//------------------------------//
// Jailbreak 
// Story: Pony Emblem 
// by Alkem 
//------------------------------//

Having had their first real taste of combat, Staghoof's squad now headed east of Oakwheat to Stonewheat Fort.  Although exhaustion swept the ranks, a sense of triumph also exuded from each of them as they marched under a darkening sky. All the while, their commander kept strangely silent; something that Shining Armor, Pinkamia Pie, and Docile May found rather suspicious. However, overwhelmed by the pride of their accomplishments, they decided not to dwell on the matter as they approached their destination. Unbeknownst to them, that which awaited would lead to their greatest trial.


Jailbreak


Within Stonewheat's cold walls, a pair of mares sat together, locked inside one of the dungeon's cell. On the opposite side of their rust layered cell door, a unicorn glared at the two inside and spat before walking away.

Hearing the sound of the guard's hooves fade into the shadows of the long passageway, a grey pegasus dressed in disheveled military attire leaned over to her cellmate. "I can't believe it. Captured and thrown in a dungeon to rot. Oooooh," she whispered, nervously playing with her mane. She then looked up to the ceiling. "What would the general say if he found out about this? He'd never let me leave his side again."

The earth pony next to her, covered from head to hoof in a white hooded robe, placed her plum colored hoof on the pegasus's shoulder. "Do not despair. You must continue to have faith. I'm certain something will come to free us soon."

Comforted by her elder's strong yet soothing voice and touch, the pegasus released the blonde strands of hair trapped between her hooves and turned her head away. "I'm sorry, but I just don't think I can believe that."

"Did you not manage to give word to the local camps about the villages under attack?"

The pegasus thought about her cellmate's words until it dawned on her. "Wait a minute, how did you know about that?" Suddenly another thought came to mind. "Wait a second. Oh! Now I get it," she whispered loudly, catching a glimpse of the mare's smile hidden in shadow.

"It's only a matter of time. We just have to wait and have faith that they'll arrive."

The pegasus walked over to the door and peered towards the side. "For our sakes as well as the others here, I hope whoever they are that they get here soon." Gazing down the narrow corridor, she spotted other cells like her’s and heard the groans of those inside




Inside the fortress's main chamber, a gathering of unicorn dressed in red-plated armor all stood at attention before a flight of stairs located in the center of the room. At the top, a unicorn covered in dense armor enveloped the thick lance at his side in a veil of light green and slammed its base against the ground.

"The time to strike is at hoof! Equestria's royal army is too busy with its conflicts in the west and south to bother noticing us. With this fort taken, its soldiers locked up, and the neighboring camps dealing with those mercenaries, we're free to storm the castle!" The army below cheered, raising their weapons high. "We'll take back our sacred treasure that our traitorous princess stole from us, and with it, wrestle control of our land from our senile king!" The crowd cheered once more. "We are unicorns, superior to all other ponies. We'll reclaim the power that's rightfully ours from those earth and pegasi ponies and put them in their place!"

The troops all roared, clanging their weapons against their armor, but their cheers were cut short as a lone soldier came scrambling into the chamber and up the stairs. "Commander Iron Rust! I bring word from the lookout. A group of soldiers have been spotted headed this way from the East!"

Iron Rust's metal suit creaked as he stepped back in shock. "The Equestrian Royal Guard, here?! How?!"

The messenger, still trying to catch his breath, held his hoof out. "No, Sir." he panted. "Judging by their clothing, they aren't with the royal guard, but they wear the Equestrian banner on their armor."

The floor cracked under Iron Rust's hoof as he took a step forward and smiled. "Heh, a group of rookies headed our way. What better way to start our conquest of the castle, then with a little warm up." He hoisted his lance and pointed it forward, but before an order left his lips, he was interrupted by a cold slithery voice that came from behind.

"Aren't you forgetting your orders, General? Delaying your attack on Opal Castle simply to hunt down some fresh meat?"

The general's lance wobbled as he nervously returned it to his side and slowly turned about to face the light blue unicorn at his rear. "N-no, of course not. I-I-I was just about to order my men to march. There are still some of those mangy mercenaries with us. I'll have them stay to deal with those headed this way."

