//------------------------------// // Act III: Chapter Twenty-Three: Shadows at Hunt // Story: Innocent // by Puzzle Piece //------------------------------// The night was still. No wind moved the trees and no animals called or darted through the shadows around the camp of ponies at the edge of the forest. The glow of the moon above them was defused by the haze that still hung in the sky. The stars were obscured completely. A scattering of fire pits, dying down to coals now, were the only other source of light. They cast a soft red glow across the canvas of the tents and the lower canopy of the trees around them. Private Turner listened intently as Corporal Big Mac described the pros and cons of living so far from town. It was late in their shift stationed on the south side of the camp and most of the other ponies were asleep. Private Breezy’s red mane glinted dully in the firelight when he occasionally shifted position on the north side. Other than the watch, only a few ponies were still active. Twilight had been up for an hour, unable to sleep any longer, and had taken to going over the supplies quietly to keep herself occupied. Sergeant Blitz had gotten up after midnight to check on the watch and promptly returned to his bedroll when there was nothing notable happening. The other ponies who had taken the first watch were soundly asleep now. Lieutenant Long Watch was cleaning his helmet by one of the fire pits, having gotten all the rest he claimed to require. Though Jason was sitting upright, his head was lowered and he hadn’t moved in hours. Zacon was sprawled on his bedroll, lying on his right side to avoid putting pressure on his still injured ribs. His armor was a pile of gold and silver plates at the edge of his bedroll while his axe hovered outside the tent like a silent sentinel. The rest of the ponies had turned in early and gradually drifted off. Now that it was a few hours after midnight, their soft breathing and the whispered conversation of the watch were the only sounds. Turner’s ear twitched suddenly and he held up a hoof. Big Mac fell silent and they both peered out at the surrounding trees. The two slowly readied their weapons as they searched for the source of the noise that Turner had only barely detected. Then, twenty feet in front of them, a green glow appeared, illuminating the familiar face of a Unicorn. “Lieutenant Hightalon!” Turner said, relieved. “Don’t sneak up on us like that!” “Sneak? Ha!” Cor laughed. “If I’d wanted to, I could have stolen your weapons right out from under you. In fact…” He grinned roguishly as he dropped a Troll axe at their hooves. “I’ve completed my reconnaissance and I need to speak with the others to plan our attack.” He gestured to the three ponies of Second Squad that had gone with him and they stepped out from behind the trees and followed Cor into camp. Sergeant Dash dropped down from the branches she’d been perched in. They made directly for the center of camp. The moment they were within the firelight, Jason opened his eyes and stood up. Lieutenant Watch looked up at them and set his helmet aside. Twilight slipped silently up beside Jason and waited for them all to gather near the fires. Cor stamped a hoof on the ground next to Zacon’s muzzle as he passed him. The grey stallion grumbled, rolled over, and then grudgingly roused himself before eventually finding his way over to them. Once they were all present, the scouts gave their report. “We made it to the edge of the camp with no trouble,” Rainbow said. “But they set sentries at intervals around it. We weren’t able to bypass them.” “I, however, was able to get pretty close,” Cor added. “The sentries were uneasy but not exactly attentive. As if they didn’t like where they were but weren’t expecting anything. That’s a common trait of troops that have been holding a position.” Jason nodded thoughtfully. “They likely retreated from Canterlot to here and then hunkered down.” “Why would they stop here if they were running from the battle?” Rainbow asked. “We can’t know for certain,” Cor said. “But I’d guess they’re waiting for new orders.” “Orders?” Twilight asked, her voice quivering with the possibilities she was imagining. “Orders from whom?” “As much as I’d like to know the answer to that, we’ll have to leave it for another time.” “He’s right. We need to concentrate on the task ahead of us,” Jason said, turning back to the original topic. “Now, how many sentries were there? How far from camp and from each other?” “Two at each post and thirty yards apart,” Rainbow replied and Cor nodded to confirm. “They’re also only about fifty yards from camp. Even through the trees, they’ll be able to keep tabs on each other and those in the camp will be able to see if something is wrong fairly quickly.” Twilight frowned. “I thought the darkness would conceal our approach enough that they wouldn’t spot us. That was the point of attacking at night, wasn’t it?” “The darkness will hide us well enough,” Cor nodded. “But the Trolls’ white and