> Arsenal of Harmony
>  by Midnight Rambler
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Setup
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

SLAM!

Twilight scrambled to her hooves and sprinted. All the way, she tried to block out what her eyes were seeing. No – this can't – this isn't –

As she got closer, it became harder and harder to deny. The huge wall in front of her looked transparent, but frighteningly real.

When she reached the edge, she skidded to a halt and touched a hoof to the glassy surface. It was official, now. Ponyville was sealed off from the world, and she was locked outside.

Loser. Leaves. Ponyville. Forever! Words she had barely registered at first were now sinking in uncomfortably fast, as she looked up at the giant, foreboding dome.

From the inside, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy came running up to meet her. A rush of hooves, heads and claws hit the glass; it didn't budge. It was like they were trapped in a gigantic fish bowl.

Twilight looked at her friends. Hurt, anger and confusion played across their faces, an accurate reflection of the jumble of emotions running through her own head. For a while they just stared at each other in shock, nopony knowing what to say. What did you say to a situation like this?

She opened her mouth, but stopped herself just before a stream of hesitant stutters could come out. Nonono, that won't do. As fuzzy and incoherent as her memories of the past hour were – it had all happened so quickly! – it was clear that something very, very bad was going on. That meant her friends needed reassurance now, hope, not helpless blubbering.

Brain, send words to mouth. Something, anything. Improvise.

She laid a hoof on the glass where Spike's claw was. 'It's okay, guys,' she said. 'I'll figure something out. Just... take care of each other. And keep an eye on Trixie. There's something strange about her!'

Gee, ya think? a voice at the back of her mind snarked. But there was no time to second-guess herself now. She needed to get away from this madness, away from Trixie, before she exploded.

She turned, and set off at full gallop. If anyone called after her, she didn't hear it. Only at the edge of the Everfree Forest did she stop to catch her breath. 'What... what just happened...?' she panted.





A cool drizzle came down over Canterlot, so light that it felt more like falling mist. Clockhoof stood alone on one of the big wooden platforms of the city's railway station. She wondered if Princess Celestia had raised the sun at all today; if so, it was well hidden behind an impenetrable cover of clouds. Then she remembered – Celestia was out of the country. State visit to Saddle Arabia. Apparently Luna wasn't doing a very good job filling in for her sister.

Clockhoof smiled faintly. It was deathly quiet; all the passengers were huddled inside, in the waiting rooms and the station buffet, enjoying tea, sandwiches and the heat of the fire. Not that they had any reason to come out. There were no trains due for half an hour. The Royal Equestrian Railway Company prided itself on many things, but frequency of service was not one of them.

Some would call her an eccentric for being out here by herself, but that didn't bother her. She enjoyed a little solitude every now and then. Besides, a stationmaster's job involved a lot of sitting around the station with hardly anything to do anyway. She might as well get some fresh air in the process.

She idly strolled down the platform, listening to the creak of the soggy planks under her hooves. Her eye fell on a puddle, a remnant of the morning's heavier rains, and she paused.

From the puddle, a unicorn mare in her late forties looked back at her with a skeptical frown. Her coat was a dull blue, somewhere between the colour the sky was right now, and the colour it ought to be.

She pondered that for a moment. Who was she, really, to decide what colour the sky was supposed to be? Maybe grey was the natural colour of the sky over Canterlot; one would certainly be forgiven for assuming that... She gave a small chuckle. Look at you, getting all philosophical over nothing. It was a stupid thing to think about – but then what else was she supposed to do with her spare time? Read books? Play Solitaire? She had already finished the day's Canterlot Citizen.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill whistle from afar. A train – but there were no trains due. This meant trouble. Good, she thought, a little trouble never hurt anypony. And it'll give me something to do.

Two minutes later, a hissing, steaming behemoth pulled into the station. Clockhoof clenched her teeth at the high-pitched scream of the brakes as the giant metal tube on wheels ground to a halt, gushing steam on all sides. Then she grinned. On or off schedule, there was nothing quite like the sight and sound of a heavy steam engine coming to a stop.

The deep red colour of this particular engine, and the midnight blue of the passenger cars behind it, told her it was a train of the Great Eastern line, which stretched to Baltimare, Fillydelphia and beyond.

The Great Eastern wasn't due for several hours.

Suddenly, she remembered a telegram from the Fillydelphia stationmaster she'd gotten earlier that day. Something about a line blockage at Ponyville. She hadn't given it much thought; Ponyville was pretty small and out of the way. A blocked line there wouldn't really affect any part of the rail network she needed to concern herself with. It was nothing her colleagues in the Eastern Sector wouldn't be able to handle – or so she had thought.

The train driver and the firepony jumped out of the engine and came trotting up to her. The two stallions looked nervous, a little frightened even. Maybe this problem in Ponyville was more serious than it had seemed. Well, the town was notorious for attracting danger and mayhem...

'Easy now, colts,' Clockhoof said as the stallions reached her. 'What's the matter? Something to do with Ponyville, I assume?'

The driver's eyes were wide as he spoke. 'In all my years on the Great Eastern, I've never seen...'

'It was scary!' the firepony shouted. 'The whole town...'

The driver nodded in agreement. 'Evil,' he said. 'Dark, evil magic.'

'All right, all right.' Clockhoof held up a hoof. 'Full sentences, please. You saw something at Ponyville. Something evil and scary. Any specifics on what it was?'

The driver took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. 'There was some kind of bubble over the whole town,' he said, still trembling. 'It was huge, like somepony had taken away the sky over Ponyville and replaced it with that.'

'It glowed red when we came near, as if it was trying to warn us off,' the firepony added. 'Well, that was a bluff we weren't gonna call. The thing looked mighty scary!'

'That it did,' the driver said. 'I hit the brakes. Took her a lot of screeching and hissing, but the old girl managed to stop in time.' He gave a nod towards the engine.

'I see,' Clockhoof said. 'So you came back here?'

'We put her in reverse, went back to Fillydelphia, and said we were terribly sorry, but we weren't going any farther today,' the firepony said. 'We let those folks get off who wanted to, then turned her around and came back here at full steam. Not much use in stopping at any towns in between.'

Clockhoof nodded. 'Makes sense.' So the passengers on this train were those whose destination had been Ponyville or farther, and who hadn't opted for Fillydelphia as the next best thing.

They were slowly coming out of the train by now. A small crowd formed on the platform – about fifty ponies, she estimated. She heard angry murmurs, and saw the occasional hoof pointing her way. Best to come to them before they came for her.

'You two did a good job. Go on inside and take a break,' she said. 'I'll handle this.'

'Thank you, ma'am.' The two stallions turned and walked away.

Clockhoof took a deep breath, then walked over to the crowd of disgruntled passengers and cleared her throat. The murmurs died down as fifty pairs of eyes turned to look at her.

'All right, everypony, I'm terribly sorry about this. From what I've heard of it, this issue isn't quite the kind of thing the Railway Company is equipped to deal with. However, we will do what we can. First off, is there anypony who will be needing emergency lodgings?'

There was a silence. No hooves were raised. Then again, that made sense: those without a place to stay in Canterlot had probably gotten off at Fillydelphia when they had the chance.

'All right. Now, I think the least we can do is offer you all a cup of coffee or tea on the house.'

The murmurs started again, not quite as angry anymore, but still far from happy. Clockhoof understood all too well; a cup of tea was a small comfort after wasting most of a day in a train that had stopped just short of your destination. Still, it was something.

'Just present your ticket at the counter and it'll be taken care of,' she continued. 'And of course you'll get refunds on your tickets – just ask for a compensation form at the service desk. But first, I think you might like to go inside and warm up for a bit.' She led by example, walking towards the station buffet.

A bell clanged loudly as she threw the door open. Coming out of the cold March air, it felt tropically hot in here. She quickly scanned the room. It wasn't exactly deserted, but there were more than enough of the small round tables left for the small herd that was following her.

The two fillies behind the buffet counter looked up at the bell's sound.

'Jasmine, Olivia, there's been a... situation at Ponyville,' Clockhoof said. 'Free tea for everyone with a Great Eastern ticket farther than Fillydelphia. Or coffee, if they prefer.'

'Got it.' Jasmine gave a firm nod. Olivia went to fill one of the large kettles behind her.

As the passengers of the Great Eastern trickled into the buffet, Clockhoof headed for her office. Jasmine, Olivia, and the ponies from customer service could handle the passengers from here on out; she had other things to do. First of all, she had to get that big hunk of metal out of her station before the Manehattan Express came in. And later, when her shift ended, it would be time for one of her more obscure duties as a railway employee. That glowing glass dome over Ponyville sounded like something the Royal Guard needed to know about.





Yeah, great, now you bring out the sun.

As the cab hobbled along through the streets of Canterlot, Clockhoof squinted against the flood of red light from just above the horizon. She had pulled down one of the carriage's flimsy sunshades, but that might as well have been a clear glass plate for all the good it did.

With a frustrated sigh, she turned to the side. Words from twenty years ago echoed through her mind, words she had spent long hours memorising. The Oath of the Civil Service.

'That I shall keep watch for threats, open or suspected, to the security of Equestria or the sovereignty of the Crown,' she droned, 'and that I shall report any such threats to the Royal Guard immediately.' The last clause in the Oath was mostly seen as an outdated formality. It wasn't as if the average Canterlot bureaucrat regularly stumbled on dastardly schemes to poison Celestia's tea. Still, it was a part of her job. Might as well get it over with.

As dormant as the clause was most of the time, she figured it was very convenient for the Guard. In peacetime, the Guard was mostly based in and around Canterlot, with only a minor presence in the more remote areas. The railways and the Royal Mail were a handy extra set of eyes and ears.

Clockhoof was shaken out of her thoughts as the cab pulled to a stop. 'We're here, ma'am,' the driver grunted.

'Yeah, thanks.' She climbed out and drew her purse from her saddlebags. Ten kilometres into the suburbs, against the low-hanging sun... the poor colt had earned a big tip. 'Here you go,' she said as she floated the bits over to him.

The stallion nodded his thanks and went off. Clockhoof turned around and found herself facing a large, off-white stone gate. Two earthpony soldiers stood in front of it, looking exceptionally bored. A wooden sign announced the building's purpose:


GRISLEY FIELD BARRACKS
Base of the 55th Earthpony Regiment
Commanding Officer: Col. Morning Star


As she stepped closer to the gate, the guards stood up a bit straighter. 'Name and business,' one of them said.

'Clockhoof. I'm the stationmaster at Canterlot Central, and I have a few things to report to Colonel Morning Star.' She got out her Railway Company employee card and levitated it in front of the soldier's muzzle. 'He's my official contact within the Royal Guard.'

'Uh, that looks all right, I guess,' he said. Clockhoof suppressed a chuckle at the puzzled look on his face. Clearly, he wasn't too well-versed in the fine print of the Oath of the Civil Service. 'The colonel's office is through the courtyard, turn right, down the hallway and... oh, well, you'll find it. There's signs and everything.'

Soon enough, Clockhoof stood in the doorway to Morning Star's office. The old colonel sat at his desk. It had been ages since she'd last seen him, but he still looked as she remembered him: same dark purple coat, same scruffy beard, same stocky build.

Across from him sat another, much younger stallion, with an ochre coat. A sergeant, if Clockhoof had to guess, or perhaps a lieutenant.

'Sky Four,' Morning Star said.

'Miss.'

Clockhoof cleared her throat. 'Good evening, Colonel. Am I interrupting something?'

Morning Star looked up at her. 'Ah – Miss Clockhoof!' He turned to his opponent. 'Lieutenant Black Tail, dismissed. We'll finish this game in a moment.'

'Sir.' The lieutenant saluted and quietly left the room.

Morning Star shoved the Battlecloud set aside and gestured for Clockhoof to take a seat. 'Now, what can I do for you?' he asked. 'It's been a while since I saw you here, I must say.'

She sat down and put her saddlebags beside her. 'Things have been quiet on the lines,' she said. 'Not today, though. There was a line blockage at Ponyville.'

'Ponyville...' Morning Star chuckled softly. 'Well, that's a first.'

'My thoughts exactly. Which is why I thought you should see this.' She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a clipboard with a few sheets of paper. 'I had the crew on the Great Eastern write some quick reports on what they saw. Apparently there's some kind of dome over the whole town. I have no idea what it is or what's causing it, but it scared them a lot.'

'I see,' Morning Star said. He frowned as he skimmed the reports. 'I'll send out a company to find out what it is tomorrow. Probably just some kind of magic experiment gone wrong. Twilight Sparkle does live there, after all...'

Clockhoof raised an eyebrow. 'Then why send out a full company to check?'

'Well, it gives them something to do, doesn't it? My stallions are rotting away in these barracks. Every room is spotless, all the equipment has been painted three times over... Really, I'd go with the whole regiment if I could get away with it.'

Clockhoof smiled. 'Well, I'm glad I could provide you with a mission, then.'

'Yes, thanks a lot for that. Where would we be without the railways?' He chuckled. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have a game to win.'





Black Tail woke up to the clanging of a bell. It was a sound that told him to haul his flank into the courtyard, and make sure all of his soldiers did the same, or there would be hell to pay.

'Seriously?' he groaned. The 55th hadn't bothered with roll call in weeks. He hadn't exactly mourned the decline of this long-standing military tradition.

He buried his muzzle in his pillow and briefly hoped the noise would just go away, but the bell kept clanging relentlessly. Whatever bright-eyed young recruit had been sent to ring it was really enjoying himself.

With a deep sigh, Black Tail dragged himself out of bed and stumbled to his closet.

He fumbled with his barding. It felt awkward and heavy after not wearing it for so long. Once he was properly stitched in, he went down the hallway to his company's dorms. They'd heard the bell just as clearly, of course, but it was his responsibility to make sure they all actually got up.

