Umbratara: The Garden of Shadows

by Kipakuta

Bohaymia

"Whatcha doing there, Wordsmith?" Starsong inquired of a magenta earth pony.

Cheerilee set her mouthpen down, then looked to Starsong. "I'm keeping a log of our trip, since I can't use the video camera."

"What I did on my Summer Vacation, by Cheerilee LaRoulette." the pegasus teased.

Cheerilee walked over to the pegasus. "I think I've done enough of those reports when I was in school."

Starsong grinned. "Yeah, with Celestia and Luna as your classmates."

"Oh come on, I'm only three years older than you."

Starsong giggled. "I know, I just enjoy teasing you."

"Why don't you go down and check on Toola Roola." Cheerilee suggested.

"Yes master!" Starsong adopted a cheesy tone, before heading below decks. She arched her back and dragged one backleg as she walked.

An armored pegasus ambled over to Cheerilee. "Is she always that eccentric?"

"She's always been impulsive and forward," Cheerilee replied. "Could be because her older sister has a weather aversion."

The soldier frowned. "That's rather unusual for a pegasus."

Cheerilee looked out towards the horizon. noticing some clouds moving quickly across the sky. "I think that Thistle would have a panic attack in a place like this."

The soldier cleared his throat. "You remember the plan?"

Cheerilee nodded. "Yes, we'll have 100 sheets of enchanted paper, and you'll stay behind in Prahay with the receiving point. We report in every morning and every evening, and whenever we have something significant for her Highness. If you haven't heard from us after a period of twenty four hours, you're to assume that the mission is a failure." she sighed. "And both Ponyville and Chateau LaRoulette will be notified of our disappearances."

"Cheer up. You'll at least be a hero in your hometown." The pegasus said.

"It just seems so final." Cheerilee replied. "No offense, but MIA and KIA are for soldiers, not-"

"Troubadours?" The pegasus offered. "Sorry, that's what your cover story is supposed to be."

Cheerilee chuckled. "Yes, thank you, um..."

"Just address me as soldier, ma'am." The pegasus said. "It keeps things professional, and makes unpleasant events easier to deal with."

"And there goes my confidence again." Cheerilee snarked. She walked over to the bow of the Zeppelin. As the aircraft passed over the hills that served as a border between Reiten and Bohaymia, Cheerilee felt a sensation akin to something scraping her bones. "Ah, What the buck?!"

The pegasus hurried over to the earth pony as she collapsed. "Easy there, miss. What you just felt is one of the effects of the Maelstrom." He helped her to her hooves. "It's eerie, but harmless. First timers are often freaked out by it." He guided Cheerilee over to the hatch.

The sound of somepony running up the steps caught their attention. Starsong emerged from the hatch. "We gotta turn this ship around right now!" she yelled.

"Starsong, calm down." Cheerilee replied. "We just passed into the Maelstrom. The guard explained it to me."

Starsong looked to the armored pegasus. "Does it always shut down a unicorn's magic?"

The soldier rubbed an ear. "Normally no, but I'm assuming you mean your friend Toola Roola." Starsong nodded. "It might have something to do with-"

"-The Blessing of Luna." came a soft voice from the bottom of the stairway. Toola Roola trod lightly up the stairs, then onto the deck. "I understand now why my ancestors left. The mana was attuned to Princess Luna, and is drawn to her resonance. Her gift to the Roani."

"Wild magic I can deal with." Cheerilee stated. "I've been in the Everfree before, but that was nothing like this." She swept a hoof to indicate the sky.

The rest of the voyage passed in silence.

After the Zeppelin docked at Prahay's airship tower, Cheerilee, Starsong, and Toola Roola unloaded their gear, then looked up one of their contacts. It was a short walk to the two-story house in the southern section of the city. Toola Roola knocked on the door, and a panel in the upper half of the door opened inward. "Máte schůzku?" [1] a yellow pony inquired.

"Ne, to je překvapení inspekce." [2] Starsong replied, drawing her Concierge staff. "Otevřete dveře, drop kalhoty, otočit hlavu, a kašel." [3]

"Who sent you?" the pony lowered her voice to a whisper. Toola Roola presented her father's staff. The doorpony's eyes went wide and she shut the panel. There was a sound of a chain being undone, then the door opened. The pony, now revealed to be a pegasus waved them inside. They entered, bringing their luggage with them, then the doorpony closed the door and chained it again. "Follow me, please." She led the group upstairs, then down the hall. They stopped in front of a closed door, and the doorpony knocked on it.

"Ne?" [4] A feminine voice called from within.

"Pani, [5] we have visitors. Three Concierges on behalf of Patron Gilbert." The doorpony answered.

There was a sound of something rustling, a drawer slamming, then the door was yanked open. "Get in here!" A chocolate brown earth pony hissed. They complied. The dark brown mare looked to the yellow pegasus. "Lenka, please bring our guest's luggage to the guest bedroom."

"Yes Pani." the pegasus replied before leaving.

"Matron Nadezda, if we came at a bad time-" Toola Roola began, but the earth pony raised a hoof.

"This is unexpected, yes, but if you have your father's staff, then he..."

"He loaned it to me for my errand." Toola Roola replied. "He is in good health, other than being worried sick about us."

Nadezda breathed a sigh of relief. "All is well then? Then what brings you here?"

"Matron Nadezda. I know you as a Pony of Honor. So what I'm about to show you, I show you in the strict confidence that we are known for." Toola Roola reached into her pack and pulled out a folder marked with the seal of the Moon Princess.

Nadezda's eyes widened. "Princess Luna hired you?! Prevít mi se borovicí!" [6]

"Shall I write that on my to do list?" Starsong quipped.

Nadezda looked at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Ah. No, no. Come, sit down." The earth pony motioned to a couple of black upholstered couches arranged around a low set square black wood table. Cheerilee and Toola Roola sat on one couch, while Starsong and Nadezda sat on the other. "Now, why don't you start at the beginning."

After listening to their story, Nadezda leaned back on the couch "And you agreed to this without doing your research?" She chastised.

"Maybe it was a foolish decision." Toola Roola agreed. "But que sera sera."

"Since you're already here, let me share with you what I know." Nadezda got off the couch and walked over to her desk. She took a couple of binders from one of the drawers and set them on the coffee table. "While you know of the Maelstrom and the Blight, there are some dangers that you and Princess Luna overlooked." She opened one of the binders. "I'll tell you right now that what you think are just folk tales, are very real threats." She unlatched the rings then took out various sheets and passed them around.

"Vamponies, Luquins, and Nickerprancers?" Cheerilee rolled her eyes after reading a few of the sheets. "These things are real?"

Nadezda walked over to her. "I understand your skepticism. All your life you've believed that these monsters were confined to the pages of a book, or the celluloid reels of a movie." She placed a hoof on Cheerilee's shoulder. "But you've already felt it, haven't you?" She returned to her seat. "All three of you. That feeling of something touching your bones, siphoning your innate magic." All three nodded. "Reality is different here. You had best keep that in mind."

"Alright, so we accept these things as real." Cheerilee began. "That means they're physical, tangible. What else?" she looked to Starsong.

"Well, Vamponies need blood to survive." The pegasus recalled. "Silver works against them, Luquins too."

"Our concierge staves are made with silver." Toola Roola pointed out.

