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// Story: Hour of Twilight
// Chapter: Chapter 9: For the Greater Good
// Author: Darth Femto
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Chapter Nine
For the Greater Good

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** Fort Wildermane
**Aprox. ten minutes prior to the explosions in the Everfree Forest shelters

A red maned pegasus stallion sat lazily on a chair, eyes half closed, watching the monitors without interest. He shot a glance at the clock. It pointed five o'clock in the afternoon. The stallion sighed and closed his eyes, listening on the radio channels, as rescue teams from Equestria reported their positions and activity. However it wasn't always good news.

'...that's a negative sir. We've lost contact with Bravo extraction team. No sign of them...'

He snapped back to reality at the sound of the door opening. Turning around, he smiled and shook hooves with his colleague, a light orange unicorn mare, bearing the same uniform as him.

The mare grinned and gave him a nudge in the ribs, startling him. "Don't get yerself heated up, cowboy, we ain't here to be lazy or romantic," she smiled triumphantly as the stallion squirmed a bit. "Besides, if you really want some romance," she winked, playfully swinging her tail, "we have all the time after this shift. So be patient, Brendan."

Brendan, the red maned pegasus grinned and nodded. "You think?" He got up from his chair, his wings extended, and approached the mare. "How about," he paused, licking the mare's neck, earning a gasp and a soft moan. "how about a preview, sweetie..." he kissed her, caressing her mane.

"Brendan... I don't think this IS!" she gave a yelp, "the best... huaaah... spot, or ... time!" she scrunched her eyes shut, as he reached her horn.

The room went red, as alarms set off one after another. Brendan yelped and fell backwards, landing on his rump. The mare snapped from her trance and quickly scanned the monitors, checking for any anomalies. And she found it.

"Brendan! Take a look at this! Quickly, you numbskull!" she yelled at the lazy pegasus.

Brendan got up, rubbing his rump with a hoof, silently cursing. "What... What could have possibly happened to trigger so many alarms and warnings," he looked at the monitor his co-worker was staring. "Is... is that what I think it is?"

Amber nodded and stared into his eyes, sweat rolling down her forehead. "Aye... it seems the fish has taken the bait... It's only a matter of time before she reaches us. I'm going to look for Captain Valiant Heart! You stay here and check for more anomalies," she turned to leave. "Oh, and Brendan, don't you think you're done with me, ya sly featherbrain," she winked and left through the door.

Amber galloped through the corridors of the castle, running as fast as she could, while dodging other ponies, as she made her way towards the resting chambers on the lower levels. As she turned the corner, she crashed through the door of the bedrooms, panting and slightly hurt.

Four ponies, including a small dragon, stared at the newly arrived with questioning glances. A large, white pegasus rose from his chair and approached the mare. It was the captain.

"Private Amber, what bring you here, especially in such a hurry? Are you alright?" he asked, concerned for the safety of the young mare.

The unicorn took a moment to compose herself and took a deep breath. "Sir, the Everfree Shelters have been blown up! The trap has been set off, as the Princesses predicted," she panted, sweat rolling on her forehead.

Valiant Heart looked genuinely surprised at this. He frowned and gritted his teeth. "That may be so, but that only means she must have learned of our location, or is close to," he glanced at the ponies gathered behind him, eyeing them with fear. Turning to face the exhausted mare, he closed in. "Sound the alarm. It's only a matter of time before the Crimson Dawn is at our very doorstep! We must be prepared. Also, send a messager to the king of Gryphonia, and announce him to prepare for what's worst," he ordered the guard.

Amber saluted the captain and departed hastily, leaving him with the group. Valiant turned and looked at the ponies present in the room and sighed. "Here's the situation, Dawn has taken the bait and fell into our trap. However, she must also know of our position. Can you ladies wield the elements once more?" he asked, pawing nervously at the stone floor.

The orange mare, Applejack, stepped forward and sighed. "Unfortunately, we can't do that. Two elements are missing out, Loyalty and Magic. We can't use 'em, sorry," she apologized, avoiding his gaze.

The white unicorn stepped forward and huffed. "While we don't have all of the elements, I am sure we can at least use them to buy time for Princess Celestia," the unicorn frowned sadly. "If only Princess Luna was here... I cannot thank you enough for saving us from that death trap, in Dragonblight, captain."

