//------------------------------//
// Monarchs 
// Story: Upheaval: Breaking Point 
// by Visiden Visidane 
//------------------------------//

Upheaval: Breaking Point

Chapter 27: Monarchs

The next morning greeted Bastion City with a biting cold wind. Twilight Sparkle shivered, and drew her blanket tighter around her. When sunlight fell on her face, she sat up with a start. Her friends were already up and clothed. Spike sat by one corner, breathing a steady stream of green flame on his claws. "Morning, Twilight," he said.

A quick look out a window showed snow falling on the streets. "I thought winter was a week or two away," Twilight said.

"It was," Vanguard Clash answered from the doorway. As always, he was already wearing his barding. Scarlet Rabbit was hovering next to him. "Prepare yourselves quickly. This snow is a very bad omen." He went ahead with Scarlet.

"A bad omen?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What's he talking about?"

"Dunno," Applejack said. "They're expecting us by the walls anyway."

Like Vanguard, Applejack was already in her barding and tramplers. Her gear was clean, and carefully polished with spit, much to Rarity's disgust. Though the gray plates of metal made her difficult to recognize, even with the hat on, it did seem that Applejack was proud of her barding with all the care she put into it. Twilight guessed that there was more to it than that. Yesterday, Applejack was desperately wiping off the blood that covered her barding. There was more to this cleanliness than pride and necessity.

"It's too cold for flying into a fight!" Rainbow Dash said. She flapped her wings a few times to get some blood circulating. 

"Tell me about it!" Rarity added. "It's going to be a pain starting up Hammer Chain's forge like this!"

Applejack stretched out her forelegs, and moved her neck from side to side, savoring the little pops and cracks. "I hear a lot of complaining but you look rarin' to go, RD!"

Rainbow grinned. "Of course! I still have to make a name for myself!" She looked over to Twilight. "Twilight's the talk of the recruits. Everypony's impressed by how she blew up that siege tower. I can't fall behind that!"

Everpony fell silent. 

"I didn't cast that spell to impress anypony, Rainbow," Twilight said. She pressed her lips together tightly. The reminder alone brought a whiff of burned flesh to her nose and the echo of a dying howl to her ears.

There were no words said, but Rainbow Dash took a few wary steps back. She looked around for allies until her eyes settled on Applejack. "Hey, Applejack, you know what I'm talking about! I'm sure the ponies in your platoon are still all over how awesome Twilight was!"

Applejack didn't meet Rainbow's gaze. "This ain't a contest, RD," she said. "And if it was, I ain't hankerin' to be called 'Best Wolven Killer' any time soon."

Rainbow Dash looked around again. Nopony met her gaze. She cringed for a moment, then straightened herself. Her eyes went from guilty and nervous to hard and proud. "Well, I am," she said. "'Best Wolven Killer' sounds like an awesome title to have!"

Twilight's eyes widened. "Rainbow--"

"It's you girls I don't understand!" Rainbow snapped. She pointed an accusing hoof at all of them. "Why are all of you moping over having to kill wolven? They're trying to kill and eat all of us!"

"It's not that simple!" Twilight said.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow retorted. "Yesterday, one of the recruits I was flying with got shot down. The wolven jumped on her as soon as she hit the ground. One of them ran off with her wing in its mouth. Another one carried off a leg, so it didn't have to share!" Her voice lowered. "They're monsters, and I don't feel bad about killing them at all. I'm glad to be able to fight these things." She walked to the door with her chest puffed up. "Now, I'm going to get some more practice, so I can kill even more of them! You can all sit here, and feel sorry for monsters!"

Before anypony else could respond, Rainbow had already flown off. Twilight could only look worriedly towards Rainbow's direction.

"…seeing my subjects become more like them…"

Twilight drew her cloak around her tighter. The cold of the Barrier Lands was aggressively chilling, as if the air itself took delight in stealing warmth from others. She had been through many winters, but this one filled her with foreboding.

"What in tarnation's wrong with that mare?" Applejack snapped. "She didn't need to blow up like that!"

Twilight let out a sigh. "I hope we can talk about it later. I have to go too. They're expecting me by the walls."

"Same here," Applejack huffed. She took one more angry glance towards Rainbow's direction before moving on.

"And I as well," Rarity said. "Well, not by the walls, but you understand." She joined the two by the door.

"That's it?" Pinkie Pie asked, her lips quivering. "We haven't been spending a lot of time together these days!"

"It can't be helped, Pinkie," Twilight said. "All of us now have duties to attend to. I'm sure even you're expected to be at the kitchens first thing in the morning."

