//------------------------------// // Chapter Three - The sun and the moon // Story: Fairlight - The Frozen Heart // by Bluespectre //------------------------------// CHAPTER THREE The sun and the moon “Where the bloody hell have you been? The cats already eaten your food, so don’t blame me if you get hungry later.” The elderly mare was more than a little irritated by my rather late arrival back at the cottage, apparently missing the several full baskets of crystal berries behind me. “Sorry, Auntie,” I replied, wiping the sweat from my brow. “I pinched a few of your baskets from the shed out back and used them to collect some fruit in the forest. Hey, maybe you could use them to make some jam later? I used to love your home made preserves.” Pewter pushed past me in a blur, “Eh? Luna’s mercy! Where in Equestria did you find these?! I know you said you’d been able to find some, but I thought…” She paused. “You followed that old path up the hill didn’t you? For the goddess’s sake, Fairlight, how many times did I tell you not to go up there?!” She was absolutely livid, her eyes narrowing as she advanced on me, grabbing a convenient ladle in her magic. With an almighty swing, she cracked me right on the muzzle. “Ow! Auntie, for Celestia’s sake pack it- Ouch!” I ducked as again and again the old mare hit me with her culinary cudgel. Her voice cracked as she shrieked, “And how many bloody times have I told you not to blaspheme in this house, child!” Attracted by the sound of metal impacting on my cranium, Tingles appeared from the kitchen wearing an apron and covered in what looked like flour. With lightning speed, my tangerine coloured saviour darted forward and grabbed the ladle from the enraged grey mare, pushing her way in between us. Aunt Pewter’s chest heaved and she neighed angrily before tossing her mane and trotting off to leave us alone by the bubbling cauldron. “Are you alright?” The tangerine mare asked me, inspecting me for damage. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “I am, thanks,” I breathed. “She’s got quite a strong swing for an old timer.” “That’s not what I meant,” Tingles replied with a frown. “You’ve been gone for nearly the whole day. We were worried sick.” I had to admit I’d lost track of time up there picking berries in the sunlight, and of course there was my conversation with Meadow and, well, whoever he was. I can’t say I cared for much for him either, but I suppose he was trying to be helpful. I’m not entirely sure how exactly, but I’d think more on it later. The whole situation was a bit weird to begin with and may have been no more than a hallucination, but I wasn’t convinced it was something I could speak to Tingles and Pewter about in any case. With everything else that had been going on, telling them I was able to speak to my dead wife might be one step too far. Personally, as peaceful as it may be, being locked in a padded cell was not a priority on my ‘to do’ list. But honestly, the way they were going on at me about being late for tea was a bit much. I mean, it wasn’t like I was a child any more for goodness sake. Unfortunately, “Sorry,” was all I could manage. “Tingles may have been ‘worried sick’,” came the voice from the kitchen, “but I wasn’t, you bloody young fool.” Tingles and I shared a smile and laughed quietly. Auntie may be a cantankerous old mare but she had a heart of gold, if a little ‘tarnished’ these days. My reactions were put to the test a moment later when a shiny brass object flew at me from across the room. My horn glowed and I snatched the thing from the air and levitated it to my hoof. To my amazement it was a small brass pocket watch. A very familiar one too. I was my dad’s old one. He’d given it to me when I’d been passed my entrance exams to the watch. I thought I’d never see it again. “Auntie,” I breathed. “How did you-?” “All your things are here,” the grey mare called over in her matter-of-fact way. “What they could salvage anyway. Not much I’m sorry to say. I cleaned the watch up and kept it for you, together with that tatty old coat and hat you liked so much.” “My coat and hat!” I cried, pocketing the watch in delight. Aunt Pewter trotted back in and produced a box which held a number of items from my home. They showed some evidence of… burning? But… I’d been in the safe house when we’d been attacked. This made no sense! Pewter glanced at Tingles, “Nopony told him yet?” The agency mare shook her head, and sighed. “The day you and Meadow were attacked at the safehouse, your home as well as Mitre’s and Dawn’s were firebombed, “Tingles explained quietly. “The fire crews managed to save your house, but it’s been cordoned off as a crime scene ever since. Some ponies even think it’s cursed and won’t go near the place. I’m sorry Cap’, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you about this.” Aunt Pewter motioned to the box, “A couple of pegasi including this one here,” she pointed at Tingles, “brought me what they could get their hooves on before the house was boarded up by the insurance company. Don’t you think you should be thanking her?” I tried my best to smile, but… oh gods, my home? For some reason ever since I’d returned to Equestria it just hadn’t registered in my mind even for a second. Everything had just happened so fast, like a roller coaster of events, one after the other. I suppose it was all academic now anyway, I mean, how could a dead pony go back to his house? I’d have to have a word with Warlock and see whether there was anything I could do. Perhaps I could sell it? Nopony needed know what happened to the money and I could always put it towards a new one elsewhere. What saddened me the most was that was where Meadow and I had lived together. Where we had planned to start a family. Had started a family. I closed my eyes and swallowed down my emotions. “Thanks, Tingles. This really means a lot to me.” She smiled at me and trotted back to the kitchen. Aunt Pewter, watched her go, “I think she likes you, nephew,” she observed. “Must be the old family charm!” she cackled. I groaned inwardly. Sometimes, she really did seem like the local witch. “Auntie, please,” I pleaded. “We’re not like that. She’s my partner in the agency.” Pewter snorted in derision, “Bollocks!” She poked me in the chest with her hoof, “The sooner you wake up and see what’s right in front of your muzzle the better. She’s good looking that one too. Looks a bit like an orange, what with that coat and mane and all. Hmm... might make the foals look a bit off.” She shrugged. “Never had a pegasus in the family that I can remember…” “Auntie for-” I stopped mid-sentence as she shot me a warning glare. I quickly changed tack, “Look, I need to ask you some things. Can we talk, please?” She nodded, magicking down a set of glasses and a bottle of brandy from the shelf. “I want to ask you some things first, Fairlight,” Pewter replied. “To begin with, I want to hear everything that happened to you. And I mean, everything.” I face hoofed, “Oh goddesses, not again! I’m going to have to write a book about this…” Aunt Pewter paused in filling the glasses and smirked, “You do want my help don’t you?” I sighed in resignation and began… **************** I finally reached the part where I joined the agency and left it there. Auntie needn’t know about the coffee shop disaster. That terrible scene was one nopony should have staining their memories, and reliving it was too much for me to face right now. Pewter stretched, her joints creaking like the chair she occupied. I had no idea how old she was but she was still quite spry for a mare her age. She called over her shoulder, “You can come in you know, my dear.” Oh gods, I’d completely forgotten about Tingles in the kitchen, and by the look on her face she now knew everything. Her eyes were wide as she approached, looking at me in a new light. Was it fear I saw? Wonder, maybe? I had no idea, and to be honest I didn’t want to know either. Everypony I grew close to eventually became entangled in the disasters which I attracted like some cursed furry lightning rod. I think she knew it too. She didn’t speak nor, I noticed, did she seem as confident in approaching me as she had only minutes earlier. Sitting on her haunches, the tangerine mare fiddled with her mane while