Twilight stood on the edge of the gorge and waited. Winds from the plain behind her and the gorge below mingled and tossed her mane and tail. She was ready, as much as anypony can be before a battle.
She only wished they had a better plan. The one that they did have was very dangerous and woefully lacking in simplicity. Unfortunately, it was the only one that would work. Darklight would lead the golem down the gorge where it could be boxed in on two sides. Twilight would ambush it, and along with Darklight would keep it occupied with magic attacks. She would have plenty of room to run and dodge on the plain nearby. Derpy would then fly up with the screwdriver and Darklight would cast a kinetic spell to give her enough momentum to hit the barrier and disrupt it. Darklight would then carry Twilight up to the golem's face and each of them would hit one of its eyes with the most powerful (and the most dangerous) magic attack they could cast: a short-range explosive horn blast. They would immediately follow up with a shield spell to protect themselves from the resulting explosion, and Darklight would catch Twilight and carry her to safety. Absolutely crazy; the explosive horn blast spell had a long history of killing ponies who were not careful enough when they cast it cast it, including its inventor, but no other spell would be powerful enough to destroy the golem's eyes. Still, they had practiced enough that they were fairly confident, perhaps deceptively so, that they could do it.
Derpy smiled and waved back to her from out of her hiding place behind several boulders on the other side of the gorge. Twilight signaled for her to get back into her hiding place, which she did after taking a picture. Perhaps Derpy had the right idea, Twilight thought. Instead of over thinking the plan she should try and relax and enjoy the moment. There didn't seem a lot to enjoy, as they were getting ready for a battle, but it wouldn't help them at all if they were too uptight.
There were plenty of good memories from back home, but for some reason she began to think about two days ago. It had been the second day of training with Raven's Wind, and Twilight had the benefit of a good night's sleep to help cool her temper. She had told Darklight: "Tell Raven's Wind that I want her to teach me how to kill her." Apparently, this was the right question to ask because the day went much more smoothly for everyone. They trained just as hard, but Twilight learned much more and made better progress. She still didn't see what use any kind of martial arts would be in the short term, but she decided it was pointless to keep arguing.
As her anger diminished, Twilight noticed a lot of things that had escaped her the previous day. She was even more impressed at the amazing agility that Raven's Wind showed in the air. She might be a match for Rainbow Dash or even Spitfire in a race, she thought. If Derpy's astonishing progress was any indication, she was also an excellent teacher. She taught them so well that at the end of the day (much to Twilight's satisfaction) her white cloak was ruined from all of the burn marks. Then Raven's Wind surprised Twilight with a hug and a "Thank you" in her own language. Twilight half expected Raven's Wind to try and break her neck, but instead she invited all of them to visit her village the following day.
In the early morning, just as the sun was starting to rise, Twilight held on to Darklight's back as he flew to the Village of the Moon. They flew in a tight formation with Raven's Wind and her sons leading the way, with Derpy flying close to Darklight. The sickly white and grey of the valley near Darklight's Cave gave way to the vibrant and nuanced greens of dense mountain forests. Twilight had tried to imagine what the village would look like, and the picture she formed in her head was of a cluster of grass huts with a few small farms. She was not prepared for what she actually saw.
They flew over a ridge of barrier mountains, and were blinded. Twilight shielded her eyes with a hoof as they adjusted to the light, and realized that the mountain at the center of the circular valley was glowing with a rainbow of colors. As they moved closer, she could see details of buildings carved from the rock itself or formed from brick, all colored with the magic-infused dyes and paints that Darklight spoke to her of. The valley they flew over was filled with grain fields, orchards, and gardens, right up to the high protective wall surrounding the village. Points of movement that dotted the village proved to be windmills, and on further inspection she could see trebuchets and other siege weapons all painted to partially blend in with the buildings.
Four additional pegasi accompanied them as they flew over the valley. They had appeared just as the party arrived at the valley edge, and she realized that the Barbaroi used the spectacle of their village as a tactical advantage against invaders. Raven's Wind made some quick turns and barrel rolls, in what Twilight figured was a coded means of communication, and the four guard ponies flew off back to their hiding places.
A large section of the defensive wall, a few dozen yards across, looked newer than the rest of it, as did the buildings above it. Twilight guessed (again, correctly) that this was where the golem had attacked the city. Even with Darklight's assistance, the damage had clearly been extensive. She wondered, briefly, what it would be like if such a monster attacked Canterlot, but it was such a long way away that it was unthinkable, and she drove the idea from her mind.
They landed on one of the lower levels in the administrative district just below the town bazaar. Several ponies had gathered in anticipation of their arrival, mostly to talk to Raven's Wind. She told Darklight to give Twilight and Derpy a tour of the village and meet bring them to her home for lunch while she attended to her leadership duties.
