~Of Coats and Masks~
Reality gave way to a wicked tear in space. Writhing flames bordered the portal, holding the anomaly stable. Unimaginable heat poured from the rift, defrosting the mountain’s peak and bringing the area up to Ifrit’s standards of comfortability. The demonic wolf grasped the edges of his self made transportation, the preternatural heat being of no concern to him, and pulled his body free of the blazing hole in space.
Ifrit’s heated paws contacted the ground with a loud hiss, blasting steam into the air. The sudden rush of heated water vapor washed over the frozen mountaintop, melting the frost and sending a warm deluge down to the world below. He snorted, twin jets of flame leapt from his nostrils, taunting the frigid air. This place was cold and stagnant. The opposite of everything he symbolized. He was flame; passion and progression and progression incarnate.
His eyes scanned the peak for his “Lord”. The moment Ifrit’s gaze landed on the mysterious creature named Kokusho his mental state evolved from annoyed to enraged. Growling, the predator approached the sleeping man. Who did thing think he is? How dare he touch Belius?
The demon stared at the two of them. The human was nestled snugly against his sister’s side. Belius was curled up around Kokusho, protecting him from the frost that had accumulated on their bodies, which was currently falling off of them in chunks. It would be so easy to end the creature here. To strike him down and cleanse Belius of its corrupting influence, though he doubted his sister would understand. Despite his confidence, Ifrit was not a fool. He knew that if his sister were to come at him in a fit of rage over his actions, there would be no force on the planet that could save him from the storm of her fury. For now at least. He mused.
“So, what do you have for me? Did you and your wolves find what I was looking for?” Kokusho asked, running his fingers through the fox demon’s coat.
Ifrit’s eyes popped open at the realization that the human had been awake this entire time. He still had no idea to what depths Kokusho’s power reached, but he hoped divination was not one of the being’s specialties. The scene of his sister being petted like a well cared for beast did nothing to dissipate his anger. He watched as Belius just accepted their lord’s touch, enjoying it even. Still she found the time glare at her older brother. I forget how well she can read me at times. Calming himself, the horned wolf prepared to answer the query.
With the same unscrupulous grin a politician would bear, Ifrit began his debrief of what happened at Trottingham. His explanation was concise: his wolves assaulted the town, the ponies tried to fight back, Luna’s demon ponies escalated the confrontation, Trottingham was a casualty of war, and in the hamlet’s ashes he found nothing like what Kokusho described.
A few details didn’t add up in Kokusho’s mind. Ifrit was a brute, so his unnecessary violence was to be expected. He also didn’t know if he could buy that the fire demon’s original intention wasn’t to level the town, but he had no way to prove otherwise. The real issue pulling at the back of his mind was the fact that his gauntlet had not been found. He had felt it there; getting it should have been easy. But instead, the dog had returned empty pawed and his gauntlet had vanished from his senses.
The articles constantly called out to their master, clawing at his mind and demanding his attention, but now he could only feel one plea for reunion. Where the cry from his left gauntlet once occupied his thoughts, was nothing more than an empty space. The more Kokusho focused on it, the more intense the chills running down his spine became.
Choosing to abandon the subject for now, he rose to his feet and shook off the a few patches of ice that were still clinging to him. “Sounds like your task was an absolute failure in every regard.” Kokusho popped his neck loudly. Belius stood as well, maintaining her protective stance around the human.
“I accomplished none of the goals you set out for me...” Ifrit held out one of his large hands. Once he had turned his palm over, a small firestorm swirled to life in his grasp. “However, through blood and flame, I have contracted these creatures to your orders.”
Clambering across his hand, a tiny red dragon whelp weaved through the wolf’s fingers. Though small compared to its full sized cousins, the creature still sported an impressive wingspan. Kokusho reached out to touch it and get a feel for the magic it held. The mini dragon was a compact turbine; energy poured from its tiny scaled hide freely, tingling his skin like static electricity. “Interesting...” The human said, curious about the reptile.
It yipped and hissed happily, nuzzling against Kokusho’s hand, before suddenly leaping onto his shoulders. “And I can summon them in the same manner that you summoned this one?”
Ifrit nodded. “Remember the feel of its magic. When you require their aid, simply think of your orders and use your magic to call to them. They will come, and they will obey.”
