The following morning, the Crusaders ate their breakfast with gusto, taking the time to triple-check their report's newest pages as they fueled up for the day. Katie was with them, watching as she ate a much more reasonable portion of food on her plate, which had been rationed to her by soldiers who didn't want her to become a watermelon. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight were with them, though every now and again their eyes darted from the children to the wraithling even as they feasted.
As they jotted down the next bits of framework for their report, they noticed that the soldiers were giving them warm, proud smiles every now and again. Then again, helping thwart an enemy attack, no matter how bizarre the nature thereof, would probably endear them to any military force. The Crusaders realized they might have to explain that little detail to Cheerilee… in private, of course, with no eavesdropping, snot-nosed, snob-hobbling bullies to hurl insults at them within earshot.
Finishing their food, and making sure to wipe away any stray crumbs from their report as they chewed the last bites, the trio shared matching grins. Who would've thought that a magitek facility would help them with their biggest conundrum since they had the clubhouse built? Granted, two marks didn't really display magitek in of themselves, but now they had magitek tools to further explore their new talents in full. Oh, that was going to be fun… except for maybe the potential property damage, but they could figure out workarounds for that issue later.
And the useless, gossipy hens of Ponyville were another issue entirely. That lot was probably going to stir the trouble pot upon sighting the new cutie marks and magitek gear, especially if they learned the detail of said gear having come from Fantasia of all planets. However, if push came to shove, and no other options were available, maybe they could have Princess Luna tell off the gossipy hens in their dreams. Though that was a distant maybe, given she had to help run the madhouse that was Equestria.
Not to mention the head of the school board being among that particular crowd of useless gossips, on top of her snob-hobbling, 'I'm-better-than-you-because-I-have-bits' attitude. Hopefully, her antics wouldn't end with her taking a one-way ticket to the Iron Hold, and driving herself insane in solitary confinement. Though, given she more or less ran the school like it was her own personal fiefdom… it was generally a good idea to make some backup plans in case she blew her gasket. And backups of the report, for safekeeping of course. And to frame them in a binder for all eternity.
Pinkie was practically bouncing in her seat; her exuberance could not be contained by any force in the sister worlds. "Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I can't wait to see what the girls will do with their new equipment!" she said, grinning goofily wide as visions of the Crusaders mastering their new talents emerged in her head like a whirlwind from hell.
Fluttershy was grinning, too, albeit serenely. Angel, sitting atop her head, gave a smile and a thumbs up to the Crusaders, though that was the extent of his happiness and good mood. "I can't wait either, though… I hope they don't have to use their new talents to fight too much…" she said.
Twilight nodded in assent, even with Owlowiscious on her head, who was bobbing up and down with the motion. "Considering they got their talents from participating in a fight, I don't think we can really stop that ball though," she pointed out with a blaise shrug of her shoulders. "Most we can do is mitigate it, and give them some pointers for who and who not to fight against." She looked squarely at the trio of junior fighters as she added, "And unless some maniac is actively attacking the school itself, or your fellow students, school fights are strictly disallowed."
"But what about the maniac, if he does decide to attack the school and our fellow students?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Twilight sighed. "In that case, feel free to beat the maniac senseless, until he's either knocked out or picked up by the guards," she replied. "Whichever comes first."
"If you can, kick the maniacs where their apple trees fork if they do decide to grace the school's doorstep!" Anna called from her booth, causing Apple Bloom to puff her cheeks and start laughing. She turned to the highest booth, and found Lance glaring at his subordinate with a wry, twitchy smile on his face as he struggled not to laugh. Some of the other soldiers laughed, and some winced, albeit with wobbly smiles on their muzzles and beaks.
Katie was snickering into her hoof, shaking her head as she envisioned the low blow to end all low blows. "Oooooh, I had to do that with my clawed shoes to some bastards back when I armed myself for the big, bad world of Fantasia after I turned…" she reminisced, orbs sparkling fondly at whatever sordid memory was replaying in her head. "Those guys did not get up for weeks. And when they eventually came back as wraiths, I finished them off before they could get a hang of their new abilities."
"They tried to kill you first?" Sweetie asked, only to garner a shake of the head for an answer.