grey fur stands out really well in the forest greens and browns. When their sentries start dropping, it will only take a casual glance to see it.” “We don’t have many options then,” Jason mused. “We could pick off sentries each night and slowly chip away at them or see if we can catch them as they pack up in the morning. The chaos of breaking camp could give us more of an advantage.” “We can’t wait for them to break camp, nor can we give up our advantage of surprise by relying on small jabs,” Zacon rumbled. “Every second we delay is critical time lost. We need to strike a meaningful blow before they find their feet again. They seem to think themselves secure here, but we know they can be made to run. Let’s get them thinking of it again.” “How do you propose to do that? They have hundreds of troops to our sixty,” Long Watch reminded him. “They don’t know that,” Zacon said with a wide grin. “Okay, that works in with our element of surprise, but our numbers won’t stay hidden from them for long. So, how do we use it?” Jason asked, casting about for suggestions. “We can start with the sentries…” Cor began, but Zacon cut him off. “Juu’got. Lan’ut!” He spat the guttural words and scowled at Cor. “Sentries won’t cripple them. We need more than that.” “If you’d let me finish, you’d see where I’m going with it,” Cor shot back with a frown. “I don’t care if our tactics border on cowardice. My people win wars like this. And stick to a language all of us can understand, would you?” Zacon grunted in impatient acquiescence. “We can start by knocking out the sentries along one side of the camp,” Cor went on. “If we can take a large swath of them down without alerting the camp itself, we should be able to get our whole force in close enough to cause major disruption before they realize we’re even there. We can burn tents and supplies, catch them sleeping, and then pull back before they can organize defenses.” “That would rely on us not being detected until we’re actually in the camp,” Long Watch observed. “What if they raise the alarm before that?” “We rush them,” Zacon said flatly. “Rush them?!” Cor, Rainbow, Twilight and Long Watch repeated simultaneously. “Yes,” he nodded matter-of-factly. Almost everypony regarded him as if he were crazy until he went on. “But Cor is right, we keep it short. Overwhelm the edge of the camp only and withdraw before they can bring their numbers to bear. Forget burning tents. We need to inflict maximum casualties on them before we lose these few advantages we have, or we will never do enough damage to cripple them before they regroup.” Jason rubbed his chin in thought. “That makes sense. We do need to think big on this first attack. But if we’re going to pull it off, we’ll need some sort of signal for the retreat. We can’t just hope everypony will recognize the time to withdraw.” “I can give you that,” Cor said, raising his bow. “One firecracker out of this and we’ll all know about it.” “Good enough,” Jason admitted. “Now for the hard part. Taking out the sentries silently.” “I think we can handle that,” Rainbow said. “My squadron can get the drop on them, literally.” “They might be expecting you,” Cor said. “The Air Corps has played a large role in the last few battles.” “That’s because we’re so darn good at it,” Rainbow grinned. “Trust me. We can handle a few sentries.” “There are too many for your squadron to take alone, not along a line wide enough for this kind of raid,” Jason observed. “We’ll have to hit at least half of them with ground forces.” “I think Jason and I can lead the flanks on the ground while your squadron takes the middle of the line,” Cor said, indicating Rainbow. “Zacon and Long Watch can each bring a team up between our three groups to act as strong points for the main attack. Once all of the sentries are eliminated, we move forward at once and hit them with as broad a line as possible to disguise our numbers.” “How many groups of sentries will need to be eliminated?” Long Watch asked. “We’ll take out as many as we can,” Cor replied grimly. “At least eight on the side we’re attacking from, but if we can get to more before the alarm is raised, then we will.” “We’ll need to allocate enough troops to each post to cleanly silence them,” Zacon rumbled. “I estimate two ponies per Troll, so four at each post.” “That doesn’t leave many for a strong charge at the center positions,” Long Watch argued. “I think we can pair them up one to one.” “We can’t risk anypony allowing a Troll to call out,” Cor reminded him. “We need to do this so quickly that they can’t react at all. Two against one will take a large slice of our number to pull off, but there isn’t a whole lot we can do about it.” Long Watch grumbled in dissatisfaction but let it go. “So which direction do we attack from?” Rainbow asked restlessly. “The north? South? What about from the west? They’d never expect us to come from the west!” “If we had time, I might have agreed with an attack from the west,” Cor said. “But it would take too long for us