Darklight knew the village very well, taking them along narrow shortcuts and hidden pathways as they made their way upwards. He answered all the questions they asked, plus a lot that they didn't, giving commentary such as "try these, they're really good" or "don't eat too many of these if you can't handle spicy". He greeted the village ponies warmly and always introduced them by name to Twilight and Derpy. The villagers in turn spoke to Darklight like old friends, and Twilight got the impression that it had taken some time for him to earn the high level of trust that he had with the villagers.
The ponies of the Village of the Moon were in many ways different from those in Ponyville, or anywhere is Equestria. Twilight had expected all of the ponies in town to wear white cloaks, but she found out later that except for high ranking officials, the ponies only wore their cloaks when traveling. Instead, all of them wore brightly colored clothing that was very different from anything Twilight had seen before. The cloth glowed with it's own light, in the same way that the village itself glowed. Most of the ponies there were pegasi, but there were also many unicorns and earth ponies as well, and everyone from the youngest foal to the aged mares and stallions were armed. Pegasus ponies were lightly armored and carried combinations of throwing knives, bows, and crossbows. Unicorn ponies had more extensive armor, and were equipped with swords and axes that they wielded using levitation spells. Earth ponies carried spears that could be attached to their own heavy armor. There were variations, depending on the preferences and special talents of the individual. At times both Twilight and Derpy felt very underdressed, since they in typical Equestrian fashion only wore their saddlebags. With so much emphasis on fortification and training for war, Twilight was concerned for their safety if a fight broke out, but nothing of the sort happened. Fighting outside of training was very rare because their goal was not to compete to find out which pony was the best fighter, but to build themselves to that they could more effectively defend the ponies they love. She was impressed at how happy and relaxed they were.
At noon they went to the home of Raven's Wind on one of the middle terraces. A couple of ice-blue eyed fillies and colts happily sprang out the door and playfully leaped on Darklight the moment he arrived. Raven's Wind came out afterwards to greet them, followed by a pegasus stallion that looked a lot like her sons, save for his beautiful golden coat, which Twilight realized was her husband, Eagle's Talon. He had returned home from his own duties as leader of the Village of the Sun to be with his family.
They had a large home, but there were plenty of ponies of all ages to fill it up with. During lunch together, Twilight was surprised at how affectionate Raven's Wind was with her husband and children. She seemed like a different mare from the one who had pummeled her over the course of two days. Then she understood. Raven's Wind was tough during training because she wanted her students, and family, to be equal to the challenge of a dangerous and cruel world. This drive to bring out the best in other ponies was a manifestation of her love for them, and this same love was wellspring from which she gained her courage and determination. Darklight had been right about her all along, Twilight thought.
Derpy was very popular at the home of Raven's Wind, and soon the young ponies of the house of Raven's Wind were climbing all over her as well. She seemed to love a good party almost as much as Pinkie Pie. After lunch, the older ponies brought out musical instruments and began to play as the other ponies danced. Derpy tried to dance along too, imitating the other ponies as best she could, but Twilight had to dissuade Derpy from following along when one of the older daughters of Raven's Wind began to juggle three daggers with her mouth. As more ponies began to dance along, Twilight and Darklight were pushed into the fray. Twilight knew that her own dancing was downright ridiculous, but she felt less self conscious when she saw how awful Darklight was at dancing himself. It also didn't escape her notice that the other ponies, Derpy included, kept subtly nudging both her and Darklight closer together on the dance floor.
Following the party, Raven's Wind had to spend time with her family, and Derpy wanted to go back to the Bazaar to shop for her friends, so Twilight was alone with Darklight for much of the evening. She didn't mind, Darklight was pleasant enough as a companion, so they continued to explore the upper levels together. They made stops to visited the ponies that Darklight was acquainted with, and each time he would give them one of the glass art pieces or swords that Twilight had seen from his workroom. The glass-works were always well received, but the ponies tended to give a more critical eye to the swords. In all cases, they left on friendly terms, and though she couldn't follow much of their conversations, she gathered that Darklight was saying goodbye to each of them.
Twilight was pretty tired from climbing so many stairs that day, but Darklight insisted that they visit one more place. They reached the observation tower, a rough-hewn wooden platform at the pinnacle of the mountain, just as the sun was about to set. They sat together and gazed over the landscape before them, Darklight on one side to block the wind from bothering Twilight. The untended clouds that covered the sky were at just the right angle, and began to glow red, orange, and yellow from the setting sun. From below them came the sounds of creaking windmills and the smells of spices and sweet berries from the evening meals. Twilight drank freely of the beauty around her, so different on the surface from Equestria yet so much alike at it's core, and savored the feeling of being alive and free. Then she looked and saw that Darklight had been staring at her. He looked away briefly, a little embarrassed that he had been caught doing so, but Twilight only smiled back. They looked into eachother's eyes, and together watched the last few rays of sunlight dip below the horizon.
