//------------------------------//
// 8 - Reeling 
// Story: Equestria Threadfall 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

A firm clopping knock came from the door. "Apologies, your highness," came the muffled voice of a guard. "Your sister calls for you."

Discord shrugged softly, gesturing with his head for the door. "You'd best get that. Might be a good time to show off your battle scars."

Luna huffed at the idea, but strode for the door without delay. "Sleep schedules are going to be optional at best so long as this persists." She paused suddenly, fixing Discord with a hard look. "If one were to request your assistance, what could you do about this? This feels like something beyond even you, Discord."

"Getting all hypothetical, are we?" He stroked his chin meaningfully. "Well, I can think of a few things, but we may never know since I doubt you'll be asking me."

Luna took a step towards him, a frown creasing her features. "If it can prevent further harm to our people, it would be irresponsible for me not to, but not if it causes more damage than it prevents. Speak plainly."

"That's not usually my style." He produced a card from nowhere. "You can call when you want, but we musn't keep dear Celly waiting."

Luna took the card in her magic and drew it in to have a look. There was a sloppy doodle of Discord on it as if someone had taken crayon to the card to fashion it. She looked up from the card and he was gone. With a soft huff of indignation, she tucked the card away and strode from the room.





Twilight hopped down to the floor of the train. "Are you ready?"

Spike nodded from her back. "Ready as I'll ever be."

They promptly vanished, teleporting right back where they had come from. They appeared with wisps of smoke rising from them, Twilight already trotting ahead despite it. They had agreed it was required, despite the distance involved. They would not be going home, or getting sleep.

Spike pulled out a cloth and was wiping the ash free of Twilight as she walked along beneath him. "Right back to Canterlot. What are we going to do exactly? I mean, I agree, we have to do something, but... what?"

"Not hide in our castle. Ah, excuse me." She moved up to a stoic guard. "I just received a letter from Celestia. I trust she's in?"

"The princess is holding an emergency meeting in the throne room." He pointed the way. "You are, of course, welcome to join." As if he would stop a princess from joining such a thing.

Spike began to wipe himself down quickly. "Hey, where can I toss this?" He waved the soot-covered cloth at the guard.

He took it with a glowing horn. "I'll see it to the laundry."

"Thank you." Twilight nodded before trotting with determination towards her destination. With her own horn she threw open the doors to reveal a gathering of important ponies.

Celestia and Luna were up at the thrones, looking down at local bigshots like Fancy Pants, but also foreign dignitaries, including some not ponies, such as Ember, who was scowling deeply at the entire thing. A scattering of griffons were strewn about as if they had no idea where to be, and perhaps they didn't.

Amira inclined her head towards Twilight. "Good of you to join us." Delegate of the Saddle Arabians, she easily competed with the princesses for size. "Now, as you were saying?"

"We're sure happy to see you, don'tcha-know?" The Whinnyapolis representative nodded towards Twilight.

Celestia cleared her throat softly, a hoof raised to her mouth. "Yes, good to have you, Twilight. As I was saying, this has grown beyond a single calamity, and shows no sign of abating. We must operate under the assumption that it will not stop. Let me be clear, but before I am, I must have your collective word. Our calm heads are what will save the day. We must not panic. Our people will look towards us for g--"

"Why are you talking like people are just going to listen to us?" barked one of the griffons, his arms crossed over his chest. "Get on with it."

Celestia did not allow a frown to touch her face. "Leaders or not, if you are here, you will have to take those reins as best you can. We cannot assume any portion of the world is safe, nor can we accurately predict when a given portion will be struck next. All citizens must retreat to safer positioning. Beneath stone and glass, or they may as well be resting beneath the sky, and the sky is... currently the enemy."

The Whinnyapolis representative whistled softly. "Well, that ain't so bad. Only some ponies in the old quarters will have to move until this blows over. Could be worse, don'tcha-know?"

Luna raised a hoof. "There is more. Where the ground is not covered in pavement, the thread will sour the earth itself. Even if everycreature is safe, we will be left with despoiled land that cannot support crops." She fixed the talkative representative squarely in her vision. "While this is of little immediate concern for metropolises, if your suburbs and surroundings are spoiled, they will no longer send food to you, and your burgeoning populaces will not fare well."

"Speaking of that," suddenly cut in Twilight, approaching the raised platform that held the thrones. "If those farmers are not sheltered as well, they may not survive to even try." Visions of Applejack being washed away under the thread danced through her mind, causing her to clench her teeth rigidly a moment. "We must reach out to everypony, everycreature. This is too big, and too... deadly."

The energy of the room took a sharp dip, eyes turning downwards. No matter what they had faced before... "I hated him," admitted one of the griffons. "I wished he would just die every day... Then he... He went and died. It wasn't a quiet thing either. I heard him scream." He turned away suddenly, a drop escaping his eyes to the cool marble flooring. "Bastard didn't deserve that... I'm... No one deserves this!"

