//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: The Final Stand // Story: Siege of the Crystal Empire // by Mystic Mind //------------------------------// (21: The Final Stand) Side by side, Garnet and Meteor fought like they were joined at the hip. Whichever direction a Phantom Stallion would come from, one of the pair would be there to cover the other's flank. With a third squad of Phantom Stallions destroyed, the two mares led a force of twenty warriors, consisting mainly of Crystal Ponies, but with at least seven of the remainder being a mixture of Earth Ponies and Unicorns. “Unicorns, keep yourselves in the centre,” Garnet ordered. “We've got a lot of climbing to do, and I don't want to see any of you falling behind when we spring our trap.” “I gotta say, I never thought I'd be havin' as much fun smashing armour as I do making 'em,” Meteor quipped, destroying the gem of the last phantom in its current unit. “It's surprisingly satisfying!” “Well, don't get too wrapped up in smashing yet. We need to find the next bunch of Phantom Stallions and get them to follow us.” “That won't be hard,” Meteor gestured her hoof off to her right. “Here they come now!” As if on cue, two regiments of Phantom Stallions arrived from the streets either side of the spire. “Aren't we a lucky bunch,” Garnet grumbled sarcastically. “Looks like the blockades have forced them back to us. Meteor, help me bust open this door, then everypony else, follow me inside!” “Strike the walls with me on the count o' three,” Meteor ordered to her co-led troops. “One, two, three!” The synchronicity of the strike couldn't have been more perfect, all attacks hitting their mark with a combined force that broke in not only the door, but a large gap in the wall with it, giving each pony enough room to follow their leaders through. “Follow me, everypony!” Garnet commanded. “And don't stop until I tell you to!” galloping up the stairs, the Phantom Stallions swarmed in after them, homing in on the residual unicorn magic to follow the same path as Garnet and Meteor. Being simple ghosts in armour, they suffered no encumbrance through their chase up the stairs, unlike the living ponies they followed. “Keep them at hoof's length, everypony!” Garnet yelled between laboured breaths. Cantering up multiple flights of stairs after a long day of battle was taking its toll, but not enough to stop her from scraping her mace against the walls as she went along, flinging the broken pieces of crystal at the phantoms to slow them down. After four flights of continuous climbing, they reached the first floor, where Garnet called for them to halt for a quick respite. “Is it time to set our plan into action now?” she asked Meteor. “As good a time as any, I'd say,” she replied and punched a hole in in the wall; placing inside a small trinket that she had collected from a Phantom Stallion earlier that day. “All unicorns, focus your magic on this gem. This'll be the first of the manna bombs we set today, but make sure ye leave a trail o' that arcane magic o' yours ta make sure they're all connected.” A few of them looked at each other with some degree of confusion, with one speaking up to voice his concerns. “But won't that just empower the Phantom Stallions as they chase us?” “Precisely,” Meteor grinned, much to their chagrin. “That's where the manna bombs come in. They'll be followin' the trail like a moth to a flame, and when we set 'em off, BOOM! No more Phantom Stallions.” Though there was still some feeling of insecurity in the air about this plan, the sound of synchronized, mechanical hoofsteps meant that fulfilling Meteor’s order was the safer plan. It only took a couple seconds to enchant and cover the gem, weaving a constant line of magic as Garnet led them up to the next level. Following her example, the heavy infantry at the rear swung their pole-hammers against the banisters; a tactic which required the whole regiment to run at a slower pace and prevent any unwanted glancing blows to their allies. Luckily, the various trips and slips that Phantom Stallions fell victim to easily compensated for this delay. When the ponies made it to the second floor, another manna-bomb was laid, but instead of continuing up to the next level, Garnet directed her troops to the wall opposite of the bomb. “Bust that wall down, now! Don't stop until daylight floods this room.” Breaking through the layer of crystal revealed that the only solid matter beyond was either the hard ground over two-hundred meters below, or over to the next tower, which was still further than any pony without wings would likely be able to jump. “Crystal and Earth Ponies, reform behind and keep us guard,” Meteor said. “Unicorns, get yer creative thinkin' caps on, 'cause we need a bridge that will support all of us.” This was a relatively simple task; levitate as much of the material from inside the building as they could get their magic on, then fuse it together in one straight path with the heat radiated from the spell. What was not so easy, however, was keeping the Phantom Stallions in one place. Despite the skill of the Guardsponies when it came to fighting in tight confines, the fact of the matter was that they were still heavily outnumbered. The heavy infantry kept themselves closer to their unit's flanks, some swinging over the heads of their comrades, tasked with smashing the ghosts over their friends’ heads. In turn, the Canterlot Guard formed the bulk of the miniature phalanx, the ponies on the front ranks closest to their longer-ranged compatriots kneeling to strike at the chests whenever they were given an opening. Meteor and Garnet once more stood in the middle of the front rank to keep their defence organised. Meteor's weapon was the longer of the two, and so for the first five swings, Garnet waited until her sister-in-arms had hit her target to make another attempt