//------------------------------//
// Chapter 54- Exodus 
// Story: Of Heaven and Earth 
// by Garuda IV 
//------------------------------//

"Evacuate?! What do you mean evacuate?!" Rainbow shouted. "We can't run now! We need to stay and fight!"

"Not with these conditions," Sol calmly rebuked. "Make no mistake, Rainbow. Once we regroup and think of a plan to counterattack, we will return, fight Chrysalis and Tirek again, and retake our home. But, as much as I hate to admit it, as it currently stands, Chrysalis and Tirek have beaten us. They have launched their attacks in perfect synchronization and have taken us by surprise. To fight back at this point with all of Equestria under attack, and at the disadvantage of having to fight them in the middle of Canterlot, would be foolish."

"But-"

"However, we will need ponies to help fight off the changelings while we evacuate as many ponies as we can. Would that help satisfy you?" Sol asked, looking back at Rainbow with a knowing smirk.

As expected, Rainbow grinned and was already hovering by his side.

"Yeah. I can work with that."

"Very well. In that case, I would suggest that you make your way to the armory and get yourself some armor and weapons. You may be the fastest pegasus in Equestria, but I'd rather not have you risk getting hit without at least some reinforced leather armor on."

"Don't forget about me, here," Eris grinned, raising a paw and putting it to Sol's lips to stop him from talking. "I know, I know. I heard what you said about magic not working against them, but that doesn't mean that I still can't hurt them."

"If it's all the same, Eris, I'd rather you stay and help protect the Elements and their families."

Eris pouted and folded her arms. "I forgot how you can be no fun sometimes... but I suppose it is important," she sighed. "After all, dad did ask me to watch over Fluttershy for him."

"Thank you. Now I need to go. The longer I dawdle, the more ponies Tirek and Chrysalis' changelings will capture."

As Sol and Rainbow made to leave the room, they were joined by Luna.

"I shall find the Captains and give them the order to evacuate, and to give priority to the hospitals and schools. Afterwards, I shall join Rainbow Dash in the armory and retrieve my own armaments before personally assisting in evacuating the hospitals."

"In that case, I will help with evacuating the schools," Celestia stated.

"And what of your armaments, sister? Will you be joining us in retrieving them as well?"

"Yes. I will."

"What about the rest of us?" Rarity wondered.

Sol paused for a moment as he thought about his friends and their families further.

"...  on second thought, I suppose the rest of you should come with me," 

"Where to?"

"To the Canterlot Gardens. That's where I've hidden the portal between Canterlot and the Undercity. We'll be far enough away from the changelings that they won't notice us until I start to open the portal."

"I'll make sure to send some guards to you on the way out," Luna said.

"Thank you. Now let's go."

As the ponies exited the room, Twilight quickly ran up to Celestia.

"Princess Celestia, wait."

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Spike and the others in Ponyville don't know what's happening. Could you send a message to them about what's going on, and to have Discord teleport everypony in Ponyville to the Tree of Harmony?"

Celestia blinked. "Of course I can, Twilight, but why the Tree?"

"Starlight and Spike have Sol's pass to enter the tunnels leading to the Underkingdom. I don't know how long it'll take Sol to do his thing, so Discord teleporting them might be the faster option."

Understanding, Celestia nodded and summoned to her a quill, ink, and parchment, and began writing the letter to Spike.

"Oh, and one more thing," Twilight added, causing Celestia to pause in her writing to give her attention. "Make sure to tell them to bring the mirror portal."

"You mean the one to Sunset's world?"

"Yes. If Tirek and Chrysalis get ahold of it and go through... I know my friends over there can take care of themselves, but the disaster this could cause to their world may be more than they can handle."

With a nod of understanding, Celestia quickly finished writing the letter and sent it off to Spike.





Over in Ponyville, the town was already busy with ponies running in a hurry. As soon as Discord felt Tirek stealing magic up in Canterlot a few minutes ago, he, Starlight, and Spike told the Mayor. Remembering the procedure they had for this sort of situation, she made a town-wide announcement over the speakers, telling them to get what they needed and gather in the town square. As the four stood on the second floor balcony, Spike felt a familiar pressure building in his stomach and turned his head away from the group, letting out a loud belch a few seconds later and catching the letter.

"Is it from Twilight?" Starlight asked while Spike read the letter over, his brow furrowing as he continued to read it.

"From Celestia." The other looked as Spike as they heard the seriousness in his voice. "You were right, Discord. Tirek's in Canterlot."

"Hah! I told you! And here you were doubting me," he taunted Mayor Mare with a smirk.

"It gets worse. From what Princess Celestia wrote, Tirek is working with Chrysalis. She's brought an army with her, and she and Princess Luna have gotten reports that the other major cities are all under attack as well."