"No, it was something… considerably worse that they wanted to pull on me. They weren't exactly subtle about their intentions, either," Katie replied cryptically. "But that made it far easier for me to line up my potshots. Especially since I discovered I could freeze things with my shoes if I stabbed hard enough."
"Goodness. That must've been a terrible experience to go through…" Fluttershy muttered, garnering a nod from the wraithling.
"Would've been worse if I laid down and took it like the bitch they saw me as," Katie agreed. "But those bozos are gathering dust now. And I learned my first lesson of unlife: appearances can still deceive, even if your sight is somewhat blurred."
Twilight's brow furrowed slightly. "Wait, you're partially blind?" she asked.
Katie nodded. "My eyes are next to useless in the dark, and I'm surprised I can still tell colors, marks, light and dark apart otherwise," she confirmed. "Then again, it's probably bad due to what I eat…"
Twilight frowned. "Hate and despair?" she guessed.
Katie nodded again. "Yep. My eyesight keeps getting worse the more of that stuff I consume. The bits of love, on the other hoof, improve it for whatever reason." She shrugged again. "Never made it far in the lessons of changeling biology before my hive got sent away from the mortal coil."
Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin, rubbing contemplatively as she listened in on the banter. "Sounds like glasses wouldn't help much with that…" she muttered out loud. She turned to the wraithling and asked, "So how do you eat emotions anyway?"
"Now that's a very forward question…" Fluttershy muttered, wings shuffling for a moment. "However, I admit that… I'm also curious."
Katie gestured to the broken stub on her head. "Changelings drain emotions using their horns, forming a miasma from the victim that goes into the feeder's mouth, rendering them still-living husks if drained dry," she said. "However, because mine's next to useless, I have to get up close and personal to replicate the effect." She shrugged. "And every time I tried, I was either knocked aside before the attempt could go through, or otherwise dissuaded from eating that way. Gradually, my appetite waned until I stopped eating completely. It only rekindled recently, when Creamsicle shoved biscuits into my facehole." She wilted a bit before adding, "I did manage to feed off of one creature recently, when I stabbed him with my horn remnants successfully. He didn't get back up afterwards."
"What emotions did he have to offer?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Hatred, despair, rage… not an ounce of love to be had," Katie answered with a shake of her head. "Dude was nuttier than squirrel droppings."
"I would say that's not very nice, but I have seen the pony you're talking about… if he could even be called a pony anymore…" Fluttershy said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Even I would be remiss to say he wasn't all… there. What pain he must have been in to have been twisted into that form…" Twilight shuddered at the mention, and one of her eyes twitched briefly.
"Well, at least he won't bother us anymore. And his suffering is over, so there's that," Katie agreed with a nod and a buzz of her wings.
"Oh yeah, have you talked to Lance about that yet?" Twilight asked.
Katie shook her head. "Not yet. He's been too busy plotting something lately," she answered. "What that is, I don't know. But I have a feeling he'll pull me aside and tell me once he has a moment to breathe between it all."
The Crusaders shared looks. "Y'think it might be because of those ponies we saw on the computer screens?" Scootaloo asked.
Pinkie's mane deflated somewhat, and she grimly nodded. "Oh yeah, those party poopers. Long story trimmed short, they did many terrible things to Lance. Messed up his birthdays, his life, his morals, and now he wants to pay them back for all the missed-out fun. And their many, many cronies, too, because they're also sorta-kinda-maybe responsible for some of the miserable state of Fantasia, and they have got to go or else many more foals will have no chance to giggle at the ghosties because of them," she said.
The Crusaders regarded Pinkie with a flat look. "... how'd they mess up his birthdays?" Sweetie ventured, a raised brow making a climb upon her forehead.
Pinkie's frown deepened. "He told me this morning, and he was really really really upset when he did, that he won't celebrate his birthdays until he's certain that the party poopers are one-hundred-and-ten percent gone from Fantasia," she said in an unusually severe tone of voice. "Until then, that day's just gonna remind him of all the bad stuff they did to him."
"Scratch that, what'd they do to upset his life so badly?" Scootaloo piped up, struggling to envision a pony unable to celebrate their own birthday for one reason or another. Was that, perhaps, tied to why the General and his cohorts were not exactly willing to celebrate their own mass cute-ceañera the other day?
