//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Shield Versus Sabre // Story: Harmony Arisen // by Panoramic Toast //------------------------------// Chapter 13: Shield Versus Sabre The winds roared across the mountain pass, deafening Big Macintosh to the sounds of gunfire. He rolled across the rocky, snow covered terrain, narrowly dodging the oncoming bullets. He crouched behind a fallen oak tree. Wood splintered through the air as the bark absorbed the impact. He stopped and stooped low, checking his foreleg and the pouch that was tied around his waist, located below his silver chestplate and above the gray greaves that protected all four legs from the bone chilling cold. Twelve in the chamber. Around fifty in the pouch, he observed. To his side, he could only see an endless sea of white with tiny dots sprinkled about the ground below. A battlefield above and below. Big Macintosh had started his expedition up the mountain with a team over thirty. Now, their numbers had dwindled to little over six. Big Macintosh took a deep breath, wearily gazing at his hoof-gun. He shot up, spinning his head around to observe his surrounding. He went back down, barely evading another onslaught of bullets from the side opposite of him. Five on the right. two in the middle, both unarmored. Six to the right. Thirteen in total. There’s a lot more, further up. I need to get past these guys and get further up the mountain, he noted. He closed his eyes. Everything seemed to pause as he pictured three mare: a filly, a twenty-something year old, and an elder mare. I’m doing this for them. I can’t lose. I won’t die here. He rose up, foreleg extended. He aimed to the right, quickly shooting down two ponies dressed in armor that bore the crest of Germaneigh. He retreated under the oak tree once more. He reached for his hoof-gun, attached to his right foreleg. He tapped the side of the metal that was just below the barrel, releasing a thin metal tray. Big Mac unzipped his pouch and reached in with his mouth, biting down on a bullet. He spit the bullet onto the tray, repeating the process until it was full. Once the chamber was full, he used his free hoof to push the tray back into place with a sharp click. He was about to rise. The wood of the tree began to crack as the German soldiers pulverized the bark of the tree. He ran to the left, crouching low. The bark of the tree split open, showering him with splinters of wood. He pressed close to the part of the tree not yet broken. Beside him, two ponies dressed in Alliance silver lie dead, their horrid stench filling Big Mac’s nostrils. No, he mentally shouted. Applejack. Applebloom. Granny Smith. Big Mac leaned his foreleg over the top of the wood, firing blindly in all directions. He dropped his foreleg back down as another one of his comrades was gunned down. He was out of options now. Using his muzzle, he reached into his pouch and sifted through the bullets. He stopped as he felt a cold, round piece of metal with a thick pin firmly attached to the top. He gripped it with his teeth. With his unarmed foreleg, he pried the pin off, sending it onto the snow. He continued gripping the ball with his teeth and his heart began beating rapidly. He began counting to himself, muffled by the metal in his teeth. 1.....2...3... On three, he leaned his head back and tossed it over the oak tree. In that brief second, he could see that now he was truly alone. The few allies that remained lie dead against the oak tree, dripping dark shades of red onto the chalky white snow. “Grenade!” they yelled from across as their hooves shuffled against the snow and ice. He rose his head over slightly to see them running for cover. Everything seemed to slow down and his breathing became more rapid, steam puffing from his lips. The trance was broken as a boom roared across the mountain. A tsunami of flames spread into the air and swept across the ground. Big Macintosh ducked back into cover and held hooves to his ringing ears. He took another brief glance to see to the fires dancing across the snow covered landscape and walking across the corpses of armored soldiers. “There!” a voice shouted. He ducked down as shots grazed the snow. The ringing in his ear settled as he could hear the shots more clearly. It wasn’t as loud and distorted as before. Big Mac waited as he began to raise his foreleg. Before he could move, a violet ray shot from behind, causing his mane to sway like a leaf in the wind. There was another, this one orange in color. He could no longer hear the gunfire, only the crunching of hoof