//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Night Guards // by Raugos //------------------------------// Night Guards: Chapter 3 As the night cycles passed, Anvil continued in his efforts to coax Summer Cloud into yielding information on the locations or plans of the Celestial loyalists. With little success. For the most part, the grey unicorn did not outright refuse to talk about the renegades, but neither did she give anything that could actually be used against them. She would sometimes mention their reasons for doing what they did – but they were mostly reasons that he could have fathomed on his own – the Eternal Night; Nightmare Moon’s usurpation; her hostility towards any dissent – just to name a few. Then, there were the occasional stories about how some peasants were treated poorly when they were suspected of harbouring loyalists. All in all, he was making very little progress. Sooner or later, he was going to have to report his lack of success to Luna, but he feared the possibility that she might resort to harsher measures. No other loyalists had been captured since Summer Cloud, which meant that all of Luna’s frustration would have only one reasonable target. The notion was starting to keep him up at night. On the evening of the Night Festival, Anvil and Hammer found themselves summoned to the royal library, where they found Luna bustling around in the arcane arts wing. She had converted a section of it into something that resembled a mix of a garden, an apothecarium, and a magical workshop. A single clerestory window admitted blue moonlight into the room, which, in addition to a few candle stands, provided sufficiently bright light for the alicorn’s work. There were mortars and pestles and bowls filled with substances of varying colours and textures placed atop several sturdy worktables, along with piles of books and uncased scrolls. Potted plants and little trees were interspersed between the tables, and they were all arranged to form a single, large space in the middle of the room for the alicorn to stand and pace whilst she worked. But most interesting of all were the features of the vegetation she was growing. “Are those things… infected with something?” Anvil asked. The plants’ leaves were greenish blue from Luna’s alteration spell to make them subsist on moonlight, but he’d already seen that before. What was new was the fact that there were little nodules popping out of the twigs and stems. They seemed to have a wet, filmy coating, and upon closer inspection, he could see that they were actually transparent and filled with reddish-orange fluid. Some of the little trees even had larger globes of the stuff that hung loose from branches – like slimy, giant egg sacs. “Is that how they really look; diseased?” Luna questioned as a frown creased her brow, “Do you even know what purpose they serve?” If your highness would like us to guess,” Hammer ventured, “I would have thought that you were trying to make the trees inedible.” The big pegasus was peering at one of the closer specimens. When some of the nodules suddenly pulsed, his nose wrinkled slightly and he added, “Those things look like they might give pause even to a parasprite.” “Can parasprites even get bellyaches?” Anvil wondered aloud. Luna scowled. “I suppose you are right. They do look revolting, don’t they?” She trotted over to a table laden with tomes and rapidly flipped through a few pages of a musty volume titled Botanicum Arcana. “Using glow-worms was a mistake – too soft; too slimy. Perhaps fireflies would provide a much better template, even if the colour range is limited…” Anvil and his friend watched silently as she worked and muttered to herself. At length, she began to channel a spell that enveloped the plants in a deep blue aura of magic. Their branches twitched and flexed, and amidst the sound of their rustling leaves, there was the slightly disgusting, squelching sound of the slimy lumps shrinking and scabbing over. When the princess was done, the nodules looked less like shiny pustules and more like insect plates – somewhat like a beetle’s shell, and roughly about the same size. Overall, the effect was that the plants looked as if they had grown clusters of unusual scales, scattered all over their branches. “My subjects have been complaining endlessly about the darkness – as if the stars and moon weren’t sufficient for their needs. Petition after petition for the sun’s return… And those loyalists have been trying to use their discontent to incite rebellion,” Luna explained as she worked. “Well, perhaps it is time for a gesture of goodwill – the common folk want light, and they shall have it. Not the crude eyesore that is my sister’s sun, but a more subtle, elegant source of my own devising… Behold!” As she said that last word, the magical aura around her horn flared brighter than before, and the potted trees shivered for several seconds, after which their ‘scales’ began to glow with a soft, greenish yellow light. Luna then