He knocked on Platoon 1's door. 'C'mon guys. Roll call.' The chorus of annoyed moans and groans that came in reply didn't give him a lot of hope for the platoon's turnout. 'I know, I know. It wasn't my idea, either.' He sighed and moved on to Platoon 2. It was going to be a long morning.

A good fifteen minutes later, Black Tail stood in the barracks courtyard with his company. By some miracle, they had all managed to turn up to roll call more or less on time. He yawned, and idly ran a hoof through the courtyard's dewy grass. Now that he was awake and on his hooves, he didn't feel so bad. It was chilly out, but there was a lot more sun than he'd seen in a long time. He absently listened to the murmurs of the soldiers behind him.

'What the hell?'

'Did someone lose a bet to the colonel?'

'Did Saddle Arabia invade while we were sleeping?'

'Maybe this is a joke and they'll let us go back to bed in a minute.'

'Boy, I sure hope so.'

'Atten-TION!' The booming voice of Silver Derby, the lieutenant-colonel, instantly silenced everypony else. 'Roll call! A Company!'

Lieutenant Hazel Strike stepped forward and saluted. 'Fully present, sir!' he said with a little too much enthusiasm for Black Tail's taste.

Silver Derby returned the salute and nodded. 'Good. B Company!'

Black Tail walked up and saluted. 'Fully present, sir.' But don't ask me how.

When roll call was finished, the only absences were three corporals from E Company who'd been drinking the night before. They were in for a hard time. Black Tail didn't envy Heavy Tread, E Company's commanding officer, either.

'At ease!' Silver Derby shouted. 'Now, all lieutenants are to meet the colonel in his office at nine.'

The colonel was calling an officers' meeting? That didn't happen a lot. It was probably for some stupid formality – a report from one of the Guard's many internal committees, or a policy memo from the High Command. Or maybe Morning Star just wanted to set up a Battlecloud tournament.

'Also, all troops are to remain in full barding until further notice,' Silver Derby went on. 'Lieutenant Heavy Tread, if you would kindly inform your three sleeping beauties that they just volunteered for kitchen duty for the coming month?'

Heavy Tread saluted. 'Sir.'

Black Tail raised an eyebrow. Full barding? Was Princess Celestia coming for a visit or something?

'Right, that will be all. F and G Company, dismissed. Off to breakfast you go. The rest of you, wait your turn.'

After what seemed like an eternity to Black Tail's growling stomach, B Company's turn came. Breakfast was a quiet affair, the soldiers too busy stuffing their muzzles to further discuss any hypotheses of royal visits or Saddle Arabian invasions. Black Tail wolfed down his rye bread and porridge, washed it down with lukewarm, watery tea – a barracks classic – and hurried back to his quarters. He barely had time to brush his teeth before the meeting in Morning Star's office.

When he got there, his fellow lieutenants were lined up before the colonel's desk. He hastily took his place in the line and saluted. 'Sorry I'm late, sir.'

'Oh, it's all right, Black Tail, you're quite on time,' Morning Star said. 'Now, you may wonder why I called you all here.'

Silence. Uneasy glances darted around the room.

'I have received a report!' Morning Star went on, a hint of a grin appearing on his face. He got out a clipboard and theatrically slammed it on his desk. 'A threat to the security of Equestria or the sovereignty of the Crown, as reported to me under the Oath of the Civil Service! Apparently all of Ponyville is encased in some kind of magical dome. A most dire situation!'

Wait, that means... a mission. Something to do. Black Tail never liked it when Morning Star hammed it up like this, but at least the message was a hopeful one.

'Now, of course, this warrants a thorough investigation. I intend to send a full company to Ponyville, to find out what evil has befallen it.' With a sigh, the colonel finally dropped the act. 'In other words: what is it this time,' he deadpanned.

There were a few chuckles, then Hazel Strike put on a broad smile. 'Well, this looks like a job for A Company,' he said.

'Hey, you know just as well as anyone that those letters don't mean a thing!' Long Shot growled. 'When was the last time G Company got picked for anything?'

Luna's horn, not this crap again. Black Tail had to keep himself from facehoofing in front of the colonel. Hazel by himself was bad enough; Hazel plus Long Shot was a stupid argument waiting to happen.

Not that he didn't want the mission for B Company. It would be great to get out of this dull Canterlot suburb for once, and his soldiers could use some action. But to fight over it like foals in the schoolyard...

Hazel opened his mouth for a retort, but Heavy Tread was quicker. 'Um, anyone wanna draw lots?'

Black Tail gave a sigh of relief, grateful for the intervention. 'Sure.'

Morning Star looked more than a little amused at the display. 'Very well.' He pulled out a pack of cards from one of his desk drawers. He rifled through the pack a bit, then held out seven cards, face down. 'Ace of hearts wins.'

One by one, they drew their cards. 

'And... turn,' Morning Star said.

Black Tail found himself staring at the Statue at Harmony in Manehattan. The image took up half of the card, with a flipped version on the other half. That was just decoration, though. The important part was the big red heart in the middle.

'Huh,' he said. He threw the card back on the colonel's desk. 'Guess I win.'

'Good, that's settled, then,' Morning Star said. He put a hoof on the clipboard with reports, and pushed it towards Black Tail. 'Read these, and read them well. Find out what's causing this mess, and how we can get rid of it. I want B Company ready to go by noon.'

'Yes, sir.' Black Tail saluted and grabbed the clipboard.

'Well, that will be all. Dismissed!'

Heavy Tread raised a tentative hoof. 'All of us, sir?'

Morning Star turned to him with a frown. 'You're off the hook this time, Heavy Tread,' he said sternly, 'but don't let it happen again.'

'Sir.'

Black Tail blinked a few times as the group filed out of Morning Star's office. A mission! After more than two months of sitting around at base and finding increasingly pointless ways to pass the time, he was going to do actual Guard stuff again. Sure, he was going to a backwater town to check on a problem that would in all likelihood sort itself out – the military equivalent of getting a cat down from a tree – but at least it was something.

'You're a lucky stallion,' Heavy Tread said, snapping him out of his thoughts. 'Be sure to send us back a picture with the Element Bearers.'

'Heh. Will do.' Black Tail chuckled. 'They'll be ever so grateful once we save their town from the Mysterious Glass Dome of Doom.'

'Definitely. Hey, good luck!'

'Thanks.' Black Tail turned a corner and headed for the mess hall. He threw the double doors open with a wide swing. As expected, most of the soldiers were still hanging out here. The long tables were full of stallions, talking, playing cards, some of them finishing the last crumbs of breakfast.

He cleared his throat and put on his best officer-voice. 'B COMPANYYYYYYY!' he shouted. 'Kits! We're going on a field trip.'





Unlike the palace gardens, higher up in the city, the Canterlot Gardens were open to the public. On the first day of spring, the public didn't need to be told twice. Foals were running around everywhere – playing hoofball, going down slides, climbing trees. Their parents were bathing in the sun, most of them with a cold drink and a cheap novel within leg's reach.

Shining Armour smiled as he took in the sights. It was a welcome change from the wet, gloomy days of late winter.

A bulky orange shape appeared in the air on the edge of his vision. The pegasus swooped in towards him, taking a sharp turn with an ease that belied decades of Air Guard experience. 'Hello, Helmet Blade,' he said.

'Hello, lad,' Helmet Blade said as he landed. 'Sorry I'm late. Had to sign a few promotions.'

'No problem. Who was getting promoted again? A couple of new Air Commodores, I heard?'

'Four of them. Three came fresh from the Academy,' Helmet grunted. 'I'm telling you, Shining Armour, I'm not liking these new "Senior Officer" courses at all. A wing commander straight out of the classroom, I could handle, but an Air Commodore! If they keep this up, in ten years you'll have fresh graduates sitting on the High Command!'

Shining Armour frowned. 'Yeah, the Academy has been getting ahead of itself, I guess. Anyway, we're on break. Let's walk for a bit.' He set off down the gravel path through the Gardens.

'Yes, of course.' Helmet nodded, and fell in next to him. 'It was a fine idea, spending our lunch break here. The Gardens are beautiful on days like this.'

'Yeah, it's really nice.'

'So how have you been, anyway? It's been a while since we got a chance to talk.'

'Oh, I'm fine. Mostly.' Shining Armour chuckled. 'Call me crazy, but I still don't like it when Celestia's out of the country.'

Helmet grinned. 'Not a fan of Luna, eh?'

'Oh, she's all right. She can be a little intimidating sometimes, is all.'

'Aye, she's a little less subtle about the whole "sovereignty" thing than Celestia. Can't deny that it works, though. She commands a lot of respect, for somepony who's only been back among us for... how long's it been now, four years?'

'Five,' Shining Armour said. 'And you're right, she's doing impressively well.' Luna might not be the most pleasant company, but he'd be damned if he didn't respect her. She was his Princess and his sovereign, a Supreme Guardian of Harmony, as much as Celestia was. It was something he couldn't have imagined ten years ago, but the thought felt almost natural now. 

'She's an inspiring figure for the troops, too,' Helmet said. 'I don't think there's a stallion in the Guard who wouldn't jump in a fire for her.'

Shining Armour smirked. 'Well, there'd better not be. The Oath of the Royal Guard is pretty clear on that point.'

Helmet jabbed him in the withers. 'Oh, you know what I mean,' he laughed. 'Anyway, I'm glad she's back. Think about it: when Celestia still ruled alone, a bunch of bureaucrats from the Civil Service would take over whenever she was away...'

'Oh, yeah, I remember that! She could never leave for more than two weeks, or we'd get buried in protocols and budget cuts. Luna saved us from that, at least!' They shared a laugh.

'So anyway, this business with the Academy,' Shining Armour said after a moment. 'You want to call a High Command meeting over it? We could send them an official letter...'

'Yeah, that wouldn't hurt,' Helmet said. 'But let's get some lunch first, I'm starving.'





Black Tail's flank was getting sore from the hard wooden bench pressing into it. Whoever had written that rail travel was 'the most graceful and civilised form of transport known to ponykind' had clearly never been on a troop train.

Across from him, on another bench, sat B Company's four sergeants. He'd called them all into the last carriage for a briefing – as far as possible from the engine's roar.

'Right, so here's the deal,' Black Tail said. 'From what they've handed me, there's some kind of dome over all of Ponyville. Probably magical. Our first order of business will be to check if the thing's still there.

'In case it isn't,' he went on, 'I've prepared a cunning strategy. It involves marching into Ponyville, having a beer, and coming up with an excuse why we absolutely can't return to base until tomorrow afternoon.'

There were broad grins all around. 'Gets my vote,' Bold Move said.

Flashblade raised a hoof. 'Wait, can I propose an amendment? After that last step, can we add the consumption of several more beers?'

Black Tail grinned back. 'Don't get your hopes up yet, guys. We've still got to plan for the possibility the dome is still there. In that case, our job is to figure out where it came from, and how we're going to send it back there.' He reached into his kit bag and pulled out a map of Ponyville and its surroundings, which he'd marked with a few crosses and arrows. 'Bold Move, Flashblade, I want you to take the northern approach, here.' A long arrow arched towards Ponyville. 'Stay behind these hills so you can't be seen from the town until you're actually there. When you reach the dome, split up. One platoon goes west, another goes east. Snakedrop, High Spirit, same deal from the south. Snakedrop meets Bold Move here, on the western edge, High Spirit meets Flashblade in the east. I'll stay back at the train with HQ, here.' He pointed at another cross. 'Meet me there once you've run into each other. Any questions?'

'Seems clear enough,' High Spirit said. 'What do we actually do, though? We just take a look at this dome-thing from up close and report our findings?'

'Sort of, yeah. Well, more of a look through it than at it, really. Try to find out what's going on inside. It would be great if you could talk to some of the townsponies through the dome, but for all we know it's a perfectly soundproof wall.' He paused. 'Or the entire population has been turned into zombies, in which case this is going to be an interesting report.'

Not much later, the train ground to a halt a few kilometres outside Ponyville. Black Tail jumped out onto the ballast pebbles. 'Right, everyone out!' he shouted. With a clatter of doors, hooves and barding, stallions began to pour out of the train.

Black Tail looked around him. High, rolling green hills stretched out to either side of the tracks, as far as the eye could see. The sky was bluer than he'd seen it in months. In the distance, a brook rushed by. An idyllic picture, really.

It was also very convenient: as long as they kept a reasonable distance, they couldn't be seen from the town. Of course, that worked the other way around as well. 'Somepony run up that hill and tell me if the big scary glass dome is still up,' he shouted. Three soldiers stepped out of the crowd and started making their way up. 'And tell the crew to kill the engine. We can do without a giant plume of steam giving us away.'

Of course, if anypony in Ponyville was actively keeping watch, they'd have seen the plume from the approaching train long ago. Still, they were going to be here for a while. It didn't feel good to have a big,  shining "LOOK OVER HERE" beacon up all that time.

'Kill it, sir?' Corporal First Watch said. 'It's going to take an awfully long time to steam up again if they do that...'

Black Tail put a hoof to his chin. 'Point. Just tell them to turn it down as low as possible.'

It didn't take long for the soldiers he'd sent up the hill to come gallopping back down. 'Lieutenant, sir, the dome's still there!' one of them shouted.

'It's huge,' another added. 'You'd better come take a look.'

Black Tail sighed internally. Guess we won't be visiting any cafés around here after all. 'All right, show me.' He trotted towards the hill, the three soldiers following close behind.

When he reached the top, his eyes flew wide.

The dome was giant. It was at least two kilometres across, enough to encase the entire town, and easily three hundred metres high in the middle. Buildings stood under it like dollhouses. Thunderclouds swirled around near the top, dark and menacing. Ponyville looked like it belonged not in the green and pleasant fields around it, but in the Everfree Forest beyond.

