The patrol of the camp in Ponyville was four hours on, four hours off. Two military police stood at the edge of town in each direction and, theoretically, watched the view. In the darkness of night the rolling hills gave but the slightest contrast to the sky. The stars were occluded only by a light haze that would fall as the morning dew. It was a tableau to fill the soul.
In practice, the patrol joked and smoked, taking no notice of their surroundings. Knowing that the attack was set for dawn, they took it easy until the shift change at three AM. The soldiers who took up the duty on the east side did not wonder at the low rumbling coming from the distance. They were too used to camps on Earth where background noise was a part of the landscape, and it blended in with the sounds of crickets and the wind in the trees. By the time the hoof beats were loud enough, the cavalry charge was at full speed and nearly on top of them.
The charge was like a wave of multicolored foam crashing on a beach, bowed in to the center, and with irregularities here and there as somepony or other caught their stride and ran ahead. Right in the middle were Princess Luna and Olivia. Blessed with wings and longer legs, Luna broke with the rest of the wave and crossed the town border first.
She reached one of the guards and made contact with her horn before he could take any action other than turning and trying to run. Suddenly and silently, he ceased to exist in that spot. The light of teleportation was shaded by his fatigues. Right behind her, Rainbow Dash moved Lisa into position to slap the other one. The mages soon realized that they did not have to be gentle, but could follow through with their strikes since there was nothing left to contact but an empty uniform.
The second guard was able to get off a shout before he was cut off and completed his scream in the dungeon at Canterlot Castle. The first few soldiers to wake up and poke their heads out fared no better than the guards, as unicorns and magical bronies made short work of them. Each one had a moment of dread as he saw his comrades, frequently someone he knew well, vanish without even leaving a body, and then a sharper fear as it happened to him. The relief of still being alive and finding themselves merely stripped and imprisoned was small comfort. Soon enough, one soldier was smart enough to call his superior on the wired phone and alert him that the attack was going on, having barely enough time before his building was stormed and he too was transported.
When word climbed up the chain of command, the sergeants and lieutenants mustered the troops into formation and told them to counterattack. Groggy with sleep and unfamiliar with the territory, a ragtag line was formed. They moved swiftly to load their rifles and bring them to bear, but their aim was off, and the targets they did hit were protected by magical shields or by impenetrable Earth humans. The first line of defense was overtaken. As some of them flashed in disappearance, others took to their heels and ran. The retreat was chaotic at first, but sergeants quickly restored order.
Colonel Stone’s first reaction to hearing the news and shaking the confusion from his head was not to join the men or issue orders down. He stormed out to the building where Julie was kept. She was already awake, as if waiting for him. He grabbed her hair.
“You lied to me! They’re here now and you lied to me. Who trained you to do that?”
“Nopony trained me.”
“Talk English!”
Julie smiled. “I never lied to you.”
“Bull! You said dawn, and it’s three in the morning.”
“I told you the exact truth, just as I was instructed to do. It’s not my fault if you made the wrong assumption.”
“What assumption?”
“In this world, the schedule for sunrise is not so rigid.”
***
Far off, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia swallowed. It offended her sensibilities to break tradition, but according to plan, she pointed her horn to the East and cast her spell. More rapid than usual, the sun broke the horizon and painted the world gold.
She turned back to face Ponyville. “I have done what I can. Dear sister, dear friends, please come back safe. The humans look upon me as a goddess. Whom do I pray to?”
***
Just as the soldiers were beginning to organize a second wave of resistance, the brilliance of the sunlight caught them flush in the face. The ponies and their riders were nothing more than dark silhouettes in the brightness that was overloading their retinas. Some actually lost control of their weapons as they shielded their eyes.
The ponies and their riders knew this was coming, but they still needed time for their own eyes to adjust. The second line took more time to disperse, and showed more resilience in refusing to move even when being charged down by unicorns.
An errant shot clipped a pegasus on the wing, and he was reduced to carrying his magical brony as the earth ponies did, but without the protection. First blood was spilled for the Equestrians.
From her position at the vanguard, Luna took off and surveyed the town. It felt like they had fought an entire battle already, but in fact had only established the first beachhead. It was a long way to the center of town, and the Americans had plenty of reserves. Worse, she could see them taking sniper positions in the buildings and organizing themselves by the proper command structure. She had to get her ponies to press faster.
“Clean up this skirmish and move on!” she shouted. Ever eager to take the lead, Rainbow Dash pumped her wings and guided Lisa all over. She didn’t even bother to time her teleportation spell, keeping it running and letting Rainbow guide her.