pulled drapes over the window to shut out the moonlight, and conjured a little draft to blow out the candles. The effect was breath-taking. Each tree looked as if it was a night sky in itself, with little yellow stars dotting its stems and spreading out in fantastic patterns over its branches, in stark contrast to the deep colour of its foliage. But the difference between these miniature constellations and the night sky was that they glowed brightly enough to serve as lamps – living, growing ones. Anvil realised that his mouth had formed a little ‘o’, and Hammer’s expression was so impassive that he could tell that even his friend was impressed. Luna smiled when she saw their reactions. It was almost the same sort of enthusiasm that he’d seen when she’d presented her new spell to Celestia that fateful night. “Well, it looks like you’re going to put the candle-makers out of business,” Anvil commented. He prodded one of the glowing nodes, but quickly withdrew his hoof when the lights pulsated. “…That is, if they’re safe. They don’t feed on the blood of innocents or some such, do they?” “What – no, of course not!” Luna snapped, seemingly appalled at the idea. But she suddenly grinned wolfishly and added, “But I suppose I could make them feed on yours, if you like.” “If you do, I would like to keep one, Your Highness,” Hammer piped up. “I’d feed it every day.” Anvil rolled his eyes. “I’m touched by your devotion.” Turning back to Luna, he said, “I suppose you intend to cast the spell all across the land like last time. Do you require the unicorns of the Night Guard to assist?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Concerned about magical fatigue, again?” She lifted a dark-coated foreleg and examined her hoof, saying, “You know, one of the perks of this form is that such spells are no longer a strain. But, to answer your question – no, I need no such assistance. The rest of Equestria can wait. For tonight, my gift will be solely to citizens of Everfree.” “Come,” she added, striding purposefully towards the library’s exit, “the Night Festival will soon begin, and it would be a shame if we failed to attend.” * * * * * The Night Festival was held in Everfree’s common gardens, some distance from the palace and in the heart of the city. It spanned several acres and was filled with grassy knolls, little groves of fruiting trees and flowers, and the occasional slab of decorative pegasus architecture. A massive, ornate stone dais stood in the middle of the garden – circular in shape with wide steps spreading out and down from its centre, and scattered around it were the stalls of vendors as they catered to the culinary wants of the attending ponies. Glow-worm lanterns and colourful banners hung from every tree. It was a little chilly, but a few strategically placed braziers settled any possibility of complaint. Luna was sitting on some resplendent cushions and rugs at the top of the dais, with Hammer and Anvil standing watch by her side along with six of the newly-trained recruits. From this vantage point, Anvil had a reasonably broad and unobstructed view of the gardens, except for some places where an unusually high knoll or grove of trees blocked his line of sight. Ponies from all walks of life had been invited to the Night Festival, but from what he could see, the attendees consisted mostly of the nobles and the rich folk from Everfree. There were substantially fewer of the common city folk, and even less so of the farmers and traders from outside the city. At least, that was what he surmised from their appearances – most were far too well-groomed to be peasants. And all along the boundaries of the gardens were stationed the rest of the Night Guard recruits, and Anvil was relieved to see that they were looking the part. Their training had paid off, it seemed. Once the appointed time came, a fanfare of trumpets silenced the crowd, and Luna rose to all fours. Her magically amplified voice rang out across the garden, “Citizens of Everfree and travellers from without, I welcome all of you to Equestria’s first Night Festival.” She paused for a moment to allow the cheers to die down, then resumed, “Long have I waited for this time; when ponies, high-born and common alike, would come together in celebration of the Night – the other half of our lives that we have so often taken for granted.” She paused again, and looked out at the sea of faces watching her in awe. Anvil silently noted that there was no lack of fearful respect amongst them as well, though. Then, Luna spread her wings wide and boomed, “But, I’m certain you did not come to hear me give speeches. So, enough talk – the night is yours to celebrate!” As the last words left her lips, several multi-coloured flares shot up from behind the dais, whizzing into the sky, and when they exploded, the crowd was treated to a brilliant display of enchanted fireworks. Fiery phoenixes and dragons of every colour of the rainbow soared and cavorted in the starry sky, in addition