It was well after dark when they flew back to the cave. There was just the three of them on the return trip, Derpy kept a respectful distance as Darklight flew with Twilight on his back. The clouds had blown away by then, and the whole sky was bursting with bright starlight. Twilight felt the warmth on Darklight's back and the feathery softness of his enormous wings as he flew. She put aside her analytical nature for a short time and again enjoyed the beauty of the moment she had with Darklight.
The memories of the sunset and the stars, with Darklight, soothed and calmed her nerves, as she waited on the edge of the canyon. She still didn't fully understand her feelings for him, but for now it helped her to relax before the battle ahead.
The earthquakes started again, at their usual, familiar interval. They grew more powerful, and Twilight could start to see the Earth golem moving through the canyon towards her. Darklight became visible as well, circling and diving in tight and deliberately random patterns as he attacked the golem with flames and horn blasts.
Twilight sprang forward in a full gallop and fired horn blasts of her own. She looped back and forth on the plain, taunting the monster to strike out at her. The golem raised its right arm and smashed the canyon's edge. Twilight jumped out of the way as a large part of the canyon wall gave away and fell to the golem's feet. Darklight kept to the golem's left and continued his attacks. Neither of them would let the golem forget that they were there, giving Derpy the chance to attack undetected.
Derpy flew out of her hiding place and kept low to the canyon floor. Her comrades stepped up their attacks to distract the golem as she flew up towards its face, the screwdriver clutched in her hooves. Then the monster saw her, and fired its beam cannon at her. It missed, but a follow up swing from it's left arm startled her and made her lose her grip on the screwdriver. The hearts of both Twilight and Darklight sank as they saw the screwdriver fall towards the canyon floor.
Derpy went into a sharp dive straight for it. She weaved out of the way of a beam attack that flew past her and pumped her wings to increase her speed. At the last moment, she caught the falling device in her mouth and extended her wings. She skimmed the canyon floor, flew upwards and circled back, charging at full speed into the golem's face. Darklight cast a kinetic spell on her and she rocketed forward. With tremendous force, she hit the magic barrier, which buckled from her momentum and shattered with a loud crack. Derpy fell into a dive and let gravity carry her out of the way.
Twilight ran at an angle to the edge of the cliff and jumped into empty space. Moments later, Darklight appeared just below her and she fell onto his back. Their horns glowed with swirling, bright light. A beam attack from the golem flew past them, so close that they could feel the burning heat on their skin. Twilight moved into a crouching position on Darklight's back and prepared to jump. They were so close to the eyes that they could see the flames that framed its dark, reptilian pupils.
"Now!" Darklight yelled.
Twilight leaped into the air, straight at the right eye, as Darklight flew toward the left. She pointed her horn down and fired a white glowing sphere that broke through the eye surface and disappeared inside. Then cast a shield block spell and covered her face with her hooves just as the explosion tore apart the eye and propelled her backwards. She twisted around and extended her hooves as Darklight recovered from being blown out by the left eye's explosion and dove to catch her. Only he could see that the golem's right arm, now lifeless but still retaining the momentum of a purposeful strike, was falling towards her.
"Twilight! Above you!"
Darklight flew to her and grasped her head-on, pulling her close to him with his hooves. He made a sharp turn and cast a kinetic spell that propelled them forward, just as the edge of the arm fell on him.
All of the air was forced from his lungs, and he began to cough and sputter blood. The impact mangled his wings and propelled them in a high arch through the valley with a horrific backspin. There was no time to cast a spell, no time to get into flying position, and no way to fly if he could. He held Twilight tightly in his hooves. With tremendous effort he used his broken wings to stop their backspin, apply drag, and turn so that his own back was towards the ground rushing towards them. He hoped that it would be enough to save Twilight.
They slammed into the valley floor and tumbled together until Darklight lost consciousness. Twilight broke free and spun end over end, avoiding several sharp rocks by luck alone, until she finally stopped: dizzy, shaken, and very much alive, but was she the only one?
"Darklight?!... DARKLIGHT?!"
She stumbled towards a dark shape that lay motionless several yards away. She shook him with her hooves, calling his name, and placed her ear against his torso to check his vitals. His breathing was almost undetectable, and his heartbeat was faint. When she pulled away, she realized to her horror that her face and hooves were covered with his blood.