'Celestia's feathers...' he said softly.

The dome began to glow, faintly at first, but then quickly rising to an ominous bright red.

This wasn't a prank. This wasn't an accident. This was magic, powerful and terrifying magic. Black Tail found himself wishing he hadn't won that card draw.

The red glow faded again. Come on, stallion up, he thought, and turned to face the soldiers. 'Right, looks like we've got our work cut out for us,' he said. 'Let's go.'





A low rumble of thunder sounded overhead as Applejack trotted through the outskirts of Ponyville. She turned a corner onto one of the roads leading out of town, and got a clear look at the forcefield that was now her cage.

The field had a blue glow to it, but it wasn't a natural colour – not the blue of clear water or the blue of a sunny sky. Then again, nothing about this whole situation was natural. If anything, the forcefield looked a fainter shade of the coat of the pony who'd put it up.

Applejack had to fight the urge to scream with rage at the thought of Trixie. She settled for clenching her teeth and stomping a hoof. She had to keep a clear head now, focus on what she was here for: finding Rainbow Dash.

Given the time of day, Dash would probably be taking a nap in her favourite tree, right here on the edge of town. As Applejack walked up to the tree, she could already hear Dash snore. She smiled. Well, that guess had struck true, at least. Now to wake her up gently...

Suddenly, there was a flash as a bolt of lightning struck the tree. Applejack heard a 'Yeeowch!', a lot of rustling branches, and then the dry thud of pony hitting ground.

Quickly, she gallopped around to the other side of the tree, where Dash was sprawled out under the thick branch she'd fallen from. 'You okay, Rainbow?'

'Huh? AJ? Oh, yeah, I'm fine,' Rainbow Dash said. She shook an angry hoof at the forcefield. 'Dammit, Trixie! Kicking Twilight out and trapping Ponyville under this stupid force-thing wasn't enough, huh? Now you gotta take the perfect napping tree and hit it with lightning?'

Applejack gave a sympathetic wince. 'Can't you and the other pegasi clear those dark clouds?' she said.

'We've tried. Trixie won't let us. I swear, there's no reasoning with that creep.' Dash huffed. 'I mean, what are these things even for?'

'Probably just to show off how evil and scary she is.'

'Yeah, I guess.' With a grunt, Dash rose to her hooves. 'What are you doing here, anyway? I don't think you came to watch me nap. And if you did,' she grumbled, 'you're out of luck.'

'Well, I'm trying to get the girls together,' Applejack said. 'I was thinking we should have a little chat about Trixie, and what we're gonna do about her. I mean, sure, Twilight might be back tomorrow to kick her flank, but... well, you know, can't hurt to be prepared and all.'

'Yeah, guess you've got a point there.' Dash sighed. 'Let's go find the others.'

Suddenly, a group of uniformed stallions came into view from behind a warehouse, marching along the edge of the forcefield.

Applejack stared at them, dumbfounded. 'Huh? Is that... the Royal Guard?'

Rainbow Dash blinked a few times, then broke into a huge grin. 'Haha, they're coming to save us! Thank Celestia! Twilight must have gotten a message through. I knew she could do it!' She leapt into the air, wings flapping wildly.

The column stopped, the soldiers talking to each other, pointing in their direction. Applejack was grinning too, now. 'They've seen us. Let's go meet them.' She and Dash gallopped off, quickly closing the distance to the edge.

As they approached the soldiers, several pairs of eyes widened. In their murmurs, Applejack picked up her own name, Dash's, and a good few mentions of the Elements of Harmony.

The stallion at the head of the group cleared his throat, and the murmurs died down. 'Lady Applejack, Lady Rainbow Dash,' he said with a courteous bow. 'I'm Sergeant Flashblade, of the 55th Earthpony Regiment. We're here as a scouting party, to find out what's going on with this... dome here.'

Applejack's face fell. Looks like we're not gonna get rescued today.

'Oh, drop the "Lady" already.' Dash rolled her eyes. 'And you wanna know what's going on? Our town got taken over, that's what's going on! Some stupid unicorn thinking she's hot stuff because she's got a magical gizmo around her neck.'

'I, um, I see,' Flashblade said. 'And you and the other Element Bearers couldn't stop her?'

'We're trying our best,' Applejack said, 'but she beat Twilight! At magic! Whatever's making her so strong, it ain't natural.'

Flashblade's eyes widened. 'This unicorn... she defeated Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic?'

Two sad nods came in reply.

'Right,' he said, visibly struggling to look calm and professional. 'Where is Twilight Sparkle now, if I may ask? It would be a great help if I could speak to her...'

'Your guess is as good as ours.' Applejack sighed. 'Trixie ran her out of town. Haven't heard from her since.'

'Oh, swell...' Flashblade muttered. 'Ahem. This... Trixie, you mentioned she had a, um, "magical gizmo"? What is it exactly?'

Dash shrugged. 'Dunno. Some kinda amulet. It's got pegasus wings on it, and a unicorn's ho–'

'WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?' a loud voice screeched from behind them. Applejack turned to see Trixie, all dolled up in her stupid cape and hat, trying her best to look intimidating. 'What's this, now? The Royal Guard? Ha! Trixie would keep her muzzle out of this if she were you. You stand no chance against the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!' She stomped a hoof on the ground, like it would make her name sound scarier.

Flashblade glared at Trixie. 'We're – we're not here to fight you,' he said. He raised a trembling hoof at her. 'But we'll come back, and then we will be. Oh yes, we will be.'

Trixie let out a short, sharp laugh. 'Pfah! I doubt that,' she sneered. Her horn began to glow with red light. 'Now get out of Trixie's sight before she gives you all a little demonstration of just how Great and Powerful she really is!'

A nod from Flashblade to his soldiers, and the whole platoon was on its way, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash alone with Trixie. Some of the stallions looked back over their withers, faces hard and determined, trying to say: We'll be back. We promise.

'Oh, girls,' Trixie cackled. 'Looks like you're out of luck. The Royal Guard will not interfere with Trixie's beautiful plans for Ponyville!' With an exaggerated swish, she turned to head back into town. 'Now if you'll excuse Trixie, she has a Town Hall to redecorate.'

They watched her go. 'Don't you just wanna beat that mare to a bloody pulp?' Dash growled once she was out of earshot.

'Luna knows I do,' Applejack hissed between clenched teeth. In fact, I wouldn't mind running after her and giving it a shot right now.

With a pure effort of will, she calmed herself down. 'Just gotta wait until the Guard gets back in force. When they're done with her, she's gonna regret the day she was born.'





Shining Armour sat at his desk, pondering over the right words to write to the Royal Guard Academy.

He flicked on his desk lamp; the light from outside was getting dimmer. It was tempting to just call it a day and go home to Cadance, but he'd promised Helmet he'd draft up a letter for the meeting. Getting everyone to agree on the contents would go a lot quicker if they had a basic draft to work from.

It has recently come to our attention that many graduates of the new Senior Officer program have gone on to high positions in several regiments, especially in the Air Guard. While we appreciate your commitment to the education of Equestria's officer corps, we feel these graduates may lack the necessary experience to...

He sighed. Too formal. Too Civil Service.

Look, we don't care what kind of fancy new teaching methods you've come up with. Taking fresh graduates and basically making them deputy colonels is a stupid idea and you know it.

This time, his sigh sounded more like a groan. This wouldn't work, either. The letter was going to the Academy with the seal of the High Command on it; usually, that was enough to shock any institution within the Guard into swift obedience, even if the message stepped on a lot of toes. Still, if he wanted to avoid any kind of petty tug-of-war further down the road, he had to be polite.

Besides, it wasn't like the Academy took all the blame for this. They enthusiastically pushed their graduates, sure, but in the end it was the regiments who accepted these newbies into their highest ranks. Perhaps certain colonels needed a stern talking-to, as well...

No, he berated himself. This is what you said you'd change when you got this job, remember? Be reasonable. Play nice.

In light of recent developments concerning the Senior Officer program and its graduates...

With a grunt, he rose from his seat. This was no good, either.

He walked over to one of the high windows of his office. As annoying as the job was sometimes, being the Captain of the Guard had its perks. One of those was an office in Canterlot Castle – one with a view.

Right now, the sunset and the Canterhorn combined to make that view a pretty breathtaking one. Caps of snow shone golden in the twilight; down at the mountain's base, the trees, most of them still bare of leaves, took on a grey, sombre tone. And then there was the sun itself, a ball of pink slowly sinking below the horizon, while small clouds of orange and purple swirled around it.

Shining Armour grinned. Screw it, he thought. There are bigger things in this world than that stupid letter. Without turning away from the window, he started sweeping papers off his desk with his magic, floating them into his saddlebags.

Once he'd packed everything up, he threw open the door and stepped out into the marble hallways of the castle.

Just as he finished locking up, he heard hoofbeats coming towards him. Fast, worried hoofbeats. He looked up to see Red Moon, one of the generals, coming down the corridor at a brisk trot.

'Shining Armour!' he said. 'You've got to see this. There's trouble in Ponyville. Big.' He levitated a few papers out of his saddlebags and floated them before Shining Armour's muzzle. 'A scouting party was sent there yesterday. Here's their report.'

On the front page was the word "SUMMARY," followed by a convenient set of bullet points. 'Ponyville taken over by unicorn sorceress calling herself Trixie,' Shining Armour muttered. 'Entire town encased in large forcefield. Trixie's power apparently drawn from magical amulet. Twilight Sparkle exiled from Ponyville, current location unkno– what?!'

He reread that last point. There it was, spelled out clearly, staring him in the face: Twilight was missing.

Send ten regiments, he wanted to say. Have them scour every nook and cranny within fifty kilometres of Ponyville. All leave suspended until Twilight is found.

He couldn't, of course. That was really the worst thing about his job. All the forms, all the stupid internal politics, all the pointless formalities paled next to this: he had the full power of the Royal Guard at his command, and he wasn't allowed to dedicate all of it to finding Twilight.

He let out a deep sigh, and nodded to Red Moon. 'This is Crown-level business,' he said. 'I'll go find Princess Luna.'

As he walked through the hallways, he skimmed the report's other pages. There were statements from citizens. There was a map of Ponyville, with a big red circle showing how far the forcefield reached. There were elaborate descriptions of the mysterious amulet that seemed to be powering it all.

None of it really came through, except for that one bullet point on the front page. Twilight Sparkle exiled from Ponyville, current location unknown.

In the meanwhile, Luna stood on one of the many balconies of Canterlot Castle and gazed into the sunset, taking a moment to admire her own work.

As sunsets went, she was quite satisfied with this one. It wasn't like one of Celestia's sunsets, of course. Celestia understood the sun, moving it forward with an elegance that just seemed to come naturally to her. Luna couldn't hope to match that.

After all, even after a thousand years of practice, Celestia's moonrises were no match for hers, either.

Luna smiled faintly, then yawned. She'd forgotten how much work it was to rule alone. Hopefully, Celestia would come back soon and ease her burden.

Her smile immediately vanished when she heard hoofbeats approaching from inside the castle. The 'click-clack, click-clack' on the stairs translated into 'more work, more work' in her mind; after all, nopony would come here just to admire the sunset with her. That was one of the downsides of being a Princess.

The hoofbeats reached the balcony. A throat was cleared. 'Your Highness.'

A stallion's voice. It sounded fairly young – but then again, everypony was young by Luna's standards. It wasn't the heavy rumble of old generals, the weary deadpan of civil servants, or the smooth, practised tone of the castle staff. No, her visitor sounded more nervous, more insecure than that. Odd – most ponies were nervous around a Princess of Equestria, but anypony who could approach her here should have seen her often enough to feel a little more comfortable.

As familiar as the voice sounded, she still hadn't determined exactly to whom it belonged. She decided to take a little gamble. 'What is it, Shining Armour?'

No awkward pause, no hesitant correction. Luna smiled inwardly at her small triumph. Being able to say the first words without looking the other pony in the eye – it was one of those thousands of little things that made a sovereign ruler sovereign.

'Sorry to disturb you, Your Highness, but there is something you need to see,' Shining Armour said.

'I will be the judge of that,' Luna said calmly, finally turning to face him. 'Show me.'

Shining Armour floated over the papers he was carrying in his field, and Luna began to read.

She barely raised an eyebrow as she read the summary on the first page. After all she had seen in her thousands of years, very little could faze her anymore. A unicorn had gone mad and taken over a small town... well, a small contingent of Royal Guards should be able to take care of that. Or she could fly to Ponyville herself and set things straight.

There was one point, however, that caught her attention. Trixie's power apparently drawn from magical amulet.

That was unusual. Amulets that could boost a unicorn's power were very rare, and most of them could not be wielded properly without complicated arcane rituals. Luna started turning pages, skimming for a further description of the amulet in question.

A small sense of unease crept into her mind as she progressed through the report. Surely it couldn't be...? She turned another page, and froze.

The drawing was primitive, full of crooked lines and grossly skewed proportions, but she immediately recognised the Alicorn Amulet.

She turned to Shining Armour. 'Call in your generals,' she said, her voice flat but resolute. 'Now.'





Luna walked into the War Room, closing the doors behind her with a quick flicker of her horn. It had been ages since she'd been here.

Her hoofbeats on the room's wooden floor echoed loudly. The walls were covered in wooden panels as well, but they were largely obscured by maps of Equestria, the world, and various continents. The closest resemblance that came to mind was a geography classroom at a prestigious university.

In the middle of the room, there was a large oval table, at which Shining Armour was seated with his six generals: the earthponies Steelburn, Strongblood and Iron Sword, the unicorns Hail Fire and Red Moon, and the pegasus Helmet Blade.