against snow. He looked back, to the source of the blasts of magic. He paused as the words tried to form. “Twilight! Star Dust!” he finally yelled through the roaring winds. To his side stood the two unicorns, standing cautiously over the fallen tree and makeshift cover. The shooting had stopped. Big Macintosh rose and examined his surroundings. On his side, his comrades lie scattered. On the other side, the German soldiers lie in similar positions, with flames tickling against their coats. He faced Twilight. “I’m lucky y’all came when ya did.” Star Dust walked forward, past the tree and around the fallen soldiers. “I suppose you have the same orders.” He nodded. “Eeyup. We came up to rendezvous with the other teams, but we were stopped by these guys.” He paused as the sound of sword clashing and gunfire ran in the distance. “The rest of the teams are up ahead. Not really gonna be much of a meeting with all that fightin’ going on.” Star Dust continued walking. “I guess we should be making our way over there. Are you injured?” He shook his head. “Nope.” “Then let’s get going,” she said. Twilight and Big Mac nodded as they followed her further up the mountain. Shining Armor leapt back, drawing his blade to counter Siegfried’s attack. He circled around and blocked another strike. Another came from the left. Shining ducked and noticed a blur in the corner of his vision. A torrent of blue ethereal arrows flew towards him. He summoned a simple barrier around him, blocking the next attack from Siegfried’s blade, a curved sabre whose metal was a tinted shade of purple. The arrows bounced off harmlessly. Siegfried reappeared in front, with a glowing translucent bow. His sabre flew to his side. “You’re strong,” Siegfried said as he inched closer. Siegfried pulled the string of his bow back, as three arrows swirled into existence. He released the string. The arrows ripped through the frigid air. “You underestimate me,” Shining Armor said. The arrows multiplied midair into a swarm of pointed projectiles. Shining willed a rectangular shield into existence, allowing the arrows to effortlessly bounce off. Siegfried’s bow dispersed as he walked sideways, still maintaining eye contact. “I was curious to see if the tales were true. You do possess a talent for defensive magic. If I’m not mistaken, you were trained by General Ebenhauser, correct?” “The general is like a second father to me. He raised me from nothing and taught me everything about magic and combat. Do you know him?” he asked while they continued the stalemate. Dark violet swirled along all four of Siegfried’s hooves. Siegfried lunged forward faster than Shining Armor’s eyes could keep up with. Shining Armor’s chestplate shattered as he was sent flying through the air. He skidded across the snow covered rock, painfully bouncing up and down. When he had stopped, he could feel the pain coming as quick as a storm. His entire body ached and he began hacking uncontrollably as he wiped the blood from his muzzle. He tried to stand, but could feel a sharp pain in his chest. Cracked ribs. Nothing too serious. I can’t let my guard down or he could do some serious damage.  He stood up, still feeling the cuts and gashes across his body as well as the pain in his chest. Siegfried walked forward. “Yes. I saw him when I was young, still just a lowly soldier. I was on the trenches of Ghastly Gorge shivering with fright that only a soldier still green in his armor could feel. I saw him across the distance shouting orders and fighting off my commander. The first time that I gazed upon him, I was struck with fear. His eyes were cold and ruthless. He cut down nearly my entire platoon within hours. I wonder if you’ll live up to his strength.” Siegfried’s hooves glowed again as they left the ground. Not this time. A rope of magenta shot from Shining Armor’s horn forming a bright three pointed shield.   