Such creatures could be of great use. The dragons were easy to control, practically sized, and relatively powerful. Kokusho mulled over Ifrit’s failure and his gift. While he didn’t get the power boost he was expecting, the additional resources from the lab he had found coupled with the possibilities of his new legion was promising. Hopefully, through using what he already had, he would be able to track down his missing gauntlet. “Keep your eyes and ears open, Ifrit. If you need me, or I you, you know how to find me.”
The air whined in protest as a fiery maelstrom erupted around the demon. “Yes, my lord,” Ifrit all but spat, disappearing in a whirlwind of flame and embers.
Belius and Kokusho watched as the cloud of ash dispersed in the wind. Once the wolf’s magical signature could no longer be felt, the water spirit turned her gaze to her friend.
“My brother is hiding something from us.”
He rose an eyebrow at her assertion. ‘Us’? Kokusho thought. Rubbing his chin, the man sighed. “Of that there is no doubt, but we have to move forward regardless.”
She shook, removing the last of the water and icicles from her coat. “Where must I go?”
Instead of responding with words, Kokusho placed a hand on her shoulder. Belius shivered as his magic trickled into her. The magic was orderly, tame, and precise; yet frighteningly intense. With those sensations came the vague feeling of something calling to her, begging to be found.
“Can you feel it?”
Belius nodded in affirmation.
“That’s where I need you. You’ll be doing this alone. I have business elsewhere to attend to.” His voice was laced with remorse.
She didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone, he wasn’t at full strength yet, but Kokusho had given her a job to do and she would not fail him. She let her body dissolve at a snail’s pace, locking her gaze with his as she left him.
“Be careful, Belius.”
Though she was gone, the wind carried her voice clearly, allowing him to hear her as if she were standing right next next to him. “Yes, master.”
He could hear the mirth in her voice. Smirking, Kokusho turned and faced the horizon. She was over there. This was not how he’d imagined their reunion...
~Of Coats and Masks~
It had been a over a month since the royal soldiers came to Ponyville, but the young drake quickly became numb to their presence. The pitter-patter of armored hooves on the dirt roads of Ponyville served as white noise while his focus was completely absorbed in the limited habitat around him.
Thanks to the effort of it’s secondary caretaker, Spike, the Golden Oaks public library was kept absolutely spotless. When he received the letter from Twilight weeks ago, telling him that she would be busy with an urgent assignment from the princess for Celestia knows how long and that he was in charge of the library, the young dragon was deeply saddened to be-- once again-- left behind while Twilight went off on an adventure. How was her number one assistant suppose to assist if he was never with her? However, the letter held a small coda hanging precariously near the bottom of the paper. The thing that stood out to Spike the most about the little addition was how little doodles surrounded the writing; some of tiny stars, others of little magic bursts or squiggles. Whenever Twilight was nervous she would scribble and doodle on whatever parchment she was writing on, often lining her part with random imagery. He’d first noticed it when the mare tried to write her first love letter to a colt, but wasted several sheets of paper on nervous drawings. It was a cute habit of hers, one that made Spike chuckle everytime he saw it.
The letter’s addition had filled him with joy, lifting his spirits right through the roof, but at the same time it left him with a sense dread. Like a memory you can’t quite peg down, the words and tone of the star-surrounded note tugged at the corners of his mind, telling him that something was off. A majority of the letter told him that she had the utmost faith in his ability to maintain the library and not to hesitate in asking their friends for help if he needed it. It was basically the usually stuff she told him whenever she needed to leave. Still, her writing didn’t feel right. The rest of the note threw him completely for a loop though. Twilight’s addendum, in so many words, was Twilight telling him how much she loved and appreciated him and how she probably wouldn’t be the mare she was today without him. The content had made him throw the letter down to the floor in frustration. He was missing something, he had to be, the letter didn’t make any sense, like it was missing some vital piece of context.
Though his mind was addled by the strange note, Spike went on with his daily duties. Twilight said she had faith in his ability to keep Golden Oaks up to snuff, so that’s what he did. Spike, along with occasional assistance from his friends, kept the library open and running. Everyday, during hours and after closing, he would clean and reorganize the library level of the giant tree he called his home. When the day’s chores were done and the catalogs were checked, he would have dinner. Sometimes Applejack, Pinkie, or Rarity would come over to help him cook and share a meal, adding a little variety to his diet since each mare had different tastes than him. He always enjoyed their company and enjoyed it immensely when Rarity started to visit more often.