"Oh, that's tragically easy: you think getting grounded, switchings, and scoldings are fun-killers and tearjerkers?" Pinkie shook her head, pity flashing in her eyes. "Lance got it way, way, way worse. He has been left with a bad legacy he doesn't want to have anything to do with, and he's Tartarus-bent on scrubbing it off of Fantasia's face on the first chance he gets." Never in a million years would the Crusaders have heard Pinkie Pie of all ponies using 'tragically,' 'bad legacy,' and 'Tartarus-bent' in the same string of sentences. They shuddered, struggling to envision whatever managed to kick Lance in the fork of his apple tree that badly, while realizing that Pinkie was still technically dancing around the issue entirely.
Which, truth be told, was a woeful sign just by itself.
Apple Bloom frowned, a million queries dancing in her head. The most egregious one forced its way to her tongue, and she could not contain it if her life depended on it. Being somewhat raised with honesty, especially when her big sister became the Bearer of Honesty, made her sense of tact back down for once in her life. "How can y'all mess up a pony's morals and scruples, if they have any to begin with??" she questioned, her young mind unable to really come up with anything other than uncomfortable answers she forced out of her brain before they could take shape in her head.
"Lance told me to not tell anyone else until he pays those party poopers back for all the bad stuff they did to him, and chances are, he's going to launch them out of a cannon right to Godcat's doorstep, so…" Pinkie shrugged again, mane still somewhat deflated. "That is, if he doesn't substitute the cannon with the massive volcano they're hiding in first. And he's probably going to do that with his orbital space laser."
Fluttershy grimly nodded, her expression hardening somewhat. This caught the trio's attention, and they turned to her with their brows climbing even higher. "And… well, they do lots of horrible things to young fillies that I don't want to think about anymore… unfortunately, given the… society hidden in the volcano's nature, the cronies are also probably going to die horribly… even though I think there shouldn't be any need for that much bloodshed, we might not have much of a choice but to strike first…" Now Fluttershy recognized that bloodshed couldn't be avoided? Something was definitely up, but as with whatever tragic tale Anna had undergone, the Crusaders realized they still weren't exactly old enough to be privy to Lance's details yet.
Katie's face hardened, and her sockets narrowed at the troubling news. "So… you're telling me we got another war coming up…" she grumbled, starting to piece together the puzzle. She gestured to the Crusaders and added, "And they may or may not see its starting moments."
Fluttershy nodded, but then she shook her head after. "We will not let them get caught up in it. Besides, we don't want them to see what Lance will do to those responsible and scar them for life in the process…" she replied. "Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow won't let him hear the end of it otherwise. You and I both know that."
Katie wilted a bit. "Touché," she grumbled.
Twilight decided to change the subject. "So how's the report coming along?" she asked.
The Crusaders beamed, though they were not fools in the slightest—the subject they were on before must have been dreary for even their sisters and idol's friends to talk about, not to mention the outright alien notion of Pinkie's earlier tone and Fluttershy conceding about bloodshed. Furthermore, Lance was still technically within earshot of them and everyone else in the military, so maybe Twilight decided to take point to keep him from breathing down her neck about it later. "It's going great!" Sweetie said, grinning. "When you guys started talking about the… the other thing, we finished with another huge section of the project!"
Twilight smiled warmly, and Pinkie's mane reverted to its usual poofiness upon hearing that. "That's great! If you wouldn't mind, could I skim it, please?" Twilight asked. The Crusaders hoofed over the goods and let her browse as she saw fit; no harm, no foul, except maybe another lecture on proper grammar and the like. Still, better that than having to be projectmates with their bullies, and get a failing grade that way.
At that point, Mr. Muffin came over to the table again, climbed up Twilight's tail and her back to sit on her head and regard the Crusaders, almost bowling Owlouiscious over in the process. It seemed someone got a hold of the enchanted plush, considering he was now decked out in cloth-looking armor, complete with a cute little patchy helmet and scabbard for whatever sharp, pointy thing he could get his stubby hands on. Apple Bloom grinned at the plush; maybe she could sneak him into a group photo of the Aerie's best, which would surely confuse the Tartarus out of Cheerilee if she saw the results of that.
Scootaloo turned to Katie and asked, "Would Lance be the type of pony to recruit animated plushies?"
Katie snorted at the thought, snickering as she turned to regard the now clothed toy bear. "I heard he tried stabbing a pony where his apple tree forked, so… I couldn't say," she answered. "Might need sign language lessons before he gets recruited, if he can be recruited at all."