Siegfried’s hoof made contact with the shield. The force of his punch sent a shockwave through the air, sending rocks scattering and the causing the ground below to shatter. Shining Armor’s hooves stayed firmly planted as the force of his punch made him slide along the ground. The magenta shield was beginning to crack. In the distance, Shining Armor spotted his blade, firmly planted in the ground. Siegfried walked closer, leveling his blade in front as magical flames danced along his sabre. Shining Armor’s horn glowed, causing the ground to shake. Snow parted as rocks came loose, lifting from the ground. He levitated the rocks into the air, level with his head. Siegfried kept staring, his his fixated on Shining Armor. Shining sent a spiral of magic over his body, crawling down his legs and sprinkling down his hooves. The rocks came from all direction as they were tossed at Siegfried like a thousand tiny daggers. Shining Armor ran, his speed cracking the air around him like a whip. He zigzagged in between the rocks, which still flew towards Siegfried. In only a few seconds, he reached his blade. He levitated it from the ground and whipped it around to meet Seigfried’s attack. “Surely, you didn’t think a few rocks would be enough to stop me?” “No, but it enough to distract you,” he said as he dodged another strike from Siegfried’s flaming blade. “You know,” he said as his blade continued to clash with Shining’s, “not many ponies can keep up with my swordsmanship. I’ve fought with this blade for nearly thirteen years; Justice is what I’ve come to call her. She was carved from the legendary crystals from the heart of the Crystal Empire. Unlike most blades, she has a special resonance with magic.” “Impossible!” Shining yelled suddenly. Siegfried leveled Justice’s tip towards Shining. A surge of electricity shot from Siegfried’s horn and onto Justice. The electricity flowed through Justice  and concentrated at the tip. From it’s tip, the electricity focused into a tight beam, shooting at Shining Armor. Shining quickly erected a barrier around him. The electricity hammered against his shield, spreading a current all around him. Shining gritted his teeth and began to back away as the electricity ate through his barrier, draining away at his focus. “The Crystal Empire has been gone for nearly one thousand years!” he said as his barrier began to dim. Siegfried was certainly not losing any energy. Electricity continued to flow from his horn, concentrating at the tip of Justice. “That is what most of the pony world believes. I am but one of a handful that knows of the kingdom’s true location. Few even know of it’s existence, but I have seen it with my own eyes. It is a pity that you will never see it.” The glow began to fade as the magic glass of Shining Armor’s barrier shattered into a thousand tiny fragments. The bolt of electricity shot through Shining Armor’s body, eliciting a scream as he struggled to stand. His head lowered as he stifled another scream. “I won’t die,” he said weakly as his body burned. His horn glowed faintly as he tried to concentrate. The stinging pain was unrelenting. His legs were beginning to feel numb. “I....I,” he said through his gritted teeth, “won’t die!” He said his final words with a shout. A bright light came from his horn, blinding Siegfried. The electricity scattered through the air as a bright aura began to surround Shining Armor’s entire body. The aura transformed into a gleaming set of armor. A bright magenta chestplate, boots, four leg guards, and a tight fitting helmet wrapped itself around Shining Armor. Shining Armor tossed his blade to the ground and spawned a column of sparkling magic, transforming it into a bright ethereal lance. Shining Armor moved his land to his side. Siegfried cocked his head to the side. “What is this? Are you some knight preparing for a joust?” “No, I am a knight preparing to defeat the most powerful unicorn in the world.” Shining Armor shot forward so fast that it must have made it look as if he had disappeared. Not even Siegfried could prepare as the side of Shining Armor’s lance struck his sides, sending Siegfried crashing into the mountainside. “Only a little further!” Rainbow Dash yelled into her transmitter. Behind her, 200 of her own soldiers ran and flew. To her sides, other soldiers desperately did the same. Behind all of them, Neighponese pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns chased after them. Above, she could still hear the booming cannon fire as Neighpon’s airships collided the Alliance’s own. They were deep in the woods now. In the distance, she could see the eastern mountain range where their long range forces were clashing. Rainbow Dash spun in the air as a bullet flew past. She turned her head to see that they were still following, downing several of her own soldiers. She gritted her teeth in frustration as she saw another mare fall. Let’s see if they can take me. Rainbow Dash slowed her speed as the others flew past until she reached the end of the line. She heard a voice over her transmitter. “Hold your position. We’ve drawn them in enough. Let’s take out these bastards.” Rainbow Dash nodded to herself as she turned around to face the horde of Neighponese pegasi that flew towards