Valiant Heart smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Shucks, you don't have to thank me. It is my job to protect the citizens of Equestria after all, especially the elements," he winked at the unicorn.

Rarity giggled and blushed. She was about to reply when some pony stomped angrily and snorted.

The purple dragon puffed some smoke and growled. "Enough sweet talking you," he pointed angrily at the captain, his eyes twitching.

Valiant Heart laughed along with the other ponies in the room and sighed. "Don't you worry buddy, I ain't here to take your friend away, believe me. Besides, I'm already married," he grinned.

"SIR, you must come see this! Come quickly!" the captain was interrupted by a guard barging in the room, panting heavily, an expression of pure shock on his face.

Valiant nodded and motioned for the girls to follow him. They trotted after the frenzied guard, who led them into the yard of the castle, which was full of ponies, all staring upwards, smiles on their faces. As Valiant raised his head, his helm rolled off and fell on the ground with a thud, however he paid no heed. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike followed his motion, gaping at the sight.

Valiant blinked several times, seemingly unaffected by the naked Sun. "Hope. At last... some hope."

In the Everfree forest, the storm calmed down, but the wind was still blowing furiously, scattering dead leaves and debris everywhere. Fire still burned, fueled by the intense wind and plenty of materials. Beneath the rubble of the still smoldering ruins, the Crimson Dawn was regaining consciousness.

She panted, coughing up dust and blood. Her back legs were broken, and she had several broken ribs, of which two pierced a lung, causing it to fill up with blood, slowly. She coughed and hacked, opening her eyes slightly, adjusting to the surrounding darkness. She winced and yelped loudly as a sharp pain shot up her spine, causing her to shudder and grit her teeth. She took a few moments to relax her mind, reeling in pain, and focused her magic to the tip of her horn. In one mighty push, she was released from the earthly prison, allowing her to raise to her feet and limp away. However, as soon as her eyes met her surroundings, she felt something was wrong.

There was too much light. Dawn raised her head, scanning the heavens for the Eclipse, only to find out the Sun hovering triumphantly in the skies, while the Moon descended, thus breaking her power links. She whimpered, apparently still in shock after what happened. That feeling was immediately replaced by anger. Hatred. Thirst for blood.

Her blood boiled, the sheer power of her emotions healing her broken body, cauterizing the cuts and fixing the bones. However, the internal damage had yet to be corrected, it needed time. The Crimson Dawn had no time to spare, and summoned her spectral black wings. She gave them a flapping test.

Satisfied with the result, she glanced at the Sun and fumed. "Fort Wildermane, huh? Clever, clever Celestia. However..." she paused, glancing at the remains of the royal guards. "You forgot that I too have tricks up my sleeve."

WIth that, a bright yellow flash and a roar of thunder, the dark demigod disappeared.

Back in the Wildermane Fort infirmary, Fluttershy resumed her work and tended to the wounded ponies that came in waves, as fewer and fewer rescue teams reached the safety of the gryphon lands. She trotted over to a cabinet and picked up some morphine, bringing it over to a guard whose body beared deep claw marks

The injured pony's squad ran into a berserking shadowfiend, decimating the troops and the few civilians they had picked up. He was amongst the only survivors, however he had lost his eyesight, a large gash across his face. The poor earth pony cried out in pain, flailing his hooves around, desperate to grab something to hold.

Fluttershy approached the bed of the guard and hushed him, gently caressing his back, causing him to calm slightly. Picking a syringe, she injected the anesthetic in the guard's neck, pressing slightly. After he fell into a deep sleep, she picked a few bandages and carefully cleaned the open wounds on his back.

One of the nurses trotted over to the yellow pegasus and began sewing the cleaned wounds, a smile on her face. "Miss Fluttershy, do you think this nightmare will be over soon?"

The shy pegasus stopped from her work and sat for a while. "Well... I-I can't know for sure. B-but, the presence of the Sun does give us s-some good n-news, that is... What do you think, nurse?"

"I have faith in our Princess. Everything will be alright, in the end, I can feel it," the nurse smiled at the pegasus. Finishing her work, she picked up and trotted over to the next bed.