Two chairs were notably larger than the others: fit for alicorns, for Princesses. Luna took one of them; the other remained conspicuously empty. It was the first time since her return that she attended a High Command meeting without her sister.

'Good evening, gentlecolts,' she said as she sat down. She half-expected the generals to respond with a chorused 'Good evening, Princess Luna,' like a class of foals greeting their teacher; fortunately, they did no such thing.

Instead, there was Shining Armour's formal welcome. 'Your Highness, we are honoured by your presence. The Guard is at your service.'

'Thank you, Captain Shining Armour,' Luna said with a graceful nod. She noticed that several pages from the scouting party's report, including the sketch of the Amulet and the map of Ponyville, were already laid out on the table – a convenience she appreciated. 'You have all been called here because of the situation in Ponyville. We have no time to lose, so I shall get straight to the point. This –' she tapped a hoof on the crude sketch '– is the Alicorn Amulet. An artefact of dark magic. It is powerful, it is dangerous, and it must be stopped.'

Iron Sword spoke up. 'I was unaware our intelligence had progressed to that stage already.'

Luna raised an eyebrow. 'And yet it has. Everything in this report is consistent with the workings of the Alicorn Amulet. There can be no doubt.'

'How can we be so certain?'

Luna considered her reply for a moment. Would she glare at him? No, that would be a bit much; the other generals seemed to be doing enough glaring already. She settled on a disappointed sigh, and that little edge to her voice that was usually enough to quell all dissent. 'General Iron Sword, I would ask that you trust your Princess's expertise on the matter of ancient magical artefacts.'

'Well, yes, of course, I –' Iron Sword stuttered. He recovered surprisingly quickly, though: 'Apologies, Your Highness. I just wanted to be sure. It wouldn't do to take a rash decision based on incomplete evidence, after all.'

There was a brief silence, then Shining Armour gave an annoyed sigh of his own. 'Now that that's out of the way, let us find a solution to this crisis as quickly as possible. Your Highness, what are your orders?'

'Unicorns and earthponies,' Luna said. 'A large force, preferably a full regiment of each. The forcefield will be strong, but it will come down if sustained physical and magical attacks are combined. How soon, by your estimation, could you have such a force in Ponyville?'

The generals began to murmur among themselves. They suggested regiments, discussed train capacities and travel times. Luna did not listen to these details with particular intent; she merely waited for a definite answer.

Soon enough, nods of agreement around the table signalled the discussion had reached a conclusion. Helmet Blade cleared his throat. 'We can send the 14th Unicorn Regiment and the 55th Earthpony. They could be there at dawn on the day after tomorrow, at the earliest.'

Luna nodded. 'Very well. Are there any volunteers to lead this mission?'

A brief silence, then Strongblood spoke up. 'I will do it.' He sounded firm, confident. Good.

'Excellent. General Strongblood, you are now in charge of...' Luna put a hoof to her chin. What would she name this mission? Her eye fell on the map of Ponyville, with the red ring indicating the forcefield's extent, and suddenly she knew. 'Operation Ring of Fire. Now, this is very important: once you manage to destroy the forcefield, capture and restrain Trixie. Make no attempt to kill her, destroy the Amulet, or remove the Amulet from her neck. Instead, send for me.'

'Yes, Your Highness.'

'Then I think we are done for the evening. Go, gentlecolts, and make haste. There are many orders to be given tonight.'

The generals rose from their seats, saluted, and walked out of the room. Luna was left alone at the table, a small grin making its way onto her lips. Whoever Trixie was, in two days she would wake up to the sound of two Royal Guard regiments pounding on her precious forcefield. Operation Ring of Fire was underway.
> Chapter 2: Control Point Enabled – Get Going!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks ago, Black Tail had only been vaguely aware of Ponyville's existence. Now, he was going there for the second time. He yawned. He'd had an hour's sleep at most in the cramped, noisy troop train in which he had spent the night.

He was marching along in a giant column of almost four thousand stallions, though perhaps "mob" was a more fitting word than "column"; any attempts at formation or step had quickly been abandoned in the soggy fields. All that mattered was getting forward. And even that's easier said than done, Black Tail thought as the mud squelched under his horseshoes.

Hazel Strike came up next to him. 'Well, it looks like Long Shot got his wish after all,' he said. 'We can all join in the fun now.'

'Mhm,' Black Tail mumbled. In the distance, he could see the forcefield's faint blue glow. Ever since he had first seen the thing, he was firmly convinced that coming anywhere near it wouldn't be "fun" in the slightest. 'I just want to get it over with. This stupid thing has gone on for long enough now.'

'Tsk,' Hazel tutted. 'For weeks we sit around at base, bored out of our skulls, and now that we've got something to do you're complaining again? You're a fickle one.' He chuckled.

'You're starting to sound like the colonel,' Black Tail grumbled.

'I'll take that as a compliment. Oh, speaking of Morning Star, I've heard he's very impressed with how you handled the scouting mission. Congratulations, I suppose.'

Black Tail raised an eyebrow. Genuine, sarcastic, or completely made up – with Hazel, it was always hard to tell. 'And how do you know that, exactly?'

'Oh, I just keep my ears open, Black Tail. You should try it sometime.' Hazel smirked. 'Anyway, I think I agree with Morning Star's assessment. You're a dependable colleague – unlike some of us who can't even keep their junior officers away from the bottle.'

Black Tail shot a glare at Hazel. 'Hey, that was uncalled for. Who says those three wouldn't have done the same thing if they'd been in A Company?'

'I do,' Hazel said, 'with full confidence.'

'Well, good for you,' Black Tail grumbled.

Hazel cocked his head to the side. 'What? Surely you could say the same about B Company.'

Black Tail wanted to say, 'No, of course not.' He looked after his soldiers, sure, and most of the time they behaved well, all things considered. And yes, it was his job to uphold discipline within his unit – but he wasn't infallible. He tried, within his limited means, to keep his soldiers happy, but what if a few adventurous colts felt like sneaking a bottle of whisky into their platoon dorm nonetheless? There wouldn't be a lot he could do.

However, he'd been around Hazel long enough to know that admitting weakness in front of him was a very bad idea. 'Yes, I can,' he said through clenched teeth. Any more of this conversation, and I'll be needing a few stiff drinks myself.

'I expected nothing less from you,' Hazel said brightly.

Black Tail hunted about for a snappy retort, a jab below the belt, anything to put Hazel in his place. He found nothing. So he was silent, hoping that Hazel would leave him alone eventually.

The muddy ground under their hooves gradually sloped upwards, until they reached a hilltop. From here, they had a good view of Ponyville, revealing the dome in all its sinister glory. Black Tail was prepared for the spectacle of evil magic in front of him, but he could swear he saw Hazel's eyes widen just a little. He smirked. 'Still think it's gonna be "fun", Hazel?'

'Why yes, of course I do,' Hazel said, but the tremble in his voice was unmistakeable. Black Tail thanked Luna for small victories. 'And seeing as we're nearing our objective, I believe I'd best rejoin my unit.'

'Sounds like a plan.'

Hazel trudged ahead towards A Company. Once he was out of earshot, Black Tail breathed a sigh of relief.

In Hazel's place, Heavy Tread fell in beside him. 'Wow, you weren't kidding about this thing. It's huge.'

'I know. It was a nasty surprise for me, too.'

'What was that all about, anyway?' Heavy Tread nodded towards Hazel Strike, who was still making his way to the head of A Company.

'Oh, nothing.' Black Tail let out a dismissive grunt. 'Just Hazel being Hazel.'

'Ah.' Heavy Tread's face darkened with grim understanding.

'Seems like he thinks less of you after the incident with those corporals. He took a shot at you for it, at any rate.'

Heavy Tread snorted. 'Now that's interesting,' he said, his tone icy. 'I haven't heard a word from him about it.'

Black Tail rolled his eyes. 'Well, no, of course not. The day Hazel talks bad about somepony to their face is the day Celestia forgets how to raise the sun.'

Heavy Tread laughed. 'So is the day I care about what Hazel thinks of me.'

'That's the spirit.' Black Tail grinned. 'Now let's go knock this damn thing down.'





Twilight woke up with a yawn. Heavy as her eyelids were, she eventually managed to open them, and looked around her room.

She mentally berated herself. It was presumptuous to think of Zecora's guest room as her room. Still, for a place where she had only been staying for a few days, it was already feeling pleasantly familiar. Light green curtains filtered the sunlight, blending in with the wooden brown of Zecora's hut. On the dresser stood a collection of small sculptures, crafted long ago by master artisans in the zebra homelands. What Twilight liked most about the room, though, was the bookcase in the corner. The sturdy wooden cube paled in comparison to Ponyville Library's wealth of shelves; it reminded her of home nonetheless.

Twilight sighed. Home was under Trixie's control now, and there was no telling how long it would be until she saw her house or her friends again.

Before her mind could be flooded with anger, fear, and convoluted plans, a roar of thunder struck her ears. Everything in the hut rattled and shook as the shockwave rolled through. One of the zebra sculptures almost fell off the dresser.

Twilight sat up in bed, blinking. A thunderstorm? But then how could it be so light out? She pushed the curtains apart and peered outside, squinting against the light. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw that the sky looked blue, clear and inviting as ever. Where had the noise come from, then?

The door of the room flew open and a very excited Zecora burst in. 'Wake up, wake up, o bright young mare! I've seen the end to your despair!'

'Zecora?' Twilight threw the covers off and sat up on the edge of the bed. 'What's going on? What was that sound?'

Zecora answered with a sweeping gesture of her hoof. 'I have seen the engines steaming; I have seen the barding gleaming! They arrived in darkest night to give Trixie quite a fright! The soldiers of the Royal Guard will shatter evil's dome to shards!'

Twilight's face lit up. She was suddenly fully awake. 'The Royal Guard is here? That's– that's great! Let's go and see!'

Zecora walked out of the room, enthusiastically beckoning for Twilight to follow. Twilight trotted after her with a spring in her step that would have made Pinkie Pie jealous.

They quickly made their way through the Everfree Forest. Leaves soggy with dew rustled under their hooves while the light of dawn formed misty rays between the trees. The beautiful scenery only added to Twilight's excitement.

They broke out of the trees at the base of Timberwolf Hill. Legend had it that on top of this hill, the timberwolves had howled at the moon at the start of Ponyville's first zap apple season. What mattered more right now was the excellent view of the town the hill offered. An eager nod from Zecora, and they galloped up.

Twilight reached the top first – and her breath caught in her throat.

What she was seeing could only be described as a town under siege. A giant ring of soldiers had formed around the forcefield; on this side alone there had to be well over a thousand stallions. All colours of the rainbow flashed through the air as blasts of raw magic from hundreds of horns pummeled away at the dome. Soldiers were moving about everywhere, and Twilight heard them yelling – orders, questions, battle cries. The whole scene reminded her of the inside of a factory, combined with the magical light shows on Summer Sun's Eve.

A group of soldiers broke away from the ring and lined up about a hundred metres from the forcefield. A bit farther down the line, another group followed suit, and then several more, at regular intervals. Twilight squinted. 'What are they doing...?'

A few loud shouts rang out, and the soldiers charged.

Each group hit the forcefield at roughly the same time. Twilight knelt down and covered her ears as the ground trembled beneath her. From this distance, the thunder was ten times louder than it had been in Zecora's hut.

'Wow, they're really going all out!' she shouted to Zecora once the noise had faded to a slightly less deafening level.

Zecora shot her a confident grin. 'Against a fighting force this strong, no evil power can last long! Once more will freedom find this town when Trixie's dreams come crashing down!'

Twilight frowned. Was it really that certain already? The Guard had just begun their assault; it was too early to tell if they were making any progress. Granted, Trixie didn't seem to be responding yet, but she might just be waiting for the right moment to strike. She was a stage magician by trade, after all; surely she'd have a few aces up her sleeve... The excitement that had swept Twilight up made way for worry and doubt.

Then an even more disturbing thought hit her. Even if the Guard does defeat Trixie, how much of Ponyville could she take down with her? She'd seen the Alicorn Amulet's power when it was just being used to taunt and humiliate; how much would it destroy in a desparate last stand – or in a blaze of glory?

Terrifying visions went through Twilight's brain: tornados rampaging through Ponyville, entire streets set on fire, vicious monsters summoned from the depths of Tartaros... She rose to her hooves and tried to shake her head clear of the thoughts, but one look at the violent spectacle below filled her with worry again. Her friends were caught in the eye of that storm, and there was nothing she could do to help them, or even find out if they were all right.

With a frustrated grunt, she turned back towards the forest. 'C'mon Zecora, let's go!' she yelled. 'I don't think my ears can stand much more of this noise.'





Ponyville Library shook on its foundations as the shockwaves from yet another charge rippled through the town. Inside, books flew off shelves, the wooden bust of Ponicles toppled over, and four sets of teeth clattered along with the tremors.

When the shock had passed, Applejack shook her head. It didn't stop the ringing in her ears. 'Land's sakes,' she grunted. 'That's got to be the loudest one yet!'

'It was a rather heavy one, yes,' Rarity said drily. 'I just hope Spike and Rainbow Dash get back quickly. I don't like it one bit that they're out there in this madness.'

Pinkie Pie was bouncing around the pair in circles. 'Wheeee!' she squealed. 'The soldiers are coming to teach that no-good meanie Trixie a lesson! And then we're going to have a big liberation party! I wonder if the soldiers like balloons?' She stopped bouncing and put a hoof to her chin, suddenly deep in thought. Then she smiled and bounced on. 'Yeah, I'm pretty sure everypony likes balloons.' After a few seconds, she stopped again. 'But what colour?' She turned to Applejack and Rarity. 'Girls? What colour of balloons do you think the soldiers would like best?'