"I can supply you with better defenses." Nadezda offered. "We've developed weapons and armor to protect ourselves against the Luquins and Vamponies. Towns are carefully planned so that food and production are protected."

Starsong turned one of the sheets over. "So has anypony been to Nocte Mesta in the last Millenium?"

Nadezda shook her head. "We've been working our way towards it slowly since the start of the 800s. Town by town, so as not to overextend supply chains. Anypony that's spent a night in the wilds unprotected, ends up either dead or turned."

"Turned?" All three of them asked.

"Depending on what got to them, they come back as either a Luquin or a Vampony. Nickerprancers are a different story. They accept ponies who wish to join them, and their magic can be used by earth ponies and pegasi. In a way, they're more dangerous because of their poisoned honey tactics."

"So do they wander the land, or do they keep to certain territories?" Toola Roola asked.

"Yes." Nadezda replied. She took the papers from them, then removed a folding map from the binder. "By charting the attacks and nature of each, we've determined the approximate locations of each menace. The Vamponies seems to be centered in Trotsylvania, the Luquins in Mareavia, and we've tracked the Nickerprancers to their base of operations." She indicated a dot in Western Bohaymia. "Zeranovice, a castle town near the border of Mareravia. Incidentally, there's been a few members of Zadacha in the area as well."

"Zadacha we can handle." Cheerilee stated. "But what can you tell us about Nickerprancers?"

The earth pony matron leaned back against the couch. "Records are kind of spotty because of the panic around the years of Nightmare Moon's reign. The largest cities in each Domain date back to those times, but small towns have been eroded away in the centuries since then. Occasionally we'll come across such an abandoned town out in the wild, but I digress." She reached over to the other binder. "As far as we can tell. The Nickerprancers started with the Hlavic Noble family, and spread from there."

Toola Roola opened the folder containing their mission info and sifted through the papers. "The Hlavics? let's see if there's anything about them...Ah, here we go. A unicorn family that Princess Luna ennobled to oversee the Domain of Bohaymia."

"What is it with Nobles falling from grace?" Cheerilee snarked. "It's like a law of the universe or something."

"Yes, I've heard about the shake-up in Canterlot." Nadezda replied. "A shame that unicorns are so given to the idea of superiority just because of magic. No offence, Young LaRoulette."

"None taken, Matron." Toola Roola replied. "My family works to keep ourselves humble."

There was a knock at the door. "Ne?" Nadezda called out.

"Pani, it's time for afternoon refreshment." Lenka replied.

"Ah. Come in."

Lenka entered, pushing a wooden wheeled cart. On top of the cart was an ornate silver plated coffee pot. From the shelf below the pot, Lenka set out five sets of cups and saucers, as well as two smaller silver pots; one for cream, the other for sugar. She also set down a basket of spoons. Taking the handle of the pot in her mouth, Lenka carefully poured coffee into each cup. She set the pot on the cart, then took a tray of sweetmeats and a stack of cloth napkins from the bottom shelf. After finishing this service, she sat on a cushioned stool opposite Nadezda. "Let us take a pause from business, and enjoy a time of pleasure." Nadezda stated. The group agreed.

An indigo unicorn with a lavender mane peered through a telescope aimed at the windows of the house across the road. She wished that she could use her remote listening and watching spells, but such magic was likely to be sensed by the unicorn in the group that she was watching. Using her magic to take notes however, was acceptable, so she wrote her observations in a notebook.

The dark brown earth pony had been figured as a community leader, but other than spying on her employers, there had been no reason to bother with her. The other three seemed to be envoys from Eastern Equestria, having arrived on the Zeppelin with Lunar Guard Soldiers. Their presence suggested that Luna had taken an interest in the land again, but what that meant for the indigo unicorn's bosses was still unknown.

"Zimolez." A harsh echoing voice called out behind her. The unicorn whirled around and looked at the source. A covered mirror that rested in one corner of the room. She walked over and lifted the sheet covering the mirror, revealing the image of a black alicorn whose hooves, horn, wings, mane and tail were wreathed in teal fire. ~"Ah, there you are."

~"Forgive me Queen Bozena, I was not expecting to hear from you directly." Zimolez bowed. ~"I'm still in the middle of gathering information."

~"What do you have so far, my faithful subject?"

~"Three ponies arrived from Praeclara Terra, accompanied by soldiers under the banner of Luna. Two of them appear to be Zigany, a unicorn and an earth pony. The third, a pegasus, is of uncertain origin. They've made contact with one Miss Vlcek, who we know has a lot of influence among the towns of Bohaymia. None of the three appear to be soldiers, politicians, or high society ponies."

~"What is their business here? Are they perhaps spies for Luna?" The alicorn looked at something to the side. ~"But if we could acquire the Zigany, that would greatly please Lord Zernaba."

~"But what about-"

~"Don't worry about the old witch. We merely have to keep her occupied and distracted for a time." The alicorns' eyes flared briefly with a teal light. "Zimolez. ~Your assignment is to approach these three, befriend them somehow, then get as much as you can from them."

~"Yes, my Queen." Zimolez bowed. The image of the alicorn faded, replaced with Zimolez' own reflection. She covered the mirror again, then returned to the telescope. A quick glance through it revealed that the room in the other house was empty. She went over to the window, and peered into the street below. The group was gathered outside and seemed to be headed to the business district in the center of the city. The unicorn retrieved a basket from her parlour, then left under the guise of going shopping.

"She's creepy and she's kooky, mysterious and spooky, she's all together ooky, she's my friend Cheerilee." The mentioned earth pony had a face that was noticeably redder than her magenta colored fur. This was the third song that the pegasus had altered to include references to either her or Toola Roola.

"Starsong." The pink unicorn began, noticing her spouse's expression. "I think Cheerilee would like a little quiet." The pegasus pouted, but silenced herself. Toola Roola's horn flared briefly as she tried to use magic, but the energy was siphoned off before she could shape it into a useful form. With a grunt of frustration, she stopped and reached into her saddlebags to pull out a list. "First thing we need is dried fruit." She lowered the list and looked around the market in the town square. "See anyplace that would sell that?"

"Hey Toola Roola, check this out!" Starsong called from one of the booths. She held up a statue made from colored beads on a wireframe. "Think we could get one of ourselves?"

"Starsong, we don't have the time or money for-" Cheerlee started, but was cut off.

"Ooh, hats!" The pegasus dashed over to another booth where an earth pony was selling hoof-knitted snood-caps.

"Pardon me." A voice called from behind Cheerilee and Toola Roola. They turned to see an indigo unicorn. "Your friend, she seems very...exhuberant."

"She's a hoofful sometimes. " Cheerilee replied. "But she's still our friend."

"Ah, you are new in town, yes?" Toola Roola nodded. "We don't get Zigany, usually. They used to live here ah, many years ago."

"I can see why they left." Toola Roola stated. "Their magic stopped working after Princess Luna's banishment."

"Terrible tragedy, that." The indigo unicorn replied. "But you are...?"

"We're traveling troubadours." Cheerilee chimed in, using the cover story that the Princess helped them devise. "Wandering the land in search of songs and stories."

"And Umbratara is certain to be a treasure trove of ancient legends, no?" Toola Roola added. "A land left leaderless for a millenium."