Aunt Pewter continued her interrogation. “Did you happen to meet anyone up on the hillside while you were there?” she asked. My eyes went wide in shock. Damn it all! Damn, damn, DAMN! How did the old bag now about that?! Was she fishing for information, casting out a line and hoping I’d take the bait? No. No, I knew her better than that. And knowing Pewter the crafty old bugger knew the answer already. The look on her face said it all. “I did,” I confessed. “A grey pony from the herd, and… Meadow.” “And what did they say to you?” Pewter pressed. “What everypony else has been telling me,” I replied. “That I have to master control of this spirit thing.” “And?” “And what?” Pewter rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Did they tell you anything else?” The image of Meadow and the grey stallion drifted into my minds eye. “The stallion told me that there was nopony alive who knew how the wendigo used to control their power, that their fortress was destroyed and the knowledge lost. He said I should take strength from my friends. Something like that anyway.” Aunt Pewter harrumphed, “Arrogant old fool.” She leaned towards me, “Still, you would do well to follow his advice, Fairlight. There was something else though wasn’t there, something Meadow said to you?” I scratched my head. She had. Her words were still as clear as if she had spoken them only moments ago. “Ponies aren’t meant to be alone,” I said quietly. “Don’t cut yourself off from the love of those around you.” Auntie nodded sagely, “Hmmm, true. But that wasn’t actually what I was getting at. I think you know what I’m talking about don’t you?” I looked across at Tingles, a single tear falling from her eye to land on the dark wooden floor. It glistened as it fell, a tiny star in the gloomy room, her green eyes shining while she stared at me. She saw the monster within me, the demonic form of a beast from a thousand years ago that should have stayed there as no more than a faint memory of much darker times. I knew what Pewter was trying to do, but even if I’d let Tingles offer herself to me there was no way she’d do it now, not after hearing my tale. I could only hope it hadn’t ruined my working partnership with her, but I doubted it. First it was Wist, now Tingles. Goddesses, nopony would want to work with me in the agency ever again, and who could blame them? I fixed Pewter with a stare of my own. “I know what you’re thinking auntie, and the answer is still no. I’ll find another way to deal with this on my own. Thanks for your help, but I think I’d better get going. It’s probably dangerous to be around me.” “And that’s exactly the sort of bollocks I expected to come out of your mouth!” She slammed her glass down on the table and whirled round to look back at Tingles. “Look at him! He’s a bloody mess, girl. You’re going to have your work cut out helping this one. Honestly, I don’t know what you see in him.” “Auntie! For the goddess’s sake!” I shouted. She wasn’t impressed. “Oh, shut up! Stallions are thick as bricks. Always were, always will be. Now then, let’s all enjoy a nice brandy and have dinner together. Afterwards, we’ll go for a walk.” She grinned expansively, showing her teeth. “All three of us.” I balked; there was no getting away from her this time. It was evening by the time we were trudging back up the hillside. Aunt Pewter had packed lanterns and food for us as well as other odds and ends which were duly placed in saddle bags and panniers. As the stallion I had been designated as the pack mule for this journey apparently. Leading the way, Aunt Pewter made good time, and we could still clearly see the hoofprints I had made earlier in the day. Judging by how overgrown the track was, I’d probably been the only pony up here in a good long while. Meanwhile Tingles walked next to Aunt Pewter when the track was wide enough, the two of them chatting away like a couple of hens. I couldn’t hear what they were saying and I suppose, in a selfish way, I was glad of it too. I was running over what I’d been told earlier; I had to concentrate all my energies on learning how to control this being within me. It was easy to say these thing of course, but in the Wither world it had been fairly easy to do. So why had it been easier there than it was here in Equestria? It didn’t make sense. I still had its power ‘chained up’ within me but I could also feel its desire to escape, to run free. There was always that background ‘need’ as well, the constant background urge to feed. Berries would placate it in the short term, but that wasn’t what it desired. I could feel it scratching away quietly at my subconscious, wanting to be noticed. I took my mind off if by looking fixedly ahead at… Tingles’ rump. Not deliberately of course, but it was hard to look away when it was right in front of you. Besides, she had a decidedly well formed rear for a pegasus. For one more used to flying than walking it was surprisingly shapely, strong, and lean. Her bottle green tail swished from side to side and I could just make out her cutie mark peeking out from under her overcoat. It looked like- “Looks like you’ve got an admirer!” Auntie cackled, looking back at me. Tingles’ head whipped round and she fixed me with a look, her cheeks flushing a deep red, echoing my own. Thanks auntie, now my partner thought I was a pervert too! I took a deep breath and kept my head down, staring at the ground as I plodded along. Goddesses, had it taken this long to reach the top when I was collecting the berries earlier? Mind you, I hadn’t been laden down with ridiculous amounts of baggage then, had I. Eventually though I noticed we’d broken off from the main track onto what looked like a game trail, with the ever energetic Pewter forging on ahead. We continued along the sun dappled trail for a few minutes until we reached the edge of a clearing. White stones were dotted around the edges of it like teeth bleached by the sunlight, and I could feel my horn itching already with the background magic that infused this place. The old mare motioned me onward. “We’re here,” she announced adjusting her pack. “Come on, let’s get the fire going and get comfy. This may take a while.” Following her directions we set up lanterns around the edges of the clearing and set a fire in an ancient iron brazier that had been covered over with vines. To my surprise it showed signs of regular use despite its rusty condition, and it was soon crackling away, sending sparks and heat radiating outwards. To my relief Tingles began to help me remove the saddle bags and panniers from my back, for which I was extremely grateful. One by one we dumped the heavy things into as neat a pile as possible. I’m not sure what was in them, but it felt like I’d been carrying half a tonne of house bricks up here. What was she doing anyway, building a barbecue up here or something? Ooh, by the gods, my aching back! “Why are we here, Auntie?” I stated, catching my breath. “This all seems a bit surreal if you ask me.” She smiled at me distantly, watching the last dying rays of the sun as it dipped below the edge of the horizon. With a suddenly chirpy voice she announced, “Why are we here nephew? Why, we’re waiting of course. If we weren’t, we’d be doing something else!” I heard the gentle sound of Tingles chuckling behind me. She was sat on her haunches running her hooves through her mane and smiling happily. With a shrug, I turned back to the old grey mare. Pewter was damnably exasperating at times and I told her as much too. But instead of berating me however, she just rolled her eyes and returned to studying the horizon. Well, I knew when I was beaten. And if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, as they say. I sank to my haunches and let out a deep sigh, rubbing my hind legs and taking in the fresh, unpolluted air. It was certainly very quiet here that was for sure. There was no wind noise, no birds, only an odd stillness that felt almost tangible. The air felt old too, like it had lingered here for an eternity and had simply never moved on. In the light from the lanterns the otherworldly feel to the place made me feel a touch uncomfortable, and I sensed the spirit inside me stir in response. At least the brazier was welcoming. Warmth always is I suppose, but once