//------------------------------//
// Chapter 27 - High Winds 
// Story: Twilight Daylight: The Cold War 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

Panic. The seeming solution around all sides of the war. From Psera to IHT, both now facing a devastating future: Twilight "Arcadia Nova" Sparkle has finally snapped and had enough. She willingly attacked Psera and fled the country, hiding out amongst the violent clouds glowing an unnatural violet with magic. Psera's plan?

Princess Celestia quickly asked the holograms before them, "You said you are sending reinforcements to Equestria?"

Molten nodded her head. "Yes. A few of our Aquatas were damaged by Arcadia Nova, but they survived the attack and are en route to your location as fast as time warrants. We are also delivering our weapons to your coastline. Albeit less magical, Secretary Manny has agreed to assist in any way she can to help stop Arcadia Nova. The Aquatas should be at your coastline in five hours, early morning."

Queen Farue asked, "Do you think that is enough time?"

"Queen Arcadia has the ability to teleport for miles at the stomp of a hoof. We'll be lucky to get there before she does. In the meantime, if you have any sort of battery or cell that holds magical energies, any relic of any kind, then defend it. Because that is where she is headed."

The castle. The Princesses. The Crystal Heart. Flurry Heart. She was coming for all of them. Maybe even more.

Princess Cadance protectively placed her wing over Flurry's body and kept her close. She swallowed hard and asked, "Is there anyway to stop her? To stop her from doing anything?"

Molten closed her eyes and let out a sorrowful sigh. "Unless your mages and magicians can find a way to turn back time and raise the dead, I'm afraid that Arcadia's mind cannot be swayed. She is set on the destruction of magic, cursing it for the death of Madun and Fresh Dawn, and for taking control of her life, placing her in an unmovable position that has always required her to stay still. We will do what we can to stop this attack from the sea and join forces with your own. Until then, good luck."

Molten blinked out of sight, bathing their room in darkness before the inevitable shouting.

"What do we do?!"

"Holy stars, we have to start an evacuation!"

"We cannot hide where she won't find us!"

Celestia shouted, "Every creature, please!" All mouths, snouts, and beaks shut. "If Arcadia Nova is on her way with intent to destroy, then the only logical response would be to protect. The need for that shield has never been greater. Inform your generals and commanders to keep their eyes open. Double our defenses. Psera isn't attacking us anymore. Queen Arcadia is directly, and she was able to topple their navy. We must be prepared for her arrival. She's on the way."

Celestia turned to Shining Armor. "Line the Crystal Heart with mass protection, and place Flurry Heart in a stronghold. She must be protected at all times. Double our defenses around Equestria, especially on the coastline. I want soldiers ready to assist the Pserateps in whatever they need. Not a single speck of dirt is to be uncovered. Not a single seabed free of our sight, and not a single cloud in hiding. You tell Sunset Shimmer to get that shield up and running as soon as she can."

Shining Armor saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

Good. Celestia turned to the rest of them. "What are you waiting for?! Go!!" She boomed in her canterlot voice. They quickly bumped into each other to get to the nearest exit. "Queen Arcadia could be here at any minute!"

Now that tasks were passed out, Celestia turned to Luna. "We'll have to get the armor."

The armor? Luna whispered, "It's been centuries since we've worn those. Will they even protect us anymore? Especially against her?"

"We have to try. Twilight's magic is already strong. Going in naked isn't the best strategy. We have to do what we must." A burning sensation lingered at the back of Celestia's throat, forcing her to continue swallowing the pain and disappointment she felt. Oh Twilight, why?

Celestia turned from her sister and urgently walked out the room with Luna on her tail. "We have to make preparations. I'm afraid sleep will have to wait. Twilight could sneak up on us at any time."

They ran through the halls, past the soldiers setting up defenses inside the castle, and past the room of their asset watching them from the doorway. Meme tracked their movement with her eyes. As a Pseratep, her ears were naturally larger than other creatures. She heard every last word spoke in that word.

Queen Arcadia Nova has finally given in. Her fears and anxiety gave birth to a mare of action. She tracked down her target, and is ready to eliminate it, no matter what or who she has to go through to do it. It seems IHT was that unfortunate obstacle.

Meme turned around and walked back into her darkened bedroom. The door was gently shut, and a small smile tickled her lips. She walked over to her desk riddled with pictures and sights. The plan worked better than expected. Not only was Twilight coming to wage a war against Equestria, she was at war with other countries. Including Psera. Now both sides were equal.

And distracted.

Meme quietly packed up her belongings and popped open her bedroom window, releasing her into the distressed air of Equestria. She could feel the chaos feeding into the air. The sirens announcing an impending attack that demanded that all citizens stay inside. The soldiers flying for Las Pegasus and the major cities. A war was coming.

