//------------------------------//
// Calm before the end 
// Story: Night Patrol 2: Awakening 
// by Foxgear 
//------------------------------//

Night Patrol 2: Awakening Chapter 44
By Foxgear



“How are you doing, Vani?” Bixin asked the vanilla-colored rinin in a calm and even tone. That was quite the feat in the younger rinin’s eyes since the two of them were surrounded by dozens if not maybe a hundred enemy soldiers breathing down their necks. 
“Situation is yellow!” She replied concern and fear laced her words as she manned the rapid-fire gem blaster mounted on the turret of the tank. Vani wasn’t even correctly wielding the gun; she was still inside the war machine with only her claw reaching out of the hatch to pull the trigger. Literary firing the weapon blind. Not that it mattered all she had to do was keep the Obsidian soldiers from overwhelming them while Bixin drove. 

Situation yellow was code for, unhurt, and feeling overwhelmed. It was less an official term and more slang for, ‘I’d rather be home.’

“Noted,” Bixin replied, his gaze narrowed through the driver’s visor, giving him a very narrow view of the path ahead. He reached for the front-mounted blasters, shooting a quick burst before straightening out again. Cringing as the tank skidded against the side of a building. “Vani, I know it sucks, but you need to get up and actually aim! Get these flies out of my view!”
“Ooh…” She moaned, but none the less, Vani did as ordered and popped her head out of the safety of the tank to lay down a focused barrage in front and above them. After a total of twenty seconds of exposing herself to harm, Vani ducked back into the tank with several plumes of smoke rising from her armor. The metal scorched and damaged. “I don’t know how many more blasts I can take! The RFB is getting hot too!”
Bixin merely, “Tch.” At their current situation, empty cannon shells rolling across the floor as he turned, the ammo rack completely empty. The tank bounced slightly over the road, a few faint screams coming up from the floor. 
“Must have got a few more idiots.” He remarked. 
Sometimes the Obsidians tried to stop the tank by forming a line on the road and casting shield magic. More than fifty have been killed by running them over. 
Making another left, Bixin checked the gauges, his eyes fixated on the engine temperature. Thanks to gem motors, they didn’t have to worry about fuel, since as long as the gem powering the motor spun, they could operate. 
What they did have to worry about was the gem overheating, cracking, and then exploding. Other things could go wrong, but right now, he was most worried about breaking because the gauge was twenty degrees over the standard limit. It wasn’t in the red, but it was getting there. 
“Vani, what’s the operation time of this model?” 
“Umm, hold on, I’ll look!” Keeping her claw on the trigger, Vani reached over and grabbed the operator’s manual. Something landing on the roof made her pause and shoot fire out the open hatch, before skimming through the table of contents again. “Right, when running at infantry marching speed, max five miles per hour, operation time is estimated to be seventy hours. At blitz speed, thirty to fifty-five miles per hour, operation time is roughly twenty hours with no shutdown.” 
Bixin bit back a growl doing the math in his head. Having to multitask so much made time slip his mind, so he didn’t know how long they’ve been running the tank hard. That being said, they should be nowhere near the operation time limit, which means the engine might be damaged in some way. There was no way to check without stopping, though.
“At least we haven’t been tracked yet.” He mumbled while making another turn, using the compass to roughly guess where they were, since near of them had the time to look at a map. 
“All…bzzz….repe… all allies… prepare… for… bro…ar…w…”
“What as that?” Vani reached for the gemcom mounted on the wall of the tank, turning up the frequency. Loud static filled the interior of the tank, a broken voice repeated the message with some clarity.
“To all allies, bombardment will commence in four minutes twenty seconds, please get to the safe zones. Enacting BROKEN ARROW, REPEAT BROKEN ARROW!”
Vani frowned, “Broken arrow? What code is that? Bixin, do you know?”
The copper-colored rinin turned back to look at her, his face drained of all color, his eyes the size of pinpricks. “Vani, get out and look for a giant flare in the sky.”
“But…”
“We’ll both die if you don’t! Hurry, we don’t have much time!” 
Hearing the panic in her usually calm and collected commander made Vani stick her head out without further questions. She braced for the pain, but no magic blasts were flying at her. All the Obsidians were staring at the same thing she was, a giant yellow flare hoovering over the castle. 
“Flare over the castle! Enemies are distracted!”
“Get in! Close the hatch!” 
Following Bixin’s orders, Vani took the seat next to the drivers as Bixin shifted to the high gear, the tank rocked revving up to max speed. 
“Sir, you’re going to fast! The engine…”
“It doesn’t matter now! If we don’t get under that flare, we’re dead!”
“What’s even happening! Why are you so scared!”
The tank rocked and veered through the streets, Bixin spared a glance at Vani Lu, completely surprised by her code ignorance. He opened his mouth to rebuke her but stopped upon realizing she wouldn’t know the code due to Celestia’s meddling in the last Patroller class curriculum. Of which Vani Lu was a graduate of. 
“The short version is every cannon, bomb, in the entire area is going to shot at everything not under those flares. And they’re not going to stop for ten minutes. I don’t know what doing the firing, but it’s not a code sent for jokes.” 
“But what about allies that can’t make it to the safe zone?” Bixin didn’t answer. The younger rinin visibility paled and reached for the fire extinguisher. “I’m going to try cooling down the engine.”



The AT-45 driven by Bixin roared through the crystal streets. It bounced over broken roads, crushed rubble under its tracks, and shook off any stray fire from the Obsidian forces. Black smoke poured out of the exhaust, a loud grinding sound coming from the engine, but it pressed on. 
Sombra’s soldiers were beginning to remove their gaze from the flare hoovering over the castle and turned back to the machine that terrorized their streets. One officer shouted they charge their horns to the max, and they did. Firing a focused barrage of blasts. 
The maxed-out shots slammed against the armor plating, which was scratched and dented from hours of fighting. This last barrage brought out a cheer for the black army as pieces of reinforced metal flew off the tank. 
“Keep hammering them, boys!” The officer shouted with gusto. Envigored by their success. They continued to fire wave after wave of charged shots on the tank. Scorch marks littered the armor, some armored plates melted, yet the machine kept running. “Aim for the wheels!”
A squad of five took up the job. Flying low beside the tank, avoiding debris and the enduring high-speed pebbles that the tank kicked up. Warily they eyed the top of the tank, expecting the gunner to pop out at any second, but the weapon that had been keeping them at bay remained silent. 
“Ready!”
“Same!”
“Then, fire!” The squad leader shouted, and all five shot their blasts at the track. 
It broke, the interlocked metal snapping, but the soldiers didn’t get to celebrate. Hot broken pieces of metal flew in their faces. And they were heavy. At the tank's current speed, a shot to the head that would have had the same result. The shrapnel tore all but one of them apart, flinging their bodies into the buildings lining the street. 
The Obsidian Officer who gave the ordered watched tensely as the tank continued to roll ahead. Sparks were flying everywhere. The drive wheels continued to spin, keeping the tank moving. He thought he sent his comrades to die for nothing, but he noticed the tank suddenly lost a lot of speed, and it was no longer driving straight. 
“Yes…” 
The tank skidded onto the castle road, coming to a dead stop, black smoke rising from the back. 
“YESSS! Come, comrades! For the King!”
“For the King!”



