Princess Twilight Sparkle
I had already double triple checked everything, really I knew I didn't need to check it all again, but... It was a source of comfort, even if I wasn't meticulously going over every single detail. "Weather front in position?" I asked aloud.
Spitfire, for her part, somehow managed to put up with my obsessive compulsive disorder. "Yes, Princess. The weather front is in position and the pegasi are in position to set it off the moment you give the word." Mostly. Her voice held a slight annoyance to it. I glanced at Spitfire and smiled sheepishly at her. Despite the annoyance in her voice, she wore the Wonderbolt General uniform proudly, and her expression remained focused as sharp as a needle.
"Everything is in place?" I asked.
She nodded affirmatively, "Yes, Princess. Everything is ready, we're just waiting on General Hoof to make his opening move."
I nodded slightly to myself, then averted my gaze to the light purple tent fabric. It both brought a smile to my face and made me uncomfortable that they tried to base the color on my coat. It was a few shades too light, but it was the principal of the matter. I shifted my weight and walked over to the tent opening. The two stoic unicorns standing guard stood a little straighter as I stepped outside and glanced up at the menacing dark gray sky. It looked like at any second, the sky would explode and send torrents of rain, hail, and wind down to batter anypony caught outside. I swallowed at the sight, 'I'm glad I'm not going to be flying up there in that...' Despite knowing that the sky wasn't about to erupt, it was still menacing, because it would erupt when the order was given. I took a deep breath and then exhaled through my mouth.
I turned my gaze back down and looked out across the camp. It wasn't a large camp by any means, as most of my pegasi were preoccupied or stationed above in the clouds. The camp was still filled to the brim with ponies, mostly earth ponies. Despite preparations being completed, and everything being ready to deploy, there was still work to do, and earth ponies darted about, to and fro. Most of them wore light armor, we didn't have the time or resources to outfit them all with heavy armor, but it was better than nothing. My pegasi were also wearing light combat armor, although some of them were wearing flight suits instead, tasked with the mission of delivering bombs or fog when the order was given.
Two pegasi flew by, both wearing flight suits and carrying large saddle bags. It was a risk, them wearing flight suits instead of armor for the strafing runs and attacks they were going to be performing. A very big risk to each one of them, and they knew it. A single spell could hit them and kill them because of not having armor, but the armor would have slowed them down. In the end, flight suits offering better speed and agility won over the ability to protect the wearer from a couple of hits.
I shivered from the cold and grimaced. One of the drawbacks of using the weather to make a storm front that could turn the tide of a battle, it was cold, very cold. And since Princess Celestia controlled the sun and winter was coming, it was even colder. I exhaled and I thought I saw my breath, but I knew I was just imagining things. It wasn't that cold.
I pushed the thoughts aside with a shake of my head, turned around and walked back into the tent. Spitfire looked at me expectantly, and I halfway thought she was waiting for me to give her an order. I met her gaze briefly, then walked over to the table and scrutinized the map for what must have been the hundredth time. The map covered the region we expected to fight in, along with the surrounding area that might become a battlefield. I licked my lips as I examined the strategic placement of my forces and the placement of where we believed General Hoof's forces were.
Scouts were still out and performing reconnaissance, and the information they had provided us so far painted the picture of General Hoof's forces. 'Outnumbered two to one... Approximately sixteen thousand unicorns and approximately six thousand earth ponies, versus roughly thirteen thousand pegasi and five hundred earth ponies and another five hundred unicorns.' The numbers weren't exactly in my favor, but I had a few things they didn't.
I shifted my weight and rubbed my wings against the metal armor I wore, then reached up to my head with a hoof and nudged my helmet, checking to make sure it was still there and protecting my head. For the most part, everypony in the tent was too preoccupied with their various duties to notice me, but two ponies whose job it was to keep an eye on me noticed. "You doing okay, Princess?" Applejack asked in her trademark southern drawl.
I quickly turned to face my friend and I nodded just as quickly. "Yes... I'm fine, just... anxious," I replied. Applejack looked at me solemnly, and I knew she understood what I was feeling. Maybe she didn't completely understand it, but she had an idea of what kind of stress I was under. About thirteen thousand ponies' lives were resting on my shoulders, and if I made a single mistake, hundreds, if not more would die. And their blood would be on my hooves.
I shivered. It wasn't from the cold.
I felt a weight come to rest on my other shoulder, and I immediately recognized it as a hoof. "You'll do great, Princess. You always do," Rainbow reassured. I slowly turned to her and smiled my thanks, a smile she happily returned.
The three of us knew what was going to happen sometime in the next few hours, but neither of them was as concerned about it as I was. Neither of them was a commander or even an officer. Applejack was in a heavy earth pony squad, one which would only be deployed under specific circumstances that, with any luck, wouldn't come to pass, while Rainbow Dash was going to be at my side when my team infiltrated General Hoof's command center. Both of them just needed to worry about their own lives and the lives of their squadmates, I had to worry about an entire army and an entire nation.