her. She adjusted the straps of her hoof-blades and flapped her wings against the frigid air. She flew forwards as she was met on all sides. The first to attack came with a lunge. Rainbow Dash rolled to the side and delivered a powerful kick to his face, knocking him from the sky. Two more came from the side, swinging wildly. Rainbow Dash flew backwards, dodging their attacks. She raised her hoof-blades and slashed in an X-shape, cutting deep across their stomachs. Another three came from her back. With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash ascended higher, dodging their blows. She spun through the air and lowered herself behind them. She flew forward with her forelegs extended, slicing through them. By now, others were joining the fight, her soldiers were flying through the trees, attacking from behind. They caught Neighpon soldiers off guard as their blood began to fill the forest. Rainbow Dash solemnly nodded to herself. Just as planned. Noone can beat an East Lunarian at their own game. They continued to come after her. One by one, in two, in three, and in groups they came; numbers didn’t matter to Rainbow Dash. As they came, she cut through them like a knife through warm butter. A group of five more approached from all directions. Rainbow Dash spun around. Her hoof-blades clashed against the two to her right, sending them stumbling. The two to her back thrust forward only to have their forelegs crushed by a powerful sweeping kick from her hind legs. The ones that stumbled back threw their other forelegs only for Rainbow Dash to rush forward, stabbing them both through the chest. She turned and flew back to dodge the other three. Rainbow Dash leapt back more and waited for them to strike. Two rushed in to attack, allowing Rainbow Dash to slip between them and stab through the third, who was none the wiser. With their backs turned, Rainbow Dash struck both of them from behind, splattering more blood against her already red stained armor. She quickly flew to the air to regain her breath. All below her, they were fighting. They weaved through trees, attacked from behind, and tore through the forest like numble rats. It was just as she had instructed them. Growing up in the country, she knew the ins and outs of the forest. This wasn’t a place for ignorant outsiders who knew nothing of the land. “Hey!” a voice from behind yelled. Rainbow Dash turned to see three pegasi staring at her with differing looks. The one on the left was a fat, yellow coated stallion with a scarlet mane. He scowled at Rainbow Dash. The one in the middle was a slender mare with a pitch black coat and a mane of silver. She had a serious look about her face that glared daggers at Rainbow Dash. The one to the right was a well built stallion with a light cerulean coat and a mane the deep and blue as the dark depths of the ocean. His grin was widest. The blue stallion was the one who spoke. “You must be the famed Rainbow Dash of Lunaria.” Rainbow Dash regarded him suspiciously. “And what if I am?” He smiled. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you!” Hi there, name's Colonel Sharp! You must be Major Rainbow Dash! I’ve heard an awful lot about you! Rainbow Dash backed up slightly. “Who are you?” He chuckled. “Oh, where are my manners? I am Major Jolt. The fat one on the left is Lieutenant Kling and the tall dark mare is Captain Ripple.” “Hey!” the pudgy lieutenant yelled. “I’m not fat! I’m simply built for the cold.” Ripple scoffed, “You’re built for food.” “What was that?” Kling angrily shot back. “Nothing, fatty,” Ripple said under her breath. Jolt waved them off. “Anyway, I hear you’ve fought our teacher. She has said many things about you. I’m curious to see if you live up to her ramblings.” Rainbow Dash froze. “Y-Your teacher?” “I believe you’ve met her before. Colonel Sharp.” Rainbow Dash turned pale as the name rang in her head. Her image flickered in her mind. The psychotic tan coated, orange maned pegasus who cut down everything in her path. You know, Dash, you and I, we’re the same. She began shaking. “I guess that’s a yes?” Jolt said with a laugh. “Anyway, now that our introductions are finished, I believe it’s about time to kill you.” Rainbow Dash, griffin slayer! another voice shouted in her head. She was almost too slow to react as Jolt came at her bearing both hoof-blades. Rainbow Dash dodged the first attack. She shot her left hoof at his head only for him to move his neck and deliver a kick to her chest. Rainbow Dash felt a searing pain as she was sent backwards. The world seemed