Chapter 62
Emergency report sent by dragonfire scroll, from Wonderbolt Major Chipped Paint, Knights Adamant, to High General North Wind.
Forwarded from General Wind to Grand Master Steadfast Word
General-
I regret to inform you of the first attack by foreign soldiers on Equestrian soil in centuries.
As you know, I have been tasked with command of the garrison at a town called Sweethaven, a tiny little community with nothing of note or importance other than a shrine of some significance to pilgrims of the Knights Radiant, as well as their hospital and convent.
At one point, the community was home to a large population of zebras. After several altercations with Knights, they left without warning about five years ago.
Two days past, I received a note from an individual calling himself ‘Sir Zamiss Kavalah of the Knights of the Mother’. He claimed that Sweethaven was his home, that he would be returning soon, and that he did not wish a fight, though he would bring one if I did not allow him and his Knights to enter town peacefully.
To be honest, the entire thing sounded like madness. But I try to be cautious by nature. I ordered my garrison to stand on alert, and I informed the Lady Superior at the Radiant convent, Lady Juniper Brightbush. She agreed to prepare her sisters to receive any wounded.
The strange Knights arrived when promised. There were far more than I expected. I had instructed our marines to watch the harbor for the arrival of any ships, but they instead had crept through the woods to approach the town without being noticed. They outnumbered us; I only have ten Knights at my command, and less than a hundred marines. They had one Knight for every one of my unenhanced soldiers. Still, we would not leave the town defenseless.
The Knight who’d sent me the note, Sir Zamis, was a giant of a zebra in gray-black armor. He pointed his staff at me and demanded that we vacate. I held firm.
Sir, I have no words to defend our performance. The best I could say is that we tried our utmost. We attempted to draw any fighting away from the town and the civilians, and I did what I could to minimize casualties in a fighting retreat.
I lost two Knights, seven marines, and the town itself. Three of my Knights and a dozen marines are now prisoners of the zebras, held captive within the town. But the worst part is how Lady Superior Juniper and her Knights Radiant acted.
At the start of the battle I ordered her to muster her Knights to aid us. There were, by my accounting, a permanent station of four Radiants plus seven pilgrims in residence. In return, I received a response that was nothing short of heresy.
She informed me that the Knights Radiant had changed, sir. That they no longer participated in any conflict, except to defend their own lives. They said they would be on hoof to heal the wounded of either side, but would not bear arms for or against the zebras.
As I write this report, my surviving scouts have returned with reports from Sweethaven. Lady Brightbush and her ponies are true to their word; with far-seeing spells we have confirmed that they are healing the wounded zebra Knights as well as the prisoners taken from among my own ponies.
My scouts reported one more disturbing detail: Lady Brightbush, and one of the zebra Knights, a mare no less, exchanging displays of romantic affection. It seems overkill to lump one more heresy on top of those she has already committed, but it may serve to further explain her actions.
Enclosed are the death warrants signed for both Lady Superior Juniper Brightbush and Lady Vanilla Chai, her executive officer. I hesitate to condemn the others under their command; perhaps they are merely following orders, and some leniency is warranted. I shall leave that determination to others.
I await further instructions from a camp a few miles north of the lost town. Please forward this report to the Knights Mystic. Their insight will be valuable here.
Pray for us,
Sir Chipped Paint
The response is also attached
Major Chip-
As per your request, I have forwarded your report to Grand Master Steadfast Word. However, you shall need to trust in your own instincts. Your Radiants are not the only ponies in white to go rogue; the entire order has chosen to walk their own path, and our Mystic brothers are busy dealing with that concern.
If you believe the town can be retaken, certainly do so. Otherwise, hold your position and don’t let the zebra Knights advance any further into Equestrian territory. Further instructions will come soon.
General North Wind
Old Canterlot, 1113 AF
“There’s a wealth of supplies here,” Colibri was saying, as Rarity sipped at a mug of coffee floating in the air in front of her. She frowned and set it down, reaching for the cream again. Instant coffee. A scandal. “All sorts of armor and weapons and military equipment.”
“And food, darling?” Rarity asked, pouring another tablespoon of cream into the golden brown liquid. “We lost a good bit of supplies when we left the ruined train behind.”
“There’s some, but not much,” Colibri said, shuffling her papers around and sliding one across the desk to Rarity. “The school here relies on monthly supply drops from New Canterlot. And adding several dozen prisoners isn’t going to help those supplies last.”
“I don’t suppose we could set them free,” Rarity mumbled.
Colibri shrugged. “Outside my job description. But yes, they’re a drain on our resources. I’d say we have a few weeks before we have to start thinking about rationing.”
“Well, we weren’t planning on staying forever,” Rarity said. “Just long enough to find the Element of Magic and resolve… well, everything.”
If she was being honest, the small bit of the courtyard she could see from outside the tent wasn’t that wintery. The snowfall had slowed to a casual, almost beautiful drifting of twinkling snow. Like a pleasant winter’s day, not too cold, perfect for foals to make snowponies in, or for a young couple to take a romantic winter wonderland stroll.
Something in her expression must have tipped off her train of thought, because Colibri had stopped, smirking a little.
“Are you okay, Marchioness?” Colibri asked. “You’re drifting off.”
“Just worried about Emberglow, is all,” Rarity said. “Coming back here is troubling her, of course.” It wasn’t just Emberglow. She’d seen the same look of mixed awe and regret on many of the Knights Discordant who had once been loyal Diarchy Knights as they walked around the palace complex. There was a sort of daze present in their movements.
Rarity wasn’t sure she quite understood; she had an entirely different reaction to walking these grounds.
Once, they had been so beautiful. Gardens and pathways, full of greenery and color and light. White alabaster stone, where Celestia and Luna trod with guards and nobles and courtiers.
Now, everything but the palace itself had been… repurposed. There was a militarism about the complex that turned Rarity’s stomach. The Diarchy had taken a beautiful flower and turned it into a brick.
“I get that,” Colibri said. “It’s weird for a lot of us. I lived in the city down below, until I was arrested and hauled off. I’d often look up here and wonder what it was like. Now? It all seems so mundane.”
“Mundane?” Rarity said. She moved over to the edge of the tent, glancing out into the courtyard.
Outside in the snow, things were quite busy. Ponies in Discordant yellow or Crystal Empire lavender moved about, hauling supplies, setting up tents, repairing the wall, and patrolling. There was no sign of any of the prisoners; the squires were being held in the palace itself, and the Knights were confined within the barracks that served as the Knights Adamant headquarters, a blocky brick building placed right where Celestia’s swan pool had once lain.
“I have a hard time seeing any of this as mundane,” Rarity said, with some bitterness.
“Oh, that’s right.” Colibri moved right next to her and laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “You saw this place in its prime, didn’t you?”
“I did, yes,” Rarity said with a sigh. “You would have loved it, darling. The entire place was a garden. Even during winter you would have seen ice sculptures between snow-frosted trees. Twilight even told me once that the princesses invited foals onto the grounds, because Luna particularly loved the sounds of children capering about in the snow, playing and tussling, throwing snowballs and building forts.”
“They did that?” Colibri asked. “Like, literal goddesses would invite normal ponies into their home just to…” Her eyes were wide with awe.
