//------------------------------// // Chapter 35: Arming Equestria // Story: Into the Black: A Mare's Tale // by shirotora //------------------------------// “No! No, no, no! They can't be coming here! How can they even find us?” Twilight was in full on freak out mode. “Twilight, I know it's bad, but an Alliance convoy is also on the way,” James/Mayhem/Clyde tried to reassure her, “It was originally meant to be a diplomatic mission, but they've been alerted to the situation. They should arrive late tomorrow with more coming some time after possibly after the Dratali get here.” “A diplomatic mission?” Twilight perked up a bit, “Those are always well guarded right? The Dratali won't be expecting the Alliance to be here, and won't be bringing heavier ships. We might have a chance!” “But they will have plenty of ships,” said the former chaos lord, “The Dratali see Avol as a great threat. They believe their magic is a gift from the universe to cleanse it, but your existence undermines that belief. That's why they want to ensure that you're eradicated.” “So... what do we do?” Twilight's panic was starting to return, “If they're coming in force, and all we're getting is a diplomatic escort then we're fucked!” “No, Twilight, we aren't,” stated Celestia, “We're going to fight, and we're going to win. You yourself said the Dratali's greatest advantage is magic, but here they will find their advantage striped away. If they want a fight, then we shall give them their fill of it.” “Excuse me, I need to make an announcement. Luna, could you ask Captain Star to organize the guard and brief them on the situation then begin researching a way to suppress a nightmare? Twilight, I would like you to gather some of the most talented unicorns you can find and teach them some of the combat magic you've learned. They, in turn, will train others. Cadence, Shining, return home and organize your subjects. The crystal heart's powers will be of great service.” Seth stood and faced the regal alicorn, “We're at your service as well, your highness. We'll do what you ask to protect the home of our friend and sister-in-arms.” Celestia smiled, “Thank you. I'll repay your kindness. If you and Curt would, meet with my military advisers and give them as much information as you can on the Dratali. Aden, Debby, you seem to know a lot about technology, could you meet with my R&D team and help them develop something we can use. Raak, Twilight speaks highly of your combat prowess, could you pass that knowledge to my guard?” “You heard the lady, move!” Seth ordered. As everyone else left to do what they were assigned, Twilight stopped the alabaster alicorn, “Princess, I have something to tell you.” The royal pony stopped and smiled back at her student. “When... when Xander was... draining my magic, he was whispering to me. He said that he was going to keep me alive so that when he found Avol he could let me watch as he killed everypony in Ponyville. I don't think he was just talking. He knows how much I care for everypony in Ponyville and isn't above following through on his promise just to get to me. He may want your power, but he wants me to suffer.” “Where does this hatred of you come from?” Celestia asked. “I'm not sure. Perhaps he blames me for his death, or his failure.” “Don't worry, my faithful student, I'll think of something to ensure your friends are safe.” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Twilight sent out the list of unicorns to be brought to her. One in particular, she hoped was still in the city. If she knew her like she thought she did, she was still around looking for some absurd gift to bring her wife and daughter. Twilight still laughed at the buffalo totem in the couple's front yard. Quirky personality or not, she was a genius with magic. Twilight still remembered seeing the eccentric pony demonstrating her skills during a senior exhibition. Twilight wanted to participate so badly, but she still had five years before she could. The doors burst open and in strode an ivory pony with a wild electric blue mane, “Sup, Sparky! I heard you need my mad skills again.” The DJ looked around at the quiet room and frowned, “Damn, girl, this place is dead. You do need my help!” “Actually, Vinyl, I don't need you for a party,” Twilight explained, “Come in. I'll explain once everyone's settled.” “Excuse me, Miss Sparkle, but I was told this was for exceptionally skilled unicorns,” said a sea green mare in the front of the group. She had the typical 'better than you' tone, “I doubt a DJ could be considered exceptional.” Twilight glared at the offending pony. She was about to give her a piece of her mind when Vinyl stopped her with a hoof and a shook her head. “Let her think what she wants, Twi.” “You're right. She'll see how wrong that assessment was soon enough,” Twilight grinned and turned to the assembled ponies, “Alright, listen up! For those of you who don't know, or recognize me, I'm Twilight Sparkle. For the past year I've been in space fighting a misguided race of beings called the Dratali alongside the Alliance, a group of races from several worlds that have banded together. The Dratali have one goal, to eradicate all life in the galaxy, and Avol is their next target. I have one day to teach you some basic combat spells so that you can spend the next two teaching others. No moving speeches, no questions, no time. Now let's get to learning!” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- “Honey, what's wrong?” Cadence asked, worried, “ You haven't spoken a word since we left Canterlot... Shining.” “Huh?” Shining Armor gave his wife a dumbfounded look, “Oh, sorry, Cadie, I was just... thinking.” They had been flying toward the Crystal Empire for an hour. Their carriage rocked and swayed gently in the wind, as the quartette of pegasus guards dutifully pulled the warm, enclosed vehicle. “About what happened to Twilight, right?” the stallion just nodded his response, “It worries me, too, but I'm sure Aunt Luna will find something. Right now we need to think about the whole world.” “I'm a failure,” he stated simply. Cadence looked at him with worry written on her face, “I failed to protect her when she went to save her friends. I failed to protect her when she lost her leg. I failed to protect her from Xander. I failed to protect her from herself.” Cadence placed her hooves, comfortingly, on his cheeks, “Oh, Shining, you didn't-” He pulled away, “It is my fault! I let her go after Xander alone! I let let her face that monster! If I was there I could have protected her! What kind of big brother lets their sister go off to fight a mad pony by herself? And now, because of my failure, my sweet, innocent Twilie is gone. She has a Nightmare in her because of me. You know what the chances of curing her are. Out of the five Nightmares that have ever existed, only Princess Luna has ever been cured. Do you know how the others were dealt with?” Cadence nodded, her eyes cast downward, “They were killed.” “They were killed... I don't think I can live with myself if she has to be... and it's all my fault. And if that weren't enough, all those times that I should have been there for her, Curt was. He threw himself at Xander, expecting to die, for Twilight. That hurts the most. Twilight's alive because of him, and I treated him like week old garbage.” “First of all, it's not your fault.” Shining was about to speak again, but Cadence shoved her hoof in his mouth, “No, shut up. It's my turn. Xander cast the spell that took Twilight. The Dratali took her leg. It was the horrible things the Dratali did that Twilight hated and made her Nightmare. Xander was the one who hurt her. All you did wrong was treat Curt like horse apples, but you can apologize for that. Xander and the Dratali are to blame for everything, and we're going to make sure they pay. I'll make Xander regret his immortality personally. I’ll make sure every moment he exists is full of pain for what he did.” Shining would never admit it, but he found the look on his wife's face utterly terrifying. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- “Why am I doing this?” Debby asked, “I'm not that good with tech, except with fighters and you know everything I do and then some.” “You still know more than most, and it's good to have another perspective,” Aden added. “Let's just get this over with.” The two pilots opened the door to the R&D department to be met with a cry of, “They’re here!” A gray streak flew towards the pair and collided with a yellow shell. Undeterred, Technia jumped to her hooves and started banging on Aden's shield screaming, “Give me something to take apart!” “Down!” yelled a voice before a newspaper smacked the over-excited unicorn on the head repeatedly. “But they have stuff!” Technia whined. “I'll get the jacket and muzzle,” Jynx warned as she came into view of the soldiers. “Aww,” the cinnamon maned mare reluctantly complied. “Is she always-” “Yes,” Jynx interrupted, “What can I do for you?” Aden explained what was going on and why they were there, the two ponies’ expressions growing more serious every second. After he finished, the two unicorns gave eachother a look that seemed to carry the weight of an entire discussion. After a second, Technia turned to the pilots with a very serious expression, “What do you need us to do?” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- “The shield spell,” Twilight marched back and forth in front of her students, “I assume all of you know this one. Most ponies use it for things like keeping themselves dry in the rain, or keeping others away. What most aren't aware of, is that this spell was developed by Crimson Light to protect herself from dragons. This spell is incredibly effective at deflecting magic attacks, and reports say Dratali adepts have been learning it since my friends developed their magic. Lyra, can you come here and cast a shield spell, please?” the minty mare did as she was told, her body surrounded by a sea-foam green shell, “Good, now...” without warning, Twilight shot a powerful blast at the musician. Her shield shattered on impact and the the caster was flung back by the magical recoil, but she was unharmed. “Geez, Twilight! What gives?” Lyra groaned as she got to her hooves. “Tough it up. If you're going to be helping to defend our world then you need to be able to take that a hundred times over and ask for more,” Twilight said coldly, “That was to prove a point. That blast was enough to blow you to little bloody chunks, but your shield stopped it. Yes, it fucked you up a little but you're alive, and the average Dratali adept can only hit about half as hard. The shield is the ultimate defense against any magic attack.” “That's not true,” Vinyl contradicted, “You of all ponies should know better than to believe in absolutes.” “Oh, do you know a spell that can break through a shield?” Twilight asked. “Nope,” Vinyl smiled, “I know a spell that can pass through it like it doesn't even exist.” “Really?” Twilight looked skeptical, “Okay, let's see it.” the lavender warrior levitated a wooden practice dummy that was brought in for them to use and set it up. With a flash of her horn, the false pony was covered with a purple sphere, “Whenever you're ready.” Vinyl stared at the dummy, her eyes narrowed in focus behind her signature glasses. Her horn lit up, but nothing nothing seemed to be happening. Twilight watched in confusion until the white mare took a deep breath and shouted. Her voice made the very air visibly tremble from the force. In the blink of an eye, the wooden dummy shattered into a