The unicorn, hidden underneath a dark gray cloak, shot the general an eerie smile. "That is good to hear. We will await your successful capture of the castle and recovery of the artifact. Till then, I shall go and report your progress thus far." With a flash of light the hooded colt vanished, leaving the startled general standing before his troops who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation.

"What are you all standing around for? We begin our attack on the castle now!"




Exhausted, hungry and with their motivation being chipped away with each hoof step, the troop trekked on. Marching in between Shining Armor and Docile May in line, Pinkamia drooped her head down and groaned "How much further?"

"Just over this hill," Staghoof monotonically replied.

The tone of his leading commander coupled with his fatigue ruined what would have otherwise have been a mad dash to the top, so Shining stayed in formation with the other. slowly making his way up the hill. At the top he now pictured himself getting a well deserved rest as he got a glimpse of the other side.

Down past below, a shamble of a fort made of stones crudely fastened together and surrounded by a makeshift wall welcoming them. It looked ridged, unsettling and as though it could crumble at any minute, but in the soldier’s sweat drenched, half open eyes, it was glorious.

At the gate, Staghoof looked up and called out to a soldier. "Fellow, Equestrian. I am Staghoof, commander of the 43rd company. My soldiers and I request you commanding officer's permission to bed inside for the night."

"What was that? Who are you?" the pony on the wall replied with a scowl.

"We are but a group of knights-in-training, and we require a place to stay for the night."

The pony vanished behind the wall, followed some movement that could be heard from the other side. The large wooden door then slowly rose up and as the troops got a peak inside, spotting another soldier standing in the middle of the entrance. "Welcome, come right in."

Still in formation, the troops followed Staghoof inside and stopped while he walked over to the peach pegasus that welcomed them. "So, you must be a new recruit?"

The colt jerked back, thrown off by the sudden friendly question. "What? Oh, me? No. I've been stationed here for awhile."

"Is that so? You must know Raspberry Twirl then?"

Take a gulp, the pegasus paused for a second before answering. "O-of course. We go way back."

Staghoof's squad watched as their leader's simple questions made the pegasus break out in a heavy sweat. Sharing glances between each other, it became clear that something was off.

"So, have you all in Stonewheat been busy?"

"Yep, busy, busy, busy. We've been running around doing all sorts of drills all day long."

"I see.  Too busy doing drills to help out the nearby village that was under attack."

A silence fell between the two of them. Now damp with sweat, the pegasus opened his mouth to speak, but the glaring  eyes of the squad left him with a dry tongue. Seeing the troops behind Staghoof starting to reach for their weapons, he turned tail and ran.

"Seal the gate! They're on to us!"

Shining and the others cringed as the wooden door crashed down behind them. Realizing they had fallen into a trap, the squad drew their weapons and stood together in a circle at the ready.

"Quick, everyone inside the fortress!" Staghoof yelled as arrows started raining around them.
Shining Armor, along with his fellow unicorn squad mates hovered their shields along with whatever they could get their magic around over everyone's head. Galloping together, they made their way through the barrage of falling bolts to the doors and rammed their way in.




Inside the main chamber on the opposite side of the fortress, a light purple pegasus stomped against the cobble floor. "Damn it, they've figure us out! If only we had more time to prepare. Curse those unicorns. Leaving us with little time and men. Whatever, we beat the troops that were in here before, and we'll do the same with these fools." She raised her foreleg up with sword in hoof. "All of you, stop the intruders from getting any further inside. And don't let them reach the dungeon!" Her command echoed down the hall, reaching the group at the entrance.

"The dungeon? That must be where their holding the real soldiers," said Pinkamia.

"Then we have to hurry and free them."

"Yeah, that sounds easy right, Shine? We just need to get through all those guys blocking the way. Not to mention there's two paths to take."

"Docile's right. We're going to have to split up," said Staghoof. "Shining Armor, you take Docile, Mia, and the new recruits with you down the narrow path. That leads to the lower levels where the prison is located.  I'll stay with the main squad and draw their attention in the main hallway while you find and free any captured soldiers to help aid us."

