//------------------------------// // Holding the Line // Story: Danger Close // by CoyoteXray //------------------------------// The flyer tried her best to achieve something approaching comfort as she lay sprawled out on the gurney. The throbbing in her hind end had mutated over the course of the last two hours from stabbing pain to dull ache after the shot she had received. She’d only caught two fragments, which had both been removed and the wounds stitched up. She knew that she should feel lucky, but catching that shrapnel just felt like injury on top of insult on a day like this. It was, unfortunately, the kind of day where discomfort was going to be rule rather than the exception. She knew that the hospital had reported her arrival to her higher ups, and given the threat, she figured that eventually she would have to report to somebody, either to file a report or worse, report for duty, and it would probably be the latter. The only thing that seemed worse to her though was the prospect of heading home and sitting in an empty house, wondering if anything about the life she had built for herself would survive the next 48 hours. And if it didn’t, how would she even know? "Oh my," came the sound from a familiar voice from somewhere behind her, "It appears that they got you in your best part." The flyer turned her head, and saw her immediate subordinate enter the room, carrying a very familiar garment bag in her magic. "If by they, you're referring to yourself, then yes," Dawn Rider answered. "Oh...my apologies my friend," Brillants answered, "My aim was true, but there is always a certain risk with such things." Brillants landed the bag on one of the chairs and came around to where her superior could see her and sat down. "I have not heard much for certain. But it is my guess given the early reports that our mystery mare Tempest Shadow has struck again," Brillants added with a sigh. "Not a huge surprise given her history," Dawn Rider replied, "Though it is..." she paused, and tried to shift her position a bit, much to her discomfort before adding, "...disappointing." She turned herself as much as she could to face her friend, and asked, "I assume that you checked back at the Tower?" "Uh...yes, I did," Brillants answered, "Though...that could have gone better." Dawn Rider raised an eyebrow and uttered a small groan before asking, "Do I even want to know what you mean by that?" Brillants sat back on her haunches, and continued, "Well...as you should recall, the threat situation required a very quick response...in terms of answering the call for fire...and I responded thankfully since the unit on station was in no way ready to engage...but without telling anypony at the Tower where I was going." Dawn Rider's jaw dropped, then she face hoofed and shook her head. "So...you were the principle intelligence officer on duty...and you abandoned your post," Dawn asked, her sour expression betraying her mood, "...in the middle of an invasion?" "Well..." Brillants continued with an obviously forced smile, "it...sounds much worse when you put it that way." Dawn closed her eyes and nodded, and then asked, "So what was the general's opinion of the whole thing?" Brillants took a deep breath and answered, "In so many words...'the next time you get the urge to run off in the middle of a crisis situation without bothering to tell anyone to go play Little Miss Sure Shot...don't bother coming back.' And as you might expect, there was some profanity involved." Brillants went silent, waiting for her friend's response. Dawn Rider took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, and then noticed Brillants concerned expression, and said to her, "Don't look at me. I can't improve on that. And how the hell am I supposed to react? You know..."she continued, "As much as he appreciates that you're one of the best in the business, he will only put up with so much. And if you get your ass hauled before a general court, who will be there to bail me out when I get called out to handle some last-minute crisis on Hearth's Warming Eve like what happened last year...and the year before that?" Brillants quietly chuckled and answered with a smile and a nod, "Point taken," before standing up and turning towards the door, "Anyway my friend, I shall now talk to the doctors and see if we cannot get you discharged." She then proceeded out the door. Dawn Rider sighed. "You'll know where to find me," she said to no pony in particular. They were making good progress as the now expanded group made its way through the rolling countryside, though Greybolt kept his head on a swivel as much as possible. “Hey you two!” a familiar voice called from alongside. Grey looked over and saw his mom alongside him. “Are you o.k. there Grey?” she asked, “You’ve been awful quiet for the last couple hours.” “Oh…don’t worry mom,” Bluebelle chimed in from somewhere