Bixin cursed, slamming his claw against the controls. “Dammit!” He peered through the driver’s visor, they weren’t even half a mile away from flare, but they wouldn’t make it on foot. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Vani!”
“Wha…wha!” The vanilla rinin was cut off by Bixin grabbing her and shoving her down the floor escape hatch. Bixin locked the top hatch and climbed down with her, making things uncomfortable as his body pressed against hers. “Commander…”
“Dig.”
“What?”
“I said, DIG!” He stressed quietly as he could. 
Being an earth rinin, digging was easy for Bixin. His claws were dense, perfect for breaking apart rock. The crystal street was no exception. He bore with fervor tossing dirt and broken diamond into the tank without regard. In seconds he dug a hole big enough for himself. 
The radio crackled. 
Without hesitation, Bixin grabbed Vani Lu, threw her in the hole, and covered her body with his own. Black fur hoovers appeared in front of the tank, and behind, along with peering eyes. 
A loud whistling sound filled the air. 
The Obsidian looking under the tank now looked up in the air. “What is that…”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
High explosive eighteen-inch shells fell like rain upon the city. The ton and a half-shells bulldozed their way through the thin crystal walls, a far cry from the sixteen-inch reinforced steel they were designed to punch through. The buildings might as well be pinatas getting hit with a steel bat. Entire buildings collapsed, only to be blown back into the sky when the explosives denotated after hitting the ground. Flaming debris flew like shrapnel, spreading fires and creating even more destruction.   
Beneath the tank, which by some miracle had yet to be hit, but would defiantly not survive a single shot, Vani Lu screamed her lungs out. Confused and frightened beyond her wildest fears. The ground shook like an earthquake and didn’t stop. 
Bixin could do nothing to ease his young subordinates’ fears because there was nothing he could do but lay over her and hope by some miracle they didn’t get hit. Shockwaves from the shells made the tank wobble above them, even lifting the thirty-three-ton machine off the ground. 
There was no pause in the shelling. The next volley struck not far away, pieces of stone and metal pelted the tank, flying through the three-inch armor. 
“BIXIN!” 
“JUST STAY DOWN!” 
“BUT, YOUR BACK!”
He didn’t understand what she was talking about. Then he felt something rolling down his body, something wet. Taking the risk, Bixin moved his head back, so it wasn’t pressed into Vani’s mane and saw the young rinin was splattered with blood. His blood. Shrapnel had cut up him up.
Laying his head back into the hole, he reassured Vani it was ok. That they were going to be ok, even if he was lying. The chancing of them surviving this were in the single digits. How did he know that? Well, after they bombarded the Prench capital with the Nightmare, only nine percent of the residents in that AOE were left alive. That was still a few thousand, but most of them had been underground, not in a hasty dug hole that wasn’t even big enough for two ponies! 
The tank suddenly flipped over carried away by a nearby blast and slammed against the outer castle wall. Bixin hugged Vani tighter in a vain hope that his body could shield her from the next explosion, or maybe it was to give her some comfort. 
Death whistled above. A shell was careened towards them, even a non-direct hit would be the end. Bixin closed his eyes, Vani sobbed against his neck, and he stroked hair. 
“Sorry, Vani…”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three shells hit right on top of them. 
Bixin blinked, Vani blinked. They were still wrapped around each other, but they were on flat ground, not in the hole, not only that they were under the flare! Untangling themselves, they sat with wide eyes at the crater that should have been their graves. 
“It’s a… bluggh!” Vani’s happy cheer was cut short by hard cough and blood flying out of her mouth, she doubled over, coughing more and more blood.
“Vani!” Bixin too fell prey to the same thing. Blood poured from his mouth, his organs felt like they were on fire like they were dosed in whiskey and then stepped on. “What’s… going… on…” Every breath hurt, he’d never felt this kind of pain before or anything remotely close to it. 
The copper Rinin fell on his back, sprawled on the ground, gazing up at the sky. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the flare when a shadow stepped over him. One he knew, yet seeing the familiar face didn’t put him at ease like should have. 
“Commander Topaz?” Bixin mumbled weakly, trying to stand, but Topaz put his claw on his barrel and held him down. 
“Rest,” Topaz commanded in a weird mixed voice that sounded like two ponies talking. One seemed like a mare’s voice. 
(What the hell?)
“You look like you need a rest, Commander.” Bixin’s eyes darted around, the bombardment was eerily… quiet. They were surrounded by some sort of silver bubble with runes far beyond his understand floating in the air. 
(What happened to him?)
Topaz wasn’t looking very pristine. Scratch that, Bixin wondered how the hell the orange rinin was even standing! He was covered in gashes, not cuts, gashes! Large bloody wounds that would have killed a pony twice over. Yet Topaz tilted his head like he didn’t even notice, and Bixin saw no blood was flowing from the wounds like some force was keeping in the body. 
That was a problem. Topaz had no healing ability, at least none Bixin knew of. 
“I cannot,” Was Topaz’s response, in the same mixed voice. It was here Bixin caught Topaz’s eyes, which Topaz had been avoiding. There was a silver hue running around the commander’s irises. 
Bixin pushed Topaz’s claw off and stood, and was finally able to see the white-coated rainbow maned pony standing like a complete statue behind Topaz. He bet twenty bits that is Rainbow Dash. 
“Who are you?”
“That’s Commander Topaz,” Vani stated, weakly rising to her feet. “Right? It looks like him?”
Bixin ignored her. “No, it’s not. At least not upstairs. Who are you?” He pressed, baring his fangs. 
“I can’t tell you.”
Bixin nodded, smiling like he didn’t have a care, before punching ‘Topaz’ in the face. ‘Topaz’ blinked out his sight faster than any teleportation and appeared three feet to the left. 
“Please don’t do that. I’m exhausted enough.” The bubble around them shook, then stabilized. “See?”
Vani hurried to his side, the vanilla rinin crouched for an attack, looking between Rainbow and ‘Topaz,’ “Whatever spell you have on the commander release it!”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” Barked Bixin, losing his patients. 
‘Topaz’ sighed, exhaustion seeping from every pore of his body. “If I do, then I can’t come back, and Topaz will die. My… magic is keeping his wounds from taking his life.” 
“How do we know that isn’t bullshit!”
“Do you really want to test my words? He will die unless he receives treatment.”
“Good thing I’m here then, huh?” A chirper voice said. 
All eyes turned to the newcomer. Her raspberry scales and hair were unmistakable. It was VeeVee, Night Patrol’s best field medic, standing here unharmed, right in front of them. What are the odds?
“What? You guys don’t look happy to see me. And I came all the way through…” She pointed to the burning city. “That! Just to help those in need.”
Bixin narrowed his eyes, “State your number.”
VeeVee rolled her eyes, “Night Patroller 099, my room number on the Nightmare is 203, my roommate is Green Heart, also a medic and Doctor BlueCross’s niece. My favorite food is…”
“Ok, ok, your VeeVee, but how did you get here? Where is your escort team?”
VeeVee snorted, “As if we have the troops to spare. I left my team to take care of Blue Cross and was tending to troops on the frontline when we broke through the city’s shield. When I heard reports of Topaz cutting his way through the city, I decided I should go support him. I did find you, but since you were doing a thorough job of killing everypony in your way, I hanged back. I tried to approach you several times, but you kept running off. Thankfully I managed to keep up, huh? I mean, look at the city burn. I haven’t seen a sight like that in a while. Reminds me of that mission in Prance.”
“That all seems highly unlikely,” said ‘Topaz’ glared at the medic, but Bixin moved between them. “But not impossible, I suppose. Can you heal this body?”
“Easily,” VeeVee chirped, peering around Bixin. “But it’ll cost you. Give and take, you know? Let’s start with something easy. Why don’t you give us a name? It doesn’t have to be your real one, but some we can call you because you’re obviously not Topaz.”
“Call me Evening Shimmer, Eve, for short.” 
“Eve, huh, interesting, interesting. Did you know the original Evening Shimmer?” VeeVee inquired with a fascinated gleam in her eye. 
“That depends, did you?”
VeeVee shrugged her wings, “I heard the name before. So, I guess I’ll heal that nasty gash on the leg first.” 