"There are ah, many stories here." The other unicorn replied. "If you come by my house later, I could share them with you."

"Cool, where you living at?" Starsong asked, having flown back over upon spotting the unicorn talking to her friends.

"I live across the lane from ah, Miss Vlcek." She replied before heading to a flower booth.

"Oh, by the way. I found the fruit shops." Starsong told her friends. "It's the third row in the center," she pointed.

A pair of unicorns walked along the streets of a mostly empty city. One was dark red, and wore a business suit. The other was pale white, and wore a black robe. ~"I've been told that your new weapon is an improvement of your old designs." The pale unicorn said to her companion.

The business pony nodded. ~"Yes, fortunately my underlings listened to me, and made copies of the plans from Vault's Vale. We at least have something to work with."

~"So it could work to deliver a projectile that injects a liquid into a subject?" The pale pony asked as they entered a warehouse.

~"I'm thinking that we could somehow modify a syringe to withstand being launched from the pipe. Once that's done, we can work on mass production." The business pony removed the sheet that was covering a workbench. ~"I've never seen a metal quite like this. Stronger and lighter than iron, it can withstand much more accelerate than other materials. It's perfect for our needs."

~"Yes, well, you know these modern devices better than us." The pale unicorn replied. ~"We'll work on the new plagues."

~"Just don't forget our deal."

~"Don't worry. We'll break your lady out of the Mountains of Madness." The pale unicorn levitated the device with an aura of teal magic. ~"So what is the range that you have achieved with this?"

~"Tests with another such device have shown that we can launch a bullet over a distance of 500 strides. Accuracy is still being worked out."

~"Ah, my queen will be pleased to hear that." The pale pony replied.

~"No offense." The business pony began. ~"But why do you still cling to such a backwards idea?"

The pale pony grinned. ~"The power she wields is a testament to the strength of her will. Surely that is something you can support." She set the tube down again.

~"Yeah." The business pony replied. ~"Is there anything else you need from us?"

The pale unicorn raised a hoof. ~"The coven would like to see a demonstration tonight. Just to get an idea behind the power of the projectile."

The business pony nodded. ~"I'll need to make some more powder, but I can show you all how it works."

Upon hearing a knock at the door, Zimolez hurried to the parlour, and peered through a peephole. Spotting the trio from earlier, she opened the door. "Ah, the troubadours. Do come in." They entered. "Shall I take your canes?" She indicated the staves that they carried on their backs.

"No, we prefer to keep these with us." Cheerilee replied. "It's a comforting affectation."

"Very well. Ah, I have a library this way." Zimolez lead them down a short hallway then into a room with a couple of bookshelves along each wall. In the center was a single padded chair, with a table and a footstool next to it. Tall candelabras in each corner provided a low illumination "Forgive the accommodations, I don't receive many guests." the indigo unicorn apologized.

"Is this your whole collection?" Toola Roola asked, motioning a hoof to indicate the shelves.

"Yes. Ah, I haven't looked through all of it yet, since some of it was bequeathed as an inheritance."

Toola Roola nodded, then started browsing one of the shelves. "Do you have any accounts of Vamponies, Luqins, or other monsters?"

Zimolez walked over to Toola Roola. "I have heard of an old witch who travels in a hut with wooden legs."

"Baba Yaga?" Starsong asked. "Is she real, I mean, really real?"

Zimolez turned and nodded to the pegasus. "She is, and she steals foals for her stew."

"She's an evil enchantress, and she does evil dances." The pegasus began. Cheerilee elbowed her in the ribs. "Ow."

Zimolez gave Starsong a confused look. "You make jokes about her? She is not to be trifled with." She turned to the bookcase. "Here." she said, pulling out a worn book. "This is a journal left by ah, a former guest." She passed the book to Toola Roola.

The pink unicorn looked over to Cheerilee. "'Lee. Why don't you and our host go prepare a meal, and share stories."

"Oh, certainly." the earth pony replied. She and Zimolez left the room.

Starsong walked over to Toola Roola and whispered. "Ok, what's up?"

"Hmm?" Toola Roola replied while tilting books at random.

"Toola Roola, I know you. You wouldn't have sent Cheerilee away unless you needed a distraction."

Toola Roola moved over to one side of the bookcase. "You know how The LaRoulette mansion has hidden rooms and passages?"

"Yeah, you, me and Cheerilee used to explore them when we were younger, but-" realization dawned. "Ohhhh. You think there's one here."

The pink unicorn paced a bit. "I noticed that the ambiance is off. The furniture isn't arranged in a comforting manner. This case has less dust than the others." She pointed to a spot on the rug. "And what about these indentations?"

Starsong peered. "Good eye. Yeah, something was here recently, but what?" She looked around the room. "Chair, table, candle holder, stepstool..."

"Could you bring the stepstool over?" Toola Roola asked. Starsong pushed it over to the spot. Toola Roola got on, and looked at the shelf that was now accessible. "Ah, here we go. A fake book." She tugged it, and there was a muffled click from behind the bookcase. Pushing against it, Toola Roola felt the bookcase swivel around the middle, stopping after a stride.

Starsong peered into the gap behind the bookcase. "You were right, there's a staircase that goes up." She carefully made her way up, testing each step to make sure that it wouldn't creak. At the top of the stairs, she found a small room. There was a telescope at the window, some old wooden furniture, rusty tools and a sheet covering something in one corner of the room.

"Looks to be a storage room of some sort," she whispered down the staircase. "There's a buncha junk up here."

"Why would somepony hide the entrance to a storage room?" Toola Roola whispered back.

"Gotcha, I'm looking for loot now." Starsong replied. She looked under and inside some of the furniture, checking for hidden panels in obvious spots. Coming up empty hooved, she looked to the sheet in the corner. "Maybe." She crept over and lifted the edge of the sheet to look. "I found a mirror. It's got a blue metallic frame, decorated with jewels and runes." She stroked a hoof along the bottom of the frame, brushing over bluish-green gem which sparkled at her touch. The image in the mirror shimmered and changed to show another room that looked to be lavishly decorated. "Hey, I think it's a magic mirror."

She could hear some voices coming from some ponies who sounded like they were outside of the room. She poked at the glass, finding that it still existed, preventing her from traveling to the other room. Tapping the gem again, Starsong saw her reflection come back into view. She lowered the sheet, then glided back down the stairway. Together, She and Toola Roola moved the bookcase back into place, then resumed browsing the books.

Cheerilee and Zimolez returned a few minutes later, with a tray of hot dumplings and some mugs of herbal tea. "Did you, ah, find anything useful in your search?" The indigo unicorn asked. "Your friend has told me of a fascinating invention that allows ponies to send their words through the air, to special boxes."

"Oh yeah. Radio." Starsong replied. "It's very useful for sharing stories with a wide audience."

"And this radio, could we make it work here?"

"Sure, all we have to do is remove the Maelstrom. Then we can install the tech for it."

"IIt seems that we have missed out on much, on account of the Maelstrom. But come, eat." Zimolez motioned to the dumplings. Toola Roola, Starsong, and Cheerilee helped themselves.

Princess Luna raised her head as a group of ponies entered the throne room. Tied around the base of their tails, were silver tunics bearing the emblem of her cutiemark. "Why are thy vestments worn in such an unorthodox manner?" She inquired.