to slow as mental images drowned her sight. She could see a crowd of spectators cheering her on. Hero! Slayer of Lunaria’s enemies! they shouted. One of them was holding the head of a griffin on a spear. She wanted to vomit, but she kept smiling. She shook hooves, signed autographs, told stories. They loved her. Or did they really? The whole time, she dreamt of the open sky. She was now a filly in East Lunaria looking at the skies with a sense of wonder. One day, I’ll be the greatest flyer in the whole world, just you see! I’ll fly higher and faster than everypony! Not even President Spitfire will be able to keep up with me! she proclaimed. The world came flooding back as she noticed the blades inches from her face. Rainbow Dash reached her forelegs in front and blocked the oncoming strike. The impact pushed her back further as she noticed shadows to her left and right. Rainbow Dash flapped her wings up, sending her lower. The two others stopped as they were about to strike each other. The fat one they called Kling stared at Rainbow Dash with a look of contempt while Jolt simply smiled. Rainbow Dash blinked. Where was the other one? Her attack came fast, rippling the around her. Rainbow Dash felt a violent kick to her ribcage, propelling her through the air. Her insides tossed and turned as she fell to the ground with an explosion of snow and rock. Her sides were bleeding and she was almost certain that she had broke or cracked something. Pain is nothing. I am the thunder that shakes the heavens, she thought to herself, trying to ignore the searing pain. Slowly, she lifted herself up and faced Ripple, who was staring down at her from above. Rainbow Dash flared her wings and ascended to meet Ripple’s fierce gaze. In the blink of an eye, the slender black mare was gone once more. Not this time. No pony’s faster than me. Rainbow Dash twisted her body and threw her hind legs into a powerful kick, blocking Ripple’s attack. Ripple was quick to respond. Untwisting her body, Ripple spun with both hooves outstretched, blades out. Rainbow Dash held her blades close, blocking the strikes as sparks flew from their blades. She came again, striking high and low. Rainbow Dash nimbly maneuvered around her blades as she jabbed her hoof, aiming for her head. She effortlessly dodged, throwing a flurry of swings at Rainbow Dash. She backed up and began to prepare her attack. The other two came from behind. Rainbow Dash spun to the side, still dodging Ripple’s attacks. Kling was first to try and strike her back. Rainbow Dash noted his lack of speed. He was pudgy and slow; he would be easy to take out. Rainbow Dash leaned in to attack, jabbing her hoof towards his chest. Kling positioned his forelegs in front, blocking the attack. His belly wobbled and Rainbow Dash was pushed back. Jolt flew past Kling, spinning through the air with that sadistic smile on his face. His blades crashed against Rainbow Dash’s. His body twisted midair as he unleashed a barrage of kicks towards her face. She kicked back, knocking his lower hooves away. He came at her once more, followed by Ripple and Kling. Rainbow Dash flew to the side, drawing Kling in to attack. Kling continued, slowly throwing his hooves at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash ducked under him and flew up, hovering behind him. She tried to strike his back but was stopped by his sloppily thrown backwards kick. Kling turned around, his eyes full of rage. Rainbow Dash dodged another set of blows from Jolt and Ripple, circling around Kling. Kling came at her once more, his strikes more intent and powerful than before. That’s right you dumb oaf, get angry. You get careless when you get angry. Rainbow Dash continued circling, dodging attacks as she went. Rainbow Dash waited as Kling’s foreleg edged near her. Just a little closer. Rainbow Dash waited as the blade inched closer before she twisted her torso to the side, barely dodging the attack. His foreleg slid past her. Wasting no time, Rainbow Dash leaned in, wrapping her forelegs around his outstretched left foreleg. She began twisting it, eliciting a gasp. She twisted the foreleg further, leaving his elbow joint fully exposed. She quickly lifted her hind leg around his foreleg and kicked downward, snapping the bone. Kling’s scream ripped through the air. Rainbow Dash backed away with a sudden burst of speed. Ripple and Jolt shot through the air, aiming for her. Their attacks were fast. She had to be careful. She heard another flapping of wings as Kling flew forward, his broken foreleg swaying to the side. He