Puffing up her chest, pink fire built up inside VeeVee’s stomach. When she exhaled, sparkly bright pink-fire shot from her mouth hitting Eve/Topaz’s injured leg. Unlike the others of her kind, the pink flames mended wounds rather than caused them. The wound closed completely and scarred over. 
“All better. Now and I’ll just rapid-fire theses off to save time, what is your objective, and do you have to stay in Topaz’s body or can you transfer to another?”
Eve frowned at VeeVee, “Your willingness to bet with your friends’ life, I find appalling, but as I am hijacking his body, I can’t judge. I’m here to save a pony, a mare, captured and held prisoner in the castle. And yes, I can move bodies.” 
VeeVee smiled wickedly, stalking around the group, sizing each of them up. “Alright, good, good, we might be able to do something with this party then. First, before I fully heal Topaz, I want you, Eve, to move to Vanilla Moon.” 
“What’s your game VeeVee!” Bixin got up in the raspberry rinin’s muzzle, pressing his snout against hers and baring down with blazing eyes. “Don’t go volunteering, Vani Lu, for things you’re not willing to do!”
She chuckled while backpedaling away from the copper rinin. “Sorry, sorry, I misspoke. Let me reword that. Vani, you would please kindly let Eve take over your body? Topaz will be much more useful if she’s not hijacking him, and you became much more combat viable with her inside you. I would obviously volunteer myself, but I’m the white mage, so that’s a no go.”
“VeeVee…” Bixin threatened, still not happy. 
“I’ll do it,” Vani said suddenly, her head hung. “I’m weak, I can’t really fight like other rinin, I’m just a tank operator. If it will help save our friends. I’ll let Eve control me, as long as I get my body back.” 
“Of course, it will be only temporary,” Eve assured the vanilla rinin with a smile. “I promise. When I leave, you’ll be as healthy as you are now.”
Vani nodded, though, from her shivers, it was apparent she was nervous. “Ok. Do it.”
“Wait!” Bixin interjected, getting between Eve and Vani. “Why are you so eager to change bodies? Topaz is the stronger vessel? Why switch?” 
Eve's frowned, looking away with a slight blush, “Because I’m a mare, being in a stallion’s body is one, weird, two makes harder for me to control Topaz, three Topaz is very strong-willed and has been trying to kick me out. So a more willing host would be appreciated. A female one is a bonus, and even if she is physically weaker, I’m not the brawler type anyway.”
“Mistress, I sense Rainbow Black is in distress, suggesting we move along,” Rainbow said, robotically speaking for the first time. 
Bixin turned up his lips, growling at Eve, but stepped aside. “Fine, but if you so much as…”
“She will be fine. VeeVee if you would please?”
VeeVee engulfed Topaz’s entire body with her fire, healing it completely. “It’ll take a little time for the new flesh to toughen up, so be careful, or they’ll burst open again.” 
“Don’t tell me that, tell him.” Eve rebuked, touching her claw to Vani Lu’s muzzle. A silvery image of a pony floated out of Topaz’s body and flew into Vani Lu’s. The vanilla rinin went ridged, and silver rings appeared around her yellow eyes. 
Topaz shook his head, blinked, and looked around completely confused. “What the hell is going on?” He turned around, witnessing the city bombardment. “I’ll repeat what the hell is going on?”
“Feeling better, Commander?” VeeVee brushed up against the orange rinin, making him turn a slight shade of red. Topaz coughed and stepped away, took a centering breath, and tried to piece his fragmented memory together. He remembered fighting. A lot. From the vivid, yet blurred, memories he cut down a lot of ponies. Over a hundred from what he estimated. 
Topaz resumed his usual stone face expression. “What’s the situation? What is your mission?”
“We’re going to go save our friends, of course!” VeeVee cheered, taking point. “We better hurry too, the bombardment is almost over.”
It was the truth. The flare was barely half the original size. In less than a minute, it would go out, and the cannon would stop firing in fear of hitting friendlies. 
Topaz pulled VeeVee back, taking point for himself. “Fine, explain on the way. I got business here anyway.”
--break 
In the middle of the wasteland that had once been rolling hills of crystal green grass stood three sons of Sombra. Erebus, the first son, Scath, the second son, and Schatten, the fourth son. All three stood in silence. Disbelieving their own eyes. 
Such destruction. In such a short amount of time. Entire battalions, no their whole army, the army their father spent all his later years growing, training and fielding. Ten thousand Equinox. Specially bred ponies mixed with Shadow ponies, unicorns, changelings, and incubated by Crystal Ponies. The best mix breed soldiers they could make with what little resources they had. Over fifty years of research, breeding, and experimenting. 
Gone.  
In ten minutes. 
The brothers watched what troops survived by the skin of their teeth or by lady luck’s blessing. The warriors mentally conditioned to handle any situation were balling like newborns. Their strangled, mad cries echoed across the battlefield. Many of them screamed at the sky, driven insane by the horrors they just experienced, and unable to accept it. 
One pony waked in front of them in a daze. He didn’t knowledge them. He walked past, dragging a pile of meat in a makeshift sled made from his cape. 
“You’ll be fine… I’m getting your help… you’ll be fine…” He repeated that over and over again, tears falling down his face with abandon. 
It was the face of a pony who was utterly broken. 
Another Equinox stared at the sky; he wasn’t more than a hundred yards away. He turned to them, saluted, and overcharged his horn without releasing the magic. 
Pop…
He fell over dead. His head blown off. 
“Why…” Schatten uttered, his voice barely a whisper. “He survived… why did he…”
“He was weak, that is all.” Scath retorted in disgust. “Better off without him.” 
Erebus said nothing. Watching the ghost of the pony mingle on the mortal plane before being wept up by the reapers. His ears twitched, a sympathy of organized movement taking place in the distance. 
“Look there.” 
Schatten looked east. The iron airship was obstructed by the smoke and fog that littered the battlefield. But he heard it too. Ponies were line up on the ground. Warriors in different colored armor formed ranks barring flags. He didn’t know what they meant, but Schatten theorized they represented their individual clans. 
At the center, between a blue and red block, was a column of white-clad ponies. They bore the same symbol as the on the flagship. A coiling dragon wrapped around a katana, the head clan. 
“How many are there?” Scath swirled around. Enemy soldiers were encircling the entire perimeter of the barrier, three-rows thick, spanning a hundred ponies across. “fifteen divisions, that’s…”
“4,500 soldiers,” Erebus answered. “Not as many as I feared, but more then we have now. They’re rested and fresh for the fight. While our forces are scattered and terror-stricken. We must rally them or what remains will be slaughtered without a fight.”
“Rally them how? They’re mentally crushed!” Schatten pointed to the pony that killed himself earlier. “Who knows how many are about to do the same as that one?”
“I have an idea.” 
“What’s that Scath… Scath! 
The fourth son of Sombra screamed his brother’s name, Scath ran full bore across the blackened battlefield. Whinnying at the top of his lungs, brandishing his sword wildly and then pointing it forward. The disheartened and broke soldiers he ran past looked on with dead eyes, remaining where they stood, but then one ran after the Second Prince. Then another, another, and another. Soon a crowd of ponies formed, forming a black arrowhead formation as they charged the colorful lines of their enemies.
“Soldiers of Sombra! Those prepared to kill should be expected to be killed! Waste no time clinging to life, but push forward and fight until there’s nothing left!” Scath bellowed, earning a hearty cheer from the soldiers. “For the Obsidian Empire! For our King!” 
“””“YEAH!””””
Erebus closed his eyes and laughed, “Sometimes, bravado trumps actual strategy.”
“You can’t be serious, this is reckless, brother!” 
“Yes, and that’s just what we need.” Erebus faced towards hole the Equestrians had dug, spying the face of Fierce Fury as he helped Sixes onto Octane’s back. Triple Thunder and Hazel Thunder stepped forward, puffing up their chests. “Let us not forget our own prey here, Schatten. If we kill them here, it will surely raise our morale.”
“Are you finally going to fight without foolish restrictions?” Schatten twirled his spear but found balancing hard with his missing leg. His weapon flew from his aura, now engulfed by Erebus’s. 
“Let me borrow this.” His elder brother said, making a few practice swings. “Time for you to go home.”
“Wait, I can…” Schatten words were cut short, he disappeared, forcibly teleported from the battlefield. 