"Oh, dear. This is horrible," Mayor Mare said.

"Sol's also ordered an evacuation to the Underkingdom."

"What?! You're joking!" Starlight exclaimed.

"I wish I was," Spike sighed. "Seems as though Chrysalis got a hold of the shards of her old throne, and is using their remaining magic to make herself and her changelings immune to non-changeling magic."

Starlight and Discord shared a concerned look. "So there's nothing we can do?"

"Doesn't really sound like it. At least, not magically. That's why we're being ordered to evacuate all of Ponyville to the Tree of Harmony and take the tunnel down to the Underkingdom."

"Okay, will somepony please tell me what this Underkingdom is?" Discord asked with a tone of annoyance. "I don't know about you, but I don't like it when ponies are talking right in front of me about something that I know nothing about."

"Just get us to the Tree of Harmony and we'll show you."

"Is there anything else?" Mayor Mare asked.

"There is, but it's more for the three of us."

"Well, what is it?" Starlight wondered.

Spike looked up at Starlight. "Twilight wants us to bring the mirror portal with us so Tirek and Chrysalis don't get ahold of it."

"... yeah, that's a good idea. I trust them and all, but as strong as those girls are, they wouldn't be able to handle an attack by both Tirek and Chrysalis."

"Then let's get going."

"Is everypony here, though?"

The four looked over the large collection of ponies that had gathered in the town square.

"I-I can't tell," Mayor Mare nervously replied.

"Discord? Do you know?"

Discord hummed as his eyes scanned over the town. "There are a few still running around town, but... Bah! The heck with it. Waiting for them to all get here is going to take too long."

"Discord, what are you-"

Before Starlight could finish asking, Discord snapped both his paw and claw, pouring more of his chaos magic into teleporting everypony in Ponyville, their carts and items, and the mirror portal, in front of the Tree of Harmony. However, unknown to them all, eight ponies were left behind, each blinking in surprise at what just happened.

"Uhh… what just happened?"

"Were did they all go?"

"I don't know. We blended in perfectly with the ponies, so there shouldn't be any reason why we were singled out when Discord's magic..."

The group stopped looking around the now abandoned town, and down to the black stone hanging from their necklace with a gulp.

"... the Queen is not going to be happy about this."





Back up in Canterlot, Sol led the way through the gardens with Twilight, their friends, families, and a dozen guards who'd been sent to guard them. Knowing where to go, Sol ran as fast as he could, leading the group to where the portal was hidden. Their trek through the garden didn't take too long as he came to a large fifty-foot clearing where a stone column stood on opposing sides.

"This is it," he said before turning back to the others. "As soon as I start, Tirek and the changelings will no doubt sense the magic and be alerted to us. As soon as it's open, I want you all to run through. You'll come out the other side of the portal outside of the Undercity, so it'll be a little bit of a trip to get up to the castle. Twilight, apart from my family and I, you've been in the Underkingdom the most, so you will have to lead them in and help guide them to the castle."

Seeing a nod from Twilight, Sol turned his attention back to the two pillars and lit his horns. As he did, runes appeared on the pillars, glowing gold as more power was poured into them. Seconds later, they felt the ground beneath them begin to rumble as the two pillars extend upward and curve inward. As the pillars grew from the ground, Twilight saw that at the angels they were going, the two pillars would meet in the center of the clearing, creating a massive archway.

So that's it. The portal to the Underkingdom is going to be this giant gateway.

Hearing the two stones collide against each other, Sol started to fuse the two stones together. With the archway now complete, the glowing golden runes started to run down along the front of the archway to the ground. Once the archway was covered in glowing runes, ribbons of golden magic converged from the stone arch to the open space in the center of the arch. As the ribbons of magic converged, they created an ever-growing orb of light that expanded until it finally exploded, forming a portal that revealed the Underkingdom on the other side.

"The portal is open and stable! All of you, go!" Sol ordered.

As the ponies started to run in, Twilight halted in hesitation by Sol.

"Are you sure I can't stay and help?" she worryingly asked.

"No, Twilight. You go on ahead with the others."

"But I can stay! I should stay! You, Celestia, and Luna are all staying behind, so as a Princess of Equestria, I should stay and help defend my subjects too!"

"I know, Twilight, but I'll feel a lot better knowing that you're safe," Sol softly said, nuzzling her cheek as he spoke. "Besides, we got this covered. What you can do is help us with another matter."

"... what is it?"

"Since you're so good with magic, when you go through the portal, I'll need you to go to the control tower and activate the portals."

Twilight gave Sol a confused look before she looked back at the portal where she saw a stone tower sitting.

"You mean that tower?"