again I was unsure of what was going on, and this time it was Aunt Pewter’s turn to confound me. The old mare had been sat watching the sun gradually disappear behind the horizon, the moon slowly beginning to rise in its place, and at that moment she rose to her hooves and walked over to me. “Stand here, Fairlight, and don’t move. Whatever happens, you have to stay here.” Pewter’s eyes brooked no nonsense. “Do you understand?” I nodded. If there was one thing Auntie knewf, it was magic. “Yes, Auntie. I’ll stay here.” She smiled and took out a pair of gourds from the saddle bags, walking around me chanting in a language I didn’t recognise. Maybe it was just as well too, because whatever she was saying was making my fur stand on end all along my spine. I watched in awe as Pewter’s horn glowed with a blue light while she sprinkled a fine silvery sand from the gourds. She passed me on a wide circuit, once, twice, getting nearer and nearer each time. I was at the centre of a spiral of sand, and I looked up to see Tingles standing over by the brazier watching intently. She looked as fascinated as I was. Auntie was from a long line of unicorn mares in our family who had kept in touch with the older magics. Many these days considered them antiquated, ‘out of touch’, and even ‘quaint’ by modern standards. But when a mare was having trouble with a pregnancy or crops failed for no apparent reason, many of the villagers would seek her out rather than risk the modern hospitals or officials in the towns and cities. As much as these ponies pretended to be modern, they were still superstitious and traditionalist at heart. Was this what Luna and Celestia were trying to protect? The old ways of our people? I was all for modern conveniences personally, but from what I’d seen recently I was beginning to wonder If we’d lost our way somewhere along the road of years. If we forgot who we were and where we’d come from, how could be maintain a solid foundation for future generations? It was a worrying thought. The grey mare returned to the outside of the spiral, reversing her steps, shaking a dash of the powder out ever few steps and shouting out to the sky above in that weird language. I would have found it slightly comical only for the fact that I knew my aunt only too well. I trusted her skill more than anyponies, and I wouldn’t dare laugh at her. Besides, if she caught me I’d be in for a serious walloping. Despite the general strangeness of what was happening I was still startled when she suddenly clopped her hooves together and cried out into the night air as her horn flared a brilliant white. But that wasn’t the only thing that had grabbed my attention, it was the sand spiral around me too. It was glowing, shining brightly in an odd imitation of the moon’s light as Luna rose it into the night sky above us. In the ethereal light it was like I was floating between two seas of stars, one above, and one below. It was quite beautiful really. “Fairlight. Listen to me,” Pewter said clearly. “Call upon your power. Reach out to it, gently but firmly. Keep a tight grip on it and keep your mind focussed on me. You are my family, my kin, our blood ties are strong. Your mother’s blood runs in your veins as her mother’s runs in mine. Remember we are family. I am here for you. Do you understand?” I nodded, “Yes, Auntie.” “Good boy. Now, open your mind, and reach for the power within you…” Closing my eyes I controlled my breathing the best I could, letting the world around me fade away until I could hear only the crackle from the fire and my own heartbeat. The more I concentrated, the more I began to sense things on a deep level; the breathing of my body, the warmth of my blood as it flowed through my veins. My body began to relax, the tension unwinding and seeping away, the aches and pains so noticeable before, now fading until they were no more than a memory. And there… there in the corner of my consciousness, cloaked in bitter cold, fear and pain, the small sphere of ice blue light waited. I followed the chains of my control, tracing them to the expectant power, and grasped them, pulling them off one by one. The light intensified. I could feel it questing, wondering, asking… ‘why was I doing this?’ The chains slipped off until finally I reached out and felt the icy touch of the spirit. It backed away at first, unsure of me. Anger and suffering radiated from it, and another sense, one of… betrayal… Images of Meadow flashed through my mind: smiling, crying, her face twisting in pain. She cried out for me, the vile images of her tormentors floating around her, laughing at her, goading me, challenging me. I ignored them all. Meadow was with the herd now, and these images meant nothing. Gates and Melon Patch would meet their end one day, and it would be me who brought them to it. Vengeance would be served, but I was the one in control. I was the master here. The ice cold screamed through me in a burning torrent, a tempest of magical anger and hate. I could feel my body changing, the pain of the wings bursting from my back, my teeth growing, altering, the magic building into a storm of barely restrained power. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, and goddesses, I had missed this feeling. The spirit wasn’t finished with me though. Like a different creature altogether, it threw horrifying images at me of Shadow, and Maelstrom striking her across the ground, the lake creature tearing into her body, and lastly, worst of all - Shadow… alone and crying out my name. I was powerless to help her, and the spirit knew this all too well. It was exploiting my fear, drawing on my loneliness. Wordlessly it offered me limitless power, unimaginable strength. We, not the princess, would bring Shadow back and we would exact revenge upon the evil bastards who had killed my friends, my wife, my foal… My beautiful little Sparrow Song, her innocent face looking up at me… “Daddy? Are you coming home soon?” Inside my mind my resolve quavered, my heart aching for the loss of my family. Goddesses, why? WHY? A cry of utter despair, thick with the unyielding cruelty of a winter’s night, erupted from my throat and soared up into the starry sky. I opened my eyes and saw the snow beginning to fall around me… And so it should. My heart was as empty as the Withers, and as dark as the void. Everything had been taken from me… everything. There was nothing left. Simply… nothing. “Fairlight!” A pulse of light and heat caught my attention from across the field of starlight. And a voice, clear and strong. “FAIRLIGHT!” I stared, my vision tinged in blue, focussing on the grey mare holding a staff with a prancing bronze pony atop it. Feathers and bones hung down from the figure, bright red gems surrounding it shimmering as if ablaze. She was so familiar... “Mum?” I hissed in the otherworldly voice of the wendigo. “Fairlight, it’s me, Aunt Pewter,” the mare replied. “We are family, you and I. Remember the bond we share. Meadow is safe, Sparrow is safe. You will find Shadow soon and there are those who love you here. Can you understand my words, my nephew?” I nodded. The spirit was calmer now and I could feel its rage coming under my control. The experience was nothing short of phenomenal. So much power! It was at the same time both exciting and terrifying to know that at any moment I could unleash its fury upon the world. But this was not the time, my aunt was stood across from me, and there, a tangerine pegasus watching me with huge saucer-like eyes. Despite all she had seen, she had remained brave enough to stay with us… with me. I stretched my wings and shook out my brilliant blue mane, “Yes, Auntie. I can understand you.” “Good.” She sounded relieved. “Now, Fairlight, try to remember the feeling you have now: the control, the sense of being one with your spirit. Listen to it, befriend it, but keep your awareness and focus on remaining yourself. You are strong, my nephew. All our family are strong. We share the bloodline and you must heed its call now. Remember who you are. Remember our history. Remember...” I closed my eyes and tried to think back, but to what I wasn’t sure. My mother? My father? I could see them standing there in my minds eye, smiling and congratulating me on joining the watch, mum kissing my fetlock better when I’d fallen playing hoofball, dad helping me build a tree house. Further back…There was grandfather holding me as a foal, and granny, hugging my mum as she lay in the hospital bed. Further still… Mum as a teenager being bullied in the school playground, and a young stallion coming to her aid to stand by her. He struck out, bucking one of the bullies to the ground watched the rest run off. