//------------------------------// // Ascendant Interlude 4 // Story: The Lunar Rebellion // by Chengar Qordath //------------------------------// The following account does not come from Dusk’s public memoirs like most of the previous passages, but rather from several of his private writings that never saw general publication. The reasons for that will be fairly obvious before long. After a few weeks within Canterlot, Celestia’s forces allowed me some small measure of trust. Or perhaps they simply did not want to spare the soldiers needed to keep me under constant guard. Returning me to the dungeons might be easier, but it would rather blunt the morale value of having one of the Avatar’s children willingly join their side. I would make a rather poor propaganda tool from within a cell. Thus, I was granted limited freedom within the city. They were not so foolish as to allow me access to anything vital to the war effort, but there was little harm I could do simply walking the streets of Canterlot. Especially as that allowed all the city to publicly see that I had turned against mine own mother to embrace Celestia’s cause. For the moment, my concerns were far more grounded. I made my way to one of the city’s many hospitals, seeking my sister. Dawn, it seemed, was far more trusted than I; or perhaps Celestia’s forces simply needed her skills as a chirurgeon more than what little I had to offer. Thankfully, my sister was not occupied when I found her. Fighting had been limited to skirmishing and probing attacks for the last few weeks, placing relatively few new patients under her care. Dawn had taken advantage of this relative reprieve to gain some much-needed rest, for I found her napping within one of the unoccupied beds. I took a seat, then gently placed a hoof on her shoulder to wake her. “Hello, sister. I hope thou art not too busy?” She jolted awake, blinking owlishly and yawning as she stirred from the dreams. “Dusk? Neigh, neigh—I was simply ... one of my patients had trouble late into the night, and I was recapturing what rest I lost saving him.” She rose from the bed, groaning and stretching. “How does the day find thee?” “Passably well.” I helped her back into her armor. While full plate would not be practical for a chirurgeon, light chain seemed to suit her well enough. “I hope thou canst spare a few minutes for me. There are several matters we should see to.” She rolled her shoulders to let the shirt settle into place more comfortably. “Aye, if I can spare time for rest, I can spare time for thee.” She paused, a faint frown flickering across her face. “I have seen far too little of thee since thy return. Something all the more troubling given the circumstances of it.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I had thought we would be returning to our mother’s side, only to learn we were defecting. I confess that I am not yet satisfied by thine explanation of why this is so.” I sighed and shook my head. I had known Dawn would expect an accounting of me. In truth, that was precisely why I had been ... perhaps not avoiding her, but certainly not making an effort to spend time with her as I normally would. “I know. In truth, I came here because now I can finally explain myself properly to thee. Walk with me?” Dawn nodded, and the two of us made our way out into the city. I still had not become accustomed to seeing the open sky through the shield spell Celestia held o’er the city. Though I suppose ‘twas no worse than spending all days at a time within the tunnels beneath the city, as I had done before. I would be glad when this war was finished, and I could once more see the open skies as a pegasus should. It had been far too long since I had enjoyed the freedom to fly as I wished, and that struck me as ... unnatural (1) 1: Unsurprisingly, claustrophobia became a common problem among soldiers who spent too long fighting in the tunnels, especially pegasi. Though I had ne’er seen Canterlot before the siege, I could easily mark the changes war had wrought upon the city. Its open plazas and markets were all but abandoned, save for a few merchants offering distinctly meagre wares. Likely, the only truly profitable commerce within the city came from those who had hoarded food and now sold it at truly exorbitant prices, in spite of the government’s efforts to stop it. I would like to blame that on the corrupting influence of money in unicorn society, but I suspect that if ‘twere the pegasi under siege we would have our own ne’er-do-wells to contend with. The only difference would be what sort of extortion they demanded. The streets were nearly empty, save for the occasional columns of soldiers passing to and fro. The civilians within the city seemed content to remain within their homes, waiting for an end to the war. Though I suppose there was little more they could do. The siege had obviously put an end to all mining, commerce, and most other civilian activities. With no other tasks to occupy them and a looming