to get into position and we got the best look at the eastern side of their camp. That’s the side we should hit.” “You’re the boss, Lieutenant, sir,” Rainbow said snarkily. He only gave her an appraising look and smirked back. They went about waking the others and gathered again to go over the final plan with the entire group. Jason spoke while Cor traced a sketch of the enemy camp in the dirt for them all to see. Each flight of Rainbow’s squadron was matched up with a sentry post along the middle of their planned route. Similarly, Second Squad was split into groups of four and paired up with the posts to either side of the Pegasi. First Squad’s two teams were given positions about fifty yards apart where they would wait for the sentries to be eliminated before making their approach on the camp. Zacon was placed at the head of Corporal Night Watch’s team while Long Watch and Sergeant Blitz would lead Corporal Big Mac’s team. Cor would lead the attack against the sentries on the right flank and Jason would lead the left. As everypony was sorted out into their groups, Twilight anxiously grabbed Jason’s attention. “Where should I go?” she asked in a hushed voice. Jason frowned as he thought it over. “Why don’t you stick with me? The numbers are a bit uneven as it is. There are eleven on the right side and only ten on the left.” “Neither of those make full groups of four,” Twilight pointed out, obviously worried that nopony else had noticed this basic mathematical inconsistency in their plan. Jason shrugged. “Cor and I figured that we could take one Troll on our own. We don’t mean to belittle anypony’s value here, but if we’re all honest with each other, I think we’re going to be able to handle more than the average pony.” “That’s probably true,” Twilight agreed reluctantly. “So how can I help?” “Private Earl Grey will be with me, but he’s paired up with a Troll on his own. He could use an assist.” “I can do that,” Twilight said, smiling faintly. Jason returned the smile and they went to prepare with the others. Armor was donned and weapons were taken up. One wagon that included medical supplies and Cor’s extra arrows was brought along, though it wasn’t pulled along the ground since it would have made too much noise. Instead, it was levitated with them by Jason, Cor and Twilight. The rest of the camp was packed up and left where it was so that they could return after the battle and move it quickly. Heading south and west at a cautious pace, they traveled for a little more than an hour before Cor signaled for them to spread out and take their positions. The cart was set down well behind their lines. Cor took several quivers with him and went to join the right flank while Jason slipped away to the left. Jason noticed that Twilight was biting her lip and seemed to be trembling as she followed close behind him, but she did not falter. As they closed in on the edge of the Trolls’ camp, Jason slowed down and finally came to a stop. He could see patches of Troll fur through the screen of trees that separated them from the sentries some hundred yards away. One by one, the other ponies on the left flank gathered beside him, peering around the trunks of the trees and crouching in the shadows. They all looked nervous and rightfully so, but they kept glancing at the others as if to measure the courage in their companions. Jason could tell that they did not find much comfort in what they saw. Most of them had signed on after the battle of Canterlot, he realized, and had only seen the fighting in the streets. Their fear was palpable. “Sulawesa Unuli, Kyaleen,” he whispered with a faint smile. A short, confused silence followed. “I’m sorry,” Twilight whispered back. “What did you just say?” “Oh, wrong language! Sorry, force of habit.” His smile turned to one of chagrin. “What I said was ‘through unity, victory’. It’s a traditional phrase of my people before battle.” “Sue-law-we-saw Uno-lie, Key-ah-lean?” she repeated slowly. Jason nodded somberly. Some of the others repeated the words, both in his language and their own. Each one seemed to draw encouragement from it and they ceased their nervous shifting. Jason looked farther along the line and saw that the Pegasi of Second Flight were in position. Corporal Star Hunter caught Jason looking and nodded. Jason signaled for his teams to take their places and they crept off as silently as they could. The signal to advance passed along the line and Jason started forward. The ponies to either side of him moved through the shadows, picking their footing carefully. The guttural voices of the Trolls ahead became audible as they closed on their targets. The two directly in front of him were clearly visible. He indicated to Twilight which one he would take and she nodded. She and Private Grey crept up from one side until they were a stone’s throw from the Trolls. One Troll paused in his hushed conversation to peer out at the shadows, causing all three of them to freeze in place. His gaze passed over Jason and