"Yes Sir," the trio said, saluting before heading down the hallway. Shining looked over to the line of troops and spotted three unicorns. "Truxtee, Clips, Shells, let's go."

"Okay," said Clips, running up to join them.

"You got it," Shells replied as he ran up behind him.

Truxtee ran after them with a sigh. "Oooh, and I thought I'd finally get some beauty sleep."

Galloping down the stairs and into the dim passageway, the group stopped at the first cell and Shining Armor took a look inside. "Hello?" The rattling of chains quickly responded.

"You scum. Locking us down here to rot inside our own fortress." Shining peered further into the dark room and spotted the silhouettes of numerous troops inside.

"Hold on, I'm not the enemy. I'm with the Equestrian Army. I'm here to help."
"You mean, you're here to rescue us?"

"The Equestrian Army's here to save us boys!"

"We're free!"

While ponies on both sides of the door watched as Shining used his magic to fiddle with the lock, another voice called out from down the hall. "Hey, what are you prisoners all yelling about?" Trotting out from the dark reaches of the corridor, a unicorn soldier stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the group by the cell. "Intruders! Intruders spotted in the dungeon passageway!"

Hearing the fear driven outcry, the mercenary leader planted her hoof hard against the floor. "Tsk. They're coming at us from both sides! Hurry, send more men down that way! We can't let them free our prisoners!" Unsheathing the sword held under her wing, she pointed it at a pair of armored knights standing by the chamber's entrance. "You there, go and fetch me some prisoners."

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier answered, lifting his lance up in response before turning to exiting.

Back in the corridor, Shining Armor was still struggling with the lock while Clips, Shells, and Mia were taking turns felling one foe after another headed their way. Clips slashed the blade in his mouth blade left and right, wildly carving through the opposition's crimson plates while Shells thrusted his lance repeatedly, clanging its steel tip against shields and armors, managing to get in some lucky pinpoint strikes. Compared to the colts' reckless fighting style, Mia danced her way through lance swipes and sword slashes, and with the same grace and finesse, sliced through everything in her way. All the while, Docile and Truxtee assisted with arrows and bolts of magic, wearing out incoming foes before they got to them.

Truxtee looked back to see Shining Armor still fumbling with the lock. "What's taking you so long?".

"I can't get this thing to open," he replied, scrunching his face as he glared at the lock. Hearing the cries of enemy reinforcements coming down the hall, he started violently rattling the door when suddenly he felt a force shove him away.

"Step aside. Truxtee shall deal with the lock. Go and help the others before we get overwhelmed."

Flashing her a relieved smile and nod, he went and joined the others while Truxtee worked her magic on the door. "Now, let's see." She leaned in close to the lock, and squinted. "Hmph, a simple lock such as this is no challenge for the extraordinary Truxtee." With a flare of light from her horn, the lock, along with the prisoner's shackle,s clicked open. "Too easy," she smirked as the prisoners started running out of the cell.

Casting aside a heavy knight he just speared through, Shining Armor looked back to the liberated troops. "Go! Arm yourselves and join up with our forces in the main hallway."

With the liberated soldiers headed for their weapons, Shining and his group moved on to the next cell. Galloping along with the others, Mia turned her head over to the cape wearing unicorn beside her. "Truxtee, where'd you learn to pick locks so quickly like that?"

"A traveling talent such as Truxtee is always prepared for anything. You never know when you'd need to escape capture from unwanted fans."

"Or bust out of prison for disrupting the peace," Clips murmured, running with Shells ahead of the two mares.

"Well whatever, just be ready to do it again. I spot the next cell up ahead," Docile yelled back. "I also see more enemies waiting for us." He looked over to the colt at his side. "Their all yours Shine, I'll back you up."

"Right."

Pulling away from the group, Shining Armor dashed forward with his shield levitating in front of him, his lance pointing straight ahead and galloped straight into the soldiers in his path.




Overhearing the calamity just outside their cell, the pegasus ran up the door and clutched the bars. "Marry Glee, you were right, it's the army. The army's come to save us!" she shouted, turning to the robed mare with a smile.