threat hanging o’er their heads, they remained with their families and hoped the oncoming storm would spare them. Though mayhaps there was a far simpler explanation for most of the civilians remaining indoors. The first chill winds of autumn had entered the city, and ‘twould be no surprise if few opted to stray from hearth and home without a  good reason. While Canterlot felt the cold more keenly on account of being perched atop a mountain, ‘twould not be long before colder weather reached the rest of Equestria. I only hoped this mad war would end ere the crops froze in the fields, else we would all face a very hungry winter. As we neared our destination, I turned to my sister. “I know thou hast been placed in some difficulty on mine account. I apologize for that.” “No apology is owed, brother,” she assured me. “‘Twas mine own decision to remain with my patients when Celestia’s forces o’erran our position. I knew the consequences of my choice, and I made it willingly.” Her eyes fell to the ground, her voice cracking slightly. “Mine ... mine only regret is that I could not save all who were under my care. Sierra ... Lance ... it seems that whene’er my talents are most sorely needed, I am not equal to the task. And let us not forget all the others who died because I failed to save Lance. Thunder ... and Mother is now...” “Dawn...” I wrapped a wing around her. “”I know little of the medical arts, but not e’en the best chirurgeons can save every patient under their care.” I took a deep breath and spoke slowly to ensure that mine own voice remained even. “Lance and Sierra were beyond what help thou or any other chirurgeon might offer. Do not judge thyself too harshly for failing to accomplish the impossible.” My sister frowned and shook her head. “Aye, I was told more than once in my training to accept that some of my patients would die, despite my best efforts. ‘Tis one thing to be told that in training, and quite another when ‘tis ... ‘tis...” She averted her eyes from mine, but not quickly enough to hide the moisture building within them. “Too many nights, I lie awake wondering if I might have saved our sister if I had only—” “Do not,” I cut her off. “Do not torture thyself needlessly with such thoughts. It will not bring the dead back to life; ‘twill only bring thee more pain, and we have all suffered enough.” I had known far too many sleepless nights after the battle in the tunnels, where I ordered so many good soldiers to their deaths for a meaningless victory whose price made it feel more like a defeat. I would not have my sister suffer the same fate. “I shall try,” Dawn murmured, though the weariness in her voice made it clear the effort would fail. I certainly had no success escaping mine own doubts and torments. For a time we walked together in silence, for there was nothing more I could say to her. A few kind words from me could hardly dispel all the pain of our sister’s death, and no matter how many times I told Dawn she was not to blame for it, I wondered if she would e’er truly believe that. (2) “We both have far too many troubles weighing upon us. I would have preferred to cause thee less complications, yet it seems I only add to thy burdens.” 2: Judging by the fact that her own later writings on medicine deal extensively with how to treat abdominal issues similar to what killed Lance, it clearly weighed on her mind. Hopefully, she at least took some comfort in knowing that her work likely saved others. Dawn shook her head and waved away mine apology. “I am not sure of thy reasons or that I agree with thine actions, but I know there was no malice in them. I would still be disquieted e’en if we both remained at Mother’s side.” “I hope I can at least ease thy troubles sightly by the time we finish.” Our destination drew within sight: the home of a Unicornian noble by the name of Pure Line. The servant manning the front gates nodded as he spotted me, dutifully opening the way for us. Dawn blinked in surprise, then frowned at me and dropped her voice an incredulous whisper. “Dusk, what is this? What business do we have here?” I held up a hoof to forestall the many questions that would no doubt follow from those. “Patience, dear sister. ‘Twill be far faster for me to show thee than ‘twould be to explain it.” I moved past the guards, notably more than any unicorn noble ought to have considering the city was in the midst of a desperate siege. Though all things considered, that would be the least of Pure’s troubles should Sunbeam Sparkle e’er have his mansion inspected. Thankfully, that would not be a problem he need concern himself with for long. We strode into a lavish dining hall decorated in far too much gold and cavernous enough that it could easily fit an entire company, Howe’er, the room was empty save for a single pony seated at the head of the table. Mother greeted us with a smile, looking up from a modest meal that seemed out of place in such extravagant surroundings. “Dusk, Dawn, it has been far too long