"That's true," Pinkie mumbled. She looked at the floor for a moment before brightening up. "I know! We should plan some kind of party when all of us don't have any duty!"

"How about after we drive the wolven away from the city?" Twilight suggested.

"Victory celebration." Applejack smiled a bit. "I like the sound of that!"

"Then, it's settled!" Pinkie said. "I'll tell the others in the kitchens! They'll love it!" She ran out of the door.

With Pinkie gone, that left…just Spike. "Where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

"She was out of here before you even woke up," Applejack said. "She looked pretty determined to get back to work. Makes me wonder what happened yesterday."

"I suppose Fluttershy being determined should count as good news," Twilight said. "Are you going to be alright, Spike?"

"I'll be fine," Spike answered. "This time, I'm going to make it to Hammer Chain's smithy!"

"Come along then, Spike," Rarity said. "Your breath should be handy when it comes to lighting that forge." Spike didn't bother hiding his excitement when he hopped on her back.

"So Twilight…" Applejack said.

"Hmm?"

"No offense," Applejack pawed the floor briefly, "but you have been pretty awesome lately. Is it true that you got Special Operations ponies talking to you?"

Twilight's jaw dropped. "What? Of course not! I wasn't that good. A lot of ponies fought hard during yesterday's battle!"

"Really?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "No invitations? You walked in with Vanguard last night. Didn't he say he needed a unicorn mage in his squad?"

"He didn't bring that up at all!" Twilight said.

Applejack shrugged in response. "Oh well. See you later then, Twilight."

Snow continued to fall steadily as the two left for their posts, adding more and more layers to the thickening blanket of snow draped upon Bastion City. On the streets, other ponies stared at the snow with foreboding looks and worried glances to the north. Some of them looked outright frightened. 

"Sparkle!" a unicorn from Twilight's unit yelled from the walls. "We're on boulder catching duty for this morning, remember? Get to your position!"

Twilight headed over to her partners. Mage Captain Owlsight had instructed them yesterday about boulder catching. Unicorn magi were positioned all along the walls to "catch" the boulders hurled by the wolven catapults with their telekinesis. They were not required to stop the boulders from hitting the walls, but they should be able to slow each boulder down with their combined efforts, weakening its impact, and saving the walls from too much structural damage. It was a dangerous task, as Owlsight was quick to warn them. The danger of being squashed by an errant boulder was a real one, as was getting sniped by a bolter.

Twilight gradually grew accustomed to watching out for boulders and snipers. How easily she was able to slip into a rhythm, however, was a bit disturbing. The wolven did not seem particularly devoted into their catapult firing. A steady beating of drums came from their camp, as well as a constant howling. What was going on?

"I don't like this one bit!" Owlsight groused as he walked past. "What are those mutts up to? This snow is making me think that--"

The steady drums and howling erupted into a frenzied pace. A chilling wind picked up, and rose to a howl of its own. Twilight drew her cloak around her even tighter.

"Terrato's blazing mane, it's true!" one of the nearby unicorns whimpered. "He's here!"

Before Twilight could even ponder that, a wave of fear washed over her like a torrent of ice-cold water. She fell to her knees, her teeth chattering, and her heart racing. There was…something out there. Some feral, primal thing beyond the walls and the gathered wolven, and it was coming closer. She forced her knees to straighten. Each inch was a desperate uphill battle. Most of the recruits cowered. The older veterans held up a little better, but remained rooted to the spot. She looked over the ramparts. The wind had worked itself up into a blizzard. It was almost impossible to see anything on the plain. The only visible things were the dark shapes where the wolven had gathered. They parted to let something from their rear lines, something huge from its silhouette.





Rainbow had fallen flat on her belly while the wind howled all around her. An unnatural fear was crushing her heart with cold, unrelenting fingers. Around her, many ponies had also fallen to the ground in a shivering panic.

"Get up, Rainbow Dash," Tailwind said. Even her voice was subdued and difficult to make out from the fierce wind. "At least, catch a glimpse of the enemy."

Rainbow picked herself up, and used the rampart's ledge to keep herself standing. She was so terrified that she hardly felt the physical cold of the snowstorm. 

Out on the plains, an enormous figure walked past the wolven front lines. The shape and outline was that of a wolven. From the size and distance, it had to be at least twenty feet tall. It stopped within crossbow range, but nopony from the walls was taking a shot. The wind would have made it impossible, but there was nopony among them even willing to try. 

Then, the giant wolven looked up.