"Yes, I figured they'd arrive soon enough Ms. Doo. Now Let me go and gather my belongings." Moving to the back of the cell, the earth pony knelt down, pick up a faded white sack with her teeth and slugged it over her shoulder. The pegasus at the door stepped back as it swung open and a unicorn stepped inside.

Making her way in, the mare threw the back of her cape into the air as she stood up on her back legs. "You're free! And you have Truxtee the extraordinary to thank for it!" As her cape descended, Shells and Clips walked in around her.

"Please Truxtee, must you do that for each cell you unlock."

"Yeah, but she still managed to do a good job. Now come on Clips, let's help whoever's inside and..." Shells suddenly stopped as he got a look at the two prisoners.

Seeing his friend's shocked expression, Clips started shaking the slim colt. "Shells, Shells! What's wrong? What's the matter? Who is…" He turned, struggling to let out the next word as he too looked over to the pair. "It."

"Well, well. Shells, Clips, I never expected to see two of my former students in a place like this," Marry Glee spoke out as she removed her hood and stepped up to them.

The two young knights instantly went down on one knee as the magenta furred mare with light grayish rose mane stared at them. "Instructor Marry Glee."

She smiled and then waved a hoof at them. "Please you two, stop that. You don't need to do that. After all, I'm not a trainer anymore. Besides, I don't think this is the right time for this sort of thing." Both colts stood back up, looking into the mare's soft bright green eyes and smiled.

Truxtee glared at the wagging tail duo. "Clips, Shells, would you two snap out of it. We need to get back out there and help the others."

Marry glanced over to the door and noticed the fighting going on. "She's right boys. We'd better go and back them up." She then turned her head to the pegasus who had been silently watching them. "Well Ms. Doo, you've been awfully quiet. Now that we're free, shouldn't you make your escape?"

The pegasus in question stared back at her, opening her yellow eyes as wide as her mouth was while her wings sprang up. "Mar-Mar, Marry Glee! You're General Glee!"

"Well yes, I used to be. I simply go by Marry now. We should save this conversation for later. Right now, I've got to help our saviors. I'd think you'd best make your way to safety."

The pegasus's light armored skirt rattled as she stepped forward. "No. I want to stay and fight with you."

Marry Glee stared at the mare and noticed that despite her obvious lack of experience, she shared the same giddy yet determined expression as the two colts to her left. "You know, that look of your’s reminds me of so many of my students. Fine you can join us, but you're sticking by my side. Unlike those two over there, I can tell you haven't much experience on the battlefield, so don't leave my side and do as instructed. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am" the pegasus enthusiastically saluted.

"Good. But first, I need to get ready." She turned and faced her two pupils and Truxtee. "You three head out and help your friends. Ms. Doo and I'll be there shortly. That reminds me. I don't think you've introduced yourself Ms. Doo."

"What? Oh yes, sorry." The pegasus faced her liberators and lowered her head at to them. "My name is Tranquil Doo. It is very nice to meet you and thank you very much for rescuing us." Her golden locks sagged onto her face as she bowed to them.

"Alright, I'll let the others know what's going on. Don't take too long or else I just might take all the spotlight," said Truxtee, adjusting her hat as she, along with Clips and Shells, made their way out.

With them gone, Marry tossed her sack on the ground, causing Tranquil to lost her balance slightly as it cracked the floor in front of her. "Ms. Doo, would you please assist me in placing my armor?"




At the end of the hallway, a yellow pegasus was cringing with each cling and clang of steel she heard followed by the whinnies and howls of her comrades. "This is bad. That small group is making their way up here quick and freeing all the prisoners."

As the blade she held tightly between her hooves' tip slowly moved towards the ground, a diamond dog came running at her from the passageway on her right. "Tipsy, we've got a problem. The escaped prisoners are joining up with the larger group on the west side of the fortress and are quickly making their way through our defenses. It's only a matter of time till they reach the main chamber."

Tipy turned her head left and right, listening to the sounds of fight getting closer in both pathways. "This isn't good. At this rate we'll be overwhelmed on both sides. This job's gotten to dicey for us. I've gotta talk to Ruby. You stay here and watch over things. Don't let them get through." With her subordinate taking her place, she flew off into the captain's quarter and looked up at the top of the stairs. "Boss, we've got trouble. We're losing ground on both fronts and soon the enemy will make their way here. Ruby, we can't win. We need to retreat."