Twilight, missing Private Grey entirely. Even so, he gave no indication of sensing anything amiss and went back to conversing with his companion. Jason started forward again. A loud snapping sound from behind him sent his heart racing in a way that the anticipation of battle no longer did. Twilight looked down at the broken twig in surprise and then up at the Trolls in horror. Both Trolls stood up to search for the disturbance, one lifting his axe warily. As his eyes finally pierced the gloom to catch the equine outline of the lavender Unicorn, the Troll opened his mouth to cry out. The only sound he made was a gurgle as his throat split open and blood choked him. Jason leapt up, twirled his blade again and stabbed through the Troll’s chest. Twilight reached out with telekinesis to clamp the other Troll’s mouth shut. He attempted to break free by clawing at his own lips but Private Grey ended his struggle by driving his spear into his gut. Both Trolls toppled over with low thuds. A clash of metal rang out to their right and a pregnant silence followed. A second passed. Two. Then, Troll voices rose in the camp, cautious and questioning. Zacon’s deep voice answered with a thunderous shout. “Vok Ja-Tomin Ulsiv!” The battle cry of his people sprang from him, heedless of language barriers. The tone of the words and the flash of his golden armor suddenly barreling out of the covering shadows was enough for everypony to understand their intent. A dozen more shouts sounded as ponies broke cover and charged. Voices rose to add their own battle cries or just vocalize for effect. “For Equestria!” “In the Princesses’ name!” “CHARGE! “YEEAAAHHHH!” “For Ponyville!” “RrrrrrRRAAAHHH!” “Evet San Boulindin!” Jason recognized Cor’s oath from the far side of the line and answered it as he surged forward. From immediately behind him, he heard Twilight imitate the words with impressive accuracy. Jason found the emulation interesting but was forced to push the thought from his mind as he launched himself into the first Troll he reached. He sent his sword at the Troll to his right while he grappled at his startled opponent’s weapon with his hooves. With a deft twist, he managed to rip the axe from the Troll’s grip, spin about, plant his forehooves and deliver a kick. The Troll’s jaw broke audibly and he collapsed, limp and bleeding on the ground. The other Troll tried to parry the floating sword with his spear, but the disembodied grip slipped past the meager defense and dispatched the Troll easily. Jason scanned the area around him, seeking his next enemy. The camp was an unremarkable stretch of wooded land that had dead fire pits and tents sporadically pitched throughout. The trees prevented him from seeing any farther than a hundred yards in any direction, though the camp seemed to extend much further. Jason knew that less than a thousand Trolls were here, but the sounds of their shouting that echoed toward them from the darkness was more than enough to create the illusion of an immeasurable horde waiting just out of sight. The Trolls nearest the fighting were calling out for aid or backing away from the tide of ponies that swept toward them. A few stood their ground and pockets of resistance formed that became focal points of intense fighting. The screams and clashing of metal rose up to be met by the increasingly frantic shouts of the Trolls who were still just realizing what was happening. Some staggered up from bedrolls in time to see the pony that ended their life while others stumbled out of tents only to find themselves overwhelmed before they could think to raise a weapon. The sleeping camp was being churned into a chaotic frenzy as the ponies pushed in. Jason spotted a group of Trolls near a rack of weapons, rapidly forming lines with the few warriors that had gathered. He made directly for them and several ponies galloped to his side, forming a small wedge formation. The Trolls spotted the knot of ponies and turned to face them but began giving ground even before their lines met. Jason’s sword swept to the side as it reached the Trolls, cutting the heads off of several of the enemy spears and opening the way for the ponies beside him. Four Trolls and a pony went down and the remaining Trolls broke and ran. While the others gave chase, Jason turned to the fallen Unicorn. He had been struck by an axe at his shoulder near the base of the neck and was bleeding profusely. Jason reached out to touch the wound and white light flared from his hoof. The pony, Private Blue Moon as Jason recognized, gazed up at him in wonder as the bleeding stopped and the wound closed marginally. Jason didn’t wait to see Private Moon back to his hooves or even offer reassuring words. Instead, he spun around to assist an Earth Pony struggling with a Troll for control of a spear. He hamstrung the Troll and finished him off with a chop to the neck before helping the Earth Pony up. He turned again to seek another foe but all he saw was the backs of Trolls as their lumbering forms