since last I saw thee.” Dawn’s jaw dropped in shock. “M-Mother?! When ... how...?” Mother gestured for us to sit at her side, chuckling softly. “It seems that there are some within Unicornia who recognize their rightful queen.” She smirked as she levitated a piece of toast to her lips. “And the fact that I have promised to undo every single reform my sister and Sunbeam Sparkle have pushed through doubtlessly helped them reach that decision. As for how ... it was simple enough with a few illusion spells and guards willing to open the gates for us. My sister might have requisitioned most of Pure’s soldiers, but some of them remain loyal to their true master, and he is mine.” Dawn turned to me, comprehension dawning in her eyes. “A false defection, then?” The faintest ghost of a smirk flickered across her face. “I suppose now I know why thou wert avoiding me, brother. Thou couldst never lie well enough to fool me.” “I am not quite so hopeless as that,” I murmured, though in all honesty she was not wrong about my reasons for avoiding her. Lying to her would have sat poorly with me, but Celestia’s forces likely would have executed us both if my true intentions were revealed, and the best way to keep a secret safe was to reveal it to none. “Thou art, but I shall forgive thee under the circumstances.” She stepped up to Mother’s side, tentatively touching her at first, as though unsure whether she was real. Once she seemed satisfied, she embraced her hard enough that Mother briefly rocked back in surprise. After the initial moment, Mother returned the gesture, wrapping her wings around Dawn. “Fear not. Thy mother is here, and soon all will be well once more.” Dawn nodded, reluctantly breaking from Mother’s embrace ere turning upon me. “Art thou mad?! Falsely defecting was a perilous idea! I shudder to think what might have happened if thou hadst been discovered!” “A necessary risk, dear sister,” I calmly assured her. “Just so,” Mother agreed. “Dusk’s actions were necessary to bring this siege to a quick end. While I can speak to our supporters in their dreams, they required something concrete to prove that ‘twas not merely an idle imagining. Dusk served quite well in that regard, repeating key words and phrases from the dreams I had sent—words that seemed harmless enough to his watchers, but would suffice to prove to our new allies that I truly had manifested within their minds. Thou didst thy task quite well.” She smiled proudly at me, but after a moment her eyes narrowed slightly. “Though thou didst not do all that I asked of thee.” I looked away, unable to meet Mother’s eyes. “I could not deliver the flower to Midnight beneath her mother’s nose, and aside from the one meeting Sunbeam has kept her in the tower under guard. I could hardly go there without arousing considerable suspicion.” Mother frowned skeptically at me. “It should not have been difficult to deliver a flower to a filly her age. There is little to be suspicious about if ‘tis done in good humor. I took every precaution to ensure that no art Sunbeam possessed could identify it as a magical conduit.” I struggled to come up with an answer Mother would find satisfactory. “I ... was perhaps o’ercautious. I hoped to find a better opportunity rather than leap upon the first one that presented itself, and so missed my only chance.” “So ‘twould seem.” Mother’s frown held for a second longer, then she sighed and shook her head. “I suppose I can understand choosing discretion. Sunbeam is quite paranoid about her daughter’s safety, and that was but one of the tasks I had set for thee. We can move forward without the flower. We will simply have to take more overt action to obtain the child. By the time they realize what is happening, it will be too late for them to stop us.” Dawn looked between the two of us in confusion. “A flower? Sunbeam’s daughter? It seems there are many things I am unaware of.” “Suffice to say we have put wheels into motion to make Canterlot ours,” Mother answered her. “Midnight Sparkle is the key to unlocking my full potential and sweeping aside what few defences hold our armies back. Once the ritual is complete, I will finally destroy the accursed shield that has forced our armies to spend months fighting underground, and without that the city will fall within hours to the might of the united clans.” “So this war is almost over, at last.” Dawn sighed in relief. “Must I return to the hospital to maintain the ruse of normalcy, or might I aid in some way?” “The time for secrecy is past,” I answered her. “I expect Mother intends to capture Midnight quite soon.” “I have not done so already only because I was waiting for thee,” Mother answered without hesitation. “Once we attack the tower, Sunbeam will know her foes are in the city, and she knows enough of my connection to Midnight to suspect mine involvement the instant she learns of it. Howe’er, once we have the child it will be too late for her to stop us. Canterlot is too vast to search quickly, especially