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Those big, love filled yellow eyes. I fell. Faster and faster, images of ponies I didn’t know and yet somehow on an instinctual level did, rushed past me in a blur. The world stopped… then started again. With a deafening roar of noise I was plunged into what I could only describe as an image from hell. I was on a hillside, a hillside upon a broiling sea of ponies, thestrals, minotaurs, griffins, and more - thousands upon thousands of them, blanketing the land as far as the eye could see. Black shining armour and weapons glinted in the half light beneath banners of purple, silver and black whilst battles cries and shouts made the very air vibrate around me. Suddenly the ground beneath me shook as a war dragon swooped low over me and with a massive beat of its leathery wings, climbed steeply upwards to keep station before a large group of armoured warriors. As I watched, the group parted and a tall black unicorn in a magnificent set of armour that looked as if it had been made of starlight, strode forward. The dragon bowed and spoke briefly to the tall one before bowing once more as it swept away back the way it had come. I watched in awe, my eyes drawn to the huge red lizard flying effortless to where a large group of its fellows awaited, their metallic scales glistening in the half light. Across the valley before us lay another mass of creatures, mostly ponies from what I could make out, their blood red banners flying in the breeze above the gleaming shoal of silver and gold armour glinting in the sunlight that bathed their army. They too had dragons, though not as many I noticed, but there in the centre of their number was what appeared to be a tall white unicorn mare in golden armour. Hard to make out at this distance, but there was no doubting that this one was their leader. I had a feeling I knew her too, more so than her counterpart amidst our own ranks. I turned back to watch the group of thestrals once more. There she was, standing proudly amidst the dark mass of her warriors, her eyes gleaming proudly. Abruptly she spread her wings and rose elegantly into the air, gliding silently towards me. No unicorn this one. The word came to me in a heartbeat – alicorn. She strode up to the party I was with, her mane and tail flowing with all the stars of the night sky, her eyes flaring like supernovas. The silver armour glittered, contrasting with her crescent moon cutie mark. We all went to our knees before her. She was our leader, our princess. We would follow her unto the end of the world and beyond if she commanded, and sing joyfully as we did so. A blare of trumpets and a great cry went up. The enemy were advancing. The princess nodded to us and we took flight, my wings beating powerfully, sending me up into the sky for a panoramic view of the battlefield. The armies looked to be almost endless, and fairly evenly matched, at least in sheer numbers. All around me the rumble of hooves and battle cries blotted out everything except the trumpeted commands of our army. Beside me, a brilliant white creature appeared, her eyes burning a blue as deep as the ocean and as bright as the sky above the mountains. A delicate silver chain with a golden heart pendant hung from her neck, while her great wings kept her on station as delicately as a snowflake. Thick clouds of white fog wreathed her hind quarters and she smiled at me. I bowed to her, grinning broadly. She was my beloved wife. Mr Arathea. “Are you ready my husband?” she called to me, white mist dripping from her maw. I laughed, gazing into those beautiful deep blue eyes, “Of course, Wife! For the enemy, I am as ready as I am for you!” She laughed heartily and glided up to me, embracing me in her forelegs and pulled me into a deep kiss. Our breath mingled, sampling each others life energy, the sweet taste of love… of life itself. Arathea broke the kiss and drew up next to me. “Come my love!” she beamed. “It’s time to play!” With a great howl of joy and anger combined we swept down upon our foes, unleashing our power into their midst. Great swathes of ice and blue fire lashed through the creatures below, sending screams of pain and fear into the air. It was… rapture - the thrill of the hunt, the anger of the goddess unleashed upon our foe. I inhaled their energies released into the air as I passed above them, breathing another pulse of blue fire into the mass below. A bellow followed by a yellow-white jet of flame shot past me making me barrel roll to avoid it. The enemy war dragon charged me, claws outstretched and reaching. Beating my wings I pulled up into the thin cloud layer, the giant creature in pursuit. Quickly I wove my magic into the vapour trail behind me and circled the dragon which tried to rake my flank with another blast of fire. We circled and danced around each other in a ballet of blue and yellow light. I blasted blue fire at the beast, eliciting a scream of pain when my attack struck its shoulder. In retaliation its fire caught my wing, sending a shock of pain through me. I cried out in anger and drew in all my power for the final part of my plan. The dragon realised too late what was happening. The white cloud was now almost completely covering its scales and starting to freeze rapidly. Clawing at itself and trying to crane its neck, the thing attempted to burn off the ice. It was all far too late, the flame barely guttered now, the great wings stiffening like boards. With barely a cry the dragon dropped like a lead weight to the ground far below, crushing those unfortunate enough to be in the way of the enormous corpse. I grimaced; how I would have taken joy in feasting on that being’s life energy! Still, no time for that, there were many more for me to taste this day. Although the battle must have lasted for hours, I barely noticed it. Again and again I strafed the enemy lines, killing countless and maiming many more. Their numbers were endless, but I felt like their energy, their impetus, was slowly being blunted with each pass. A great cry of excitement greeted me. “Maroc, we’re doing it! We’re winning!” Arathea looped around me, her joy palpable. I laughed with her, “Don’t let up, my love, there are many more who need our help to send them to the next world. And I for one will not be happy until I have tasted a dragon’s energy this day!” She laughed, “You haven’t already? How slow you are! I’m already on my third!” The brilliant white wendigo mare flew off in a trail of cloud to dive down on the enemy forces below. I had no time to watch her go, my own foe were awaiting me, and I do so hated being late. The fighting rolled back and forth below me like waves upon a beach, with reinforcements being brought up, and trumpets blasting out their orders to the massed ranks. And then, up above us, it was as if the world had taken a breath. The princesses faced one another; one white, one black, the sky itself divided between them. The living goddesses of Equestria, the living embodiments of the light of day and the darkness of night, faced one another at last. I couldn’t hear what they said, but what happened next could never be forgotten. Purple and black lightning burst from the princess of the night, narrowly missing her sister who replied with a brilliant flash of intense heat which missed its target but slashed through the ranks below. Where it hit, troops were instantly turned to ash, smoking furrows in the ground marking where once living beings had stood only a moment earlier. Within seconds those same gaps were filled by more warriors engaging the enemy of our princess, our goddess, Nightmare Moon. With redoubled efforts I screamed down like an avenging spirit upon the creatures below, blasting them with my magic, freezing their flesh and rending their bodies. My princess had called and we had answered. I would fight for her and