retreated. The shouts of alarm had turned to cries of panic as they all turned and began scrambling madly to escape the fighting. Some dropped their weapons and others trampled allies in their haste to flee. Those Trolls that had not entered the fighting yet quickly decided they wanted nothing to do with that which had caused their comrades to scatter so quickly. In a matter of minutes, the entire camp emptied of Troll forces. Zacon led a pursuit with a dozen others while the rest drifted back together. Jason became aware of ponies calling out, trying to locate their units and friends. One cry of pain in particular drew his attention and he followed it. A grey Unicorn lay in the dark grass, gasping and gaping in disbelief at his foreleg, which rested beside him a few feet away. The severed limb appeared to have been hacked off by the axe of a Troll that lay dead nearby. The companions of the stricken pony were trying in vain to comfort him while some yelled for medical aid. Before Jason could call for him, Cor was there, barking orders at various ponies nearby. “The two of you, hold him still! Where’s his leg? Bring it here!” he shouted. “I need that medical cart brought up here. You two, get on that!” His harsh tone broke through the frantic indecision of the ponies nearby and sent them scurrying to obey. The pony’s grey complexion was turning paler as seconds passed and blood continued to pour from the wound. Cor dropped down beside him and telekinetically gripped the stump of his leg to stop the bleeding. “Don’t look at that!” he snapped, turning the pony’s face away from the wound. “What’s your name, soldier?” “J-Jet Set,” he managed to stutter, fear and pain both twisting his face. “And your rank?” Cor asked quickly as a pony, grimacing with disgust, passed the leg to him. “Private, sir.” Jet Set tried to look at his leg but Cor prevented him again by forcefully holding his chin with his hooves. Cor held the leg up to the stump with telekinesis while keeping Jet Set’s eyes firmly on him. “Which unit are you in?” Cor continued to ask questions in an attempt to both distract Jet Set from the pain and keep him alert and conscious. “What squad and team?” The other ponies watched in a mix of awe and horror as the flesh around the wound glowed with faint green light and knit together with the severed limb as it was held in place. Jet Set flinched as new pain flared and tried again to look at the wound. “I told you not to look at that. Look only at me and answer the questions,” Cor insisted. “Now, what team and squad are you in?” “First Team, Second Squad,” he managed through clenched teeth, squirming slightly. A faint squelching sound came from the leg and Jet Set yelped. “Hold him still, I said,” Cor growled to the two ponies on either side of him. “Who is your commanding officer? Who’s your sergeant?” “Sergeant Clear Waters, sir.” Jet Set replied, sounding as if he was about to faint. “And your team leader?” Jet Set’s eyes rolled back a bit and he mouthed wordlessly. His hind leg kicked out fitfully as he flinched from another wave of pain. Cor patted his cheeks urgently in an effort to keep him conscious and Jet Set returned to himself marginally. “Team leader, Private. Who is your team leader?” “Co-corporal Pristine.” At last, the final traces of the injury vanished. The green light faded from Jet Set’s leg as did the light from Cor’s horn. Cor sat back with a sigh of relief and let go of Jet Set’s face. Jet Set curled up where he was, breathing shallowly and trembling, his newly reattached leg held protectively to his chest. Jason let out the breath he’d been holding. Twilight, standing beside him, continued to stare with wide eyes. Cor got up shakily, clearly drained. He stumbled a bit as he walked over to the nearest tree and collapsed up against it to rest. A long silence hung over the entire group. Most of them had gathered to watch the spectacle and all had been left speechless by it. Rainbow was the first to break through the shock. “Is it over? Is the battle over?” she asked nopony in particular. “It is indeed,” Zacon called out with grim satisfaction, returning to them at a fast trot. “The enemy is in full flight and we have taken this field. There will be more battles to come, but tonight we are the victors!” A cheer went up, though it was halfhearted at best, more from the shock that still gripped them than a lack of approval. The ponies Cor had sent to retrieve the medical cart returned soon after. Jason helped bandage Private Moon, since that wound was still deep and raw. Cor directed Jet Set’s leg to be splinted and that he not put weight on it for a day or so. A scattering of other injuries were treated with bandages and none of them were nearly as serious. Cor, Zacon and Long Watch gathered to plan their next move while the rest of the ponies either picked through the Troll camp or went back to fetch their own supplies and bring them forward. Twilight looked like she was going to ask Jason something but Rainbow and Blitz