slashed sloppily through the air with his remaining hoof-blade. It would be simple now. Rainbow Dash flew above him, dodging another attack from the others, and stabbed downward, cutting through his right foreleg. He screamed in agony as the other two froze in place. One down. Two to go. Kling continued screaming as he tried to move his useless forelegs, audibly grinding his teeth together. “You-You stupid whore! I’ll kill you for that!” he yelled through the screams. “That’s enough,” Jolt said calmly, flying in front of him alongside Ripple. “You’re too badly wounded to continue,” Ripple agreed. “I-I need to get her back. I-” “You’re too weak for that,” Jolt barked back with a scowl. Jolt looked over to Ripple and they both nodded. Faster than Rainbow Dash could speak, they thrust their hoof-blades through Kling’s fat stomach. After a few seconds, they retracted their hoof-blades, sending blood raining down Kling’s legs. “You...guys...why,” Kling grunted with a shocked expression. His pupils whitened as he fell from the sky like a limp rag doll. Rainbow Dash could barely move as a mixture of shock and anger filled the pits of her stomach. “You monsters!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “You were on the same side! He was your comrade!” They laughed. “There’s no such thing as comrades or friends,” Jolt said with a smile. “There’s only the weak and the strong,” Ripple continued. “These are the tenants that we’ve learned. These are the truths that Colonel Sharp has taught us.” “Kling was weak,” Jolt added, “so he had to be eliminated. I wonder if you will be the same?” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and held her hoof-blades at the ready. Sweat dripped down her brow and ran through her forehead. These guys aren’t equine. Images of Sharp and that sadistic smile flashed before her. She began shaking. These guys are strong. I have no choice. Twilight Sparkle jumped and ran, nearly tumbling as she evaded blast after blast of magic. It was difficult to hear at this altitude, but she could still hear the screaming and crying as ponies killed each other to her left and her right. Twilight continued to sprint, evading a passing fire spell. She tripped over a rock, causing her to fall on her sides. Her hind leg was bleeding now, scraped by the small jagged edges of the bothersome rock. A unicorn came into Twilight’s vision, baring a dagger. Twilight rolled to the side, barely dodging the dagger as it stabbed into the earth.  A swirl of orange magic shot from behind Twilight, knocking the unicorn to the ground. Star Dust ran and helped Twilight to her hooves. She took the initiative and moved in front, crouching low. Beside Star Dust was Big Macintosh, safely hidden under the protection of her magic, deflecting any stray bullets that made their way towards the trio. Star Dust picked up speed, barely dodging an arrow. “Some rendezvous this is,” she complained. She slid to a stop as another arrow shot from a unicorn with a wooden bow in her magical grasp. Star Dust deflected the arrow with a small magical barrier and blasted the ground, causing razor sharp icicles to erupt from the ground. The unicorn was impaled from a dozen different angles as her bow fell to the ground. Twilight shivered at the sight but continued running. She could still see it in Star Dust’s eyes. No matter how hard she tried to hide the fear and the guilt, it was still so apparent to Twilight. There was a sadness at the moment that she killed, a faint emptiness along in Star Dust’s eyes, disappearing a moment later as she regained focus. She shook when she ran. They all did. Even the lumbering red stallion seemed inflicted with the same fear as they ran across the war torn mountain pass, eyeing the snow caked top in the far distance. They were getting closer. Breathing heavily, Twilight yelled, “Whatever the Germans are after, it’s on top of this mountain!” “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh agreed, but how are we s’posed to get up there with all this fightin’ goin’ on?” Star Dust bit her lip. “We need to circle around the fighting. We’ll stay as close to the mountain edges as possible and sneak through the fighting.” “And if the enemy has already thought of somepony doing that?” Twilight asked wearily. “I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Star Dust admitted. Twilight gulped at the prospect and followed them as they ran closer to the edges of the mountain, a steep cliff that would send them pummeling hundreds of feet to the ground below. From this height, she could