I closed my eyes and brought my hoof to my chest. Metal clanked against metal, then I slowly inhaled and then exhaled, reaching forwards with my hoof in the process. It helped a little, but not as much as I had hoped. I opened my eyes and sighed as I lowered my hoof back to the ground.
"Thank you," I replied to Rainbow. For a few seconds, the three of us just stood there. I eventually pulled away from both of them and watched Spitfire. She appeared to be deep in thought, with her brow furrowed and her gaze focused intently on the map. I didn't want to disturb her, whatever she was thinking about was probably important, she was managing the entire operation more or less, after all. I pursed my lips at that and looked down at the grassy floor. 'I should be the one managing this, not her... but... I can't, not yet at least...' I looked back up and blew air out of my mouth, then licked my lips and walked outside of the tent again.
Both Rainbow and Applejack followed me. I lifted my gaze towards the menacing sky again. It was obvious that whenever that storm front was activated, General Hoof was going to be in for one heck of a ride, but so were my forces. We still needed to draw his forces into the trap, but once we did, his forces would suffer from the weather more than my own forces, giving us a much-needed advantage.
'My own forces...' I mulled over the phrase, testing it out inside my mind. All the ponies gathered at the base, along with those stationed in the clouds and in smaller camps elsewhere were soldiers. My soldiers. Fighting for me, obeying my command or the command of anypony under my command.
I shook the thought aside. The anticipation was getting to me. I needed to stay focused on the task at hoof. 'Although, granted, right now that task is more or less... waiting...' I shook my head and turned around. I inhaled as I walked passed Rainbow and Applejack, both of their gazes lingered on me as I passed them. "Everything's ready?" I asked again.
Spitfire looked up from the map, then turned to face me. "Yes, Princess. Aside from last minute preparations, everything is ready. We're just waiting for General Hoof to make his move, Princess."
I mulled it over and nodded to her. "Thank you," I responded. "I... I'll leave you to it, General. I will be with my team... Inform me as soon as something changes," I commanded. Spitfire saluted me, and I nodded, then turned around. I glanced between Applejack and Rainbow, then settled on the former. Despite the strict circumstances under which her unit would be deployed, those circumstances could come to pass. Of course, if they did come to pass, I'd have bigger problems to worry about. It didn't make me any less worried for her safety, she was my friend. I swallowed. "Stay safe, Applejack," I said gently.
Applejack nodded. "You too, Princess."
I smiled and shook my head. "Thanks for being here with me," I said. "I appreciate your company. We don't see each other often enough. After this is over, we should... just do something together again, like we used to."
Applejack brightly smiled at me. "That'd be fine, Princess."
I nodded to myself. "Maybe all six of us could spend a day together or something... It's been a while since we've just relaxed. Well, sort of. I'm not sure I'd consider that party Pinkie Pie threw when I rescued Rainbow Dash relaxing..." I smiled sheepishly as Applejack raised her eyebrow at me. "Anyway..." I trailed off, then turned to Rainbow Dash. "You ready?" Rainbow nodded in response. I turned around and surveyed the tent. Everything seemed normal enough, nopony was running fast enough to indicate that something had was happening. I nodded to myself and turned around. I still felt like I needed to be in the command tent, but for the time being, I didn't belong there.
I exhaled and ignited my horn with magic, then gripped Rainbow Dash in my magic and teleported us both away.
Almost as quickly as the tent disappeared, a new tent replaced it. Immediately, I refocused my magic and pulled the tent flap open with it. Everypony looked at me and quickly stood at attention, regarding me with serious expressions. I smiled at the ponies inside and casually walked into the tent. I nodded at them, "At ease..." I said. Everypony immediately relaxed.
I held the flap open for Rainbow Dash then closed it as she stood at my right side. I felt her wing brush against my own wing and looked to see her standing almost with her armor against mine. I frowned at the sight but quickly pushed it aside as Rainbow shifted her weight away from me. 'I'm not the only one whose anxious...' I realized. I felt a knot form in my throat at that. 'I'm... asking her to come with me into a battle when she's... I... I shouldn't be asking her to do that...' I was torn. On one hoof, it was exactly what her job and duty were, to protect me. On the other hoof, I wanted her to be safe, and she could still have been traumatized by being captured, even if she denied it. I internally sighed and subdued the dissenting thoughts, 'I can keep her safer if she's with me,' I reasoned.