to his right, “I think that Grey’s been zoning out for the last few miles.” “I have not.” Greybolt fired back, “It’s just…that everything is damn weird right now. I mean…did you notice how quiet it is. We’ve passed at least three decent sized farms along the way and not a soul in site. Doesn’t that seem just a bit off to anypony else.” There was a pause, and Greybolt looked back and saw Bluebelle scanning the surroundings herself before finally answering, “Yeah…that is kind of odd. You’d think there’d be at least routine maintenance stuff going on. I mean, there's never such a thing as nothing to do on a farm. Do you think that they know about the invasion?” “At this point, I wouldn’t rule out anything,” Greybolt answered. “Huh...it sounds to me like you two need a little distraction," Bright Dawn responded, "So…have either of you even tried to talk to Fair Wind’s family?” “Huh? No way,” Greybolt answered, “That pegasus seems like a little smartass, and don’t even get me started on that unicorn.” “Grey,” his mom responded with a snort, “Not all ponies handle things the same way,” She paused, and then continued, “And don't even try to tell me that you wouldn't have reacted the same way as Ruff if Blue here had some stranger yelling at her like that. I know you too well. You…and your sister here need to try actually talking to those two. If you keep an open mind, and try to avoid the snark, they will talk to you, and you might actually learn a little something.” Bluebelle thought about it for a moment, and then tossed her head back to reposition her hat. "Might as well give it a try," she said to the ponies with her, and she accelerated a bit and slowly approached the young pair ahead of her. The young unicorn was plodding alone quietly, while her brother hovered over her about two meters off the ground. "I'd better keep an eye on her," Greybolt said to his mom, and slowly increased his own pace. "Yeah right," his mom answered, shaking her head as she went. "Hey you two!" Bluebelle called out to the younger pair, "Could you wait up a sec?" The pair turned their heads and slowed their pace slightly as the stranger approached. "Sorry I've been so quiet so far," Bluebelle said as she finally caught up, "Guess I just didn't know where to start. Name's Bluebelle by the way. And it's Serenity and Ruffian...right?" Bluebelle watched the reaction carefully. She noted that the younger pegasus looked down to his sister, who gave him scowl and a shake of her head, which was answered with a frustrated grunt. "Yeah...that's right," Ruffian finally answered. "So," Bluebelle continued, "Where are you coming from?" "Uhm...Las Pegasus," Ruffian responded, "We were on vacation...and something happened." "I see," Bluebelle replied, only then noting that that her brother was hovering close by. She looked back and shooed him away before answering, "Oh...that stinks. So uh...where's your mama little one?" The two siblings in front of her paused, the unicorn looking up to the pegasus with obvious concern, while the young colt gestured to his sister to try and calm her, before answering, "She had to leave. She had to go to a war." The young unicorn suddenly accelerated, and her brother did the same to catch up. Bluebelle slowed and thought about what she heard as her family caught up to her. "Did he say that she had to go to a war?" Greybolt asked as he caught up. "Uh huh," Bluebelle answered, "What do you think? Service pony?" “That’s my bet,” Greybolt replied. He plodded on and as they rounded a curve in the path, he finally spotted signs of life in the form of a small village. He smiled. He had been getting worried that he had lost track of their location. But seeing civilization again was reassuring. They were still on course. At least until they passed the first house and saw that it was every bit as empty as the farmhouses that they saw earlier. The group continued to move through the small village, and finally reached the town square, which held what looked like the entire population of the surrounding area. Archer took the lead of the group and lead them around the perimeter of the crowd till they found themselves in the shadow of a small airship, from which dangled a net which appeared to contain two large shaggy creatures. Greybolt's jaw almost hit the ground. it didn't take a genius to recognize the ship. It was almost a twin to the one that had deposited the two raiders that had scouted out the family farm this morning. And the pair in the nets looked way too much like the pair of would-be attackers that a certain unicorn had knocked flat with her magic just hours earlier. Grey slowly worked his way into the crowd, trying not to be too attentive to the multiple conversations going on around him, till he reached the front of the group. He looked about and saw what looked like a member of some sort of law