Standing at the top of a flight of stairs, a lone pegasus looked down at her lackey. "Retreat? We can't do that. Not when those Crystalia snobs promised us hoards of treasure."

"We won't get any of that treasure if we're dead."

"This is why I've got us a little protection." As she said that, the two ponies and Diamond Dog knights that stood guard around Tipsy revealed something behind their massive shields.

"Are those some of the prisoners?" she gasped. The tied and gagged soldiers were tossed to the ground, groaning as they landed before her. "Hostages?!"

"That's right Tipsy. Our job was to stop the enemy forces, and if we couldn't do that, to stall them as much as we could.  If everything works out, we'll get out of here and get our treasure."

"What about the others?"

"What about them? Bonemaul's gone and most of the others have fled back to Crystalia. After this job I'm getting our payment and taking off. The less of us left after this job, the more treasure for me, and you if you stick with me. Just stay here and wait. When this is all, over we'll make our escape and get our pay."




Back in the fray, Shining Armor and company fought hard, fending off mercenaries as they progressed through the hall. With each cell opened, ponies made their escape until finally, all that stood in their way was a formidable colt covered from head to hoof in thick armor. He stood at the end of the hallway, blocking the way while he swiped his lance.

"You all better turn back now, cause there's no way you'll get past me."

Clips and Shells charged in slashing and stabbing but the knight's shield took the twin barrage, filling the passageway with the sounds of scraping metal as sparks flew between the three of them. The two were then pushed back by the knight’s overpowering shield charge. Dazed from the attack, they placed their hooves over their eyes as their foe's spear moved in to strike. 

"Aaaaaaaaah!" Struck by the arcing stick, they went sliding back to join the others.

"You're turn, Mia."

"Eh-yeah, all yours."

Charging past the duo laid out before her, Mia ran in with her sword at the ready. With the mare in his sights, the knight tightened his muscles and shoved his lace forward. Mia leaped up, dodging the attack and swung her blade onto the spear, forcing it to the ground with all her might. "Shine, now!" Galloping past her, Shining Armor moved in to strike. 

Spotting the pointed shaft heading for him, the crimson armored colt desperately reached down for his weapon, but an arrow flew ahead of him, knocking it away. Shining's lance hit, denting the shield and leaving a scar across its surface as it slid off. While Shining still moved forward, prepared to slam shields, the knight reached behind his shield and pulled out a blade.

"Look out!"

Shining's vision went white as he felt himself tossed to the ground. Opening his eyes to see the gray ceiling and realizing he was now on his back, he sat up and saw the image of another pony decked in thick armor casually chucking away the knight he was just fighting with a bash of her shield. She then spoke. "Tranq, move in and strike with your lance."

"Oh! Right, uh. Yes ma'am!"

Coming into Shining's view, a lightly armored pegasus trotted forward with a thin pike between her teeth. She made her way around the armored mare and with an uncoordinated swing, lightly tapped the tip of her weapon against the knocked back knight before accidentally dropping it.

"Tranquil, you have to put more energy into your attack," said Marry, catching the winged mare who fell back from her own attack. After setting her aside, Marry retrieved the fallen spear and looked at her. "You must remember to put all your strength into each blow. Like this."

Everyone's jaws dropped. Their eyes only managing to catch after-images of Marry's swipes as they cleaved two intersecting paths through her foe's armor that knocked the poor colt helplessly around with each devastating blow. With one final strike piercing the steel plates, her opponent lifelessly fell to the ground with a cacophony of clanging metal. Marry then walked over to the awestruck mare standing motionless at her side and handed her back her weapon. "Tranquil, You must practice channeling your strength when you attack an opponent. Remember, as a pegasus you can use your wings to give yourself a bit more oomph as you attack."

Shining and Docile, after overcoming their astonishment, ran over and joined them. "That was amazing! Who are you?" They were then quickly shoved aside as Mia broke in between them.

"Great skies above, you're, you're General Marry Glee!"