'I... I can do that, right? Can I keep her safe? I can keep all of them safe, right?' I blinked and found myself staring at the ground. I licked my lips and looked up, then I looked at the face of everypony present in the tent. Ace, Soarin, Jagged Wing, Storm, and Lightning Strike. All five of them, six if you included Rainbow Dash, were counting on me. I was going to be teleporting us behind enemy lines, possibly directly into a combat situation, with potentially lethal consequences for us. 'No! Don't think like that... I can protect them, and I will protect them all... I... have to. I won't fail...' I swallowed and shook the thoughts aside. 'I'm worrying too much, they're all Wonderbolts! They can take care of themselves...' I told myself.
I believed it.
But I was still worried. The waiting was definitely getting to me. There was nothing pressing that demanded my attention, so my mind could wonder, and I had been told on many occasions that I had a tendency to overreact to things and worry about unimportant details. I clenched my jaw and shook my head.
"Are you doing okay, Princess?" Soarin asked.
I quickly looked towards him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just... anxious. The waiting is getting to me..." I looked away from his eyes and scrutinized his breastplate. I shivered, I could still remember him getting hit by that spell.
"You get used to it," Ace commented leisurely.
I grimaced at that but I could understand his reasoning. "You sure you're up to doing this?" I asked.
"It'll take more than a single unicorn to take me down, Princess," Soarin boldly proclaimed.
Ace nodded. "Da. He was hit in chest not wing. If it were other way, he would not be here," he said with a hint of humor in his heavy voice.
Soarin elbowed Ace in the ribs. Ace shrugged it off, whether it was because of his armor, a lack of effort on Soarin's part, or he was just that tough, I didn't know. "Right..." I trailed off and examined everypony in the room. None of them looked worried or concerned. They all looked... almost relaxed. It was strange. We were waiting around for the word, then I was going to teleport us directly into a combat situation, and none of them were worried. The only exceptions were Rainbow and I. I glanced at Rainbow. 'Maybe... maybe it's a good thing she's staying so close to me,' I reasoned. There were a few benefits to it.
I looked around the tent again, then slowly walked over to an unoccupied corner and sat down. Rainbow followed me and sat down beside me. I turned to her, "Are you doing okay?" I asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, I'm doing fine... What about you, Princess?"
I sat up straighter and took a deep breath. "I'm going to be leading an attack behind enemy lines. I'm going to be teleported us directly to General Hoof's command center, and we're going to assassinate the general, along with top staff... Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong. And then I have to teleport us out." I paused and exhaled, then inhaled. "And that might not be enough to route them. We still may have to get involved in the main battle... I'm not sure I'm ready for that," I admitted.
"You'll... do fine..." Rainbow trailed off uneasily. It wasn't very reassuring, and I think she realized that. "I mean, you rescued me, didn't you?" she asked.
I smiled a little at that. "I... guess I did, didn't I?" I had fought before. I mean, not that I was bragging, but I killed an ursa major. Nopony else in history had done that. But... killing another pony was something else. I had killed ponies before, though. The thought felt horrible. I sighed, knowing that I was going to have to kill again. If I didn't, more ponies would die. I could die if I didn't. Or worse, one of my friends could die. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath at that thought, hoping to calm my nerves. It worked, at least a little. "Maybe," I turned back to Rainbow, "you shouldn't come with us?" I asked.
Rainbow's expression was blank for about two seconds, then she looked at me incredulously. "Twi-Princess, I'm supposed to protect you. I'm pretty sure that means I should be going with you," she retorted.
"I..." She had a point, but I was still uneasy about it. "You're supposed to protect me, yes, but," I turned towards the others and motioned at them with my hoof, "they're coming with me too. It's not like I'll be alone," I replied. "Besides, we don't know what we're going into. Something could happen, I could teleport us to the wrong place, for one... And we don't know what we could encounter, which means you could get hurt, and I don't want that."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You're more important than me, Princess." That hurt, I clenched my jaw at hearing that. I wanted to rebuke her for saying that, but I couldn't. "And if you don't know what you're going to be teleporting into, that's all the more reason for me to come with you to protect you," she continued.
'Using my own argument against me?' I had to admit that impressed me, although it stung a little. "Are you sure you're up for this?" I asked. "I know that... being captured was hard on you."
Her expression slipped for less than a second, but it was enough. I could see fear, anxiety, and worry. She recovered quickly, however, and put back on her brave facade. I had to admire it, although it worried me. She was afraid, but she was brave. "I can handle it," she answered. It wasn't quite as enthusiastic as normal, but she still sounded confident.
I met her gaze and looked into her eyes, searching for any warning signs. Her mask didn't slip. "Okay," I answered. For a few more seconds, I watched her, then I looked away from her and breathed deeply.
I shifted my weight and rubbed my wings against my armor. I was getting a little cold, and I was sure that my anxiety didn't help the situation.
"Any idea how long until we go?" Soarin asked.
I looked at him wryly. "No, I don't know for sure, but anytime in the next two hours if it'll be today. I don't think he'd wait any longer than that, considering that the sun won't be up much longer after that, and we'd have an even greater advantage at night."