Lisa spotted the snipers in the buildings and pointed them out. “Fly!” she said, and Rainbow was only too happy to oblige. Lisa’s stomach dropped as they took off, and she needed a moment before she could focus enough to cast the spell.
Visualize, she told herself. This is just like practice with Olivia back in my bedroom on Earth. Just push them where you want them to go. Her hands regained their glow, and they approached a soldier leaning out a window. His sniper rifle was not designed for close-range fire, and he couldn’t get it turned in time. He joined the growing cadre in the dungeon.
Rainbow spotted another one, and banked to strike. He swung the rifle around, and she feared that he would be able to get a shot off. With all her wingpower, she went for speed, leaning forward to get Lisa’s outstretched hand that much closer. They acted as one, and Rainbow thought that it was almost like being a centaur. The bullet left the gun at the exact moment the rifleman vanished, but Rainbow had enough momentum to be out of the way when it did.
A third sniper pulled back from his perch, and Rainbow saw what she thought was an easy target. He was loading the rifle, or perhaps having problems with jamming, but from her perspective there was no danger. The window was at an angle to her left, and she curved around to get a cleaner route. Once Lisa dispatched this one, Rainbow planned to anchor her hooves on the sill, and make a quick turn to head back into the fray.
What she saw made her change her plan. The soldier had not been loading or fixing his gun. He had attached a bayonet. Lisa saw it too, and silently raged at the bureaucratic inertia that told a modern army to still carry a four-hundred-year-old weapon. All of Rainbow’s speed would only impale her faster if she kept flying straight. In crisis situations, her first reflex was to gain altitude. She turned hard toward the sky, grabbing Lisa’s legs with her hooves to prevent a fall. She had too much momentum. The bayonet didn’t pierce very deep, but it snagged on her shoulder and slowed her up just enough for the soldier to fire.
Rainbow felt the impact of the bullet spread through her in concentric spheres. Pain was a frequent companion for somepony who trained as hard as she did, and she knew how to work through it. She had a single goal now: get on the ground with Lisa in one piece.
She took a long arc to get away from the action and save her strength, then banked to start her landing. But the wound changed her pattern and Lisa wasn’t used to it. She shifted her weight and Rainbow had to turn to catch up. The turn sparked a new pain in her chest and caused her to wince. Lisa started to fall. Desperately, Rainbow grabbed for any part of her, but her hooves were soaked with blood and sweat, and she felt Lisa slip off.
Her dive only opened her wound more, and Rainbow felt like ice was forming within her. Black spots appeared before her eyes. She knew she was dying. Slamming a hoof over the wound to try to staunch the blood, she could no longer find the strength to pump her wings. She glided down, helpless to watch Lisa fall to her death.
Twilight Sparkle had taken the same road, but did not see what happened. Luke was acting as her eyes and ears, directing her to targets. When he turned her down an alley, she had no idea why, and was even more shocked to feel him take off from her back and leave her riderless. She raised her head to see Lisa plummeting, and Luke soaring. Her eyeball calculation told her that he would miss, but she didn’t count on the adrenalin rush that made him accelerate more. He caught Lisa and swooped back around.
Depositing her at Twilight’s hooves, Luke took off again to where Rainbow Dash had landed. From the air it didn’t look like a crash, but Rainbow wasn’t moving. He tried to pick her up, but that only caused her to lose more blood.
“Nice flying,” she said, gasping for breath. “You don’t need…my classes anymore. I…”
“Don’t talk. I’m going to get you out of here. Just hang on.”
“I still ain’t scared…whatever’s out there…better watch out for me.”
Her breathing stopped. Rainbow Dash was dead.
Twilight and Lisa raced to catch up, forgetting the battle. A platoon followed them, trying to bring them into range of their guns. As they reached Luke and Rainbow, Lisa broke and collapsed onto her steed.
“Rainbow! Get up!”
Luke hauled her up. “You have to move!” He pointed at the oncoming soldiers.
Their primary target was Twilight. Luke raced to get back on top and lead her away, but the suppressing fire separated them. She had up a magical shield, but the soldiers were advancing, forcing her to shrink it. When they reached close contact, it would be an even match between the horn and the guns. He had to move.
Twilight saw him step up, and her only reaction was to spread the force field wider. She overcompensated, and one of the soldiers found himself inside the perimeter. He aimed, fired, and hit. Twilight had her eyes closed, and opened them to assess the damage.
It was worse than she feared. Luke had jumped in front of her and been hit square in the chest. He landed on Rainbow Dash and did not move.