“They would,” Rarity said. “Celestia and Luna always wanted to feel connected to all of the rest of us. Luna especially struggled with it. It… caused her some distress when she felt isolated or elevated above everypony else.”
“That’s…”
Colibri trailed off, and Rarity glanced back at her. The confusion in her expression was understandable. For years, these ponies had worshiped Luna and Celestia as literal unknowable goddesses, after all.
“Hard to wrap your head around?” Rarity finished. “I understand, darling. But I’ve seen you talking to Princess Flurry. Speaking with the Princesses Celestia and Luna was no different, really.”
“Yes, but… Princess Flurry is real,” Colibri said. Rarity arched one eyebrow, and Colibri blushed. “Well, she is! C-C-Celestia and Luna are just… legends.”
“They were real once, too,” Rarity said, gulping over the empty pang that suddenly cut through her heart. She looked up towards the palace, to the empty balcony where she once stood beside Princess Twilight after Twilight’s ascension, announced to the entire city. She cleared her throat. “Sorry. My reminiscing interrupted your report.”
“Right,” Colibri said. “Well, besides the food, the items of most interest to us are probably the stash of unpainted Knight armor, ready to be repurposed for our own uses. At least fifty sets. And… there was one more thing I found. This is where they keep the potions of Knighthood.”
The cold that shot up Rarity’s spine had nothing to do with the snow. “It is?” She tasted bile in the back of her throat. “Th-that makes sense, I suppose. They would have to be somewhere. And this is where the Knights are made, after all.” She kept her voice even.
“Yes,” Colibri said, and Rarity heard the fear and disgust in her own voice. “I could destroy them all. Marchioness, I did an inventory. There’s one hundred and seven potions in total.”
A hundred and seven. For a moment, it was as if the voices of a hundred and seven lost unicorn foals screamed in Rarity’s ears. She wanted to smash them, to stomp them to bits until the glass was ground to sand and the blood of the broken innocents no longer cried out for vengeance.
“O-or,” Colibri ventured, and Rarity shuddered.
Or.
Could she possibly let such a resource go to waste? She felt sick even thinking of it. But those foals had already passed on. Wouldn’t it be wise to…
“Excuse me a m-moment, darling, I must…”
That was all Rarity could manage before she had to sprint over to the quartermaster’s tent’s trash bin and do something rather unladylike. Many times.
When she was done, Colibri was standing there, tears in her eyes and a look of pure sympathy on her face. She handed Rarity a damp cloth, and Rarity nodded gratefully as she wiped her mouth.
“I don’t think you’ll have to make that decision,” Colibri said. “Just… pass it up the line. Heartwing or Princess Flurry can sort it out.”
“Thank you, darling.” It felt like a coward’s way out, but Rarity couldn’t handle more than that now. “I’ll pass on the information. Do you know where Heartwing is currently?”
“Being fitted for a temporary prosthesis at the medic tent, I think,” Colibri said. “I’ll give you the rest of my inventory report for you to pass on, if you’d like.”
“That would be wonderful, darling. Thank you again.” There was a part of her that hoped Emberglow would be at the medic tent as well. She wasn’t supposed to be; after Princess Flurry’s announcement and the radio broadcast, Emberglow had just seemed drained. Rarity had pulled rank as the acting commander under Princess Flurry and sent her to go rest.
That was yesterday evening, though. And it was now morning. Rarity had brought her breakfast and soundly ordered her to relax as much as she could, but she’d seen the hint of rebellion sparkling in Emberglow’s eye. And if a medic evading orders was going to be anywhere, it would be the medic tent, right?
“Oh! One more thing.” Colibri’s voice intruded on her thoughts, and Rarity froze. More bad news? It must have shown in her face, because Colibri held up her hooves. “Nothing scary. A message from my little sister.”
Colibri produced a small box, simple, and wrapped in brown paper. Rarity eyed it curiously. She hadn’t thought much about Colibri’s sister Kleio recently. But she had a good idea of what was in the box.
“She finished it!” Rarity said, taking the box and pulling off the paper. Colibri watched, curious.
“What did you have Kleio make for you?” she asked. Rarity smiled as she opened the wooden lid, revealing a small necklace. “Oh! Is that a diamond?”
“No,” Rarity said, lifting the faceted blue teardrop, hanging from a gold chain. “It’s unique.” She sniffed, blinking suddenly misty eyes. “The last message from a very old friend.”
“Oh,” Colibri said awkwardly.
“A reminder, I hope,” Rarity said, as she placed the necklace around her neck, and fastened the clasp in the back with her magic. The blue stood out boldly against the pristine white of her fur. “That hope can be found, even in the strangest of places.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it someday,” Colibri said softly. “Maybe when this is all over.”
“It’s a promise, darling.” There was a pessimistic part of her that wondered if it would ever be over.
Rarity almost laughed at her own thoughts. The whole point of the necklace was to give hope, not wallow in her dark thoughts. Besides, a military tent was not the proper setting for wallowing. She brushed the teardrop gem with one hoof and smiled, turning once more for the tent door.
“Stay safe out there, Lady Rarity,” Colibri said, passing over the reports Rarity would be taking to Heartwing. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
“You too, Miss Colibri,” Rarity said with a winning smile. Her horn blazed to life as she pulled her faux fur lined hood over her ears, and she stepped out of the quartermaster’s tent.
There were two unicorns in Empire armor waiting for her. They saluted and fell into step on either side of her.
“Thank you for waiting, Trick Shot, Kite Dancer.” Rarity said to the pair. She’d always thought that remembering ponies’ names was an important duty of an employer. Or a military commander, in this case. Besides, the two Squad Cashmere unicorns were her comrades-in-arms, now. There was a bond between them.
“Where to next, Marchioness?” Trick Shot asked, his horn already alight and at the ready. All of her unicorns had insisted, somewhat to Rarity’s chagrin, that in the absence of her personal security detail, they would be seeing to her safety during this expedition. Many of them, Trick Shot included, had confided in her that they intended on retiring from the military and taking a position in her house guard when this was all over.
“To the medic tent. I wish to check on Sir Heartwing, and to see if my mischievous marefriend is following orders.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Trick Shot said.
Rarity found the unicorns’ presence both calming and disturbing; it had only been just over a day since the battle for the palace, but she was still seeing enemies everywhere she looked. Having the guards so close did help to make her feel protected. But their presence also seemed to remind her of the looming danger.
The current state of the palace didn’t help either. There were soldiers and Knights everywhere. Each one moved at a trot, with a sense of urgency. They were settling in for the next attack, the next action, the next fight. Everypony had a job to do, and every one of those jobs was preparing for the blood and death in the coming days ahead.
Rarity’s position meant that throughout the day, several ponies inevitably came looking for her. Command was a challenge, to be sure, but Rarity had experience being a boss. This was not much different.
Except she was producing war, not haute couture.
Soldiers approached, always stopped by her guards, to offer well-wishes, salutes, and even other reports. There was a headcount of the prisoners they had. There was a casualty report. The Discordant who had joined them at the bottom of the hill had movement reports of what the other Discordant were up to in the Diarchy’s heartlands. There were even reports from long-range sentries, watching for activity from the city that spread out at the foot of the mountain.