help usher in the rule of the eternal moon. Around me the light flashed again and again, whole units of ponies, minotaurs, thestrals, annihilated in the crossfire from the battle in the sky above. The fight below was becoming uncertain. Emboldened by Celestia’s attacks, the enemy had gained heart and began to push harder, our troops holding but struggling to stem the tide. Our dragons swooped down to burn then with fire, our wendigo similarly raking their lines. In response, enemy unicorns helped shield a good number of their army but it was not enough to save all of them. Many died, on their side and ours. The Celestian army’s dragons and griffins devastated our ranks, fighting with the thestrals both in the air and on the ground. There were so many of them! Had there been this many dragons before? And then… the end came. Something swept through the clouds. I couldn’t see what it was from where I was, it was only a shape, but then explosions of green fire, one after the other, erupted amongst our ranks below where the shape passed. The warriors struggled to fill the gaps, to stem the tide by crossing the smoking craters where their brothers and sisters lay dead or dying, but it wasn’t enough. The Celestians were flooding into the pockets left by the explosions, driving deeper in the heart of the Legion. As if in response to our woes, a whirling floodlight of colour suddenly filled the air around Celestia, coalescing into a great beam of rainbow light. I stared in horror as it span, formed, and then blasted into our beloved Nightmare Moon who simply… vanished. The world held its breath once more, the armies below stopping to stare upward, the night sky disappearing and bathing the warriors of the night in golden sunlight. They broke. Fear burned through the Legion’s ranks faster than Celestia’s vengeance. Many dropped their weapons, turned tail, and ran for all they were worth. They didn’t know where to run to, their only desire now to escape the breaking fury of Celestia who was even now diving upon them like an avenging golden spirit. Her terrible magic lashed out again and again - hundreds dying in an instant. Those who hadn’t already fled tried to keep some semblance of order as they retreated, but even they were wavering. It was only a matter of time now, and they knew it. Some stayed to the very end, trying to rally their comrades around them, only to be cut down by the heartened Celestians. Lost in a haze of confusion, I hesitated. And it was all it took. A flash of brilliant light blinded me and I fell, my right wing no longer attached to my body. Agony cut through me like a white hot knife, making me cry out. I’d never felt such searing pain like this in my life! Fighting against the darkness pushing in on the edge of my vision I gathered my magics around me in a thick cloud to arrest my fall, hoping that it would cushion my landing to some degree. Then... Then I would find Arathea and we would get away from here. Away from this place of death. “Maroc!” The distressed shout of my beloved grabbed my attention and she swept down to catch me in her forelegs, tears leaking from her blazing eyes. “Oh goddess, no! My love…” “It’s alright Arathea, I can restore my wing later,” I gasped. “For now we must escape quickly, the Celestian’s have the field.” My wife nodded and helped me to the ground. Without my wing I was severely handicapped, but there was nothing wrong with my legs. With a kiss for my beloved, we turned to run, blending into the crush of panicked soldiers. They rushed past us in a desperate dash for safety, but wherever that may lie for them, I knew not. But I knew where we must go, and now, we had no choice in the matter. In our retreat, Celestia’s vengeance was terrible to behold, her beam lancing out through our ranks without mercy. This wasn’t a defeat, it wasn’t even a rout. It was anextermination. A dreadful pulse of white hot energy cut through the ground next to me, turning my world to a howling mass of steam and ash. A minotaur, one of his legs gone, crashed into me, sending me flying across the ground only to pick himself up and crawl away with a drive borne of desperation. “Arathea!” I called. I couldn’t see her. “ARATHEA!” I shouted for her again and again, but of my wife there was no sign, except… In the steaming molten furrow left by Celestia’s magic, half buried amongst the still falling ash… lay a small silver chain with a golden heart. I picked up the chain in my hooves, the ash and mud clinging to it all that remained of my beloved Arathea. I choked back the tears as unimaginable pain and outrage filled my soul. “NO! Damn you, Celestia, damn you to bowels of hell!” I snarled and turned, blasting blue fire up into the sky at the princess. It was useless, my power was near depleted and she was too far away. I would have to escape now and mourn my love later. There was something I had to do before it was too late. And so I ran. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, running for whatever cover I could find. Dodging through the remnants of our once magnificent army, I managed to slip away into the cooling darkness forest. Many others had found refuge here too, but it was only an illusion of safety. The vengeance of the Celestians would not be so easily sated, and the sensible ones pushed on, myself with them. Ahead, a minotaur argued with a thestral - an officer judging by his armour. “We must rally what we can and form a rear guard. Get your warriors together and help me defend this position,” the thestral officer commanded. The minotaur gave a sarcastic laugh in its booming voic. “You are mad! Our army is defeated. Routed. Look around you! There is nothing left to defend, you fool!” The officer’s eyes flared, “Damn you, you coward. Stand and fight!” “Out of my way or I will cut you down where you stand!” the bullish creature snorted back. I tried to get around them but the officer pushed in front of me. “You!” he growled. “A wendigo! We need your kind here. I beg you, stand with me and help the others to escape.” “Sir,” I tried to reason with him, “The minotaur is right, there’s nothing left to save. We must escape now. The army is gone!” He pulled out a sword and held it before my eyes, “You’re both cowards! If you will not stand with me, then you will serve as an example to the others.” With a shout he swung the sword at the minotaur, cleaving the creature’s throat open to the air. The horned beast gasped for breath, clawing at its wound and sank to the ground, twitching its life away. I saw my chance and lunged for the thestral, my fangs sinking into his throat. He shrieked, dropped his sword and tried to blast me with his fire, but it was already over. I could feel the thestral’s body twitching beneath me as his life energy leached from his body, filling my maw with its delectable flavour. As reenergising at was, it was not enough. Not nearly enough. Moving to the minotaur, I breathed in the creature’s spirit to replenish my own, channelling my magic to heal my wing. The pain was simply exquisite, nearly flooring me with its sheer intensity, but I fought it with every fibre of my being. It was necessary to what I must do next. Re-growing bone and membrane, muscle and sinew, my new wing formed itself in a swirling mist of white and blue energy. I was tiring quickly, most of my recently acquired energy already spent, but I could still fly… and fly I did. With a bound I took to the air and headed for the fortress. And home. Keeping to what cloud cover I could find, I followed the river below as it passed between the green rolling hills and farmlands, right up to the edge of the black forest. The river narrowed here on its path through the trees and I traced it to the base of the foothills, then onward up into the blue mountains beyond. The clouds around me gradually grew thicker, denser, becoming a solid wall of swirling white around my beating wings until there, gradually unveiling itself against the magnificence of the snowy mountains, was the great fortress of the wendigo. The Fortress of the Four Winds. The scale of the fortress was staggering; a mind reeling blend of magic, ice and stone, with needle thin spires reaching up to the heavens while numerous turrets and sky bridges gave the structure an