//------------------------------// // Rising Hopes // Story: From the General // by ISKV //------------------------------// Spike sighed as he bit into another one of Joe's prize doughnuts. He had only expected his "Royal Canterlot Business" to last, at the very most, a week. Unfortunately fate said otherwise, and he had been stuck inside the capital for too long. What was a regular trip to his favorite doughnut joint soon turned into his most memorable. And not in the good way. *** "-anything for an old friend!" the pony said as he passed two more of his creations to the ravenous dragon. They soon disappeared out of existence in a flurry of crumbs and chocolate flakes. "Wow..." Spike said with a mouth full of doughnuts, "are these the new chocolate caramel doughnuts?" Joe laughed pridefully, "Sure are bud! Took me years to gettin' em' right. Nuthin' gonna stop me from getting that first prize!" When the baker wasn't making doughnuts in his shop, he entered as many competitions as he could for recognition. In fact, he was with fried rings of dough as Rarity was with her clothes. Usually, he would get within the top ten, if not five, but this year, his ace-in-the-hole, his magnum opus, his secret weapon, his- A loud siren calling all to the center of the city interrupted his thoughts. Throughout the city, heads shot up and eyes popped open at the familiar yet new sound and for a second, the entirety of Canterlot was silent enough to hear a pin dropped on a thick carpet. Joe, Spike, and the patrons currently eating looked around confused, then reluctantly stood up and exited out the door. The dragon carried his half-eaten doughnut, not wanting to give up such a treat. Eventually, ponies of all kinds stepped out of their homes and businesses and slowly made their way towards the center of the city in a slow stream of confusion. True, there were all sorts of drills annually, but centuries of peace made it into an unofficial get-outside-for-once-you-lazy-bastards ceremony. Even the guards would usually take it easy that day. But the drill sirens had sounded only three months ago. That thought stayed with all of them as they trotted towards the center. Fearful parents took advantage of the usual cheerful spirit and simply told their children that it was just another drill. Skipping and hopping, they worried no more. Pegasi soared above the white marble city, leaving thin contrails from the tip of their wings. The Royal Messengers of Canterlot excelled in speed and endurance. In a time of crisis, there was no other substitute for spreading information. And flying among the Messengers was the princess of the moon, ready to lead from the field. There was already a mass of ponies converging at the large open area in front of the palace. More and more ponies arrived by the minute until the city square was completely filled. From above, individuals could not be distinguished from each other, blending into each other like a blurry picture. All talking stopped when a glowing aura slowly emerged from inside. Standing high above them was none other than Princess Celestia. Distraught and worry were easily seen on her face as the sun slowly set in front of the alicorn. "Ponies of Equestria!" Her voice traveled far, ensuring that even the ones at the rear would hear her voice as if she was standing right next to them. The sigh that came next was also audible. "I come with grave news. Twenty eight hours ago, the towns of Vanhoover and Trottinghom were attacked..." *** The dragon thought that the use of ancient black magic, a blood potion, and sacrifice rituals was the only reason the stallion had been able to keep the flavor of his original doughnuts while using only the heavily rationed food. They were that good. The baker currently resided at the Sparkle residence along with a few of Twilight's old friends, his own doughnut shop currently in use as a soup kitchen for the ponies who had come from other parts of Equestria. Joe had originally volunteered to help with the cooking, but after somehow setting fire to a pot of broth, he left the soup to the actual cooks. Joe looked at the clock slowly ticking away next to the door. Only a little bit more and his old childhood friend would be back. Ever since he had gotten the post as the captain they had grown apart more and more. "Hey Spike, you ah... you alright?" The dragon answered with a mumble, "Yeah. I'm fine." The baker walked from his newest batch of doughnuts and placed a hoof on the dragon's shoulder, "I'm sure Twilight's doing just fine. She's a strong pony, not to mention she has her friends." he reassured. Spike was silent, and the pony desperately searched for more words, "The... the princess! She's with Princess Luna right?" The dragon said nothing. "...Right?" "Yeah." he whispered. "So don't worry. That's not-" The door banged open to reveal an out-of-breath Captain. Shivering from the sweat dripping from his mane, he looked like he had run the entire length of Equestria and back. "Well! If it isn't Shining Armor-" Joe stopped when he was interrupted. "Joe, Spike..." he wheezed, "Get the girls, there's been stuff happening that I think you all need to hear about." The baker turned off the stove, "You got it bro." *** Within minutes, the group gathered in the living room. Moondancer walked in, soapy water dripping from her navy mane onto the carpet. She quickly spread out and sat on a bath towel mumbled about her interrupted shower. Orion and Midnight descended from their bedroom as their son looked around to confirm that they were all here. "Shining, if I got out of the shower for you to tell me that they're going to ration water, I am going to take your baby pictures and-" "No. It's nothing like that!" The purple maned Amethyst softly spoke up, "Before you tell us, is it good news or bad?" He took a deep breath, "Good." A few surprised faces matched his own when he himself had heard the news. "Princess Celestia managed to find help. They already saved the ponies down in the Everfree and the ones that got captured in a diamond dog mine. I'm not sure what their plans are, even if I knew I probably couldn't tell you, but I can promise that it's going to be big." Orion spoke up, "Son, you're telling me that the princess found allies that can beat dragons," he gestured outside where a massive sea of dragons, dogs, and griffons that besieged the capitol, their camp covered in a thick blanket of snow, "and everything else out there?" For the sake of keeping up the good mood, the captain nodded. "Where in Tatarus did she drag them in from..." he muttered under his breath. "And how?" Amethyst quietly asked. Shining turned towards her, "Ever heard of Project 42?." She rolled his eyes, "Do I look like I have access to top secret government documents?" "Ooh! Ooh!" Moondancer raised