enforcement, and he approached. "Excuse me sir," he inquired, "What exactly do we have here?" He pointed up to the odd pair above him. "What are those guys?" "Not entirely sure," was the answer he got, "some ponies found this ship tied up near the river, and these two...whatever they are...lying in the middle of a field that they say looked like it was burned to a crisp." He paused and reached up and poked the still unconscious pair, and added, "we brought them here thinking they need some attention. Then we start hearing about some crazy invasion going on. So...there they are...till we can figure out what to do next." Greybolt nodded to the other pony and said, "Thanks" and then turned and moved back towards the outer edge of the crowd. He spotted his Bluebelle and approached her. "The others," she said as he approached, "have gone out to find something to eat." "No problem," he answered, "but uh...where's that unicorn?" "Grey," Bluebelle replied, "her name is Serenity...remember? And what good is it going to do getting in all up in her face?" "I am not going to get in her face...alright?" Greybolt replied, "I'm just wondering where she went." Bluebelle shook her head and sighed. "Uh huh," she answered, "in the case, she's over by the fountain." Grey looked over and spotted her, sitting by herself and looking over the passersby warily. He hadn't really given it much thought, but from her appearance, he guessed that she may be thirteen or fourteen years old, and probably hadn't been in anything worse than a schoolyard scrap in her entire life, if even that much. He shook his head and slowly approached. As he did so, he saw her look towards him and lock on. He couldn't quite decide what her expression meant though, as it seemed to hover between anger and fear. He paused for a moment and did his best to put on a halfway convincing smile, and then continued to approach. "What do you want?" the young unicorn asked when he got close enough, a note of sarcasm in her voice. Greybolt paused for a moment, and then resumed and said, "I came looking for you. You seem like the kind of pony that needs a fair amount of backup, so I figured I'd do my part." Grey sat down next to the young filly, and the two of them glanced over at each other for a moment. Then Grey looked over to the scene across the street. "Looks like somepony found those two", he said to her, "Surprised that you're not over taking credit for taking them down like that." Serenity snorted, and replied, "Why would I do something like that? I thought that you thought that I screwed up back at that meadow." Greybolt smiled and shook his head. "O.K., fair enough," he answered, and the asked, "So while we're on the subject, just what the heck were you doing down by that river in the first place?" "I was...trying to get some water...because..." Serenity paused, her eyes pointed at the ground, and said "...because I got airsick...and I needed to get that stuff out of my mouth." Greybolt snorted. "Yeah...it happens," Greybolt replied, "Never had a chance to fly personally. Can't guarantee I wouldn't do the same thing." "Oh yeah right...well...you didn't throw up on your own dad...in mid-air," Serenity answered, then looked away. "Would have been nice if I could have held it together just once. We could have gotten to all the way to Manechester if it wasn't for me. I guess...that I'm just not great in a crisis. Or something...I don't know." Grey thought about it for a moment, and then asked, "So, changing the subject just a bit, tell me...why did you turn and engage those Storm Guards when you did?" She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and replied, "Because they were going straight towards your parents of course!" "How did you know that? You shouldn't have been able to see them in that grove." Grey replied. "Oh come on?!?" she answered, "it wasn't that hard, between the odd colors and the moving shadows and all." Grey rocked back in surprise. He really thought that grove was too thick for that. He then came a bit closer and continued, "And then you took those guards out with one shot." "Yeah well...I'm not that great with magic," she answered, "That was more luck than anything." Greybolt snorted, and said, "Not with a burst like that. You toasted an entire meadow. I've never seen a unicorn do something like that before. And I've got two things I'll say to that," Grey continued, " One is a favorite old saying of mine...'Fortune favors the bold'." He turned and looked down at her and added, "And two is...thank you...for saving my family." He reached over to her with his hoof. She just looked at the hoof for a second, then reached over and completed the hoof shake. "Uh...you're welcome," she answered. Making her way down the long hall was only slightly more uncomfortable a process than she expected. But she could at least console herself that the