Suddenly, new alarms started ringing loudly, causing the shy pegasus to yelp and duck under a bed, shivering in fright. The nurse looked surprised at this, but continued her work. A large unicorn guard came into the infirmery, a frown on his face. "The fort is under attack by shadowfiends. Be prepared to receive more injured, there's alot of them outside!"

Fluttershy got out from under the bed and nodded weakly, still shivering. "Y-yes s-sir..."

Outside, the situation was dire. No less than twelve spawns of evil rampaged at the front doors of the keep, battling the ponies and gryphons that arrived at the scene. Fierce battle cries and howls of pain and madness echoed through the wind, as the soldiers of Equestria clashed swords with the menacing beasts,

Captain Valiant sat atop the walls and barked out orders to the troops, sweat pouring down his face. This was no coincidence. 'She must be getting desperate if she sent so many wraiths in such a short notice. No wonder, seeing she just lost half of her power when the Eclipse broke...' he thought to himself. He continued to commandeer his troops across the bloody field, as the shadows fell one after the other, but not without causing heavy casualties to the troops.

Unknown to the ponies within the keep, several monsters slipped through the darkness of the mountain, and slipped inside the castle walls, through a secret passage that spread under the whole complex. Four unicorns prepared a catapult, aiming at the remaining attackers.

"Yessir!" one of the unicorns replied hastily, pouring more magic into the boulder. "Alright, prepare to fire, on my mark! Three... Two... One...-" just as he was about to order the attack, the catapult was suddenly sent flying by six new shadowfiends that came from under the ground, through a hatch. One of the fiends lunged at the unicorns and bit down into one of them, while the others were sent flying by a tail swipe.

The ponies noticed the intruders too late, as they already spread out throughout the entire court, easily killing off the confused soldiers. The Captain witnessed everything. Taking his blade, he leaped from the walls and dived into one of the beasts, cutting it down from its waist. He allowed himself a smirk, preparing to strike at the other demons when he felt himself knocked over by something massive.

Skidding to a halt on his belly, Valiant turned around rapidly to see a large, three headed demon, flames protruding from its skeletal head. "A Cerberus, are you serious?!" Valiant yelped, taking flight to avoid the beast as it lunged at him once again. "Alright, not good..." his thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain at the back of his head, causing him to free fall.

Just as he approached the ground at high speed, he felt himself slowed down and carried away by powerful magic. Rubbing his head, he noticed the color of the aura, a bright glowing white. 'This is...!' his eyes widened in surprise, glancing at the castle. In front of the main gates, a white unicorn, purple-maned, magicked him away from danger.

"Well, darling, you could say we are even now," Rarity winked at the disoriented captain. Glancing at the small purple dragon beside her, she winked and dropped the pegasus on the ground. Valiant landed with a loud thud and clattering of metal, groaning.

"Why, revenge, of course." Rarity raised her head and smiled, eying the captain. "Never fear, I did not break your rump, yet," she giggled.

"Har har, very funny, miss Rarity. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to-" Valiant was interrupted by a crack of thunder. Getting airborne, he gaped at the scene. The attackers were retreating, leaving through the front doors. His troops ran after them, but after a sharp whistle, they stopped in their tracks. Taking a deep breath, the captain bellowed. "Go outside and search for survivors! Get the injured inside, make haste!" Turning to the white unicorn, he fixed his helm on his head and bowed. "Miss Rarity," he said, as he flew inside the keep.

A rescue team formed out of six unicorns and one pegasus was sent outside the safety of the castle to search for ponies that survived the encounter with the fiends. The white pegasus mare scanned the area, cringing when she noticed just how many corpses of her comrades were spread over, blood pooling in massive ponds.

"Just... just bodies, sir, nothing else!" she replied. Her eyes continued scanning the surroundings, hoping for a miracle. And she found it. "Sir! There is one still alive! Over here!" she cried out, landing. Before her eyes, a unicorn mare sat on the ground, breathing heavily. She had lost her protection, leaving her wide open to the attacks of the demons. Deep claw marks were spread all over her chest, blood flowing freely from the wounds.