Each time Rarity paused, promising the pony she would forward the report on to Heartwing. Each time she wondered when he’d be taking the reins of this force again.
It was a bittersweet thought, and even that surprised Rarity. She had no business being on a battlefield, commanding soldiers, managing supply chains, dealing with prisoners. It wasn’t a boutique. There was no pencil or idea pad in front of her, no ponnequin standing as a blank canvas ready to receive her inspiration.
But command had been a different kind of creativity. Weaving together a hundred threads of personnel, supplies, weapons, tactics, intelligence, and other elements into a winning battlefield strategy had challenged her mind and awoken her passion.
“Oh my, that’s a stretch, isn’t it?” she snorted out loud, voicing her thoughts. “Comparing a battlefield to a design studio.”
Her guards, of course, stayed wisely silent.
The Discordant medics had set up their tent right outside the small building called the Shrine of the Generous. Rarity hadn’t mustered the courage to look inside yet, but she knew from Emberglow that it was the headquarters of the Knights Radiant here in Old Canterlot. A building bearing her cutie mark and her name, and she was too afraid to look inside.
The few Radiants who had been here when the palace had fallen had been moved to the barracks with the rest of the prisoners. They’d gone without complaint, or so Rarity had heard; she’d not wished to meet a bunch of Knights wearing her colors.
Rarity lit her horn, moving the tent flap aside with her magic. Considering the prisoners they held, and where she stood, she felt it appropriate to flaunt herself just a little. Indeed, her casual telekinesis evoked some groans from the collection of wounded Diarchy Knights and squires within. She ignored them, looking around the room until she found Heartwing.
He was sitting up, resting on Terminus’ bed. On one side was the head medic, a yellow pegasus named Life Flight whom Rarity had met briefly yesterday. She was busy fitting him with a prosthetic. On his other side, Emberglow was holding Heartwing up with a steadying hoof.
“Hello, darlings,” Rarity greeted, and Emberglow jumped, wings flipping out in panic.
“I’m resting, I’m resting!” she blurted, and Rarity couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow, even while she hid her smile behind her hoof. Terminus and Heartwing were not so discreet; both of them laughed at Emberglow’s reaction, while the mare blushed.
“She’s being good, L-Lady Rarity,” Life Flight said. “She was just chatting with Sir Heartwing when she offered to help me with his prosthetic fitting.”
“I see,” Rarity said, her amusement bubbling forth, teasing at the corners of her muzzle. “Well, if you say so. Heartwing, darling, I have several reports. On supplies, prisoners, scouting, and so forth.”
Her stomach roiled when she thought about what one of those reports was actually about. Best to press forward, and rip the metaphorical bandage off.
“There is one item of particular significance,” Rarity said, amazed that her voice was so even. “Colibri found a hundred and seven potions. The ones that make ponies into Knights.”
Everypony sucked in a quick breath. Heartwing nodded grimly.
“I thought I’d leave the decision of what to do with them up to you,” Rarity said. It seemed cowardly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Heartwing said. “I understand.”
There was sympathy in all of the faces around her.
“No no, I shouldn’t shy away from the hard decisions,” Rarity said, even as she felt nauseous.
“Very well then, Rarity, what do you think we should do with the potions?” Heartwing evenly asked.
Rarity had been half-expecting the question, but she still dreaded it. She stared at Heartwing as the seconds ticked on. He met her gaze, understanding but firm.
The silence dragged. Nopony wanted to speak first. Rarity’s stomach roiled.
Finally Heartwing sighed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t put you on the spot like that. Thank you for letting me know about them, Rarity. I’ll take care of them.”
“You mean you’ll use them,” Rarity said. Even to her, it sounded like an accusation.
“Yes, Rarity. I’m going to use them. A hundred and seven more Knights to our side?” Even he looked grim. “I… I’ve had to use what resources I can. Even very unsavory ones, at times. At least my Knights will know what they’re doing before they drink.”
“You mean they willingly…”
“Yes,” Terminus interrupted. “I knew. We produce what potions we can the safe way. But we’ve stolen potions from the enemy before. Deny them a resource while adding to our own ranks.”
He looked determined, while Heartwing glanced away. Life Flight had paused in her task, watching Heartwing with worry. Even Emberglow looked stricken.
“Love, you don’t have to make that choice,” Terminus said. “Benefit of not being the pony in charge any longer.”
“But will Flurry make the right choice?” Heartwing sighed. “I don’t want their sacrifice to go to waste.”
“But the source…”
“Heartwing isn’t thinking about the source,” Emberglow whispered. “He’s thinking about how many more lives will be saved if we had a hundred and seven more Knights. That’s… that’s a great deal, Rarity.”
But even she sounded horrified at the prospect.
“It’s out of your hooves, Rarity. Mine too,” Heartwing said.
Nopony liked that either. Another grim silence followed. Suddenly Rarity wanted to be anywhere else.
“W-well, Heartwing, I just wanted to leave you with the current reports. And make sure somepony was following their relaxation orders.”
“I’m just about finished,” Life Flight said softly, tightening the last of the straps that would attach the wooden prosthetic to Heartwing’s leghoof. “Then there’s some more physical therapy. You can escort Lady Emberglow right to her tent if you think she’s not resting enough.”
It was said respectfully, but there was an element in her tone that reminded Rarity of her own mother. She managed a smile. “Very well, doctor. Emberglow? Shall we?”
She turned to leave without looking to make sure her marefriend was following. Rarity knew she would be anyways. Her unicorns took up position beside the two of them, like silent shadows.
“So,” she began. It was the same tone of voice she’d use when Sweetie Belle had done something she obviously knew was wrong.
“I was taking it easy,” Emberglow muttered from right behind her.
“You were working. When I expressly told you that you needed to rest. Preferably in our tent.” Rarity stopped so that Emberglow could catch up, and the two of them walked side by side. Rarity’s tone softened, and she leaned over to bump Emberglow with her hip. “You’re not a machine, darling. And yesterday was difficult for you.”
The broadcasts had been yesterday. First the one with Flurry Heart’s magic over the whole city. And then Emberglow’s more discreet broadcast over pirate radio.
“I tried, honestly,” Emberglow said. “I laid down in the tent and… and I stared at the ceiling all night long.”
“I know,” Rarity said. “I was there, remember?”
They both knew exactly what Emberglow was worried about.
“So since I’m escorting you back to make sure you actually rest, would you like to talk about it? Or should we skip straight to the part where we’re both eating unhealthy amounts of ice cream and crying together?”
Emberglow snorted with laughter. “We can just talk about it.”
“Worrying about my figure and my flank already, are you darling?” Rarity teased, swishing her tail to brush against Emberglow. Emberglow laughed again, but it was a little weak. “Fine. It’s not hard to see what you’re worried about, Emberglow. But you told me yourself just how competent Bubblegum is. Heartwing has the utmost confidence in her too.”
“It’s not…” Emberglow protested, turning to the west to glance towards New Canterlot City down below the mountain. “I know they’ll be safe.” She didn’t sound very confident, so Rarity stopped and turned to look at her.
“Emberglow,” Rarity said gently.