The mare stepped back, surprised by the excited trio. "Well, minus the 'General' part, yes that's me."
Mia's eyes, reflecting the image of the pony in front of her, glistened brilliantly. "Oh my goodness I can't believe I'm face to—"

"Wait, did you say Marry Glee?" Shining cut in, bumping beside her.

"As in General Glee?" Docile added, sandwiching Mia in between the two colts.

While the three stood there with eyes aglow, Truxtee gazed at the sight with an apathetic stare. "What's so special about this 'General Glee'?" She was quickly answered by a group gasp and found herself surrounded.

"How could you not know General Glee," said Clips.

"She's one of Equestria's finest knights," Shells commented.

"One of the heroes who protected Canterlot during its founding," Mia mentioned.

"One of the strongest generals around," Shining added.

"Not to mention the best rookie trainer around," Docile squawked.

Marry stepped in breaking up the commotion. "Please everyone, settle down. Shells, Clips, I thought you told them about us already?"

"Sorry, Shells and I got caught up in all the fighting."

"Yeah, we totally forgot to mention it."

"Well that's alright, we'll properly introduce ourselves later. It's best we keep moving and put an end to this. Your main forces may already be there."




Passing through the doorway, the party burst into captain's chamber where they were greeted by an unpleasant sight. In the center of the room, three armored knight were lined up blocking the a stairway. Behind their shields, ponies bound by rope were struggled to break free. The group's eyes were then drawn to the top of the steps where a pair of pegasi looked down at them.

"So, you're the group that went and freed all our prisoners. Heh, looks like you've missed some." The captured soldiers struggled again at the sight of the group.

"Please, save us!"

"I don't want to die!"

Shining Armor readied his weapon and glared at the mares up top. "Why are you doing this?!"

"This is just a simple job. We've been hired to stop you, and seeing how those soldier's lives are on the line, I doubt you'll try anything funny. Now, put down your weapons.  All of you!" As the group below did as ordered, the second pegasus leaned next to her,

"Ruby, what do we do now? Even if we've gotten them to disarm, there's still the bigger group headed our way. We'll soon be outnumbered," she whispered.

"Be quiet, Tipsy," Ruby scowled, feeling a bead of sweat drip from her trim light teal mane as she eyed the doorway where fighting could be heard. Her eyes began to widen as she the sounds appeared to be getting closer. Shaking off her concerns, she looked back at the group below. "Listen, in exchange for their safety, you're to let us go unharmed."

"How dare you!" Pinkamia snarled, stepping past Shining Armor. "After what you've done to the ponies here, you expect to get away scot-free."

The hostages suddenly yelped as the knights tightened their hold. "Nah-ah-ah," said Ruby. "Relax there, little mare. You don't want to hurt your friends, do you?" Gritting her teeth, Mia stepped back and joined the others as Ruby smirked. "Now then, you'll do as I said and let us go." The room went quite as they all awaited an answer.

Breaking the silence between them, an ax came flying into the room and plunged itself into the back of one of the knights. "Aaaaah!" the knight yelped, desperately reaching for the weapon now impaled on his backside. Taking advantage of the situation, his hostage ran and joined the group across from him. The other knights, stunned by the sudden attack, didn't notice Docile and Marry reaching for the weapons.

"Look out!" Ruby hollered, but it was too late. An arrow and a lance went whizzing through the air, striking one knight in the head and the other in the knee. The Diamond Dog knight's hold yielded as his head was knocked back by the lance that hit him dead on and the second hostage ran free. The unicorn knight beside him reeled in pain from the skillful shot that found an opening in his armor. As he frantically pulled the arrow out of his knee, his hostage got away as well.

With all the hostages free, the others recovered their weapons and moved in to attack. Shining and Mia galloped for the stairs but the knights, now recovered from they injuries, stepped in.their way  Mia and Shining prepared to fight, but were surprised by Marry as she railroaded into the three, slamming one against the wall. She then looked over to the mare and colt "Go! I'll hold them off down here." She turned back with her shield her shield held tight. "Alright Tranquil, let's see you put more energy into it this time."

The grey pegasus quickly flew by her side, fumbling with her lance as she landed. "Yes, ma'am!" she replied with a determined smile on her face.