"Yes. That tower controls all the portals I've set up throughout Equestria, and I need you to activate them. Now, once you get inside the tower's top floor, you'll need to insert the correct rune key into the slot. That will activate the other portals. Once the portals are open, ponies will start running through in a panic. They will need somepony of high authority to calm and guide them, and that pony is you, Twilight."

Although this wasn't quite how Twilight had thought about helping, it was still more-or-less the same thing. Only difference is that she would be in a safe and secured location instead of out there where Tirek would no doubt be looking for her.

"I will have to have Applejack lead them to the castle for me, but okay. I'll do it."

Thankful and relieved that Twilight will be out of harms way, Sol wrapped an arm around her in a hug with a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, Twilight. Now go. Everypony's counting on you."

Sneaking in a quick peck, Twilight gave Sol one last glance before she ran off into the portal.

"She's quite the pony, isn't she?"

Sol smiled a little as he heard Eris' voice right beside him.

"You don't know the half of it," he said, his smile disappearing a few moments later as he and Eris turned away from the portal towards the center of Canterlot. "So, are you ready?"

"Oh, you know it. While I'm not too big on this attack and all these ponies getting hurt, I can't deny that I am enjoying the chaos that's coming from it."

"INCOMING!"

Hearing the warning shout, Sol and Eris looked up to see a swarm of changelings approaching them before the latter of the two flew off. She knew that her magic wouldn't affect them, but with all of the chaotic energy fueling her, slashing them up with her claw and talon would be a breeze.

"Remember, everypony, magic won't work on them, so make sure to use your shields and weapons!" Sol shouted. "Unicorns, so long as your magic doesn't touch them, you can wield your weapons with your magic and counter their magic with your own!"

"Yes, sir!"

"And make sure they don't touch the portal! I'll do what I can from here, but if they manage to lay even a single hoof anywhere on it, their magic will negate the portal and shut it down!"

Having given them their orders, Sol watched the pegasi fly to intercept the oncoming changelings, earth ponies form a wall of spears and shield, and the unicorns use their magic to block the changelings' incoming magic. Seeing the battle beginning, he closed his eyes in focus as his magic traveled through his claws and into the ground.

"Children of the earth, heed my call in this hour of need. Awaken from your slumber, and aid us in protecting this portal from my enemies."

Hearing his mental command, the plants that made up the Canterlot Garden began to move on their own. Flowers, shrubberies, bushes, trees, and even the plants making up the hedge maze all came to life to answer their lord's call. Reshaping the entire garden as they moved, the trees moved in close to each other, forming a direct path from the castle's lawn to the portal. With the thick and dangerous canopy that the trees created overhead providing protection, the smaller plants moved alongside the trees to help cover what small gaps there were between the trees.

With the pathway to the portal secured, the hedge maze went to cover the stone arch that created the portal. Once settled, it began to grow thorny vines out to cover the back of the portal. Within moments, the entire back side of the portal was covered in a thick layer of thorny vines.

Wiping his brow from not having used his earth magic like that in a long time, Sol looked around at what was created with a satisfied nod.

Looks like the portal is secured, he thought, looking over the defenses the plants had created for him. They won't be able to get to it easily now. Now we just need to hold out until the civilians can get out of-

Sol paused his thoughts when he felt a surge of earth magic coming from multiple, far-off locations. Knowing that Twilight had activated the rest of the portals, Sol smiled to himself and made his way to the mouth of the tunnel to the front lines. Drawing his hammer and shield, Sol stood alongside the guards in defending the line. While he couldn't do too much against the changelings, he saw that there were ponies who where already injured. Raising his hammer and lighting his horns, Sol used the amplifying properties of his hammer and created a pulse of light that passed through everypony, healing their wounds as the light touched them.





Down in the Underkingdom, Twilight watched from the control floor of the tower as the other ten portals all activated. As it turned out, Sol not only set a portal in Baltimare, Fillydelphia, and Manehattan, but also some of the other cities and smaller towns as well, such as the Crystal Empire, Cloudsdale, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, Appleloosa, Dodge Junction, and Starlight's village. Twilight also found it convenient how each gateway had the name of the destination carved on a plaque hanging from the arches.

Is this what Sol did during his trip around Equestria after he was freed? Twilight wondered. That's... actually a little sad. If he spent so much of his time working on these portals, he probably didn't have much time to just relax and take in the sights... that's it. Once this whole thing is over with, we're taking a relaxing vacation around Equestria.

While she thought about her plans with Sol, ponies began frantically entering through the portals, either by running or flying. Seeing this, Twilight teleported out of the tower and hovered in a spot where all of the oncoming ponies could see.

"Everypony stay calm! You're all safe here!" she called out, using a spell to help amplify her voice for them to all hear. "Now if you would, please move a way from the portals in an orderly fashion so that others may come through."