"Your Majesty," a stallion with a long mustache bowed. "We wear them like this, because the mares and fillies of our tribe wish to preserve their virtue."

"Tis a show of solidarity then! But why is their virtue in need of preservation? Much of ponykind goes hither and yon without concern for whether their nethers are covered."

"Our females have found themselves in uncomfortable situations where certain non-Zigany stallions initiate unwanted intimacy." Luna looked aghast. "And when such advances are refused, without stallions such as myself to intervene, the females find themselves pursued, beaten, or worse."

"Such horrendous acts must certainly be punished!" Luna stood up. "Point us to these bandits and brigands, than we may correct their behavior!"

"Your Majesty." A chartreuse unicorn waved for her attention. "They would be difficult to find without a known location." Luna calmed down.

"Good sooth, Chancellor! But we still seek to prevent further occurrences of these actions! No pony should have to live in fear for their well-being!"

"Wearing our tunics as a tail decoration seems to be working." One of the Zigany mares spoke up. "They prevent prying eyes from seeing the prize that they seek."

"Though they are ill-suited for the task!" Luna observed. "The ends do drag along the ground, gathering dust! We shall see to it that thee receiveth proper decorum! Chancellor Mimeze!" The chartreuse unicorn stood at attention. "This shall be the new uniform for the Zigany! A length of silver fabric equal to one stride and a width of one hoof-length! The ends of this fabric shall bear a likeness of Our cutie mark!" Mimeze wrote this order on a scroll.

"These things are such a pain, how do you manage them?" Cheerilee griped, attempting to tie a ribbon around her tail. "Why do we even wear them?"

Toola Roola helped out by holding part of the fabric in a loop so Cheerilee could tie it into a bow. "Well, from what I've heard, it's because there were complaints about the Roa being called tempters and inciting bad behavior in others."

"So they opted to tie ribbons around their tails to cover their rears." Cheerilee mused.

"In both senses of the phrase, yes." The unicorn finished the bow, then Cheerilee helped Toola Roola with her ribbon. They had little trouble with the headscarves, since it was easier to reach the back of their own heads. Downstairs, they met with Starsong and Nadezda, Lenka had been sent out on a morning errand.

Nadezda lead them down to the basement. "Since I can't dissuade you from your assignment, I can at least equip you for the journey."

Matron Nadezda. You've been a wonderful host and we thank you for letting us stay the night." Cheerilee began. "But we really should be traveling light."

The chocolate colored earth pony opened a crate, revealing a leg mounted, spring-driven mechanical bow and a few bundles of silverhead arrows. "Mine!" Starsong declared.

"You know how to use it?"

"I'm well read on various weapons. Got books about them from a specialty store." the pegasus replied. "Just pull the rack back with your teeth, put the arrow in, point, and fire. The whole thing can be done in three seconds."

Nadezda lifted the springbow out and passed it to Starsong. She attached it to her left leg, then did a dry fire. "You wouldn't happen to have any bowsmiths in the country, would you?"

"Of course. Any smith in our organization should be able to repair it if it breaks. And we have hidden a few silver mines around, so you can replenish your supply." Nadezda opened another crate, revealing a set of armor. "Now this." she began. "Is one of the spare sets that we keep." Nadezda pointed out certain features. "You got your helmet, crinelle, peytral, back cover, and greaves. Of course if you plan on using the springbow, you'll have to leave off the cover for that leg. Silver-coated aluminum. It'll hurt Luquins and Vamponies, but it won't hold up against a heavy assault."

"So it's not useful for an all out attack." Cheerilee mused. "It's not like we'll be storming the castle."

Nadezda looked to Cheerilee. "Why not? There aren't anymore ponies living in or around it. The real danger is in getting to the castle."

"So we have a bit of defense against predators. I suppose we could take turns with a night guard." Cheerilee mused. "But I haven't trained with a weapon."

"I've also arranged for you to have a camping vehicle." Nadezda added. "It's much more useful than what you've brought."

"A camping vehicle." Cheerilee deadpanned. "I suppose it's useful for carrying more supplies, but that kind of defeats the purpose of traveling light. Besides, what about rough terrain?" Nadezda lead them up a set of stairs to a large wooden structure on the side of her house. Cheerilee's jaw dropped upon seeing what was contained in the structure.

The vehicle was a large rectangular wooden box banded with iron. Looped around the wheels on each side was a chain of wooden strips. The top of the vehicle was covered with an aluminum awning. "We're getting a tank!" Starsong beamed. "Bucking awesome!"

"But how do you move it?" Cheerilee asked.

"Come, I'll show you how to operate this." Nadezda lead them to the 'front' of the vehicle.

"So let me get this straight," one of the pegasi guards began. "She has a working clockwork tank."

"Yep." Toola Roola replied.

The guard turned to the rest of her squad. "Why the buck didn't we think of that?"

"Because our clockwork is only fit for museum displays," one of the other guards replied. "We still use steamtech for parades and festivals, but most of our vehicles are thaumatech."

"Requiring magically imbued crystals." The first guard muttered. "And useless in the Maelstrom."

"I think you gals are overlooking the important thing." Starsong added. "We have, a tank."

"We know! You haven't shut up about it since we got it!" Cheerilee snapped.

Toola Roola patted Cheerilee. "At least there's space for the three of us to sleep inside."

"So it's a camper too," the guard mused. "Does it transform into a giant robot as well?" Cheerilee burst into laughter. "I'm guessing not."

"Yeah, not just that, we also got silver arrows and a springbow." She stood on her hindlegs and mimed. "We meet any monsters? K-thunk, k-thunk, k-thunk!"

"Tell her about the armor." Toola Roola mentioned.

"We got a suit of silver armor. I'm gonna get it tricked out with those fake wings."

"Like the Hussars?" The guard asked

"I am the last Hussarnian!" Starsong shouted, before falling backwards. "Oof." She grunted, landing on her back. The zeppelin swayed under the force of her impact.

"Now, what about your report on Zeranovice? You mentioned Nickerprancers and Objectivists using the town as a base of operations." The guard presented a scroll that Cheerilee had delivered earlier.

The earth pony, having recovered from her laughing fit, went over and helped Starsong back on her hooves. "According to our trusted source, there are ponies in the town who practice forbidden magics. And working in collusion with traitors to the crown."

"Treason, conspiracy, using forbidden magic." Another guard recited, writing on a blank scroll. He retrieved Cheerilee's report from the first guard, wrapped it in the second scroll, then tossed both into a contained flame. "There, with any luck we'll get a reply in about an hour." He stated.

"Bow thy heads and repeat after us." A dark blue alicorn commanded a small group of ponies. They did so. "I."

"I." The ponies repeated.

"Name, pledge my service.:."

They stated their names, then pledged.

"To the ruler of Umbratara."

"To the ruler of Umbratara."

"To abide by the rules..."

"To abide by the rules..."

"...and perform my duties."

"...and perform my duties."

"To take no action..."

"To take no action..."

"...against thy liege."

"...against my liege."

"This thou swears."

"This we swear."

Luna nodded. "Now thou may depart to thine Domain of Bohaymia. We shall visit thee in one fortnight." The group rose then departed.

A black alicorn strode into a room consecrated for rituals. ~"The time of our lord's return draws near." she spoke to the assembled group. ~"Our preparations must be completed before then."