at attacking. After a set number of Phantom Stallions had fallen by their hooves, Garnet made a point to keep a close eye on how Meteor was reacting to the kill streak. She could see the thrill of her expression as the ecstasy of her battle rush built up within her. Meteor's war cries grew louder hit by hit, Garnet decided that it was time to intervene. Rolling beneath Meteor, Garnet raised her shield to block the overhead slam from her hammer, levering it away in a parry as she spun around to take the kill Meteor was about to make for herself. “Hey, what gives?” Meteor snapped, surprised by the sudden interruption. “You're starting to drift into the berserker rage again,” Garnet replied, making sure to show no emotion in her voice. “Keep it together. We can't afford to lose you to the madness now.” Taking a deep breath as Garnet stepped back into line, Meteor focused on blocking attacks from the Phantom Stallions until she had decided that her nerves had sufficiently calmed. “Thank ye for the heads up,” she said. “Just next time, try not ta take such a risk ta keep me calm? I don't want ye to be gettin' hurt at my hooves either.” Smiling in acknowledgement, Garnet swung her mace at the opposite side of the Phantom Stallion Meteor was attacking, meeting in the middle with a loud crunch that flattened the monster's shoulder like a pancake. Once the gem was disposed of, the two warriors raised their weapons, preparing to face their next attacker. That was until one of the unicorns called to them that the bridge was finished and ready to go. “Everypony, fall back across the bridge!” “And Unicorns, occupy the Phantom Stallions with somethin' for the moment, will ya?” Meteor didn't need to ask twice. A quick volley of magic missiles blew the stairs above them apart, the falling pieces of the ruined structure creating enough of a temporary barricade to allow them all to make a run for it. Galloping across the bridge in the same order that they had fought in, the bridge held firm despite it shaking under the constant pounding of hooves. Garnet and Meteor were the exception to the order, slipping through the ranks to pass the mages and lead everypony across. Any satisfaction they could have gotten didn't last long; on the other side, more Phantom Stallions appeared around the corner of the opposite spire. Trapped, Garnet blurted out the first order that came to mind. “Everypony, halt! Unicorns, prepare another mass teleportation spell!” “But Commander, we dumped much of our manna with the construction of this bridge,” one of the mages protested. “I don't know if we'll have enough power to transfer everypony across safely.” “Listen, ye stupid foal,” Meteor growled, grabbing the collar of the stallion's robe. “I dunno if ye've noticed, but we happen ta be trapped on a flimsy stone bridge between two towers filled Phantom Stallions. Unless yer decidin' ta sprout wings and become an Alicorn all of a sudden, the only other option is ta jump down. Ye be wantin' ta make a mess of yerself on the ground below?” The unicorn shook his head. “Good, me neither. Now get ta work with ye spell, before this whole thing collapses.” He gulped. Maintaining a long stream of magic between volatile explosives had been draining enough, but now he and the other casters needed to re-focus their manna on transporting the small squad of ponies to an unseen location. Weaving his arcane power around the bodies of each soldier, the mage drew from the essence of his Unicorn allies, extending a directional line to their intended destination. Despite the shaking of his nervous hooves, once the mage could feel the layline form, he pushed a surge of magic through his horn, combining with the other unicorns to zap them all out of existence. Too late did he realise the unseen consequences of a powerful spell on magically constructed ground. Just as the teleportation itself began, the bridge gave way, crumbling beneath their hooves. The sudden drop broke the unicorn's concentration, the magic slipping from his horn's grasp to spill out in every direction, including along the thread connecting the manna bombs. In the blink of an eye, he found himself laying on the floor of the target building, with both Meteor and Garnet offering a hoof to help him up. Once he regained his senses, the mage looked back across the bridge – or rather, what was left of it. “Head count,” Garnet ordered. “How many have we lost?” “Looks ta be about seven ponies all together, Garnet,” Meteor said, trying to keep steady on her hooves after the disorientating teleportation. “Somethin' in the spell must've gone wrong. Mostly the heavy infantry Earth Ponies—as well as a few o' the Unicorns—along with all the Phantom Stallions that were followin' us.” The mage opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Time had slowed to a crawl, robbing him of all expressions beyond a look of stunned silence. “Oi, get yer head together there, soldier!” Meteor yelled in the unicorn's face, the distance he covered in a startled jump proving that he was back to the present time. “Accidents happen, and ye got most of us through. I'm not lettin' ye waste time dwellin' on the dead, so let’s get a move on before more Phantom Stallions find us. An' speak o' the draconequus...” The re-emergence of synchronised hoof beats reinforced the urgency of Meteor's words. As before, the duo of warrior mares led their strike force up the stairs, but this time they made no attempt to slow down the enemy. They had no idea how many there were or if there were any above, so the only sensible option was to gallop lightning fast. When they finally reached the top floor, a small ladder and a latch was the only visible access to the roof, so it was up to the unicorns once more to blast a way out. When a large enough mound had been made, the Phantom Stallions caught up. A mad rush ensued as the