Chapter 14: Pony Vs Machine
This was it, the day had come. Princess Celestia gave Midnight and his pals a full week to recover from their ordeal. During this time, the ruler of the sun recruited her entire unicorn army in preparation for the battle against Locust. But she knew they would not be enough to stand against the multiplying Workhorses. It wasn’t long before civilian unicorns from all over Canterlot volunteered for the crusade. Midnight was surprised to see the diversity in this group of minuteponies. Some were expert magic crafters but most hardly knew anything else other than levitation. There were stallions who had seen many years, and colts who hadn’t yet seen enough; there were even mares who participated. But theses ponies all had one thing in common: they were willing to fight for Equestria. Meanwhile, Celestia helped Takeoff organize an aerial assault using a fleet of airships, whose crews had also volunteered from Cloudsdale. Midnight tried to relax with his friends throughout the week, but he knew in the back of his mind that he would soon be risking his life at the end of it. When the day finally came, Celestia summoned every volunteer unicorn to assemble on the plaza outside the castle. She stood before the crowd next to Midnight. To him, it seemed like all of Canterlot was there to see him. They looked eagerly at him and waited to hear him speak; some groups were whispering to each other. He surveyed the massive crowd trying to find the right words to address them with. Then he sighed and spoke loud enough for everypony to hear.
“Ponies of Canterlot, today you will take part in changing the fate of Equestria. The cause for all of the dreaded machines called Workhorses is a powerful changeling named Locust; he is extremely dangerous. He operates the production of these robots in the San Palomino Desert. It is my sole duty to bring down this enemy personally. But there will be more Workhorses there than any of us have seen so far, and I cannot face Locust with them guarding him. That is where you all come in. With the help of my brother Noon, we will transfer each other’s magic to all of you which will make you able to destroy the Workhorses just as I can. This will only happen once we face the machines head on outside Locust’s fortress. Some of you will aim your magic at any flying Workhorses from airships, controlled by the Pegasus volunteers of Cloudsdale. Once the way is clear, I will then sneak into the fortress and defeat Locust which will leave all of the machines useless. This is a risky move and we may never get another chance like this again. I cannot say whether you will come out of this battle without a few scratches and bruises. But know this, you will not be expendable. Each and every one of you will play an important part in saving everypony is Equestria. You will be remembered for your brave effort. We will go and fight no matter what it takes; for the Princess and for all of Equestria!”
The crowd of ponies cheered and whinnied with applause with some rearing back on their hind legs flailing their forelegs in the air. Then they chanted his name.
“MIDNIGHT HOUR! MIDNIGHT HOUR! MIDNIGHT HOUR!”
He didn’t know what to make of the inspiring sight. He turned to Celestia who simply looked encouragingly at him. Midnight turned back to his audience and waved to them with a smile.
At last, they were underway. Celestia had finally reopened the main railroad leading out of Canterlot and the makeshift army rode in multiple trains toward the southwest. The royal guards kept watch over the railed convoy in case of any prowling Workhorses. A short while after departing, the trains rode through the town of Ponyville where the citizens cheered them on in the streets as they passed. After parading through the last sign of civilization before the desert, they then chugged around the dreaded Everfree Forest and the Ghastly Gorge. This was the final detour before entering the edge of the San Palomino Desert. Midnight rode in the lead train with his friends, with the exception of Takeoff who was behind leading the airship assault. While Noon, Marigold and Fry were in another car, Midnight sat in silence with Andromeda and Cassiopeia in the caboose. He gazed out the window at the setting sun which indicated the long hours he had been riding. He was itching and fidgety ready for any kind of action that would come his way. The long wait made him ache with anticipation of the conflict that would ensue later on. Andromeda put a hoof on his twitching leg.
“Are you okay?” she asked with a look of concern.
“I’ll be fine.” He answered simply. “I just want to face that scoundrel and put an end to this mess for good. This whole battle shouldn’t have to happen, if I had just defeated him back at that prison in the mountains.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Midnight. This will all be worth it once you come back. You are planning on coming back aren’t you?”
