My Two Most Faithful Students

by Flaeirye


Chapter 3 - Stars of Twilight

To say that Aura Gleam’s day had been terrible was probably a very big understatement. His team had not only failed to get sufficient food from the now-deserted village, but also failed in capturing those two rascals who were towed away by a unicorn with the ability to teleport. Sadly, his problems did not end there. The Earth villages would also be hearing about their raids soon, and thus would be preparing their defenses before they could reach the nearest earth pony settlement.

He was pacing inside the biggest hut in Trote, which was once the town hall before they occupied the place. The hut did contain a large timber table, probably for meetings and the like, but that was it. There were no cushions to sit on, nor any gems to adorn the walls. And for some perverse reason he could not comprehend, Aura did not care. All the unicorns in his army had taken their refuge in the village, and would be bound to return to Unicornia in three days. Winter was terribly near. With nothing but a few vegetables that some earth ponies left behind, the unicorn king would be very displeased.

“Sir, a message from Unicornia,” a grey unicorn interrupted as he entered the grand hall. A scroll was securely placed his hooves, protecting it from any damage. “They must be asking about—”

Aura Gleam unceremoniously snatched the letter away from the messenger with his magic. “Status report,” he flatly asked while reading the contents of the letter. The capital was requesting them them to give a report on their mission, and expected for some good news. These things kept getting worse every second.

“We searched the whole village, but there seems to be no sign of any large food stash the earth ponies could have hidden. However, some of the crops are fit for harvesting, so we can use those instead.”

The High Knight simply nodded. After a long silence that permeated the room, the lesser unicorn decided that his superior wanted something more.

“We also were not able to find any traces of the fillies and their abductor, but we can assume that they are on their way to Southern Earth. It is the nearest village here, and the only place they can stay during the winter.”

If there was a time to pursue those two troublemakers, it was not anytime soon. “Very well. Tell the king whatever we have, but make sure to leave the good parts at the end.”

With a small bow, the unicorn went for the door to leave the High Knight’s presence.

“Oh, and give emphasis on the rogue unicorn,” Aura said before he was completely out of earshot. “Foalnapping my daughters is a pretty serious offence, is it not?”

---

Twilight, Celeste and Selene had been walking for hours straight since they left their little camping site. Halfway of the said walk, Selene gave up and accepted Twilight’s offer for a ride on her back. The road they were trudging progressively changed from the grassy forest floor of the woods to the soil of a land surrounded by rocks.

“Where is this?” Twilight asked the filly walking beside her, whose face was now filled with uneasiness. Even Selene, who was previously enjoying the ride, clutched Twilight’s neck so tightly that she needed to heavily gasp for air every time the filly would loosen her forelegs a bit.

“We,” Celeste said with a gulp, “are in the Gem Front.”

The bookworm tried to whack her brain at the serious déjà vu she felt upon hearing those words. Gem Front, Gem Front, now where have I read that before?

Every echo they created with their hoofsteps earned a wince from the three scared unicorns. Twilight didn't know what to be scared of; rocks that on first glance that seemed to loom over them like a thundercloud waiting to open up spewing rain, or the desolate lands that surround them as they marched endlessly into the barren waste. The wrongness in the air seemed to increase with each hoofstep, but that could just be small grains of dust that got kicked up by small gusts of wind. Somewhere deep inside of the purple unicorn, she was more scared for the fillies’ safety rather than her own.

“Um, can you give me a crash course about the Gem Front?” Twilight’s voice was barely a whisper, as though somepony else was actually listening to the conversation.

“It’s the home of the dreaded Gem Hounds,” Celeste replied with a similar tone.

So that’s where the déjà vu came from. Approximately 400 years ago, relative to Twilight’s own era, Diamond Dogs were called Gem Hounds by the locals of Equestria, due to their obsession to anything that sparkles. It was said that they migrated from a land called Gem Front when they heard about the abundance of gems at Equestria.

Of all the things she could forget, it was chapter 17 of Equestria’s Mysterious Creatures.

A loud howl in close proximity drove Twilight to hastily levitate the walking filly to her back. Before she could even take a step forward, she was unexpectedly surrounded by a dozen of Gem Hounds that came from the ground. These dogs looked similar to the ones that ponynapped Rarity and forced her to do manual labor, Twilight noted. The only difference was that they wore no accessories, and their putrid smell was much more detectable by a significant level.

“You ponies steal gems. Ponies will pay,” one said at them with an apparently hoarse voice.

“Yes, ponies pay,” the rest followed like zombies.

“Bu-but we didn’t steal any gems!” Twilight desperately countered. She could feel the girls fidgeting at her back, and she was certain that they can feel her too. Beads of sweat started to form around the unicorn’s forehead as she thought of a way to escape.

“Pony steal gems. Pony pay.”

Teleporting was useless. Without appearing just at the edge of Trote Forest plus Celeste’s freaky knowledge of the lands, they wouldn't have even known what direction they were supposed to walk. Another long range teleportation would risk their orientation, and walking around the forest until winter came was a very bad idea. Come on, Twilight. You’ve been through worse before. Make that brain of yours work!

There was a murderous intent in all of the dogs’ eyes. Four of them, unable to hold back any longer, lunged for the kill at breakneck speeds.

If there was a fact to be known in Equestria, it was that Twilight was not only a very powerful pony, but a clever one, too. If not, everypony should’ve been plummeted into eternal night while dancing in chocolate rain. If not, Ponyville should have been erased from the map by an Ursa Minor. But of all the times she had to be clever, now was the most appropriate of them.