projectiles had somehow missed her cutie mark, so the scars would be at least a bit less noticeable. “Oh my,” Brillants spoke up as they plodded towards the all too distant door, “it appears that we have company. Dawn Rider looked up and saw two earth ponies watching them approach from a nurse’s station ahead. She recognized both of them immediately. “Like I said, ‘not surprising, but disappointing’” Dawn answered as the two parties met up She immediately moved first to the large light blue amour clad earth pony of the pair, and said, “Yeah Glory, it’s been one of those days.” “Please don’t point out the incredibly obvious Dawn,” Glory Bound answered, “the merely obvious will do fine.” The large mare moved to the right and took a peek towards the bandages on Dawn’s flanks, and then came back and asked, “So, I guess we have at least part of what happened to you established. Now how about telling me just where in Equis my daughter is, and how the heck this happened?” “Well...the condensed version is that they blew the heck out of the cape weather station and then cruised down the Las Pegasus strip like it was damn parade,” Dawn answered, “As you can imagine it made for one hell of a sight first thing in the morning.” "And...?" Glory continued. "I took off to come here...and they were heading on their own wings...hopefully...for Manechester." Dawn Rider answered, her guilty feelings evident in her expression. Glory Bound shook her head and sighed. "...and Sere's not a very good flyer. So, I can imagine how well that went," she said more to herself than any pony else. Dawn looked to the other pony who stood there in the black trench coat and fedora. “And good afternoon to you Captain Sweety Drops. Seems to me that we haven't met since the bug-bear incident?” The other pony scowled and answered, "The less said about that little debacle the better if you please. And I need to debrief you. Your boss needs you back in the game." "indeed," Dawn Rider answered, "How did you draw this assignment?" Sweety Drops snorted, "It sure as heck wasn't an assignment. I got caught in the middle of the damn thing." "Oh my friend...?" Brillants said with obvious concern, "That must have been terrible." "Yeah...yeah...," Sweety answered, "Stuff happens. Anyway, the Defense Intelligence Agency doesn't have time for games, unless they start them of course. And for the record, after the aforementioned debacle, the new name is Bon Bon." Uh...congratulations ," Glory Bound added from behind the trio. "Yeah...right, thanks," Bon Bon answered, "Pardon my lack of enthusiasm. It's been a long day." Anyway," she continued, "we need to get this going here." She gestured towards in the direction of a nearby doorway. "And…I’ve got firsthoof info," she continued, "straight from the scene of the crime.” The group moved over and through the door to a well-lit adjoining room. She moved across the room and pulled the blinds shut, turning the room rather dark before she pulled out a folder from her coat and deposited it on a table. “Is she cleared to see this?” she asked, gesturing towards Glory. “We can vouch for her my friend,” Brillants answered. Bon Bon gave the large female master sergeant a probing glance, and then nodded and opened the folder and laid out the pictures on the table. “Take a look for yourselves,” she said, “It’s all new and all taken by yours truly. And if it's as bad as I think, we may be dead in the water." Dawn Rider carefully spread the photos across the table and all of the ponies spread out and carefully examined the evidence in front of them. "Uh huh," Glory Bound chimed in, "the one in this picture certainly looks like Cadence." "Yeah," Bon Bon added, "She was hit first. Spell penetrated her shielding...somehow." She moved over to another photograph and pointed to another large black figure in the foreground. "Celestia was next. She had her back to that damn unicorn." Dawn examined the photo, while Brillants looked over her shoulder. "So..." she said, "that's Garnet and Diamond. I assume that they got Saffire next?" "Uh huh," Bon Bon continued, "knocked her right out of mid-air. And then it was Amethyst's turn." She moved another one of the photos over into view and the group carefully examined the evidence. "If I'm right about this," Bon Bon continued, "We're screwed. We can't rally the kingdom behind a three year old princess." Dawn, Glory and Bon Bon all looked to each other, none knowing just what to say. "One moment please," Brillants chimed in as she continued to examine the picture of the last fallen princess. She produced a small magnifier with her magic, and then lit her horn and once more carefully examined the picture, slowly and methodically. "My friends," she announced as he looked up from her task, "this is not a picture of Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Bon Bon immediately moved over