beat her to him. “I’ve got to admit, Lieutenant,” Blitz said. “I had my doubts; about you and this plan. But we pulled it off!” “Yeah,” Rainbow agreed uneasily. “It’s just, how did we pull it off? We planned on retreating after a minute, didn’t we? What was with them throwing in the towel and running like that?” “I could take a guess,” Jason offered. Rainbow and Blitz exchanged a glance and Rainbow nodded for Jason to go on. “Well, I’d say it was a combination of things. Our attack was a complete surprise. They didn’t organize nearly as fast as we expected. Plus, these Trolls are the remnants of a much larger force. Their morale must have been low from casualties alone. But one factor we didn’t consider might have been the true reason. Terrain,” Jason gestured all around them. “The trees blocked sight and distorted sound. Who knows what the battle sounded like to them? I’d say they feared our full army had pursued them here and that we’d completely overwhelmed this side of the camp.” Blitz gave a grim smirk. “However it happened, it happened. And that’s good enough for me.” He turned away and gestured for Rainbow to speak with him. Twilight took the opportunity to address Jason. “You’re a hypocrite, you know that?” she said, fixing him with a stern gaze. “I…what?” Jason asked, not at all ready for that accusation. “I saw you heal that pony back there.” She gestured in Cor’s direction. “You and Cor both used magic to heal ponies.” Jason nodded cautiously, waiting for her to go on. His silence seemed to irritate her further. “Why haven’t you been teaching those techniques to me?” she said, raising her voice in exasperation. Jason bit his lip as he considered his response. “It might seem like a serious oversight on my part,” he began slowly. “But I assure you, I have a legitimate reason for withholding healing magic from my instruction. So far, I’ve been teaching you the discipline of Nature magic. There are several disciplines and some of them draw on the caster’s mana in very different ways. Nature magic has the potential to heal, as Cor demonstrated. But those techniques are beyond me. You would have to learn them from Cor himself.” “What about the technique you used? It was different somehow.” “Yes, it was. Very different,” Jason trailed off. When he didn’t go on, Twilight stamped her hoof in anger. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re willing to teach me how to kill, but you’re unwilling to even try to teach me the skills I would need to save lives?! That sounds like more than concerns over just how complex it is.” Her frown deepened several more degrees. “I assure you that if I am willing to learn how to kill another living being, I am more than willing to do whatever it is I have to do to heal my fellow ponies.” Jason considered her critically while fighting with himself internally. “This…is not the time for this discussion…” Twilight’s eyebrows rose dangerously as he spoke. Cor called for the rest of them to gather around for their new orders at that moment and Jason attempted to excuse himself to listen, but Twilight grabbed him with telekinesis and spun him around so that he was forced to look her straight in the eye. “We’ll find the time later then,” she said darkly. “But when we do, I’m not going to accept no as an answer.” Jason nodded mutely. She was right; his hesitance was about more than complexity. But he would face those challenges when the time came. He just hoped that time was not near at hand. He and Twilight listened then to Cor as he explained their next move, which was to pursue the Trolls and harass them as long as they could. The haphazard flight left the Trolls’ flanks open and Zacon was eager to seize on that weakness. Cor was more cautious as he explained what each team could expect and what was expected of them. After a long session, everypony had their new assignments and they set out, gliding through the trees, racing the night’s shadows as the hour of dawn closed in. ~*~*~ As soon as she finished lowering the moon, Luna retreated into her chambers to prepare for her departure. A servant had brought up an ancient case from the vaults early yesterday evening. She opened it now and took out the various pieces that made up her battle raiment. She stripped off her dark mantle and set her crown aside as she slipped into the armor. The plates of the armor were inlaid with onyx, each plane fitted so that a single smooth and masterfully-shaped gemstone covered all but the edge of each plate. Bright sparkles of aventurescence in the depths of the jewels caught the light to create the illusion of a shifting and depthless starry sky. The plates of the chest, shoulders and forelegs were connected by chainmail of finest silver links. The plates that covered her back and hung over her flanks were etched with silver patterns that swirled like windswept snow. A heavy cloth hung around her barrel on both sides, embroidered with her battle insignia; a silver down-turned crescent moon over two crossed