"Shut up!" Lazarus called from the other end of the mess hall, only to garner some snickering from the other soldiers. "He did not manage to pierce any skin!"
Katie rolled her orbs. "Primadonna," she muttered under her breath.
"Hey, at least you still have your breeding rights! Chill already!" Matt called, only to garner a shriek of dismay from Lazarus and another round of giggling from the subordinates.
Scootaloo sighed. "Adults are weird," she muttered.
"Damn skippy," Katie agreed with another roll of her orbs.
Twilight finished skimming the report, and returned it to the Crusaders. Her expression had darkened a little, though maybe it was over that one topic that she wished to change earlier. Whatever the case, her normally bright smile returned a second later, even as some of the soldiers continued to laugh at Lazarus' expense. "Well, as far as I can tell, you three are almost done making this report already. Just a few more trips around the Aerie, and you'll be finished before your autumn break is over," she said.
"Isn't that wonderful?" Fluttershy asked, smiling serenely again. "You must be ahead of your classmates at this rate; with the evidence you have gathered, you're practically on top of this assignment!" She clapped her hooves together in glee, tilting her head and closing her eyes with joy radiating from her tone. It dipped along with her smile a second later as she added, "I'm glad that the wicked foalsitter can never hurt another foal again—you three are more than proving her wrong, even now. She must have never been shown kindness before… and would probably see it as some sort of abuse, given what Rarity told me about her…" And there it was, that weirdness again. What in Equestria and the Aerie had Fluttershy seen to make that little bitty quirk in her otherwise kind composure crop up?
Pinkie patted Fluttershy's back with a hoof, making her lurch slightly. This had the side effect of making Angel wobble on her head as he struggled to regain his balance. "That foalsitter's just a meany-pants fun-police party pooper. Her parents must have never had a day of fun in their lives, so she must've never had a fun day, either," she agreed in her usual cheery demeanor, yet some of that cheer… almost sounded forced. Perhaps she had heard the full scoop from Rarity, which wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. "Why she gets her jollies out of ruining other ponies' fun isn't my main problem with her; I hope she learns how much of a meany-pants she was in the Iron Hold."
If Stern Lecture ever learned the lesson in question sometime within the next year or so, without expiring or turning into a wraith first. A pretty big if, considering she had been banished from Equestria for reasons the trio couldn't grasp, and usually those banished either had the Elements of Harmony pointed point-blank at their faces, or stubbornly clung to whatever got them thrown out of the country to begin with.
"That being said…" Twilight still maintained her smile, somehow. "Would you three be able to read what you have written so far, to Lance and his right hooves, before you head off after the next batch of information?"
The Crusaders immediately perked up at the idea. "Deal!" they said, with no iota of hesitation.
~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~-—-~
Later that morning, Lance and his cohorts sat in the main office, sporting only a desk with a chair, a large window behind the desk, some chairs for the prospective audience to sit down in, and the door to enter and leave the room. The Crusaders were with them, and took note of how… sparse the office was. It seemed Lance really wasn't the type of pony to show off, strut his stuff, or do anything of the sort, instead favoring practicality and function over form.
Then again, given how much the office was lacking, it got the trio of youngsters thinking. Did he not yet discover his own personal flair, or was there some other reason for his hesitancy to decorate the office as he saw fit? Maybe he was too busy actively running the military to make the time for it? Whatever the case, though, they simply sequestered the thoughts elsewhere for now.
The Crusaders stood before the desk, hearts aflutter with anticipation of getting the hoofprint of approval earlier than expected. Even better, their audience had popcorn and drinks ready, and grins on their faces… well, except for Lazarus, who was still sulking about the perceived wounds and insults to his masculinity. Even then, he was munching on the kernels of goodness.
They had read the first chapter of their report out loud, and so far had the rapt attention of those gathered before them. They had now smoothly segued into the second chapter without delay.
"Part II: Birth of War, Birth of an Aerie. In the time following the Catastrophe, a change was coming to Fantasia, though only those who initiated the Catastrophe knew it would announce its presence soon. Time and time again, day by day, the Children of Catastrophe struggled to survive, foraging for food, shelter, and the tools necessary to live for a few weeks longer. Living off the land wasn't an option, nor was seeking a safe haven in any town; they were relentlessly pursued by those who wished only to kill them, who had already spread wanted posters about them so that the towns knew to kill them on sight, even documenting their very unique cutie marks to any who saw them."