her hoof, "I only have rumors but isn't that a spell where they bring help in from other dimensions?" The captain sighed and muttered, "That was supposed to be labeled Top Secret..." he huffed in annoyance, "Anyways, yeah. Princess Luna cast the spell a few weeks ago. The allies were sent to this world and if I'm correct, they've been putting up quite a fight." Shining paused and waited for the right moment as his father spoke out, "So what did Princess Luna bring to our world?" He sighed, "Humans dad. Humans." Various yells of disbelief sounded in the room, causing Spike to accidentally let loose a burst of fire. That was enough to silence the entire room. He sat back down with an embarrassed grin. The captain continued, "The princess didn't release too much information, but I did get that they were used to all-out war." Tensions and faces lifted at the first piece of good news in a long time. Shining Armor took a breath and stood up. "Listen, I have to get back. I'm actually not supposed to be here." "Then why are you?" Amethyst asked. "I thought it would be best if I told you myself. I'm not making the same mistake twice..." They recalled the events of a few months ago at his wedding. His mother was the one who walked forwards and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Shining..." He looked up. "To come here to tell us... That was stupid." "Ha-What?" The captain of the Royal Guard withered under the gaze that his mother gave him. He felt just like a little foal who got caught next to an open but empty cookie jar. "We would've heard it eventually. You weren't yourself at the wedding. And right now, you need to be up there with Cadence. You two have a lot on your shoulders. Be there for her." He nodded. After saying goodbye to his friends, he put his golden helmet back on and raced out of the door. The shield glowed a vivid pink as an alicorn poured magic to heat the barrier, melting the snow that had accumulated. For the first time in weeks, rays of sunlight and hope shone down onto the crowded city. *** Grizelda walked through the Barracks with a new air of confidence. She was still scared and nervous on the inside, but Fluttershy had convinced the griffon that it didn't help if she kept hiding all of the time. The wide expanse and the many faces outside was a challenge she would overcome someday, but walking around helped with her mood tremendously. Strange looks from people and ponies alike came from all directions, and continued to come. That was until their attention moved from the griffon to the three mares that chased a stretcher carrying an unconscious mare, blood seeping through the many bandages around her head and body. "Come on Applejack! You-you can't die on us!" Rainbow Dash yelled desperately. The medics pushed the distraught mares from around orange pony, new gauze and bandages in hand. The weathermare resisted, but a gentle hoof on her shoulder pulled her back. "Please let them do their job." she said softly. Fluttershy nodded to the medic, who replied with the same gesture. From one medic to another, it was an unspoken word of thanks. The rainbow pegasus growled, "How could this happen?! Their job was to keep her safe! Now she's dying! When they com-" "Rainbow. Dash." Fluttershy said, her voice cutting through not with volume, but with assertiveness. One could compare it as a verbal form of the stare. "I know that you're worried, but blaming others won't help. And until they can tell their side of the story, you will not blame them for anything. Am I clear?" Rainbow Dash frowned with guilt but stayed silent. "Am. I. Clear?" "...Crystal." she whispered. "Good. Now-" she motioned towards the griffon who was sitting off to the side, trying to ignore the conversation, "go talk with Grizelda. Now's the best time." Not wanting to argue with Fluttershy, she nodded. Her wings slowly propelled the cyan pegasus forwards until she was right next to the silent griffon. Grizelda froze and broke into a cold sweat. It had been some time since she had seen the pegasus. Fluttershy had repeatedly reminded her that Rainbow Dash was in just as much stress as her, and as she hovered closer, she believed the quiet mare more and more. Maybe... one more time... The pegasus snapped her wings shut and dropped to the ground. They sat in silence "...Hey." she mumbled. "...Hey." the griffon said just as quietly. Both of them sat in silence while the rest of the barracks bustled around with patients and medics. Outside, a Chinook unloaded yet another load of refugees and took off immediately. The rainbow maned pegasus didn't know where to start. Or how. Or- She shook her head. This was so unlike her! Twilight was the kind of pony to think about how to do everything, not her. Not the pony who would do everything on-the-fly, sometimes literally. So she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "You remind me of somepony! Er... no, griffon. ...Yeah! You remind me of a friend! Or at least," she drew circles with her hoof, "she was my friend... Anyways, I've been a big jerk. I should've apologized sooner but..." "But?" Grizelda asked, half curious, half suspicious. "But when I say that you remind me of my friend, I really mean it! You even look like her! I knew how she was, and I may have thought you were the same..." Rainbow Dash was barely audible at this point. The griffon only smiled in amusement. "Ya'know, if it was any other day, I would've told you to take your apology and shove it up- Well, you get the idea." At this the pony grinned, she was reminded of her younger self. "But weeks of being worked and beaten will change anything. I think I'm more philosophical. Or sappy. Or soft. I don't care. Heh, I'm alive." The griffon rubbed a scar hidden under her feathers that she had gotten on her first day. After hearing Grizelda speak for the first time, the pegasus' eyes were wide with surprise. "When did... this," She gestured to the griffon, "happen?" "When did what happen?" Grizelda raised an eyebrow. "When did you start speaking this much?" The griffon laughed, surprising Rainbow Dash even more. "Me and Fluttershy had a long talk." She put a claw up to her chin in thought. "Actually, I did most of the talking." "About?" Grizelda's mood fell. "...It might be better if you ask her..." "Oh... Sorry." Rainbow Dash nervously cleared her throat. "...We, um... We cool?" The pegasus held out a hoof. Grizelda looked for a second. Only a second. "Yeah." the griffon whispered as she clenched her claws together and bumped it. "We cool." she whispered. They talked. Not as enemies, or as a griffon to a pony, but as friends. Fluttershy smiled. A few months ago she would have never guessed that this was going to occur. She took one last look at the unconscious Applejack and followed the others out of the Barracks.