~"Your Majesty." One of the black robed ponies addressed her. ~"The new weapons are ready, and we know how to use them."

~"Indeed and truly," the alicorn replied. ~"And what of the plague that you've been brewing?"

~"My Queen." Another pony replied. ~"We need more test subjects to make sure that it will work as intended."

~"Tonight under the cover of darkness, you are to send a small party to the village of Dobrayny. We will test it on donkeys first. Their endurance will allow you to fine tune the infection speed. Also, assaulting a town so close to the former capital will allow you to test the response of the Lunar guard in the area. We might even get Luna's attention."

~"So whether we succeed or fail, we win?" One of the newer acolytes asked.

The alicorn motioned for the pony to approach. ~"Do you have your doubts about this mission?"

~"N-n-no, My Queen."

~"Then you may lead it." She stated. ~"Do well, and I just might make you my right hoof pony."

~"I will accompany him, as he may need an experienced advisor." The first pony volunteered.

~"Good. Take some of the new weapons with you. Standard projectiles. We'll save the hollow ones for the war on Canterlot."

~"Yes, your Majesty." the two ponies bowed then departed. The alicorn looked to the rest of the group. ~"I will need a second team to retrieve material from the Mountains of Madness. Anti magic weapons and armor will be most useful in the planned assault."

~"Your Majesty." one of the ponies began. ~"I worry about Zeranovice's defenses, if two parties are out at once."

~"Normally I wouldn't be so bold, but these new ponies from the east have proven to be useful. They can serve as my guard while you perform your mission. And if they should balk, I can be very persuasive." She held up a hoof and created a ball of teal fire. The rest of the coven cackled.

Toola Roola pushed a small wooden crate into the camper. "This would be easier if I could levitate stuff." She griped. "But I think we've got everything."

Cheerilee helped move the crate into position. "And one weeks worth of dried food. Water we can get on the way, hopefully." She looked over at the saddlebags. "And all our stuff is here. That, and the silver stuff for defending against the monsters."

"I checked the maps." Toola Roola replied. "With the camper, two days out, and two days back. Even with tonights detour to Zeranovice."

"That's the optimal estimate. I'm still figuring on three days. Four if we encounter any problems" Toola Roola closed the back door while Cheerilee entered the cabin and began driving the camper. "I wonder what's keeping Starsong?"

"She said that she needed to sort something out." The unicorn replied. "So maybe she'll come back soon."

The chocolate brown earth pony walked into the palace of Prahay. She passed through the long foyer, then into the throne room. ~"Prime Minister, if I may have a moment of your time?" She addressed the light orange pegasus seated behind a desk at the base of a broad stairway.

~"Miss Vlcek. Please have a seat." The earth pony settled on one of the padded stools. ~"I'm always willing to take the time to listen to a concerned citizen such as yourself." The pegasus smiled nervously.

~"How do you feel about Princess Luna returning to rule?" Nadezda inquired.

~"If her Majesty wishes to run for Premiership of Umbratara, I'm ok with that." the pegasus replied. ~"As long as she's willing to listen to the citizens, there should be no problem."

~"Yeeeeaaahhhh, no. She's not running for election."

~"An appointed ruler? I don't know if the ponies will go for that..."

~"Prime Minister, need I remind you of how things work around here? For the last two centuries, Bohaymia has had nothing but appointed rulers under the pretense of elections. Before that, it was a bunch of feudalistic towns run by chieftans, living in fear of nocturnal predators."

The pegasus wrung her hooves. ~"Matron Nadezda, if this is about my tenure, I can assure you that I haven't gone against the wishes of-"

~"No no. You're doing fine. But I would like to avoid history repeating itself."

~"Repeating itself?"

~"You remember what happened a millenium ago, when the people refused to listen to their leader?"

The Prime Minister swallowed then licked her lips. ~"Point taken. If Princess Luna wishes to return to power, The Bohaymian Republic will support her."

Nadezda smiled. ~"Thank you, Prime Minister. As a concerned citizen, I want to ensure a peaceful transition to Greater Equestrian Society."

~"Thank you for your time, Citizen." The Prime Minister replied. After the earth pony left, the pegasus looked up the stairway at the dust covered throne. ~"But will Her Majesty allow me to keep my job?" she asked herself.

A purple pegasus with a red and pink mane sat next to a grotesque statue. "Whatcha looking at?" The pegasus asked, peering down at the street below. The statue gave no response. "Not the talkative type. I didn't expect you to be." She reached over and patted the statue on the head. "I'll let you in on a little secret." She leaned over and whispered in its ear. "I'm scared. I mean, really scared."

She lowered herself to lay on the roof. "There's gonna be a battle at Zeranovich. Ponies are gonna get hurt, or worse." She shuddered. "And I don't wanna be in it. I don't want Toola Roola and Cheerilee in it either." She rubbed one of her eyes. "I've been in fights before, but that was against petty thugs and fugitives from justice."

"But if we don't stop them there..." She paused to take a breath. "Then the Nickerprancers are gonna ravage this land. And it won't just stop here, will it?" She looked to the statue. "They'll go over the mountains into Reitland. Then Perch, Caballo, and to Canterlot itself..."

Images of her family, friends and associates passed before her eyes, each one looked battered and barely clinging to life. She reached out a hoof as if to touch them. "Thistle Whistle, Jasper, Luna..." She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. "No, it ends here. TONIGHT!" She took to the air, ignoring the curiousity that her shout attracted.

Landing on the deck of one of the military Zeppelins, she approached the guard captain. "I'm in."

"Pardon miss?" The Captain gave her an incredulous look.

"Suit me up and arm me, I'm fighting."

"This is no business for a civilian," the captain replied. "Best to just stay back and leave it to the professionals."

The pegasus pulled out a card from her jacket pocket. "I'm in her Majesty's secret service."

The Captain read over the card, then turned to one of the other guards."Find her a spare set of gear!"

"Yes Ma'am!" The soldier replied before heading below deck. She returned a few minutes later with a set of aluminum combat armor. Starsong undressed, then the soldier helped put on the armor. The helmet, criniere, peytral, curiass and greaves went on easily. The gauntlets had slots for different attachments. Starsong opted to have a shield on her right leg, and a curved blade on the left. These attachments could be put on and taken off quickly, and stored on the back of the curiass to allow her to use the springbow.

When she was fully suited, Starsong turned to the captain. "Alright, I want just one more thing from you."

"What's that miss?"

"Nopony discusses their betrotheds back home, or their retirement plans. We don't want Dame Fortuna getting any ideas about who to pick off first." There was a round of laughter aboard the Zeppelins as the order was passed along.

Luna sorted through a folder of reports. "Dear sister." She looked to the white alicorn who sat across the table from her. "Two companies and four wings from the Reiten military forces, just for one small castle town? What be the intent, to level it?"

Celestia walked around the table, and placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "It may seem like overkill, but from what I've recieved, our opponents are ponies who practice dark forbidden magics."

"Nickerprancers..." Luna recalled. She looked back to the report in her hooves. "My time under the influence seems as a dream, a dark twisted dream but do I recall some matters thereof." She raised her gaze, not focused on anything in particular. "I recall something involving the noble families of Bohaymia, a blue-green light, a miasma of some sort, reanimated ponies..." She closed her eyes and shuddered. "A year before, they brought news of a plague that was ravaging the land..." She slammed the report on the table, startling Celestia.