elegant and otherworldly beauty that never failed to stir the soul. Unlike when I had left here with Arathea to join the goddess, the skies were now empty save for the occasional bird. It was as if the mountains themselves knew something was coming, and awaited the gathering storm with baited breath. The home of the wendigo was normally abuzz with life, song and the sound of laughter. Our sanctuary from the rest of the world built centuries ago, the cold of the northern snows kept all but the most hardy or inquisitive away, and that was how we liked it. The chill of such a remote place barely touched our people, and it had helped to keep us apart from the rest of Equestria since before I was born. But such isolation is a double edged sword and can foment superstition. Born in the minds of those who saw us only as little more than monsters of the northern wastes, it was that fear of the unknown which we struck into the hearts of the local denizens that had in part lead us to construct this place, our sanctuary, for our own. Here we felt the world could not touch us. But now our princess was gone, our army shattered. The vengeance of the Celestians would reach even here. I knew I didn’t have long. Diving in through the south turret’s open window, my hooves skittered on the stone floor. An old blue stallion, his eyes gleaming blue, rushed in to challenge me, his sword glinting in the light from his horn. “Lord Maroc, you have returned! Is there news? What of Lady Arathea?” I pushed past him more roughly that I intended. I didn’t have time to explain, shouting over my shoulder, “Take your family and flee, Nelian, the Legion is defeated. Save yourself and take any with you that you find. But hurry, there’s no time to lose!” I rushed down corridors and stairs, racing past empty chambers, suits of armour, and countless banners. They were the memories and trophies of past battles, the pointless vanities of my ancestors. What did such trivialities mean now anyway? We had sided with the night and for that we would be punished. Damn those Celestian bastards. Damn them all! In the distance I could hear shouting, commands being given, and the fortress’s inhabitants grabbing what they could in their rush to escape. But escape to where? I knew these people. Some would fight, some would flee, but in my desperation and heartache I had to ignore them for now. I had to save the last vestige of my life that was worth protecting. Rounding the last corner, the huge door was already open. Within rang shouts and the clash of battle, the unmistakable stench of blood thick in air, tantalising my nostrils. The damned Celestians were already here? How?! But no matter. Battle was upon us and I would need to pass through this chamber to my destination beyond. I took a breath, readied myself, and charged in. Inside the chamber the metallic ring of steel and the heat of combat magic was so intense it was like walking into a blacksmiths forge. Wendigo and pony fought hoof to hoof. Blood, both red and blue, spattered the floor. Bodies of friend and foe alike were spread out around me, some groaning and moving, others gasping their last. I took in a deep breath of the leaking life energy and snatched up a sword from a fallen warrior in my magic. Celestia’s elite pegasi shock troops, clad in their magic resistant armour, pressed in on the fortress’s defenders. Their crass impudence in attacking our fortress has cost them dearly too - at least twelve of their number lay slain. Suddenly a bolt of blue fire flew past me to gouge a chunk from the wall as a pegasus howled in pain, its armour failing to protect it from the close range magical energy blast. I screamed in anger, charging the damnable creatures before me. The pegasi were quick on their hooves, but there was little they could do when attacked from two directions. Most of their attention was focussed on attacking, not defending, and I cut into them with sword, hoof and magic, breaking bones and freezing flesh. My blade slashed through the air, opening hides and veins, crimson viscera splashing my coat and wings with their life essence. It was over as almost soon as it had begun. Quickly dispatching the wounded pegasi I faced my warriors, weary, but alive. One of them approached me, lowering his sword wearily. “My Lord, what is happening? These bastards came out of nowhere and attacked us!” I clopped him on the shoulder. “The battle is lost, Herath. The white witch will soon be here, and we must save who we can. Take your warriors and help evacuate the fortress. If any refuse, don’t waste time, leave them and get out.” His eyes flared and he saluted, the others doing the same. “My Lord… will we meet again?” “I don’t know old friend,” I said solemnly. “Goddess willing, we will. If not here, then we will meet up in the next world.” We clasped forelegs, and I prayed they would escape and find peace in their lives away from this nightmare. For now though, my focus was on the room beyond. Throwing its heavy oak door open, my eyes swept the great stone room. Light from the fireplace was more for comfort than heat, and the heavy drapes, tapestries and deep pile rug leant a splash of colour to the otherwise austere chamber. A light whimper emanated from beneath the bed, and I trotted over, bending down to catch the bed spread with a forehoof. “Vela? Vela, it’s daddy. You can come out now little one.” A small grey muzzle poked out from beneath the bed and gave a little snort, wide yellow eyes looking up curiously, “Daddy? Are the bad ponies gone?” I smiled down at him, “Yes love, they are. Come on, let me get your things, we need to go now.” “Where’s mummy?” the grey foal said, emerging from his hiding place. I felt a stab of pain in my heart., “She’s going to meet us soon, Vela. Now come along, I need you to be strong for me. Can you be strong for me?” He looked unsure, but then stomped a forehoof trying to look fierce, “Yes Daddy!” At any other time I would have laughed and swept him up in my forelegs, but this was not the time for that. We had to escape and get as far away from Equestria as we could. Perhaps one of the other countries could take us? A mercenaries life wouldn’t be too bad, but I’d probably have to drop the ‘Lord’ title though. It meant nothing now anyway. Sweeping my foal onto my back, I replaced the sword I’d recovered with my father’s old one from over the mantelpiece and set about grabbing a few sparse provisions to put into a saddle bag. Satisfied, we rushed from the room just as a huge rumble shook the fortress. “Dragons,” I breathed. Vela spoke behind me, “Daddy?” I tried to keep my voice light-hearted as I replied, “It’s alright, Vela, we’re going to go fast now, so hang on tight, okay?” I felt him dig his hooves into my coat in response. I’d strapped Vela to my saddle pack as best I could. I knew the be belts were too tight for him, but he never complained. Not once. Damn it, if I’d only had more time! But time was a luxury none of us could afford any more. The fortress was now fully under siege. Fire and blue magic flew back and forth between my people and the Celestians. We were putting up a spirited defence, but I knew it was only a matter of time before their princess arrived to annihilate us. I had seen the Equestrian’s mercy today, and for us, there would be none. I wouldn’t stay to find out either. As strong as the fortress was it couldn’t hope to stand up to the power of the white witch. When she was finished with us little would remain on the mountain but rubble and memories. Homes however, could always be rebuilt. Lives were something altogether different. The corridors flew past in a blur, the way to the mountain pass the only viable escape route for us now unless I wanted to run the gauntlet of war dragons and pegasi. I couldn’t risk my foal, he was all I had left of Arathea and was my legacy in this world. Vela remained silent as I ran, but I barely noticed. Even nearby skirmishes were mere background noise as I galloped by. Bursting from the high window at the end of the uppermost landing, my wings snapped open, my heart thundering in my chest as I flew as fast as I could straight for the pass. Wendigo warriors fought around me, backed up by a number of thestrals who had sought safety at the fortress. Poor