Twilight Daylight: Dawn of Equus

by thedarktome

Chapter 38 - The Battle of Equus Part I

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the absence; I've been incredibly busy with music and other things.

Anyway, the next chapter will be ready by next week! Enjoy this little bit!

The storm finally arrived, hundreds of Pserateps fell from the skies, spearing straight for Equus' army. They held their ground in the formation that was assigned to them with Dawn firmly protected in the middle alongside Flurry Heart. Three sections broke off, keeping attention away from the Queen.

With each flash of lightning, all of IHT could see the ponies under Narmeelah's control, flying right for them.

Five

"Dawn, we need to split!" First Light urgently suggested.

Four

Without taking her eyes off the ponies flying through Psera's airspace, Dawn replied through clenched teeth.

"I know. We have to get to a large space with cover."

Three

"Let's move!!" A soldier shouted.

"Go!! Go!!" The command came from Secretary Manny in Serl, urgently pushing for action. "Incapacitate, do not eliminate!!"

Two

Dawn was quickly scooped up on Cadance's back before they ran through the destruction.

One of the Elite Guards pointed ahead, through the storm and approaching army of hypnotized Pserateps.

"Queen Dawn! There!" They shouted.

His hoof pointed in the direction of a very tall leaning building that both Dawn and a majority of Serl's guard were familiar with, and gasped at upon recognition.

"SouthTrade Headquarters!" Dawn shouted. They would have more than enough space in there for the portal! Stars above, even the bathrooms were big enough!

One

Dawn transformed into First Light, who pointed over Cadance's head. "Fight through to the building that is SouthTrade!" She ordered.

One Pseratep suddenly landed in front of their escort group. A stallion, eyes aimed straight for Queen Dawn. She skidded to a stop before they jumped forward and was immediately tackled to the side.

"Move, move, move!!" A soldier shouted whilst restraining them. The war had begun. Pserateps began to land around them one by one. Either Narmeelah's soldiers fell or their own did.

"Watch out!!" Dawn turned into her shadow form before a Pseratep slammed down into where she was a second prior. Then reformed, bounced off their back and continued through the destruction on Aunt Cadance's while they were restrained. She wasn't sure how long they could keep this up. The Pserateps were blowing through their cover like water through toilet paper. Eventually, they would be overrun. But they had to keep pushing. They had to keep going and pouring all they had into saving Equus. That's why she narrowed her eyes and ran faster with Flurry Heart next to her.

"Gold Pot, be advised, the Aquatas have a visual on Snow."

The report came in from Serl. At least they had eyes everywhere. It allowed them to have a little bit of a strategic advantage. Whilst they ran, Dawn made small notes of locations and areas around them. They really came here somewhat unprepared. If only they could cover their tracks.

Dawn raised her Comm Block, panting deeply. "Serl! Warm up The Cleansing Project!"

Secretary Manny looked from her place to Teek.

"Warm it up!" She ordered.

Teek urgently began typing away on a large console in the back of the room before a large beep emanated from it.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "What in the..." She typed in a command again. The same sound was the response. Beads of sweat appeared beneath her tinfoil hat.

"We have a problem!" She reported.

"What kind of problem?" Manny asked.

"The system is offline! I can't turn it on!" Teek tried one more time, encountering only the same result.

Buck! Really?! Ugh, that was the thing with technology, one second it's working, the next it's falling into pieces. Manny hopped on her Comm Block.

"Silent Sound! Check on The Cleansing Project!"

"Ten-seventeen, Secretary!" Scootaloo replied.

Good. She knew they would get it done soon. In the meantime... Secretary Manny reported back to the Queen. "The Cleansing Project is offline—"

"What?!"

"I have officers investigating now. Keep moving for SouthTrade."

Stars above. Twilight teleported away from Narmeelah when she swung with her sword and parried it with her own. Narmeelah followed with a strike to Twilight's helmet she yelped at along with a buck to the chest pushing her back a few feet. Twilight stumbled before Narmeelah fired a massive beam of magic, propelling Twilight from their location to a rooftop yards away. She rolled across the roof, bounced to her hooves and skidded the rest of the way to the edge. Her helmet was dented, masking parts of her vision. But she could still see Narmeelah standing across from her.

"Give up, Arcadia," she taunted. She threw her sword to the side and spread her glowing wings. "You've lost before the fight even started."

Arcadia grabbed her helmet and threw it over the edge, falling to the ground littered with debris. She spread her own wings.

"I'll never give up," she replied. She slowly trotted to Narmeelah, eyes slowly growing with magic. The motion made Narmeelah slightly uneasy. "Why should I give up, when I haven't even given this my all?!!"

She broke into a run and slid beneath Narmeelah's wings, scooping her legs out from beneath her. She grabbed her hooves, swung her around, and bashed her face into a wall.

"AHH!" Narmeelah cried out. She spread her wings, sending out a pulse wave of magic designed to push Twilight and whatever attack she had in her hooves away from her. Alas, Twilight put up a shield just in time, pinning her to her current place.

She rushed forward and slammed her hoof into Narmeelah's jaw, throwing her face to the side and warping her helmet in the process.

"I'll never give up!!" Twilight called back her sword from the ground to her hoof, slicing the blade across Narmeelah's feather. She ducked another move and swung against Narmeelah's armor. The blade cracked the material. "Not as long as ponies need me!!"

She swung it down once more only to come in contact with air. Narmeelah dissipated into stars and formed above her, hovering. Her helmet no longer hid her expression. The term angry was no longer one could use to describe her current emotional state.

Her eyes, once full of the mysteries of the universe were now orbs of blood. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter. The magic burned at Twilight's fur. Whatever she had in mind, Twilight would need to run away from. Not counter.