"Fighting at night isn't exactly the best tactic for us either, Princess." Jagged Wing commented.
I turned to face him. "While fighting at night isn't the best idea I have ever heard of, considering that the bulk of General Hoof's forces are unicorns, that means they will be easier to spot at night, making them easier targets, while at the same time, pegasi flying in the night sky are harder to see," I explained. He probably already knew that, but reinforcing or reminding him of it wasn't a bad idea.
"Navigating at night is harder too, Princess," he replied, then shook his head.
I didn't really have anything to say to that. I knew that. I was an alicorn after all. Flying at night made it somewhat more difficult to navigate, but I found it relaxing. Although, flying at night while ponies were trying to kill you probably wasn't very relaxing. Unless something was seriously wrong with you. I didn't enjoy killing nor fighting, so I doubted I would enjoy flying at night in a battle. Although, it would probably be very exhilarating.
"Princess!" a pony called. The tent flap was thrown open, and I turned to regard the arrival. He was a pegasus, one wearing the Wonderbolt flight suit, and he was breathing heavily. His eyes darted about, then his eyes fell on me, and I met his gaze. I felt my lips curl into a grimace, and I knew what he was going to say before he said it. "General Spitfire requires your presence immediately. General Hoof's forces are making their move."
I looked around the tent, all eyes had fallen on me. They were waiting on me. I took a deep breath, then stood to my hooves. I watched as the other ponies stood up, then I turned to the messenger. "Thank you... We'll be right there," I replied.
The pegasus bowed, then jumped away from the tent and flapped his wings. The tent flap closed as he flew off into the sky, going in the direction of the command tent. I turned towards the five Wonderbolts. Soarin was walking towards me. "Ready whenever you are, Princess," he said, then smiled solemnly.
I took a deep breath and licked my lips, then turned towards the tent flap. "Right... General Spitfire is waiting on us..." I trailed off. It still didn't feel real. I channeled magic into my horn, then teleported my regalia to me. I immediately grabbed it in my magic, and levitated it in front of me, then pried the faintly glowing pink gem from it and carefully placed it in my armor's chest plate. I pressed against it with my hoof, then used my magic to lock it into place so that it wouldn't fall out during battle.
I took hold of everypony in my magic, then teleported us the short distance to the command tent.
Spitfire's briefing didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. It was mostly going over information for the sake of my team, rather than myself. Although, I was more than a little concerned that the General's command center was in the center of his main camp, rather than in a separate area, or towards the back. It meant that if something went wrong, it would go wrong.
Of course, I didn't have time to think about the worst possible case scenarios now. I looked to my left, Soarin, Ace, and Jagged were all triple checking their armor. I glanced to my right, Rainbow stood at my side, then there was Lightning Strike and Storm. Both Lightning Strike and Storm were making sure that their saddle bags were secured. Rainbow, for her part, stood stoically. I couldn't see her eyes to tell whether she was afraid or not. I wanted to believe that she wasn't, but I doubted it. She might not have shown it, and that would be something she would do, considering she was a Wonderbolt, and in the presence of other Wonderbolts.
Then again, she was a Wonderbolt. So maybe I was worrying too much.
I pushed the thoughts aside and rubbed my exposed neck with my armored hoof. The cold metal was almost calming. I glanced back to Soarin, Ace, and Jagged. All three of them were looking at me expectantly. I glanced to my right. Lightning and Storm looked at me expectantly. Rainbow stood close beside me, staring straight forwards. "Alright..." I called out, causing my heart to beat faster. "Everypony ready?" I asked. My breathing quickened, I was no longer inhaling in a calm and controlled fashion but in short breaths. Anxiety and nervousness plagued me, and I could already feel adrenaline being pumped into my system, and I hadn't even done anything yet.
A chorus of six "Yes, Princess!" called out. For some reason, I couldn't stop myself from smiling at it. The smile quickly left my lips, and I tensed up my body.
"Form up..." I ordered. Immediately, everypony repositioned around me, so to protect me the second we appeared. We were all spread out a few paces apart, no single spell would kill us all the second we appeared. Which was a good thing, it meant one less thing I had to worry about. "Teleporting..." I trailed off as I prepared to teleport the seven of us and recalled all the information I had about General Hoof's camp, and I painted a mental picture of it in my mind. From the dull white tents, to the city-like layout. "Now!" I shouted.
The familiar tingle of magic took hold of my body, and in an instant, we all traversed the several miles between out camp and General Hoof's camp. The sound of magic cracking through the air filled my ears, and then everything changed.
I gritted my teeth from the headache that slammed into me, undoubtedly the result of the anti-teleportation field that I forced my way through.
"What is-" Before the flash of light from the teleportation cleared, the soldier had been cut off.