and looked over Brillance's shoulder. "Brillants...are you saying that I don't know what I saw? It happened practically right in front of me dammit." she said, her irritation plainly obvious. "My apologies my friend," Brillants replied, "It was not my intention to insult your intelligence. But nevertheless, the poor mare in this picture is not Twilight." She gestured for the other two to come closer, and she continued, "Look my friends...the height is not right; the horn is not the proper shape; the mane and tail are far too bushy; and the wings are too small." Bon Bon reclined back on her but and pondered the question. "I know that I saw Twilight there," she said, "It was a ways away, but I saw her. She had caught Saffire before she crashed. But I admit that I had to look away for a moment." She paused, and then added, "Could some other pony have taken that hit FOR Twilight?" "Maybe," Dawn Rider replied. She then turned towards Brillants and asked, "Brill...I need to know...how certain are you about this?" "Dead certain my friend," Brillants answered. "I hope your right," Bon Bon answered, tuning towards Dawn Rider, "Because your mission is to meet up with Miss Black Magic herself." "You mean the enemy commander, that 'Tempest Shadow' whoever?" Glory Bound asked, "Fabulous. So can we assume then that it's ultimatum time?" "Maybe," Dawn Rider answered, "or...she could have unfinished business and she wants to tidy things up before she proceeds with whatever... assuming that we still have a princess out there. How soon?" Bon Bon looked up towards the clock on the wall. "You've got about an hour," she answered, "The meet will take place at the wrecked bridge over the north causeway. In the meantime," she paused and turned back towards the table, "I've got to get back to the castle." "Oh my friend," Brillants replied, "Why is that. You've done your duty already I would think." "Nope," Bon Bon answered, "I left my main mare back in that rotten mess. I've got to see if I can sneak her out of there." "O.k...," Glory Bound queried, "And what if you CAN'T sneak her out?" "Hmmm..." Bon Bon answered, "Then I guess misery loves company. Either way, I've got to try." She took a moment to adjust her hat, and then turned and proceeded to collect up the photographs back into the folder and tucked the folder back into inside her coat. ""Good luck Rider," she said as she turned towards the door, "And whatever you do, never let that smug bitch see you sweat." She then proceeded out the door and disappeared from sight. Dawn Rider took a moment to adjust her uniform jacket. "So my friend," Brillants said with a smile, "It appears to me that you'll need an escort for this mission. May I offer you my services as your force protection po..." "Nooo..." Dawn Rider cut in, "We can't risk both of us. Some pony has to man the store back at the Tower." She then put one hoof on her friend's shoulder and continued, "Besides...I'm going to need to try to get some info...which means possibly antagonizing that damn mare. And...if this goes sideways, we'll need somepony around to come up with a plan B." She then looked away from the clearly disappointed officer to the other pony in the room. "O.k., so while we're on the subject, much as I would normally prefer not to risk both Sere's mom and her stepmom on the same mission...Glory...how's your sense of adventure?" The other pony nodded and smiled. "What the hell," she answered, "I'm feeling pretty lucky today." The small party moved through the all too bright hallways at a swift pace. Every individual from probatio to praetor knew that Tempest Shadow was not one to tolerate delays, especially given the need to hunt down a pony princess. For most of the party, it was simply a matter of appeasing a temperamental leader who could burn them to a crisp if offended. But at least one in the party had other thoughts... Finally they arrived in what was normally the castle throne room, now dominated by the fossilized figures of the one time rulers of Equestria and the Chrystal Empire. The party approached their leader, stopping at roughly four paces short, and bowed. "Reporting as ordered Commander," the leader announced. Tempest Shadow looked over to the middle aged officer, her expression one of indifference. "I assume that you have gotten the prisoners properly sorted?" she responded. "Of course," he replied, "there was a serious lack of restraining devices here, but thankfully those that we brought with us were sufficient for the task at hand. We have total control of the grounds, and there is no remaining resistance." "Uh huh," Tempest replied, her expression never changing. "Get two of the prisoners, and bring them to the North Gate. I am going to spell out terms to some pony and I need to make the right impression. And..." she added, "...make one a service pony...just for good effect." "Yes