“They will be fine,” Emberglow said, more strongly. “They have to be. They’re innocent. They’ve done absolutely nothing wrong!”
She stomped a hoof in the snowy ground for emphasis.
“And that’s not even everything! I get why I can’t be the one that makes sure they’re safe, but it still hurts that I can’t protect my own family!” she snarled. “And sure, Bubblegum is amazing. They’re going to be safe. But then what happens next? Rarity, I came out to my parents! Over the radio!”
She was breathing hard, eyes wide with panic. Rarity moved over to wrap a hoof around her shoulder, moving slowly as she guided her distraught marefriend back to their tent.
“I’ve never had that conversation with them face-to-face, Rarity,” Emberglow continued, allowing herself to be herded. “They had no idea! You heard what I said on the radio… my mom always wanted grandfoals! And the most important conversation I’ve ever had with them? That I ever could have with them? I took the coward’s way out and had it one-way from miles away! I’m a coward, I’m weak, I’m…”
“You’re being silly,” Rarity tapped her on the nose with one hoof. “Coming out is a personal thing. And you had to do it in a way where you felt comfortable and in control. You are not a coward, darling. You’re a brave, brilliant, beautiful mare.”
“But that’s not even all of it!” Emberglow cried out. They reached the tent. It looked no different from any of the other tents; Rarity had wanted to complain, but then Lofty had explained the strategic importance of not having the commander’s quarters stand out from everypony else’s. Still, if they were going to be here for any length of time, she’d need to at least decorate the interior.
“Well, tell me the rest. After you’ve taken off your clothes and gotten under the covers.”
She pulled the flap aside and pushed Emberglow in, while their guards took up post outside.
“Y-you mean…”
“Talk while you undress,” Rarity said firmly. She felt her cheeks heating a little, but she ignored it. So what if there was an ulterior motive here? “You’re getting bed rest one way or the other. And if you don’t, I’ll call Medic Life Flight in here to sedate you with one of those wonderful anesthesia spells. But if you play nice I have a bit of time to cuddle before I must get back to work.”
Emberglow’s mind was in the same place hers was, because her own face was much pinker than usual.
“Okay. You win.” She began to undo the ties on her robes, slipping it over her head. She folded it neatly, setting it beside the bedroll they shared.
Rarity took a moment to admire the lean muscle along her limbs, her sides, and her flank. She even let her gaze linger on the scars along Emberglow’s barrel; scars she’d earned for upholding her truth. Scars that wrote a story of pain. Rarity leaned over and kissed one of them, earning a surprised glance from Emberglow.
“What was that for?”
“You deserve it,” Rarity said. “Now, lay down on top of the blankets, and tell me what really has you worried.”
Emberglow did as she was told, even closing her eyes.
“Spread your wings, darling. Now, I know we’re in a camp in the middle of a snowy garden in this catastrophe of a palace, but I’m going to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible.”
“Okay,” Emberglow said, spreading out her wings. Rarity took a moment to marvel in the musculature along Emberglow’s feathery limbs, and she made sure to appreciate them via touch, too, running her hooves along the feathers until Emberglow was squirming and let out a shudder.
She started at the base of Emberglow’s wings, massaging the muscles there with her hooves, slowly rubbing and working out the kinks and hard spots.
“Rarity, you don’t have to…”
“I most certainly do,” Rarity protested.
“No, I mean, you have more important…”
“There is nothing more important to me in the entire world than this, right now.” Rarity cut her off again. “Now. Talk.”
“It’s my parents,” Emberglow said. Rarity nodded as if this weren’t already apparent. “I just… of course I’m terrified they’re going to be hurt. And Bubblegum, too. But… Rarity, what in the world do I say to them when they get here?”
Rarity smiled, leaning down to gently kiss Emberglow’s ears, even as her horn lit and she resumed the massage, glowing blue lines of force gently caressing her marefriend. Emberglow shuddered again.
“Well, what you tell them is the truth, darling,” she said. She knew it wasn’t that simple. Emberglow probably did too. But it wasn’t the time to worry about that for now. Emberglow turned her face so she could meet Rarity’s lips with her own, and before too long neither of them was thinking about anything besides each other.
* * * * *
Perhaps the massage had gotten a touch more heated than Rarity had expected.
Well, if Rarity was being honest, it had gotten a great deal more heated than she had expected, but she didn’t mind in the slightest.
Emberglow was dozing, and Rarity absolutely did not wish to wake her. Very carefully she extracted herself from the taller mare’s hooves, making sure to gently rearrange the blankets so the cold wouldn’t wake her, either. Emberglow muttered something in her sleep, and with a pang, Rarity realized that Topaz probably wouldn’t be there to help defend Emberglow from her nightmares. Topaz was likely awake, after all.
“Princess Luna, if you’re here,” Rarity whispered. “Keep an eye on her, would you please? The poor dear was rather worked up about coming out to her parents. She needs all the rest she can get.”
Rarity’s own clothing was scattered a bit across the tent, and she took a moment to dress herself. She would have liked to have worn a nice coat, perhaps a complementary piece to the same beautiful one she’d gifted to Emberglow, but by Heartwing’s orders she had to wear armor. She glanced with some distaste at the ensemble of metal plates.
“You are in desperate need of a glow up, darling,” she told the armor. “Soon.”
Still, it was practical fashion at least. She donned the armor as quietly as she could and slipped out of the tent.
Her guards were there, standing at attention just like when they’d entered. Both Trick Shot and Kite Dancer wore masks of professionalism, cracked only by the small smirk on Trick’s muzzle.
“Well done, ma’am,” he whispered, his eyes still alert.
Rarity let out a laugh of her own amusement, even though her cheeks heated a little. “Sorry. I was a little… caught up in the moment.”
“You both deserved a break. And it’s nice to see the officers enjoying themselves. Good for morale.”
“See?” Rarity asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Well,” Trick demurred. “Hear, rather.”
“Quite.” Rarity couldn’t find it in herself to be too embarrassed, though she resolved to be a touch more discrete next time. Sound canceling spells, perhaps. “One of you will need to stay at the tent to watch over Lady Emberglow. She needs her rest; yesterday was difficult, what with her broadcast.”
“With all due respect, Lady Rarity,” Trick said. “It was difficult for you, too. Maybe you should keep resting with her.”
“Ah,” Rarity said. “It was a stressful ordeal for myself, as well.”
She thought about the spell, about the moment of gut-wrenching, ice-cold terror right before she began speaking. Right before all of New Canterlot City heard her voice for the first time. She recalled the moment of release, like a rubber band snapping, as soon as she’d finished speaking.
But there was the catharsis, too. Finally she was no longer hiding in the shadows. She had stepped into the light and had cast her lot into the open. There was a great relief to it all.
“Thank you for worrying about me,” Rarity continued. “But I think I shall be just fine, darlings. I wish to check on my friends.”
She meant it, too. She was fine. Besides, her little dalliance with Emberglow had probably taken a bit more time than she had intended. Now it was time to be seen; the magical broadcast was only one part of Flurry and Heartwing’s plan. That plan included being a visible and bold part of the mission here.
“Very well, ma’am,” Trick said, and Kite Dancer nodded. “I’ll stick with you. Kite will watch over Lady Emberglow.”