'Pinkie Pie!' Rarity huffed. 'The soldiers have only just gotten here! It might well take weeks before they manage to get through the shield – and goodness knows what else Trixie is planning! Don't you think it's a little early for party preparations?'

'Hmm...' Pinkie put a hoof to her chin again. 'Nope!' With a bright smile, she went back to her bouncing.

'I swear, sometimes that mare is impossible,' Rarity grumbled under her breath.

Applejack smirked. Of course, if she looked at the whole shebang with a level head, she had to agree with Rarity. There was no telling how long it would take for the Guard to knock Trixie's forcefield down, or what would happen when they did. Still, Pinkie's enthusiasm was infectious.

Suddenly, another blast hit the library. Applejack had to duck to avoid a heavy-looking tome that came flying off a shelf. She stayed down on the violently shaking floorboards, holding on to her hat. Until the shockwave died down there wasn't much use in trying to get up. Besides, she thought, who knows what else is gonna get thrown at me? 

When her ears recovered, she could swear she heard a tiny squeak from upstairs. With a sigh, she rose to her hooves. 'You think we should check on Flutters?'

Rarity put a hoof on her withers. 'I think it's better to leave her be for now, darling.'

Applejack nodded. 'Guess so.' Fluttershy hadn't spoken a word since the attack had started, only letting out frightened sobs and whimpers. When the group had gathered in the library to sit out the storm, she had immediately rushed upstairs and hidden under Twilight's bedsheets. Fluttershy was a stronger mare than most ponies gave her credit for, but she wasn't someone to bring to a war zone.

All of Ponyville practically being a war zone right now didn't help.

The door swung open, and Rainbow Dash zoomed into the library. She hovered a metre and a half off the ground, wings flapping excitedly. 'That. Was. Awesome!' she cried. 'I haven't seen a show like this since that Alice Colter concert last year. They're really pulling out all the stops!'

Spike walked in after Dash, a wide grin on his face. 'I think I may have popped an eardrum,' he said, 'but boy, was it worth it!'

'Hiya Spike! Hey Dashie!' Pinkie called out.

Rarity trotted over to Spike and wrapped him up in a hug. 'Spikey-Wikey! You had me worried for a moment. It's good to see you two back safe and sound.'

Spike blushed and wriggled out of her embrace. 'Aw, Rarity, we weren't in any danger. It's not as bad out there as it sounds.'

'Spike's right. It just takes a couple of tough ponies to go out there and see that,' Rainbow Dash said. 'Or tough dragons, of course.' She flashed Spike a grin.

This drew protest from Rarity. 'Well, "tough" as you two may be, you still shouldn't underestimate the seriousness of the situ–'

Applejack held up a hoof to nip the bickering between Rarity and Dash in the bud. 'So, what did ya find out, hot shots? Any cracks in the forcefield yet?'

Rainbow Dash shrugged. 'Eh, some, but they're still pretty small. It's gonna take at least a few more days to knock it down at this rate.'

'What about Trixie?' Rarity asked snippily.

'No sign of her,' Spike said. 'The word on the streets is that she's locked herself inside Town Hall. We tried to go over there and see for ourselves, but we were stopped by some of her goons.'

Applejack raised an eyebrow. 'Goons?'

Rainbow Dash's face twisted into a snarl. 'Yeah, apparently Trixie has recruited some ponies to help out with her dirty work,' she spat. 'Scum.'

Applejack frowned. 'Hm. That's mighty peculiar.' The whole town hated Trixie, and with the Royal Guard knocking on the door, it was obvious that she wouldn't be around for long – so who would be crazy enough to support her? 'You think she's using some kind of mind-control magic?'

'I wouldn't rule it out,' Rarity said. 'Anyway, if Town Hall is being guarded, that just makes it rather more likely that she is, in fact, there.'

'So, what are we waiting for? Let's go in there and kick her flank!' Rainbow Dash slammed her forehooves together.

'Out of the question,' Rarity said firmly. 'We stay here.'

'What? But why? We could–'

Applejack raised a hoof again, this time to cut Dash off. 'Sugarcube, we're missin' our strongest magic user, and the Elements of Harmony won't work without Twilight either. It's best to let the Guard handle this one.'

Rarity nodded. 'The amulet has made Trixie strong enough to defeat Twilight, and to maintain her shield even under the current barrage. I'm afraid she would be more than a match for the five of us.'

With a frustrated sigh, Dash dropped to the ground. 'Fine,' she grumbled.

A few minutes went by without anypony saying anything. There were no new charges, either; the earthpony soldiers had taken a break, it seemed. The unicorns were still at it, though. The constant rumble of magic blasts hitting the forcefield reminded Applejack of heavy rain on a barn roof.

'So, Rarity?' Rainbow Dash said after a while, a smirk playing across her lips. 'Have you picked a dress for the victory parade yet? Bet you'll want to look your best for the soldiers.'

'Actually, that's the line of thought I'm trying to avoid,' Rarity deadpanned. 'Unlike some ponies –' she shot a glare at Pinkie Pie, who was still bouncing around happily '– I'm careful not to get over-optimistic. When Trixie is captured and all of Ponyville is free, safe, and intact, I'll start thinking about my ens–'

She was cut off by a thunderous blast. The charges had started again.

Rainbow Dash immediately took to the air. 'Woo hoo! That's the sound of freedom right there, girls!' she yelled over the ear-splitting noise.

The library was less thrilled. The bust of Ponicles that had toppled over earlier now fell off the table entirely, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Some of the higher shelves creaked ominously.

'Luna's horseshoes,' Applejack groaned when the floor stopped moving. 'This just ain't safe anymore!'

'We could move into the basement,' Spike said. 'Twilight and I cleared it out last week, so there's a lot less stuff to fall on our heads there.'

Rarity nodded. 'An excellent plan.'

'Right, basement it is,' Applejack said. 'Let's go, everypony. I'll grab Fluttershy.'





'Platoon 1 ready?' Black Tail shouted.

Three of his four platoons were lined up for another charge. Platoon 3 was recovering some distance farther from the dome. It was their turn to take a break, and one look at the stallions lying scattered about in the grass confirmed that they badly needed it. Running into a magical forcefield at full gallop was hard labour.

'Ready!' Snakedrop called, turning Black Tail's attention back to the three waiting columns.

'Platoon 2 ready?'

'Ready!' Flashblade shouted.

'Platoon 4 ready?'

Just at that moment, a particularly loud magic blast struck the dome not far from where they were standing. Bold Move gave up on making himself heard, and just nodded and waved instead.

Black Tail nodded back, then looked at his watch. A minute and a half. They were early. 'Right,' he yelled. 'Keep positions and wait for the signal!'

Flashblade raised a hoof. 'Excuse me, sir, but will you be leading the charge?'

The question took Black Tail by surprise. 'Well I, uh...' he stammered. Of course, an officer was supposed to lead by example, and showing that you weren't afraid to join in the "dirty work" always boosted the soldiers' morale. On the other hoof, he had to take care not to get himself too beat up. He looked back to the exhausted soldiers of Platoon 3, and wondered how he was going to co-ordinate any further charges in that state.

Then he heard it: the soldiers had started cheering for him. 'Join in! Join in! Join in!' they chanted.

Well, he couldn't refuse now. He took one more look at Platoon 3, then at the dome, then at the cheering columns in front of him, and let out a deep sigh. 'Oh, all right,' he grumbled, and made his way to the head of the company. A round of cheers and applause went up from the ranks.

Once he was in position, he checked his watch again. 'Thirty seconds! Get ready, everypony!'

Behind him, he could hear loud snorts, and hooves scraping across the ground. Somehow, he felt the dome wasn't intimidated.

The dome. It completely filled his vision now, its blue sheen painting the quaint houses of Ponyville in dark, sombre tones. Although it trembled under the barrage of magic, and a few cracks had begun to form, the dome looked like it would stand a long, long time yet. Black Tail swallowed a lump in his throat.

His gaze went down to his watch again, not only to check the time, but also to give himself something else to look at. 'Twenty seconds!'

The little clock ticked towards the ten-second mark at a frustratingly slow pace. He stuffed it into his pocket and tensed his leg muscles for the charge. For good measure, he threw in a hoof-scrape of his own. Here we go.

'Ten!' he shouted. 'Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One – CHARGE!'

He hastily blurted out that last word, and then he was already rushing forward, scrambling not to get trampled by his own soldiers. His gait was a crude gallop, one the most primitive ancestors of ponykind would have understood, meant for one thing only: speed.

The closer he got to the dome, the less solid it seemed. Hesitation crept into his mind, and it took an effort of pure discipline not to slow down, not to falter in his gallop. From this close, the dome was just a blue glow, just a weird light effect – definitely not something he could touch, or run into – not something that would stop him...

His eyes widened in fear. It was all going to go wrong. He would go right through the dome. He would crash into the house just behind it, and tear himself to shreds on the rough-hewn bricks –

With a final beat of his hooves, he kicked off from the ground, then threw his body sideways.

He hit the dome.

He was immediately squashed against it as a dozen bodies slammed into him, carried by the same raw momentum that had carried him. An explosion of noise hammered into his skull; his Guard-issue earplugs did him no good.

The dome began to shake violently, throwing him back. His jaw hit a helmet. He cried out in pain as a horseshoe pressed into his cannon. He could feel that the soldiers behind him were digging in their hooves, pushing back against the dome. He knew he was supposed to do the same, but between the suffocating pileup of bodies behind him and the cold wall of magic in front, all he could do was let himself be thrown back and forth – and pray he wouldn't be ripped apart.

He was just about to pass out when he felt the pressure behind him let up. It took a moment before his battered consciousness could make sense of it: soldiers were walking away from the crash site. Soon, he found that he could move freely again without hitting anypony.

He stumbled forward on wobbly legs, his ears ringing. A blocky grey shape appeared in his blurry vision; he blinked a few times, and it resolved itself into the robust form of Lieutenant-Colonel Silver Derby.

His instincts screamed at him to salute, but if he took a leg off the ground now, he would collapse and probably break a bone.

Words reached him through the ringing in his ears. 'Lieutenant Black Tail,' the lieutenant-colonel said, 'what was that?'

'...Sir?' Black Tail said, confused.

Silver Derby sighed. 'B COMPANY, YOU'RE RELIEVED FOR THE NEXT CHARGE! TAKE A BREAK!' he bellowed. A weak cheer, barely deserving of the name, came from the recovering soldiers. He turned back to Black Tail. 'As for you, Lieutenant, we need to talk. Follow me.'

'Yessir.' This time Black Tail did risk a salute, and immediately regretted it as his three other legs scrambled to keep him upright.

Silver Derby led him away from the dome, away from the worst of the noise. As they walked, his senses returned to him fairly quickly – too quickly. Every unarmoured part of him was covered in bruises and scrapes, and he wasn't too sure about the armoured parts, either. It hurt like a bitch in heat.

The grim frown on Silver Derby's face told him there was more unpleasantness to come.

They were closer to the edge of the Everfree than to the dome when Silver Derby stopped. 'So, Lieutenant, why did you join that charge?' he said, his eyes on the forest straight ahead.

Black Tail had no idea where this was going, but he had a feeling it wasn't anywhere good. 'Um... it's good for morale, sir?' he said nervously. 'You know, "an officer has to lead by –"'

'No,' Silver Derby grunted. 'You joined because your soldiers were cheering you on. They cheered for you like a bunch of schoolcolts for a chicken classmate – and you gave in.' He turned to Black Tail, fixing him with a cold glare. 'Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?'

'N-no, sir.' Black Tail struggled to look Silver Derby in the eye.

'It sets precedent!' Silver Derby thundered, stomping his hoof for emphasis. Black Tail winced as the lieutenant-colonel's voice assaulted his already tortured ears. 'How do you think you're gonna command your soldiers, if you're giving them all kinds of ideas about commanding you instead?'

If Black Tail hadn't already been covered in sweat from the charge, he would have been by now. He said nothing, merely hoping and praying that the storm would pass quickly.

Silver Derby sighed. 'Look, Black Tail,' he continued at a much lower volume, 'I get that you want the troops to like you. We all do. But you can't do this. They see you caving in to pressure once, they're gonna try it again. It's a discipline killer. We're in the Guard here, not in the Civil Service –' he spat out those two hated words '– and the chain of command has to be crystal clear. Understood?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Good. Now get back to your unit, and don't let me see it again.'

'Yes, sir!' Black Tail snapped into a salute. Again, he trembled precariously on three legs, but this time the cause wasn't physical.

As he stumbled back towards B Company, his legs aching with every step, he resolved to follow Silver Derby's orders to the letter and beyond. No way in Tartaros was he joining another charge.
> Chapter 3: Time has been Added
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clockhoof fumbled with her keys. It took four tries, and perhaps a minute of absent-minded staring at the small bits of metal in her hoof, before she finally got the right one. It really was too early in the morning.

Once she was satisfied that her front door was properly locked, she turned and stepped out onto the pavement. A cool breeze washed over her; although the weather had picked up considerably over the past few weeks, it could still be quite chilly at this time of day. Her breath made little clouds of steam in the twilight.

For a brief moment, she thought about taking the omnibus to work, but she quickly decided against it. The next one wouldn't get here for a good ten minutes; she'd be late for her shift. She grinned. A Railway Company pony was never late.

So she walked on at a brisk trot. Low-rise flat blocks lined the street on both sides. They could shine with pleasant reds and browns in full daylight, but right now they looked like the drab chunks of brick they were. Even the trees, which had been regaining their leaves and their colour, looked grey.

Early morning, Clockhoof thought, was the most honest time of day.