Giving the two a nod, Mia and Shining resumed their charge only to be stopped by the remaining knights. As they jumped back and got ready to fight, a streak of lightning crashed down onto the two facing them. Seeing smoke rise off them from the bolt, Shining and Mia looked back.

"Have you two forgotten about the extraordinary Truxtee? Truxtee will not allow herself to be left aside. Now watch as Truxtee vanquishes her foes with her amazing magic!"

While she unleashed another blast, Clips ran up beside Shining and Mia. "That's just her way of saying she'll hold them off. You two get up there and capture those two." He then ran towards the two singed knights with Shells joining him. Working together, their piercing and slashing slowly wore down their foes. The knights inched forward, blocking the attacks as best they could but before they could retaliate, Docile's arrows and Truxtee's bolts hit and forced them back.

With their friends holding the guards below, Mia and Shining ascended the steps and lunged as they reached the top. Seeing the pair diving for them, both mercenaries held their blades high and deflected their attackers and countered. Mia's quick reflexes, parried Tipsy's sword, but Shining took a slash against his foreleg and fell hard onto the ground.

"Is that really all you've got?" Ruby gloated, aiming her blade at the colt lying a few feet away. "How'd someone as weak as you manage to get past all those mercenaries?"

While she was pushing her blade against Tipsy's, Mia noticed her friend. "Shining Armor!" Her grip faltered, almost losing it entirely.

"Hey, don't you think you've got more important things to worry about?" Tipsy asked, swinging her blade.

Focusing back on her opponent, Mia and Tipsy furiously traded blows. Colliding their sharpened edges against one another over and over. Sparks soared between them, as they took turns blocking and attacking, echoing their clash throughout the chamber. Both swordmares eagerly swiped at each other, but the other always answered back with a counter of their own. Despite the situation, the two couldn't help but wear a little smile on their faces as they went all out on each other.

While their duel raged on, Shining was staggering back on his hooves while Ruby watched as a trickle of red ran down his right leg and stained the floor. "That's more like it. I'd prefer killing you when you're fighting back." Brushing back the hair over her gray eyes, she readied her blade and moved in for another attack.

"I won't let you get away with this," Shining panted, bending down to grab his lance and spotting red at his feet. He tried focusing his magic to retrieve his shield, but a sharp pain shooting throughout his body with each staggered breath made it difficult. Shining Armor stood before his foe and slowly limped forward.

He swung as best he could, but Ruby effortlessly jumped over it and dived towards him. The sight of her blade tip mirrored in his eyes moved closer towards his neck when suddenly everything suddenly slowed to a crawl. Everything around him had lost its color and the world fell silent. Only the rapid beating of his heart accompanied him as he watched the blade slowly move closer. His eyes moved to the right and spotting his shield in the distance. Shining Armor tried focusing his magic one more time. Something was different this time. A torrent of magic surged through his body and straight into his horn. His knees started to buckle as the light he held shined brilliantly in front of him. He then he reached out from his shield and focused.

Ruby's blade went hurtling away as it connected against Shining's shield. Somehow, the slab of steel had appeared before him, pulsating with light. Next, a flash of light sent Ruby bouncing against the wall at the back end of the room. Both Tipsy and Mia, still circling around each other, stopped in reaction to the flash and looked over. 

Seeing her friend on the ground, Tipsy dropped her blade and ran to her side. "Ruby!" She picked up her fallen friend and held her in her hooves. "That's it; we're getting out of here. This isn't worth it." Vigorously flapping her wings, she flew out of the room, holding Ruby under her.

Mia watched as the pair flew overhead and fled out the door. She then looked down and picked up her foe's weapon and held it before her. While she looked on at the blade, someone in the distance came into focus and she ran over to see him "Shine, Shine, are you alright?"

Lying on his back, he groaned at the mare grabbing him by the shoulder. "I'd be a lot better if you'd stop shaking me like that."

Just realizing she was pulling back and forth, she laid him down and sat back. "Sorry."




The dust had finally settled and the Stonewheat had returned to a state of normalcy. After speaking with the fort's commander, Staghoof and Marry Glee stepped inside a small quarters and began a discussion while looking over a map on a table.