Midnight thought about this for a second. He wasn’t entirely sure how the time spell would affect him. It was a dangerous feat and he knew there was the possibility that he would never come back alive after using it, or come back at all. Suddenly, everything around seemed so real as if he was living the last few hours of his life. Andromeda never looked so beautiful to him before. He gave her a smile.
“Of course.”
“Midnight,” said Cassiopeia softly. “When you come back, can you perform that spell again, the one you did at my birthday party?”
Midnight took her under his hoof. “I promise, Cassie, you’re definitely going to see some fireworks later.”
The trains stopped. They had officially crossed the geographical border of the San Palomino Desert and already they could see a looming shape far off in the distance. The information given by Princess Celestia said that it was Locust’s base of operations; the fortress where the menacing Workhorses were assembled. It was too far away to make out any details, but the structure seemed to be a towering black spire that stuck out like a thorn in the cracked desert ground. The sun was just nearly completely hidden by the horizon and the sky in the direction of the fortress had become clogged with stormy black clouds with a reddish haze. After exiting the trains, the army of unicorns gathered in a mass walking slowly toward the nightmarish scene. Midnight and Noon hugged their friends in a tearful goodbye before joining at the front of the mass; Marigold even laid a long loving kiss on Noon’s lips. As the twins set off leading the militia behind them, the imposing fortress became bigger and bigger as they approached closer to it. To keep spirits up, Noon spoke to his brother.
“You know, bro, you’ve come a long way from staying up every night on a roof.”
“And here I thought I was nothing special. I mean, who else can say that they’re going to save Equestria from a deranged changeling with his twin brother?”
“Do you remember what Mom used to tell us about when we were born? ‘A unicorn is powerful, two are even stronger…”
“‘But two at the same time just mean trouble.’”
The brothers laughed together with nostalgia for living as foals with Dawn and Dusk. But they felt anxious as they faced the black spire in the distance.
“Listen, Midnight,” sighed Noon. “I just want to let you know. Whatever happens here, it’s been a privilege fighting with you.”
“It’s been a privilege to call you my brother, Noon.” Midnight grinned.
Just then, the twins spotted something vague around the area of the fortress. It looked like a sea of silver, but Midnight knew better. It was the army of Workhorses waiting for them. There were far more of them than he had seen back in Canterlot that fateful day. The metal battalion stretched wide across the dry craggy plain standing motionless. The unicorns stopped in their steps to marvel at the dreaded sight. A knot tied in Midnight’s stomach.
On a prominent balcony high up on the fortress, Locust stepped out to survey the battle scene. He smiled a fanged smile as he spotted the army of unicorns in the distance. Then he looked straight down upon his prized mechanical destroyers. With a slight cackle, he gave but one simple order.
“Workhorse…KILL!”
Before anypony could say a word, the hoard of machines began to charge forth toward them shaking the desert like an earthquake. Midnight glared and on impulse, he galloped forward facing the robotic defense. Noon followed close behind along with the rest of the unicorns galloping at a heart racing pace. They charged for what seemed like an eternity toward the impending Workhorses. Before it began to seem hopeless, Midnight heard a faint roaring form above. He quickly peered up to see a formation of several enormous airships floating across the blackened sky toward the mechanical mass. Now refilled with hope, Midnight faced the machines and uttered a spell.
“When the sun goes down and is out of sight, and everypony’s eyes are filled with fright, as the sky is darkened and void of light, LET FIRE SOAR AND GLOW IN THE NIGHT!”
Immediately, his horn gave off a blinding light that shone brighter than he had ever seen it glow; it even emitted from his eyes and mouth. Then he saw Noon charging his own magic and sure enough, the light spread to his horn and separated off him toward the unicorns. Each and every one of them received the light which glowed off their horns. The Workhorses were just seconds away from collision when at last, Midnight’s fire spell shot out from the hundreds of unicorns as they finally clashed with their foe. A deafening crash was heard as they charged through the machines with the fireworks decimating them at pointblank. Everywhere around Midnight, loud colorful explosions burst from the ground and metal parts began to shower over him. As the fiery bursts shot out from all around him, he saw the severed heads and limbs of the Workhorses flying around him. Some of the mechanical pieces scratched and cut his coat as he pressed forward. Every step he took, he feared it would be his last before taking a serious fall. Hoping to regain vigor, he looked up at the sky again and sure enough, the blinding light was reaching toward the airships and more fireworks blasted from their gondolas. Throughout the carnage, the unicorns had slowed down from a head-on charge to a firm standoff with the Workhorses continuing to pelt them with their pyrotechnic assault. Shouts were heard over the bombardment.
