzzed around my head like somepony had dropped a beehive in it. Then it hit me. They had recognized me, which means they knew who I was. They were the key to finding my past. The only thing I had to track them was the symbol on their helms. The only place that would have that was a library, and the largest library was in Castor. I sighed. My journey had not been shortened, but at least I had something to look for. The clouds were clearing, and I tried to do the same with my thoughts. I had to keep in the present to find the past. The sun came out, shining just as happily as ever, as if nothing had happened. We got the attention of another guard and explained why one of his partners was dead. He wasn't any less upset, but he let us in. "The Senator's house is in the middle of town, right next to city hall. You can't miss it," he told us. We nodded and left him to see to his friend's body. "As soon as I get you to the Senator, I'll go to a doctor, I promise," Cadet assured me. I thanked her, and we continued. The city was intriguing. Brick buildings three stories high lined the cobblestone streets. Rugged and bedraggled earth ponies walked around between buildings and down the streets all around us. You were never more than ten feet away from another pony. I got more than a few glares that seemed downright hateful. I noticed that even my old cloak was in better shape than most of their clothes, though I don't think that was why they were giving me those looks. It probably had something to do with the horn protruding from my head. Cadet explained that the closer to the edge of the city you got, the poorer its residents were. As we got closer to city hall and the Forum, we started seeing richer ponies. They turned their noses up at me, but welcomed Cadet like an old friend. Soldiers were highly respected on the Republic, she told me. They always got a warm welcome. The buildings got larger and more decorative, preferring form over function. We stepped into the large open square that was the Forum. A few ponies had set up stalls around the edge of the square, and even more were preforming for spare change. The center was dominated by a large fountain in the shape of a stallion warrior wielding an earth pony sword. I was amazed at how lively it seemed just after a storm. They must have come out as soon as it passed. They wanted to preserve today's profits as much as possible. City Hall was a large white building that bore columns on the front and a tall dome on top. It seemed out of place in a city of bricks and wood. I could spot at least six guards in front of it and two dozen more around the Forum. As we approached, I watched a mare in a simple and rugged dress getting escorted out by two guards. She was bawling and begging to see the Senator again. It was painful to watch another pony in such distress. My head told me to mind my own business, but my instincts told me to at least find out what had happened before dismissing it. The guards left her at the bottom of the steps and returned inside. I stepped up to her. "Pardon me for asking, ma'am, but what is the matter?" I questioned in my nicest voice. "You mean you don't fucking know? Why don't you go home, bastard, and leave me the fuck alone?" she yelled at me. That caught me off guard. I had been treated unfairly, but never with that kind of pure hatred. Had the war really divided ponies so much they wouldn't even accept each other's help? Did the three tribes really hate each other that much? Regardless, I decided not to press the issue. I turned back to Cadet, but she stopped me. "I'll handle this," she said confidently. I let her by me and waited. The two talked for a few minutes before Cadet returned. "How did you do that?" I ask incredulously. "Strangely enough, they trust Republic soldiers more than unfamiliar unicorns," she said in a sarcastic tone. "Ha ha, funny. Now what did you find out?" Cadet proceeded to tell me about the mare's daughter being kidnapped by a bunch of unicorns and the Senator refusing to spare guards to find her. I listened patiently. No wonder she was so devastated about being kicked out. It could mean the life of her daughter. "Does she know where they took her?" I asked. "She said her best guess is a hideout to the north of the city," she answered. "Then let's go." I turned back towards the gate. "What? No! If you delay questioning, you'll be arrested." "I won't sit back and let them harm that filly." I kept walking. "The Senator thinks it's a trap! That's why he wouldn't send any guards!" "Then They'll be expecting a squadron of Republic soldiers, not a two ponies." I turned to Cadet, and she looked desperate to stop me. She hadn't seen my dream; she could not understand. But I tried to give a look that said this was something I had to do. "You don't have to come with me...' 