“Encourage her to sleep as long as she needs to, please. If she wakes.” Rarity knew it would be pointless. Emberglow liked to be acting, not resting. But she had to try. “Do you happen to know where Topaz Glitter or Lofty Tale are currently?”
Rarity’s duties at the moment besides simply being seen were few. Other ponies might have been frustrated to be a figurehead in that fashion, but Rarity didn’t mind in the slightest. She was more than happy to be the center of attention, especially if it helped their cause.
“The duchess, I believe, is meeting with Princess Flurry,” Trick said. There was a note in his voice, hiding just behind the professional demeanor, that let Rarity know exactly what kind of meeting they were having. It was obvious that Topaz loved and respected Flurry a great deal. It was also obvious they didn’t often get along.
“What are they arguing about this time?” Rarity asked with a sigh.
Trick smirked just a little. “Something about prisoner security,” he said. “Because of the breakout we had just after we took the palace.”
“I see.” Rarity nodded grimly. It had turned out to be pointless. Yes, one of the pegasus squires had gotten loose and flown back to New Canterlot City. Yes, it had accelerated their timeline a little. But in the end it hadn’t mattered much. “Do you know exactly what is being debated?”
“Above my paygrade, Lady Rarity,” Trick said, and Rarity held back another sigh.
“Very well. What about her fiancé?”
“On the walls. His unit is on sentry duty, I think.”
“Thank you, Trick. We shall check on Sir Lofty, then.”
Rarity was of two minds about the walls around the palace. On one hoof, it was lovely that they hadn’t had to blow them down in their assault. On the other hoof, seeing fortress style fortifications around Princess Celestia’s palace made her frown. It wasn’t what this place was supposed to be for, after all, quite the opposite really. But she kept her disapproval off her face, lest the soldiers see.
There were soldiers and Knights all over the towers and parapets; down below, even more soldiers worked to shore up the very cracks and bolt-holes that Rarity and her troops had used to gain ingress. She could hear the banging of hammers and the hawing of saws as she approached one of the towers.
Guards stationed at the tower doors saluted as she passed, and she trotted up the stairs to the narrow walkway up above.
When she reached the top, Rarity took a moment to take in the view. Up high on the walls she could see the flurry of activity below in the palace grounds.
On the other side, though, over the thick battlement that sat atop the walls, she could see the hints of the city down below, hidden by the gray fog of distant clouds and snowfall.
Rarity felt an ominous shiver go up her spine, and for a moment wished for a thicker coat. That strange, beautiful, baleful, distant city, spread out below her, seemed to loom in her mind. War and blood were coming, and Canterlot Palace would be its origin.
“It’s strange,” Trick said from next to her. “Seeing it up close like this.”
They most certainly were not up close, but Rarity knew what he meant by that.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know much of your personal history. You weren’t born there, were you?”
“Nope,” Trick said, pointing to his horn. “I was born on a boat, actually. It was lucky. My mom and dad both were getting smuggled out, first to the zebra republic, then from there to the Empire. They were both terrified of what might happen if she had a unicorn.” He smirked a little. “And they did. But I heard stories. They used to live there. And they miss it. It’s odd. Something so… stifling and awful, and yet somehow some ponies still managed to be happy there.”
“Like my Emberglow,” Rarity said softly.
Trick nodded. “It’s gonna be hard. We tell ourselves we’re doing all this for their benefit, but they’re going to hate us for it.”
Rarity didn’t have a good response to that. She gazed out over the gray-draped city, imagining the ponies there. Living and working and struggling and believing. They were probably terrified now. Hiding in their homes from the snow and from the terror up above.
There was a part of Rarity that didn’t want to be generous to the ponies down below. They were bigots. They had silently stood by and allowed the massacre of unicorns. Unicorn foals. They spewed hate and fury against ponies like her, and like Emberglow. Ponies who were different. Why should good ponies have to spill their blood to save the miserable creatures beneath them?
It was a bitter thought, and for a moment Rarity hung onto it, clung to it like a security blanket. She wanted to wrap herself in righteous anger and forget wars, forget vile potions, forget unicorn-hating cities. And certainly forget the ponies that let themselves be led blindly by such lies.
The moment didn’t last long. It couldn’t.
“We need to find Sir Lofty,” Rarity said, a little breathlessly. A conversation with the Element of Generosity was probably exactly what she needed right now.
Trick Shot flagged down one of the patrolling sentries, and after a quick, hushed conversation they set out along the battlement towards the southeastern-most tower. Rarity and Trick Shot trotted past more sentries on watch, their own focus and attention rooted on the ruined city that spread out beneath the walls. There were even more soldiers patrolling the ruins, Rarity knew; they wouldn’t allow another force to do exactly what hers had done.
Hers. She was already in the habit of thinking of the army possessively. She’d only been in command a few days while Heartwing was wounded. The idea wasn’t exactly comfortable.
The southeast tower was the best vantage point from which to see incoming airships or pegasi scouts. It was no wonder Lofty had put himself here; he seemed the type to want to be on the front lines. There was another short set of steps up to the circular apex of the tower, and then Rarity was in the unit’s observation post.
Lofty Tale was deep in conversation with another pony, a unicorn stallion in a white medic’s uniform with tan fur and a blue mane. The unicorn held a thermos aloft in the blue glow of his magic, and was pouring something from it into a teacup that Lofty was holding. When he saw Rarity approaching his eyes widened.
“Lady Rarity. Good morning,” Lofty said with a little bow, while his unicorn companion stared at her, speechless. “Medic Morning Blend and I were just sharing some tea. Join us.”
The medic blinked at Rarity, and she had to suppress a smile. She was used to this sort of reaction now, even though most, if not all, Discordants knew about her existence. It was still jarring to see a living legend walking about up close for the first time, after all.
“Tea sounds lovely, darling,” Rarity said graciously, even as Trick Shot took up watch at the head of the stairs.
The medic worriedly looked between Rarity, Lofty, and the two teacups he’d apparently brought with him. “I’ll… go get another cup!” he said in a rush, before scrambling past Trick Shot and down the stairs.
“Oh, you don’t have to, I…” Rarity trailed off as soon as the medic was out of earshot. “Very well, then.”
“You’ll be glad he went for a cup,” Lofty said with a smirk. “It’s very good tea.” He took a sip of his own.
“Now don’t get me wrong, I shall always approve of a good tea break,” Rarity said, moving up alongside him to look out over the valley below. “But the timing seems odd.”
“It was Topaz’ idea,” Lofty said, and then went quiet. He turned to look out over the valley as well, his eyes active, darting about, scanning for oncoming danger.
“Oh? Her idea for what?” Rarity asked, and Lofty flinched, reaching up to brush a speck of nonexistent dirt from his armor.
“I…”
Lofty took a deep breath, then scrunched his nose. Rarity looked up; the heavy gray clouds above were starting to produce large, wet flakes of falling snow. One landed on Rarity’s nose as well and she sneezed daintily.
“I don’t want you to think less of me,” Lofty said. “It’s important to me that you… approve. Because I… because of what I…”
“I understand,” Rarity said. She didn’t want him to say it out loud either.