Initially, he hadn’t noticed how often she was around, but as the days turned to weeks he found himself face to face with the white unicorn more often than any time in the past. Everything was hazy to Spike, but according to Rarity, he had been sinking deeper into depression with each passing day, prompting her and the girls to get together and decide that somepony needed to come and keep his chin up.
At the time, he couldn’t express how glad he was that Rarity took up the position. Heck, he didn’t even notice that the mare had essentially taken over the library’s basement. All that mattered was that she was there, with him. With Rarity in the library, the other girls had no reason to badger him with question about Twilight and how she had been since her return three days ago. He didn’t know, no pony knew. But he trusted that Twilight was ok.
Spike stood on all fours over several haphazardly deposited newspapers, frowning at each recent headline. The first front page photo showed a vast expanse of charred land ,dotted with the burnt out husks of buildings and coated in ash. Trottingham Gone! Was the headline. Luckily, it was the worst, but the others were no less grim: Monsters in Las Pegasus!, and Vanhoover Overrun! were real eye catchers. Images of beasts that looked like they were thought up by a horror writer accompanied each headline. In the pictures, buildings were damaged and ponies fled from the terrors stalking their cities. Back then, when he had first read Twilight’s letter, he didn’t have a clue how serious things could have possibly been. How could he? But with the town as it was now and the dour news of such horrific happenings across Equestria, he couldn’t help but tie whatever Twilight had been through to what was happening now.
Peering out of the window, Spike gazed intently at Canterlot. The hole in ponyville’s cloud cover allowing him a clear view He snorted angrily at the city. Canterlot was still encapsulated in blue magical dome, as it had been since shortly after Twilight left and the soldiers came to Ponyville. A day Spike remembered fondly.
------
The windows of the library rumbled as thunder rolled through the tree’s trunk. No, not thunder. Spike hadn’t seen any storm clouds in the sky and telltale flash of lightning was absent altogether. What truly convinced the small dragon that thunder hadn’t been the culprit was the fact that the noise was still going on and growing in volume.
Spike stopped tidying up the library and jogged out of the front door. His little legs would have carried him all the way to the edge of town had a wave of massive bodies and stomping hooves not blocked the road before him. Spike stumbled back, falling on his rear after he failed to squeeze through legs of the marching soldiers. His jaw almost hit the ground as he stared up at the wall of armed and armored ponies above him. From his new position on the ground, he noticed the quickly fleeing sunlight. His eyes drifted upward towards the skies above Ponyville. The dragon's curiosity was rewarded with the sight of hundreds of armored pegasi blotting up the sky with dark grey storm clouds. Every hole in the fluffy construct was immediately plugged, plunging the town into a dreary skied pseudo nighttime.
“Whoa there pardner,” a familiar voice called out.
He felt himself being lifted up. Once he was on his feet, he patted himself off. A thin layer of dirt fell off of him before he turned to the mare behind him. Spike’s eyes widened when he saw that she wasn’t alone.
Applejack gave Spike a friendly smile then turned her attention back to ponies in front of them. “Look’s like ah came just in time t'see yer first meetin’ with the town’s newest guests.”
“While I’m not one to turn away guests, they did arrive rather abruptly and completely unannounced,” Rarity said. “And that armor… Gun metal grey is so... Medieval…” Rarity shivered as she thought about the out of rotation fashion the armored ponies were wearing.
“Um… Rarity,” Fluttershy said from the back of the group.
“Yes dear?”
“Armor isn’t usually for... umm… fashion…”
“But of course, sweetie, that however, does not make it alright for the armor to be such an eye sore.”
“She does have a point Rares! Besides, how would they look like big bad soldier ponies if they were all frilly and gemmy?” Pinkie added as she hopped past the two mares.
Once everypony had said their piece, Spike became suddenly aware of the lack of a certain loud, brash pegasus. He was about to bring it up, but then he remembered that Twilight told him that Dash had become a Wonderbolts trainee sometime ago. His query on the whereabouts of the rainbow maned pegasus was completely extinguished by little tidbit of information.