Rainbow's heart stopped for an instant when she caught the giant wolven's gaze. A lone, red-glowing eye looked at her, looked straight through her. She gasped for air. The cold raked her lungs with each short gasp she could manage. Less than an hour ago, she was talking about killing wolven, now she seemed so insignificant to the might of their army. What was that monster? All it needed to do was look at her, and she was half-dead from fear. There was no fighting that thing. Walls or weapons were not going to slow it down, The city was doomed, and everypony within was going to be torn to pieces and eaten!

"W….w-what is that?" Rainbow croaked out.

"The King of Wolvengard," Tailwind answered. She was shivering, and barely able to stand, but she had grit her teeth and refused to back down. "Fenrir, the Ravening Fangs of Winter."

As if to punctuate Tailwind's answer, the monster let out a long, dolorous howl that put even the ferocious wind to shame. Rainbow's leg's gave out. The world grew dim, and the howling faded.

A clarion neigh drove away the wolven's howl, and silenced the wind. Rainbow's eyes flickered wide open, and her ears perked up. What was that melodious, uplifting neigh? The strength returned to her legs. Amazed cries around her made it clear that the other ponies felt the same way. From where the sound had come from was a mighty gray alicorn hovering just past the inner side of the walls. The blazing mane and tail, the muscular shoulders and neck, and the thick armor plating made it plain enough. This was Prince Terrato. To actually see him was…she couldn't find the words. Even the wind seemed at awe before the Prince of Equestria, dying down to a steady breeze.

"Our prince is here!" one of the pegasi cheered. "All hail our prince!"

"Hail Prince Terrato!"

"Hail the Grand Prince of the Earth!"

Prince Terrato answered the cheers with a grim smile and a nod before flying past the walls to land in front of Fenrir. Princess Luna flew up, and accompanied him.

Now that the snowstorm had stopped, Rainbow finally caught a good view of Fenrir.

Fenrir dwarfed even Terrato, and that was without having to raise himself on his haunches. His fur was very dark gray, almost black, and it did little to hide the powerful muscles along his neck, shoulders, and flanks. His enormous, scything claws dug deep into the ground in anticipation. His jaws were closed until Terrato and Luna approached. Afterwards, he let them hang open. Wicked, curving fangs lined his mouth, each one white and razor sharp. Thick gobs of saliva dripped to the ground. Whenever he let out a breath, a great cloud of whiteness escaped from his nostrils. What held Rainbow's gaze was his eye. King Fenrir glared at the world through a single, bright red eye. His left eye was missing, and the blackness of the empty socket seemed to go on forever.

Rainbow held her breath as Terrato and Luna approached Fenrir. Was there going to be a fight? Was the fate of this siege going to be decided by combat between their rulers?





Standing so close to his ancient foe, Terrato felt a little nostalgic. It had been so long since he had confronted Fenrir like this. The thought of missing the giant wolven was amusing. "Why are you here, Fenrir?" he asked.

Fenrir's gaze quickly turned from Terrato to Luna. He lowered his face, and sniffed at her direction, eliciting a shudder of disgust from her. "It's been so long since I've caught fair Luna's scent," he said. His voice was a deep, rasping tone followed by the distant howl of a frigid winter storm. "A year without it is painful enough, but cursed Celestia tortures me with a thousand! After so long, I had to see for myself when I caught the scent once more."

"You came all the way here and frightened my ponies for a smell?" Terrato asked. He took a sniff towards Luna's direction. "It's not that fantastic."

"Big brother…" Luna said.

"You understand nothing!" Fenrir snarled.

"Watch your slobber," Terrato growled in return. "And stop boring me with your infatuation! Why come here yourself? Do you plan on breaking our pact?"

"Let us make a new pact," Fenrir said. "Your Legion falters and my army is on the rise. Surely, you will listen! Let us make a new pact while your eldest sister is not here to impose her will!"

"Make your case," Terrato replied. "What kind of pact are you proposing?"

Fenrir focused on Terrato shrewdly."Give me fair Luna as my bride, and all of us will leave."

"Luna isn't mine to give!" Terrato answered. "If that's all your 'new pact' is--"

"Wait!" Luna said. Both Terrato and Fenrir looked towards her. She swallowed, and stepped forward. "If I go with you, do you promise to never attack Equestria?"

"No wolven will so much as take a single step into this land so long as you remain with me," Fenrir replied. His growling voice could barely contain his eagerness. 

Terrato tensed. It looked like Fenrir might go so far as to rush her any second. He drew Luna aside, and whispered to her harshly. "What are you doing? Are you seriously considering marrying him?"