There was always this wall of awkwardness between them; they never really spoke of it. Lofty held a piece of Rarity’s past. And while she did like the stallion a great deal, it was still…
…difficult.
“You have to know, this is a part of me I’m trying to change,” Lofty continued, still speaking to the empty air and not looking at her. “But. I mentioned to Topaz that I’m still struggling with… well, unicorns.”
Rarity blinked. She hadn’t exactly been expecting this.
“But darling,” she said, trying to keep her shock in check. “You’ve never shown any outward signs of…”
“You and Heartwing are different,” Lofty interrupted. “I… I don’t see you as unicorns. You’re my friends. But every time your horns light up there’s a part of me that twists. And it’s not fair to you. Or Heartwing.
“But other unicorns?” He snorted. “It’s hard to keep the voice of my parents, my tutors, every Confessor I’ve ever had and every professor at the Seminary out of my head when I see them. I know it’s wrong, but I’m struggling to move past it. So Topaz suggested exposure therapy, of sorts. Every day I invite a different unicorn to lunch, or tea, or dinner, or something else. And then I try to get to know them. Not as a unicorn, but as a pony.
“Because that’s what they do to you,” he continued. “When they taught us. You weren’t individual ponies, you were… some sort of terrifying faceless mass. ‘The Unicorn Threat’. Topaz says by putting a story to each face, I can start to untrain myself. Of, you know. The racism.”
Rarity didn’t even know what to say. She continued staring out, silently watching the snow drift down. For a moment, she was about to light her horn and cast a spell to shield them from the snow. It was a natural impulse, but she hesitated.
“You think less of me, don’t you?” Lofty said grimly. “It’s okay.”
“No, I don’t,” Rarity said, and she meant it. “We all have our hang ups. What you’re doing, it takes… a great deal of courage. And a generous soul.”
“Not sure what that has to do with generosity,” Lofty said sardonically. “But thank you.”
“So tell me about it,” Rarity said, more cheerfully. “Who’s your newest friend? What did you learn about him?”
“Saints, I feel like I’m giving a report in school,” he laughed. “His name is Morning Blend. He owns a tea shop in Angel’s Rest. And he’s a part time medic. He’s got a marefriend who’s one of the Knights, that’s why he signed up to tag along with this expedition. He’s lived a difficult life; he was actually born in the Diarchy and had to be smuggled out as an infant. I understand he even still has a sister who’s one of the Knights Radiant.”
Lofty paused, and his voice grew softer.
“He’s afraid. Almost every day. He’s not a soldier, he tells me. But he just wants to help. And it was hard for him to watch his friends and marefriend go off to fight without him, even though he’s not a Knight himself.”
Lofty waved a hoof backwards, towards the palace. “It’s these personal stories that are helping me the most. Each unicorn with us has their own life, their own reason for being here. Seeing them all as individuals, just like you and Heartwing, is just what I need.”
“And they don’t mind that you’re, well…” Rarity trailed off.
“Using them for bias correction?” Lofty guessed, and Rarity blushed and nodded. “I make it clear when I give the invite. They know exactly what I’m trying to accomplish. And most of them are enthusiastic to accept my invitations. Topaz is a smart mare, she knew what she was doing when she suggested this idea.”
“She is. You picked well.”
“She has a way of zeroing in on what’s making me unhappy,” Lofty’s grin became a little dazed, “And then cutting it out like a surgeon.”
“Well, she is the Element of Laughter,” Rarity said. “Pinkie was like that. She had a sixth sense about it, literally. She always seemed to know when I needed a pick-me-up bucket of ice cream, or a surprise pie in the mail.”
“Maybe you could tell her that,” Lofty said. “I think all of us are a little worried about how we measure up to our legendary predecessors.”
Rarity moved over, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “I couldn’t be happier with the pony bearing mine. You will make me proud, Lofty Tale.”
Lofty opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He raised a hoof to wipe his wet eyes.
“Thank you, Lady Rarity. That means a…”
He paused and narrowed his eyes.
“Do you see that?”
Rarity tried to match his gaze.
“What, darling?”
In the gray fog that filled the skies, it was hard to see anything. She lit her horn, casting a far-seeing spell. To her right Lofty did the same with his gauntlet.
“There,” he pointed with one hoof, and her magical sight zeroed in on the object he was pointing at. A single airship, floating up from the city towards the ruins on the heights. Towards them.
“Raise the alarm?” Rarity asked, a flutter of nervousness in her stomach. This was it. This was the counterattack they’d expected.
“Yes. Not a general alarm.” He raised his head, glancing back to one of the wall guards. “Penny Ante! Take a message to Princess Flurry. A single airship approaches from the city. Have her send reinforcements to the walls.”
“Trick Shot?” Rarity said. “I’d like Squad Taffeta and Squad Tulle on the walls, supporting the posted sentries. Full combat readiness.”
“I would not like leaving you without a guard, Lady Rarity,” Trick said.
“I shall guarantee her safety,” Lofty said, and Trick Shot nodded and ran off, side by side with Lofty’s subordinate.
Both of them turned back to the airship. Lofty pursed his lips. “I wonder why they only sent one ship. This is strange, and I don’t like it. They’re not even trying to hide their approach.”
“I wish I knew,” Rarity said.
“What do you think the odds are that Princess Flurry tries to fly up here and lead from the front?” Lofty asked with a sidelong smirk, and Rarity laughed. “She seems the type.”
“She is,” Rarity said. “Even as a tiny foal she was fearless and bold. But she’s learned restraint in the interim, I hope.”
“I hope so as well,” Lofty said. “I think it would break this army if she came to any more harm. The Empire forces love her. And the Discordant are growing to as well. Still, if she wants to be up on this wall, you’ll tell her no, right?”
Rarity laughed. “If I can.”
It was a nervous sort of conversation; falsely casual. Both ponies watched the approach of the coming airship with a growing sense of dread, but without knowing who was on the mysterious ship, or why they were coming, there was little to be done.
Meanwhile, around the two of them, dozens of ponies were climbing up the towers and filling out the battlements. Unicorns with grim expressions, Discordants in armor, and even some Empire troops armed with long rifles. All of them nervously watching the approach of the airship.
Rarity heard a rustle of feathers and looked up to see Emberglow in the air, landing next to her. Her armor was on and the shield of Flash Magnus was strapped to her foreleg. Her mane hung loose, and was still a little mussed from bed. Rarity gave her a quick, tight hug, before igniting her horn and floating over one of the emergency mane ties she always kept on hoof.
For mane emergencies, of course.
“Darling, did you sleep well?” Rarity said as she helped Emberglow with her usual ponytail. Yes, Rarity preferred Emberglow’s mane down, but in a potential tense combat situation, her usual style was probably smarter.
Emberglow went pinker. “It was a nice nap, thank you.” She stretched her wings. “What’s happening?”
“Single ship,” Lofty said. “No escort. Something is up.”
“Right,” Emberglow said, taking a step in front of Rarity. Lofty noticed and smiled.
“We are ready for whatever they throw at us,” he said, motioning behind them. Rarity turned to look.
In the center of the palace courtyard, Flurry Heart stood, surrounded by several members of Squad Wool. She could even make out Heartwing standing next to the princess. He awkwardly leaned on his good foreleg, his prosthetic hovering above the ground slightly.