“What are you girls even doing out here?” Spike asked as he finished cleaning himself up. “Didn’t each of you have something important scheduled today?”
“I did, Spike, but I just couldn’t ignore the riff-raff going on in town, so I decided to find the source of the commotion and see just what in Celestia’s name was going on.” Rarity watched as the armored ponies hauled chariots filled with stone and mortar in every direction.
“Pretty much the same story fer me,” Applejack admitted. “I reckon the rest of Ponyville got mighty curious ‘bout it as well.” Sure enough several ponies were either peeking through their windows or out in the streets watching the armored ponies work.
“But who are these ponies?” Fluttershy asked the million dollar question, causing her friends to turn and face her. Both Rarity and Applejack looked simultaneously confused and embarrassed, clearly ashamed that they hadn’t even thought about the armored ponies’ alien garb and what it meant. Pinkie held her usual smile and offered no help whatsoever. Spike, for the most part, managed to keep his look of disbelief to a minimum.
“They’re the Royal Equestrian Military,” Spike stated matter- of- factly. The mares around him stared at him as if he’d grown an extra limb.
“The Royal what now?”
“Equestrian Military. Ya know, soldiers who defend our nation. Ponies who are often stationed in other countries, helping them and stuff.” The young dragon spoke as if it were common knowledge.
“While I was aware that there were Royal Guards, I had no idea Equestria maintained any sort of standing military presence, dear.”
Spike sputtered stupidly. On one claw Rarity, his love, was wholly uninformed off these ponies sacrifice and a little naive about how a nation works. It probably wasn’t her fault directly; but on the other claw admonishing her was kind of necessary in his eyes, making just one pony aware of them was one more pony then there was a second ago.
Spike came to a compromise. “I guess I can understand where you’re coming from, Rarity. They aren’t seen too often in Equestria unless you live in a border town and even then, many ponies wrongly call them guards. But still, ponies should be a bit more aware. These stallions and mares sacrifice their time, and sometimes life and limb, just to make sure everypony can live the lives we enjoy today. They’re everyday super heroes!” the drake explained excitedly. His eyes sparkled for a moment as he thought of the adventures and glory to be had in the military.
“Well shucks, ah feel justa little foolish.” Applejack hid her face behind her stetson
“As do I, Applejack. How could the endeavours of these brave ponies be so obscure to the denizens of Equestria?”
“Equestria has been at peace for nearly a thousand years… All I ever hear about are ponies joining either the guard or the Wonderbolts.” Fluttershy mentioned. “There may be a recruiting station for the armed forces in Cloudsdale, but, as a filly, I wouldn’t have paid it any attention.” The mare forced her mouth into an awkward smile.
Everypony and drake expected Pinkie to add something whimsical to the scene, perhaps give them some sort of nonsensical answer that, upon further examination, answered everything. In a rare universal occurrence, Pinkie Pie had nothing to say.
The blonde maned mare scratched the back of her neck and tilted her head. “Now that we know who these ponies are, I’m curious to know just what they are doing t’Ponyville.” Applejack’s eyes examined every inch of the cloudy dome covering the town.
“Their shutting us in...” Pinkie informed everyone, her normally voluminous mane and tail now perfectly straight.
------
Spike sighed as he watched a pegasus soldier plug the hole in the clouds surrounding the quiet little town. Ever since the defense lockdown, outside activity has been heavily restricted. Curfews with dire consequences, strict blockades, and restrained commerce between towns were the largest factors in the current stagnation of business in Ponyville.
Rustling from the kitchen peeled the young drake’s attention away from the morbid scenery of the town. He had forgotten that Applejack and Rarity were visiting to check in on him and Twilight. It didn't Everytime Spike pictured the mare, it felt as if someone was slowly tracing down his spine with an ice cube. He shook the invading thoughts from his mind; nothing was wrong with Twilight, she was just exhausted from whatever the princesses wanted her to do. At least that’s what he told himself. Standing to his full height, Spike decided to go see what the his two friends where doing. He heard snippets of the chat and it didn't sound too good. Peeking around the entrance to the kitchen, he listened in on their conversation.