Conversation rose, worried looks exchanged. Luna clopped down a metal-clad hoof. "This is no time for panic. We, here, must act."

"You have that right!" roared Ember, thrusting a finger out across the room as she lifted into the air on her wings. "Moonbutt there was just telling me that Spike--" She turned the same finger to point at him directly. "was busy kicking this thing's butt. It doesn't like dragon flame. Turns out, we don't like it either!" Her voice took on a shrill cry, her small form shaking with the force of her bellow. "Those... things... they took my father! And I am not here to cry about it. This stops, now. Not a single more."

Luna nodded softly at the incensed dragon. "To that end, we agree that their unique ability to conjure flames should be put to work. Dragonlord Ember has kindly agreed--"

"--This ain't a charity." She rolled her eyes mightily. "My dragons will want payment, and deserve it. They'll help protect you, the least you can do is show some gratitude, keep them comfortable, and send them home with some gold and gems to make the trip worth it."

Spike rubbed behind his head softly. "Is this really the time to--"

"--This is exactly the time," cut off Ember with a curl of smoke from her snout. "We're not your slaves, but yeah, we aren't jerks either. So pay us. We're not asking for mountains of gold or nothing, just show you're actually grateful. We'll be up there risking our necks!" She landed suddenly beside Twilight, glaring at Spike. "Tell me you felt safe while you were fighting. Go on, tell me that."

Spike shrank back from her sudden approach. "I... I mean... No...?"

"Because you weren't. You were fighting. Props on that, by the way. You're a bigger badder dragon than I would have given credit for. You fought what took down Torch, not something to sneer at."

Spike blinked softly, looking dumbfounded by even the comparison that he was on any level comparable to Torch. "Wait, he's... he's gone?"

"I don't want to talk about that," she bellowed, flames erupting wildly a moment. Twilight squealed and ducked to avoid being cooked in the moment of emotional display. "Look, that's why we're here. My people aren't slaves, and they don't owe any of you a damn thing. I have to convince them to move, and shouting at them will only get them to move so long as I'm constantly doing it." She brought up her hands and clapped them together. "So--" She clapped with each syllable. "Pay. Them."

Amira inclined her head. "What assurances do we have that they will keep the ground clear of this 'thread'? Is this reason enough to not hide beneath stone and glass?"

Luna raised a hoof sharply. "All effort should be made to have safe shelters, especially during night hours. At least during the day, the approach of this thread can be seen ahead of time and reacted to. The presence of the dragons will minimize damage."

Twilight nodded quickly. "Even in cities, natural spaces will suffer terribly. With sufficient defense to keep them from landing, we can hope to keep our farms and parks as something other than... blighted nightmares." She shuddered softly. "I don't think many of you have seen it, but I flew over mile after mile of what the thread does when it lands. There were no animals. There were no plants. It didn't even look like our world anymore..."

Celestia spread her wings wide. "Equestria will gladly hire any dragon willing to come to its defense." Her eyes turned to Spike suddenly. "You may consider yourself hired, if you are willing. I know a community that would dearly enjoy your protection."

Spike blinked at Celestia softly. "Which one is that?"

"A small rural town," She gestured westward. "Beside the train line. You may have heard of it; Ponyville. Spike, will you protect it?"

Spike went rigid a moment. "Oh wow, I... hope it never lands there... You know I'll do my best!" He saluted sharply at his equine ruler. "I mean... all my friends are there."

"Hey."

He went red in the face, putting up his hands towards Ember. "Most! Most of my friends, sorry."

Ember huffed out some smoke. "Speaking of that, where is Thorax? I know they got hit by this."

"They can turn into dragons, don'tcha-know?" The pony with the fluffy hat nodded sagely. "Bet they're planning to defend themselves right now. I wouldn't be too worried about them."

Spike rubbed behind his head softly. "Speaking of feeling safe. Luna, are you, you know, alr--"

Luna was suddenly at his side, crowding Twilight as she threw a wing over his draconic face. "I am fine!" she declared in booming royal tones.

Celestia squinted before her eyes went wide. "Luna..." The wing that had been used had been concealing the injury, now plainly visible for all to see carving a jagged line down her side where the thread had scored her with its corrosive properties. "My dear sister, are you... Does that hurt?"

Ember threw an arm wide at Luna. "Sister, I know that hurt. Wow, got you good didn't it..." She flew up, kicking out her foot. "Got me right here." She showed where a much smaller line went up between her toes to crawl up several inches along her leg. "I got it with fire before it got too bad. Spike! Why didn't you get it?! You were on top of her, weren't you?"

"I was doing my best," he assured with his hands up placatingly. "We were surrounded by thread! Besides, I think that happened when we... were..."

Luna folded her wings back, revealing Spike properly as she sighed. "I was holding a pony as they succumbed to the thread. They dissolved in my hooves, crying in agony until the very end as they dissolved to mush."

The room filled with gasps and soft murmurs.