Rage overtook Twilight and Lisa. Without consideration for their safety, they stood and charged at the platoon. The sheer magical force was enough to stun the soldiers before they could refocus and cast the teleportation spell. It was a dazed bunch that appeared in the cell.
For a moment there was no action. Lisa and Twilight stared at the bodies of their fallen friends. Lisa put her hand on Rainbow Dash’s head and cried. Twilight was more practical. She used her magic to probe the bodies, trying to detect any heartbeat or sign of life. There were better magical medics than her, but she had to exhaust every option. She found it a moot point, as Rainbow and Luke were motionless inside and out. She thought of raising a cairn to them, but a call from the main road jerked her back to reality.
“Rally to me, Equestrians!” Luna’s training in public speaking served her well. “There is no time to weep for the dead. Avenge them now! The enemy has hardened their hearts and will not hesitate. You must not let your grief cloud your vision. Return to the battle! If your partners have fallen, find another. We must fight together!”
Lisa and Twilight looked at each other. Wordlessly, Twilight lowered her shoulder and nodded her head. Lisa swung her leg over and shifted her weight. They galloped back to the battle.
***
Fluttershy was, to say the least, not in her element. Watching her friends fall around her was disconcerting, and she was never the bravest pony to begin with. She and her rider, a young pegasus person named Isaac, had met only hours before. With no mage in the group, they were assigned to duty as relief medics, carrying the wounded back out of the town to relative safety.
Operating on his instruction, Fluttershy had adorned a white hair ribbon with a red vertical cross on it, that Isaac had assured her would keep the Americans from shooting at them.
“No matter how warlike humans are,” he had said, “there’s a rule, or a convention, about not attacking medics. The sign will let them know that we’re not fighting.”
That was small comfort to Fluttershy, who, after hauling out more ponies and humans than she could count, was hunkered down against a wall, pinned there by fire and unwilling to move. No matter how hard she closed her eyes, she couldn’t stop the tears from coming through.
“I don’t want to do this!” she screamed. “I don’t want to be here.”
“Fluttershy!” said Isaac, “everyone’s counting on us. We might make the difference.”
“I don’t care. I just don’t want to be doing this.”
His voice calmed. “All right, then. What do you want to do?”
“I want to be home with my animals. I want to be with my friends. I want to see my friend Julie!”
“She’s the one who went in ahead, right?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“OK. Go to her.”
“But, what about the battle?”
“You’re not doing any good hiding against a wall,” said Isaac. “I’ll cover your escape.”
“But what if—“
“Go!”
Before she could respond, Isaac took off in a random direction, drawing the fire and giving Fluttershy a chance to escape. She had the glasses given to her by Princess Luna that would follow the magical trace. She saw the center of town where everyone would be focusing their attention, but bypassed it for a building on the other side where she saw the end of the trail.
She wasn’t sure whether to fly high to get out of range, or low to be sighted by as few as possible, but since it was quieter the higher she went, up was where she found herself. That was where she noticed another pony skirting the border of Ponyville.
“Rarity? But I thought she wasn’t going to be in this.”
With all of the soldiers focused on the fighting in front of them, Fluttershy was able to watch as Rarity slipped into town unnoticed. Whether she was using the same detection method as Fluttershy, or just knew where to go, she was headed for the same building where Fluttershy knew that Julie was being kept.
“So somepony’s already been sent to rescue Julie," she said to herself. "Fluttershy, you’re useless again. Well, I’ll go anyway. Maybe she’ll need help.”
***
From his headquarters in the center of town, General Wallace received reports and tried to see the battle in his mind. He was used to having satellite imagery and GPS information on the location of his troops, but the systems for GPS had suffered technological nervous breakdowns the first time the army tried to use them. Reverting to his training, he was left with simpler tactics.
From his estimate, anywhere from half to two-thirds of his force was gone, or at least not reporting in. He sent word down the line to form an inner perimeter around the town square. It was a smaller circle to watch, and the Americans were now fully engaged, no longer beset by sleepiness or dazzled by the sun.
The Equestrians were, for the first time, stymied. They had to stop charging forward, which sapped their spirits and made them easier targets. Princess Luna was overwhelmed trying to reform her line and complete the mission.
Like Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie had been introduced to her rider the day before the battle. His name was Rory, and they had, of course, become good friends. During the battle, Rory had had a grand time of it, as Pinkie was one of the fastest ponies in the force. He playfully flitted from soldier to soldier, casting the teleportation spell with no complications, almost enjoying himself. But with the closure of the ranks, Pinkie had stopped, and they too had come under fire.