commander," the officer replied, and turned to leave with his party. As he did so, he heard the low voice of Tempests lacky Grubber saying, "I don't trust that guy." And he was pretty sure he heard Tempest respond, "Neither do I." He snorted and thought, 'Well, apparently she's not a complete idiot.' Dawn Rider watched the city scenes rush by through the couch windows with a feeling of annoyance. She knew that in a different time she could have flown to the castle in a matter of a few minutes. But though she thought that her injuries were more superficial than anything else, her doctor thought otherwise and had forbidden her from flying. So she rode along, glancing over occasionally to her daughter's birth mother. Glory Bound had no love whatsoever at first for the strange mare that had 'charmed' her ex-husband and seemingly bewitched her daughter. The whole process of adapting on both sides to the new situation took a long time. But thankfully an understanding was achieved, along with a much better relationship between the at times hard bitten earth pony and her mostly unappreciated unicorn daughter. And Dawn Rider was thankful especially today for that cause right now she needed a pony who could handle herself in a fight by her side, and that pony was Glory Bound. Finally they arrived at the causeway that normally led to the north gate of Canterlot Castle. As soon as they stopped, Glory Bound dismounted the carriage and scanned the small crowd in front of her before settling on a particular pony standing nearby. "Corporal!" she called out. "Yes sergeant!?!" the young junior N.C.O. answered. "Which pony is in charge here?!?" she asked. "The lieutenant is over on the bridge sergeant!" he answered. "Go get him!" she ordered, "Tell him that Wing Commander Rider has arrived!" "Yes sergeant!" he answered, and quickly proceeded off. Dawn Rider had by now dismounted, and took a moment to smooth out her uniform jacket. While she would normally have preferred a something a bit more practical, she was glad that Brillance had chosen to bring her a dress uniform. She knew that given this pony's reputation, she needed to make as good an impression as possible. She'd be facing a would be conqueror after getting wounded. She may in truth be a bit fazed by the whole experience, but she didn't dare show it. "Reporting as ordered ma'am," a tall white amour clad unicorn stallion called out as he stopped in front of her. "Situation stable here lieutenant?" she asked. "As stable as we can make it, all things considered," he answered, and then he moved closer and asked, "Ma'am, are we going to surrender?" Dawn Rider reached into her uniform jacket and produced a pair of mirrored sunglasses, put them on, and answered, "Not if I can help it." The bright light of the outdoors hurt her eyes at first, but Angel Wings quickly adjusted as she was led out through the courtyard towards the heavy wooden gates that separated her from the outside world. Her neck felt like it was being stretched by the halter as she was pulled along. She had never had to wear a halter before, and she felt like the leather was going to wear it's way righty through her facial fur. Between that and the tight leather bonds pinning down her wings, it was all she could do just to move at all. "Hang on...hang on...hang on," she pleaded as she was towed along, her hooves barely keeping pace. "SHUT UP!" came the response, followed by the sting of the whip. "HEY...LET"S KEEP IT SANE HERE ALRIGHT!?!" came the call from the left as Sky Stinger tried to block the her attacker. To her horror, he too caught a blow from her attacker as his reward. Thankfully the group reached the gate, and Angel caught sight of the enemy commander. She couldn't wrap her mind around the sight before her. 'A pony?' she thought. Tempest Shadow came towards the the captives and their tormenter, reached out and caught the arm of the attacker. "STOP!" she commanded. The large creature lowered his weapon, and moved away from the two captives. For a moment, Angel Wings was considering thanking her benefactor. But one look at the cold blooded indifference in the eyes of the equine commander killed that thought in her mind, and she quickly looked away. Dawn Rider and Glory Bound slowly worked their way down the length of the bridge, stopping about 50 meters from the broken span. Glory Bound looked about and spotted a large well armed infantry pony nearby. "Sergeant, can I borrow your crossbow?" she asked her. "Sure thing Sarge," she answered, and proceeded to pull off her ammo belt, then walk over and pass over it and her weapon. Dawn Rider could tell it was one of the new repeaters that could fire off at least three bolts in a matter of seconds in the hooves of a well trained shooter, which Glory definitely was. It was then that she heard the hoof falls to her right, and she looked over to see