“Be right back, darling,” Rarity said, giving Emberglow a quick peck on the cheek and reveling in her sudden surprised look. Her horn blazed for a second and she teleported, reappearing beside Princess Flurry, much to the consternation of the Princess’ guards.
“Report, Lady Rarity.” Princess Flurry didn’t look surprised at all.
“A single airship approaches. There is no escort, and they do not appear to be obfuscating their presence. We have no idea what they…”
“Lady Rarity!” Lofty shouted from up above. “A single flier approaches! A pegasus, in white armor, bearing a white flag!”
“An… envoy?” Rarity blinked. She hadn’t been expecting this. From the look on the Princess’ face, neither had she. “What are your orders, princess?”
“It can’t hurt to hear what they have to say,” Princess Flurry said.
“Or maybe it can, and this is some sort of assassination plot,” Heartwing muttered.
“We’ll keep them at a distance,” Rarity offered. “I’m sure their envoy can shout. Meanwhile we maintain readiness, and we do not allow their airship any closer than we have to.”
“Do it,” the princess agreed. “We can’t claim to be heirs to Twilight Sparkle’s charge if we don’t offer a little trust. Besides, we will be ready for whatever treachery they may have to offer.”
“I doubt it,” Heartwing muttered. “The Knights Mystic are very creative when it comes to treachery.”
Princess Flurry ignored him. “Rarity, go see what this envoy has to say. You have the authority to speak on my behalf.”
It was a powerful gesture, and Rarity was touched. She bowed, and once again teleported back up onto the wall.
“You could have used the stairs,” Lofty said as soon as his shock subsided. Emberglow eyed her sidelong.
“I know I could have, dears,” Rarity said with a toss of her mane. “But this way is far more fabulous.”
They both stared at her for a second, before Emberglow finally snorted with amused laughter. “She’s right. It is much more fabulous.”
“See?” Rarity said, then looked out at the approaching flier. It was hard to make out details at this distance, but it was indeed a pegasus in white armor. And they were growing ever closer.
She once again cast the voice amplification spell. It was becoming rote for her now.
“Diarchy pegasus!” she called out. “State your intentions!”
The pegasus paused, hovering in the air. Rarity saw the glow of a spell being cast and she tensed, her own horn lighting up. But it was the same spell she had cast.
“To the forces currently occupying Old Canterlot,” the pegasus called back. It was a mare’s voice. “We are an envoy of Knights Radiant. We come with an important message, as well as healing for all of those wounded in your conflict.”
Despite herself, Rarity’s curiosity burned. What was even going on? She cleared her throat, considering her words.
“Land your airship outside the gates. At least three blocks. We will approach you.”
“There is one more thing,” the envoy called out. “We offered transportation to an agent of yours, and her charges. They will disembark when the airship lands.”
“Hostages?” Rarity called back, her heart sinking, encased in ice. She knew exactly who the pegasus was speaking of. Bubblegum. And Emberglow’s parents.
“Not in the slightest,” the envoy said. “A gesture of goodwill. With no strings attached.”
That was even more curious. Rarity shared a glance with Lofty, who shrugged. She then turned to one of the soldiers.
“Go update Princess Flurry. I will be leading a group outside the walls to meet with these Radiants, and see what they actually want. Lady Emberglow should stay with the Princess and protect her.” Emberglow wouldn’t like it, but at least knowing Emberglow was safe would help ease Rarity’s heart.
“Yes, ma’am,” the Empire soldier saluted, then hurried down the walls.
“Ma’am,” Trick Shot began, his voice full of protest.
“Trick, you’re with me. You too, Lofty. And I’ll want at least two pegasi. Knights.”
“Yes ma’am,” Lofty said, looking down the line of ponies on the wall. “Polar? Azimuth? With us, please.”
Two pegasi in yellow armor, a light blue furred mare and a navy blue stallion, left their place among the battlements and flew up to where Lofty and Rarity waited.
“You two will be with us. Lady Rarity wishes to venture beyond the wall to meet with this envoy. You two are going to accompany us. If a fight breaks out, your orders are to get the Marchioness back to the safety of the walls, no matter what,” Lofty said. The two Knights saluted.
Rarity frowned a little. “Include Sir Lofty in those orders, as well as Trick Shot here. Neither of you are expendable.”
“As you say, Lady Rarity,” the mare, Polar, said. But Rarity got the impression that both of them would be following Lofty’s orders regardless.
“Hopefully having them with us will keep Emberglow from worrying too much,” Rarity said.
Lofty shook his head. “I doubt it,” he said. “She adores you, Rarity. She’ll worry regardless.”
“She will,” Rarity confirmed. She glanced back to where Princess Flurry was waiting. Indeed, even at a distance Rarity could tell Emberglow was arguing with the messenger she’d sent. “I think she’d do the same, were our situations reversed. But privileges of command, and all that.”
“Nice,” Lofty said with a laugh. “She’ll get on your case, later.”
“I know it,” Rarity said with a smirk.
By this point, the airship had floated much closer, and they watched as the pegasus envoy guided the ship in for a landing right where Rarity had instructed. There was a clearing in the street, just over three blocks away, and Rarity could see ponies in white armor disembarking from the ship.
“Let’s go meet our guests,” Rarity said.
The four ponies descended the tower into the courtyard. Princess Flurry, along with Emberglow and Heartwing, were waiting for them just by the palace’s large doors. Emberglow looked like a storm cloud ready to unleash its lightning. Rarity moved to head the storm off before it could strike.
“Emberglow, they say they brought your parents,” Rarity said, and whatever Emberglow had been about to say died on her lips. “You have to stay near the Princess, but I thought I might be the next best thing to make sure they come in safely.”
Rarity looked up at the princess. “I will determine why they are here, and then we’ll proceed from there, if that pleases you, Princess Flurry.”
The princess frowned. “As long as you stay safe, Rarity. This is risky.”
“A calculated risk, Princess,” Rarity said. “And I’m not going alone. Trick Shot, Lofty Tale, and two other Knights are coming with me. I would like you to remain here in the courtyard, where you are safe.”
“Princess?” Emberglow said. “May I watch from the tower above the gate?”
“I will see to the Princess’ safety,” Heartwing said. “You can go watch.”
Emberglow nodded, and spread her wings. She almost launched into the air immediately, but instead paused, darting forward to kiss Rarity on the lips.
The kiss lasted long enough that Heartwing cleared his throat, and Lofty let out a chuckle. Rarity was out of breath when Emberglow broke away.
“You will stay safe,” Emberglow said, fire in her eyes. “Or you’ll never get another one of those.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rarity whispered, with half-lidded eyes of her own.
They held each other’s gaze as long as propriety would allow. And then a few breaths longer. Then Emberglow leapt upwards, flying her way to the tower.
“Open the gate!” Princess Flurry called, and Rarity, along with her guard, stepped up to the large imposing doors. “We will keep them open for you, in case something happens.”
“You will do no such thing,” Rarity countered. “If something goes wrong, I can teleport. And the pegasi can evacuate Trick Shot and Lofty. I will not let you risk losing the entire palace for my sake, especially when I have other methods of getting to safety.”