"Luna are you alright?" Celestia nuzzled the younger alicorn.

"The sickness, it started with them!" Luna whispered. "Oh Celly, why did I see it not before?" She looked to her sister, tears trailing from her eyes. "T'was they corrupted the land, corrupted the other aristocrats, then they came for me." Celestia embraced the trembling alicorn. "They made the plague, spread it to their subjects, then to me came with fake tears. Th-the first night I visited them, they were still ponies. A-a year later they, all of them, earthen, pegasi, and unicorns all had that same bluish-green glow in their eyes..."

"Shh, it's alright Luna." Celestia wrapped a wing around her sister. "The army's taking care of them."

Ten ponies made their way through a dense forest. Four of them wore black robes with hoods that covered their heads. Four others each carried a metal tube on their backs. The remaining two were animated skeletons who were harnessed to a large wheeled cage. "Why we gotta work with these wierdos anyways?" One of the weapon ponies complain to her peers.

"It's the best we can get right now, because of the purge." Another weapon pony replied. "Ever since the Fountainhead's trial, we've been pariahs."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to have allies but they still creep me out." The first pony stated. She glanced over at the skeletons. "I know Any says that we're supposed to use all the resources at our disposal, but this seems to be a bit much."

One of the robed ponies looked back. "At least you don't have to pay them." The weapon ponies tittered nervously. They approached a path that ran through the forest. "Halt." The robed pony called. Off in the distance from one of end of the path, they heard a thumping noise that seemed to grow closer with each beat. "Hide." The Nickerprancer hissed. The ponies each found a tree to hide behind, while one of the cultists cast a cloaking spell over the skeletons and their cart.

The group watched as a figure traveled along the path. As it got closer, they could see that it was an aged unicorn wearing a faded yellow gown under a tattered green robe. She rode in a large stone bowl that hovered over the ground. In her hooves she held a giant stone pestle decorated with runes and sigils, using it as an oar. It thumped on the ground each time she rowed, leaving a sizable imprint.

As the figure passed by their hiding spot, one of the weapon ponies whispered. "Why are we hidng from her?" The old unicorn stopped rowing and perked her ears, looking in their direction. She sniffed the air, then snorted.

~"It's not wise to be out after dark." She called out in a scratchy voice. ~"Come on out so I can see you." After several seconds of waiting, she slung the pestle onto her back then climbed out of the bowl. "How rude, to make an old lady walk." She griped, approaching the hiding ponies.

"Get out there, fool." One of the Nickerprancers hissed. The old mare stopped.

~"Let's shed a little light on the situation." She smirked, raising a hoof. She stomped the ground, creating a bright flash, then a wave of light that swept past the group. Blinded, the weapon ponies stumbled into view, trying to clear their vision. ~"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to ambush me."

~"Run you fools!" one of the black robed ponies called, before scampering down the path away from the old mare. The other other three cultists and the skeletons followed. The old mare unslung her pestle and flung it at the fleeing group. It arced over the wheeled cage and slammed into one of the skeletons, shattering it then grinding some of the bone fragments into the dirt. The old mare twirled her hoof and the pestle mimiced the movement. It flipped end over end before slamming into the second skeleton and destroying it.

One of the weapon ponies swore, unslinging her tube and aiming it at the old mare. She jerked on the firing mechanism, igniting the powder which propelled the bullet inside. As the projectile struck the mare, her body exploded into a cloud of mist which quickly dispersed. The gown and robe settled to the ground. "What? I did it?!" She raised her weapon triumphantly. "Woohoo! I killed Baba Yaga!"

~"Wrong!" Came a voice behind her. The group whirled around in time to see a cloud of mist coalescing into the form of the old mare. She raised a hoof, and the pestle soared back to it. The other three weapons ponies aimed their weapons and fired...

~"Back to Zeranovice, Now!" One of the robed ponies yelled as they emerged from the forest. They fled as a succession of gunshots, followed by agonized screams issued from the woods behind them. ~"They pissed the witch off, not us!"

They had just crested a hill within sight of their town when they heard a voice call out. ~"Going somewhere, children?" They turned and saw the large stone bowl rapidly descending from above. It halted a few inches off the ground, then the old mare pointed her pestle at them. ~"Abandoning your friends? Cowards!" The bowl glided quickly up the hill towards them.

"Zeranovice has been sighted, Captain!" one of the armored pegasi announced.

Another pegasus soldier boarded the zeppelin. "Captain, The ground crew reports gunfire and screams from the woods to the southeast."

"Send a scout flight to scan the towns defenses, and tell Ground to send three squads to investigate the woods." The Captain replied.

"Yes Ma'am!" they both replied before delivering their respective orders.

The Captain raised her binoculars to scan the area around the town. "So Miss Starsong." She addressed a pegasus who was on the deck above. "Did your contact have any recomendations for dealing with Nickerprancers?"

"Strike first, strike hard, and take no prisoners." she stated grimly. "Given the chance they'll either try to hypnotise you, or drain your life and raise you as an undead servant."

The Captain nodded. "You don't have to do this, you know. You could just sit here and watch. It's a little less frightening from a distance."

Starsong hopped down to the main deck. "I may be a 'combat virgin' as you put it, but I have my reasons for fighting. Besides, I'll need the experience deeper in where you gals can't go. There's still Luquins and Vamponies to contend with."

"You're a brave pony Miss Starsong. Foalish, but brave." She turned her gaze back to Zeranovice. "I see the scout team returning."

A group of pegasi landed on the deck in front of the Captain. "Captain, we've been engaged by the enemy. They fired upon us during our flyover. Fortunately there've been no injuries."

"Give me a rough breakdown."

The flight leader approached the Captain. "The archers are armed with Objectivist style weapons, but they appear to be emaciated. Some even to the point where their bones are showing."

"Corporal, you have permission to use the word 'undead.'"

The corporal snorted. "Right, so the archers are undead. There's small group of skeletons and zombies stationed at the entrance to the town, and a larger group in front of the castle. Both groups are armed with bladed weapons. The archers themselves are on the castle roof with blasting pipes. The buildings of the town look dilapitated, with some of the outer buildings having collapsed into their foundations. A graveyard on the west side of town has had all of its plots exhumed, and there appears to be no sign of habitation other than the castle itself."

"Do any of the town buildings look like they could be used as a forward position?" The captain asked.

"It's possible to use any of the buildings as an ambush point. Even the ones that have collapsed have hiding spots amongst the rubble."

"Send word to the ground crew. Search every building," the Captain pointed to one of the rookie scouts.

"Yes Ma'am." the rookie replied before heading down.

Cheerilee and Toola Roola accompanied the Colonel of the ground crew, as she formulated an attack plan. "If this were a town of normal ponies, It'd be a cakewalk." she began. "And the attack on Vault's Vale gave us valuble insight into the Objectivists' tactics. Even if they were our only opponent, we could still complete our objective." She looked to Cheerilee and Toola Roola. "Here's what worries me. Number one, is a possible ambush. Maybe more than one. Our main foes have been left alone here for a millenium or more. Number two, the magic that they have. Already we know that they can raise the dead, so every casualty on our side is another recruit for them."