'No, I don't. but I will anyways." Her face had become a solid shield of determination. "Let's go rescue a filly.' ****** The structure ahead of us was less hideout and more fortress. Its outer walls were made of logs sharpened to a point at the top. It was not very large, about the size of a behemoth, but it was filled with unicorns. We had counted a dozen as they switched watch shifts. We had left the wagon with the Glen authorities so they could deal with the bandit. We also wanted to be stealthy, and a giant white wagon is not very hard to spot. We were currently sitting over the crest of a hill, just out of their sight. If we were lucky, we could be in and out with the filly before they noticed anything was wrong. If we weren't, we would have to fight them all off. There were currently six on the walls, which meant at least six more inside. Our chances at stealth were slim to none. We waited for breaks in their guard to dash behind hill after hill. Eventually, we stood right at the base of the wall, pushing ourselves against it. The only entrance was a large opening in the front, which would surely be guarded. We dashed in and killed those guards silently. My heart stopped as I realized that their armor bore the same violet helm as the pegasi earlier had. I shook myself away. If there was anything to be found here, it would be found after we rescued the filly. In the center of the structure was a wooden longhouse. That must have been were they were keeping her. We dashed across the courtyard and into the house. We were met by five ponies, I thought. There were four normal unicorns, two mares and two stallions. But the fifth one was unlike anything I had seen in my three day memory. It looked like an earth pony, but was completely covered in red and gold armor. Heat waves coming off of it distorted the back wall of the house. Upon closer inspection, I realized that its eyes were two spheres of of white-hot flames. When it spoke, it sounded as if the earth itself were talking to us. "We have been expecting you," it boomed. I was sure it would alert the guards outside. "Who are you?" I asked in reply. "It does not matter, for now you will die." It turned to the other unicorns. "Kill them." Then, it disappeared in a small explosion. It was a miracle the house didn't catch on fire. My eyes dashed about the room, searching for the filly. If this was going to be a fight, I didn't want her getting caught in the crossfire. I finally spotted a trapdoor leading underground and figured she must be there. Turning my attention back to the unicorns in front of us, I drew my sword and knife. My mind went into hyper focus mode, slowing down the world. I immediately flung my knife at one of them, landing it in his shoulder. The mares had their swords out, and the other stallion was lancing magic beams at Cadet, who was dodging them expertly. The stallion I had injured shot at me, and only barely missed. One of the mares was running at me, ready to strike. I used her momentum to disarm her, but she was quick to recover. As I swung my own sword, she regained her balance and weapon, blocking my strike, which would have gone through her neck. I felt a searing pain in my back right hoof as one of the stallions magic blasts hit me. I dared not turn my back on the mare, but keeping my back to him might be just as deadly. Before I could choose, the mare disappeared in a flash of light. I turned around just in time for her to cut right into my cloak. At least they weren't on opposite sides of me now. Then I had a thought, and I dashed over towards Cadet's battle. She was on the run, just trying to avoid their attacks. I glanced behind me and saw the stallion's horn glowing, ready to fire again. Perfect, I thought to myself. Cadet's mare noticed me just in time for me to pick her up with my magic and put her in between me and my stallion. His magic lance pierced her head and left a hole that I could put my hoof through. Speaking of which, my injured hoof stopped me from running any longer, and I collapsed. The other stallion turned to me and was about to fire when Cadet nearly decapitated him. I was about to thank her when the other mare tackled her, her horn penetrating Cadet's armor. My heart dropped, sight narrowed, and my hearing failed. My magic acted without my mind's help, lifting the three swords in the room: Cadet's, the dead mare's, and my own. Then, with all my might, I thrust them at the mare and impaled her three times. There was so much force in it that her body traveled with the swords and stuck into the wall of the longhouse. Before I could think about it, I got up, turned to the wounded stallion, pulled the knife out of his shoulder, and slammed it into his forehead. Nopony hurts my friend, my mind finally had time to say. My blind rage wasn't clearing, but what logic I had told me to block the doors. that little rumble would bring every last guard down on us. I picked up everything in the room, which wasn't much, and stacked them against the door. there were only a few chairs and a table, but it would have to do. Then I turned to my friend. She was lying against the far wall, and she was bleeding badly. I kneeled down next to her. "What was that? I didn't know you were that good," she said in a slightly weak voice. I looked around for something to stop the bleeding, and turned to the stallions' cloth armor. I cut long strips from it and carefully wrapped them around her wound. "Stay here, I'll go get the filly," I told her, holding the anger in my voice back. "You think I'm gonna let you save the day by yourself? 