"This forced them to hide in whatever shadows would welcome them, which were few, far in between, and almost always out in the unforgiving wilderness. Gradually, their pursuers started to give up the chase, or were otherwise slain when confronted, their secrets to the Children's most recent whereabouts dying with them. Though, their deaths and pursuit had the side-effect of shredding the last bits of innocence the Children had left, making them particularly jaded to everything around them, perhaps even to each other."
"Yet their woes would not end; for reasons unknown, the Children split, one going off in a single direction and the other two, sticking together, heading off for another. Now separated, they had a harder time surviving, though the two who stayed with each other would soon find a legless cat that came to their aid. Many battles were fought, some very close, but ultimately the Children and cat would emerge victorious."
"However, still unsure about their new talents, they would seek quiet places to train their magic and skills, sharpening themselves in body, mind, and spirit for the changes to come. It wasn't long after that when the first signs of trouble came: flights of gryphons, glassy-eyed and howling for blood, came to try and force their subjugation. Overwhelmed against the odds, they once again turned tail and ran away, fighting off any who came too close. The shadows welcomed them once again, enabling them to wait out the storm."
"Confused as to why they were attacked, they thought that those who pursued them before had something to do with it, unaware that much darker plans hatched by a much more sinister foe were laid out for all of Fantasia. Keeping to the darkness, they would visit whatever towns they could, seeking answers, but their searches turned out to have conflicting stories, all inconclusive and with ponies cowering in fear of what was to come."
"It wasn't long after that that they found a changeling hive, ransacked, pillaged, and all inhabitants slain. No survivors remained; save for scrawlings on the shapeshifting hive walls, etched by what few drones remained alive long enough to write them out, there were no signs of life to be had. Eggs were smashed, grubs cut up, nymphs lethally stabbed, drones dismembered, and kings and queens left in an utter state of ruination."
"Yet, one scrawling talked about survivors of the hive heading elsewhere, hoping they made it to safety, alongside a map of Fantasia itself that had somehow been left untouched by the murderers. Using that map, the two Children and their feline friend raced to the last stronghold of the changelings, passing by more empty hives with slaughtered inhabitants in their travels."
"Unfortunately, when they arrived, the stronghold was already under siege from bloodthirsty gryphons all trying to seek a way into the hive to render the changelings extinct. Using an underground tunnel that the enemy overlooked, the three would find their way into the hive to learn what had happened. Alas, the last few changeling royals were slaughtered, and the survivors of ten changeling hives huddled up in the final hive, preparing to make a last stand."
"'We will take care of it,' said the Children, who then marched to the top of the hive with grim purpose. They had grown so used to killing in self-defense at this rate, that what would follow would prove no different to them. Unleashing their deadliest magics, Hellfire and Ragnarok, they would proceed to utterly decimate the attacking force down to the last soldier, while the changelings watched the apocalypse that surrounded the stronghold. When asked if they could help stop the gryphons and their mad plot, the changelings joined without delay."
"Afterwards, they would all gather their resources, plan accordingly, gear up and prepare for the biggest fight of their lives yet, easily dwarfing the Catastrophe in both casualties and brutality—a fight that would end with more questions asked than answered, for events they hadn't known yet happened were already underway, triggered only by the first magic surge that granted the Children their cutie marks in an arena that once stood seemingly so long ago."
"The second major change to Fantasia would later solidify their resolve to survive, heralded by the first major skirmish between changelings, led by the Children, and gryphons, led by the unseen enemy alike. A skirmish that would make something abundantly clear to the resisting changelings: the gryphons wanted nothing more than to drown all of Fantasia in blood and slaughter, heedless to reason, remorse, and rage, only consumed by their singular desire to conquer all who stood in their way."
"It was clear what needed to be done then. They would have to wage war with the gryphons, not just for their own sakes, but for the sake of Fantasia itself. A war they would soon call the Trials of Attrition."