million tiny shards. To everyone's surprise, the shield was still there, untouched. Twilight stood there with her mouth gaping for a good while, “Wha... how did you..?” she finally asked. “Simple, a magical shield is designed to keep out magic, solids, and liquids, but it lets air, as long as it's not gale force, and sound in. Remember Luna's 'Royal Canterlot Voice'? Well, that was my 'Bass Cannon'. It generates sound waves so intense, the very molecules of my target are shaken apart.” A clapping resounded through the room. Twilight looked to the door to see Curt standing there applauding the DJ. “That was impressive, Ms. Scratch.” he said. “That it is,” Twilight agreed, “I never would have thought to use sound as a weapon. Show us again, please. Everypony, pay attention. This may be our secret weapon.” After one more demonstration, everypony had Vinyl's Bass Cannon down well enough to use it. As the others practiced it and raising a shield quickly, Twilight flashed to Curt's side. “I thought you were briefing the guard on the Dratali?” “I was, but we finished,” He said, “We don't exactly know very much about them, so it didn't take long to tell.” “Sup, soldier boy,” Vinyl called as she approached the two, “I never really got a chance to meet you at that party. You got some killer dance moves.” “You got some killer combat moves, literally. Where'd you get so good at magic?” the human asked. Twilight chuckled, “What are you talking about? She was one of the top students at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns before she had to drop out.” “Drop out? What happened?” “I knocked up my fillyfriend,” the white mare grinned at Curt's confusion. “Knocked up your... You're a guy?” he blurted out. Twilight and Vinyl busted out laughing. After Vinyl got herself under control, she managed to say, “I was for a day. Twi ever tell you about poison joke?” Curt laughed a little, “Oh yeah, Limpy told me.” Twilight gave him a glare. “So I take it that lovely lady you were playing with is your wife?” “Tavi? Heck no! She's my sister, ya perv.” Curt blushed from embarrassment, “Oh, damn, I'm sorry. I didn't know.” Vinyl chuckled a bit, “I know, I’m just funnin ya. My wife's a pegasus, Derpy. She the mailmare in Ponyville. A bit of a clutz, but I love her anyway.” “That's cool. A few faults should never get in the way of love,” Curt mused. “Speaking of which, when's the wedding?” Vinyl asked with a cheeky grin. “What?” Twilight and Curt asked at the same time. “You two hooked up at the party right?” “What, no! We're just friends,” Twilight said quickly, oblivious to the hurt expression on Curt's face. “Really? Wow, you two are blind,” Vinyl facehoofed. “What do you-” Twilight was interrupted by Celestia flashing in. “How's the progress?” asked the princess. “They’re ready to teach others, I think,” Twilight answered. “Good, I have two hundred unicorn volunteers ready to learn and more on their way,” Celestia gave a soothing smile to her student, “We'll win, Twilight, don't you worry.” “I hope so, Princess.” The alicorn nodded and turned toward Vinyl, “Will you excuse us, Mrs. Scratch?” “Of course, your highness. I'll go make sure everypony has the bass cannon down.” replied Vinyl. After she left, Celestia cast a quick silence spell around the three of them. “ The Black Book, the Lux Abyssi... what became of it?” “We launched it into deep space,” Twilight stated plainly. She looked at Celestia's shock and chuckled, “Don't worry. I put a mark on it, so I can teleport it back whenever I need to.” “Did you take a look at it?” asked the solar alicorn. “Yes I did,” Twilight replied, “And thanks to Curt's mom, we translated it. It turns out, it was written in ancient Greek, a human language. It's... amazing, Princess. The things Yen Sid did were unreal! Spells for death and destruction turned into spells to help others. Even Necromancy was shown to have positive uses. He talked about using the bodies of volunteers to explore dangerous locations, or perform jobs too dangerous for the living.” “I'm still not sure I like the thought of raising the dead, even like that.” Celestia winced at the thought. “Nor do I, but that's likely because we have been conditioned since we were young to see it as evil.” Twilight countered. “You have a point. What are your thoughts, Curt?” “Well, the undead have been vilified in fiction for over a thousand years. Add the fact that one of them has been hunting Twilight for months,” Curt gave a disgusted grunt, “I say there is no reason good enough to desecrate a body like that, even if they're willing.” “Well, there's more than that. Like the petrification spell could be use to transport heavily injured people to the hospital without the risk of them dying on the way.” Twilight stated. “I suppose there was nothing that could help your condition?” Celestia asked hopefully. “No, and I looked... repeatedly,” Twilight sighed. Celestia looked down trodden. She had hoped that that of all would have what they needed. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Luna yawned. She had been searching for hours and found nothing. Granted, she didn't expect to find anything so soon, but she hoped. Taking time to clear her mind, the lunar diarch took a stroll through the art wing of the Royal Archives. It was one of her favorite places in the archives, the paintings always bringing her joy and the sculptures were so lovely. She stopped at one particular painting when she noticed something about it. It was a painting from her foalhood that she always found curious. The subject was always confusing, but now, something about it drew her to it. Her eyes widened with shocked realization. The princess tore the piece from the wall and took off down the hall... She may have just found the answer to their problem.