The eldest son took a breath to center himself. (I won’t be far behind a little brother, but I need to kill a few of them.) 
With a roar, Erebus charged, calling upon his spirits to boost his waning strength. A bright aura surrounded him, bringing him up to at least seventy percent of his power. He silently cursed his aunts' limited magic capacity but kept it to a minimum as he brandished Schatten’s spear. 
He jabbed for Triple Thunder, the three-headed rinin backstepped and the left head firing blue lightning. Hazel galloped towards his rear, charging a thunderbolt. Erebus threw the spear at Triple and shot a magic blast at Hazel. Winging her before she could fire. He recalled the spear just in time for Triple’s second and third heads retaliation, the left hollowing from a nasty gash on its face, it’s left eye bleeding. 
(I guess we’re all far from a hundred percent.) Spinning the spear like a drill, Erebus aimed for Triple’s center of mass and fired, but the three-headed rinin suddenly split into a three. A grey one and two light blue rinin. One of the blues held his eye, the other buzzed with electricity, it’s horn sparking wildly. 
“You don’t hurt my bro!” Jockey snarled, shooting a scattershot of lightning. Without Shock to aid him, his control was horrible, the shotgun blast of thunderbolts flying like a throw from a drunken baseball pitcher. None landing anywhere near Erebus. 
“Jockey!” Trifecta pushed the Thunder Brother to the ground, the spear gashing his left foreleg. The triplet tucked and rolled, dragging Jockey with him as the spear made a comeback. “Hazel!”
“Gungnir: Double Shot!” 
From behind him, Erebus sensed the two powerful attacks coming at him. With no time to teleport, he spun his spear, adding his two shattered pieces of the Crystal Heart. The spear grew in size, becoming encased in black crystals. The first Gungnir bounced off the shaft, and the second he smacked with the tip. The attacks making two perfectly sized holes in the ground, each one three feet deep. 
Keeping his spear close, Erebus fired magic buckshot at Hazel, who used lightning teleport to fly over to her comrades’ side. In brief pause, he noticed Sixes and the others were getting away. 
“No,” He declared and teleported in front of the fleeing Equestrians. Prince Cadence fired a Gatling Barrage from her lances, but the shots were so weak and random he didn’t bother blocking and charged into their ranks. He knocked the princess aside, smashed Fury with the spear, and went for Octane, who was carrying Sixes. The half-blind rinin stared him down with blood-filled eyes, he coughed and wheezed, but no gold, lava, or fire would come from his mouth. 
“You’re done!” Erebus raised the spear for the final strike. When pink fire filled his vision! He reared back, Octane rushed past him as three figures fell from the sky before him.
“Tri-head formation! Blossoming Breath!” Three voices cried out together. It was the Blossom sisters, Sakura, Momo, and Kaki, Trifecta’s nieces. Each of the pink rinin blasted Erebus with their fire, the flames growing stronger and hotter, turning white. 
Steel flashed, Erebus with his coat ablaze blocked the swords that would have opened his neck. Kaki, the eldest sister, growled, pressing her blazing pink katana closer, burning through the spears protective coating. 
“KASAI!” She bellowed, runes glowing on her blade, absorbing the flames and turning the edge a bright pink. Her katana cut further into the spear, and Erebus teleported away, the flames licking his body went out, and the burns began to rapidly heal. “Momo, Sakura!”
Momo nodded and pulled a round ball with a fuse from her saddlebag. “Peach bomb! Going out!” 
Sakura sprayed fire onto her sword and swung, unleashing a blazing pink arc. “Cherry pedal slash!” 
The two attacks hit and made a massive explosion that sent hundred of burning pedal shaped flames at Erebus, igniting his fur. The first son screamed, his entire body ablaze. 
“You wretches!” He barked using magic extinguish the fire, the burns on his body healing fast, but not enough to spare the sisters from a very ghastly sight. 
“Ew… that’s gross.”
“We were trying to burn him alive.”
“Gods, put some salt on him, and he might taste good.” 
Kaki and Sakura looked at Momo, the youngest, “What? We have canine teeth! It would be weirder not to get hungry!”
The elder sisters looked at the youngest with contempt. “This why ponies think you’re weird, Momo.”
“Says the fish eaters!”
“We all eat fish!”
“Fish is gross! It’s so greasy!”
“What kind of fish are you eating?”
“Both of you shut up!” Kaki snapped, lightly biting both of her sisters on the ear. “Stay focused! Besides, rice and sushi are the best.”
“Enough of your foolish prattle!” Erebus came in swinging. The triplets scattered, breathing fire from all sides. A magic shield surrounded the first son, who glared through the whirling pink flames. “Kill them.”
At his order, three of the spirits that had been sustaining his power flew at the sisters and wrapped their ghostly limps around their necks. The effect was immediate, with the three sisters fighting against the invisible force strangling them. 
“Necromancer!” Kaki spat thrashing around. Tears involuntary welled up in her eyes as she fought for breath. 
“I’ll start with you.” Erebus sluggishly brought his spear to bear on the Nippon Rinin. The weapon shook, his aura in flux.
In his ear, his mother whispered, (Your body cannot take anymore, you must retreat son!)
“No, I can…blgh!” Blood poured from Erebus' mouth. The spear clanged to the ground, the magic holding it gone. 
“RAGH!” Trifecta tackled Erebus, and so did Fury, both rinin laying down a rain of blows that the first son did not have the strength to block. “DON’T! FUCK! WITH! MY! NIECES!” Trifecta yelled with each strike. 
The concerned uncle watched the pink triples turn blue around the neck. “Fuck!” He grabbed Erebus’s neck with his claws and SQUEEZED! “Let them go! Let them go, or you die!”
“Kill him, and they live!” Fury shouted, which caused Erebus to laugh despite his situation. 
“Don’t… be… so… sure…” The first son wheezed out. Trifecta’s grip slackened, and Erebus took the chance to kick him away and rolled over Fury to jump to his feet. “Sorry, mother, but…”
Red Rum rolled her eyes, climbing off Erebus’s back to snatch Fury by the neck. Rosy, the last spirit, grabbed Trifecta. 
While the five ghosts slowly strangled the five rinin. Erebus circled around for any more surprises. Much to his disappointment, Sixes had gotten away, along with the princess and the other two. 
“Drain their life force, quick, its time to retreat.” 
Erebus searched for Scath, but couldn’t find him in the massive mob of ponies engaged in battle. He did come calculations for their remaining forces. Open warfare was impossible now. The only course of action was to retreat to the castle and use the hostages as leverage. So long as the Equestrians weren’t willing to bombard the fortress, they could, in theory, kill the enemy leaders, heavy hitters, and technically win. 
(No, that won’t work, it would be better to capture ponies like the Princess. If we kill them, who's to say the pony in command won’t just bombard them hostages or not. We need to stay in a position where they’re reluctant to use those monstrous cannons.) 
While lost in his musings, a shadow flew over him. An enormous shadow. Erebus looked up to see the red rinin from before. One that had taken that bull pony away. 
Ruby Blaze. 
“Coming in hot! Ready to go, Princess!” Ruby slammed to the ground in her dragon form, towering over Erebus. From her mane poked the head of one Princess Luna. 
Luna’s horn was alight with brilliant white magic, Ruby’s body pulsed, a sparkling ball of pure light flying from her to the Princess. 
“Untainted soul, let thy light radiate through darkness and fill it with light! Pure Maiden’s Virtue!”
A wave of pure light shot from Luna’s horn, rolling and crashing like an ocean storm. When the magic wave hit Erebus, he felt a burning tingle run throughout his body. All his healed wounds bubbled black ooze, popping like boils, leaving behind unscarred new flesh. He felt reenergized. 
He laughed genuinely, gazing up at the Princess. “What is this? Taking pity on me? What sense is there to heal your opponent?” His words were cut short by the screams; only he could hear. Erebus whipped around to see his mother and aunts’ spirits beginning to dissolve. 
“No…NONONONONONOO! Mother!” He ran towards her, screaming. She merely sat on the ground, slowly fading before his eyes with a smile. 
(You’re on your own now, I’m afraid. I love you, Erebus. Take care of your siblings.) 
Then she was gone. They were all gone. For the first time in his life. Erebus was truly alone. 
“Get him!” Fury and the others rose up, all baring their fangs. Ruby loomed behind him, with Luna in the midst of casting another spell. 
Erebus roared, his horn ablaze with magic, they all thought he was going to attack, but in a fantastic display of levelheadedness, he teleported. 
Far, far away. 