to the regular starbursts and fizzing lights. The crowd cheered wholeheartedly this time, and Anvil saw Luna beaming happily – possibly for the first time since her transformation. If this was the crowd’s reaction to Luna’s personally designed fireworks, he wondered what it would be like when she finally revealed her enchanted firefly-trees. Sometime after her opening speech and display of fireworks, the attending bards and musicians began to take turns leading ponies in song and dance and playing uplifting tunes and melodies. Through it all, Luna sat serenely on her place atop the dais, watching the festivities with little sign of merriment. It almost seemed like her initial joy had already worn away. If anything, she seemed deep in thought, and Anvil found himself wondering whether she was even enjoying herself. It was almost like a performance – as if her participation in the festival was only a show for her subjects. Well, she does have a lot on her shoulders. Or, rather, it looked like she was… cultivating the crowd – like how a carpenter would work on furniture; or a blacksmith his tools. It might have been his imagination, but at the moment it didn’t seem very unlikely that she was treating this festival of hers more like a project rather than an actual heartfelt celebration. “That’s close enough,” Hammer called out. That shook Anvil out of his musings. At the bottom of the dais was a heavily bearded, richly-attired unicorn, with a thick cloak on his shoulders and gold and silver medallions on his chest. He knelt low, medallions clanking as he went, and awaited Luna’s permission to speak. “What is it?” she asked. The unicorn rose, and hesitantly said, “Pardon me for the intrusion, Nightmare Moon. Duke Escutcheon of House Blueblood, at your service – if I may say; you look absolutely stunning, and this is without a doubt the most wonderful celebration that I have had the pleasure to attend in a long time.” When the moon princess didn’t give any sign of annoyance or displeasure, he beamed cordially and continued, “Furthermore, if I may be so bold… it would give me just as much pleasure if Your Majesty would preside over my daughter’s wedding the next – ” “This isn’t an audience chamber,” Hammer interjected. “The princess will hear your supplications at the appropriate time and place.” “No, it is fine,” Luna sighed. “I am willing to make this night an exception. Let him approach.” “As you wish.” Duke Escutcheon bowed his thanks and trotted partway up the dais, stopping at a respectful distance, just slightly farther from Luna than her guards. He then shot an indignant look at Hammer before addressing her, “Your Highness is most generous. Well, come next spring, my daughter will wed – ” Anvil stopped listening. Whatever the noble wished to say, he doubted he would have much interest in it. Unless matters of unforeseen foal-births or exploration endeavours were concerned, the conversations of nobles were rarely engaging. A discreet glance told him that Luna’s interest was already waning, and she was entertaining him merely as a matter of formality. He tried to focus on his duty and watch over the crowd instead. Unfortunately, Duke Escutcheon’s little conversation with Luna had started a trend amongst the rest of the attending nobles, and before long, there was a line of them queuing up for their turn to shower the bemused alicorn with praises and petitions. Apparently, they had all been waiting for the first pony to test Nightmare Moon’s temperament, and since the duke still had his head firmly on his shoulders, they had all probably arrived at the conclusion that she was unlikely to bite their heads off. Inwardly, he sympathised with the sheer tedium that Luna must be experiencing. Eventually, though, the tide of nobles did stop and Luna was able to watch the festivities without harassment. Hours passed and the celebration wore on without any sign of dying down. However, once they were drifting into the wee hours of the night, it was time for it to draw to a close. Luna simply stood up and struck the stone dais with a hoof, and waited silently as the crowd quietened down. The musicians ceased their music, and one by one, the attending ponies stopped whatever they had formerly been occupied with and diverted their attention to her. Luna said nothing until the breeze was the only sound heard and the misting breaths of ponies the only movement to be seen. “My little ponies, it gladdens my heart that so many of you have taken the time to attend the first Night Festival in Equestria’s history.” Luna smiled warmly and continued, “And it makes me gladder still to see you enjoying yourselves.” “Yeh… Nightmare Moon... is best princess!” an inebriated pony half-yelled, half hiccupped. Luna looked somewhat scandalised at the interruption – her ears twitched and her eyes narrowed – but chose to ignore it when the culprit’s neighbours quickly stuffed a potato in his mouth and discreetly helped him to stagger away. She regained