“Watch out!”
“There’s one on your side!”
“Stay on the left!”
“We need cover over here!”
“Nice shot!”
Midnight stood back to back with Noon shooting down the Workhorses that circled them. He put everything he had into focusing his magic; any major slipup and he would break the magic connection causing everypony to lose their fire. All around him, it seemed that they were making excellent progress since there were no casualties to be seen. The battle ensued for over an hour but it felt like a lifetime. Eventually, the Workhorse army had diminished a great amount. Only a thin crescent of the machines remained to defend the fortress from the magic casting invasion. Midnight was growing battle weary and doubted he would even make it to face off with Locust. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling boom and then his brother yell.
“Midnight! Help!”
He turned to see Noon buried under of pile of Workhorse parts with only his head and fore hooves poking out underneath. Midnight tried to push the scrap metal off of him, but the heap would not budge.
“Bro, behind you!” shouted Noon.
A quick turnaround showed Midnight three airborne Workhorses sailing straight toward him low over the desert surface. The trapped unicorn under the pile of dismembered robots seemed like the perfect target for the three intact ones. Midnight held his ground in front of his incapacitated brother and fired at will bringing down one Workhorse. But the other two were gaining fast, and as he shot down the second one, it was too late for him to defeat the third. Noon seemed as good as doomed. Before he could dive onto his brother for protection, Midnight saw a bright green blur pass in front of him. He thought it was the inevitable blast from the Workhorse’s horn. But waiting for more than three seconds told him that he was still alive and so was Noon. He opened his closed eyes to see that the flying mechanical pony was gone from the air and was now lying on its side, fidgeting on the cracked ground. Standing atop it was a triumphant pony who had apparently knocked the machine out of the air just in the nick of time. But oddly enough, it wasn’t one of the unicorns; it was Marigold. Midnight stood with his mouth agape staring at the earth mare smiling at him. Then she hurried over to lift the heavy metal off of her hero stallion. Midnight helped her and soon the pile cleared enough for Noon to get back on his feet. He hobbled a bit with Marigold helping him up.
“Marigold?!” exclaimed Noon. “What are you doing here?”
“Takeoff landed close by and he dropped me off to search for you.” She answered and turned to the other twin. “Midnight, you guys did it. Now that most of the Workhorses are out of commission, it’s safe to take you to the fortress.”
Midnight blinked with surprise. He didn’t expect this part of the plan to come so soon. He looked at the blazing battle up ahead and debated whether to comply with Marigold or not. Then he turned to Noon who looked slightly dizzy from standing up.
“It’s alright, bro,” he said softly. “I’ll be fine here. I’ll take over the fire spell for you and keep the magic flowing.”
Noon then channeled the magic from his brother and almost fell on his knees as he took full control of the fire spell. He then smiled at Midnight.
“Now you go kick that changeling’s sorry flank for me, Nightshift!”
Without a word, Midnight hugged his twin and let him charge off back to the chaos finishing off the downed Workhorse along the way. After watching head off, Midnight followed Marigold away from the direction of the battle. Up ahead, a smaller airship that could fit no more than several ponies was resting on the ground. Standing beside it was a familiar red Pegasus ready to greet the two.
“You ready to do this thing?” asked Takeoff joyfully.
“I hope so.” Midnight replied.
“Where’s Noon?”
“…He’s doing just fine.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question, but okay.”
Midnight took one last heartfelt look back at the siege in the distance and climbed onboard the airship with Marigold. Phase one was complete; next came phases two and three.