"Inform-" Another soldier was cut off, accompanied by a sickening crack.
The light dissipated. I leveled my horn and spun around, searching the immediate area for soldiers.
A pair of unicorns jumped out of a nearby tent. Surprise filled their eyes. I threw my head towards them, then sent a surge of magic through my horn. Both unicorns reacted and jumped out of the way. I followed them with my eyes and horn, then released another spell where I projected them to land. Before they could stand up, the spell hit them dead center. My magic tore through the closest unicorn's armor and threw him off of his comrade.
I stumbled forwards and felt the metal protecting my flank heat up. I quickly shot my head towards the source of the spell. Rainbow Dash slammed into the unicorn and uppercut him. His head flew back and his body slumped to the floor. I looked to and fro, my team was rapidly engaging and dispatching the soldiers taken by surprise.
Unfortunately, they were taking too long.
I turned to my left, hearing the sounds of armored hoofsteps thudding against the hard ground. I lowered my horn, then sent a surge of magic through it. It passed harmlessly by a tent, then the trio of unicorns rounded the corner, horns already lit. Before I could react, a trio of spells flew forth from their horns. I channeled magic into a barrier, which absorbed all three of the spells with ease. The unicorns' heads glanced around, then they returned to pointing their heads at me and released another wave of spells.
I teleported away from the path of the spells. It was a little disorientating, teleporting inside of the anti-teleportation field, but because it was short distance, I had better accuracy. I appeared behind the unicorns, I immediately collapsed my barrier and threw my head towards them, then fired off three spells in rapid succession, one at each unicorn. Each spell hit its mark and pierced the unicorn's armor with ease. Their corpses were thrown forwards and they slumped to the ground, lifeless.
I shivered from the ease at which I dispatched them.
Something collided with me. The impact jarred me, and I blinked several times, then found myself sprawled out on the ground. Thinking quickly, I teleported away. As I reappeared, an earth pony spun around and charged at me. I braced myself for an impact that never came. A streak of rainbow collided with the white mare, knocking her off course. I followed the pair with my eyes. Rainbow pulled away from the soldier as she rolled, then pushed herself back up.
I leveled my horn with her, and the mare froze. Her eyes held fear. Fear that I recognized. It was the kind of fear somepony feels when they know they are about to die. I swallowed, then tentatively tore my gaze away from her.
Jagged Wing was burying his hoof-mounted blades into an earth pony's chest. Storm was flying towards a pair of unicorns, both of which were firing spells at her, but their barrage was aided by more unicorns who were focusing on her.
I teleported, then took a deep breath and threw the trio of unicorns aside with a quick kinetic spell, then turned my attention to Storm. She impacted a unicorn, throwing the mare to the ground and forcing her partner to back up and level his horn at Storm. Storm pulled up and launched herself at the second unicorn. The unicorn sidestepped. I leveled my horn with him and launched a spell at him. He never saw it coming, but his armor held. He stumbled and turned towards me. I raised a barrier to block his attack, and then Storm cleanly dispatched him, sliding a blade between where his neck armor met his chest armor.
Storm somersaulted off of him and backflipped. In the middle of her acrobatic maneuver, she propelled herself away.
Two spells hitting my barrier in synch reminded me of the unicorns I let live. I turned to them and made a note of their position, then quickly surveyed the area for anything else I needed to factor in. Ace was being swarmed by unicorns, and despite him managing to weave between spells, he looked worse for wear.
I couldn't easily locate any of the unicorns focusing on him.
Something solid impacted my barrier and I heard a grunt. I turned towards the source and stepped back, then collapsed my barrier and sidestepped a buck from the mare. I retaliated with my magic. The spell didn't pierce her armor. She lunged at me, I stepped back. Despite wearing armor, I still felt her hoof connect with my chest.
I took a step back and leveled my horn with her, only for her to kick my head. The ground felt shaky as I tried to recover from the blow. I felt another blow, this time coming from my right. I turned towards the source and fired a spell. There was the sound of the magic discharge, and magic streaking through the air, but nothing followed it.
Another impact. I switched tactics. I took a deep breath and charged up a spell, then threw my wings out and released it. A burst of pressure caused my ears to ring. The earth pony attacking me faired worse than I did. She coughed. I turned towards the source of the noise and pointed my horn at her chest. She looked up at me and glared fiercely. Blood ran down her lips. She charged. I released my spell.
The soldier fell to the ground, blood flowing from her neck. She wrapped her hooves around the injury, and I winced. She kicked off her helmet and the illusion collapsed. Her coat was dark pink, and her mane was blue. She writhed on the ground, then managed to push herself up. She locked eyes with me, and I could see fear flooding her as blood flowed out of her neck. I glanced at the ground beneath her, there was already a decent sized pool soaking the grass, and the mare was shaking. How she was still managing to stand eluded me.