“As you wish,” the princess acquiesced. “Soldiers, close the gate as soon as Rarity and her entourage are beyond the walls.”
It was an ominous thing to step outside the safe embrace of stone and friendship. Rarity had only been here for one day, and already it felt intimidating to leave the safety of the walls. However, life was a runway, and she held her head high and proud as she marched at the lead of her hastily-assembled unit.
They weren’t without precautions, however. Both of the pegasi cast spells as soon as they passed under the archway, spells that would shield them from gunfire. And Trick Shot lit his horn, his eyes darting about warily.
But even as they moved towards the airship, there were already three figures heading their way. Bubblegum was coming at a gallop, and hard at her heels were two earth ponies. Rarity could feel her companions tense at her side.
“Those are Emberglow’s parents, right?” Rarity asked softly. She didn’t waver in her vigilant gaze, but saw Lofty nod in her periphery. She raised her voice. “Very well, let them pass.”
The Knight pulled up short in front of them, clearly not intending to simply pass them by. “I don’t know what in Tartarus is happening, Rarity, but my gut says these are good ponies. They’ll mean what they say. They helped us against the black bag team.”
Rarity, though, was focused on the older ponies. They really did resemble their daughter. She could see Emberglow’s grace and determination in her mother’s stride, and the kindness and wisdom in her father’s eyes.
Both ponies looked panicked and utterly bedraggled; neither one had had a good night, Rarity imagined. The two of them were staring at her like she was some sort of monster, as well. But she took it in stride. It was to be expected.
“Get inside the safety of the walls. Well done, Bubblegum. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Rarity would talk with them at length later. For now, she had to find out why these Diarchy Knights seemed so uncharacteristically helpful.
Up ahead, she could see several figures had disembarked from the airship. All of them wore white armor, and she had to suppress her anger at the thought. Rarity watched Bubblegum and her charges depart, rushing for the wall, before turning once again towards the airship and its passengers.
She came to a halt just a few dozen feet away from the armored ponies up ahead. Her own guard spread out around her, with Lofty Tale tight on one flank and Trick Shot on her other. Lofty was bearing his spear. Up above them, the pegasi hovered close, ready to protect.
Three ponies detached from the group climbing down the airship gangplank and approached. One of the trio was familiar; Rarity locked eyes with Mercy Song, and the other mare flinched. But the three continued forward, until they were just a few feet from Rarity and her party.
“Hello,” the first began, an elderly, battle-scarred mare. She had a creamy orange coat, with a tri-toned blue mane. “My name is Ambrosia, of the Knights Radiant. These are my companions; Mercy Song of my own order, and Feather Bolt, representing the Knights Angelic.”
Rarity finally noticed the third pony, a pegasus stallion. For a moment she was confused; she’d been told the Radiants only allowed mares. But then she noticed that instead of her own cutie mark on his white armor, he wore Fluttershy’s.
“I must say,” Rarity said, as much to fill the silence as to cover her own confusion. “Sir Heartwing will not like to see one of your kind wearing her cutie mark. I imagine it would bother him a great deal.”
The Knight Angelic inclined his head a little, but said nothing. The Knight named Ambrosia cleared her throat.
“We seek entrance to Old Canterlot to speak with your leaders, to discuss the state of the prisoners you have inside and to offer healing, both to them and to your own wounded. The Knights Radiant, and their protectors the Angelic, both declare ourselves neutral in the conflict between your force and the other Knight orders. Our purpose will be to offer healing to all, and to protect the innocents who will inevitably be caught in the coming crossfire. Please, we ask to be allowed to speak with the one who calls herself Princess Flurry Heart, as well as the one who names herself Rarity.”
The way she phrased that irked Rarity, who held her head high, allowing her horn to glow just a little. Feather Bolt moved subtly, so that his body was ready to shield the others.
“Don’t you read your own books, Knight?” Rarity said with no small contempt. “Or look at the pictures? Who do you think I am?”
“I did not wish to presume,” Ambrosia said coolly, and Rarity sniffed. “Very well then. Do you have the authority to grant us entry?”
“There will have to be conditions,” Rarity said. “And the first one is this: that creature is not allowed anywhere near the walls.” She pointed a hoof at Mercy, whose ears pinned back. “I mean it. She doesn’t get anywhere near us.”
“Lady Mercy Song has sinned in the past,” Ambrosia said. “She recognizes her folly and wishes to make amends.”
“Well, then, she can make amends another time, another place,” Rarity said. “She shall not be allowed to enter.”
Ambrosia’s expression hardened, matching Rarity’s gaze with a firm one of her own. So it was to be a stare down. Rarity put a little more energy into her horn, causing it to glow a little brighter. Ambrosia’s lips tightened, her eyes narrowing a touch.
The tense moment was broken when Mercy placed a hoof on Ambrosia’s shoulder. The two shared a whispered exchange, before Ambrosia nodded, and Mercy turned, trotting back to the airship.
“We shall bring somepony else, then,” Ambrosia said, seemingly not affected by the demand. “Smoky Flare, if you please?”
Another Radiant, this one a short earth pony with light gray fur trotted over. Rarity noticed the new Radiant was staring at her horn, but it was not with the horror she expected; rather there was a strange sort of curious fascination.
“What are your other conditions?” Ambrosia continued, as if their previous disagreement had never occurred.
“You shall not be armed,” Rarity said, and the pegasus guard, Feather Bolt, stiffened with protest. “You wish to show your good intentions? Your neutrality? Then you can come in peace.”
“We shall need our gauntlets,” Ambrosia said. “If our purpose is to heal, we cannot very well do so without our magic. Besides, there will only be three of us, until we can negotiate a larger presence within your walls.”
“You will have to speak to the princess for that,” Rarity said. “One moment, allow me to confer.”
Her horn flashed, and a bubble of silence fell around the five of them. “So?”
“Lady Ambrosia is the second in command of the entire Radiant order,” Lofty said. “Her name is well known. She’s got a reputation for being very clever.”
“The short one, Smoky?” Polar, one of their pegasus Knights chimed in. “I’ve run into her across the battlefield before. She’s one of those Radiants who got into it to heal, not to fight. I don’t know anything about the pegasus, though.”
“What I want to know is exactly what the deal with these ‘Knights Angelic’ is,” Rarity said. “It must be some sort of trick.”
“Is it possible they’re telling the truth?” Lofty said, and Rarity frowned. “Well? Not everypony down below has to be our enemy. If anypony was going to make some sort of gesture like this, it would be the Radiants. Besides, allowing them to heal our prisoners, and our wounded, would help with the strain on our resources.”
“Assuming it’s not a ploy to sneak in and steal all our horns,” Trick muttered.
“Sorry, but I’m not sure how much of a nefarious plot three unarmed Knights are,” Lofty said. “I say we let them in. Let Lady Ambrosia say her piece to Princess Flurry. Because if she is telling the truth, we cannot let this gift go to waste.”
Rarity paused for only a brief moment. Now was not the time for long deliberation; it was the time for decisive action. Leadership.
She dispelled her bubble of silence and turned to Ambrosia. “Very well. We shall take you to Princess Flurry.”