Crystal Empire's defenders scrambled up to the roof above, only to find themselves trapped between the enemy and the tower's edge. “I think I see it now...” Garnet said with a nervous chuckle. She had done all she could to protect her troops, throwing everything she had at the enemy to keep them back. But in the end, it came down to who could outfight whom. “I guess this is what Emerald meant when it came to a heroic last stand, eh?” “Aye. It's been a good run,” Meteor quipped back, though both ponies could tell how much fear they were refusing to show. “Let’s show these monsters that we won't be goin' down quietly!” Raising up their weapons, the remaining warriors clanged their shields together, spreading their hooves in a wide stance as they held themselves against the onslaught of Phantom Stallions. All they could see ahead of them was an endless stream of armoured ghosts spewing out from below. Pushing herself right to the edge of sanity, Meteor flailed her hammer around, smacking just about anything that got in her way, forcing Garnet to do her best to dodge her attacks as much as she did the phantoms. The power and skill protected some of the ponies from immediate death, but without the significant backup of the heavy infantry, those on the flanks were struck down, walked over by the overwhelming volume of the assault. Even Garnet and Meteor were facing their physical limits. Attacks from the front they managed to fend off – but those encroaching on the side could push through their guard, stabbing them multiple times with their spiked gauntlets until they faltered. Clinging onto their weapons, the two heroes readied themselves for the end. Except that their deaths never came. Instead, a huge, white-coloured magical bubble surrounded them and their troops. Looking up, everypony in the regiment could see Shining Armour and Stellar Shine standing in front of them, all the while watching a torrential downpour of rock and crystal rain upon the Phantom Stallions, dropped by a combination of Pegasus soldiers and the Unicorn mages of Stellar's force. The Winged Cavalry had arrived. But what caught Garnet's eye was a single, shadowy figure. She danced between both the phantoms and the seemingly endless stream of projectiles, stabbing the gems of each monster with her wing blades in rapid succession. It was Moonlight, back from warning Princess Cadence, now flexing herself in every direction to eliminate all those that threatened the life of her friends. “Is everypony here okay?” Shining Armour asked. Despite a few pained groans, all ponies who could reply did so, showing themselves to be alive, though hardly well. “What in heart's name-” Garnet looked up at Shining and Stellar with bewilderment. “Let’s save the questions until we get out of here, okay?” Stellar interrupted with a cocky smile. As Moonlight leapt into the air, she flew over Shining's bubble when Stellar cast his own teleportation spell. Unlike the exhausted Unicorns of Garnet and Meteor's squad, Stellar had been conserving his magic heavily, transportation of over a dozen ponies in one go with little effort. Once they were a safe distance away, Garnet looked over to the tower in front of her, watching as the Unicorn archers added their own incendiary arrows to the mix, erupting the entire top floor into a series of arcane explosions, destroying it and all the Phantom Stallions upon it. “That should give us quite the advantage,” Shining said, liquid pride streaming down his face as he watched the fireworks show. Pulling herself to her hooves, Meteor stepped forward to get a better view of the action. “Yer right, it is quite the impressive show of force. Thanks for the rescue, Commander. I owe ye one.” “Don't start getting too sentimental on us you soppy git.” A familiar Trottingham accent gave Meteor an injection of joy that she hadn't felt in weeks. Spinning around, she practically pounced on Moonlight, embracing her friend in the tightest hug she had ever given a pony before. “Oh, give over!” the Bat Pony giggled. “You do know you can show your appreciation without breaking any of my ribs, right?” Now it was Meteor's turn to start sobbing. “I thought I was a goner, but ye came to ma rescue, just like a valiant knight in all those storybooks I read as a filly!” “And that's why I became a Night Guard,” Moonlight returned Meteor's hug. “I'm glad you're not badly hurt, all the same.” “As am I,” Garnet trotted up to Moonlight, bowing her head with flattened ears. “I think I owe you an apology, Moonlight. Emerald was my teacher before I joined the Crystal Lancers. To cut a long story short, he... meant a lot to me, meant a lot to us all. To see somepony just nonchalantly fly him to his death like that? I... it... shook me a bit, let’s put it that way. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is-” “That you're as stubborn as a mule when it comes to protecting ponies you care about?” Moonlight interrupted, meeting Garnet's gaze with a childish grin. “...Yes,” Garnet replied, blushing as she made eye contact. “I'm sorry.” “Apology accepted!” Moonlight pulled the mare into the cuddle pile. A small flash of light announced the arrival of another familiar face – Far Seer, who had been just prior being directing the arrow volleys. “Nice to see more ponies embracing the magic of friendship around here,” he quipped with a light-hearted sarcasm. “Though I don't think our job is finished quite yet, is it, Stellar?” “Indeed, it isn't,” Stellar Shine replied, the confidence he carried in his voice giving him the same feel of authority as Shining Armour by this point. “We've dealt some heavy blows to the Phantom Stallions, with minimal losses of our own. Now it's time to finish this war once and for all!” A euphoric cheer rang out from everypony around. Indeed, the final battle was at hand, but not quite in the way anypony expected.