devils, all they had found was another battlefield. Shouts and cries echoed around me, magical energy and fire sizzling past my speeding form, but the pass was not far ahead now. Plunging down through a bank of mist, I beat my wings hard and flared them just before landing in the snow. Ahead of me, my people, what was left of them, headed up the pass. With luck the clouds would hide them from the Celestians’ fury that was razing our home behind us even now. I uttered a prayer for those who had stayed behind, unknowingly helping secure our escape. The column we joined moved quickly and silently, even the wounded on the backs of carts barely whimpered. We were a proud people. There were not many of us left now, but what there was remained strong and true. Some called us monsters, ostracised us and cast us out, but our strength of will kept us together. And then… the princess came. She helped us to rebuild, rekindling the fire in our hearts and promising us farm land to call our own. Just as importantly, we would finally have a voice in how Equestria was governed. When she made the call to arms, we were the first to answer. Now it was all unravelling around us, blue blood and tears staining the ground. We would return some day and reclaim our home, but for now, we must escape. My son had to survive no matter what. From the throng of equines a voice called to me, a filly not quite into marehood, “Lord Maroc, is it true? Has the princess been defeated?” I smiled to her kindly, “Don’t worry about such matters young one. Take heart and help our people through the pass and beyond these cursed lands. The past is the past, let it stay there. We must all look to the future now, and what happens from here on is in our hooves. Yours too. I can see it in your eyes - you have the spark within you to become a great wendigo. Embrace your true self and rise to be more than you are.” The filly nodded, brushing a tear away with a forehoof before vanishing back into the crowd. Did I believe my own words? Goddess, I hoped so. We had made a home for ourselves once, and we I saw no reason why we couldn’t do so again. All we had to do was get out of here and save who we could first. Future plans would need to remain there for now. And Vela was the future. I trudged, on pausing only to look back at my son who was nestled into my back asleep. He slept so much lately, even the thought of it made me long for a rest myself. I was utterly exhausted after the fighting and the rush to escape the fortress had taken its toll. Fortunately it wouldn’t be long until we reached the end of the pass and safety of the caverns that would take us deep into the earth and away to our ancestral home in the frozen north. At least, that had been my plan, hasty as it had been. The Celestians however, had a very different plan for us. Without warning, a sonorous rumbling boom from above us shook the pass, echoing along its length and dislodging snow and boulders that broke free, crashing down onto the helpless mass below. Cries and shouts of alarm rang out, the crush of refugees picking up speed towards caverns. It was close now. So, so close. I could hear the sound changing and smell the difference in the air. Damn that bitch princess and her bastard army, could they not leave the meagre scraps of our people to flee? The answer to my silent question came quickly in a plume of searing flame which engulfed the leading ponies of the column. Anypony who has ever smelt the stink of burning hair and flesh will never forget it… nor the screams of those dying in its infernal heat. A war dragon the size of which I had never seen before, let alone in the last battle, flew low, raking our ranks. Ponies and wounded wendigo warriors alike replied with crossbow bolts and blue fire of their own. In our weakened state few could take flight, and I could not risk attacking the beast personally with Vela strapped to my back, nor could I leave him here either. Both options could end in death, not just for me but for my precious foal too. But I was out of options. If I didn’t do something both of us would end up with our bones smouldering in the mountain pass. I took a breath, my mind made up. I would fight. Then, as if answering an unspoken prayer, Herath arrived through the roiling mist and smoke, pulling up a few feet away from me. “My Lord!” He shouted over the panicked din. “The Celestians have broken through. They are on their way here now. We have to fly for the caverns without delay.” Screams and cries from ahead and, goddess help us, behind, filled my ears. “Herath, my friend, take Vela. Fly for the cavern for all you are worth and don’t stop for anything or anypony. Do you understand me?” He stood there, his eyes going wide. “Lord Maroc, what do you mean? You can fly with us!” I shook my head, “Our people are dying, Herath. I don’t have time to argue. If I don’t do something quickly we won’t have anypony left to save. Please, take my son north. Get him out of here. NOW!” Herath bowed and took Vela from my back, and between us we strapped him onto the warrior’s back. “Daddy? What’s happening?” Vela asked in his squeaky voice. “I’m scared!” Vela was frightened, but I couldn’t do anything to ease his fear now. If I didn’t try to stop the Celestian attack we would all die, my son included. “Vela,” I said softly, stroking his mane. “You must go now. Herath will look after you, so you have to be strong, my little warrior. Yes?” He was so young, his heart warring between his distress and wanting to impress his father. “I’ll be brave, Daddy” He squeaked. “…I’ll…” His eyes welled with tears. I turned to Herath, “Take him and go, Herath. Goddess be with you. Wherever she is…” The wendigo clasped forelegs with me and without another word, shot forward like an arrow for the caverns ahead. “Daddy loves you, my little one…” I called. Whether Vela heard me or not I couldn’t say, all was drowned in blistering fire and cries of pain as the damned war dragon made another pass. Blasts of fire and magical energy were coming from all directions now, closer than ever. My target was clear. The dragon had to be removed. The wintry clouds shot past me. I was like a streak of purest white lightening, arrowing for my target - the black onyx dragon. It was a terrifying beast to behold, true, but one a wendigo could match with his own magical fire and ice. My warriors had faced these creatures and bested them, but we were now few, and most of those wounded. I myself was suffering from fatigue, and my magic was desperately low. If we were to survive we had to take this monster down and my first attack would hopefully divert its attention from the fleeing refugees below. The distance between me and my targetclosed quickly. It hadn’t seen me. Good. I concentrated and unleashed a bolt of bright blue magical energy which struck the dragon slightly below its left shoulder, scoring up and across its spine covered back. Splinters of scales were flensed off the beast’s back in a satisfying plume of magical fire and smoke. The stink of burning hit me again, but it was a good smell - my enemy’s blood would stain the mountain side this day. One last victory for the tribe of the Four Winds. Screams of rage and fire erupted from the dragon, the great serpent spiralling in the air, searching for its attacker. I’m certain the foul thing believed it could simply incinerate us from above with impunity, the possibility of attack never factoring into its plan. The arrogance of the dragon was sickening to me. Fortunately an advantage of the cloud in the pass was that I could use it to help hide my location. Breathing deeply, I breathed out my own freezing mist, wrapping it round myself both for concealment, and attack. Wendigo were no cowards, but foolhardiness would not serve myself or my people well. I had to be swift, and precise. It was time to press my attack. The dragon passed under me and I dove on it, sinking my teeth into its neck and unleashing a full blast of my power into the thing. The white mist cascaded over its back, instantly freezing scales which shattered like thin glass that trailed out behind the beast like snow. It rolled, lashing out with it claws, finding to its fury that I was still latched firmly onto its back. I sent another bolt