'Cause you'd be mistaken," she said confidently. The she got up, winced at the pain, and smiled at me. All I could do was nod. We stepped down the stairs and into a average sized room. We were surprised to find two more unicorns in black silk robes that still bore the violet helm, one on either side of a glowing circle. In the center was the filly, a small grey one with a rust-colored mane. She had a blank expression on her face and brilliant violet irises. The unicorns had not moved, their eyes closed and horn pointing at the filly and glowing the same violet as the circle. I merely had to look at Cadet for her to understand what I wanted her to do. She nodded. We positioned ourselves by one unicorn each and simultaneously gave them a hard bash over the head with our hooves. They were knocked out cold. The circle disappeared and the filly's legs gave out. Cadet caught her. She was out for a minute before her eyes opened and she spoke in a small voice. "Th-they were talking t-to me, telling me to join-n them," she said weakly and shuttering. "They told m-me that they were going to f-fix the world, that everything would turn out ok-kay. They said they n-needed my help. I t-tried to resist, b-but it was s-so so hard." They were brainwashing her. They were twisting her mind to be the same as theirs. They were using some of the sickest magic to persuade an innocent filly to join them in their vile attacks and curse her life to be nothing more that a stain on ponykind. My rage was building. One of the unicorns was waking up. As soon as I heard him stir, I lifted him with my magic and held him against the wall by his neck. "Who are you?" I screamed at him. Calmly, he replied, "We are all the Helm, and we are here to help." I blinked. His cryptic bullshit wasn't going to throw me off. "Let's try this another way: Who do you work for?" I pressed on. "We were born of our great lord, the Violet Helm, but we are one with him," he said with what sounded like obedience. "And where can I find this 'Violet Helm'?" "For you, nowhere." That threw me off. So these ponies DID know who I was. "Why not?" "We know of your legacy, and the Helm tells us to hate and fear you. The Helm is never wrong." So I had a reputation to be afraid of. That didn't explain why these were the only ponies to know of me. In fact, it made it seem stranger. I kept going. "You don't sound very afraid." "No, for I am already joining the Helm again." Before I could process that statement, his eyes closed and he stopped breathing. He was dead. I let his body drop to the floor. My mind was ablaze, trying to decipher what he had told me. I only came to one conclusion: I would find the Violet Helm, and destroy him. "You two stay down here, and do not come out until I come to get you," I told Cadet and the fill, trying my hardest to hold back my anger. "And keep an eye on that other one. I want him alive." They nodded, probably out of fear. I stepped out of the basement room and closed the hatch behind me. I knew that the outside unicorns must be waiting for me to come out so they could ambush me, but that wasn't going to happen. I stood behind the barricaded door and my horn flared with bright orange light. It began getting hotter and hotter, and my horn grew brighter and brighter, until I released all of my built up energy right at the door. A lance of pure fire hit the barricade and exploded outward with smoke, magical energy, and burning pieces of wood. The longhouse was caught in the blaze. They probably shouldn't have made their base entirely out of dry wood. I had taken out two of them with the explosion, one had been injured by burning debris, and all of them were dazed. I pooled motes of flame into magic bolts and fired them at the recovering unicorns. I hit one in the chest and her armor melted into liquid metal, which burned her severely as it dripped. She cried out in agony, and I didn't feel the slightest bit sorry for her. The other unicorns had dodged my fire and were already running at me. One was shooting magic bolts and the other floated a sword beside him. With another flare of magic, sharp and flaming wooden beams shot at them like a barrage of arrows. The magic wielder threw up a shield just in time, but the swordspony wasn't as lucky. He was quite thoroughly skewered. I had three left. My next target was the one with the shield. I picked up the sword and heated it up until it was glowing red. I saw the fear in her eyes as I slashed through the shield like it was air. The blade caught in