blades on an azure field. The armor glinted and shimmered as she turned to examine her reflection in the floor-length mirror. She hadn’t touched this armor for years even before her banishment. Taking it up now brought back a rush of memories, of times when she and her sister had taken on dangers beyond imagining and stood side by side to defend their fledgling nation. It had been a time of adventure, when their sisterly bond was forged anew and further refined in the crucible of shared struggles. They two had been enough to shield their subjects from danger, be it encroachment by dragons or the rise of tyranny in neighboring countries. Now, it seemed, those days were gone. Luna would be facing this challenge without her sister while other ponies would be sharing the burden of defending their homes. Luna lamented that it must be so, yet, at the same time was eager to face it. She would take up this task and overcome it. She would be seen, leading from the front, as a beacon of hope and victory that her ponies would never forget. As she became accustomed to the feeling of the armor resting on her shoulders once more, the enchantments upon it flared back to life, sensing the presence of their rightful bearer. It became a part of her, melding against her coat like a lover’s embrace, warm and comforting. Confidence surged with it, mixing with the heady thoughts already running rampant through her mind. It was enough to make the room spin. She let the feeling carry her aloft for a moment, but with a deep breath, she brought herself back to level ground and a level head. Vanity has no place here, she admonished herself. Our subjects must be our foremost thought. She took in a breath as she confronted every image of glory and self-promotion that she envisioned and then let it out as she dismissed the selfishness that had, for a moment, threatened to take hold. Public accolades; her name spoken admiringly; her sister’s gratitude; that pesky foreign Prince’s respect; the final banishment of her inner demons that continued to plague her, haunt her, dance tantalizingly just out of sight, promising that she was not as good a mare as she pretended…She stopped, unable to continue. Luna lowered her head in shame. She could not put it all behind her. The past was past, and she could go on, but the fault that still resided deep in her heart would not be dispelled so easily. Her desire was strong and she could not wriggle free of its grasp. She looked up again, directly into the eyes of her reflection. In her armor, she looked so much like Nightmare Moon again that she gasped aloud and recoiled in fear. She managed to collect herself with several gulping breaths. She faced her reflection again, hardening her gaze against her own scrutiny, and held her head up proud once more. She would do what needed to be done, for her sister, her country and her subjects. In the end, it might turn out to be exactly what was best for her as well. She took up the last piece of her armor, setting the helmet on her head. The triple-pronged horn guard formed the center of her war crown. The sapphire-bladed center prong shimmered with each slight movement. The segmented plates that hugged the sides of her neck linked loosely to her shoulder plates while the back of her neck was open, letting her mane fly freely. Her muzzle was shielded by a single, sharply pointed plate on top and from the sides by plates shaped as down-turned crescent moons that simultaneously resembled fangs where they extended past either side of her jaw. With a final conviction-affirming nod, she marched out of her chambers, through the palace and into the courtyard. Waiting for her was a contingent of Guards. These were not the usual Solar Guard that made up the bulk of the Royal Guard though. These were Princess Luna’s personal Night Guard. At their head was Captain Nocturne. Standing tall, with his chest thrown out proudly, the Bat Pony’s dark purple and lighter lavender armor glinted dully in the muted dawn light. Beside the Captain were the other eighteen members of the Night Guard. In all, twelve other Bat Ponies made up the core of the squad, supplemented by six Pegasi originally of the Solar Guard. At the sight of their Princess, the squad snapped to attention. Luna gave them a crisp nod and maintained a stern gaze as she swept past them and they fell into step behind her. Even though she maintained a mask of studied indifference, she felt a special fondness for them all, especially the Bat Ponies. She had encountered a pair of them one night, endangered by a Dragon, and gone swiftly to their rescue. One of the pair had been Nocturne. Ever since, he and several other Bat Ponies had come out of their reclusive lifestyle to serve her eagerly. The former members of the Solar Guard had her affection for different reasons. Stoic to a fault, just like the rest of the Solar Guard, they weren’t as engaging of companions while on duty as the Bat Ponies, who tended to express themselves more loosely even in