that young unicorn lieutenant that she had talked to earlier. "Ma'am," he said to her, "they tell me you need a force protection pony." Dawn Rider grunted. "I can't guarantee that there is such a thing as force protection against the pony we're facing," she answered. "Uh huh," he answered, "That's why I'm not sticking some enlisted type with this job." He smiled, and took his place by her side. Dawn Rider nodded, and then turned to face forward. "Alright," she said to her two companions, "Let's move out." Tempest Shadow's party made its way down the long path towards the bridge at a thankfully moderate pace. Angel Wings did her best to keep up while still dealing with a slight limp from her still stinging backside. "Stay with me Angel," came a voice from her right, and she looked over and saw Sting who gave her a quick nod. That gave her a bit of hope. After everything that had happened to her today, she couldn't begin to imagine how she could make it even this far without a friend to help. The party stopped about 20 meters from the edge of the ruined bridge and waited. Dawn Rider's party continued their march slowly down the approach to the damaged bridge, all three ponies in lockstep with the others even without any pony calling a cadence. They passed the assembled troops and made their way onto the bridge, still maintaining a steady pace, until they reached a point about 20 meters from the wreckage of the third span. "Detail...halt," Dawn Rider said in a clear steady voice. For several moments, both parties just stood there, not moving...not speaking. Dawn Rider took note of her adversary, broken horn and all. She had to wonder how a maimed unicorn could have wielded the kind of magic necessary to take down at least three princesses. It was hard to imagine it. But the moment lasted didn't last as her nemesis began to approach the open chasm in front of her. Dawn grunted. 'O.K. Dawn,' she thought, 'Showtime,' and she also began her approach. She slowly plodded forward, carefully avoiding the scattered bits of debris left over from the explosion. She slowed down and carefully picked her way through the wreckage till she finally took the best position she could on a large rock that had been dislodged from the roadbed. She had to extend her wings partially to steady herself, but finally achieved something sustainable and looked across to her nemesis. The other party hit its mark and stopped short, while the enemy commander continued on to the edge of the abys. The two captives were kept further back and could only do their best to not further offend their captors. Angel Wings couldn't bring herself to look up and see the spectacle in front of her. Watching a surrender was more pain than she could possibly handle right now. She just wanted to crawl under a rock about now. "Hey Angel..." came Sting's voice from her right, "Take a look at HER." Angel looked up and saw the scene in front of her, the big brown pegasus perched on the edge of the rubble with those large wings and her black mane just barely catching the wind; the dark blue uniform covered with ribbons and qualification badges with some she recognized; those gold and silver stripes around the cuffs of her jacket; and the eyes hidden behind those sunglasses of hers. She was no expert on such things, but in her mind at least the whole package just screamed professional soldier. "Oh wow," she responded to her friend. "GOOD EVENING!" said the strange mare, "MY NAME...IS WING COMMANDER DAWN RIDER OF THE HER HIGHNESSES ROYAL FLYING CORPS! CAN I REASONABLY ASSUME THAT I AM ADDRESSING COMMANDER TEMPEST SHADOW!!" At first there was no response, just stone silence. And then came the response. "CONDIDERING THE CIRCUMSTANCES...I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED SOME OTHERWISE USELESS MEMBER OF ROYALTY...OR SOMEPONY OF THE RANK OF GENERAL AT LEAST FOR SUCH AN OCCASION..." she answered, and then paused for a moment before adding, "...SO CAN I REASONABLY ASSUME THAT I AM TALKING TO SOME PONY WHO CAN'T GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!" Dawn didn't answer at first, and then responded, "I SEE THAT YOU'VE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THESE KIND OF NEGOTIATIONS BEFORE! GOOD...WE WON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH A LEARNING CURVE! AND...AS TO WHETHER YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU WANT...WELL...THAT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR DEMANDS AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT!" "ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO PROVOLK ME WING COMMANDER?" was the response from the black clad unicorn. "HAVE I NOT ALREADY DEMONSTRATED WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF?!? OR...WOULD YOU RATHER THAT I TURN YOU AND YOUR COMPANIONS INTO OBSIDIAN PAPERWEIGHTS AS AN EXAMPLE OF MY POWER! IT WOULD