Meme jumped out the window and took to the air, leaving behind no evidence she was there. Her bed was made, the window was shut, and dust slowly appeared on surfaces. Phase One was complete. Phase Two? Head home.



This had better work. It took a lot of wrestling to get Shaoloh like this, tied up and mouth taped shut. Where they even got tape from tickled in the back of Dawn's mind, but it no longer mattered. They had what they needed. Two descendants of the strongest creatures to ever exist. Time was running out, Dawn could feel a darkness in the air. Something serious was going on behind the veil that kept them from their time.

That's why she and the rest ran through the mountains with Shaoloh tied up and carried on their backs. They had to hurry for the statue. Through the forestry they ran as fast as their lungs could carry them. Thankfully, Dawn and First Light didn't have lungs. They could run for days, climb the highest mountains with nothing to stop them. The others couldn't go like that, a chip on First Light's Shoulder.

"Ugh, hurry up!" She complained in the back of Dawn's mind. "We're almost there!"

"Patience," Dawn said aloud. She could see the gathering of ponies at the top of the mountain, watching them climb with their prisoner in bondage. Lucky the Dragon reached down when they were close enough and helped pull their asset up to the top of the hill so she could finally see their discovery. The statue of the Alicorn, pointing towards the distance.

Impossible. How did they find this? Heck, she couldn't even find it, and the filly without an actual brain managed to find it?!

Dawn walked around and stared into Shaoloh's eyes flooded with questions. "Yeah," she answered. "We found it. But it needs to be activated with magic. We have to fill it up at a certain current or else it won't accept it. You and I both need to work together to get this veil down. I can't do this without you, and you cannot get out without me. So..."

She offered a hoof down to Shaoloh and ripped the tape off of her mouth. "Ouch! Careful!"

"Are you going to help us? Or do I have to lock you up again?"

Shaoloh wanted to buck this filly through a wall. She wanted to watch her fall to the ground from thousands of feet in the air. She wanted to kick her flank so bad that even magic wouldn't save her. But then again, Shaoloh had no idea how to use her magic like that. Dawn did. She was trained and she learned. She was offering her a better chance than anything else. Maybe this was the right choice.

That, and the rest of the creatures were staring down at her with murderous intent.

Shaoloh huffed hot air. "Fine," she promised. "I'll help you get out. Just untie me. These ropes are burning through my wings."

Dawn approached and said, "If you attack me..." She suddenly changed into First Light. "I will rip your lungs out!!"

Dawn quickly took back over to relax the crowd, so they wouldn't lean back and their manes wouldn't be in disarray. First Light has been egging her about getting a chance to come out and scare her. Looks like she got her wish.

Dawn cleared her throat and began snapping at her restraints. "I'll release you, but you have to help us. If you don't, I'll knock you out and use your magic against you. Then leave you here alone while we escape."

"You wouldn't do that." The ropes fell loose around Shaoloh. She rose to her hooves and stretched her wings and joints. "Would you? You need me."

Dawn turned around and faced the statue. "Yeah. For now. Get over here, I'll tell you what to do." Shaoloh walked over to the statue under the glares of the citizens around her. They would keep a close eye on her to ensure they didn't hurt their fair Princess.

She stopped at the statue and tapped her hoof against it. "Can you even feel the magic inside of it?"

Dawn leaned forward and tapped her horn against its surface. "Yeah. There's not enough to activate its sole purpose. We need to fill it up, then activate it to break this veil."

It sounded like a plan. Shaoloh faced dawn, piercing her glowing blue gaze into Dawn's violet eyes. "Is this going to work?"

Dawn nodded confidently. "Yep. I ran the numbers and calculations multiple times. This is how we get out." She faced the statue one last time. "There's just one thing."

"What's that?"

"It may take a while. Now, pour in your magic as hard as you can. Ready?" Dawn touched her horn with the stone while Shaoloh placed her hooves upon the surface of the Alicorn. "On three. One. Two. Three!"



The sun was beginning to rise. With little to no sleep, the princesses, rulers, and combatants on the front lines of this war were up and ready to go. Sunset Shimmer and her team were already at the Embassy of Psera, the previous Castle of Friendship preparing the first test of the shield. A simple conversion of energy should be enough to get the beam into the air and spread out to cover all of Equestria and then some. At least it was expected. With no time to do a full test run, they could only count on basic knowledge and magic theory.

While they prepared for defenses behind the ocean front, Scootaloo and her team were preparing with the rest of IHT's military stronghold on the front lines. On the beaches of Las Pegasus, they set up sandbags, artillery, any weapon they could get their hooves on and as many structural defenses they could grab.

Scootaloo watched them from below, giving out orders to her team while also following a specific order from her captain:

Keep an eye out for the Aquatas. The Pserateps were coming to assist them.