"So that's what happened. They were mercenaries hired to stop us. The question is, who hired them, and what were they after. One thing's for sure, from the information I gathered off the soldiers, the ones that originally took the fort were an organized battalion. I get the feeling, whoever they were, they're after more then just this fort," he said, staring down at the map.

Dressed back in her robe, Marry joined him at the table. "So Stagg, did any of the captured mercenaries tell you anything?"

"All I could pry out of them was that their employers were unicorns. Other than that, it seems they were kept in the dark. Judging from that one would suspect this is the Crystalian's doing.

"But why? They may not be in the best of terms with Equestria, but King Platinum has never shown any ill will towards us. Why, his daughter is one of our nation's founders. So why would they attack now?"

"Perhaps he's not the one who gave the order. You've probably come across the rumors, haven't you?"

"You mean the talk of protest and uprising? Yes. It seems not all Crystalian are in favor of their king's views. Especially after they found out about what he did."

"Well I can't say for sure it's their doing. After all, there's no proof this attack has ties to them. All I can assume right now is that this group plans to strike again."

"Where do you think that'll be?"

Before he could answer, Staghoof was interrupted as the door opened and a trio walked in. "Ah Shine, Mia, Docile. Good to see you. That was some great work you and your little band did back there. It's thanks to your efforts that we managed to win the day."

"It's thanks to you we avoided losing anyone earlier," Pinkamia said with a grin.

"What do you mean by that?" Staghoof asked, shifting his eyes away from her.

"I don't think you're ax hitting that knight was a coincidence." she said, reaching behind her and dropping an ax onto the ground.

Marry leaned next to him and whispered. "She's good,"

Stepping past the grinning pink mare, Shining Armor approached the two at the table. "Commander, what have we learned about the group who hired the mercenaries?"

Staghoof sighed. "Aside from the fact that they were trained unicorn soldiers, not much."

"Trained unicorn soldiers? So doesn't that mean this is Crystalia's doing?" Docile asked.

"Not necessarily," Marry cut in. "None of the fort's soldiers confirmed the enemy's affiliation. We can't just assume it was them. Relations between our two nations may be strained but their king still supports us. So I'd rather not sour that with a possible false accusations."

Taking his eyes off the map, Shining Armor looked over to the large earth colt across from him. "Sir, there's something I wanted to ask you. Something happened during my fight with the mercenary leader. When I used my magic to grab my shield, it instantly blocked and sent her flying. What was that?"

Staghoof couldn't help by laugh. "Is that all? For a second you had me worried there. You know by now that each pony has certain traits the differ them from the others. And after some time and training, ponies combine those abilities in their fighting and develop skills to give them an edge. As a unicorn, you use your magic in combat so it's no surprise you'd learn better ways of using it. To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't know about this already."

"So I can do that whenever I want, like all the time?"

"No Shining, its just something that happens naturally when you really need it in combat. Now wait a second, I went over this lesson before back at camp. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Y-yes. of course. It just with all this craziness I just forgot." Looking back down at the map he tapped his hoof against it. "So there's a group of soldiers running about and we have no clue where they'll strike next?"

"I have an idea." Pulling back his hood, Docile May and joined them at the table and looked over the map. "Remember those two mercenaries that got away. Why don't we use the direction they fled towards to determine where the group may be headed?"

"How's that going to work?"

"Think about it Mia," he said, lightly tapping his head. "They're mercenaries right? What does a mercenary do after they've finished a job? Collect their payment from their employer. So, if we can track where they were headed on the map, then maybe it can give us a clue to where this group may be headed."

Shining placed a hoof on the map and circled around the fort's location. "But we don't know which direction they ran off to."

"I do. As they made their escape, I chased them outside to try and stop them. Unfortunately I ran out of arrows by then, but I did see where they were headed." Moving Shining's hoof away, Docile placed his hoof on the map and started moving it. "They went southwest." His hoof moved down the map and at the nearest location. "Which means they must be headed, right here."

Everyone leaned in, staring down where the green hoof was pointing to. Staghoof's eyes then narrowed in recognition of the spot. "You three go and get some rest. And Docile, I sure do hope you're wrong about this."