her shoulder, where I left it. The searing metal burned and tortured her as she screamed for mercy. When I am done, you will know what pain is, I thought, projecting it into their minds. I turned to the injured pony, who had a wooden bar stuck through his leg. My horn glowed once more as I focused on his blood. He began to squirm and twitch and cry in pain. His blood was boiling inside of him, cooking him from the inside. His screams got louder and louder until his eyes, mouth, ears, nose and every other opening in his body stared pouring with red liquid. After a few minutes, he looked like nothing more than a huge pony-shaped scab. Finally, I walked up to the pony with the molten chest piece. She had fallen onto her haunches and looked up at me pleadingly. I looked into her eyes and felt her fear, her absolute terror pass through my body. I drew my sword from the now dead mare's body and raised it above my head. Her eyes widened even more. Then, as I was about to strike, my mind stopped. I looked up from the unicorn at the scene around me. Flames roared and cracked all around me, burning the fortress to the ground. For a moment, I saw the unicorn camp from my dream. I felt the same heat. Then I looked back down at the unicorn and saw the helpless soldier silently begging for mercy. My rage subsided, and I sheathed my sword. I turned around and made my decision. "Go," I said forcefully. "Tell your master what happened here, and that Firebrand is coming. Tell him that Firebrand will destroy him. Now leave before I change my mind." A moment later, I heard her gallop away. I stood there in the heat and watched the fire destroy what was left. And it began to rain. ****** I joined Cadet and the filly, as well as the unconscious unicorn, whom Cadet had bound, gagged, and blindfolded. She explained that it was the same tactic they used to capture unicorn soldiers. They can't cast a spell on something they can't see. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I could feel the pain in my leg again. It stung. Greatly. I could barely walk with it, and I was off balance and clumsy without it. Though, to be fair, I was probably the most able to travel. Cadet had the wound in her side, which I had redressed after my rampage. The filly was too weakened by the spell to even stand. The only one in any condition to travel was our prisoner. We were regretting our decision to leave the wagon behind. With some discussion, we decided to spend the night in the underground chamber. "Firebrand?" Cadet called from behind me. I turned to her and saw the little grey earth pony hiding behind Cadet's legs. "Somepony wants to tell you something." She looked at the filly and nodded toward me. Slowly and cautiously, she stepped out from her cover. I thought if I kneeled, I would be less menacing. "Thank you, Mister Firebrand, for saving me," she said with barely a squeak. I gave her a soft smile. "And may I ask the name of this brave, strong little filly whom I had the honor of rescuing?" I spoke just as softly. "Rivet," she said with a bit more confidence. "Well, Miss Rivet, I have much to thank you for. And for that, ask anything of me, and I will endeavor to fulfill your request. Your wish is my command." Her face light up like a sunrise. I was startled to find her eyes were green, rather than violet. I brushed it aside, assuming it was a side effect of the spell. I glanced up at Cadet and saw her smile at me. "Now, if you'll allow me, I need to speak to my friend." I stood up and walked to the other side of the room, leaving her to jump around in glee. "Thank you," Cadet said. "Now, what happened outside?" I told her about the slaughter and destruction just above ground. She listened respectfully, but I could tell she was horrified by my grim tale. After I was done, she took a long moment before speaking again. "Let's hope we don't come across these guys again," she said. The unease in her voice betrayed her confident expression. She decided to change the subject and turned her head towards Rivet. "Do you think she'll be okay? Nopony that young should have to go through what she did today." "She certainly won't forget this day, but I think she'll be fine. She's strong, and I envy her for that," I replied truthfully. My mind went back to a few minutes earlier, when I let my anger take over. I shook myself out of it. "Anyways, what kind of food do we have?" ****** I took the first watch shift. I was tired from fighting and playing with Rivet, but I had to sort my thoughts. I went to arrange what I had learned about the Helm. It seemed almost like a cult from what the one unicorn had said. He had said they wanted to help, but with what? I couldn't be sure, but I could be sure that if I needed to find anypony, it was their master. They worshipped their master like a god, but he couldn't be. He was just a pony, right? I couldn't quite convince myself. I had also learned they knew who I was, which gave me even more reason to find