//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: The Reigns of War // Story: Stairway to Equestria // by AlexUk //------------------------------// The ground trembled, their hearts quivered Hooves grasped tightly around their weapons Eyes facing the coming Death . . . Chapter 24 The Reigns of War Two powerful surges of magic filled the room, causing the ponies inside to turn their heads towards the source of the disturbances. “Twilight!” Rarity burst out, latching herself at the mare’s neck as the magic sparkles settled. “Are you okay, darling? What happened there? Is the Princess safe?” “She’ll be alright. The changelings attacked us, I . . . I don’t really know anything more than that,” she said, still visibly shaken. “What is this place? Where are we?” Blink asked from her side, pacing inside the bedroom. “This is actually my old room from when I lived here. It’s the safest place I could think of to teleport you girls . . .” “It’s alright, sugarcube, we’re all fine; but tell me Pinkie is with you guys.” Blink’s eyes suddenly widened as he recalled what happened to her. “Uhh, she’s safe. When I saw her battling a changeling with her . . . cannon thing, I had one of my clones take her in a place no one could harm her.” “And where is that?” “I . . . it was the best place I came up with at that time.” “Blink, where’s Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked, staring him down. “In the castle’s dungeon.” “What?” Dash jumped. “He’s right . . . it was the safest place at the time we were attacked,” Twilight said with a sigh, plopping down on the floor. Meanwhile, Blink cast a spell, a freshly summoned shadow clone nodding at him as it walked into a dark corner of the room, disappearing completely. The stallion then brought a hoof up at his head, trying to hold back a winch of pain. “Where’s Spike?” came the hushed voice from under the covers of the room’s large bed. Rarity embraced the pegasus as she came out of her cover, patting her mane gently. “It’s alright darling, nothing is going to happen to you here. I’m sure Spike is perfectly fine, is he, Twilight?” she asked, her voice straining as her eyes begged for a happy piece of news. “Yes, Spike’s perfectly fine. I’ve sent him back to Ponyville to check up on everyone else back home. He’ll check your farm first AJ, but I’m sure nothing happened to them.” “Thank ya’, sugarcube. Ah’ don’t know what I would do if anything would ‘of happen to Applebloom and the rest.” Another muffled sob came from the pegasus held tightly by Rarity. “Shhh, it’s okay . . . no one can hurt us here,” Rarity repeated, gently rocking back and forth, as to calm her friend. Slowly, it became obvious that she too was barely holding herself from breaking down. “I want to see Big Mac,” the pegasus said, still trying to take cover under the sheets. Blink darted his eyes between every pony in the room. Even Rainbow Dash was on the verge of crying as she paced nervously around the window. He had pondered whether it would have been a good idea to mention that Trixie was involved in the attack, but seeing them in that state made it seem like a bad idea for the moment. He looked down at Twilight, who was standing on the cold floor, her ears flopped down and her eyes on the brim. The stallion wrapped a hoof around her, squeezing her to his chest. “It’s gonna be alright, Twi. I won’t let anything happen to you, or our friends, okay?” A dark patch grew on the wall nearby. When it was large enough, the shadow clone Blink had summoned stepped through, followed by Pinkie Pie. Her eyes were tired and her mane was flatter than usual, her joyful smile all but gone. Everyone rushed to embrace her, silence weighing heavily in the air. “I need to go. Don’t worry, I’ll just be talking with the Princess,” Blink said. “I promise you’ll be safe, the whole capital should be on lockdown by now. The castle is the first place to be swept for any kind of danger, but I’m leaving him here for now; if something happens, I’ll be here in an instant.” He nodded at his shadow clone, then made his way towards the door. “Blink, wait!” The rushed hoofsteps of his beloved were followed by a strong hug. He sunk his head into her mane, knowing he would dread every second away from her. “Take care of the girls, I’ll send extra security in this tower just in case.” *** *** *** The fresh candles and torches burned brightly, filling the large room with a pale, yellow light. Ponies were rushing around the place, mounting lights and stocking up the large round table in the middle with scrolls, paper and quills. Several pegasi hovered in front of the large, wide wall, removing a huge, yellowed map and replacing it with a new one. Luna walked in, a large escort of mixed day and night guards walking behind her. Their armors were different from the ones of normal guards: they were bulkier and covered the entirety of their bodies; only the white in their eyes could be seen through the visors. Gold and dark blue trails of magic were left in their wake, as every piece of equipment was enchanted