“Jus’ hang in there sugarcube,” Applejack said reassuringly. “Ah’m sure that the princesses and the military are all over this.” The farm mare patted Rarity’s back, gently soothing her friends pain.
Rarity, for the most part, kept her appearance together. The fashionista was as elegant as always. Her mane was perfectly styled, and her coat was brushed to a glossy sheen. Her running mascara was the only indication of a problem.
Her chest shuddered, each was breath distressed and drawn out as if she had just run a marathon. “It’s easy for you to say that, Applejack. Sweet Apple Acres is still able to ship produce outside of Ponyville.” Rarity’s tired blue eyes met Applejack’s concerned, stare. “Clothing is not ‘essential’ according to the soldiers who are monitoring travel, so I haven’t been able to send any of my out of town clients their orders. I haven’t made a single bit since the town was put into isolation!”
“Ah understand, ya got the right t’be kinda burnt up about this, but the lockdown won’t last forever. At least ya got your savings, right? The farm has taken quite the hit as well.”
“For now, but with no income, and no access to my canterlot account, I’ll be in quite a bind if this lockdown isn’t over by the end of the month.”
Spike hated seeing Rarity like that. From what he understood, Rarity only allowed her emergency funds and the money she used to purchase supplies in Ponyville’s bank and everything else was kept secure at the capitol. Had she not needed to dip into her emergency bit to pay for the materials needed in a particularly large order, she would have been fine for at least another month. His tiny claws gripped the threshold, carving shallow furrows into the wood.
Right as the young drake prepared to make his entrance, a wall of lavender fur passed through his field of vision. “T-Twilight?!” He yelped. “You’re up! Are you okay?! What have you been doing all this time?!”
“Thinking...” she replied tersely.
Twilight sat in her bed, staring at the large chest and Japoneighese blades sitting atop it. She’d done this every day since she returned home. Two letters rested on the nightstand to her right, but only the one bearing Luna’s seal had been read.
I gift unto you, Twilight Sparkle, Grim Stride’s blades; he would have wanted you to have them. I have also sent you your armor, research material, and the late captain’s final words.
Celestia and I apologize, we were wrong to thrust you into such a situation.
Signed,
Luna
It was a hastily scribbled out message, but Twilight felt the sincerity and distress behind every word. Memories of how she had exploded on Luna rushed through her mind, causing the mare to bury her face in her hooves. A renewed wave of tears streaked down her cheeks as she looked to the unopened letter. She had abandoned her duty to Equestria, so that she could wallow in self pity.
Grim would be all over me for this. She chuckled sadly. There was no such thing as depression around that stallion…
She’d been hearing the her friends as they came and went, always checking on her in one way or another. Spike, bless his heart, had held down the fort admirably on his own. The increased activity in her home hadn’t gone unnoticed either. Rarity spending so much time with Spike had came as a great surprise her; the designer’s generosity truly was worthy of her Element.
However, along with the activity, she heard the woes her friends brought into the library. It made her sick, she was letting this happen; everypony had it rough, but she was allowing her isolation to add to their problems.
Twilight’s head hung low as she reevaluated her situation. I know better than this… I should be there for them. I… I quit on Equestria, but I can’t abandon them as well.
The mare snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her assistant, smiling. “I can’t stay cooped up in that room, Spike. My friends need me and I need them.”
Spike nodded, falling in line beside her, eager to be a part of the sorrowful reunion.
------
After tales and pains were shared over warm snacks and cold cider. Twilight spared her friends the most vivid of the details, but they knew enough to make their stomachs crawl. Soon enough, the food that spike had prepared was forsaken for a group hug. Their support warmed her more than any fire.
“I cannot imagine how you escaped such a dreadful situation, Twilight. To think, you were in Trottingham when everything happen. Why, half of Equestria saw the flames!” Rarity squeezed the librarian tighter before finally separating from her friends.
Twilight looked away, not wanting to answer the question. Her eyes slammed shut as images of mauled ponies and burning corpses flashed through her mind. The acrid stench of cooked flesh once again invaded her mind. She was there all over again…
Hooves slamming against the door of her home brought the mare back to reality.
“Twi, there’s somepony at the door. Want me t’get that?” Offered Applejack.