them. I was to be feared, and, based on what I had done to those outside, for good reason. If I could do that, I don't know how I wasn't the most feared pony in Materia. Though, perhaps I was, and nopony knew what I looked like. I thought of my dream and how I, no, he had killed everypony in the camp. I still refused to accept that we were the same pony, even after what happened outside. They had known I was coming. We were being watched, maybe even right now. That didn't add up. If they had known I was coming, and that I was to be feared, why hadn't they prepared? Had they underestimated me? Was this a trap? A test? It seemed like I knew less than when I had started. I looked at my injured leg. I had cleaned and wrapped it in bandages, but it still hurt. I looked at Cadet. Her side was still in bade shape, but her leg was fully healed. She didn't need a doctor for that anymore, but her side was in much worse shape. I looked at Rivet. Her stomach was slowly rising and falling with her breath. She was lying on my cloak a mere foot away from Cadet. I thought of her mother, worried sick and believing I was one of those who had kidnapped her. I thought of my natural affinity to fire and what it had to do with my past. I thought of the silence of the night and how the world again seemed almost normal. I thought of Cadet, whom I had so selfishly dragged into my quest. I thought of the Helm, who preys on innocent and young children. I thought of my dreams and what they might have to do with my past, or future. I thought of all those I had killed and what my reasons for doing so were. And with all these thoughts came tears. Tears for the fallen, tears for the broken, tears for the weakened, tears for the lost. But no tears for myself. Cadet must have heard me, though I'm not sure how. She put her hoof on my shoulder and gave me a look like she was trying to understand, but it could wait until morning. She nodded towards my bed roll. I mouthed a thank you to her and laid down on it. I closed my eyes and my mind wandered. I imagined a world without war or fear. I imagined a place where fillies and colts could play without being threatened or attacked. I was almost lost to this imaginary place when something brought me back to reality. It was small, but strong. When I opened my eyes again, Rivet had curled up right against my side. She was my anchor; if she hadn't been there, I might never have left my mind. This little filly was the world to me. She was my hope and my purpose. At that moment, I silently vowed that I would do anything to make the world better for her, and her alone. ****** I dreamt of death. Piles of bodies surrounded me. I walked between them on scorched ground. A few of the piles were burning, and the smell was horrendous. I saw that the piles were organized, with some being only unicorns, some only earth ponies, and only a few containing pegasi. Most were wearing their respective factions' armor, but I also saw what looked like regular parents and their children. "How many will die while you rest?" A mighty voice spoke. It seemed to come from all directions at the same time and felt like it was crushing my head. I looked around me. There were hundreds of bodies going in all directions. I kept walking and happened upon a small pile of ponies wearing Violet Helm armor. "How many will die by your hoof?" I recognized them as the ponies in the fortress I had killed, though I noticed that the one I had sent away wasn't there. I kept walking. Finally, I found a live pony. It was Rivet. I ran up to her and hugged her. She collapsed into me and began crying. "How many will you save?" I looked up and around. Was I really that useless? Hundreds dead, and I saved one. Did I actually stand a chance? I felt like I was about to cry, too. Then another pony put their hoof on my shoulder. I looked up to find a familiar face. Cadet. "How many will join you?" I drew strength from the friendly face. I stood up and put Rivet on my back. We turned away from the field of bodies and stared over the scorched and dead landscape. The sounds of battle rang out from some far off place. "Your actions will determine far more than your own fate. Choose wisely." I finally had enough of listening to whatever this was. "Who are you?" I called out. There was a long pause. "A friend." I wanted to ask more, but the world was fading. Everything started getting blurry and disappearing. "Go. The world needs you." The world fell away from me and I was plunged into darkness. ****** When I woke up, I knew something was wrong. Cadet was gone and Rivet was in the corner. I was about to ask what was happening, but Rivet put her hoof over her mouth, signaling me to be quiet. Then she pointed to the hatch. I figured that must be where Cadet was. I nodded and started climbing the stairs to leave. Rivet tried to signal something else, but I couldn't tell what it was. At least, not until I popped out of the hatch. Cadet was standing between me and a group