her initial warmth and carried on, “I have witnessed the passing of many seasons and generations – rivers have carved plains into valleys and hills have grown into mountains in my lifetime. And yet, in all my years, I have never seen ponies appreciating the night in the way you have.” Luna looked up at moon the stars above and then swept her gaze to the crowd before her. When she spoke again, she sounded like she was holding back tears. “My faithful subjects, I am honoured to be your princess. Although I have risen to the throne under less than auspicious circumstances, I hope that a time will come when you would come to love me for who I am, and not what I am.” With that said, Luna sat down once more. At first, nopony made a sound. But then a mare amongst the commoners whooped, and before long the entire crowd was cheering along with her. And over the sound of their voices, Anvil heard Luna’s little mumble; “As you once did for my sister.” Suddenly, an exceptionally loud whistle pierced through the cheers, and a ripple of silence spread through the crowd. Faces turned to a bulky, greenish brown-coated earth stallion dressed in a cloak – he had a hood over his face, and only his muzzle and beard was visible. “I’m afraid, Nightmare Moon,” he called out in a gruff voice, “that you are addressing the wrong ponies with your fancy celebration and pretty words.” Luna quickly stood up. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded. “I could ask you that myself, Your Highness. Tis a strange time for one to be celebrating,” came the nonchalant reply. The crowd gasped. There was a steely look in the dark alicorn’s eyes. “Stranger, you have seconds to answer me before I have you thrown out of the city, so choose your words quickly and carefully.” Anvil frowned as everypony waited for the earth stallion to reply. Too much accent on the ‘Your Highness’ part. The pony was probably distorting his own voice. Trouble was in store for them, and from the looks of things, there was going to be a lot of it. The stallion trotted forward a few steps, and those nearest to him hastily backed off, as if they were expecting Luna to chuck a lightning bolt his way. He took off his hood, and Anvil found himself squinting – he thought he looked familiar… “What I meant was that the ponies you should be speaking to are not here,” the stallion said. He took a few seconds to look at the ponies around him before addressing Luna once more, “The ponies who really need your attention are the farmers and woodcutters and foragers – and I see none of them here. Not a single one.” Luna scowled. “It is understandable that not everypony will be able to attend.” “Then go out to them, and see for yourself what this Eternal Night of yours is doing to their lives!” he shouted. As the last words left his mouth, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a little brown something that he held up for everypony to see. It was a turnip – a very shrunken and sickly-looking one, with black spots all over its withered leaves. “Too cold to grow food, and too cold for ponies to be out tending the fields,” the stallion continued. He then turned to the ponies around him and repeatedly jabbed a hoof in the direction of various individuals. “And you rich ponies are next. You, you, and you. You all sit here enjoying yourselves with your vast stores of food whilst the poor suffer. Perhaps you don’t realise it, but your food does come from somewhere – and it will not last forever.” He then turned his eyes back to Luna. “So, Your Majesty, explain this to them, and see if they are as quick to love you as these sycophants.” So saying, he unceremoniously lobbed the turnip at the dark alicorn. Quick as lightning, Hammer intercepted the turnip and slapped it away with a wing. More gasps came from the crowd. Anvil and the rest of the guards around the princess spread wings and prepared to seize the earth pony for his impudence, but Luna stopped them in mid-hover with a quick, soft “No, wait.” They settled back to the ground once more, but watched him warily. “It’s barely the end of the summer, and you say that the crops are dying?” Luna asked. “Even with the constant night, it should not be that cold.” The stallion shrugged. “I don’t know why – all I know is that it is cold, and it is killing the crops. It’s colder out there than it is in the city.” “But…” he added, and this time his voice dripped with derision, “you wouldn’t know that, would you? You haven’t even taken the trouble to leave your city and see what your night is doing to the rest of Equestria.” “You speak true; I have not visited any of the settlements, so I will allow your insolence to go unpunished – this once. But don’t test my patience,” Luna answered. “I will look into the matter, and I will see that it is alleviated with all due haste.” “Or, you could just raise the sun, Your Highness,” the stallion suggested. “Hear, hear!” another voice shouted. Everypony turned to look at the speaker, and it turned