when all the city’s soldiers must remain upon the walls lest Rightly attack.” She turned to Dawn with a gentle smile. “I wish to have thee by my side at my time of victory, daughter. Thou art the finest chirurgeon we have, and whilst I hope for a swift victory, we may have wounded to tend to after the attack on Sunbeam’s tower.” I took a deep breath. “Might I have the honor of leading the attack on Sunbeam's tower? It seems only fitting, since ‘twas my lapse which made it necessary.” Mother nodded her approval. “There is nopony I would trust more to lead such an attack, and the hetairoi would be proud to serve under thee once more. Flash has served as leader in thy stead, and should make an adequate second.” Dawn reached over, gently squeezing my shoulder. “Thou art a fine commander. Mother's confidence is well-placed.” I saluted sharply. “I will see your will done, Mother” “I know thou wilt, my son.” We waited until nighttime to launch our attack, so that the city streets would be as empty as possible. The rest of my forces also took the precaution of blacking out their armor, which would both allow a certain measure of stealth and allay any suspicions if they were seen. I could always argue they were some of the cast-off defectors from other clans if anyone questioned their identity. ‘Twould not fool Sunbeam or any other high official, but ‘twould suffice for mere soldiers and civilians. A few false bandages added to the illusion, making it seem as though they were fresh from the battlefront and waiting to recover from wounds ere they returned. Flash nudged my shoulder. “It seems thou didst have a few watchers. Mother has seen to them.” I glanced to the side, and saw Mother quickly disposing of two bodies. ‘Twas no surprise Sunbeam had set spies upon me, but those agents were hardly a match for Mother e’en prior to her recent ascension. Despite that, I increased my pace. “Best we finish our business as quickly as possible. ‘Tis only a matter of time until Sunbeam realizes her spies are missing.” Flash shrugged uncaringly. “Unless they were due to report in within the next few minutes, she will learn of our attack on her tower first. ‘Twill leave the issue moot.” “If all goes well,” I cautioned. “I cannot imagine her sanctum is lacking in magical defenses. We may find ourselves wishing we had more time to penetrate her wards.” “Mother is with us, and wields the full power of Luna herself,” Flash countered. “No mere mortal like Sunbeam could hope to challenge her strength.” Mother silently slipped to our sides to answer. “Aye, but I must act with discretion. The more heavily I draw upon my powers, the more difficult ‘twill be to remain hidden from my sister. And while I can certainly shatter whate’er wards Sunbeam has raised, she is a magus who has had many years to work upon those defenses. As with taking any fortress, breaking the defenses quickly will require a great deal of force and be hard to conceal. We cannot afford hours for me to slowly and carefully unravel her wards, and in any case the effort would be wasted; ‘twould not take long after her return for her to note her daughter’s absence.” I frowned and shook my head. “Then our only choice is to finish the attack as quickly as possible, and return to our hiding place.” A part of me disliked the idea of such underhooved tactics, e’en though I grasped the necessity of them in this situation. “At least there will not be too many guards on her tower.” “Dost thou know how many we might face, and their deployment?” Flash asked. I answered my brother with an unamused look. “Dost thou truly think they would tell me that? That they would not be the least bit suspicious about why I wish to know the details about the defenses of the Archmagus’ home? A home which just happens to hold a child who is of great interest to mine own mother?” Flash snorted and rolled his eyes. “Well of course not. But it cannot be that hard to simply walk by the tower and count the guards.” “Neigh, but it might have raised suspicion,” I answered patiently. “Mother was quite clear that I should avoid taking any actions that might reveal my true loyalty. If they had any reason to suspect my loyalty, I would at best be a guest in the palace dungeons, and at worst hanging from a gibbet.” “How often must thou cite caution as an excuse?” Flash sniped. I frowned at my brother, surprised by his hostility. Mayhaps he resented losing command of the hetairoi after having held the post in mine absence? “I will cite it as many times as I must. While having more intelligence would be ideal, our entire mission would have failed if I had been found out.” Flash grunted, not accepting my point but no longer arguing against it. Instead, he shifted tactics. “Thine erstwhile allies in the Stalker clan have caused us no end of problems by following thy supposed example.” I sighed. “That is because Swift alienated them to the point that defection seemed a wise choice. I do not think myself so charming that