Twilight quickly casted two spells with perfect precision: One was Rarity’s gem finding spell, and the other a simple levitation spell. The four dogs that foolishly attacked were flabbergasted when four fat rubies rapidly burst out from the ground and sent them flying back to their equally shocked companions. Even Celeste and Selene were surprised at the unexpected technique she had used.

One dog recovered from the shock and saw a very rare opportunity at that attack. “Pony can find gems. Pony work for dogs. Pony find gems.”

The other dogs were also now aware of this fact and was rambling the same thing the previous dog had said.

“Here’s the plan. I distract the Gem Hounds, you collect the stray gems around and place them in my saddlebags. Okay?” Twilight half-heartedly said, her mind focusing on the two spells. This must be done with precision, or it wouldn't work at all.

The two nodded in unison. They were confused if they should be scared for their lives or scared for the dogs’ lives. Either way, they had an important job on their hooves, and were determined to carry it out. Selene was clearly thrilled to use her levitation to help.

Three dogs, who were slightly bulkier than the others, jumped in the air and tried to pin the unicorn down. It was then that three topazes swooshed up in the air and hurled the dogs back at a distance. Those who went dashing straight at her were tripped by stubs of quartz that silently appeared at their feet. Those who stayed at a distance were shot by amethysts that were thrown like pillows in a pillow fight. As their numbers began to dwindle, their courage began to fade. At her back, she could feel her saddlebag getting heavier, a good sign that her girls were really fit for the job.

At the corner of her eyes, she spotted a lone dog blowing a stick. Realizing what he was actually doing, Twilight hurriedly pulled the stick away from him and broke in into two pieces. Using another ruby, she placed the dog in an induced sleep.

Unfortunately, the deed was already done; the three felt the ground slightly shake as dozens more of Gem Hounds came rushing to the call. In the horizon formed forms of the dogs, all ready to tear apart pony flesh. Any second now, they would reach her and would be powerless against their numbers. A group of twelve dogs she could handle. Thirty was suicide. Fifty was overkill. She began to grow pale as the last sparks of hope died inside. As the tremors began to grow stronger, the color of the world began to fade. This was a very impossible fight, and even the two fillies knew that fact. Celeste was firmly hugging Selene, who was firmly hugging her neck. Was she really going to die here in the past?

She felt tears touch her freezing coat, which made her heart ache like mad. Not only had she failed to go back to her friends, but she had also failed to protect the kids she sworn to protect. I am the WORST mother ponykind has ever seen, one day as their mother and she gets them killed. Where were the Elements of Harmony when you need them? Where was Princess Celestia when you need her? Where was

“Mommy, I’m scared.”

Those three little words, spoken by Selene’s innocent whisper that was filled with both anxiety and despair, were enough to shut every single doubt Twilight once had. Let those Elements of Harmony rot in a box, let Celestia be imprisoned in the sun, but there was one fact the universe needed to accept:

Nothing was going to hurt her daughters.

That spark of love that blossomed in Twilight’s very soul had somehow amplified her magic to the extent that she could feel every single gem in the vicinity, from diamonds as small as a tooth to quartzes as big a head. Using the newfound harmony in her heart, she connected every single gem to one goal.

The dogs were very close to the trespassers. They could already smell the ponies, and any second now, they would again kill the unfortunates who dared to cross their land. And maybe they would try pony flesh again. Many says that young fillies—

A gigantic earthquake made every single Gem Hound stop in their tracks. After a few seconds of recovering, some fell from the strength, but the others continued to walk despite their shaky legs, with thoughts too hideous for ponies to even think about. Nothing could now stop that primal instinct to protect their land from outsiders, not even—

Gems. Hundreds and hundreds of gems of different sizes suddenly erupted from the ground all around Twilight and her two charges, and constantly barraged every single dog who once had that thought that they could defeat the most powerful mage that has ever existed. This continued for a full ten seconds until the sky was completely filled with all the gems she pulled out. They all looked like stars on a summer sky, shining magnificently along with the sun itself. The light reflected by each gem saturated the whole land with the colors of the rainbow, dancing elegantly among the dogs and the fillies who reveled in its splendor.

Sadly for the dogs, those stars were of Twilight’s will, and every single one of them wanted to protect her daughters.

Celeste and Selene watched in awe as the stars transformed into a sea of colors as it rained down and chased away the Gem Hounds, who were hurriedly digging holes to hide from its terrifying power. The gems danced around like tunas in the sea, perfectly moving in harmony and grace. After that day, generations of Gem Hounds would be living underground for fear of the Stars of Twilight.

After Twilight’s display of power, she fell to the ground and panted heavily. Now that the Gem Hounds were taken care of, nothing else would trouble them in passing the Gem Front. A great peace overcame Twilight with the knowledge that her two little fillies were safe. She felt like she was lying down on a field of stars as the ground was now covered with an assortment of gems.

Celeste was the first to speak up after minutes of silence. “How… was that possible? You literally controlled hundreds of gems! And…”

“Then all of them suddenly danced around those nasty dogs like they were butterflies…” Selene added.

“… And no unicorn has ever done such a feat before, even the great unicorn mages could only handle twenty.”

Then all of a sudden, both sisters felt very lucky that a unicorn as powerful as Twilight would even waste her time on two ponies who knew nothing about magic, and would say that they would learn every spell she knew when they couldn't even fathom how she could cast two spells at a time.

Twilight looked at them as though she can read their minds. Into their ears, she gently whispered upon their ears:

“You know, a mother would do many impossible things just to protect her precious little daughters. For you both, I would do anything, if it means that you both will have a smile on your faces.”

The emotions that they felt from her words were nothing compared to what Twilight did next: As light as a feather, she gave them the ultimate gesture of love, a tender kiss on each of their foreheads. The two girls cried at Twilight’s chest.

“We love you too, mom.”