“This not-fun thing is getting not-funner by the minute!” said Pinkie. “I liked it when it was all ‘charge forward, rah-rah, make ‘em disappear,' but now it’s just loud bangs and friends dying.”
Rory was not a military tactician, but anyone could see the problem. “We’ve got to break through that line,” he said. “If we could get just one breach, push a few of us through, then we could attack them from both sides, and the whole thing would collapse.”
“Just like popping a balloon! A two-dimensional balloon made of mean people with guns that’s not continuous and doesn’t float.”
“Yes, if that helps.”
“Well, what if I open a hole with my party cannon?”
Rory was stressed, but kept his composure. “Pinkie, this is no time to be funny.”
“Every time is a time to be funny. Even at the most tense moments, a laugh still makes things better than they were a moment before. But in any case, I wasn’t joking. Not at that moment, anyway.”
“But first of all, you don’t have your party cannon, and second, it’s not an actual piece of artillery that can do damage.”
“They don’t know that, and yes I do, irrespectively,” said Pinkie. Rory took a moment to sort out her syntax.
“You have it?”
“I never go anywhere without it.”
Pinkie stuck her hoof behind her back and brought it out with a toy cannon perched upon it. As she set it down, it grew to full size. Even though Rory was accustomed to magic, and used it himself, he was still surprised to see her flagrantly flout the laws of physics.
“All right,” he said, “we’ll give it a try. Push it down this alley and we’ll feint by pointing it at them.”
The soldiers scanned past their cordon, but when they saw the cannon, the ones where it was aimed scattered. Pegasi flying above pointed out the breach, and the Equestrians poured through, including Pinkie and Rory.
“It’s working!” said Pinkie. “This calls for a celebration!”
“No, Pinkie, don’t fire the—“
It was too late. Pinkie shot the cannon, showering everyone around with confetti and streamers. The Americans did not even take the time to laugh. They closed the circle again, right on Pinkie Pie. Rory managed to transport seven of them before they were taken down.
***
Twilight and Lisa had been among the first to pass through the opening in the circle. Others followed, and immediately set about attacking the Americans from behind. When she had been astride Rainbow Dash, Lisa had relished having the speed and aerial advantage, even though it had led to her friend’s death. Twilight was far less maneuverable, and they weren’t as coordinated together. But Twilight had her horn, and they were still effective.
Upon breaking through, Lisa tried to bank and turn to join the others, but Twilight continued in a straight line. “What are you doing?” called Lisa. “We’ve got to help everyone!”
“No, we need to stay focused. Completing the mission is what matters. We can take care of the others later. Luna needs us to capture the general. It’s just like chess. You can get so caught up in capturing pieces that you forget to checkmate the king.”
They galloped for Town Hall, leaving everyone else behind. Twilight tried to blast the door from a distance, but the magic-suppression spell was still operative. She ran up to it and made contact, opening the door with her hoof and revealing the spiral staircase along the outer wall that led to the top floor. Lisa poked her head in to make sure that no ambush was waiting for them, then spurred Twilight on.
***
Rarity had been admonished by Princess Luna that, in contrast to the others, self-preservation was a mission protocol. “I have given my word that you should be protected in this battle, and so your role will be as a backup.” She had not said to whom she had given her word, and Rarity had not asked. “It is imperative that Julie reach Earth and deliver her message. If she does not, you must. No pony has ever gone through the Gate, but if it must be so, then it will be you.”
Since her magical trace did not reach the Gate, Rarity knew where she was, and spotted her on the second floor of Carousel Boutique. She charged up the stairs, following the magical smear. As soon as she burst in, Julie cried out, “No, Rarity! It’s a trap!”
Colonel Stone stepped out from behind a rack of fabric, his gun aimed. What he hadn’t realized was that the pony he was proposing to trap was the owner of the building. Rarity could tell right away that the rack was out of place, and she dodged for cover as soon as she saw. Stone’s first shot missed, and by the time he aimed again, Fluttershy was coming through the window, kicking and flapping her wings at his head.
***
General Wallace picked his head up from the crude map, where he had drawn a circle and indicated where the enemy had come through. Hearing the door opening and seeing the swish of Twilight’s tail from below, he addressed his adjutant. “Here we go, Ed. Stand fast.”
“Yes, sir.” He had been the general’s aide for over a year, but this was the first time he was needed as a bodyguard. He regarded Wallace as a dedicated and competent superior, even if he was a little informal. Ed never failed to refer to him as “sir” and wished that Wallace would use his rank. He was proud of it.