Doing her best to coordinate things, Twilight directed the ponies away from the portal area. A few moments later, Twilight's eyes moved towards the portal from Canterlot as ponies started emerging from it. From the looks of it, most of them were either young foals, elderly ponies, and ponies that had been hospitalized, who where accompanied by medical staff.

Thank goodness.





Things were heating up in Canterlot. As the evacuees arrived and made their way down the tunnel of trees, the bulk of the changeling army in Canterlot had started to converge on the portal's location, along with Tirek and Chrysalis. Thankfully, Celestia, wearing her golden armor and wielding a flaming halberd, and Luna, with her black armor and silvery longsword, were keeping the two preoccupied. Even Rainbow and Eris could be seen battling in the air, Rainbow seemingly ignoring the extra weight from the reinforced leather armor and spiked-leather gauntlets she was wearing as she streaked and whooped across the sky.

While they were busy up in the air, Sol kept to the ground and provided support to everypony. There were a few times he had to get physical with a changeling that got too close, but he otherwise spent most of his time pumping out waves of healing light. However, despite them holding their own against the swarm and two major villains, Sol's constant use of his mass healing magic was starting to take its toll on him.

Tirek's right. I have gotten soft, he mentally growled to himself.

"Sol!"

Sol was snapped from his internal berating at the sound of his mother's voice as she and Luna landed beside him.

"Yes, Mother? " he asked.

"That the last of the ponies that we and the guards escorted have been evacuated. We're pulling the guards back and retreating."

Sol looked over at the burning city. "But what about everypony who didn't make it?"

Luna glowered. "Though I am loathed to say it, we cannot save everypony. Tia, myself, and the guards managed to rescue a few ponies that had been captured, but unfortunately, our time is now up. If there was ever a time to retreat, it would be-"

"Going somewhere?!"

Their attentions were drawn to Tirek, who stood several hundred feet away from them with a orb of powerful magic building between his horns. Right beside him, Chrysalis was doing the exact same thing, along with most of her still-conscious/living changelings.

"Everypony! Get to the portal! NOW!!!"

Heeding Sol's cry of warning, the guards followed his order and started sprinting to the portal, along with Captain Iron Guard and Night Wing, while Luna, Celestia, Rainbow, and Eris remained by his side.

"I'm not letting you face them alone," Celestia firmly said, lighting her horn to help Sol erect a powerful barrier.

"Nor will I," Luna agreed, mimicking Celestia's actions.

Rainbow smirked and brought up her spiked-leather gauntlets. "Yeah."

"Actually, that won't be necessary," Eris said, confusing them all before she snapped her paw, conjuring a giant mirror in front of them. "That should hold them. Let's go."

Hearing the magic bouncing off mirror's reflective surface, the others canceled their spells and followed Eris to the portal. However, as they got half-way there, the sound of shattering glass filled their ears. Turning his head around, Sol saw a massive beam of red magic flying towards them. Skidding to a stop, Sol lit his horns and created a half-domed barrier before the beam hit, causing it to split in multiple directions, but managing to keep it away from the portal. Tired from his constant healing, Sol's magic held out for a while before his barrier started to crack. It was small at first, but started to grow larger as the seconds rolled by. But, just as he thought his barrier wouldn't hold, Sol felt Celestia and Luna's magic reinforcing his barrier.

Grateful, Sol was about to thank them for their help before his barrier suddenly vanished with Chrysalis charging straight at him. Unable to raise his shield to block, Sol was tackled by Chrysalis, who had hidden herself in Tirek's attack and used it to get close to them. With the barriers dispelled, Tirek's beam struck Sol, Celestia, and Luna, but stopped short when Eris conjured another mirror, deflected it away from herself and Rainbow up through the tree's canopy.

Though hit by the beam of magic and Chrysalis, Sol's armor was able to take most of the damage for him, as well as Celestia's and Luna's armor, but not all of it as it still knocked the wind out of him.

"Get away from him!"

Chrysalis, who had Sol pinned beneath her, had no time to react as Celestia spun around and buck her in the side of her head, cracking her carapace with a wet, sickening crunch and sending her crashing against the wall of trees.

"They're coming! We gotta get out of here!" Rainbow shouted.

Seeing Tirek and the changeling charging them, albeit at a slower pace thanks to the plants retaliating at their intrusive presence, Sol was helped up with Celestia's aid and guided to the portal. As Rainbow, Eris, Luna, and Celestia traversed the portal, Sol stopped just shy of it and looked back with a frustrated, panting growl.

"This... isn't... over..."

Giving Tirek and Chrysalis his warning, Sol walked through the portal and sealed it shut behind him, watching Tirek charging at him with Canterlot burning in the background before the portal closed.