Cheerilee looked over the map. "So rather than march from the town gate to the castle, you're going to circle around to the rear and sides..."

"We'll make three entrances before sending in the infantry. Pegasi should provide plenty of bombardement to distract our foes. Lunar Decree 635. For treason and using forbidden magic, Nickerprancers are to be incapacitated."

"That certainly makes things easier for you." Cheerilee replied. "So what is our role in this?" She motioned to herself and Toola Roola.

"We don't have a task for you in this battle, but once we take the town, we can move the relay point there."

"That could also work for coordinating additional assaults..." Cheerilee mused.

An armored earth pony approached. "Colonel, I have a report."

The Colonel looked over at the new arrival. "I'm listening."

"We investigated the report of gunfire and screams. We found four ponies in critical condition, and two mangled bodies."

"How critical." Toola Roola asked.

"Four broken legs each. The med crew got them splinted, but there's a chance that they may never walk again." the soldier replied. The pink unicorn turned and draped herself on Cheerilee's back before dry-heaving. "Are you alright miss?"

Cheerilee comforted Toola Roola. "She'll be ok." The magenta earth pony told the guard. "She's just having a sympathetic reaction."

"Take me to them." The Captain requested. "I want to know who or what did such a thing. We might have a dragon in the area."

"This way, Colonel." The soldier led her to a white tent. Inside a medic was tending to one of the injured ponies.

"May I speak with one of the injured?" The Colonel addressed the doctor.

"Yes Colonel, that one there is stable and consious." He pointed to one of the ponies at the rear of the tent.

The Colonel approached the pony. "I am Colonel Gerhild of the 18th company of the Reiten army. I have a few questions for you, civilian." The pony looked over to her. "What were you doing out in the woods?"

"We were on our way to Dobrayny." The pony managed to say.

"That's a ways away. So what happened out there?"

"We were attacked by an old mare..."

The Colonel glanced to the pony's bandaged legs. "An old mare? These injuries look like they were inflicted by a dragon."

The pony managed a dry chuckle. "Maybe she's a dragon in the form of a pony. They can do that, right?"

The Colonel nodded. "Some elder dragons have the ability to change their form." Gerhild looked to the other patients. "So this mare, she attacked you and your companions without provocation?"

"Sh-she's not a pony." The patient replied, shuddering. "We fired at her, and she vanished, Then she reappeared behind us..."

"You fired at her?"

"We panicked after she smashed the skeletons with her pestle."

The Colonel held up a hoof. "Hold on there, nopony mentioned anything about skeletons." The patient motioned the Colonel closer. She leaned in.

"We'll confess to anything. Just please get us out of this land."

"Confess? What are you confessing to?" Colonel Gerhild took out a notepad and writing stick.

"We're former members of Zadacha."

Gerhild raised an eyebrow "Former members?"

"Yeah, we quit." The unicorn patient looked to her mangled limbs. "Any isn't worth this."

Gerhild looked to the Doctor. "Cap 'em and prep 'em for transfer to Canterlot."

"Yes Colonel." The Doctor saluted.

Two dozen flights of pegasi circled around the town and castle. Each flight had ten pegasi: nine forming a 'V' wihile the tenth-a Destrier-flew between the rearmost pegasi of each tine. The flights were further grouped into wings consisting of six flights arranged in a broad triangle. Each wing was lead by a 2nd Lieutenant with three Destrier assistants. The Captain and Starsong acted as the coordinator for all the wings, along with two Veteran Destriers for protection.

The first stage of the attack consisted of aerial bombardement. Each pegasi had a hoof-held crossbow, and a quiver containing 100 bolts. The Combat Zeppelins themselves had ballistae which could launch sharpened logs, or specially prepared projectiles of iron or stone. Combined with the Ground Company's catapults, they began attacking the walls and the undead guards.

The Nickerprancers responded by tossing bolts of teal lightning and balls of teal fire, injuring several ponies at a time. While their magic was formidable, they only wore cloth robes, so they were cut down by the hail of arrows.

Zadacha members were better armored, but their weapons took 10-15 seconds to reload after each shot. They were also harder to target as they moved about the town, seeking shelter and advantageous firing positions.

As the battle played out, The Reiten armed forces slowly but steadily wore down their opponent. Once the sidewalls of the town were breached, the ground soldiers swarmed into Zeranovice and began a systematic occupation while the Air force concentrated on the Nickerprancers and any undead they happened to raise.

The top story of the castle exploded, showering flaming rubble on the the streets below. Soldiers leapt out of the way to avoid being crushed. A black alicorn with flaming teal eyes, mane, wings, fetlocks and tail, emerged from the cloud of smoke slowly flying upwards. ~"Arise my subjects! Serve your Queen once more!" She called out in a harsh echoing voice while rings of teal light emanated from her front hooves and surrounded every Nickerprancer that had been felled. They stood up, arrows sloughed from their bodies as their wounds closed and broken bones became whole. Once they were fully healed, they each ran for the nearest living pony, attempting to bite their targets.

While the ground troops were contending with the reanimated cultists, Zadacha took the opportunity to flee, heading for any available exits. "Starsong! Delta Purple! After them!" The Captain ordered. The eleven pegasi took off after the fleeing ponies. The Captain turned to the rest of her soldiers. "Beta Left! Alpha Right!" She shouted. The mentioned Wings moved to flank the alicorn.

~"Foals! This is MY domain!" The alicorn swiped with her hooves, throwing projectiles of teal fire. The pegasis scattered to dodge these projectiles. One of the firebolts hit the balloon of a Zeppelin, igniting the fabric and causing the boat to crash on the ground. It had been low enough to the ground that the earth ponies and unicorns onboard had survived, though they were seriously injured by the impact. ~"See the price of your trespass!" The alicorn gloated.

"Du untier! Ich werde du am ENDE!!!"[7] The Captain screamed, drawing her sword and charging the alicorn.

"Toola! Toola Roola! ANTONIA!!!" The unicorn snapped out of her daze and looked to the earth pony that addressed her. "We gotta help them." Cheerilee lead her to the wreckage where soldiers were moving rubble and tending to the wounded. One of the soldiers halted them.

"This is no place for civilians."

"I know anatomy, I can help triage them." Toola Roola said haltingly. The soldier pointed her in the direction of the improvised medical station. The pair headed for the station. As they walked among the patients, Toola Roola gave a quick glance to each pony that had been stripped of their armor. She pointed out injuries such as broken ribs, missing teeth, and one with a cracked jaw. Though amazed by the accuracy of her assessment, the Med crews quickly tended to those patients.

"Fräulein Cheerilee?" One of the injured soldiers, a blue earth pony with a short cropped violet mane addressed the magenta earth pony. "Is that really you?"

Cheerilee turned "Hmm? Have we met?" She approached the pony who addressed her.

"It's me, Geshwinde! I was the exchange student in your high school senior year." The patient motioned her over. Cheerilee approached. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances though."

Cheerilee smiled. "Geshwinde, I'm glad we could meet again at all." She reached a hoof to the injured pony's. "I see you finally made it into the Airforce."

Geshwinde smiled. "And you, did you ever become a teacher like you wanted?"

"Not only that, But I'm tenured at Ponyville elementary."

Geshwinde looked to her splinted foreleg. "And to think I'm only a Tech Destrier." She looked back to Cheerilee "What are you doing out here anyways?"