out to be a pegasus stallion dressed in plain clothing. Anvil tensed up when he saw him. Pale blue coat, orange mane, notched right ear. Drizzle Sky. Former royal guard and known Celestial loyalist. And then it hit him – the first stallion was Hazel Hock, hiding his wings under that cloak – he had simply let his beard grow and used a false voice. There were former royal guards hiding amongst the crowd, and they were up to something. Hayseed, this is going to get unpleasant… But before he could say anything about it, Luna answered tersely, “No. The night will remain for now. Who do you think you are, to presume to tell your princess what to do?” Hazel Hock ignored her question, and yet another pegasus pony in the crowd – whom Anvil was unfamiliar with, but was certain used to be in the Guard – shouted out, “Would you like to know who really likes your Eternal Night? Thieves and bandits! The never-ending darkness makes it so much easier – farmers are finding their stores broken into, and traders are set upon as they journey through the wilds.” Thunder rumbled in the sky when Luna angrily replied, “That will be dealt with when the Night Guards have sufficient numbers to watch over the lands. If you want somepony to blame, you can ask why those of the Royal Guard shirked their duty when I claimed the throne. They left Equestria in a difficult state, and those who dared to undermine my rule are only making things worse – the Night Guards cannot both protect the common folk and deal with these rebels at the same time with such small numbers!” “But that’s not the worst part!” a fourth pegasus cried out, as if Luna hadn’t said a word. “The worst part is that the thieves are ponies who have never once stolen a thing in their lives – until your eternal night forced them to. Food is short – ponies can’t work much in the dark, and the old and young are suffering in the cold. Most of the time, the thieves caught are just as desperate as those they try to rob.” Ponies in the crowd began to murmur, even the nobles. Luna simply stared. Though, it was hard for Anvil to tell whether her silence was due to deep thought or plain shock. There had been plenty of petitions in the cycles since the beginning of the Eternal Night, but none of them had reported anything this serious. It was a disturbing possibility that circumstances might have become so bad for the outlying villages that they were unable to cry for help. Or they might have, but to the wrong ponies. The loyalists. “You see, this is the princess you now serve,” Hazel Hock said, this time addressing the crowd and the guards, “This isn’t Luna; this is Nightmare Moon. The one who has imprisoned your former ruler – her own sister! – and claimed the throne for herself. She cares not for you, and has no true sense of love. I ask you – where is the love in this Eternal Night of hers? Even now, she refuses to end it even after hearing of the plight of others. Princess Celestia would never have allowed such suffering to continue!” The murmuring of the crowd increased in volume. “Princess, if you wish us to silence them, giving the order now would be ideal,” Hammer stated. Anvil and the rest of the guards looked to her for the command, but it didn’t come. Her mouth opened just a little, but no sound came out. She was hesitating. “Long live Celestia!” Drizzle Sky shouted. “Long live Celestia!” another pony took up the cry. A rotten vegetable flew and landed by Luna’s hooves, and then things got truly out of control. One after another, ponies started taking up the chant, though it was hard to tell whether it was because they were all loyalists or just members of the crowd who had been swayed by their speech. Or perhaps some had simply had too much to drink and were participating in what they thought might have been part of the festival. Regardless, the loyalists had effectively riled up a fair lot of ponies against the alicorn. More of them had begun to lob food and dirt at her, so Anvil and his fellows had to stand in the way and deflect or take the hits instead. “Ah, anytime now, Your Highness,” he said, looking back to Luna. Her face was impassive, but those eyes of hers were seething. They were starting to glow, and another clap of thunder was heard in the sky above. “Guards, arrest them,” she commanded. “But you two wait here. Keep an eye out – there’s more to this display than mere defiance.” Hammer whistled sharply, and motioned for the Night Guards to move in and seize the loyalists. All except one, whom Anvil instructed to fly back to the palace to call for assistance from the few veterans left in Luna’s service. There was no telling how many loyalists were in the crowd, or how many of them were battle-worthy, but he was sure that the freshly trained guards right here were likely to be outmatched by the former Royal Guards. Especially since Luna had told him and Hammer to hold back for now. Night Guards watching from the boundaries of the garden stormed in to help, and they along with