//------------------------------// // Chapter 20: The Warning // Story: Siege of the Crystal Empire // by Mystic Mind //------------------------------// (20: The Warning) Moonlight's wing muscles seared with pain as she pushed herself to fly faster, weaving between each building in an effort to shake off the Phantom Stallions on her tail. Though she intended to fly straight to Princess Cadence, the constant flurry of magical beams being shot at her forced the Bat Pony to stick close to the towers; turning sharply around a corner to escape. Pushing herself into a shallow descent, Moonlight dodged underneath a magic missile, blasting off a huge chunk of the crystal building above her instead and falling onto the caster’s head. “Serves ya right for trying to shoot me down!” Moonlight taunted and she bolted off, performing a barrel roll to dodge some of the falling debris. As much as she tried to minimize the strain caused by such manoeuvres, she couldn't deny that she wouldn't be able to keep such acrobatics for long. She needed a new way to escape her pursuers, and fast, before her wings gave out entirely. With the sounds of the raging battle beginning to fade out, Moonlight knew that she was close to the second dividing wall. Letting the Phantom Stallions break through to the middle district would be a disaster, so she avoided that landmark for the moment, looping around the block as she brainstormed for methods of dealing with the monsters at her rear. Flattening her wing tips, she broadened her flaps to push her higher into the sky. Once she was clear of the tower's peaks, she skimmed just below the magic barrier and she levelled out into a glide, scanning the battle below to get a better impression of who was where. The scenery was an absolute chaos, with little to no environmental and navigational hints on who was friend or foe. Pressured by the magic bolts still whizzing past her, she chose her target at random, relying on her flight magic to keep herself steady while she performed a steep dive. Moonlight dodged as many missiles as she maintained control, gritting her teeth and bearing the pain of those few which managed to graze her wings. Lifting her right tip higher than the left, Moonlight spun, using the last fifty-meters to gradually level herself out into the path of the Phantom Stallions. The high-impact blow struck at the base of their horns, knocking their helmets clean off, working as a signal for the nearby Crystal Ponies to seize the opportunity and destroy them. Moonlight, however, could not afford the luxury of waiting to see if her attackers had been eliminated. Her entire body was awash with pain, her wings barely keeping her aloft as she contorted them against the direction of the spiral. She wanted to scream, but with the speed of her flight sucking the air out of her lungs the moment she exhaled, it was all she could do just to keep breathing while on the wing. Just as she crested over the flat roof between two spires, her wing muscles faltered under the strain, freezing up in a splayed position that sent her tumbling head-over-hooves and cracking the crystal surface upon impact. Yet despite all of this, Moonlight still managed to remain conscious. Her head was spinning, all of her limbs throbbing with excruciating pain, her lungs contracting hard in a gasp for air. She was battered and bruised, but the glowing dark-blue aura of Princess Luna's magic protected her body from the worst of the impact damage; a force which would have killed many other ponies. Her vision gradually rolled to a stop. Moonlight took a deep breath and rolled over onto her hooves, cringing from the pain in her wings. It hurt to even flutter them, but the thought of what kind of pain Moonshadow would bring if failed to warn Cadence gave her the perspective needed to continue. Turning in a circle on the spot to get her bearings, the glimmer of a shiny object in the corner of her eye brought a smile back to her face. It was the helm of a Phantom Stallion, one that she had kicked off in her attack. This is perfect! Moonlight thought to herself. Princess Cadence wants a warning of the impending danger? I'll bloody well give it to her! I can't wait to see the looks on the citizen's faces when they see what I've got her! Flapping her wings several times to judge how much pain she would need to get used to, Moonlight could easily tell that she would need to conserve her magic for now. Once she got herself back in the air, the Bat Pony soared on the warm, rising air currents blowing up from below to gain altitude, flapping only when necessary. Soon enough, she made it to the second wall, which from what she could see, was intact. She had beaten Moonshadow to the punch; now all she had to do was get to Cadence. Flying over the wall, Moonlight allowed herself a momentary sigh of relief, fully unfurling her wing membranes to maximize lift without overstressing her flight muscles. Soon, everything fell quiet. Without the constant battering of the siege engines, the only hints of the war below were the distant echoes of magical explosions which, while noticeable, were much lower in volume than the unending stream of physical projectiles from earlier in the day. Moonlight knew that this bliss wouldn't last, so she aimed to make the most of it; a desire cut short by an explosion that could only have one cause. Moonshadow was catching up, and though a quick glance behind showed her that—even at a modest rate of flight—she was faster, dawdling would mean certain death. Flapping in shorter strokes to increase her speed, her wings still stiff and in pain from her earlier crash, Moonlight's first sight of citizens since the day's battle began showed them scattering in panic. “Moonshadow is coming, clear the area!” Moonlight yelled, descending to ensure all civilians could hear her. “Clear the central boulevard and take shelter wherever you can! Stay out of the monster's way, and let the Princess deal with him!” Moonlight didn't need to repeat herself. Seconds later the central boulevard was abandoned, giving way Moonshadow unobstructed. Pumping her wings hard, Moonlight raced towards the third and final wall separating the upper district, along with Princess Cadence's palace. With one final look to judge the distance between her and the enemy, Moonlight could now be safe in the knowledge that, as long as she kept flying, she would be able to complete her mission. Keeping the Phantom Stallion's helmet grasped tightly between her front hooves, Moonlight