I swallowed and stepped back, then turned my attention away from her. I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "Princess!" Soarin called. My head shot towards him. He flew towards me and landed. "Lightning says they're regrouping. She's trying to slow them down with some of the bombs, but I don't think it will last long. It may give them pause."
"We need to get to the command tent," I said as I scanned the area.
"I thought we were supposed to be there," Soarin replied. I was surprised that his voice wasn't condemning, considering I was solely responsible for our predicament.
"There was an anti-teleportation field in place. We were lucky I was able to teleport us here at all," I replied.
"Princess Twilight!" A burly voice shouted. I immediately recognized it and winced, then sharply tilted my head to the side and inhaled.
"General Hoof," I said as I turned to my left. The general was flanked by sixteen unicorns, and eight earth ponies were in front of him, though he still commanded attention. His armor was white with golden edges, and his sharp expression looked less than pleased. But, he always looked that way. I swallowed and glanced at the soldiers with him. All of the unicorns had their horns charged and they were pointed directly at me. I glanced at Soarin. "Find any officers you can and eliminate them," I ordered in a hushed voice. I didn't want the general to know what I told him. Soarin's only reaction was him flying away.
"You're under arrest for the crime of treason, Princess," the general said harshly.
I ruffled my wings and took a deep breath, then licked my lips and spread my hooves apart so I had more stability. I said nothing. In the back of my mind, I prepared a list of spells I could use. Some more violent than others.
As it turned out, it was unnecessary.
An explosion rocketed the unicorn ranks, and discharges of electricity jumped from the source to several of the unicorns. The event startled all of them, even the general wasn't unphased by the attack. Five of the unicorns collapsed, then another explosive discharge of lightning felled another three.
Immediately following the second discharge, a barrage of spells launched into the sky. I glanced up and smiled, Storm skillfully avoided the spells while at the same time beelining it away.
The eight earth ponies charged at me. I braced myself and leveled my horn on them. I pointed my horn at the closest one, then launched a spell. The soldier's armor shrugged the spell off. I fired another spell. The spell pierced the armor but hit off center. I poured more magic into the spell and fired it again. It hit the earth pony in his neck, easily piercing his unprotected flesh. The earth pony's body went limp and his momentum propelled his corpse forward.
I lobbed a spell at the ground and stepped back, then repeated the process. The ground erupted where both spells hit, sending some of the soldiers flying. Being earth ponies, they couldn't save themselves like pegasi could.
The unicorns turned their attention back to me. I teleported into the air above them, then lobbed a spell towards them. They scattered before it impacted, but it broke their lines. I teleported to the ground and leveled my horn on the General.
I was surprised when he spun around and charged at me.
I took a breath and stepped out of the way. He slid to a stop beside me and kicked out at me. His hooves connected with air, and he fell off balance. I leveled my horn on him and released a surge of magic. General Hoof was pushed away from me by the impact, but his armor held against my spell. I released another spell. He sidestepped it and lunged at me.
His hoof connected with my temple, and despite wearing armor, everything spun. My headache intensified and I took a step back. I tried to refocus on him, but his other hoof connected with the other side of my head, once more making me reel.
I blinked and tensed my head, then powered up a spell and released it. A forceful burst of magic erupted from my horn, throwing anypony too close to me away. When I steadied myself, I saw General Hoof tumbling on the ground, struggling to right himself. I spread my hooves out, then aimed my horn at him and sent a pulse of magic at him. My spell was off center and only grazed his armor.
A spell flew over my head. I turned to my left and leveled my horn on a group of three unicorns. I sent a quick spell at them. They jumped out of the way, and my spell impacted the ground. Where the spell hit, the ground erupted, leaving a small crater and sending chunks of dirt and grass flying. I pointed my horn at the farthest unicorn from me and released another spell. The spell cut through his armor and pushed him back. Blood leaked out from his injury and covered his armor. If he survived the spell, it wouldn't be long before he bled out.
I leveled my horn on the closest unicorn to me. He was standing up and shaking his head. I pulled magic from my crystal and released it at him. He braced himself and a barrier snapped to life around him. My spell punched through his flimsy barrier like it was nothing, then hit his armor. It didn't cleanly penetrate his armor, but it did punch through it. His face contorted in pain and he cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
I turned back to General Hoof. His buck hit me square in the chest. I felt my armor dent and press against my chest from the force of the impact. I tried to brace myself and recover from the kick, only to find myself falling backward. I immediately rolled over and propelled myself up with my wings. I spun around and aimed my horn at him, then fired a burst of magic. He jumped out of the way and landed on his hooves. I landed out of his range and prepared my magic for another blow.