Her route took her across Eastgate Market. Later in the day, it would be bustling with ponies: merchants, shoppers, university students sipping overpriced coffee in hopes of looking "trendy", and increasingly, tourists. Eastgate didn't draw huge crowds like Harmony Plaza or Sun Square – and thank Celestia for that – but it was being advertised more and more as an "authentic Canterlot experience," whatever that meant.

Now, however, there were at most three or four other ponies on the large sett-paved square. Even the morning rush had yet to arrive. A baker was preparing to open shop; Clockhoof greeted him with an absent-minded nod, but he was too engrossed in his work to notice.

At the far end of the square was a familiar newsagent's stand. Clockhoof levitated out her pocket watch as she trotted towards it. Yes, I suppose I've got time for a visit to Chipper.

'Morning, Chip,' she said when she'd reached the counter.

Chipper had his back to her. His wings twitched at the greeting, and he quickly turned around. 'Ah, if it isn't our loyal stationmaster!' he said. 'Always in here like clockwork.'

Clockhoof yawned. 'It's too early in the morning for puns,' she mumbled. 'How do you manage to be so cheerful at this ungoddessly hour?'

'I've got caffeine in my bloodstream instead of haemoglobin,' he said with a grin. 'But don't tell anypony else, it's a secret.'

That got a smirk out of her. 'Speaking of caffeine, ever thought about selling coffee? You'd make a killing off of me alone.'

'I keep telling ya, I'm too clumsy for that. I'd constantly be spilling it all over my precious papers!'

Clockhoof chuckled. 'Fair point. Guess I'll have to do with those, then,' she said. 'The Canterlot Citizen, please. Oh, and have you got the new Equestrian Observer yet?'

Chipper nodded. 'The April issue came in yesterday. Slow day ahead, huh?'

'By the looks of it.'

'Well, this should keep you entertained,' Chipper said. He rummaged around for a copy of the magazine, and presented it to her.  'Look, they've got a special on railway history!'

There was a familiar painting on the cover. Burly stallions carried sleepers and giant hammers, while a locomotive poured out black smoke in the background. A caption in boldface read:


FORGING A NATION


The Roots of Our Railways


Clockhoof smiled. 'Well, that'll definitely give me some historical perspective. What about the Citizen? Let me guess: Ponyville.'

'Ponyville.' Chipper nodded. 'Bloody mess it is. Things seem to be looking up though – if I'm to believe this article, it'll all be over in a jiffy!' He tapped his hoof on the wooden counter. 'But I won't spoil too much of it for ya. You'll want plenty of material to get through your slow day, after all.' He winked at her.

'Right you are. And speaking of my working day, I really have to get going. Being on time is practically part of the Oath for us railway ponies.' She levitated her purse out from her saddlebags.

'Right, the Citizen and the Observer, that'll be five bits and sixpence.' He slid the paper and the magazine towards her across the counter.

She floated the coins over to him, and her purchases into her own saddlebags. 'Thanks, Chipper. Have a good day.'

Chipper raised a hoof to his temple in salute. 'Same to you, Miss Clockhoof. Do come in again tomorrow!'

'Will do!' she called back over her withers as she trotted away.

After three more streets, she reached the station. It was an unassuming red-brick building, wide but low, overlooking a plaza slightly smaller than Eastgate Market. The gaudy bronze plate over the main entrance, which proclaimed loudly that this was CANTERLOT CENTRAL STATION, always seemed a bit out of place to her.

Her bosses felt differently. For them, the relatively modest station of Equestria's capital and largest city was proof that the railways were terribly underappreciated. They could be a bit pushy about their attempts to increase that appreciation. I'd bet my horn we generously sponsored that Observer special.

Clockhoof didn't mind the size of her workplace. It was big enough for what it needed to contain: her office, the ticket counter, a few small waiting rooms and the buffet. Any expansion would be quite pointless.

She got out her keyring, unlocked the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside. She chuckled. At least this time, I got the right key on the first try. 

She walked down the hallway, her hoofbeats echoing on the cold stone floor. Everything was quiet and closed, and would remain so for another hour. Through the windows of the buffet, she could see the dark silhouettes of chairs set upside-down on their tables.

When she reached her office, she let herself in and flicked on the light. On the far wall, a large map of Equestria sprang to life, little red dots indicating which stations were operative right now. The more remote stations weren't yet lit, and they didn't need to be, but some of the larger cities were already active.

Clockhoof took off her saddlebags and sat down at the wide desk that occupied much of the room. With a crude slog of her hoof, she threw the knife switch in front of her. After a moment's hesitation, a red light flickered to life in the middle of the map. She nodded to herself: the first job of the day was done. Half past five sharp, and Canterlot Central Station was officially open for business.

What's next? After some leafing through the documents on her desk, she pulled out the day's schedule and studied it for a moment. Right, I'll ring up the switchyard about the Coltventry Cannonball in... let's say twenty minutes.

There was plenty of time for a couple of Citizen articles, then. She levitated the paper out of her saddlebags and onto her desk, and started to read:


PONYVILLE ABOUT TO BE RETAKEN?


Forcefield structurally weakened – Gen. Strongblood: 'The final push'






Luna paced up and down her audience chamber in Canterlot Castle.

She was rather fond of the room, with its checkered floor, its array of comfortable furniture, and its ornate fireplace. The four large windows offered beautiful views of the city and the Canterhorn. What mattered most to her, though, was the room's size. The other rooms in her private quarters weren't small by any measure, but only the audience chamber provided the kind of space she needed when she had something to think about – such as now.

She walked over to the small cast-iron table in the corner. There was a jumble of small papers on it. She sighed. She'd written an elaborate letter to Celestia as soon as the news about Ponyville had reached her ears, but all she had received in response were telegrams.

On most of them, the seal of the Crown took up more space than the actual message.

With another sigh, she levitated the first telegram from the table, and reread it for what felt like the thousandth time.

DEAR SISTER STOP ACKNOWLEDGED STOP MEETING SULTAN NOW STOP WILL REPLY LATER STOP

That in itself had been perfectly excusable; of course the negotiations in Saddle-Arabia were important, and the news had simply arrived at an inconvenient time. However, after that first message, Luna had expected a letter, or at least a longer telegram. Instead, Celestia's "later reply" had been:

DEAR SISTER STOP ALICORN AMULET WORRISOME STOP PROCEED WITH CAUTION STOP

'Proceed with caution' was Celestia's standard formula applied to everything and anything Luna tried by herself, it seemed.

The other telegrams weren't much better: terse messages of acknowledgement in reply to Luna's faithful updates on the Ponyville crisis. Celestia barely even bothered to share how the apparently intensive negotiations were going.

Luna turned away from the table with a frustrated snort. She stomped back to the centre of the room, her horseshoes thumping loudly on the checkered hardwood, and resumed her pacing.

A knock on the heavy doors stopped her in her tracks. 'Yes?'

The doors opened ever so slightly, and a nervous head peeked through the gap. 'There's a telegram for you, Your Highness.'

Luna struggled for a moment to keep her head upright. 'I don't want to hear it,' she said wearily. 'Not yet, anyway. Please do come in.'

The servant closed the door behind him, slowly and carefully, and stepped into the room.

Luna got a good look at him. He was a young earthpony stallion, whose brown coat almost blended with the sleek grey liveries of the castle staff. 'You haven't been in our service for very long, have you, my little pony?'

She rarely addressed her subjects that way – she found the phrase a bit tacky – but you always had to coddle the new ones a bit.

'No, Your Highness,' the young servant replied. 'A– a month.'

'So I see.' She ransacked about for his name. 'Copper Key, was it?'

He nodded. 'Yes, Your Highness.'

Luna slowly walked over to one of the windows. 'Tell me, Copper Key, do you have any siblings?'

'I have a brother, Your Highness.' After a moment's hesitation, he added: 'He's in the Royal Guard.'

Luna turned to face him again, smiling warmly. 'So, service to the Crown runs in the family. I appreciate that,' she said. 'Does he have a remote posting?'

Another nod. 'Appleloosa, Your Highness.'

'Ah yes, the Desert Garrison.' The Guard maintained a presence in the western deserts, in case tensions with the buffalo ever came to a head again. Celestia hadn't wanted to send any troops there, confident that ponies and buffalo would be able to reconcile their differences peacefully, but Luna had insisted. Those few platoons of stallions in their sand-swept barracks – a place that had almost felt like a colonial outpost the one time she had visited – represented one of the rare sisterly disagreements that had been resolved in her favour.

She pondered this for a silent moment, then looked back at Copper Key. Enough with the introspection; you have a kingdom to run. 'All right, then,' she said. 'Let's hear what precious little my sister has to say this time.'

He coughed softly. 'Begging your pardon, Your Highness, but this telegram isn't from your sister. It's from General Strongblood.'

Luna's ears perked up. 'Oh?' She looked at the small piece of paper he offered to her, and levitated it before her eyes.

AT YOUR SERVICE YOUR HIGHNESS STOP FORCEFIELD DOWN STOP PONYVILLE AND TRIXIE IN OUR HOOF STOP AWAITING YOUR ARRIVAL STOP

A victorious grin spread across her face. 'This is most excellent news!' she said. 'Prepare my flight barding. I want to be in the air within fifteen minutes!'

'At once, Your Highness.' Copper Key bowed and hastily left.

When the doors closed behind him, Luna allowed herself a small, silent moment of triumph. As little as the matter seemed to interest Celestia, when she returned from her diplomatic adventure all of Equestria would be safe and free – including Ponyville.





Black Tail felt contented. For once, a mission had gone according to plan.

He stood with the other soldiers in a giant double row that lined Ponyville's main street and its town square. Civilians crowded behind the armoured ranks. Trixie was chained down on a makeshift scaffold in the middle of the square; a complicated array of blocking devices covered her horn. Everything waited for Princess Luna.

'All in a day's work, eh?' Heavy Tread said beside him.

Black Tail nodded. 'Mhm. Didn't think it would go so smoothly.'

'Well, when fate deals you a good hoof, best to enjoy it. I mean, look at how happy the townsponies are!' Heavy Tread made a wide gesture with his foreleg.

'Yeah, they're certainly grateful to their heroic liberators.' Black Tail smirked. 'I've overheard plenty of how exactly my soldiers plan to cash in those karma chips...'

'Tell me about it. Mine have been talking about practically nothing else all day. Well, they're welcome to try their luck at the victory party tonight.' Heavy Tread shot him a grin. 'What about you, old charmer? Plan on throwing out a few lines yourself?'

Looking through the crowds, Black Tail did see a few mares he wouldn't mind getting more intimately acquainted with – but he didn't have the confidence, or even the drive, to really try. 'Nah, I'm good,' he said. 'I'll be at a corner table, getting quietly hammered. You're welcome to join me.'

'Noble.' Heavy Tread nodded. 'Of course, a good officer lets his soldiers have the first pick of the spoi–'

Black Tail kicked him in the cannon before he could finish the terrible frat-colt joke. 'Oh, can it. We're not in the Tribal Ages anymore.' Still, they both kept giggling for far longer than could be healthy.

'Snrk... Hehe... Hey, look!' Heavy Tread poked Black Tail with a hoof, then pointed up.

There was no herald, no fanfare, no dazzling display of magical fireworks. Just a dark speck in the sky that rapidly grew bigger. A reverent hush fell over the crowd.

'Atten-TION!' Silver Derby boomed. With a quick rattle of barding, every Guard stallion in Ponyville tensed into posture.

Luna came streaking out of the sky at an improbably sharp angle. She flared her massive wings to brake, then came in for a landing so perfect it would have made an Air Guard drill sergeant cry tears of joy, all four hooves touching down at the same millisecond.

She hadn't landed far from where Black Tail was standing. It was the first time he saw the Princess of the Night from up close.

He was looking at power. Luna was clad in jet-black barding polished to a fine sheen. Her mouth was a grim line of determination; her eyes dared anypony to come between her and her prey. Here was a mare who had faced down Discord, Tirek, Sombra and her own demons. A mare who was thousands of years old, and still looked as flawless as the moon that rose at her command. A mare who had led Equestrian soldiers into battle before the Royal Guard even existed.

Luna, Princess of the Night, Sovereign Diarch, Supreme Guardian of Harmony... goddess of war. Fear and awe fought for control in Black Tail's heart. He struggled against the near-instinctive urge to drop to his knees. From the slight tremble going through the ranks, he could tell he wasn't the only one.

Luna looked around her, taking a moment to admire the spectacle of discipline presented by the soldiers to either side. Then, with a slight nod of appreciation, she stepped forward – slowly, methodically, heading towards her target in a straight line.

She didn't say a word as she advanced on the helpless Trixie. Speeches, however tempting, were for later. First she had to get the job done.

The spell she had prepared for dealing with the Alicorn Amulet's magic lock was a crude thing. She would simply pump the Amulet full of magical energy until it burst. It was a bit like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer, and no less effective.

There was a real chance it would kill Trixie. Luna didn't care. Trixie had hurt her subjects, and was about to feel what that meant.

As Luna approached the scaffold, Trixie's appearance reminded her most of a bratty teenager who needed a lesson. The shimmering red eyes showed no fear; rather, there was a kind of suicidal defiance, as if the power trip still wasn't over. Luna knew all too well that without the Amulet's influence, the same mare would be a cowering wreck before her.

She lit up her horn.

For a brief moment, the red glow in Trixie's eyes flickered, and Luna thought she saw a glimpse of the real pony inside – a glimpse of the guilt, shame, and terror that pony was feeling. Doubt welled up in her heart, but she quickly crushed it under the iron hoof of duty and experience. This wouldn't be the worst thing she'd done for Equestria, far from it. She closed her eyes and started the spell.