barged straight through the doors to the throne room, ignoring the shouts of surprise and raised weapons from the Crystal Pony Guards inside. “I need to talk to Princess Cadence, now!” she demanded, throwing the broken helm at the foot of the throne. Thankfully, Cadence was not far away, entering from a curtain-concealed room behind the throne. “Moonlight Eclipse, am I right?” Cadence said, already inferring from the Lunar Guard's haste that this was a deadly serious situation. “Yes, Princess,” Moonlight replied with a bow. “I came to warn you of impending danger.” “It's Moonshadow, isn't it?” Cadence's voice took on a sombre tone. “Yes. He's making his way through the middle district, and aims to take the Crystal Heart for himself.” Cadence closed her eyes for a moment. She had never been a fighter. The cutie mark that symbolised her power as an Alicorn was focused on love magic: creating harmony between the ponies she watched over. But after being captured by Queen Chrysalis for a second time, she realised that she could no longer afford to be so naïve to think that, even with an army and powerful allies at her side, she didn't need to learn to protect herself. Despite Shining Armour's well-meaning protests, Cadence couldn't sit back and be a passive ruler any longer. “Guards,” Cadence said. “Bring me my armour, then evacuate all citizens as far away from the Crystal Heart as possible. I will be defending it alone.” “But Princess...” one guard protested, looking at the others in shock. “No buts, soldier,” Cadence snapped back. “I can't afford to put more ponies’ lives at risk by standing back. Moonshadow wants to see how powerful the Crystal Heart is? Then I'll show him.” The guards still didn't move, muttering to themselves about their duty to protect the Princess. “Will you lot just shut your traps and get moving?!” Moonlight yelled as she slapped a guard on the flank, her eyebrow twitching in irritation at such insubordination. “The Princess gave you an order! Now unless you mean to tell me you lack such faith in the Crystal Heart, I suggest you all do as she says! Hop to it!” “Yes, ma'am!” they saluted, galloping out of the throne room to fetch the suit of armour which Meteor had custom made for the Princess. “Thank you,” Cadence said to Moonlight, giving her a small smile. “You'd better get back to Shining Armour. He's going to need all the help he can get against the Phantom Stallions.” “My pleasure, Princess, but if I may have a moment,” Moonlight dropped to her knees, hanging her head in shame over what she was about to recount. “I have a confession to make. Emerald Wind is dead, and it's my fault.” “I don't follow,” Cadence gave Moonlight a confused look. It wasn't every day that ponies just walked up to her and confessed to killing such renowned war heroes. “Are you saying you murdered him?” “Not exactly,” Moonlight let out an exasperated sigh. Unable to bare the weight of her sins any longer, she fell to her knees and let her emotions flow unrestricted. “Emerald... he died in single combat with Moonshadow, and... I carried him there. It's my fault that he's gone. I have betrayed, not just an incredible warrior, but one of the best friends I've ever known! I am ready to accept any punishment you see fit to bestow.” Cadence stood in silence for a moment, observing the shift in Moonlight's expression from one of conviction, to one of guilt. From the tears bursting from the Bat Pony's eyes, it was obvious to her that she wasn't in the presence of a traitor. Moonlight had not stabbed her Commander in the back, nor had she abandoned Emerald in his time of need. All she had done, all she ever did, was follow orders in a manner stricter than any other soldier she knew. Trickling a small stream of magic from her horn, Cadence bathed her weeping subject in a calming mist of pink light; helping to alleviate some of the pain which afflicted her. “So much has already been sacrificed,” Moonlight said upon regaining her composure. “So many lives, so much of what we've built over the years. Would Emerald approve, Princess? Of everything we've had to do survive this war? Oh, how I wish he was with us still, fighting alongside us...” “He would,” Cadence draped her wing over Moonlight's shoulder, sitting next to her. “And he would've wanted you to do it again, as many times as necessary. I have no doubt he understood, as much as anypony can, the price of war. You've gone above and beyond the call of duty to serve the Crystal Empire, Moonlight. For that, I can't thank you enough.” A relieved smile grew across Moonlight's face as she exhaled, finally able to rid herself of her guilt. “Thank you so much, Princess. I know now what needs to be done. I'll return to my friends and continue to give the Phantom Stallions a jolly good arse kicking, just as Emerald taught me!” With another quick bow, she rose to her hooves and turned back to the door. “Oh, and Cadence? Good luck.” “Good luck to you, too, Moonlight. Heart be with you.” Encouragement spoken, Moonlight took to the air once more. Feeling refreshed by the magic of the Crystal Heart that radiated from the Cadence's strength of will, Moonlight took a small detour to hide behind an abandoned tower left of the central boulevard. Moonshadow had just broken through the final wall, making this the perfect situation to give the dark unicorn a little parting gift. Reaching behind her wing, Moonlight pulled out a small throwing knife, having snatched a few from one of the guards just before they had rushed off to get Cadence's armour. Holding her breath and steadying her hoof, Moonlight aimed her knife at a specific spot just below the back of Moonshadow's neck. Certain that she had not been noticed, she threw the dagger and pushed her hooves against the tower wall, launching herself into a speedy ascent to get as much distance between her and Moonshadow as she could. The sudden scream of pain was music to Moonlight's ears. The proceeding explosion of crystal and stone from the dark unicorn lashing out at her; not so much. Thankfully, due to Cadence helping to restore her magic back to full strength, she was nowhere to be seen by the time her target figured out the direction her attack had come from. To Moonshadow, this was little more than an irritating insect sting, one that was dealt with by squashing the bug that caused it. But it didn't matter. There were to be no more setbacks or distractions. It was time for him to claim the prize he had been waiting so long to hold in his hooves.