Scath felt first felt Schatten’s presence vanish and then Erebus’s. He knew they weren’t dead, merely retreating to the safety of the castle. He was alone now. The sole son on the battlefield. In their strategy meetings, it was greeted upon by all the siblings, minus Skaggi, who was too young to attend. That if they were overwhelmed, they would all retreat and regroup. 
Naturally, that’s what he should be doing, but he couldn’t. He was too far away, too weak, and enjoying himself far too much.
The Nippon ponies were far too much fun! They all cared swords, in the mouths, their claws, their tails! It was outright astounding! Some attacked with one in the mouth and one wrapped in their tails. Some used their claws, mouths, and tails holding up to six swords! It was marvelous! 
Some ponies that even looked like regular earth ponies had claws. He didn’t know what to call them besides rinin descended. The more he fought, the more he realized there were few if any regular ponies in this army! 
“This is fun!” He laughed madly, blood streamed down his face, he whacked away incoming Nippon warriors with his sword. Scath racked up at least twenty kills from his count. He hadn’t bothered counting the equestrians. They weren’t worth counting. The Nipponese he did. 
It was almost bizarre how each one challenged him one on one, their comrades making room for them to fight. The didn’t even appear mad when they were defeated, too focused on their own individual battles. 
Having sung their praises, there was something Scath found disturbing about the Nippon ponies. Their trophy hunting. They collected the heads of every soldier they defeated, he found that disrespectful to his soldiers who fought beside him. The practice was affecting his unit’s morale. As those waiting for their turn to reach the front saw what lay in store upon their defeat. 
Not they could retreat or even dessert. What soldiers remained on the planes had gathered for this final stand and were now completely surrounded. There was no escape, but to move forward. 
“HEYA!” Scath shouted, his blade ripping through another opponent. His breathing labored, his sword dragging on the ground behind him. His legs slowed until he stood still. In any other battlefield, he would have been cut down, but no, despite being surrounded. The enemy gave him a full birth, and he understood why. 
Across from him was a white male rinin pony. His posture, stance, and elegant, yet practical armor suggested he was of a higher breed. His eyes were red, and his hair silver. Two other ponies of similar dress and style flanked him. The one on the right with dead fish like blue eyes stepped forward, drawing a sword with a gold dragon coiled around the base of the blade, acting as the hilt. 
The pony in the center held him back, though, and stepped forward. “I am Kiri Perfecta Shiroyama, heir to the throne of Nippon, son of King Kusanagi, godson of Celestia Solaris. I challenge you this day.”
Kiri tossed a bottle of glowing blue liquid to Scath’s feet. The second son of Sombra was in disbelief by his opponent’s actions, but took the bottle and drank its contents. A good majority of his wounds closed up, and he felt close to eighty percent again. 
“That could have been poisoned, yet you drank it without flinching.”
Scath wiped with mouth while smiling, “Well, I was sure you’d rather cut off my head yourself. I am Scath, the Second Son of Sombra.” 
Kiri nodded as the surrounding soldiers made room for them. The Nippon Prince rose to bipedal, eyes glowing red, he crouched and placed a claw on his katana hilt. White Lightning crackled around Kiri’s mouth, his breath slow, faint white electrified mist surrounded his body. 
“When you are ready, Scath.” 
Scath licked his lips, unease welling up inside him. (Is this what’s it’s like to face death head-on?)
Inching forward, Scath charged his sword with magic, creating a sinister green aura over the great sword. He crept another inch closer and then another, stopping just outside of what could be called a swordpony’s ‘zone.’ To move even one more inch would put him in range of his opponent’s sword. His own blade was twice as long, his zone twice that of Kiri’s, Scath didn’t attack. 
Not yet. 
He filled his muscles with magic, loosening them, buffing them up, pushing his body to the highest peaks he could reach. Green mist radiated off his body mixing with Kiri’s icy silver aura. His preparations done, Scath took that last step forward.
His last step forward. 
To the untrained eye, what had happened next seemed like a poorly edited piece of film. One moment to the two warriors were facing off, and the next, only one stood. Kiri now behind Scath, swords sheathed and standing quad pedal again. 
Scath remained standing, but there was no life in his eyes, his sword sunk into the ground under its own weight. He appeared uninjured. Until looking closer at the second son’s neck, a clean-cut traveled through the entirety of the black stallion’s thick neck, a slight burn ran along the cut cauterizing the wound close and keeping the heat on the body. 
The speed, skill, and technique to do such a thing were awe-inspiring even to the untrained. 
What had happened was while Scath had been buffing his body, Kiri had been doing the same. His sword was engraved with runes that would increase the blades sharpness, add plasma, and reduce its weight. His armor and accessories were all stamped with runes that boasted his agility, speed, and dexterity. The mist produced from his body increased his awareness and senses. Whatever entered would be instantly telegraphed to his brain as fast as an involuntary movement. 