They checked right quick; the attention of their audience was still secured, and the adults were grinning, albeit perhaps making mental notes to find the one who shot their mouth off and scold them later. However right they got the turn of events so far, and how much they embellished, they did not know—but in this instance, some embellishment of the tale never hurt anyone, and would probably make Equestria breathe a sigh of relief if anyone else outside of the classroom would catch wind of the story. So far, nobody dared to contradict them yet, itself a promising yet disturbing sign, so they took that as their cue to continue to the end of the second chapter of their report.
"From that first battle onwards, it was clear the enemy had an advantage: they were organized despite their bloodlust, armed with magitek to counteract any spells the changelings and Children threw at them, and were so numerous that many battles were close calls, won only through careful planning and exploiting the few weaknesses the enemy possessed. It gradually dawned on the changelings and their saviors as losses mounted: this would not be an easy war to win, and the price to be paid for their resistance would be heavy in turn."
"Yet even then, they could tell something was wrong. The enemy's movements were stiff, hesitant… almost forced, and they couldn't say why. Nothing seemed outwardly wrong with the gryphons they had slain otherwise, so the Children chalked it up to chance—they were unwilling to fight during the gladiator games moments before the Catastrophe occurred, so they ultimately thought it was nothing."
"How wrong they were with that assessment of the situation—very, very wrong. They had to plan extremely carefully, or else the losses accrued would be too great to continue fighting the war. Territories claimed by the changelings were claimed by gryphons, then reclaimed with impunity as the death toll grew and grew on both sides. It was eventually found out through careful espionage that the gryphons were devising war machines with which to take Fantasia on a faster scale, and if allowed to continue, would carve a symphony of destruction that could not be recovered from."
"A risky decision was made: the Children themselves would find out where the war machines were being built, and stop them before they could enter the battlefield. While the probability of dying during the operation was high, it was agreed that they had the best chance of stopping the war machines, as their most devastating spells would be able to effectively render the magitek useless in the long run. Scouting operations took place, at first coming up empty before any fruitful yields and information were found, allowing the Children of Catastrophe to make their decisive ploy."
"The war machines were brutal, even though they were guarded by innumerable gryphons and smaller war machines that knew no mercy. Even though they found themselves gradually exhausting themselves from the onslaught, the Children pushed on, unwilling to let Fantasia fall into a madcreature's iron grip. They reached the first of the massive war mechs, and a long, tiring battle was fought, won decisively because Ragnarok had been cast."
"While a major blow to the enemy morale, it was only the beginning—they knew other factories lingered, hidden away, building more magitek to compensate for the loss. They bid their time, recovering from the exertion and licking their wounds, readying themselves for the next confrontation, and all other confrontations to follow until they could get to the heart of the issue."
"Weeks passed, melting to months as the Trials dragged on, each one long and brutal, forcing the resistance to make each battle count, unaware that not everygryph was in agreement with the enemy. One day, as if from nowhere , a band of five gryphons, four of them wingless and all armed with three magitek planes, approached the changelings during a heated meeting. The Children regarded them warily, as every gryphon they had fought thus far was out for their blood. It was then something came to light: the gryphons were not fighting out of their own free will, but rather, someone or something was controlling them like puppets on strings, ordering them to commit their numerous atrocities."
"When this band of five asked to switch sides, there was some hesitancy from the changelings and Children, and then their second riskiest ploy would be made: they admitted the small band of gryphons, who immediately began to detail the enemy's plans to the Children without delay. Startled at how much they were telling them, and sensing there was something that that the band of enemy traitors wanted out of this, the Children would ask the gryphons: 'Why?'"
"Their response was short: 'We wish to free the others from the wicked spell that is controlling them. We need your help.' The younger of the Children began to think, and agreed to it, however in doing so pointing out that not everygryph could possibly be saved from the spell. The five accepted that as inevitable, and helped turn the tide of the Trials of Attrition in the changelings' favor."
"After a few more skirmishes with the war mechs, aided by the wingless gryphons' planes and natural skill, they found something that would decisively end the Trials once and for all: the Incineration Orbital Neutralization Cannon, or ION for short, a satellite that could project a deadly laser with which to obliterate opponents. Hacking into the controls for the ION Cannon without delay, the band of five would prove invaluable for the final confrontation ahead."