It was still hard to believe what she was told this morning. The war has shifted in a way so unimaginable that now the Pserateps too were in trouble. In a stunning and literal turn of events, Queen Twilight "Arcadia Nova," Saviour of Psera has turned on her own country. According to their sources, the Queen has made a threat to wipe away all magic via Equestria. The Pserateps said no and attempted to apprehend, but she was too strong. She soared through their naval defenses, toppled any weapon they could use, and now hiding out in a hurricane of magic in the Western Sea. A few hundred miles off the coast of Las Pegasus.

Lieutenant Scootaloo could see it from here, the darkness in the distance attempting to overshadow Celestia's rising sun. She pulled her eye away from the telescope and swallowed hard. How were they going to stop her? So far, no idea were brought up. The shield that was supposed to protect them from the Pserateps was now being used to protect all of them. All known countries in the world were now under threat by one being: the strongest Alicorn-Pseratep ever known to exist.

Scootaloo sighed and decided that they would handle that when the time came. Until then, she peered through the telescope with one hoof on the bell, waiting for the first Aquata.

There! In the distance, the small mountains growing in size with one waving both a flag of white and Psera. Scootaloo pulled on the rope connected to the bell, stopping all motion and pulling attention to her. She ran to the edge of her platform while its tone rang loud and clear.

"Aquatas!" She shouted. "Forty-three kilometers out, closing fast!"

"Aquatas coming in!!"

They were noticed. On the deck of their first Aquata sat generals and commanders, specifically Admiral Shooting Star. watching the shores of Equestria come ever closer. The trek through those violet clouds of magic filled with anger was one of the most tense moments they've ever had. But they didn't stop. They didn't fire. They kept their mouths shut and weapons primed during the entire moment.

They were sure the Queen was watching them.

They were told they would be allowed to enter when the historic poles used in the past to guide Psera to their shores would be activated. He could see them clearly, as dead and worn as time past. Once they shone bright, like a beacon of hope, they would answer the call. Pserateps would fly and speed away from the Aquatas to the shores of Equestria to assist in setting up.

They were ready, in their speedboats and chariots on the decks waiting for the signal.

"Hold," Admiral Shooting Star whispered. "Hold..." The beams suddenly came to life, FLASHING on and off in the direction of Equestria's Trade Facility. "Go! All teams, move out!"

The alarms on the Aquatas blared loud and proud. Like a sea of blacks and shadows, chariots lifted from the decks and into the air guarded by platoons of Psera's massive military. Engines in their speedboats were kicked into gear before zooming for Equestria's coastline.

Scootaloo could see it all. She could see them coming from the air and the waves. She no longer needed the telescope, for as far as the eye could see, Pserateps dotted every inch of her vision.

Scootaloo was joined by her team, watching in awe. "Whoa," Mixed Candies said breathlessly.

They soon reached land, flying in formation over the beaches of Las Pegasus with some coming in for a landing. Chariots with Aqua Guards rolled onto the beach and slid to stops, kicking up dirt and sand. Pserateps with machinery jumped out of their seats and setup their weapons, swiveling them back to the ocean and erected a perfectly lined defense in front of IHT's.

They flew through the sky and soon into Canterlot; into other cities of Equestria. Their roars of speed speared into Celestia's ears from the front of the castle where she observed the events from the safety of the castle gates surrounded by military. This was their final stand.

If Twilight managed to make it through their defenses, she would be in for a surprise here. For on Celestia's body was ancient gold plated armor plastered with runes and thick enough to withstand any magical blast. A blade, albeit ancient sat upon her hip, stowed within it's scabbard. Her helmet protects all but her horn and face. The rest of her covered in the majestic rays of the sun.

Alongside her stood Luna in her own version, as blue as a sunless sky in the late afternoon. Sky Duster floating overhead and watching the spectacle of Canterlot being invaded by these Pserateps, twinkling with active runes. Sun Waves anxiously observing a large group of well-dressed Pserateps approaching with a single helmet. Tritanium flexing his muscles preparing for a fight.

Celestia has met this Pseratep before. His entourage, not at all. She rode the waves with him through what she thought to be the most dangerous creatures she's ever seen.

It wasn't until recently did she realize that the most dangerous pony has been under her tutelage the entire time.

They walked through the guarded gates and onto the castle's property, rushing under the screams of Pegasi and Pseratep Aerial Guards.

"Princesses, an honor!" Admiral Star greeted. He and the two with him bowed at Celestia's hooves before rising again. "It seems we're in very similar waters now with a common enemy."

Celestia sighed breathlessly, "Unfortunately. I am assuming a strategy is in place to disarm Queen Arcadia?"

"Our Defense is working on enlisting a classified weapon that we were supposed to use against Equestria. You, more specifically. We are now swiveling the table around and using it on her. The weapon is making its way to Canterlot as we speak by ground. The guard is requesting use of your train to do so and should reach Canterlot by noon. Carrying it via aerial means could wield volatile results."