to make the heavy armors lighter. Their steps resounded in the chamber, the guards marching in perfect sync behind their Princess. One of the workers walked towards her, joining Luna in her hurried step. “Apologies your highness, this is all that we could do about the lights on such a short notice, the room hasn’t been used in centuries and no wiring was installed in the meantime.” “Tis not a problem, we have all that we need. Hurry your stallions out, matters of great urgencies are to be discussed here.” Taking a bow, the worker stallion then let out a loud whistle, signaling his work colleagues to finish up and leave. As they left the room, Shining Armor entered, followed by several army-dressed stallions and mares. The Princess’s elite guards lined themselves against the four edges of the room, standing as a second set of walls between the outside and their leader. She circled the large round table, eventually reaching the two massive chairs that stood out from the rest, facing the large map on the opposite wall. She ran her hoof along the slightly larger chair, then, after a few moments of lingering, took her seat on the one that belonged to her. The doors closed, and the ponies all sat around the wooden table, some of them more nervous than the others. Shining Armor was to Luna’s left, levitating several scrolls in front of him. Whispers sparked between the table occupants, but were immediately cut off by Luna as she dressed her voice. “I assume you all know why you are here. This year’s Grand Galloping Gala was interrupted by dramatically, unforeseen events.” Luna’s eyes traveled around the table, seeing too many new, unfamiliar faces for her liking. “First of all, Shining Armor; if you may, please inform everyone of the specifics that took place tonight and make the necessary introductions and announcements.” “Uhh sure, Princess. Gentlecolts, mares . . . first I want you all to know that the Princess of the Crystal Empire, Mi Amore Cadenza, will not be attending this meeting as she is tending to the security of her . . . of our heir, Emerald Armor,” Shining corrected himself. Several sets of eyebrows raised at the odd use of the pronoun, which the stallion noticed immediately. “I say our heir because today I would have announced my stepping down from the title of Captain of the Royal Guards, and officially joining my wife on the Crystal Empire throne. That said, plans have changed drastically. As you all know tonight, the royal castle has been the target of a changeling attack. There were no threats made previously and no one is claiming the responsibility for it, which makes me believe this was ordered from the Changeling Hive city by none other than the current queen, Chrysalis.” Rumble spread out across the table but it all settled down when Shining cleared his voice loudly. “There are a total of 43 casualties, including guards and civilians. General Blueheart is among those that died, as well as all three active lieutenant generals. Most majors present tonight have been killed, as well as numerous colonels. Following this attack and from gathered information that I will reveal shortly, I want to let you all know that Equestria is now in an official state of war.” “War?” A rather old unicorn stood up while the rest erupted in discussions. “Equestria hasn’t seen war in over a millennia. What happened to the diplomatic preemptive approaches? Princess Luna, are you approving this?” “Yes, Dark Shine. In fact, I’ve personally appointed Shining Armor as General of the Army minutes after the attack. And he has not finished his announcements yet.” The pony’s mouth opened to say something else, but he decided against it and sat back down while the room quieted down. “That being said,” Shining resumed, “I now have to appoint tree new generals to replace those that we . . . lost today. They’ll answer directly to myself and Princess Luna only, and each of them will organize their respective troops.” The room fell into a deep silence, everyone looking left and right at their possible new commanders. “Major General Iron Hooves . . .” The mentioned stallion pinned his forehooves into the table to lift himself up at attention. His wide shoulders and buff frame dwarfed his table neighbors, making them look like foals compared to him. “You are now the Earth Lieutenant General,” Shining Armor stated, nodding at him. The earth stallion responded with a silent, disciplined salute. “Archmage Dark Shine,” Shining continued, looking at the unicorn across the large table that had previously interrupted him. “You now also bear the title of Lieutenant General of the Unicorns. I suggest you get accustomed to it and the responsibilities it comes with, because there doesn’t seem to be a diplomatic way out of this.” “Yes . . . sir,” the stallion muttered, his face locked into a neutral expression. “And finally, Lieutenant Spitfire; you just became the youngest Lieutenant General in recent history, and you will oversee and lead the pegasus in battle. Also, your Wonderbolts team is re-introduced into