see the battle still raging on below. They all looked so small, like insignificant ants.Twilight thought of Shining Armor. She wondered if he would be okay. “Twilight!” Star Dust yelled, breaking her concentration. She lept back, evading the downward swing of an axe. A pony teleported in front of the axe, a stallion. Twilight fell backwards as he swung the axe once more, nicking off several loose strands of her mane. Twilight rolled to her right as the axe chopped along the ground. She was getting closer to the edge. Her vision spun as she rolled. She got an idea. The axe cut downward. It landed harder than before, forcing the unicorn to forcefully lift the blade from the earth. Twilight stopped mid roll, her chest to the ground. She twisted her neck and faced the unicorn. Quickly, she reached for her blade, but was unable to pull it from its sheathe. Even as she reached for it, it felt...tainted. All she could think of was that unicorn male that she had slaughtered like some sort of monster. The unicorn took advantage of Twilight’s hesitation, swinging wildly as Twilight clumsily maneuvered through the snow, unable to think. For a moment, the blade came within inches of Twilight’s neck, only to drop to the ground as a blast of orange sent the unicorn past the cliff and into the abyss. Twilight forced back vomit as she faced the source of the blast. In front of her, Star Dust fought a well armored pegasus mare. Star Dust continued to pelt blasts of magic as the mare swerved out of harm’s way, dodging each attack. She was fast. Star Dust continued to fire attacks from her horn, each missing their target. She reached behind her back and unsheathed her blade from its leather scabbard. The pegasus’s hoof-blade hit Star Dust’s sword with a resounding clang. Star Dust leapt forward, bouncing off her forelegs. She continued the assault, swinging overhead. The pegasus blocked her attacks and shot forward and downward, cutting along Star Dust cheeks before landing in the snow as she prepared to bounce back. Star Dust saw the opportunity and struck the pegasus’s hooves with a frost spell. The ice from the ground shot up, spreading through the pegasus’s body as her skin and fur transformed into a statue of ice. Star Dust began breathing heavily, her blade at her side. She turned to face Big Macintosh and Twilight. “Let’s go!” she yelled breathlessly. They continued to follow her, running past the soldiers as they fought and killed each other. Twilight had now familiarized herself with the smell of blood. It was all round her now. She began to shake as she remembered that mare in the snow. She had tried to attack Twilight. Now she was dead, a huge dash running down her chest from Twilight’s blade. I have to stay focused, she repeated to herself. They were almost there. Just a little further and they would pass the head of the enemy encampment. They stopped. In front was no less than a dozen unicorns and pegasi, protecting all sides of the only way up the mountain. They stood there, scowling. Twilight backed up, fearfully. “What now?” she whimpered. She tried to look around, but couldn’t see past them. They could teleport, but there was a strong chance that if they did, they would simply kill them soon after. They were still too far from the head of the enemy encampment. If she was able to properly see or visualize it, she might be able to teleport there, but as of now she lacked the strength for such a long range teleport and lacked the sight to properly do so. Star Dust stared at the soldiers thoughtfully. “Twilight. Big Macintosh,” she said without looking. “I have an idea. You’re going to have to trust me.” Twilight and Big Macintosh stared at the soldiers. They both nodded. The soldiers began running towards them. Star Dust quickly reached in her bag, tied to her chainmail armor. From it, she pulled out a thin piece of string. She focused on the string, using her magic to stretch it and make it thicker. Once it had stretched its reach to Big Macintosh and Twilight, she telekinetically wrapped the front of the rope across her waist. Bits of rope branched out, tightening around Big Macintosh. Twilight squirmed as the end of the rope began zipping around her stomach. Star Dust began backing up. “Star Dust,” Twilight stammered. She continued backing up, nearing the edge of the cliff. “Star Dust, you’re at the edge.” She kept backing up.  If you’re not careful, you’ll fall!” She leaped backwards, falling down the edge of the cliff. Twilight gulped as the rope tugged her, sending her over the side of the mountain.