Luna and Celestia shared a nonplussed glance. Of course Psera of all countries would plan accordingly with a wrapping of destruction on their hips.

"Let's take this meeting indoors," Luna insisted. She turned and lead the group back. "We have been preparing all morning for Arcadia Nova's arrival. However, she typically does not take this long to fulfill a plan. Instead, she is allowing all of us to convene and plan. I fear she has her own strategy in mind."

The guards at the castle opened the doors, letting them into their most fortified space. Packed with Royal Unicorn Guards trained in battling with magic, they defended the castle with their own might. Would they be enough to stop Queen Arcadia? Only time would tell.

Up ahead lied the doors for the entrance of the throne room, lined with Guards.

Celestia queried, "Did you encounter Arcadia yet since the attack?"

Admiral Shooting Star kept his eyes forward and answered, "No, but we encountered her storm of magic at sea. We couldn't see for miles because a purple haze prevented good vision."

Celestia opened the doors and walked into the throne room. Princess Cadance was dressed in her own battle wear. Albeit not as protective as her aunts, it would certainly provide fluid movement. She was tending to an infuriated Flurry Heart, speaking to her through a protective bubble with her father on the side.

"Mom, this is so humiliating!" She cried.

"It's for your protection, Flurry," Cadance replied. "We have to protect you from Aunt Twilight."

Princess Celestia pointed to the bubble. "We have setup miles upon miles upon miles of defenses to protect only Flurry Heart. The Crystal Heart in the north is already protected by our soldiers up there. Queen Arcadia would have to push through miles upon miles of winter storm to get there."

"Do not take Queen Arcadia lightly," one of the Pserateps, a mare warned. "For we have seen her do everything."

Admiral Shooting Star raised a hoof in her direction, a mare in blue military dress, complete with many badges of honor. "This is General Neon Lighting of the Aerial Guard."

"A pleasure, your majesties. The Secretary of Defense is pushing for us to fight back with as much weaponry we can throw at Queen Arcadia."

Cadance quickly walked over and asked, "But I don't understand. What is her motive? Queen Arcadia isn't known to attack unless she is motivated to do so. If we can isolate her reasoning, then we could stand a chance by calming her down."

Admiral Star answered, "I wish I could tell you. But there hasn't been much time to investigate. We do know that she's been secluded in her office for days on end. Perhaps the death of her family has finally reached her. Regardless, Arcadia is preparing to attack. So shall we prepare."

Admiral Star turned and faced the soldiers. "Set up shop. Make it quick."



She could see them. She could see all of them. The Pserateps have crossed over to setup defenses for IHT. Quite the move. They knew she was coming. She could feel their U-Boats in the ocean. See their Aquatas setting up their ring of protection. See the soldiers combining weaponry to return fire when she started her motion. Arcadia could see the legends that she summoned protecting Equestria at Odega's word.

Regardless, it would all be for naught. The time for magic has come to an end, for it has fallen into the wrong hooves. They were all in support of magic, to make it even better, stronger, more efficient. Even her at one point, the mare standing upon the sea staring in the direction of Equestria, under the storm of violet that has blocked the sun.

But nay, an epiphany has reached her. We have been allowed too much power and seek to control it. But no longer will that be the case. Magic has been her responsibility, yet her prison. To free herself, to free others, to prevent the victimization of crimes against ponykind, she must be the one to make the hard decisions no one wanted to make.

Just as nature intended, the sun and moon would find a way. Communication would find a way, transportation would find a way, the weather would find a way. All of it, before the inevitable ends, will find a way. They just needed a push.

"So you're actually going to do this, huh? You're going to wipe it all out."

Arcadia glanced over and faced Princess Twilight. She was teary-eyed, willing to defend all that was magical. Naivety at its strongest.

"It will always hurt at first." Arcadia reached down into the waves and pulled out her helmet. She placed it on her head and glared into the distance. "But the pain that those have felt thanks to magic compare little to it. So yes, this is better."

"You can always stop." Princess Twilight placed a soft hoof upon her long wings. "The love that they have given you has made you strong. Do not use it to do what you think must be done."

"You know nothing of what must be done."

"I do, for I am you."

Arcadia buzzed her wing and shocked Twilight's hoof off. "You are not me. You are a fool, believing in them to use magic wisely. Instead, they use it for nefarious ways. Ways that take the lives of those we love, to conquer entire kingdoms. To flatten homes and livelihoods. No more. I will do what must be done, whether they agree or not. Now, begone."

At the spread of her wings, Princess Twilight disappeared from Twilight's mind, leaving her once more. Now was the time.

Bending at the knees, Queen Arcadia, flapped her wings and took off into the sky faster than a rocket. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the air. She would soon reach Equestria and their newfound military strength, and she will finally unleash the true value of her magic.