Shaking her head, Twilight took a deep breath and began trotting to the front door. “No I’ll handle this.” Spike smiled at the mare's proactive approach to dragging herself out of the her funk.
The walk from her kitchen was short lived, yet long enough to mentally prepare herself for whoever was rapping at her door. The latches clicked open easily, allowing her to swing the door open and greet her company. Neither her mind, nor her body were ready for the onslaught of pink fur, crushing hugs, and concerned nuzzles.
“Twilight!” Pinkie gasped. “I was just coming to invite you, Rarity, and Aj to a special event! I was gonna tell them ‘just put the mask on you and you’ll be up and out and ready in no time,’ but now I don’t have to because you’re here!” She pulled Twilight into another bone crushing embrace.
“A-and hello to you as well,” Twilight choked out. “I don’t think now’s the time for one of your… uh… ebullient parties.” She pulled herself out of the mare’s grip, fully expecting Pinkie to be downtrodden by what she’d said. Instead, Pinkie just smiled.
Bopping the unicorn lightly on the nose, she giggled loudly. “It’s not that kind of party silly! I’m sure the princesses have it under control, and if not they’d just call us! But in the mean time, thought I’d throw a masquerade ball to cheer everypony up!”
Twilight’s head was still turned away. Pinkie mentioning that the princess would call on the Elements of Harmony drove home the fact that Celestia or Luna could, in fact, call them to face Equestria’s horror if Kokusho wasn’t handled.
The earth pony continued prattling on, oblivious to Twilight’s sudden case of loopiness. “I mean, Of course I’m sad, Twilight, everypony is, and I don’t really that think a party will help much this time, but for just one night we can all put on a mask and become somepony else, somepony happy.”
Pinkie pulled an extravagant porcelain mask out of her mane and all but shoved into the unicorn’s face. Taking it in her magic, Twilight turned it over and examined the mask’s features. Lavender and purple feathers jutted out of the top of the costume piece and golden glitter decorated the area around the eyes. She grinned at the goofy piece, realizing that if the mask alone had brought her a small respite, an entire event planned around it could really lift Ponyville’s spirits.
“You know what? What’s actually a pretty good idea, Pinkie.”
~Of Coats and Masks~
Sitting on its own artificial island was the sprawling Equestrian metropolis known as Manehattan. The newest addition to the New Yolk area was connected to the mainland via a multi- mile long bridge that could accommodate both a train and carriages.
Massive constructs of steel and concrete touched the skies above the industrial super center while a web of ebony asphalt weaved between the buildings, creating an effective-- if chaotic-- infrastructure for transportation. The hustle and of bustle of the city streets drowned out the noise of the production with clopping hooves and idle chatter. Saltwater from surrounding sea gave the city an oceanic atmosphere despite the urban scenery. Gleaming sunlight reflected from the windows of Manehattan’s structures made the city a gleaming become of northeastern Equestria.
Froth coalesced on the mane of the giant copper pony bust situated atop the prestigious Centurion Tek building. From the icy haze, Belius reconstituted herself and went about silently observing the hectic metropolis. A twinge of psychic pain raced through her mind, forcing her to clutch her head in her hands and growl. Master’s gauntlet was here.
Confidently, the spirit reached out in all directions with her magic. The ocean responded with to the call of its mother with glee, submitting to her command without resistance. Raising her clawed hands above her head, she commanded the air and water to gift unto her a frigid fog more bone chilling than anything Equestria had ever witnessed.
Within moments, the organized chaos in the streets became pure hysteria. The panic only increased and the roiling white mist slowly blocked out the sun and sealed the city off from aid. The denizen’s of Manehattan
On a the rooftop of a shorter building adjacent Belius’s position stood a singular pony. The mare’s actually appearance was hidden by the set of dark indigo heavy duty coveralls with reinforced knees and extravagant trailing lapels. Tough leather bracers, each with an embedded red gem, protected the ponies forelegs. Her face was obstructed by a dark blue full face mask, complete with glossy aquamarine lenses over the eyes. A wide brimmed fedora matching her color scheme adorned her head, while a bellowing dark blue cape completed the ensemble.
The strange mare watched Belius intently for a moment before huffing, irked at the situation. “No pony outshines Mare- Do- Well on her own stage!”