The moment Scath entered his range, Kiri drew his sword plasma covered blade and sprang forward in a practiced and focused single strike to the neck. His enchanted katana cut through Scath’s thick neck like butter, the heat of the blade reattached the head before it could even begin to fall. However, all the nerves, his windpipe, and all vital body functions were severed, and Scath died on his feet. It was a rare phenomenon, but a standing death occurred every now and then. In Nippon, it was a great honor. 
“I’ll let you keep your head, taking it now would be a dishonor.” Kiri turned around and bowed to the pony. “Good match, let us meet again in another life and fight again.”
His bout with the enemy prince over Kiri reentered the fray, hoping and searching for another opponent to whet his appetite. His vigor spread across the army, and Obsidians fell like grass to the blades of Nippon. 
--break
Forward operating base Bravo was a buzz of activity. The remaining Equestrian forces wept like children as they watched their allies crush the once mighty and seemingly endless Obsidian army. They cheered, clinging to one another, praising the miracle that happened before them.
It didn’t take long for their superiors to berate them and remain on guard, though. And the once lax troops were once again rigged and attentive. They escaped the absolute jaws of death, but it still lingered. And as the smell of scorched flesh and cooked organs reached their nostrils, their mood dampened once more. Some soon realized that the comrades that had been left to lie in the fields would never get a proper grave. Their entire existence reduced to a name and a rusty dog tag. 
Below the wall in the center of the base were the officers resided, the mood retained its cheer as both Luna and Celestia embraced their now battle-hardened niece. Princess Cadence, who had kept her composure steadfast until now, broke down in her aunt’s embrace. Her sobs were deep and pained. She buried her head against Luna’s neck, blubbering out a heartfelt thank you. 
“T-t-thank you! F-for-r-r teaching me! Thank you!” 
Luna, who had just returned on Ruby Blaze, ran her hoof through Cadence’s hair, muttering soft coos to the young princess. “It’s ok. It’s ok. Everything is going to be ok.”
“But… Twilight!” 
Luna’s horn glowed, and Cadence’s eyes grew heavy. “We’ll take care of it when you wake up, everything will be better.” 
Cadence was laid beside her husband, Shining Armor, the white stallion was a nasty sight. Bruised head to toe, his eyes swollen shut, and worse. He was a mess three medics worked to keep him stable. He’d had a rough ride. Being captured, beaten, and then dragged through a warzone to help had not been good for his health. He would have scars, physical and mental, but for now, he needed rest. 
Beside the Prince and Princess tent where two ponies being tended to by a single medic. They were stallions, Smokey Haze, and Goodnight. They were giving General Cobalt their report on the interior of Sombra’s castle. Once it looked like they were done, Luna approached after Cobalt left. 
“How are you two doing? Well, I hope? Goodnight, it’s good to see you’re still alive. Hmm… Smokey Haze… I think I remember you when you were this tall.” Luna gestured his previous height with her wing at the height of a colt. Now he was only an inch shorter than her. “You’ve grown.” 
“Thank you, Princess. It’s a pleasure to serve under you.” 
“Same. I wish I had more time to reconnect before all this.”
Smokey Haze shook his head, seemingly shining, “Think nothing of it. You’re busy. If there is anything I can do to help, please only ask. Especially if some pony is bothering you. I’m really good at making ‘accidents’ happen.”
“Hahaha… thanks, I’ll… um… keep that in mind. Who trained you again?”
“Sixes.”
“Of course, that dry wit must have come from him.” Smokey cocked his head in confusion, so Luna decided now was a good time to switch to Goodnight. “Goody, Goodnight, how are you. You seem able.”
“I am, Princess, I am.” He bobbed his head, his eyes vacant voids. “I… um… well… I lost track of Sweet Dreams. Have you heard… any news?” 
“Cadence reported they were captured together, but that’s all I know. Rest easy, we’ll find her.” 
“Thank you, princess.” Goodnight glanced around, his gaze staying on a particular tent. “We appreciate you coming around, but I’m sure there are ponies that you’d rather be talking too.” 
Luna smiled, patting the former guard on the shoulder. “As observant as ever, at least guarding made you that. I’ll get there, but I don’t want to waste this lull. Once Kira gets here, things will pick up again really quick.” 
“I thought Lady Kira was dead,” Goody said, trying to recall his conversation from Nippon. He wasn’t going to admit to not paying attention, but Kira was talked about in past-tense, right?
Her smile brightened, “So did I. What another, wonderful surprise that any pony in the know could have told me at any point in time.” 
Goodnight let out a soft cough, not daring to glance at the target of Luna’s pointed words. 
Continuing her tour of the inner circle of the Equestrian Army, Luna visited everypony she could, critical or not. Of course, she made sure to get the latest reports from the officers, but with the entire Nippon Air Navy and army now on their side, she was as relaxed as one could be on a battlefield. 
After checking on Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s condition again and being shoed out by the medic on staff. Luna spoke to Hazel Thunder and High Octane. It was more awkward then she wanted it to it be. 
The two monster ponies were friendly and happy to see her and chatted about how they looked normal until hitting puberty and tried to describe their former appearance. Leading to her to fluff up her memories and nod her head. Feeling terrible about not remembering them. 
Octane took a back seat in the conversation, letting the chattier Hazel Thunder ramble on about their training under Kira and how much fun it had been and how Kira had been such a kind and thoughtful teacher. 
(You look like a yellow and crème version of Emerald Cutter, of course, she took a liking to you.) The image of the patroller, no the friend she killed, overlapped Hazel. A tight pain-filled Luna’s chest, suddenly she was so excited to see Kira anymore. 
“We’ll catch up later, Hazel.” Forcing a smile, Luna made a beeline for Sixes' tent. At the entrance, Fierce Fury laid on the ground like a sphinx, apparently guarding the entrance. 
“She’s in there.” He informed her. Not needing to elaborate who ‘she’ was. The steadily rising volume and viciousness of Sixes' voice was another excellent indicator. 
Bracing herself, Luna entered the tent. Sixes and her sister practically at each other’s throats. She wondered what happened to set them off like this. It was uncomfortable. Especially since Sixes' eyes were completely covered in blood, making it look like they had been gouged out. 
Neither one noticed her arrival. 
“I told ya ta leave!” Sixes lay on top of a bedroll, stretching his neck as far he could to snap his jaws at Celestia.
“I’m just worried about you!” Celestia’s horn was alight with what was, no doubt, healing magic. She brought her head closer. “I’m just trying to help you!”
Sixes lashed out with his claw, making Celestia jump back with a soft cry. “I said to keep that fucking thing away from me!”
“Sixes, please, you can trust me, it’s only healing magic.”
The black rinin wasn’t listening, and Sixes' chest began to glow with fire. Luna stepped forward to intervene, but a third party beat her to it. 
Doctor Blue Cross
The very haggard looking cream-colored pony with a blue cross mark stepped between Sixes and Celestia. Physically pushing the two away from each other. 
“Princess Celestia, please, I’ve asked you to leave twice! You know how Sixes gets. Sixes for the last time keep the fires to a minimum, your blood is already way too hot! That’s why you nearly boiled your eyes out of your sockets this time. I told you I can’t craft more than six items in a row in an hour. That gem in your stomach needs to cool.” 
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t act like do this because I like or want to.” Sixes' tone lost a bit of its bite. His nostrils flared, and he turned straight toward Luna, his feature growing much softer. “Luna.”
“Um… Hi.” The Moon Princess greeted, suddenly the center of attention. “I just came to check on you. You seem much livelier now.”
“Drugs will do that. Why don’t we take our leave, Princess Celestia?” The Doctor suggested, all but dragging a disheartened Celestia out of the tent.  
“What was that about? I thought you two were on better terms?” Luna asked, but instead of a response, Sixes grabbed her, embracing her as well he as he could. His claws were all over the place, but she chalked it up to him being half-blind. “What brought this on?”
“Almost dying.”
“Oh, I suppose that will do,” Luna said quietly. For several minutes, probably only three, they just laid there. A soft rumble escaped from Sixes' chest, making it seem like he was asleep, but when Luna tried to get up, he pulled her closer. So, it was more like a purr?
“What were you and my sister fighting about?”
“It’s not important.”
“What if I think it is?”
Sixes' growl changed from a purr to irritated. “Celestia wanted to heal me, I didn’t want her magic near me, simple as that.” 
“Simple as that? Why don’t you want her to use magic on you?”
“I don’t trust her intentions.” 
Her response was a “Huh?” But feeling his agitation against her coat, Luna decided to drop the subject. Eventually, Sixes settled down again, laying his head on the ground and breathing out a long drown out-breath. 
“I’m going to fall asleep soon.”
“Ok.”
“Are you worried about Kira?” 
“Should I be?” 
Sixes took a long time to answer. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I didn’t think we’d ever met again. I didn’t think Kira live this long. I guess that makes her the oldest Rinin, huh? Though, to be honest, I’m more impressed her old gem com still worked.”
As Sixes fell to Blue Cross’s drugs, his eyes closed, leaving Luna to fret by herself at the prospect of seeing the last original monster pony. She nuzzled against the slumbering rinin, trying to ease her troubled heart when the tent flap was thrown open. 
Kiri stood in the entrance, tall and imposing, looking down at her with bright red eyes. “The Great Mother wants to see you. Come with me.” He turned around, looking over his shoulder at her. “Bring him too.”
Before Luna could respond, a squad of red and white-clad mares charged into the tent, grabbed her and Sixes, and placed them on a double-wide palanquin. The Lunar Princess was still reeling when she looked out the window to see her sister also being carried in a palanquin by four beefy stallions. 
Their destination Kira’s flagship, now docked beside their base. 
“Well,” Luna licked her lips. “Ready or not.”	