of earth pony soldiers. In the front of them was a grey pony with a brown mane. He was slender and had a serious expression. His cutie mark was scroll. One of the soldiers got his attention and pointed me out to him. Initially, he was surprised to see me, then he looked at Cadet angrily, who then looked at me and gave an exasperated sigh. Oh shit, said my inner voice. I mirrored it with my mouth. Rivet burst out of the hatch repeatedly yelling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I tried to stop him, I promise!" I caught her a got her to be quiet. "What the hell is going on here?" the grey pony yelled. "I would also like to know that," I blurted out. Cadet looked like she was about to say something, but the grey pony interrupted her. "We saw an enormous cloud of smoke coming from this location and we came to investigate," he said. "It appears we've also managed to find a missing filly and capture a unicorn." "You mean the one inside? He's already tied up for you," I responded. "Oh? In that case, we've caught two unicorns." So that's what this is about. "And what makes you think what makes you think I'm going to let you catch me?" "I already have." "You and what army?" Cadet exploded. "STOP!" I hadn't realized it, but that whole time, me and the grey pony were progressively stepping towards each other. I was nearly butting heads with him (which would have been more painful for him). We each took a few steps back. "Who is this self-righteous asshole?" I asked. Cadet looked at me and responded,"That 'self-righteous asshole' is Senator Marsh." Cue Oh shit part two. ****** The senator and his soldiers brought us all back to Glen and returned Rivet to her mother. No doubt they told her they rescued her. I didn't care about getting credit for it; I was just happy she was safe. Currently, both Cadet and I were being questioned. They said she was suspicious for "interacting with a unicorn outside of her assignment." Total bullshit if you ask me. I was having the time of my life pissing off the senator. He really didn't like me answering "I don't know" to all of his questions, even if it was true. He kept asking about my past like where I came from, what I was originally doing in the Earth Republic, other ponies he could contact that might know about me, et cetera. When he finally came to the past few days, I still stalled before answering just to frustrate him. I was as truthful as possible, but I danced around telling him about the Helm. That was a personal mission, and they were dangerous. I didn't want any more ponies to get hurt because of them. "Alright, we're done," he said finally. He pulled a paper bedside him and signed it. "Here is your Order of Allowance. This will let you go anywhere in the Republic without being arrested. You can pick up your stuff when you leave." I thanked him and floated it to me. Then, I left the room as slowly as possible. It was all I could do to not laugh my ass off when he started banging his head on the table. Cadet was waiting for me outside. She looked like she had been waiting a while. She didn't have to go through all the "I don't know" questions like me. They had all of that information already. "How much trouble are you in?" I asked casually. "One more offense and they'll discharge me," she replied. "Would that really be so bad?" She smiled at me. "Other than not having a job, no." I smiled back. "Well, you could always come with me." "We'll see." We began walking to the exit. A guard was standing by the door with my stuff. I put it all on and began to walk away, but he hooked his hoof under mine and tripped me. I very ungracefully fell on my face. He snickered. Two can play at that game, I thought as I magically unstrapped his armor. I got up and waited just long enough to watch somepony call him over and him crash into the ground with quite a lot of noise. Everypony in the building would have heard that. I always get the last laugh. We left city hall and stepped into the Forum once again. It was midday; the questioning had taken all morning. The Forum was filled with ponies. Some were preforming, some were peddling their wares, some were shopping around, some were simply talking. I guessed that as soon as somepony saw so much as cloud, it would quickly turn into a ghost town. As we walked, ponies gave me glares and stepped out of my way. It was like walking through a lake and the water was trying to avoid you. No earth pony wanted to be that close to a unicorn. None but Cadet. We made it to the gate and turned to each other. "So I guess this is where we part ways," she said with a hint of sorrow. "Where will you go?" I asked. I did not want to see her leave. "I need to go to Farmville to find Captain Bridge. I am still assigned to him." I nodded. "I will go to Pastern, then Acreage before leaving the Republic. From there, it's strait to Castor." She nodded in return. Then she hugged me. "Goodbye," I said slowly. "We'll meet again." "Promise?" "Promise."