active service.” “Sir, yes sir!” the young fiery mare shouted with a firm salute. “If I may, what battles are we even talking about? But more importantly, sir, how did we even get in this situation in the first place?” a yellow unicorn mare with red mane asked from her seat. “I can answer that, Shining,” Luna stepped into the conversation, drawing all eyes on her. “I believe this is a plan set in motion by the griffons. Last year they’ve been trying to convince us to void the ‘International Integrity Decree’ that kept the boundaries of every kingdom secure from one another. They’ve deceived our informants by faking the intention of attacking the Changelings. The reality is that they wanted to catch us off-guard.” Luna floated a couple of red circles of paper and placed them on the map, in the ocean between the two continents. “They’ve been amassing troops for the past year and reports are coming in that they are crossing the ocean and will be debarking near Port of Issac within the week.” She then floated three green circles and placed them up in the north, to the right of the Crystal Empire. “Scouts have also brought word of huge swarms of changelings in these areas, split into three groups. Two of them heading to each of our coasts and the third one coming south towards us, through the Searing Canyons.” “How is this even possible? Shouldn’t we have been notified of this earlier? I’m sure that many changelings would raise alarms somewhere over our northern outposts,” Spitfire voiced her thoughts. “The reason why we didn’t see them earlier is that they were not there. Not yesterday, at least.” All eyes in the room widened, shock starting to take refuge in everyone’s hearts around the table. “They traveled over the Frozen Canal and penetrated our mainland in almost a day; they ignored the Crystal Kingdom completely.” “The decision we have to take now is what to do in regards to our troops,” Shining said, picking up where Luna had left. “Our reserves are scattered across the main cities but if the Changelings keep advancing at this pace, there’s no telling what city they’ll end up attacking. Las Pegasus and Fillydephia are in full alert as we speak, but we need to make a decision with haste.” Shining looked across the table, searching for an answer to his question. None of the ponies knew what to tell him. None of them had ever been in such a situation ever before, save for Luna. War however was something she had not been part of in over a millennia, and the loneliness she felt as she gazed on the larger, empty seat next to her almost overthrew her entire experience. The hinges of the room’s large doors screeched as they swung open, a gust of slightly colder air rustling the candle flames across the War Chamber. From the entrance, a midnight blue stallion stared at everyone inside. *** *** *** “Sun goddess, no more water cans?” “There will be no need for more water Dune Flower, what I’m carrying should be enough for her.” Celestia floated the last water bag into her already packed satchel, carefully tying the straps together to secure it in place. “Long journey, hard journey, won’t you need to drink?” the zebra insisted. “No, I will need no water for myself, it would only make me heavier.” The adult zebra in the hut patted the soft mane of her young child, whispering shooting words into her ear. The chief of the tribe bore a curious look on his face, his eyes locked onto the white alicorn in front of him. Flower kept pulling on the straps, locking into place the base of a large harness over Celestia’s back. “It is ready, sun goddess,” she declared after a few more checks. Celestia then leaned close to the ill zebra, her yellowish magic engulfing her completely. The Princess levitated the zebra onto her back, sprawling her across her entire form. She tucked the unconscious zebra’s forehooves across the joints of her wings so that they wouldn’t get in the way, while her mother and Flower closed the last straps of the harness. The chief said a few words, looking at the mother of the sick zebra, before turning to Celestia, carrying on the conversation. “He said: we are grateful for the help, we feel unworthy of your presence and we all pray that she makes it through the journey.” “Before I leave, could you tell me her name?” The Princess asked, realising she never found that out. “She is called Gal’ Neea . . . Early Shimmer; on her day of birth, she came on this world right as your sun rose.” The mother gave her child one last hug, before throwing her hooves around Celestia’s neck, telling her something between sobs. “She said: forgive me, white one, but I’m grateful for your help. My child’s soul is in your hooves, guide it where you see fit.” Celestia said nothing as she went through an internal struggle to maintain her composure, trying her best to look as reassuring as possible for the mother of the one she was about to travel with back to Equestria, in a desperate race to save her life. She stepped outside, followed by the three zebras. The sun was still high in the sky, casting