Black Tail watched his Princess with fascination. As her horn flared, there was a chorus of clipped grunts from the unicorn soldiers. The magic sense of unicorns was common knowledge: if a strong enough spell was cast nearby, they could feel a slight tingle in their horns. Looking at the deep blue arc of pure energy flowing from Luna's horn, he imagined that his unicorn colleagues were feeling a lot more than a slight tingle right now.

Luna continued her spell, but something looked a little off. She tensed up ever so slightly, and seemed to be digging in her hooves. Black Tail frowned. Whispers of worry rose up from the crowd, breaking the reverent silence.

What is this?! Luna could hardly believe it. She had already sent much more energy into the Amulet than she had expected it to withstand, and yet there was barely a dent in the cursed thing. She opened her eyes, clenched her teeth, and increased the power on her spell.

The whispers swelled to a nervous murmur. Sweat ran down Luna's flanks, and violent sparks came from her horn, disrupting the smooth, steady flow of magic. Okay, that's definitely not a good sign, Black Tail thought.

Luna pushed and strained against the Amulet's resistance. There was still no hint that it was about to break under the pressure. How could this be? Was the Amulet really that much stronger than she remembered?

There was no way back now. She turned the power on her spell to the highest level she could muster, wringing every last drop of strength from her body. Ah! Finally, she felt the first cracks. She'd just have to keep going –

for Equestria –

just a little more –

you are the Princess of the Night –

almost there –

you have won harder battles –

just one final push...

The deep blue arc from Luna's horn sparked, flickered, and died.

'Hahahaha HA HA HA!'

First there was only laughter.

Then a blinding flash of white light.

Then everypony was thrown off their hooves.

'Waaugh!' Black Tail screamed as he flew through the air. With a dry thud, he landed in the dirt of the street.

It took him a few seconds to regain consciousness – for a certain value of "conscious". The flash of light had died, and his eyes were starting to work again. He saw chaos. Panicked ponies – soldiers? civilians? – were running around everywhere. He heard screams, the crackling of fires, and still that Celestia-damned laughter.

His officer training kicked in. Before everything else, get your unit back together. 'B Company, to me!' he shouted at the top of his lungs. 'To me!'

Then, with great effort, he rose to his hooves. Dizziness and headache battered his senses. He tried putting more weight on each of his legs – a quick check for damage. Ow, ow, ow and ow. Well, nothing's broken, at least. 'B Company, 55th! To me!'

Flashblade came up beside him and saluted. 'Here I am, sir. Can't speak for the rest of the platoon, though.'

Black Tail nodded. 'Well, try to change that – Hey! Bold Move! Over here!'

Bold Move hurried over. 'It's a disaster out there, sir! Trixie's broken free, and –'

In a blur of grey, a stallion jumped at them. Flashblade quickly slammed into the attacker, and knocked him out with a vicious blow of his hoof.

'What the hell?!' Black Tail shouted. 'Are the civilians attacking us now?'

'That's what I was about to say,' Bold Move said. 'Trixie's little militia is also running wild.'

Black Tail groaned. 'So we've not only got to deal with whatever took out Princess Luna, but also with that swarm of pests?'

'Looks like it,' Flashblade grunted.

'Swell. All right, you guys find your platoons, I'll go look for Snakedrop and High Spirit.' With another cry of 'B Company, to me!' Black Tail gallopped off.

He'd barely gone twenty paces when he stopped at the sight of Princess Luna. She lay on her side in the middle of the main street – right where she had landed so gracefully only minutes ago. Three soldiers had rushed to her side and were trying, somewhat awkwardly, to help her up.

Luna started to move with their fumbling hooves. Black Tail breathed a sigh of relief. At least she's conscious. He was about to head back into the chaos of the town square when General Strongblood came gallopping up. 'Don't just stand there, help the Princess!' Strongblood snapped at him, then skidded to a halt by Luna's side. 'Princess Luna! Your Highness! Are you all right?'

Black Tail hastily followed the general to Luna, who was now on her hooves – more or less. When she opened her eyes, he froze at the fury and determination in her gaze.

'General Strongblood,' she panted, her voice sending a chill down Black Tail's spine. 'Give me one company. I'll stall them. The rest of you, get to Headless Horse Pass and hold. Call in as many reinforcements as you need. Collapse the tunnels if you have to. Just don't –' she paused to catch her breath '– just don't let them get over the mountains. Go!'

Headless Horse Pass? Black Tail thought. That means giving up... everything from here to Fillydelphia. He saw the same doubts in Strongblood's eyes, but nopony dared question a direct order from a Princess – especially not at a time like this. 'Yes, Your Highness!' Strongblood cried, then turned to Black Tail. 'Lieutenant! Name and unit?'

Black Tail snapped into a salute. 'Black Tail, B Company, 55th Earthpony, sir!'

'How many of your company have you fou– look out!' Strongblood leapt to avoid a brick that came flying at them. It landed at their hooves with a heavy thud.

'Um, well, about half, sir. I think,' Black Tail stammered, his heart racing in his chest. 'I was just looking for the rest, a-and –'

'It'll have to do,' Strongblood grunted. 'You are now under the direct command of Her Highness, Princess Luna. Report to her!'

Black Tail gulped. 'Y-yes, sir.'

Strongblood nodded, then gallopped off. '55TH B, TO PRINCESS LUNA!' he bellowed. 'EVERYPONY ELSE, RETREAT!'

Why me, Black Tail thought.

He turned to Princess Luna. She towered over him like a dragon. 'Your Highness?' he began, hesitantly. He saluted. 'Lieutenant Black Tail, B Company, 55th Earthpony Regiment. We're at your command.'

'Excellent,' Luna said. 'You and your stallions keep those traitors busy, and get the civilians out of the square. Steer clear of Trixie – I'll deal with her.' She gave him a morbid grin. 'Let's dance, Lieutenant.'

Dance... Black Tail felt his spirits being strangely lifted by Luna's words. He snapped into another salute. 'Yes, Your Highness!' he said resolutely. It's not the kind of dancing I expected to be doing today, but it'll have to do.

Luna watched the young lieutenant run off, shouting hasty commands left and right. His unit made a valiant effort to regroup amidst all the havoc. All around her, the rest of the taskforce had broken into a disorganised retreat.

It was up to her to buy them time. With a grunt, she charged forward.

Trixie wasn't hard to find. She was the source of the chaos, the eye of the storm. She was still on the wooden scaffold, but instead of quietly awaiting her fate, she now claimed the little platform as her throne, her pedestal, her stage.

Yes, "stage" is the appropriate word, Luna thought as she observed her foe. Trixie was causing destruction left and right – lighting fires, tearing pieces off buildings, raising up rocks from the ground – but a great deal of her magical energy was spent on pure show. A colourful fireworks display filled the sky, dominated by the sinister red of the Amulet. It served its purpose well enough; shock and awe could be a very effective tactic.

Enough analysis, time for action. Luna charged up her horn and loosed a bolt of magic at Trixie. It sailed home and knocked Trixie off her perch.

This gave Luna pause. With the amount of raw power Trixie was wielding, she could easily have sensed and blocked that shot in time. Apparently, she'd been to engrossed in her show to pay attention.

She wasn't anymore, though. An angry cry and a flash of red eyes confirmed Luna had Trixie's undivided attention now. Well, that's one part of the job done, Luna noted with satisfaction.

There wasn't much time to take pride in her accomplishment, as the flurry of magical attacks that had been tearing through Ponyville would now be directed squarely at her. She prepared a quick shield spell and braced herself for Trixie's first shot – but when it came, it still took her by surprise with its sheer intensity.

I do love a challenge. Luna jumped into the air. As soon as her hooves had left the ground, she fired a second shot, lighter but faster than the first. It wouldn't be fast enough to surprise Trixie – not this time – but it would keep up the pressure.

Left. Right. Block. Fire. Since her return, Luna's reflexes hadn't been put to the test like this. Jump. Fire. Deflect. The raw thrill of combat pushed back the frustration over her failure. Counterspell. Shield. Fi–

'Urgh!' A heavy wooden beam knocked Luna's legs from under her. Against an enemy whose fighting style was so purely magical, she'd focused her senses on the magical domain, and neglected the kinetic – and now Trixie had broken pattern.

She quickly rose to her hooves, scolding herself for her novice mistake. Then, with a low growl, she charged. A continuous torrent of fire shot out of her horn.

She was almost upon Trixie when a jolt of telekinetic force stopped her in her tracks.

Any other unicorn would have been a pile of ash after that barrage – but the Amulet had protected Trixie even against this. 'Why, Your Highness!' she sneered. 'Thank you so much for the power-up!'

'Clearly, I have made a mistake,' Luna panted. 'Allow me to RECTIFY!' She threw her head forward and fired another blast.

She was bluffing and she knew it. Trixie teleported away before the blast could connect, and within a split second Luna sensed Trixie's next shot coming from behind. She had her shield up just in time, but her magical stamina would run out all too soon if this battle went on for much longer.

Then she remembered the wooden beam, and an idea occurred to her. She leapt, and in the blink of an eye she had pinned Trixie to the ground, pressing two steel-shod hooves into her throat.

Trixie was stunned into inaction for a second, then started frantically trying to squirm free. 'What are you – get off!'

'Gladly,' Luna said with a predatory grin. She lifted one hoof – only to deliver a crushing hook to Trixie's face.

It wasn't a very dignified form of combat, but it was all too effective. The supercharged Amulet might have given Trixie the magical advantage, but no mortal pony could hope to match a Princess in raw physical power.

She struck again before Trixie could recover. A decidedly asymmetrical exchange of kicks and punches followed, until Trixie charged up her horn. 'Rrrrrgh! Enough of this!' she grunted, and lifted Luna several dozen metres into the air.

With another grin, Luna spread her wings. 'Taking things to the air now, are we?' she called. 'Yet another area where I have the advantage!' Her eyes locked onto Trixie, and she zoomed down like a harpy.

She kicked up clouds of dust with her landing. She heard coughing from Trixie, who had rolled to dodge just in time. Then two red eyes lit up in the haze. 'I thought I said enough!'

Two hundred metres away, Black Tail was running around, frantically trying to get as many civilians as far away from the fighting as possible. B Company was being impressively organised given the circumstances; several squads were herding ponies into outward streets, while others dealt with the haphazard attacks from Trixie's militia.

He didn't feel he could take much personal credit for this level of coordination, though. He was in a daze, barking orders left and right without really being conscious of what he was doing. Were they good decisions? Bad ones? Was he missing a dozen obvious problems that would bite him in the flank at the worst possible moment? He didn't know.

Then again, maybe that was the dance.

He was shaken out of his trance when a figure clamped onto his chestplate. Instincts fired, and he was about to bash a hoof into the pony's skull when they cried, 'Help me!'

Okay. Not an attacker. A civilian. Great job, Black Tail, almost assaulting the ponies you're here to save.

He awkwardly pushed the stallion away. 'Sir, you've got to get away from here, it's –'

'My daughter!' the stallion panted. 'She's up there. Please, you've got to...' He trailed off as he ran out of breath, and just raised a weak hoof instead.

Black Tail followed his hoof. He was pointing at the upper floor of a heavily damaged shop, its front window shattered, its walls cracked. If the filly inside was crying, he couldn't hear it over the noise of combat. The ominous creaks the building gave could be heard loud and clear, though.

It looked like it could collapse any moment. No part of Black Tail wanted to go in there. But he was a Guard, sworn to protect the ponies of Equestria, and here was a citizen – a foal, even – in immediate danger. Would he shy away from his duty? Was he a coward?

For a second he just stared at the dangerously unstable building, frozen in place as instinct and training fought for control in his brain. Then he remembered where he was and what he was doing there, and he shook his head. Idiot. You can't go in there, you're in charge. You've got to stay out here and coordinate.

It was the sensible and responsible thing to do – but it still felt like the worst cop-out of his life.

He pushed the self-doubt as far to the back of his mind as he could, and quickly scanned for someone else he could send in his place. 'Corporal First Watch!' he shouted.

First Watch rushed over and saluted. 'Sir?'

'There's a foal trapped upstairs in there. Try and get her out safely, but... don't do anything stupid.'

'Yessir!' First Watch didn't think twice and ran inside. It made Black Tail feel even more inadequate.

With a sigh, he turned back to the trembling stallion in front of him. 'We'll do what we can to get your daughter to safety. Now, though, you really have to get out of he–'

'Sir!' First Watch cried from inside the shop. 'You'll want to see this!'

'What is it?' Black Tail rushed inside, his earlier apprehension forgotten. When he saw what First Watch meant, he stopped dead in his tracks.

On the shop floor, in a shower of blood and glass, lay the lifeless body of Lieutenant-Colonel Silver Derby.

'Sweet merciful Celestia...' Black Tail slowly approached the body and knelt beside it. He started the routine checks, his hooves moving automatically to the practised patterns, even though he knew what the outcome was going to be. No pulse, no breath, nothing. That booming voice would never ring out over the barracks courtyard again.

Crying from upstairs snapped him out of his daze, and he remembered his training. Save the living first; the dead can wait. He rose to his hooves, and gave a resigned nod. 'Try and save that filly, Corporal.'

'Sir.'

Then, with a quick prayer for Silver Derby's soul, Black Tail ran back out into the storm.





It was clear to Twilight that something had gone very, very wrong.

She and Zecora were watching the disaster unfold from atop Timberwolf Hill. When Princess Luna had arrived, Twilight had been overjoyed, certain that everything would be fixed quickly; Zecora had practically had to pull her back by her tail to keep her from running back into Ponyville already. Now, the Royal Guard was in full retreat, explosions sounded across town, and Luna's magical aura, though still clearly perceptible, was being overpowered by another aura that felt awfully like Trixie's. 