General Hoof
I wiped blood away from my muzzle and glared venomously at the traitorous princess. If our short skirmish so far had taught me anything, it was that I wasn't as young as I used to be. The alicorn was not even half my age, but what she clearly lacked in experience, she made up for with being an alicorn. I faked to the right, then lunged to the left. Her spell shattered the earth behind me as I rushed her. She leveled her horn at me and a surge of magic erupted from it. I tensed my body and prepared for the impact as I ran straight for it.
My armor held although it heated up from the impact. Twilight looked shocked that I was still running towards her. In the second it took her to process that, I closed the distance and tackled her to the ground. I pulled my hoof back, then threw it at her, attempting to lodge my hoof blade into her throat. Her horn glowed brighter, and just before my blade hit her, she teleported away. I exhaled sharply as my blade embedded itself into the ground and I fell the short distance.
I rolled over and tore my blade from the earth, then spun my head around, searching for her. A cry of pain drew my attention to my right. I spun towards the source of the sound and prepared to charge, only to stop and smile. The princess was writhing on the ground, clutching her side. Blood seeped from a hole in her armor and coated her purple armor a shade of crimson, and despite her efforts to stop the loss of blood with her hooves, it didn't help. She looked in shock and afraid. I knew she had never been hurt like that before, and that she didn't know how to process it.
She was still an alicorn, though. It would take more than that to kill her. It was a perfect opportunity, however. Killing her while she was down would be much easier than when she was up. If I took the opportunity, Princess Celestia wouldn't be happy, but if I didn't, we could lose the war. Losing the war wasn't an option.
I glanced at the unicorn who launched the spell. She was panting and had her horn leveled on the stunned alicorn. A quick survey told me that most of the unicorns I brought with me were either dead or incapacitated. About three of them were still standing.
I hurriedly walked over to the princess. She whimpered in pain and looked at me in confusion and fear. I lifted my right hoof, then slammed my blade into her neck, near her jaw. She yelped in pain. Both of her forehooves grabbed at my hoof, and her hind legs flailed about. Her legs hit me a few times, but there wasn't a coordinated effort to buck me away. I glared at her and twisted my hoof, causing the blade to shift in her neck and widen the wound. She cried out in pain and her efforts to fight back doubled in intensity. I yanked my hoof out, and she screamed. Blood flowed down her neck, mixed into her mane and pooled in the grass beneath her.
Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, and her hoof pressed against her wounded neck. I pressed my hoof against her neck so that the blade bit into her neck and chin. I reangled the blade and pressed. The blade pierced her neck ever so slightly, if she fought back I could easily slip the blade further in and leave her with another life-threatening injury. Her breathing quickened as she seemed to realize her predicament. She stopped struggling and stared at me in horror.
Princess Celestia wanted her alive, but keeping her alive would be a mistake. I pulled back, then slammed my hoof into her neck again, this time near where her neck met her shoulder. She cried out as my blade slid through her unprotected coat and skin, then I twisted the blade and yanked it out. She gasped in shock, unable to form a scream. Her body shivered as more blood flowed out of her body. I pulled back away from her and watched her solemnly.
Spells cut through the air. I jerked my head towards the unicorns still standing. A pegasus slammed into the closest unicorn, and the unicorn's head snapped back, then he fell to the ground. The pegasus jumped off of him, then tackled another unicorn and wrapped his hooves around his neck.
"Twilight!"
I turned back around. A rainbow-maned pegasus glared at me, then lunged at me. I blocked her hoof with my own, then countered and stabbed her in the shoulder with my blade. She grunted and jumped back. Blood seeped from her shoulder. I lunged at her, she tensed up. I tackled her to the ground and held her down, using my weight to my advantage.
Her hooves connected with my abdomen and I grunted, then pulled back my hoof and aimed for her neck. Her hoof deflected mine, and my blade dug into the ground. I grunted and pulled my blade from the ground, then lunged my other hoof at her neck. She looked at my hoof and deflected it. I used the distraction, then slid my blade across her neck. It was a shallow wound, but a wound nonetheless. She cried out in shock, then intensified her struggled to push me off while clutching her neck.
Crimson stained her sky blue coat, and I pinned her free hoof to the ground, then pried her other hoof away and pressed the tip of my blade against her throat. She looked at me in shock and fear. "Keep resisting and you're dead," I spat.
Rainbow glared at me and barred her teeth, then intensified her efforts to push me off. "You-" I pressed my blade into her neck, drawing a trickle of blood from her skin. She tried to pull her head away from my blade, but the ground prevented her from moving away. She glanced at Twilight and I saw fear in her eyes, then she looked back at me with determination. I squinted at her and scrutinized her features, searching for the reason for her determination.
There was an explosion. I looked up towards the source. Magic rolled off of Princess Twilight. I had a bad feeling about it, and I had the feeling that that was the reason for Rainbow's determination.