its merciless rays across the vast desert. “I will teleport as far as my magic can take me, then fly towards my kingdom. I’ll send word back when I reach Canterlot. I hope I will make it back in a week.” The villagers had gathered again, watching the three zebras and the alicorn with one of their own on her back. “Our village will stay here, wait for news from the green lands, we thank you again, sun goddess.” “Please, call me Celestia. I’ll go now, make room around, and cast your eyes away.” Magic from Celestia’s horn slowly engulfed her, the aura growing into a large translucent sphere of light, getting brighter and brighter. The zebras gazed in amazement at the light, stepping back from the alicorn. A buzzing noise also got louder and louder as yellow waves of magic circled the growing sphere around the Princess. Her shape could still be distinguished clearly through the yellowish sphere, her eyes shut in concentration. The sand around them took to the air, blown away by the immense air pressure near the sphere’s edge. Celestia then opened her eyes, taking one last glance at Flower. All the zebra could see was a pair of white eyes looking at her for a split second. The sphere imploded, releasing a powerful blast wave that lifted the sand around it in an expanding circle. As the dust cleared, only a large, burnt patch of sand could be seen where the white alicorn stood moments before. *** *** *** A distant sound in the late night woke up the sleeping stallion out of his slumber. Silver Wisp stood up on his haunches, the sound of the siren instinctively waking him up. The sound however was different from his usual mornings at the guard barracks; the bed was softer too, and the sheets, finer. His eyes widened in the darkness. He snapped his head to the side, his suspicions immediately confirmed: he was not in Canterlot. Redheart was waking up as well, rubbing her eyes awake with a hoof. “Silver, what’s going on? Is that the emergency alarm?” The white mare instantly sprung up, rushing to a wardrobe nearby. “I have to get to the hospital, something bad must have happened.” She dug around the wardrobe, pulling out a large backpack with a red cross on it. “Where’s your local guard post? I have nothing on me,” the stallion said, grabbing his pack and following Redheart out the door. “It’s right down near the town square, left from the mayor’s office. There should be at least one pony on duty at this time- is that . . . Spike! Spike!” she yelled after the dragon passing by high above them. He turned his head and descended towards the two ponies, landing abruptly in front of them. Silver instinctively planted one of his forehooves in front of the mare, staring at the larger than him dragon with mixt emotions. “Silver, it’s all right, he’s Twilight Sparkle’s assistant. Spike, do you have any idea what’s going on?” Redheart asked, looking around for any obvious signs she must have missed. “The capital is closed . . . there was an . . . attack at the Gala tonight,” he said, taking quick breaths before each few words, exhausted from the effort required to reach Ponyville in such a short time. “Twilight sent me here to check on everyone.” “The Gala? Is the Princess safe? Who did this?” Silver asked immediately. “Princess Luna’s fine. The changelings did this, don’t know any more than that. What’s with the alarm?” “All the cities in Equestria sound their emergency sirens when an attack is made in the capital. Last time I heard it was the royal wedding over three years ago . . .” Silver Wisp was staring into the distant speck of light that was Canterlot, realising he wouldn’t be able to get back into the city, at least not for some days. “I’ll go check on someone, I haven’t seen anything wrong at Applejack’s farm on at the hospital. I don’t think you need to get there, nurse Redheart, but if you do, please stay safe.” Spike then sprung up into the air, making his way towards the library with great haste. The two ponies left behind in the darkness of the street looked at him as he flew away. Silver checked the surroundings one more time, making sure nothing lured in the shadows. He then draped a hoof around Redheart’s shoulders and after a quick hug, they slowly returned to her house. In the village, lights went on in all the houses one by one, as the dreaded sound of the siren pierced the calm night. In under a minute, Spike came down in a rough landing in front of the library. He slammed the door open and crawled inside through the door. “Ruby? Ruby are you here?” “Who?” “Not now, Owlowiscious,” he dismissed the bird perched on a coat hanger that just woke up. “Who? Who!” “I said I’m not-” The dragon stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the bird was staring out a small window facing the back garden. He bolted out the back door and noticed in the last moment a silhouette slipping into the distant forest. “Ruby!” He shouted, extending his wings and taking flight. He reached the forest in a heartbeat, but his friend was nowhere to be seen. The darkness of the untamed forest was