a materfamilias like Ardent would turn her entire clan upon my say-so. Swift sent them into Mossy Bank's bog to be chewed up and spat out just like every other force we have sent into there. Is it any surprise she decided not to condemn her entire clan to a pointless death?” “And yet they defected as soon as they received word of thine own change in loyalties,” Flash responded. “When Mother told me of thine actions, I had hoped that the Stalkers might also be some ploy. Though I think that unlikely, if Mother’s rage o’er their actions against our supply lines are anything to judge by.” I grimaced and nodded. “Ardent Stalker has been doing far too fine of a job pretending to be a defector if what I have heard is true.” In truth, I did likely bear a portion of the blame for it. While Ardent had no shortage of reasons to be dissatisfied with our cause, ‘twas quite possible that she had not considered defection until I did so. “Thou couldst have warned her of thine intentions,” Flash grumbled. “It would have saved us no end of trouble.” “I had no way of knowing she was e’en considering changing her loyalties,” I pointed out. “And Swift had sent her away long before Mother and I hatched the plan we move to execute, if thou wilt remember.” “Thou couldst not send a letter once the plan was made?” “It would have taken more than a week to reach her, and we could hardly afford that delay,” I countered. “Not to mention the hazards of committing our entire plan to writing, and then sending the letter across the very supply lines that Banks has constantly harassed since the siege began. Ardent and I had not agreed to any codes or other means of concealing our messages, and if Banks happened to attack the convoy bearing that letter...” I did not e’en need to finish the sentence, for the consequences were obvious. “Mother intends to win the war with this stroke. E’en if we could have anticipated Ardent’s reaction, compromising our masterstroke to prevent a mild inconvenience on a secondary front is hardly wise.” I paused, frowning in thought. “It is possible that she will return to our side once Canterlot falls, though in truth I do not think it likely. The die has already been cast, and unlike me she has fought battles against our forces and slain our soldiers. E’en if the defection were pre-planned, the clans would not forgive the deaths of their own soldiers. As it stands ... neigh, they will likely suffer the same fate as the Kickers.” It sat ill with me to think that mine actions might have helped push Ardent down a course that would end with her clan’s destruction. All I could offer in mine own defense was that there was no way I could have anticipated the threat, and in the darkness of mine own mind that seemed a poor excuse. Flash scoffed at mine answer, shaking his head. “If not for this lapse we might have secure supply lines. ‘Twas a mistake, much like thine assault upon the Western Redoubt. How many of our soldiers will die on account of this blunder?” I glowered at him, not appreciating the reminder of that brutal clash within the tunnels or his attempt to cast mine actions in a poor light. I had done my duty and won my battles. The only reason the assault failed was our forces being defeated on other fronts. “Do not blame me for this. This disaster lies upon Swift's head, for ‘twas he who alienated the entire clan and then placed them in an ideal position to devastate our supplies should they decide to defect. He has done nothing but turn this war into a sour affair.” “That much we can all agree upon,” Flash grunted. Nothing more was said as we moved through the night, silently approaching our objective. Thankfully, the few ponies walked the streets saw no reason to challenge what seemed like just another group of soldiers returning from the front after a day’s fighting. Soon enough we drew within sight of Sunbeam’s tower. Torchlight glistened off the white marble edifice, and a small mixed squad of Kickers and unicorns held the entrance. Flash turned to me with a questioning frown. “How shall we engage them?” “‘Twould be best if we struck quickly and quietly. Our task will be far more difficult if they raise the alarm, so we must put an end to them ere they have a chance to do so.” “Quite.” Flash nodded. “Mother seems certain that Sunbeam herself is not there, else I would be far less certain of our chances to see the task done quietly.” “Aye, she is not an opponent I wish to face e’en with Mother’s support.” Though Mother’s new strength would likely ensure her victory, Sunbeam would not die easily, and the battle ‘tween them would likely destroy anything and anyone foolish enough to come too close. Not to mention ‘twould surely draw Shadow and Celestia in as well. “Far too many warriors have fallen to her already.” “Our brother first among them,” Flash growled, his grip tightening on his spear. “I am sure Mother will make her answer for that a thousand times o’er. And Shadow for Lance as well.” I hesitated a