Two hooves connected with my abdomen. I looked down. Rainbow Dash's hoof met my jaw. I felt a warm fluid roll down my muzzle as I recoiled from the hit. I shook my head sharply and glared the pegasus. She kicked out with her hind legs. I slammed my hoof into one of them. She winced. I pushed her leg into the ground, then recovered and slammed my blade through her flank armor. She whimpered and then bucked me in the head again. Everything spun.
Princess Twilight Sparkle
From the moment a pony is born, they are dying. It is an uncontested fact of life, everything that lives will die. Some ponies die from old age, some ponies die from sickness or disease. Some ponies starve, some ponies freeze. Some ponies are murdered, some ponies fall to death. Ponies could be killed in battle. There were so many different ways to die. Everypony knew that, but nopony ever really talked about it. They took time for granted. They always knew they'd have tomorrow, even if it wasn't a fact.
Every living being can be killed. Ponies, gryphons, zebras, changelings, and dragons. Even alicorns can be killed.
Some races were harder to kill than others.
I felt blood pouring from my neck. It was a horrifying feeling, knowing that you were about to die and that you couldn't stop it. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but not moving felt better. Curling up into a ball would have been more comforting, but I didn't have the energy to do that. I should have been able to defend myself. He kept hitting my head, and I couldn't focus. I never expected him to use that tactic.
Pain and coldness. That's what I felt. My entire body ached, some places worse than others. Adrenalin was wearing off, and blood was pooling beneath me. I could feel it. Moving would have hurt a lot.
I had tried to keep fighting, but I wasn't a soldier. I had never fought in a battle. I was a fool to think that attacking the brain of General Hoof's forces was a good idea. I was stupid to think I could pull it off, but it was the only thing I could actually conceive of being successful at. Even with the books I had read, I wasn't prepared for strategizing. Or at least that's what I told myself. I was afraid to screw up. How many ponies would die if I made the wrong decision?
How many had died because of making the wrong decision?
'No!' I shouted at myself. 'You can't give up!' I hissed. 'Lives are at stake! All of Equestria is at stake!'
'I-I'm so tired,' I sobbed.
'Get a hold of yourself! You're an alicorn princess! There are only four alicorns in the world! You killed an ursa major! This is nothing! You can level this entire camp in a heartbeat, and you know it!' I shouted.
I wanted to cover my ears, the voice hurt. 'S-stop... it-it hurts, so badly...'
'No. Not until you fix this. You know what you need to do. You know what you have to do. It is inside of you. Recognize it. Claim it as your own. Use it,' I commanded.
'I-I don't know what t-to do...' I croaked out.
'Yes. You. Do. You're an alicorn. The princess of friendship and magic. If you really don't know what to do, you're pathetic!' I shouted at myself. I winced and closed my eyes. 'Open your eyes,' I commanded.
I struggled to muster the energy to open my eyes back up. They were so heavy, and I was so tired. Eventually, I parted them and looked up at the dark gray sky.
'Now, do you want to let everypony down?' I asked.
'N-no, of course not... but... I-I can't do this!' I answered. 'I-I'm not a soldier, I'm-'
'You're an alicorn!' I hissed. 'Soldiers are nothing compared to you! You killed an ursa major!'
'I-I didn't want to!' I cried out.
'You did it, though. Why did you do it?' I asked.
'T-to... to protect my ponies an-and my... friends...' I trailed off, starting to smile.
'Good,' I replied warmly.
Warmth. I felt warmth. It was wonderful. It was like the feeling of the sun breaking through the clouds on a cold winter day. The feeling of lying in the sun on the beach, letting the sun's rays warm your coat. It was revitalizing.
A shiver ran down my spine as the warmth fought back the cold.
The warmth prevailed. Cold is the absence of heat energy. The warmth's energy filled my body.
It was welcoming and familiar. Like the embrace of an old friend you hadn't seen in years, but they welcomed you back and pulled you into the biggest hug you had felt. It was like Pinkie Pie throwing a party just for you and inviting the entire town to celebrate, and then everypony giving you a friendly hug.
It was strong and kind. The warmth was like a pony who you could always count on, like your best friend, but closer than just your best friend. You could count on them for anything. A shoulder to cry on, somepony to tell all your woes to, somepony who would rock you to sleep and stay with you when you couldn't sleep, like a mother.
It was familiar. It was a part of me. It reminded me of the feeling of using the Elements of Harmony with my friends.
I felt calm.
The magic swam through my body, reinvigorating me and dulling the pain.
My hoof slid away from my neck. I closed my eyes, then inhaled deeply, then channeled magic into my horn.
I felt alive.
I was the protege of Princess Celestia. I was one of the most powerful unicorns alive, even as a filly. I levitated an ursa minor as a grown mare. I was the bearer of the Element of Magic. I was the Princess of Friendship. I was an alicorn.