everything he could see; but not the only thing he could smell. Ruby’s distinct scent filled his nostrils, and drawing from his instincts, he immediately began the chase. No branches or bushes stood in his path as he raced across through the thick forest, scarce rays of moonlight barely penetrating the foliage. His pupils were wide and slit to the brim, catching the tiniest hint of light and revealing the path his nose indicated him. Soon, he reached a cave, and for a second time, he carried on without giving it much thought. As he rushed deeper and deeper into the hollow, he came to an abrupt stop as he smashed against something hard, yet movable. “Ughhh!” The air in his lungs made a quick escape through his mouth as he fumbled around, trying to get up from whatever he had bumped into. “Spike, that hurt!” came Ruby’s annoyed voice from somewhere underneath him. The dragon froze, realising the uneven ground under his claws was actually Ruby’s body. He recoiled off of her, the blood in his cheeks already boiling. “Uhh, sorry. What are you even doing here?” “I was sleeping in your room when I heard this loud noise. I went outside the library and this pony that came out of a house screamed when she saw me and fled inside her nest. I thought your guardians would come to hunt me.” “Guardians? We don’t have-” he shook his head, prioritizing his thoughts. “There was an attack on our capital, the sirens you heard are just a way to alert everyone that something bad happened and they should be ready. I found out when I came here that they sound off in all the cities in Equestria.” “Then why did that pony scream when she saw me and fled into her nest?” “-home, we call them homes; and ponies are very scared of strange, new things, especially in this town, and especially with a siren going off in the middle of the night-” A deep growl resonated through the cave. Spike froze, while Ruby immediately assumed a defensive stance, laying all four of her legs on the ground, her scales and fins standing straight. They could feel the floor shake slightly with each thud. Another dragon soon appeared from the depths of the cave, several times bigger than any of them. Spike remembered too late why he had an off feeling about going into that cave. He placed an arm in front of Ruby, slowly backing away towards the exit. “Hey there, buddy! Long time no see, huh? Sorry for barging in unannounced . . . again; we’ll just be on our way-” Completely ignoring him, the large dragon prepared a lethal swing with his razor sharp claws. Right as he was about to deliver the blow, Ruby boldly stepped between him and Spike, lifting several chest scales with her claws, exposing the thin skin covering her heart. “Kiir se Wuth-Gein!” She said with confidence and determinacy in her voice. The dragon stopped mid-swing, starring the pulsing skin under her scales. Spike simply stood behind her in shock, unable to comprehend what was going on. Eventually, after several tensed seconds, the cave occupier lowered his hand. “Leave . . . never return,” his deep voice bounced against the walls, resonating in their very bones. Ruby turned around and made her way out, making sure Spike was closely behind her. “What just happened? What language was that?” He asked as when they found themselves back in the forest outside. “It was the old dragon tongue. It’s not spoken than much these days but all dragons at least a century old know it,” Ruby explained. “So why do you know it?” “I’ve been learning it on my own. Remember those books in my cave that you couldn’t read? Those contained ancient teachings passed down by our ancestors in the old tongue. Is it safe to go back now? I would feel better back in your territory.” “Sure, let’s get out of here.” Ruby flared her wings, lurching herself upwards towards the sky. Spike followed her and soon they were out of the thick forest, basking in the late moonlight. The short journey back to the library was quiet and uneventful, but Spike could notice Ruby was troubled by something. They landed on the large balcony they slept on the day before. The dragoness curled her tail and tucked her feet in, gazing out towards the distant mountains and the capital on it. “Were any of your friends hurt in the attack?” “No, but a lot of other ponies died. I came here to check on the village and, well, you. I’m glad everyone here is fine though.” “I’ve read that Changelings are the most deceptive of creatures, but our kind had never come into contact with them. I’m sorry for the ones that perished today.” “It’s the second time they attacked us in recent years. It’s just . . . I feel like there is much more to it this time,” Spike said, recalling the royal wedding events with sadness in his voice. They both stood there in silence, before Spike decided to bring back one thing from their recent encounter. He sat next to Ruby, his eyes ever so slightly searching for hers. “When you said what you said to that dragon, you also showed him the skin under your chest scales. What does that mean?” She turned to him, knowing