APPEAR TO ME THAT YOU WOULD HAVE HAD ENOUGH INJURIES FOR ONE DAY, OR MAYBE YOU'RE INTO PAIN!" Dawn nodded her head. "NOT AT ALL COMMANDER!" Dawn Rider replied, "YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE THE BANDAGES! THAT'S THE FUNNY THING ABOUT SHRAPNEL! ONCE IT GETS TURNED LOSE, ONE CAN'T ALWAYS ANTICIPATE WHERE IT WILL GO! I WAS MERELY HAPPY TO ENCOUNTER A PROFESSIONAL! BUT THAT SAID THOUGH...I PERSONALLY WOULDN'T RECOMMEND TAKING THE ACTION YOU SUGGEST!" "AND WHY DO YOU SAY THAT!?!" Tempest replied. "BECAUSE IF YOU DO, THE ODDS ARE PRETTY GOOD THAT IN AN HOUR OR TWO, YOU HAVE TO COME OUT HERE AGAIN TO MEET UP WITH THREE MORE PONIES...AND PROBABLY HAVE THIS SAME CONVERSATION!" Dawn Rider answered, "SO WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, WHY DON'T WE JUST SPARE OURSELVES THE AGONY AND GET IT OVER WITH! WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SAY!?!" Tempest Shadow moved over to the edge of the broken bridge all the while looking directly into the blackness that hid her adversary's eyes. Her stare became even more intense as she finally replied, "I HAVE TAKEN YOUR CASTLE AND DEFEATED YOUR PRINCESSES! THIER FATE... AND THE FATE OF EVERY CREATURE WITHIN THESE WALLS IS NOW IN MY HOOVES! IN THE NAME OF THE STORM KING...YOUR CONQUEROR...I HEREBY DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OF THE KINGDOM OF EQUESTRIA..." She paused, and then added, "...AND ALL OF ITS 'ARMED FORCES' WHEREEVER THEY MAY BE!" There was no immediate response, and even from where Angel Wings stood she could hear the sound of Tempest's breathing as her anger grew. Finally came the response. "I SEE..." Dawn Rider answered, "CAN I ASK A QUESTION FIRST!?!" Tempest shook her head and said, "OH CERTAINLY!" "WHY EXACTLY WOULD WE DO THAT!?!" Dawn Rider asked. Tempest Shadow recoiled back for a moment, obviously surprised by the question. "YOU ARE TRYING MY PATIENCE WING COMMANDER!" she answered, her anger plain in her voice. "I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION HERE!" Dawn Rider answered, "YOU ARE OF COURSE AWARE THAT THERE ARE FOUR ALICORN PRINCESSES OF EQUESTRIA I ASSUME!?!" "OF COURSE I"M AWARE OF THAT!" Tempest fired back. "SO YOU HAVE PRINCESS CELESTIA!?!" Dawn Rider shot back. "OF COURSE!" Tempest quickly reponded. "AND PRINCESS LUNA!?!" Dawn interrogated. "YES...OF COURSE I DO!" Tempest blurted out. "AND PRINCESS CADANCE!?!" was the next question. "YES DAMMIT!" Tempest screamed back. "WHAT ABOUT PRINCESS TWILIGHT!?!" was the next question. For a moment, Tempest Shadow looked like she was trying to say something. But instead, whatever it was seemed to get caught in her throat, and she closed her eyes and grimaced, her breath coming through in tortured hisses. Then she looked up at her nemesis, her expression showing her barely restrained fury. "I SEE!" Dawn Rider answered, "I THINK THAT NOW WE BOTH UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER COMMANDER!" Tempest Shadow straightened up and looked across to the other side of the bridge and said, "DON'T TAKE TOO MUCH SATISFACTION IN YOUR LITTLE VICTORY WING COMMANDER! THIS CASTLE IS STILL MINE TO DESTROY AT THE FIRST SIGN OF HOSTILE ACTION ON YOUR PART!" And then she added, "AND ONCE THE PRINCESS IS IN MY CONTROL, AND THE POWER OF THE ALICORNS IS MY MASTERS..I WILL PERSONALLY BURN YOU TO THE GROUND!!" "WE SHALL SEE COMMANDER!" Dawn Rider answered. Tempest Shadow then turned away and began making her way back to the North Gate of the castle. Only then, when she was sure she wasn't being observed, did Dawn Rider lower her head and take several deep breaths. She had really pushed her luck that time and she knew it. She could only hope that she had truly given the kingdom something they could use information wise. As Tempest passed the two captives and their overseer, the apelike creature yanked hard to try and turn the two ponies in the right direction. He came close to pulling Angel Wings off her hooves. "Ow....ow...ow," Angel Wings moaned as she struggled to comply. But in that instant, Sky Stinger reared up and kicked his tormentor, knocking him face first to the ground. The creature scrambled to his feet, pausing only long enough to notice Tempest Shadow's disapproving glare. In that moment of confusion, Sky Stinger turned back towards the bridge, and called out, "HEY WING COMMANDER!! FORWARD INTO DANGER!!" Dawn Rider heard the call as her two escorts slowly approached from either side of her. For a moment, she had to worry that she would make his situation worse by answering. But she decided to do it anyway and faced in the general direction of her captive comrade, came to a position of attention, and brought her right wing around in her best salute. "DEATH OR GLORY FLIGHT OFFICER!!" she shouted back as loudly as she could, not even noticing that her two companions were also saluting with her.