"If it means putting a stop to centuries of war, yes."

"Celestia will not allow this, and that means I can't allow it either."

"I am a princess of equal standing to both of you. I'll decide for myself what I can and can't do. My only regret will be if it turns out that I could have done this at the start."

Terrato let out a sigh. Once more he had mixed feelings about Luna's new-found assertiveness. "You used to be terrified of being so much as a hundred miles of him."

"That was a long time ago. I can do this, big brother."

"What is this whispering about?" Fenrir growled. "Are the two of you going to plot right before me?"

Luna took another step forward. The smell of Fenrir's breath, and the sight of his gaping maw sent a shudder through her, but she held firm. "I will be your bride, King Fenrir, if you promise that Wolvengard will never again be a threat to Equestria."

"I will," Fenrir said. He looked ready to pounce on her, but Terrato took a step forward as a warning. "It will be part of our wedding vows in Wolvengard."

"Then--"

Fenrir's ears perked. With a snarl, he jumped to the side as a massive beam of white light struck the ground where he was. The fallen snow vaporized on contact, and the ground charred and melted into red hot goo.

Aghast, both Terrato and Luna looked to where the beam had come from. Their gazes went directly towards one of Bastion City's taller buildings. Terrato recognized the spell as a simple light beam magnified to suit the power of only one caster he knew who favored it. Luna recognized it as well. To their misfortune, so did Fenrir. Indeed, it was Celestia standing on the roof. He recognized the mane and the wings, but something was wrong…

"Treachery!" Fenrir snarled. "Cursed Celestia hides her scent, then hides behind her younger sister to assassinate me! Coward!"

"That's not true!" Terrato shouted. "Calm down, Fenrir!"

The entire wolven army was in an uproar, and the ponies along the wall followed suit.

"Your sister is full of guile and filth, Terrato!" Fenrir snarled. "I will honor our pact for the shred of honor that you have, but there will be no more negotiations! I will kill you and Celestia! It is the only way I can be sure that Luna is not a trap!"

"Wait!" Terrato shouted. "This is a mistake!" It was too late. Fenrir had rejoined his army, dodging, and weaving to avoid anymore light blasts.

"Moon-Shadow!" Fenrir bellowed.

"Damn!" Terrato struck the ground with a hoof, sending shockwaves in all directions. He started to fly back to the city. When Luna delayed in following him, he shouted after her. "Come on!"





Twilight Sparkle caught a good look at the powerful blast of light as it streaked past her and towards King Fenrir. As confusion exploded within the ranks, her first reaction was to trace the spell's source. Her jaw fell open at the sight. That was Princess Celestia! But that blast just-- Twilight concentrated on a teleportation spell. The distance from the top of the walls to the building was great, but she had to reach that spot before the princess left. In a second, she was standing on the building's rooftop.

"I had to do it, Twilight," Celestia's voice said. "Luna was going to marry that monster, and Terrato was going to go along with it!"

Twilight grit her teeth, and tried to steady both her breathing and her legs. The teleportation and the magical drift had all but drained her completely. "Drop the act!" she snapped. "I've known the princess far too long to be fooled by it. Who are you? Why did you do this?"

"Clever. As expected of Celestia's favored pupil." Celestia's voice changed in the middle of the sentence into a softer, slightly deeper pitch. The image of a regal, white alicorn with a flowing, multicolored mane dissolved into mist. Twilight squinted to get a good look, but to no avail. "That was an impressive teleportation, Twilight Sparkle," somepony said. A chill ran down Twilight's spine. "But you've overexerted yourself, and underestimated the potential enemy that awaited you at your destination. If I attack you right now, I can kill you with ease, then drink your life at my leisure."

Twilight tried to wave the mist away with a hoof. "Who are you?" she asked again. There was a glimpse of black within the mist as well as a hint of a shape. She was talking to a pony. A black-coated pony. The voice belonged to a mare, and the magic made it a unicorn.

"I'd hate to pluck such impressive talent before it has had a chance to bloom. I'll see you again," the black-coated unicorn mare said. The mist dissipated, but there was nopony on the roof besides Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle!" Luna called out. Both she and Prince Terrato landed on the roof.

"Where is she?" Terrato demanded. "I know an impostor when I see one!"

"She's gone, your highness," Twilight said.

"Who could have done this?" Luna asked. "And why?"

Terrato walked over to the spot where Twilight had last seen the mysterious unicorn. He suddenly bent over to pick something up. It appeared to be a long strand of crimson. The sight of it plunged him into a shadow.

"I know who," Terrato said softly. Wearily.