of energy directly into the giant lizard’s neck. Roaring, the dragon flew straight for the mountainside, pulling up and angling itself to drive me against the rocks. At the last possible moment I let go, and just in time. The stupid beast misjudged its approach and ploughed into the unforgiving rock. Rubble, flame and fountaining blood avalanched down, yet the damned thing refused to die. The terrible wound in its neck was pouring its life essence away in a crimson torrent, but still it bellowed defiance. I swooped down and pulled up in front of the crippled creature, readying another bolt of magic. The dragon glared hatred at me, its golden reptilian eyes glowing. “Your time is over wendigo,” the beast hissed. “The princess of the sun has this day. You and all your filth will be washed away in a river of your own blood.” I smirked at the creature. He didn’t impress me, and I would make sure he knew it. “You know, there’s really no need for drama.” I tapped my chin in thought, “Then again, perhaps where you’re going, there is…” He looked at me momentarily surprised. That was when I spotted what I knew was coming - the massive inhale before the release of dragon fire. I timed it perfectly. The dragon’s lungs were full, ready to incinerate his comparatively small adversary. He didn’t expect me to beat him to it with a blast of my own. Not of magical blue fire this time, but of mist, sparkling blue-white, filling the creature’s maw to bursting. Unable to release the fire inside itself, the dragon gagged, clawing at its mouth, desperately trying to dislodge the frozen deadly fog. Ice spread around his neck and head, the inferno building inside it until the dragon was radiating heat like a furnace. I knew what was coming next and threw up a shield of ice a second before, with a cacophonous detonation, the reptile erupted in a massive shower of flame, bone, gore and scale. Chunks of giant lizard rained down wetly all around me, and despite protecting myself from the worst of the blast I was still spattered with the remnants of my enemy. Still, a quick shake of my mane dislodged the worst of it. Washing the rest off would be a task in itself, but one I would enjoy later. For now, however, I had to see how many had reached the caverns. I never made it. A blinding flash of light and heat seared past me, burning a wide patch of my fur and skin, sending rocks and melted snow into the air. Twisting away, I saw her. Celestia. The white witch. She flew down into the pass, the very image of an avenging spirit: beautiful, terrifying, and full of unbridled rage. Her eyes shone like twin suns, matching the golden armour encasing her alicorn body. Either side of her, pegasi and dragons flew through the rapidly dispersing cloud and mist, her sunlight burning away the last vestiges of cover my people had. The bitch herself glanced at me only for a second before sending a solid white hot beam into the mass of bodies below her. “NO!” I screamed at her, shooting a blast of my own magical energy toward the leader of Equestria. She couldn’t be doing this! Goddess protect us, why couldn’t she let us leave her damned lands in peace?! I watched in horror as dragon fire and bolts rained down on the helpless fleeing refugees, their cries filling the normally peaceful mountain air. Screams of pain, terror, and utter despair cut through me like a knife, my heart resonating with their suffering. I should be down there with them! This wasn’t revenge, this was murder! The bastards wanted us all dead. Every last one of us. I dropped my head and charged the source of my hate, my anger raging. The witch loomed in my vision, her face set in a determined glare, her long horn beginning to glow, readying for another attack. A pegasi’s bolt took me in the chest without my ever seeing him. Weakened as I was, it was a hammer blow. I plunged down into the pass below, crashing into the deep snow which helped in some small way to break my fall. White hot agony ran through me and I cried out, trying desperately to stand, huffing blood from my nostrils. Another bolt took me through my flank, another, and then another. Pain, shock, and the surprising weight of the impacts from the bolts took me to my knees. Panting, trying to take a breath through the blood beginning to flood my lungs, I looked up to the alicorn princess who merely held her station, watching me with impassive eyes. “Why?” I gasped up at her. “Why...?” I expected her to laugh at me, to grin at her helpless foe lying before her, or at least smirk. She could do something… Something to make me hate her all the more. Damn her! She was victorious, she could afford to gloat. The goddess knew she could. We’d lost, utterly. I… had lost. Celestia landed a few feet from me, her horn glowing. She needn’t have bothered herself, I was finished and I think she knew it as well. Those beautiful eyes of hers, her brow brought down over them in a frown, bore into mine. “Why?” she asked. “Because Equestria must have peace, wendigo. There has been too much war, too much suffering, the land is scarred and its people are broken. So long as creatures like you exist, so long as evil exists in this land, ponies will never be able to live their lives as they were meant to. Your time is over, monster. The time of darkness has ended. The time of sunlight is now.” I shook my head, “And what about mercy, Celestia? Will you not find any in your heart for those you have vanquished? I will not beg you, but I ask - let what few of my people remain leave in peace. You have your victory.” She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them looking straight up into the blue sky. The princess breathed in deeply, considering her reply. “No.” Her voice never so much as quavered. “I am sorry, wendigo, but my decision has been made. You are too much of a risk to this land, and as much as it wounds my heart to do this, you must all be… removed. For the good of all.” She called to her troops in a voice which echoed through the pass and skies beyond, “Celestians! Now is your time to take revenge upon the forces of the night, against those who would plunge your world into darkness. Strike your enemy down without hesitation. No prisoners.” She took a breath. “No mercy.” I struggled to stand. How could she? Dear goddess, how could she?! There were old ponies here; the sick, wounded, fillies, colts and foals too. Few wendigo warriors remained and most of those were half dead already. If this was the cost of bringing sunlight to the land of Equestria, then I would gladly take the eternal night. This evil bitch was the true source of cruelty in the land. I lay there, helpless, as the death cries of my people rose and fell in the pass, gradually fading away, ebbing into history along with their souls. Somewhere in the distance, I thought I heard a tiny voice, carrying faintly on the breeze. “Daddy…” Oh goddess, my son! Vela… I closed me eyes and felt a tear roll down my cheek. He was gone. We had lost… I had lost… everything. It was all over. My wife, my son, my people… It was the end of our world. What strength now remained in my broken body was pitiful. The pegasi advanced on me, reloading crossbows or drawing swords. Some looked smug, others determined, yet all I saw was death coming to claim its next soul. The reaper had taken a full harvest this day. Whatever these ponies believed I wouldn’t let the bastards take me without fighting to my last breath. Standing weakly, I challenged the alicorn who had arrogantly turned away from me. “Princess Celestia…” I gasped. “You claim to bring the sun, but all you bring is death. Your hooves are soaked in the blood of foals. Your sister spoke truly - you are the true evil in this land. You took my family from me and have slaughtered my people. I will see you burn in Hades, you BITCH!” I poured my magic, my very life energy, into my horn and threw the brilliant blue beam at the alicorn princess. It was all I had left, and yet she deflected it with a shield spell effortlessly, the blast slamming into the mountainside behind her and sending splintered rocks flying into the pegasi below. I’ll say this for Celestia, her expression never changed. She didn’t smile once. I, on the other hoof, even as her beam of white hot energy engulfed me… did.