moment, wondering if I should mention Shadow’s claim that Lance’s death had been accidental. Her words aligned with Lance’s own account of the clash, and had Shadow truly wished my sister dead, she likely would have seen to it more directly. Howe’er, ‘twas plain Mother had no desire to forgive her. In truth, I do not know if I wished to either. I was merely ... tired. Tired of all the fighting, death, and above all the war itself. The thought of hating her for a pointless accident just sharpened my weariness with the whole damned war. Hopefully tonight would finally put an end to it all. The same applied to our brother’s death. Thunder and Flash had been foolish to challenge a foe on the level of Sunbeam Sparkle, e’en at two against one. Still, I was not so war-weary that I felt no anger o’er Thunder’s death, e’en if he brought it upon himself. “Mayhaps there will be some justice in using her daughter against her. There has been too little of that since this war began.” “I certainly think so,” Flash snarled. “Let her feel some small measure of the pain she inflicted upon us.” Did Flash truly think that hurting her would bring him any satisfaction? I rather doubted it. I took no pleasure at the thought of Midnight Sparkle’s cruel fate, but I had mine orders from Mother and I grasped the necessity for her commands e’en if a part of me misliked them. I would not bury my mother alongside my sister and my brother, e’en if I must sacrifice mine own conscience to save her life. I attempted to distract myself from such dark thoughts by turning mine attention to the guards I would shortly face in battle. Unfortunately, rather than relief from my troubles, I found myself facing fresh ones as I recognized one of the guards. “Damnation.” I groaned and ran a hoof down my face. “I will deal with the mare by the door. I do not wish her slain. You and the others see to the guards.” Flash turned to me with a curious glance, so I quickly explained. “Nimbus Kicker is with foal. I will not have a pregnant mare’s life on my head on top of everything else.” She would not thank me for it considering I had made a widow of her, but ‘twas only decent. Flash sighed softly. “I would caution that she is still our enemy.” “Aye, but she is expecting.” I scowled at my brother, surprised by his resistance. “Warriors of Pegasopolis do not strike down pregnant mothers. Or art thou like Swift, and have forgotten any sense of honor and decency?” Flash tensed, baring his teeth in a furious snarl. “Mind thy words, brother. I merely point out the obvious truth that just because thou wouldst spare her does not mean that she would spare thee, and that she is not so heavy with child that ‘twill impede her in battle.” I closed mine eyes and took a long breath, burying mine anger. “Mine apologies, the last few days have been stressful for me.” After another breath, I began to feel more settled. “She should know what her greater duty is. Just as a warrior should not strike her down, she should understand that she should step down rather than force the matter.” I paused, frowning to myself. “Though convincing her to stand down once battle is joined might be difficult. She is a widow, and I am the cause of that. She would surely attempt to avenge herself upon me given the chance, mayhaps e’en at the risk of her unborn foal.” “Thou might be correct on that account.” Flash nodded grimly. “I expect she was most upset to learn thou wert now an ally and that she could not raise her weapons against thee. Given half the chance to seek vengeance, she will leap upon it.” I grimaced and nodded, my wings flicking. “Nonetheless, we cannot fight her.” Attempting to subdue her nonlethally seemed a course fraught with peril. If she refused to surrender, as seemed likely, I would be hard-pressed to win a battle where I pulled my blows while she struck with her full strength. “If I cannot fight her, we must try another way.” After a few moment’s desperate thought, I cobbled together an alternate plan. “Wait here.” Ere Flash could ask any further questions or I could find the time to begin doubting my half-mad scheme, I left the shadows and strode openly towards the tower. Once I stood before it, I saluted crisply and smiled. “Good evening.” Nimbus’ eyes narrowed, and her lips curled into a hateful snarl, but she retained the thinnest veneer of professionalism. “What brings you here, Dusk Charger?” “I am here to relieve you,” I answered, keeping mine own voice as carefully polite as hers. Nimbus met my claim with a skeptical frown. “I find that immensely unlikely. Our relief is not due for several hours, and I know for a fact that you have no part in it.” “There has been a change of plan,” I bluffed. “I think Archmagus Sunbeam intends on testing my loyalty in a small way.” I shrugged helplessly. “Likely her tower has any number of defenses to deal with any guardian who o’ersteps, and the instant my performance is less than exemplary she will swoop in to subject me to some unspeakable