Three Nippon Iron Airships approached the Equestrian base. The Flagship, the battleship Emerald Cutter, flanked by a smaller destroyer named Red Ronin and the carrier Akagi. The Akagi docked at the wall of the FOB, dropping a long wide ramp from the front of its hull that touched the ground. A procession of soldiers, medics, and support ponies flooded the base. Providing aid, picking up the wounded, and rotating out exhausted troops. 
Meanwhile, the Red Ronin circled to the north side of the base, keeping watch for enemy movements. The Emerald Cutter positioned itself broadside with Sombra’s castle, every one of its guns trained on the looming black structure. 
It held fire, for now.
On the port side of the Emerald Cutter stretched a single ramp that offered access to its deck. No Equestrians besides a select few were allowed to even come near this ramp. Any that dared tried would be stopped by the twelve imposing guards, and if they happen by some chance get by them, the shinobi in the shadows will kill them. Thankfully none even attempted this. 
Traveling up this ramp were three double-wide palanquins, each with two passengers aboard. The passengers were; Princess Luna, Sixes, Princess Celestia, and Fierce Fury, and Princess Cadence and Shining Armor respectfully. Behind them were Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy, though they were forced to walk on their own hooves. 
They scaled the steep slope arriving on the main deck of the Emerald Cutter. The journey didn’t end there. Leading the way Kiri led the convoy up the three flights of stairs to the very top of the ship where his father was waiting. The ponies carrying the palanquins allowed the passengers out, only for them to swarmed by the red and white-clad mares. They were the Miko, priestess of Kira. 
“The great mother is waiting for you,” A Miko in a more elaborate dress with gold accents declared. She gestured to the door behind King Kusanagi, who opened it and stood aside, allowing them entry. 
“She will see you now.” He said. The Miko escorted the group inside, the door slammed closed behind them. Putting them in pitch darkness.  
Luna lit her horn, the light barely pushing back the blackness they found themselves in. “Kira?” She softly asked a small twinge of fear in her voice. 
Two red orbs appeared ahead of them, then lines of jade light. Everypony found themselves engulfed in a powerful aura and levitated into the air. 
“Kira!”
SPLASH!
Luna gasped for air, her head breaching the surface of the water she found herself in. The lights were on now. She squinted using her foreleg to block the blinding rays. It took a moment for her to realize she was using her broken foreleg to do so. 
“A healing hot spring?”
Behind her, Sixes surfaced, hot steam billowing off his eyes, and the rest of his wounds were healing at a phenomenal rate. It wasn’t just him. Shining Armor flailed in the water more lively than before, while Cadence tried to get him to settle down. Fierce Fury’s body glowed, his magic rising quickly. Celestia’s eyes cleared and focused, glaring at the pony that had unceremoniously dunked them. 
“You’re a bit old for pranks, aren’t you, Kira?” 
Kira laughed, splashing water at the Sun Princess with her serpentine tail. “Nah, besides, I might as well be a filly when compared to you, right?” 
Luna gazed up at Kira, the Elder Rinin possessed the air of one long-lived. And looked it too. Kira had aged and changed. 
Before, a thousand years ago, Kira and Luna had been similar in height. Kira being taller only by the points of her horns. Now Kira probably stood equal or if not taller than Celestia. 
Bright shining silver scales covered more of the rinin’s coat, her horns longer and pointed with jade markings on them, resembling a Kirin’s horn. There cloud-shaped tuffs of jade fur on her back legs now. Crow’s feet and laugh lines made her look like a pony in her late forties to early sixties, but she was much older than that. 
Kira entered the pool and wrapped Luna in a tight embrace. “I’m so happy you came back to yourself, Luna.” 
Guilt filled Luna’s heart, she sniffed, embracing Kira tightly as she cried. The sin of her past deed bubbling to the fore. “Emerald… I… I’m… so sorry. I didn’t… I…”
“I know,” Kira said, patting Luna on the back. “I know.”
“But…” Luna’s voice distorted, becoming an unintelligent wail. “It’s my fault. I killed her!” 
“I know.” Kira’s voice was filled with a variety of emotions. It was hard to discern, which was more prevalent. Anger? Pity? Sadness? It was hard to say, but love and joy were mixed in as well. “It’s in the past now. I’ve… managed… it’s time for you to do the same. When you’re ready, of course. I’m just happy to have you back, my friend.”
“Thank you, thank you…” Luna sobbed. 
“Oh, I didn’t do anything.” Kira backed away and flicked Luna on the nose. “Come on, smile! You should be happy! I know I am. I’ll be honest I didn’t think Sixes' stone plan would work out. Glad to see you made too, Sixes, Fury.” 
Kira swam over to the two rinin and ruffled their manes, dunking the two playfully in the water. 
“Where the hell do you get off being so high and mighty and treating us like foals, Kira!” Sixes barked, knocking away Kira’s obsessive claw that threatened to dunk him again. 
“Oh, you’re so cute when you’re mad. Just like a little brother.”
“We’re the same age!” Fury snarled between Kira’s dunks, her claws expertly scrubbing their hair. 
“Wrong. Sleeping a thousand years doesn’t count. As far as I’m concerned, you two are the same immature stallions from before. Technically speaking, I’m the oldest Rinin here.” 
Sixes finally broke away from Kira’s playful dunking, snorting smoke from his nostrils, “And just how old are you now?” 
“Five hundred and sixty, that’s how many years I spent living. The rest I hibernated. That last four hundred stretch, I did decide to use Gadget’s potion.” Kira suddenly turned to Luna. “I appreciated the visit, but you could have woken me up, you know?”
Luna blinked, shifting through her memories of Nippon. There had been a very detailed statue of Kira in the top of the castle. “That was you?”
Kira nodded. “Obviously, didn’t you get Trinity’s message?” 
“Trinity’s message, I got Thrice’s message, but nothing from Trinity. At least his descendants didn’t mention anything.” 
“Huh, well, I’ll have to investigate that later. For now, take a soak, I think in seven hours you should all be back in tiptop shape.” 
“That’s not possible!” Celestia protested. “If these are like my healing springs, a pony needs to bath for a minimum of ten hours! For injuries like ours, twenty-four hours to even forty-eight hours would be required!” 
Kira waved off Celestia’s outburst while climbing out of the spring. “Right, right. I don’t really understand it, so, Haibara, you explain it. I got some presents I’m dying to give you. I’ll be right back.”
Haibara, the current Queen of Nippon, and Kusanagi’s wife stepped forward from the line of Miko mares and bowed. “Of course, Great Mother. If our honored guest would please group up, I will explain.” 
Everypony formed a line in the pool while Haibara procured a blackboard from somewhere and began her lecture. Another Miko, a rare Nippon unicorn, wrote on the board. 
For the next hour, the group had to listen to her lecture on the history of the Oki Sakura Onsen. (The Greater Cherry Hotsprings.) Like all things, its originals began with who else, Starwind the Breadless AKA Gadget. 
All through his study of the subject didn’t begin until his late nineties.
After establishing several schools in Nippon after immigrating from Equestria. He, as if on a whim, opened one last school. The School of Magical Biology, Hydrology, and Botany. SBHB for short. 
Naturally, being an Engineer, a mechanical thinger, and a metal tinker, the study of nature was far from Gadget’s specialty. He studied, learned, and experimented, creating a replica of Celestia’s healing springs in only five years. Like every forward-thinking pony, he wasn’t satisfied with that and sought to improve the spring. Make it more efficient, heal faster, with shorter recovery time. 
He did not succeed.  
Gadget, Starwind the Beardless, died at age one hundred, his last five years of study left to his students. Those students were from the Nobility of Nippon, families with wealth, time, and national loyalty, and now the inspiration to pursue this seemingly impossible project. 
Five clans devoted their entire family lines for nearly a thousand years to this effort. For decades to hundreds of years, these families studied, experimented, and eventually through shared interest and the fact everypony thought they were crazy, merged to form The Mizugami clan.  
In 789 ANM, seven centuries later, they succeeded, and the Oki Sakura Onsen was created. 
“To summarize, the Oki Sakura Hotspring works differently from Celestia’s healing Spring. Runes are added to the bath to increase the effects of the water, as well as a particular mix of herbs, salts, and enchantments. To top it off, Mikos bless the water with Purity Magic, allowing the removal of harmful status aliments. This increases the healing effects reduces the time but the trade-off is that’s only for the first use. Our research as shone if the same ponies use it a second time. The effects are reduced by fifty percent. The third seventy-five and the fourth has no effect. We believe this is a similar effect to medicines losing their potency. We're still researching it, but I think that’s everything. Oh yeah, before I married into the royal family, I was Haibara Mizugami. I’m very proud to share my family’s life work with you all.” The Queen concluded with a short bow to the gathered ponies. 
“Why wasn’t this mentioned on my last visit?” Celestia almost sounded offended. 
Haibara tilted her head and smiled in a way that gave of some very negative emotions. “Oh, you mean during my son’s tenth birthday? Yes, I’m the kind of mother that wants to ruin my child’s special day by bringing up international military secrets with a foreign ruler whose also his Godmother. Maybe if you visited more than every fifteen years, you’d better informed.” 
“I sent letters,” Celestia mumbled. 
Haibara snorted, “Like we’d send state secrets via magic letter, you know those can be intercepted, right?” 
Celestia looked away, embarrassed, “I am aware, still…”
“Alliances work both ways, Celestia, we thought it was strange when you didn’t send us a military report in like a hundred years! We had to send our own Shinobi to find out what was going on! Turns out, you just decided to give up on national defense and having a proper standing military.”