The unicorn squad arrived and immediately began tending to the injured pony. "She needs to get to the infirmary, now! Starfire, you keep scanning the area, there has to be more survivors. You have your orders, private!" the squad leader barked. The pegasus nodded and flew away from the group. The unicorn levitated the unconscious mare on top of his back. "Alright folks, you go ahead with Starfire, I'm taking this one to the infirmary!" he spoke, breaking into a gallop towards the keep. 'Hang on there, miss. We'll fix you in no time...'

The unicorn carrying the injured soldier galloped hurriedly through the corridors of the castle, barely dodging troops that were heading towards the war room for debriefing on a new rescue mission. Through the masses of ponies, the unicorn spotted the door leading into the infirmary and leaped, skidding on his belly right through it, stopping before a yellow pegasus that stared at him questioningly. Getting up gently, he cleared his throat.

"Miss Fluttershy, we found a survivor! She's badly injured and needs your help!"

The shy mare nodded and pointed towards an empty bed near the end of the room. "Place her over there please, I will tend to her immediately," she spoke softly, flying over to the cabinets and acquiring medication, bandages and sewing materials. The unicorn eyed her intently, before excusing herself and leaving her to tend to the patient.

Fluttershy approached the mare writhing in pain, gently hushing her. She picked the water and disinfectant and cleaned the wound on her chest first, gently following the deep gashes. Palping lightly, she could feel several cracked ribs, one of which pierced her left lung, causing it to flood with blood. "Oh dear, this isn't good..." she squeaked, picking up a plastic tube and attempted to drive it through the nostrils of the injured mare, guiding it towards the lung.

The injured pony opened her left eye slightly, focusing on the yellow shape before her. She coughed twice, each time spitting a small amount of blood on the pillow. Groaning, she turned to better see her doctor, smiling briefly.

"Oh, you're awake, how do you feel?" Fluttershy asked, who continued to work at the mare's wounds.

"Ugh... Like I've been hit by a sack of bricks... Say, Miss Fluttershy, can I ask you something?"

The shy pegasus blinked rapidly, not sure what to think. "Um, s-sure thing, miss."

The injured mare took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her chest, exhaling shakily. "Where... where are the other elements... are they safe?" she asked, a look of genuine concern on her face, her eyes pleading.

Fluttershy fidgeted a bit, thinking carefully. "Why would you want to know that, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well... they are our only hope," she coughed, trying to get the blood out of her throat. "Both the princesses have gone missing. All we have... is you, our heroes. Tell me... please," she pleaded once more, her voice not higher than a whisper.

The yellow pegasus sighed and trotted over to a cabinet to retrieve more materials. "They are all here, in the castle, safe and sound. Don't you worry, everything will be alright, in the end, I promise you!" she replied.

The door to the infirmary was slammed shut, a magical lock placing itself on it, completely isolating the room from the rest of the castle. Many of the ponies in the infirmary were startled by this, a glint of fear rising in their hearts. Fluttershy was stunned, panting heavily, sweat pouring down her face. Turning around to face the source of the voice, she heard yelps of fright and severe pain from the other patients, as they tried to lift themselves up and back away from her. Finally, her blue eyes met a black figure steadily rising from the bed, her crimson eyes glowing with power, a wry smile etched upon her face.

The unicorn from the rescue team trotted lightly down the corridors, to report the events. Inside the office of the castle, he was met by the captain, who greeted him warmly.

"Thank you, sir," he cleared his throat. "We found a severely injured unicorn mare, apparently from the seventh squad-"

"Wait wait wait, did you said 'seventh squad'?" The captain interrupted him, puzzled.

The unicorn stammered. "Well... yes, that was her inscription on the armour," he smiled sheepishly. However, the captain frowned, stunned.

"Brian... The seventh squad got killed in the Everfree Forest... and besides... there was no unicorn in the squad, especially a unicorn mare... Where is she now?"

"But... Fluttershy is there... Oh no." Valiant finally realized the trickery. "Anduin, Blackhoof, gather three squads and report to the infirmary immediately! On the double sergeants!"

"Sir yer sir!" two ponies replied and galloped out of the room, leaving the unicorn to himself, as the captain left aswell.

Valiant flew through the door and sped towards the other wing of the castle which housed the injured. 'I hope I'm not too late!'