"THEN YOU WILL DIE BEFORE THEIR VERY EYES!!" Her horn grew brighter and brighter. The feedback began to throw static onto the camera feeds. A feeling of dread soaked into Twilight's mind. She needed to fly away. She needed to fly away now.

Twilight spread her wings and bolted into the sky the moment Narmeelah screamed and shot a beam so large, so loud, so bright, and so powerful that it could be seen all the way from Serl.

"TAKE COVER!!!" Twilight ordered into her comm block.

The ground troops quickly pushed the Queen and important figures into more debris by the time the white bright beam landed in Snow. It shot through an entire tower. The following explosion was just one of many that shook the ground.

"Buck!!" Rainbow Dash shouted. She covered her ears and closed her eyes as tight as she could with the rest of them.

Twilight was sure the beam would've stopped after that. She was wrong. She flew as fast as she could whilst Narmeelah shifted that constant beam so that it followed her flight path, destroying as much of Psera that she could. No matter where it hit, fire, explosion, and a bright light followed. Ash rained from the sky, covering the city in fires and destruction. However the rune remained intact.

"ENOUGH!!" Twilight focused her attention back to Narmeelah still firing that beam and speaking to her at the same time from the center of the remains of Cop. Twilight flew in a circle, watching her speak and coming up with a plan. "YOU THINK BECAUSE YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT MAGIC THAT YOU ARE THE STRONGEST ENTITY TO EXIST?!!"

Twilight had to stop her before she completely leveled Psera. She teleported to Narmeelah and struck her across the face, throwing her beam off balance and towards the side into a hill. The ground lifted and exploded with the power of a Marrial, a fieball of dirt, dust, and smoke that mixed with the rain. The explosion could be felt all over Psera. Dawn held on to the side of their cover with Flurry Heart, waiting for the shaking to pass. All the way in Serl, ponies in the control tower grabbed hold of their desks.

"What the buck was that?!" Secretary Manny shouted. The camera feeds came back online, providing a perfect visual of Twilight and Narmeelah crashing into the middle of Cop with Twilight riding her back so Narmeelah was the one eating dirt.

"I don't have to be the strongest!" twilight replied. "I'm not even the smartest. I just treat magic with the respect it deserves."

Secretary Manny had an idea. She quickly changed her channel to the Front Lawn all the way in Equestria. "Secretary Manny to Aquata Eight-Seven!"

"Go ahead, Secretary."

"Prepare your Drill Rockets and lock onto this location!"

"Drill Rockets?! Are you sure?"

"Ten-four, Eighty-Seven!! Lock on to Cop and prepare to fire!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Secretary Manny turned back to the main channel. All units, prepare for Bolt Rockets on Cop. Arcadia, prepare to get out of the way.

She didn't need to respond, Manny could see the fighting she was engaging in with Narmeelah. She turned her attention back to the queen. They were almost at SouthTrade. Come on, so close.

---

Princess Celestia was almost out of breath. How the Pserateps could do this breathlessly was almost beyond her. How far away were they?!

Luna pointed up ahead. "There!!

Through the rain and lightning, She could make out a tall skyscraper tilted to the side. On top of it was a logo reading SouthTrade in ponish. It was so close!

They increased their speed, nearing the end of the tunnel before a pony appeared before them. One they were all familiar with, and one Sky Duster had a particular itch with. But not one that made them stop running.

Shaoloh stood directly in their path. "Just where do you think you're going, Princess?" She taunted with a grin.

Buck. This again? Celestia's had enough of her. Apparently, so did Luna. They both shared a look.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, sister?" Luan shouted over the fighting.

"Absolutely!" They both faced forward and away from the group.

"I'll handle her!" The latter volunteered. She spread her wings before anyone could stop her and speared forward, successfully tackling Shaoloh out of the way so they could continue moving.

Dawn made eye contact with Luna while she wrestled alongside Celestia. "Thank you!" She spoke down to them from Flurry Heart's side.

"Just keep going!!" Celestia ordered.

"Ugh!! Get off of me!" Shaoloh shouted. She spread her wings, shoving Celestia and Luna off of her. Together, they formed a barrier between her and the Queen's escort. The sneered at each other, silently calling each other names with their eyes.

"You really think you can stop me?" Shaoloh asked. They didn't reply. "Oh wow, you really—"

She never finished before Celestia threw sand into Shaoloh's eyes.

"Ugh! What it this?!" Without the ability to see it would make it really difficult for her to fly, let alone fight.

"Luna, now!"

Luna jumped around Shaoloh and quickly drew in four runes in the shape of a square. She ducked a swipe from Shaoloh's wing and finished the shape. The shape glowed green, brighter and brighter before it combusted, an explosion that blew them from their hooves and away from the sight of Shaoloh's incineration. They slid into debris, their armor doing little to protect them from the impact. Their ears rung, dizziness taking over before their regained their standing.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked Celestia.

Celestia checked herself over. "Yes, I believe I'm okay. How about you?"

"I am well." They turned their attention to the smoking location where Shaoloh was seconds prior. "Please tell me you were thinking exactly what I just did."

"I... Was not."

"...we were never on the same page to begin with, sister. You have your way of doing things, I have mine."

Celestia sighed deeply and walked up the hill. Surely they made it. "That is why I'm not upset. I will let it slide this time. For all of our sakes. I agree that... It's much better this way."

Luna trotted next to her with her head held high. "Just like the old days. With Philomena."

Celestia turned to Luna. "You never told me what you and my daughter got up to. I believe now, at the end of the world, would be a good time to divulge such information."

"I swear that if we survive, I will tell you all you want to know about my and Philomena's adventures. For now, we focus on Dawn."

"Fine."

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