“Well…”

“Well, what?” Haibara snapped. “We spend a quarter of our GDP on funding our military, maintaining and updating our equipment. Meanwhile, your back in the dark ages!”

“We’ve done some modernization.”

“Only after Luna and Night Patrol reappeared! Don’t even call that modernization either! You don’t even know, do you!” 
“Know what?” Celestia rose out the water sparks flying between the two rulers. 

“Hai-chan,” Kira’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a sword. The Queen of Nippon bowed to the Great Mother and retook her place in the line of Mikos. “Sorry about that, Tia, but her anger is justified. You’ve been a burdensome ally in recent centuries from my understanding.”

“Our nations have been at peace for hundreds of years!”

Kira rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh, New Applejack, did you know Equestria and Nippon have been allies for a thousand years?”
Applejack shook her head. 

“I see. Princess Cadence, surely you must have known, right?”

“Um… I think I did… maybe…” Cadence smiled awkwardly, before sighing, sinking up to her muzzle. “I may not have known when Aunt Luna when to Nippon.”
Kira laid on her belly at the edge of the pool, looking Celestia in the eyes. “Why did you stop visiting so often after I froze myself.” 
Celestia looked away. “I thought you had died. It was too painful to visit and see all the children that looked like you. I thought I lost my last true friend.” Tears flowed down Celestia’s muzzle. “Why didn’t you tell me you were alive? That you had decided to petrify yourself?”
Kira exhaled, looking tired and twenty years older. “Because I didn’t even tell my own family. I only told one pony, Trinity. I tasked him to keep my secret and pass down the knowledge in his family alone. That plan went to hell because only my family ended up knowing the truth, but things worked out in the end. Minus several other problems, like the castle guards going haywire, somepony stealing my alicorn amulet, and a piece of my treasure.” 
Luna shrunk under Kira’s reverberating glare, “I take responsibility for the amulet and the treasure, but the guards were not my fault. They attacked us.”
“Fair enough, but I expect that blue amulet to be returned to me, Celestia!” Kira looked sharply at the older princess, who looked away. “But that can be left for later. I have gifts for you two.”
Two mannequins were brought in from the door Kira had come through, each adorned in armor the likes of which none of the Equestrians had seen. They weren’t even sure it could be called armor. The helmets were more like circlets. The main body was made of a super-thin piece of metal that ran across the back of the wearer with bare bone hind and shoulder protectors and boots. 
“This is the latest in Nippon magic armor, custom models, The XMA-77 or Daydreamer and the XMA-79, The Nightwish. The X stands for: prototype. Rather than covering the wearer in dense layers of armor, our engineers went the other way. By using a miniature gem core in each piece to generate a protective ‘film’ around the wearer and thrusters to increase attack speed, it follows the philosophy of dodging attacks instead of tanking attacks. We also have new weapons for you too.” 
More Mikos entered the room, two groups of four, each carrying a clothed table. One group brought a set of axes, the head of the Axe modeled after the sun with blades shaped like rays protruding from the circular head. It could be better called a spear or morning star. 
The other group carried a set of iron folding fans. One was unfurled to show off the inside which was inscribed with ruins on every fold, front and back.  
“I present to you, The Neo Axes of Apollo and Full Moon Star Fans, please don’t break or throw these away. They are expensive.” Kira looked sternly at both Celestia and Luna. The two-sister smiled unknowingly, probably thinking she was joking. “I’m serious, the armor and weapons are worth this entire ship, $250,000,897 one hundred percent pure gold bits to be exact.”
Every pony in the hot springs felt their jaws fall to the bottom. “How!” Luna spoke for the group, disbelief in her voice as she tried to fathom such numbers. “How do you afford this stuff!”
“Did you think we were joking when we said we sent a quarter of our economy on military spending? By the way, expect a trade tax, Kusanagi informed me I can’t just keep giving you two expensive gifts for free. Now let’s go over the battle plan.”



The guards atop Sombra’s castle looked on to the smoldering remains that had once been their city. It was where they lived, where their families were, and it was destroyed. The number of refugees fleeing to the castle for safety was much lower than they predicted. Were ponies too scared to try and escape? Or were there so few left alive the hundred or more that showed up at the gate was all there was? 
They didn’t know. 
For the last eight hours, the guns have been silent, creating an eerie silence over the entire city. Rather than fight, all the subjects of Sombra, soldier, or civilian were rushing to the castle. 
While the guards below checked the civilians fleeing with what remained of their lives. They saw movement. The Iron ship docked at the enemy base came to life, its cannons moving. They ducked behind the wall ramparts. The terrible roar of the guns shook the air, and they heard the impacts. Scratch that, they felt them! A brick came loose from the wall. Shockwaves blew like the winds of a tornado. Some guards getting caught up in it. 
For one solid minute, they relived that terror that destroyed their city, and as suddenly as it started, it stopped. They peeked over the walls, wondering if they had died, but that was quickly disproven by their hearts beating like jackhammers. 
“What was that about?” One guard asked the others, looking at the smoke and dust that hid the enemy base from view. The smoke covered a straight line right up to the gate. They, so consumed by fear, wondered what it meant. 
The fog lingered, every Obisdain held their breath, and then they heard it.
Clickclockclickclock
The trot of ponies marching. From the smoke emerged a strange rinin with horns in regal armor, flanking her were their worse fears, Princess Celestia and Luna. And behind them an entourage of ponies. 
The royal sisters stepped forward and, together in their loudest Canterlot Voices, said, “Sombra! Let’s finish this!”