Cheerilee chuckled. "I wanted to do something interesting for my summer vacation. I got tired of being shown up by my students." They shared a chuckle. "Especially Candelabra's and Filthy's daughter."

Geshwinde guffawed. "Ja, so the Uberhund has a Kleinhund now." [8] Cheerilee giggled. "I feel sorry for Mr Rich."

"Well, Candelabra has mellowed out over the years. I'm sure Diamond Tiara will as well." Cheerilee reached out and stroked Geshwinde's mane.

"So whatever became of those two ponies that you palled around with?"

"Well, let me tell you a story about that." Cheerilee began.

The pegasus flight had managed to catch all but one of the fugitives. While the soldiers were busy capping and preping their captives, Starsong followed the lone runner. "You can't escape me!" She called down to the runner. "It's forty miles to the nearest border of Equestria, and you're a unicorn."

The unicorn turned and headed for a dense copse of trees. The thick foliage was impossible to see through and would certainly hinder flight. She found a tree with a wide trunk and hid behind it, trying to catch her breath as she peered for any sign of the pegasus.

Starsong landed, then looked into the forest. Keeping her sword arm ready, she took to the air again. Hovering a few strides about the ground, she entered the forest and made her way carefully among the trees, searching for any sign of the unicorn. "Look, just give up. You'll get a fair trial, press attention, and even if you are convicted you'll get to spend the rest of your days in civilization. How long do you think you can survive out here anyways? All your buddies are in custody."

The unicorn spotted the pegasus meandering about, but thankfully not looking in her direction. She checked her tube to make sure it was loaded, then carefully took aim. A low growl to her left perked the unicorn's attention. She turned and found herself nose to nose with something that looked like a blend of a wolf and a pony...

Starsong whirled around upon hearing a shriek, then saw the unicorn scampering in a random direction. The unicorn tripped over a root, then rolled over to keep an eye on the ponywolf. Starsong landed next to the unicorn. "You're under-Oh Tartaros no." She stated upon spotting the ponywolf. The pegasus threw off her gauntlets and drew two silverhead arrows from the quiver strapped to her side. Taking to the air, she wielded an arrow in each hoof. "Let's party!" She taunted. The ponywolf lunged.

~"You should be cowering before me, yet you persist in this futility!" Bozena shouted, as she parried one of the Captain's strikes. Several arrows protruded from each of her sides, and luminescent blue-green blood oozed from the wounds. She exhaled a plume of teal fire, which the Captain dodged.

"Everytime you talk, it sounds like you're gargling marbles!" The Captain shouted. "Do us all a favor and shut up!" She swung a hoof, attempting to slap the alicorn, but Bozena caught it between her own hooves, and began twisting the bone. Gritting her teeth and trying to block out the pain, the Captain jabbed her sword into the alicorn's chest.

Bozena flinched as the blade pierced her skin, slid between two ribs, through her heart, between two other ribs, then pierced the skin of her back. The wounds emitted teal light, teal smoke, and teal spurting blood. Surprised, she stared at the hilt of the sword protruding from her chest. Her wings slowing in their motions, causing her to descend and drag the Captain down as well. Her grip loosened, allowing the Captain tor free her hoof. ~"How?!" She managed. ~"I am the Queen!" She enunciated each word.

The Captain bucked against her, freeing the sword, and forcing the alicorn to plummet. "You can rule from the throne of Tartaros, Your Majesty!" She yelled. There was a sickening crunch as the alicorn landed on one of the buildings near the base of the castle, causing it to collapse.

The fires that had emanated from the alicorn quickly engulfed her body, burning it to ash within a matter of seconds. The noxious teal smoked billowed, then quickly wafted westward, leaving behind a charred broken skeleton. The remaining Nickerprancers collapsed at the same time, their bodies rapidly putrefying.

After taking a minute to assess the situation, the Captain noticed that the pegasi troups had entered into formation. The Wings circled in the military holding pattern around her. "Mission, Accomplished!" She called out. "Zeranovice is ours!" A rousing cheer issued from the flights, meeting with another one that rose from the Ground crews that heard her words.

Cheerilee carefully guided Toola Roola towards the camper. "Please, keep it together. I know you feel bad for them, but there's nothing more we can do here." The unicorn sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes as she walked along with Cheerilee.

"I feel so helpless." Toola Roola griped.

Cheerilee stopped, turned and placed her hooves on Toola Roola's shoulders. "Toola Roola, listen to me." Toola Roola looked to her. "We can only soothe the mind, not the body. Now, did they like our act?"

"Yeah but-"

"Did they like the act?" Cheerilee repeated. "Yes or no?"

"Yes." Toola Roola replied.

"Then we entertained them, that's all we can do." Cheerilee took a tissue from her saddlebag and helped dry the unicorn's eyes. "We go to the camper and wait for Starsong."

"Ok Cheerilee." Toola Roola managed a smile, then hugged the earth pony's foreleg. An armored pegasus landed nearby.

"You Starsong's friends?" He asked.

"Yeah, where is she?" Cheerilee replied.

"She followed a fleeing suspect west into a forest in Mareravia." The pegasus pointed the direction. "She hasn't reported back yet."

"Horseapples." Cheerilee snorted. "Toola Roola, get in the camper." The unicorn entered the vehicle via a panel in the back, while Cheerilee entered the cabin via a front panel. Both panels were latched from inside then Cheerilee sat down to drive the camper.

The camper's engine worked by magnifying the energy produced by pedalling. A pair of levers provided the means of both speed and steering. Each lever had ten settings that altered the rate of magnification. Steering was accomplished by the differentials of the settings, which determined the speed of the wheels on each side of the camper. Cheerilee jammed them both to '10' then pedaled as hard as she could.

Ten minutes Later, they crossed into Mareravia, where Cheerilee spotted somepony stumbling out of a forest. The figure collapsed at the base of a tree."Oh Luna." Cheerilee exclaimed recognizing the figure. She stopped the camper, then opened the panel and rushed out to the figure. Toola Roola followed. "Toola Roola, Help me get her in the camper!"

Cheerilee tried lifting the bloody mauled armored pegasus onto her back. Toola Roola came over, but froze after a moment. "Toola Roola what are you waiting fo-" She cut the sentence short seeing the unicorn pointing and staring at something behind Cheerilee. The earth pony turned around slowly.

An ancient unicorn wearing a faded yellow dress and a tattered green robe was leaning over the edge of a large stone bowl that hovered above the ground. Resting on the unicorn's back was a giant stone pestle that glowed with light orange runes and sigils, providing illumination. "It would be best if you came with me." She said to the pair. "Climb inside. I have plenty of room." She motioned to the space inside the bowl.

"Thank you, llttle Phuri Dae." Toola Roola said, before helping Cheerilee load Starsong into the bowl. The two then hoisted themselves into it.

"Phuri Dae..." The old unicorn mused, as she began rowing with the pestle. "I haven't been called that in over a millenium."

[1]: Do you have an appointment?
[2]: No, this is a surprise inspection.
[3]: Open the door, drop your pants, turn your head, and cough.
[4]: Yes?
[5]: Madam
[6]: Bugger me with a pine tree!
[7]: You monster! I will END you!
[8]: Super dog and little dog (vulgar connotation.)