Twilight turned to Zecora, a helpless look in her eyes. 'I just don't understand,' she said lamely. 'What could have happened?'

Zecora said nothing, staring at the chaos in front of them.

Then she spoke. 'O morbid hour of fateful day, when victory is swept away! Freedom suffers a defeat where Crown and Guard are in retreat!' She turned to Twilight, with a grave look. 'To return home would not be wise with Trixie's banners on the rise. My humble hut in darkest wood – many a storm it has withstood – will give you shelter, food and store, until your home is yours once more.'

'Th-thank you, Zecora,' Twilight stammered. 'That's –' She was cut off by another explosion.

Zecora laid a solemn hoof on her shoulder. 'A town under a curse so grave will need a champion, strong and brave. One trained to best her foes in fight, or sneak in silence through the night. You will train for many days, till you are versed in ancient ways. With patience and with strenght of will, you'll learn a zebra warrior's skill.'

Then she turned away, walking back towards the forest with slow, ponderous steps.

Twilight was left on the hilltop, staring blankly ahead, trying in vain to process everything that was happening. Trixie had defeated Luna somehow, Ponyville was still not free, and she would be staying with Zecora for a long time yet.

She tried to shake her head clear of the thoughts that had barely begun to sink in, then scurried after Zecora.





The Tankard was one of the largest pubs in Coltventry. In the bluish-grey mists of cigarette smoke, burly stallions slapped each other on the withers and roared with laughter between gulps of watery beer. Mares were a minority; the younger among them made a game of delivering the harshest put-down to any colt who got too cozy. Somewhere in a corner, a rusty jukebox belted out even rustier hits, but it was mostly drowned out by the din.

Emerald Hooves shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He loved going down to the Tankard to have a few beers with his friends, but something about the place always made him feel not quite at home. Probably just the noise, he thought, and forced himself to assume a more relaxed posture.

To his right, Flameheart was staring off into space like she usually did. To his left, Thistle Bloom and Trimmermane were discussing some boring detail of city-hall politics.

'I'm telling you, mon ami,' Trimmermane said, 'no mayor of this city has stepped down in a hundred years! Certainly not over something so trivial.'

'Well, she might not have much choice,' Thistle Bloom replied. 'I've seen the budget sheets. The royal inspectors have never been known for their forgiving nature.' He took a casual sip of his beer. 'And cut out the random Gryphonian phrases. I refuse to believe you're that drunk already.'

A bright red silhouette came through the mists, effortlessly carrying five large specimens of the pub's namesake.

'There we go!' Dawn Cross put the glasses on the table with a loud clatter. She plopped down in her own seat; the chair creaked ominously under the exaggerated gesture, but it held for now. 'We've got a lot of these to get through tonight, so drink up, colts!'

Flameheart gave a small cough. 'I can't help but feel excluded by your choice of words.'

Dawn laughed. 'Aw, girl, you're so quiet I forget you're there sometimes!' She jabbed Flameheart in the side. 'Speaking of quiet, you haven't said a lot tonight either, Emerald. What's going on in that head of yours?'

'I've been thinking about what's happening in the East,' Emerald said. 'You know, Ponyville. This Trixie might have potential.'

'Potential?' Thistle Bloom raised an eyebrow. 'Last I heard, she was about to get squashed between two Royal Guard regiments.'

'I know, I know,' Emerald said. 'But still, she's a rebel against the Crown! That hasn't happened in, what, forty years? Not counting Nightmare Moon, of course.'

'No, that was more of a Crown internal dispute,' Trimmermane chimed in.

Dawn finished a large gulp and put her glass down with a bang. 'Would make things a lot easier, though, if the two of 'em just killed each other.'

There was an awkward silence. None of them wanted the Princesses dead, per se – or at least Emerald hoped they didn't – but Dawn was never one to mince words.

Against habit, Flameheart broke the silence. 'Well, there is the whole eternal-night thing.' They shared a chuckle at that.

Trimmermane cleared his throat. 'Anyway: Trixie. Even if she might have more staying power than you give her credit for –' he looked at Thistle Bloom '– we still have to ask what her intentions are. If she has despotic ambitions of her own, she won't be much of an ally to our cause...'

'And let's be honest, we don't have a clue what the situation is over there,' Dawn said. 'All that stuff about how they're gonna crush her... Anything we hear through the papers is what the Guard wants us to hear. They might be feedin' us propaganda bullshit for all we know.'

'All right, all right, maybe I was too quick to dismiss her,' Thistle Bloom said hastily. Then, regaining his composure: 'So we have two questions on the table, then. One, is she up to any good, and two, does she stand a chance. If the answer to both is "yes", we should contact her.'

That got Emerald's attention. 'Why both? If she's fighting the good fight, shouldn't we try to contact her anyway, regardless of her chances?'

Dawn sighed. 'Emerald, she's on the other side of the country, surrounded by the Guard. And I'm not sure if you noticed, but we don't exactly have an Equestria-wide revolutionary underground up and running just yet. What are you gonna do, send her a postcard?'

'Well, I thought, some moral support would be –' Emerald sputtered.

'"Moral support" would involve a lot of hassle for us. Wasted effort, if she's about to get squashed anyway,' Dawn grunted.

Emerald gave an annoyed sigh. 'Oh all right!'

Before he could think of anything else to say on the matter, Thistle Bloom spoke up. 'Hmm? What's that?' He turned towards the door. There was a commotion of some sort there: ponies were crowding around, rising from their seats, and the noise of conversation suddenly sounded more agitated. All across the room, more and more heads were turning in that direction.

'I'll go and see what's up,' Trimmermane said. He got up and stomped off, shoving his way through the forming crowd.

When he got back, not two minutes later, his eyes were wide. 'Trixie – she's won!' he stammered. 'She has beaten back the Royal Guard from Ponyville! Rumour has it that she even bested Princess Luna herself!'

Several jaws dropped around the table.

'Well, this is getting interesting,' Flameheart mused.





In the end, all Luna had been able to do was to cover the retreat of the brave stallions that had fought beside her. Trottawa and Dragon Springs had fallen the next day, their tiny garrisons overwhelmed by Trixie's magically boosted soldiers. Two companies were still resisting fiercely in Fillydelphia, but it would only be a matter of time before they succumbed as well.
 
She looked out over Canterlot from the Castle's Grand Balcony. At least she had kept this place safe: the defence at Headless Horse Pass held, for now. She sighed. Ordering the Guard to retreat to there had been a painful decision, but it had been her only choice. If Trixie got through the pass, she would have a clear path into the Equestrian heartland. Nothing would be able to stop her from marching her troops into Manehattan – or right up to the foot of the Canterhorn.
 
Luna grit her teeth in frustration. She had failed.

But there was also somepony who had failed her – and now, that pony was coming home.
 
Celestia had sent a herald ahead to announce her return. He and several of his colleagues were now standing to either side of Luna, trumpets in their hooves, ready to play a fanfare when Celestia appeared. But by the gods, would there be words afterwards! Luna mulled over the many sharp, thorny pieces of her mind she was going to give Celestia.
 
After a few minutes, Celestia's silhouette became visible in the sky. The first trumpet notes rang out. Luna cleared her throat and scraped the ground with her front hooves. For the time being, she would have to hold back; it wouldn't do to let the full extent of her anger show in front of their subjects.
 
'Welcome home, dear sister,' she said icily as the music faded and Celestia landed on the balcony. 'We have much to discuss.'
 
'I should think so,' Celestia replied with almost as much ice in her tone.
 
Luna raised an eyebrow, but quickly regained her composure. 'Would you join me in the throne room, then?'
 
Celestia's gaze hardened. She only nodded in return.
 
Neither Princess said a word as they marched through the castle in perfect lockstep. In every hallway they passed through, guards and servants froze in place or scrambled away before their iron hoofbeats.
 
The throne room was an imposing chamber. It was as high as three or four ordinary rooms, with the deeds of Equestria's great heroes depicted in its giant stained-glass windows. Two mighty thrones stood on a slightly raised platform at the end. The marble floor in front of those thrones could easily hold three hundred ponies, but right now, the Princesses were alone. Luna could speak freely, and the gods knew she would.
 
Celestia was quicker, however. 'Luna,' she said once the massive doors closed behind them, 'explain yourself.'

Luna cocked her head, caught off-guard. 'Excuse me? I shouldn't think there is much to explain. I told you all about the problem with the Alicorn Amulet. Not that it seemed to interest you very much.' She snorted.

'Yes, I am aware of the situation.' Celestia waved a dismissive hoof. 'The Alicorn Amulet resurfaced, and it found a very susceptible victim – one who now controls much of eastern Equestria. What I would like to know is why you felt the need to help her along.' Her eyes locked onto Luna's.

Luna instantly tensed up. Suddenly, she felt very keenly that she was the younger sister. 'W-what?' she stammered.

Celestia gave an annoyed sigh. 'Drop the charade, Luna. Your "accident" may have fooled the Royal Guard and the press, but I am not so easily deceived.' 

There was a moment of deathly silence as Luna let the full weight of the accusation sink in.

'You dare?' she finally said, her voice low and trembling. She spread her wings and reared up as high as she could, then brought her front hooves down with a violent crack. 'You dare to accuse me of treason?! Here, in this room? Now, on this day? I have been fighting for our ponies, sister! You may have not noticed because you were too busy talking –'

'And that was a mistake, I see now.' Celestia's voice rose, and she started to pace back and forth, her eyes never leaving Luna. 'What can I expect the next time I leave the country, Luna? The third coming of Discord? A conveniently timed reappearance of Sombra, perhaps?'

'Preposterous!' Luna was approaching Royal Canterlot Voice. 'Since my return I have always stayed true to the oaths that bind us! But this – this madness –' she stomped a hoof on the polished marble '– is giving me cause to wonder why!'

Celestia froze. She gave Luna a piercing stare; Luna responded with one of her own. 'Is that a threat?'

Luna straightened her posture. 'Call it a friendly reminder,' she scoffed. 'A reminder that I do not like to be called a traitor, especially when the accusation is utterly baseless.'

Celestia snorted. 'Luna, do you honestly expect me to believe that this was a mistake?'

Of course it was a mistake, you blind paranoid foa– oh.

She had walked into the trap; there was no choice but to spring it, now. '...Yes,' she forced out through clenched teeth. It took an effort of will to look Celestia in the eye throughout.

'Hmm.' Celestia turned her back on Luna and slowly walked deeper into the immense room. 'That's interesting to hear, from a mare who is always insisting on her own competence, always demanding greater responsibilities.'

Don't turn your back on me! Luna wanted to shout. Have you not insulted me enough? But the words died in her throat when she saw where Celestia was heading.

It was the window depicting her return – the defeat of Nightmare Moon.

Could it be...? No. The mere suggestion that her time under the Nightmare still played a role, somehow, felt like the greatest betrayal on Celestia's part.

Celestia stopped, seeming to ponder the window for a moment. 'Luna, I'm very disappointed in you,' she said levelly.

Very disappointed in...? 'Have you forgotten whom you are talking to?!' Luna shouted. She strode over to Celestia, the marble almost cracking under the fury of her hoofbeats. 'I am your sister and your equal, not your student!'

'Then bring her back!' Celestia snapped. With a long, drawn-out sigh, she lowered her head. 'I– I'm sorry. I just don't know if I can trust you anymore,' she said quietly.

She looked at Luna.

Those eyes. Always those eyes.

Luna saw the concern in those eyes, the gentleness, the sympathy.

She saw the condescension, the infinite self-assuredness, the patronising arrogance that seemed determined to keep her a child forever.

She leapt.

'TRUST?!' she boomed. She was facing Celestia directly now, wings open, hooves spread, eyes on fire. 'You are bold indeed to talk about trust, you who ask so much of it for yourself!' Memories raced through her mind, fusing into an endless chorus of trust me, little sister. 'I didn't go after Discord when he broke free! I was out of Canterlot when the changeling horde attacked! I didn't lift a hoof to protect the Crystal Empire when it returned! All because I – trusted – you!' She gave three sharp taps on Celestia's criniere. 'And each time, it was blind luck that saved us! You are not what you presume to be, Celestia. You are not all-knowing, you are not above me, and you are not worthy of my trust when this is how you reward it!'

Celestia stomped a hoof on the marble with a thunderous crack. 'Enough,' she commanded. 'You dare to talk about rewards? I forgave you. I took you in after your return, I restored you as a Princess of the Realm, I let you rule by my side. I put up with your every whim and folly, every wild affection, every rough edge. I ignored everything that screamed at me you were no longer fit to rule, all because I thought you deserved a chance.' Her voice trembled, but she went on undeterred. 'I have showered you with rewards, Luna – and a single glance to the East shows the full extent of your ingratitude!'

For a moment, there was no sound except for the two sisters' fuming breaths. Then a bitter laugh escaped from Luna's throat. 'I suppose I should be thanking you on my knees, then. How magnanimous of you to grant me what is mine by birthright.'

She reared up on her hind legs again, and spread her forelegs wide. 'Very well! If my place in this realm is yours to give, then it is also yours to take away. Go ahead! Send me back to my prison in the sky! I do not doubt you WANT to!' Her front hooves crashed down. Tears streamed over her face, and sparks began to form along her horn.

'Luna, don't –' Celestia said, suddenly alarmed.

'NO! No pony commands me!' Luna screamed. 'I am not a student or a foal, Celestia! I am not one of your little ponies!'

Without another word, the Princess of the Night stormed off.

She didn't hear the great doors of the throne room as they slammed shut behind her. She didn't hear her own hoofbeats as she half-gallopped, half-flew through the hallways. She didn't hear the confused shouts from every corner she turned. All she heard were those four damnable words, repeated over and over again.

Trust me, little sister.