Back at the infirmary, Dawn cackled loudly, as she slid the Royal Guard's armour off her, revealing her black coat. Her mane was still covered by the neck protectors and the helm, which radiated an ominous aura.

"Thought you could just hide away from me?" Dawn asked her terrified friend, advancing on her. "You are the only ones standing in the way of total annihilation. It's only justified that I kill you all, right here," she paused, flinching as she brought up her right hoof to cover her mouth as she coughed more blood. "Celestia's cursed plan to trap me in the Everfree has failed, as you can see... ugh..." she groaned.

Fluttershy backed into a corner, whimpering, eyeing the cabinet which held the discarded weapons of the injured housed in the room. As much as she wanted to, she could not bring herself to harm, not even her. And still...

The black insane unicorn screamed out in pain, as she noticed the silvery hilt of a sword, embedded in her chest. Raising her head, her eyes burned with intensity. Her horn glowed a dark lavender, picking up the yellow pegasus and threw her at the wall at high speed, cracking it upon impact. Fluttershy howled in pain, a shallow gash across her forehead bleeding profusely, the blood mixing with her tears. She wailed out, flailing wildly, trying to get away from her former friend.

Dawn chuckled at the display and brought her nose to nose. "You call that pain? I will show you what I have learned of pain. You will beg for death," she spoke, grinning madly at the defenseless pegasus. "Consider yourself lucky, you will die quickly, I haven't got time to spare. Good bye, Fluttershy..." she finished, summoning a dark blade at her side, ready to strike her captive. The shy pegasus closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable.

Fluttershy heard sniffing. She felt the magic shuddering. When she opened her eyes, she gaped in shock at the sight before her. The Crimson Dawn was... crying, silently, her eyes scrunched shut. Her lips moved, as if she were speaking. Deciding not to attract her attention, she listened quietly, trying to pick up any words from her. And she did.

"...I can't... I can't do this, I can't kill her... no, no... why...Silverstar..." Dawn opened her eyes and stared at the yellow pegasus, her pink mane stained with blood. Taking a deep breath, she cried out at her captive. "Why can't I kill you!? What stops me from ending your miserable life!?" With that, she dropped her on the floor, turning towards the closest wall and wailing out.

Fluttershy, still shocked by the event, rose to her hooves, but dared not to walk away. Gathering courage, she started speaking softly to the black unicorn. "Twilight... I know you're in there... please, stop this... stop hurting us. Stop hurting yourself. We are your friends... T-Twilight. Please, stop this..." she pleaded, slowly approaching the crying unicorn.

"Buck off!" the black unicorn snapped at the shy pegasus, sending her flying into a wardrobe, causing it to fall over her. She composed herself and summoned the blade once more, approaching the unconscious pegasus. "I won't hesitate..."

Rapid knocks on the door and shouting caught her attention, for a few seconds. She chuckled. "You won't be able to go through that door, you foals. Await your fate... in silence!" she howled, as she sent a wave of magic through the walls, pushing every pony behind it away from it, knocking them out cold from the sheer force of the push.

"Back to work," she grinned, raising her blade. "Give my regards to hell," she smiled victoriously, as she swung.

"You will not harm that mare..." a new voice echoed out in the room. Dawn's eyes widened in shock, and before she could react, she was sent flying by a blast of pure magic, crashing through the thick walls of the castle and straight into the back yard.

Slowly rising from the dust, coughing up more blood, she glared at the guards surrounding her, swords drawn, ready to strike. That was the least of her concerns. 'That voice... can it be?'

A bright flash of light, followed by a roar of thunder pierced the skies, as a new figure stood before her crimson eyes. Adorned in golden armour, shining brighter than a thousand stars, a white alicorn stood proudly before her, a fiercely glowing white blade hovering next to her. The Crimson Dawn gritted her teeth and spat out more blood. "You..." she blurted out, as the alicorn advanced on her, ready to strike out.

Dawn rose to her feet and summoned her own blade, clashing out with the alicorn. She narrowed her eyes and growled menacingly. "How dare you..." she spoke, infuriated by the fact that her enemy smiled victoriously.

"Wipe that grin of your face... Celestia!" her cry echoed throughout the mountains, followed by a loud crack of thunder.

Hour of Twilight

by -Brutus

For the Greater Good