fate.” With any luck, the thought of me facing some horrible torture at Sunbeam’s hooves would satisfy Nimbus enough to allay her suspicions. Alas, luck was not with me that night. Nimbus’ scowl only deepened. “I trust you have some proof of these orders?” Damn. Had I thought ahead I might have forged something suitable, but as it was I had desperately improvised a plan with several rather obvious holes. “The Archmagus did not give me any papers, neigh.” Nimbus scoffed and dismissively waved her hoof. “Well then, leave and return with proper authorization. Or better yet, do not return at all. I will have words with the Archmagus regarding your actions here, and once she confirms you are lying it will end badly for you.” Ah. This had not gone according to plan, inasmuch as I had anything worthy of being called a plan. I tried one last desperate gambit. “Now should an expecting mare be staying up in the middle of the night during such a cold evening, guarding some tower?” Nimbus’ eyes narrowed, suspicion mingling with her anger. “I am more than capably of carrying out my duties, and certainly do not need any concern from you of all ponies. If you do not leave at once I will have you detained for the Archmagus’ pleasure.” That settled it, then. The time for my lackluster attempts at trickery was well and truly over. Still, I could not enter battle without one last attempt to clear her from the area. “Could you please just leave this to me? I would really prefer this not to become a problem.” Nimbus readied her blades, not quite pointing them at me but putting them in good position to strike should she need to. “And what is that supposed to mean?” I took a deep breath, then cast aside any pretence. “I am getting into that tower one way or another, and I do not wish to harm a pregnant mare. Please, step aside. Go get more guards if you must, but do not stand in my way. For the sake of your child if nothing else.” Flash and his forces took that as their signal, emerging from the shadows to swoop down upon the other guards. The soldiers assigned to Sunbeam’s tower were all ones who could be spared from the frontlines on account of injury or other disability, while the hetairoi were the cream of Pegasopolis and held the advantage of surprise as most of the guards had been focused entirely upon me. ‘Twas hardly an equal match. Nimbus gave no thought to the larger battle, her attention fixed upon me. “Perfidy!” she howled, charging me with her blades bared. I quickly dodged to the side of her initial strike, but she pursued me relentlessly. Her aggression left several openings, but her attacks came so quickly that exploiting any of them might have proven difficult e’en if I intended to slay her. As it was, I saw little hope for striking a blow both strong enough to disable her yet weak enough to leave her and her foal relatively unharmed. I scrambled back as she pressed the attack, trading space for time to maneuver and seek my chance to turn the tide. “Stop! You are going to get yourself and your foal killed!” I barely managed to block her next blow ere it would have cloven my skull in two. “As if you had any other intention!” she snarled, bearing down on me with impressive strength. “Ere I die, I will end your miserable existence and avenge the death of the husband you murdered!” If matters continued at their current pace she might well make good on that threat. Rather than continue attempting to match her mad strength, I opted for a different course. I shifted my spear to the side, letting her blades slip past me as I closed to within her reach, aiming to bear her to the ground and pin her down. Howe’er, Nimbus was in no mood to accommodate my desires. Rather than attempt to withdraw and bring her blades to bear once more she met me directly, angling her shoulder as she closed so that the pauldron caught the underside of my jaw. The blow struck me hard enough to make me very glad my tongue was well away from my teeth, else I might have lost it to the dismay of mares across the world. I tumbled to the ground, my head pounding as I struggled to regain my bearings. Nimbus closed in on me, her eyes alight with vindictive glee as she raised her blades to deliver the deathblow. Time seemed to slow as she approached, and e’en as I scrambled to bring mine own weapon to bear to block the strike, I knew ‘twas too late. The knowledge that I was about to die did not frighten me. In truth there was a part of me that almost welcomed it. An end to my suffering and the madness of this war, and the hope that where’er I found myself after death, ‘twould be better than what we had made of Equestria. At least I would be able to see Lance and Sierra once more. Thunder as well; though we had not been as close, he was still my brother. I was about to close mine eyes and wait for the blow to fall when Nimbus froze, her eyes shifting from narrowed bloodlust to shock as her chest heaved. For a moment I wondered if she intended to deliver some final pronouncement