uniform. But these six ponies had been her first Guards, volunteering at Celestia’s encouragement when Luna had first returned to royal duties, and she was moved by their fervor. Indeed, only six positions had been available and the rush of candidates prompted several informal trials to be held to determine who would earn the privilege of serving the Princess of the Night. These Pegasi had won due to Shining Armor’s insightful and wise decision to simply ask the Princess herself what she might expect from her Guard. Luna might have taken a moment to come to terms with the news that ponies were competing for the opportunity to serve her, but once she had a hold of herself, she informed the Captain that she would be glad for company more than protection and thus the ability to fly with her through the night sky. With the criteria set, the Pegasi of the Solar Guard feverishly jockeyed for the six positions, spurred on by Luna’s apparent desire exclusively for Pegasi. In those early days after her return, Luna could point to those six ponies and definitively say that their fervor had contributed greatly to her ability to cope with her past, second only to her own sister’s reassuring presence. She allowed herself to entertain these thoughts as she led the squad toward the gates and the waiting Army, but she brushed them to the back of her mind as she brought her focus again to her task. Already the other captains were assembled, and from the sound of great commotion beyond the walls, the Army was readying itself as well. She acknowledged their salute crisply when she arrived and looked out toward the walls. “How have our preparations to embark progressed?” she asked straight away. “Very nearly completed, your Highness,” Captain Flash Point replied. “We’ve resupplied our wagons with provisions and loaded up the extra equipment, the camp is being broken as we speak and we’ll be in marching ranks shortly thereafter.” “Excellent. See to it that we are underway by the time the sun is fully over the peaks. I don’t want a single second to slip from our grasp, untapped.” “Yes, your Highness!” Luna scanned past Captain Gallant Lance. He nodded at her unspoken questions, his readiness practically a given. Her gaze fell upon Captain Comet Tail. He saluted and gestured to the Captain standing nervously next to him. “I’ve made my selection for Second Company’s Captain, your Highness,” he announced. Luna nodded and looked over the brown-coated Earth Pony, who was visibly rigid under her scrutiny. “Black Stone, then a Sergeant, distinguished himself on the east wall, fending off scaling ladders and keeping up the resolve of the troops around him.” Comet Tail said. “He clearly has the confidence of his squad. I believe he will excel at the head of his company.” Luna nodded again in approval and, as she turned to look again toward the west, Captain Black Stone started breathing again. “Captain Spitfire. You have a report for me?” Luna did not look at the Pegasus as she waited for her answer. Instead she was studying the lifeless clouds that hung over the lands they would be venturing into, frowning to herself as she did so. “I do, your Highness,” Spitfire answered. “The vanguard platoon reached the river and continued on, north by northwest into the forest. We sighted flights of Pegasi low over the trees sporadically until nightfall. They seemed to be making progress in a mostly westward direction.” “The enemy is hiding out in the forest then?” Luna asked. “It would seem so.” “What it seems to be is not good enough to plan a battle on. We must know more about our enemy’s whereabouts if we are to engage them on favorable terms. Dispatch a messenger at once to gather a report from the vanguard. We will make our plans once we know for sure.” “Yes, your Highness!” Spitfire saluted and flew off to find a suitable messenger. Luna continued to watch the clouds that hung over the western lands, deflated and grey. Below them, the air itself seemed to be hazy and lifeless, as if all the colors were bleeding out of the world. These Trolls are a blight upon the very land. They will be made to pay for this scourge. Her thoughts turned darker as she continued to dwell on it. “See to the remainder of our preparations,” she said to the remaining Captains. “We depart at the soonest possible time.” She strode purposefully toward the walls, her Night Guard following in her wake like a wave of darkness that refused to be banished by the rising sun. When she reached the battlements, she stood atop them and gazed down at her gathering army, her dark grace looming over them. When they had been fully assembled and lined up in ranks, all three thousand of them, Luna gave the command to march. As her voice carried out across the field to reach each of them, a spirited cheer rose up in answer; a sweeping wave that gathered strength as she took to the sky with her Night Guard. She winged to the head of their columns, setting the pace at the front as the Army fell into step behind her.