Crouching behind the door, he took aim.
***
Julie was tied up, and Rarity’s magic wouldn’t work to undo the rope. She fumbled for a few moments with her hooves before finding her sharpest scissors and slicing away until Julie was free enough to shake loose. But that gave Colonel Stone time enough to kick Fluttershy off of him and reach for his belt.
“Bitches! I don’t care what the orders are. I’m taking you out!”
He pulled his hands back up to reveal a grenade with the pin pulled. Tossing it into the middle of the room, he covered his ears before anyone else could react.
***
Twilight and Lisa paused one last time. As quietly as they could, they each checked that the other was ready. They each ceased all magic, letting it recover, and then activated the spell again. Showing the same bravery as when she had faced the hydra, Twilight charged up the stairs and burst through the remaining door.
Wallace had an automatic rifle leveled at the pair. Twilight quickly canceled her teleportation spell and put up the force field. The rounds fragmented as they hit the wall, and the general had to duck to avoid a ricochet. Twilight saw her chance. Balancing on her front hooves, she kicked with her back legs and flung Lisa toward Wallace. It was about to be over.
Ed fired from the side. Even if her momentum hadn’t been deflected by the bullet, the spell was broken the moment Lisa was killed.
The slightest shock of sympathy that Twilight had as she ran to her friend was enough time for Wallace to fire another three-shot burst. Her half-hearted attempt at reestablishing the shield was too late. She collapsed on top of Lisa.
***
Julie, Fluttershy, and Rarity stared at the grenade, frozen, waiting to meet their fate. Colonel Stone had a gleeful, sadistic smile as he counted. When he hit two, the door burst open, and a figure hurled itself to the middle of the room, tossing the grenade out the window.
“What are you doing here?!” Alex screamed, staring at Rarity as Applejack helped up the others. “Get out!”
Even before the breach of the inner perimeter, Alex and Applejack had tried to circumnavigate, and had succeeded in drawing some fire away from the mages. When they reached the far side, Alex had spotted Rarity, and insisted on following her.
On the top floor of Carousel Boutique, all was confusion. Colonel Stone drew his weapon and the Equestrians dove for cover.
“Listen,” said Julie, “someone’s got to get out. I’m supposed to get to Earth and find Bastian. He’s supposed to be the one who does the negotiations once this is all over. He’s the smartest we have, and it’ll work better if it’s a human on our side.”
“Yes, let’s all get out,” said Rarity. She stood up, her horn flaring with the teleportation spell.
Alex ran after Rarity. Applejack ran after Alex. Fluttershy ran after Applejack. Julie ran after Fluttershy. With his quarry all closing, Stone pulled the pin on a second grenade and concealed it in his clothes. As the only American to be aware that the spell was not a killing one, his only concern about Rarity’s horn was of touching something he considered unclean. He vanished, and his uniform fell to the ground. Applejack went through it to discard the grenade.
“Forget it, Applejack!” said Alex. “Just run!”
Rarity looked, seeing Alex go to his assigned partner instead of her. Remembering Luna’s dictum, she ran for the stairs. The grenade went off. Alone, it might not have done as much damage, but it set off all the others in his belt. Julie was catapulted into Fluttershy, leaving them to bleed out together. Alex fell as well, riddled with shrapnel. His last act was to reach for Applejack’s hoof.
To her credit, Rarity did not consider the damage to her shop at all as she galloped for the Gate.
***
All battles must end, and the quiet as the circle fell was eerie. Luna and Olivia broke through after Twilight, saw her and Lisa reach the building, and heard the shots. Daring not to fear the worst, they followed after.
Luna did not bother with magic. She kicked in the door and bypassed the stairs, flying straight up and blasting a hole in the second floor.
Ed still had his rifle trained, but as he saw the figure that hung in the air, the same that had cast fear of eternal night into ponies, he weighed his loyalty to his general and his country against his fear.
He dropped his weapon and ran for his life.
Seeing no other resistance, Luna turned and soared right for General Wallace, with Olivia leaning forward from her neck.
Wallace was a quick thinker and a quicker observer. In the moment he had, he condemned and forgave Ed for his cowardice, and realized, tactically, that he had lost. Two were attacking, and he had time to shoot one, but the other would reach him.
His next thought was that, if he was bound for hell, he was damned well going to take an escort with him. He reached for his sidearm. The glowing horn and the glowing hand met the sparking gun.
A moment later, there was only one living soul in the room. Amidst victory, the last Equestrian in Ponyville wept.