ere she cut me down, but then the truth became horrifyingly apparent as her chest heaved once more and a gore-drenched speartip erupted from between her ribs, showering my face with blood. The fluid was hot with freshly shed life, but it cooled within a matter of seconds. As her blades fell nervelessly to her sides I saw my brother behind her, the killing spear clutched within his hooves. “No!” I howled, as if the word could undo what I had just witnessed. As Flash extracted his spear and the pregnant mare’s corpse fell to the ground, I hauled myself up from the ground and glowered at him. “I told you I did not want her killed!” “So I should have let her kill thee instead?” my brother returned hotly. “Is that thou wouldst have preferred?” “Perhaps I would have,” I snapped without thinking. I stomped hard on the ground, and for a terrible moment I was tempted to strike at mine own brother, taboos against kinslaying be damned. But what would that accomplish? Flash had only wanted to save my life, and his death would not undo Nimbus’. ‘Twould only be another pointless death in the name of vengeance, just like Nimbus’ own. When would this madness end? I sighed and shook my head. “Let us complete the mission and be on our way. If anypony heard the fighting they will be on their way to investigate, and if not ‘twill still not be long ere they notice the guards are absent.” Mother stepped forward, her horn glowing as she turned her new magical powers upon the tower’s front door. As she worked at bringing down the wards, I turned mine eyes outward to keep watch for any who might note our presence. Howe’er, I found mine attention constantly shifting back towards Nimbus’ cooling body despite my desire to avoid it. No matter how hard, I could not tear mine eyes away from her. O’er and o’er again I consciously looked away, only to glance back once more to her accusing dead orbs. What could I say to that damning gaze? That I had not wished her dead? That seemed a pale thing to say when her corpse lay at my hooves. I led the attack, and ‘twas a soldier under my command who had struck her down to defend me. I might as well have thrust the spear into her breast myself. I only escaped those grim thoughts when the tower door cracked sharply, accompanied by the sharp stench of ozone. “Quickly,” Mother called out. “The wards are down, but Sunbeam Sparkle knows they have been broken. We must be gone and well away ere she arrives.” I wasted no time rushing into the tower, intent upon seizing the objective. Everything I had done was bad enough if the mission succeeded; if we failed, ‘twould be e’en more pointless. My target stood upon the third floor stairs, warily looking down at the entrance with a confused frown on her young face. “I heard a noise, what is happen—Dusk Charger? Why are you here? Where is Nimbus Kicker?” I flew up to Midnight’s side. “Come with me. We must see thee to safety.” She took a step back from me, her eyes flicking to the side. “Did Mother send you? I do not think she would send you unless there was no other choice, as she is—” I was not about to debate the matter. “No time to argue.” I snatched her up without a moment’s warning, tossing her o’er my back like a sack of corn. Midnight yelped in surprise at the treatment, squirming against my grip. “Release me at once! Mother will hear of this and punish you most horribly! She will break your legs and set your limbs on fire, burning them slowly as the flesh peels away and chars from the heat, your screams echoing through the streets of Canterlot—and then she will then move up to the rest of your body, making you feel every terrible moment of your slow and inevitable death!” Despite her words I noted a faint tremor in her voice, and when the threat proved insufficient, she resorted to feebly striking at me. I grunted as her small hooves pounded at my back. “Do not worry, thou hast my word that thou wilt not be harmed. Now stop resisting and—” Clearly my word held little weight with her, as she continued striking at me and wriggling in an effort to free herself. “Mother?! Where are you?!” I slowed my pace, struggling to keep hold of her. I could hardly fly while she put up such fierce resistance. E’en if she did not foul my wings, she would likely pitch herself off my back in the course of her efforts to escape. Pity I had not thought to bring enough rope to tie her up, though e’en then her magic might suffice to cause me no end of difficulty. Then Mother stepped into the tower, and Midnight’s struggles instantly ceased. I felt her trembling on my back, and low a terrified whimper left her throat. An instant later, warm liquid begin trickling down my back. Mother strode up to her and waved a hoof in front of her eyes. “Sleep, child.” Midnight instantly went limp, and Mother took possession of her. “Come, Dusk. We have much to do, and far too little time to see it done.” I followed her lead, a kidnapped child in tow and dead mare lying in the shadow of the tower.