"On the last day of the Trials of Attrition, after a full year of war, the changelings made a decisive strike at the heart of the budding empire, quickly burning everything they could in their quest to stop whoever or whatever was behind the insanity. It turned out to not be a gryphon, a changeling, or anything they had expected, but rather, it was all the work of a single pony—a mad pegasus stallion who had come upon the foulest magics possible, and who had prepared for the confrontation with a deadly tank codenamed the Valkyrie."
"All the bloodshed, the violence, the lives lost… it hardened the Children into true-born killing machines, though even they recognized the crossroads before them: kill the madstallion, and turn out just like him, or save him and all of gryphonkind. They came to a decision and fought their hardest, though they swiftly found out that the pegasus stallion gave them no quarter in combat, as he had with the gryphons when he first violently took over their society."
"But the Children had a plan: disable the Valkyrie, and cast a spell on the pegasus to disable his magic so that the gryphons would once again see reason. They battled fiercely, and the opportunities to enact their plan were slim to none, and were slipping away as the madpony refused to let up on his assault. Just when it seemed like it was over, the wingless gryphons once again came to their aid in a decisive maneuver that would further kill whatever morale the enemy had left. They unleashed the ION Cannon on the Valkyrie, destroying it and crippling the madstallion's plans in one swing."
"Unfortunately, the pegasus kept fighting on, unconcerned for the mounting losses as his empire burned all around him. He fought to the bitter end, only to be pinned down by one of the Children while the other cast a spell she had been practicing for this very moment all across the battleground, unsure of its potential success. However, this one act would bring the Trials to a screeching halt all around them, the gryphons regaining their senses… and their remorse along with it. They found something suspicious about the pegasus: somehow, the same magic he had used was controlling him for reasons they did not know, and once sanity had returned to him, he begged for death to take him away."
"The Children of Catastrophe would discuss the matter with the gryphons and changelings, both sides calling for his death at first before learning that he, too, had been seemingly controlled. In the end, they would prove to be merciful, though not to the extent that he had hoped. They rendered him unable to cast the foul magic again, and after coming to an agreement with the changelings and gryphons, would reintegrate him back into society, watching and waiting for any signs of his insanity returning."
"As the Children kept their eye on the weakened pegasus, the gryphons and changelings formed an alliance, and began construction of the Aerie without delay, using the last stronghold of the latter as their new base of operations. Two years after the Trials came to an end, a new, budding, allied empire was born in its place, tentative to friendship but not wholly receptive to its values as of yet. Alas, they began to pool their combined resources to secure the hive-nest, electing the Children of Catastrophe as their new co-leaders, and teaching them the things they would need to know in order to run an army."
"All the while, the pegasus' sanity was fully restored, so they did not have to take the most drastic measures as they had feared. They continue to watch him to this day, to prevent him from slipping back into his previous madness, leading the Aerie into an age of uncertainty, spearheading responses to any disasters that unfold on Fantasia. Unfortunately, due to many ponies on Fantasia still not having their cutie marks even after the Catastrophe came and went, the Children have ended up being the ultimate authority on the disasters for the time being."
Lance, despite looking embarrassed, was still grinning. "Welp… put that whole fiasco into better words than I would have come up with," he said, wings shuffling as he paused to munch on some popcorn. "At least you didn't name drop me, because frankly, I'm already embarrassed enough by my past mistakes."
"Well, we're not like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon; besides, it would be mean to do that to you when you've already visited Equestria and made everypony there lose their minds," Scootaloo replied, wings buzzing. "And it'll just give everypony back home one more reason to dislike you if word somehow gets out beyond school grounds."
The adults traded looks. Natalie piped up, "Aren't you concerned they might still read between the lines and figure out it was us who participated in that mess?"
Scootaloo shook her head. "Nope, because hardly anypony knows Fantasian history, even though the barrier between the worlds broke," she answered cheerfully. "You have nothing to worry about."
Lance nodded, his smile widening. "Alright then. Is that all you have so far?" he asked.
"Nope, but we should probably get going to the guard post. We'll read some more to you guys tomorrow, or maybe this evening; is that okay?" Sweetie asked, her grin widening when the adults nodded in response.
Matt stood up and trotted to pat the three on their heads. "I'll take you to the guard post; I know an easy way to get there," he said, beaming. "Besides, I'm kinda the one who came up with the illusions for the posts in the first place, and you're gonna have to be with me if you want to actually access the post."
The Crusaders grinned. "You're on!" they said in unison.