the six by Luna’s side dove into the crowd, which broke apart at their approach, leaving the loyalists standing their ground. Anvil counted at least sixteen of them. Sixteen against twenty. Scuffles broke out between them and some over-enthusiastic individuals in the crowd, but his attention was focused on the fights between the loyalists and the Night Guards. Unfortunately, their rawness showed, and in spite of greater numbers, the former recruits were quickly beaten and subdued. Only a few of them managed to put up a proper fight, but it was mostly because they were unicorns, and so had surprised the loyalists with unconventional magic. But there was only so much they could do against those who had the advantage of years of experience. Magic alone wasn’t enough. Before long, all of the Night Guards were pinned to the ground in various undignified positions by their opponents. “Terrible, just terrible. Are these the best you could come up with?” Hazel Hock muttered with a pointed look at Anvil and Hammer. He then squared his shoulders and hovered above the crowd. “Everfree’s new guards cannot even protect themselves against the old, so how can you expect them to protect its ponies against criminals of the darkness? I tell you – the thievery and banditry are only going to get worse with time.” He then pointed a hoof at Luna. “All under her rule – is that truly what you want?” “Bite your tongue, loyalist whelp,” the moon princess spat. “You will leave this place now, or suffer my wrath. Whether you like it or not, I am the true ruler of Equestria!” “And I am… unimpressed,” Hazel deadpanned. Many in the crowd seemed stunned by the impudence of his response, and those who had already put some distance between themselves and the loyalist began to sidle even farther away, whilst others turned their gaze to Luna, expectantly awaiting her retaliation. Luna’s horn began to crackle with energy, but Anvil quickly said, “He’s goading you, Your Highness. They want you to show violence in front of the crowd.” “Then you go. Teach them humility,” she snarled. “And don’t be gentle.” But Anvil hesitated, and so did Hammer, it seemed. There was something off about the way in which the loyalists were going about their business. They were practically setting themselves up for capture – that is, if the recruits had been better trained – or if he and Hammer joined the fray. Not very strategic. They had both easily defeated that number before, and they could do it again. The loyalists started jeering and hurling more insults their way, but did little else. It appeared that they had no intention of dealing the first blow. But amidst the crowd, Anvil noticed that some hooded ponies were discreetly ushering the pockets of the festival’s attendees out of the gardens. They were preparing for something, and it was dangerous enough that they were unwilling to risk having a crowd around. Come to think of it, it was strange that they were standing or hovering close to the ground, when practically all of them were capable of combat in flight… Horse apples. Flight. Distraction. They’d been watching the wrong ponies. “Anvil – up!” he heard his friend’s voice, and there was a whoosh of air as the big pegasus took to the sky. There was enough uncharacteristic urgency in those two words of his that Anvil launched himself into the air without even trying to see what had caught his attention. It wasn’t the most dutiful thing to leave Luna so abruptly, but he was sure that if Hammer thought it necessary, it was for a good reason. As he climbed upwards in the wake of his companion, he searched the skies. Even though there was no shortage of clouds, with the brightness of the moon and stars, there was going little place for a pegasus to hide. At least, not from trained eyes that had been enchanted to suit the night. And then... he saw it – a flashing light too big and inconsistent to be a star. His heart pace quickened when he realised that it was a pegasus flying at exceptional speed – diving down towards Luna on the dais. There was a glowing cone of static energy around him, centred on his outstretched hoof, and sparks of lightning danced around his body and left a trail of white smoke in his wake. And it looked like he had every intention of slamming all of that energy right into the princess. The screeching roar of the pegasus ripping through the air grew as he approached with incredible speed. It all happened in a few seconds – Hammer had taken to the air first, and so was the first to attempt to stop the rogue pegasus. He tried to tackle the pegasus at an angle to avoid a direct collision, but Anvil saw that he had misjudged the speed at which the pegasus was diving, and missed and was caught up in the turbulence left in his wake. There would be no chance of his friend catching up to the rogue after that. And now it was his turn. Instead of trying to take the pegasus at an angle, he decided to take the direct approach. There was no time to come up with a strategy or to perform fancy manoeuvres. At that speed, the rogue was unlikely to be able to change direction. All Anvil needed to do was to get in the way... and find out just how durable Luna’s alteration spell had made him. He put on a burst of speed and surged upward. Hayseed, this is going to hurt. He saw a bright flash of lightning as the rapidly approaching pegasus filled his world. He gritted his teeth, and just before the impact, he was treated to the split-second sight of surprise and dismay on the pegasus’ face – those eyes must have been the size of dinner plates, with pupils contracted to pinpricks. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel a thing. There was only a dull, heavy thump. * * * * * The next thing he felt was bone-jarring agony in his forehead, neck, spine, and chest. All of the important parts, as it were. And he was falling, with his face to the sky and his back to the ground – along with the unconscious rogue pegasus, who was in free fall just a few feet above him. Dimly, he realised that it was not a stallion, but a mare, with a yellow coat and pure white mane. Pretty… Up above was the point at which they must have collided – there was an expanding ring of white electricity that was sweeping the clouds away to form a circle of clear night sky, like a giant hole to the heavens. Anvil blinked. * * * * * And the ring was suddenly that much farther away. He saw Hammer diving after him, but there was still quite a distance between them… and he was still in free fall. And his helmet was obscuring his view and squeezing his aching skull. With much groaning and whimpering, he managed to pull the dented thing off and let it loose. Then, there was the next matter of not splattering on the ground. After righting himself with a little bit of flailing, he was finally in a position to slow his fall, but his wings were limp and fluttering uselessly in the rushing air. Move, you lazy things! They refused to obey. He could see the ground fast approaching. He blinked. * * * * * And the distance to the ground was halved. He could distinctly make out the forms of ponies in a confused panic below – figures rushed here and there, and fights were breaking out. The reinforcements. Finally. He grimaced – the pain was still excruciatingly fresh, and his wings still refused to do anything particularly useful. He blinked again. * * * * * And saw the ground rushing up to meet him. Well, this looks familiar. He braced himself for the impact, but instead felt a sudden, rapid deceleration and tight pressure on his body as a blue magical aura enveloped him. Luna. He saw her below, horn aglow and wings beating as she climbed to meet him. A pair of loyalists tried to tackle her, but they were easily repelled by a casual, almost lazy fork of blue lightning. “Anvil, speak – can you hear me?” she said anxiously. “Err…” * * * * * And he was suddenly lying on his side on the stone dais, with Luna crouching over him. Amidst the sounds of brawling ponies and unicorns casting magic, he could hear Hammer and Hazel Hock shouting commands to their charges. He then realised that he was having fainting spells. He couldn’t remember landing – or taking his armour off. “Hold on, we will get you back to the palace,” Luna assured. Anvil tried to say ‘I’m alright’, but all that came out was a croak. The dark alicorn put a hoof to his mouth. “Rest now; let my healing spell run its course.” Her expression then hardened. “As for the loyalists… they wanted violence, and they shall have it, the foals. It’s time I ended this nonsense.” Thunder rumbled in the sky, and it began to rain. Anvil shook his head – he was feeling terribly dizzy, but at least the agony had lessened. However, he tensed up again when somepony moaned behind his back. He flipped over to his other side – not without some effort and pain – and saw the unconscious form of the rogue pegasus that had slammed into him. He surmised that Hammer or Luna must have saved her from the fall, too. Amazingly, she appeared to be unhurt, except for a foreleg that was bent at an unnatural angle. Or perhaps it wasn’t that amazing, and he was just delirious. After all, she had been the one flying downwards, and was somewhat protected by the shockwave in front of her. If things had been the other way around and he’d been the one to do what she had done… a broken leg might be the least of her problems. Almost absurdly, he found himself wondering whether this incident was going to ruin Luna’s plan to reveal her enchanted trees. He really did want to see what a whole grove of those would have looked like… Some seconds later, Anvil stopped trying to move and just let everything flop onto the ground. Mind and thoughts included. He was tired, and for the time being, the stone dais was the most comfortable thing in the world. Sweet Celestia, this floor is amazing. He gave in to the blackness with the crackling sound of lightning in his ears and the taste of rain and dirt on his lolling tongue.