sooner or later he would ask her about it. She used her claws and again, exposed the soft tissue under the hardest scales a dragon has. Spike stared at the warm, pink skin underneath, noticing the beating heart which lay mere inches underneath the soft layer. He felt somewhat uncomfortable looking at that spot, but at the same time found it simply amazing to see the faint light radiating from the inner fire next to the dragon’s heart. “I did it to save ourselves . . . I’ve told him about my heritage; exposing the skin over your heart is the most sacred gesture of trust a dragon can show to another. It means that he vows with his own life that what he said or did was the truth and nothing but the honorable truth. Otherwise, the other dragon is allowed to run his claw through your heart if he knows as a fact that you were untruthful.” A thought flashed through Spike’s mind, something he had been wanting to ask her for a while, but never found the courage to do so. However, seeing Ruby stand up for him in front of a creature several times bigger than both of them and putting herself in the most vulnerable of positions, made him muster the needed courage to ask that very question: “So, is the diamond I gave you back when we met more than just a simple thank you gift now?” Ruby’s eyes widened, her heart visibly starting to beat faster in her chest. She looked down at her hand, which was still holding several scales by their tips. Her inner fire burned stronger as the realization came down on her that she couldn’t get out of that situation by simply ignoring the question or lying about it. As a dragon living alone for most of her life, emotions were something she usually dismissed, all up until the day Spike made that gesture unknowingly. Somehow, ever since that moment, the fire inside started burning differently. It wasn’t the symbolic meaning of the gesture that changed everything, but the warmth and kindness it was delivered with by the naive dragon. Her eyes eventually found Spike’s, the slight tremor in their pupils saying more than she ever could. With all the courage mustered, he grabbed her hand that held the scales up and cradled it gently. Ruby raised her other hand to his chin as their heads approached each other slowly. Their lips met into a soft kiss, which they held for as long as they could before breaking away for a breath of fresh air. Instinctively, their tails had found each other yet again, intertwining as their owners shared their first kiss. Spike scooted closer to her, while Ruby rested her forehead against his. High above the cloudless night, the moon stood witness to the young ones’ brewing love. That night, two fires burned stronger than ever in Ponyville. *** *** *** “I’ll leave thou to debate our options; I need to have a word with someone,” Luna excused herself, leaving the round table, and walking towards the blue stallion standing in the door. “My safety is assured, no need for additional escort,” she said to the elite guards that were about to follow her. She walked past Midnight Blink, giving him a quick glance that urged him to come with her. “Princess, what’s happening?” They walked into the adjacent room, the Throne Hall. Luna stopped near the two thrones, looking at the large banners hanging behind them that depicted her and her sister. “First of all, Midnight Blink, are the element bearers and their friends safe?” she asked, facing the stallion, a spark of concern hidden in her voice. “Yes.” “Are you all right?” “Uhh yes, Princess.” “That is good. As for your question, Equestria is at war. There are massive changeling movements north of us and gryphons are arriving at Port of Issac as we speak.” Blink opened his mouth to say something but no words managed to come out. He gave Luna a look of confusion mixed with anger as he tried to digest the news. “What now, then?” he asked after a few moments, for lack of a better question. “We prepare for battle. The safety of my ponies comes first however, so I will try to summon their representatives for a peace talk. If this conflict can be avoided, I want to make sure every possibility is attempted; it’s what my sister would have done . . .” Luna said distraught, staring at her sister’s banner. “And . . . how can I help?” “Midnight Blink, I would tell you that the best option for you would be to protect your fiancée, and your friends . . . far from the battlefield; but I assume you would go as far as to disobey that order.” “And I would do it without a bit of hesitation, Princess.” “I assumed that much,” she added with a faint smile. “Well, since there has been an opening recently, I would like to officially promote you.” “Promote me? Uhh, to corporal? Or . . . sergeant?” he dared. “Captain of the Royal Guard. More precisely, captain of my personal guard unit. It’s a mere formality, mind you, as the entirety of the Royal Guard will go into active duty for the war. What’s left are the ponies standing guard back in the war room, a mere platoon of highly trained guards specialized in fending off spies and guarding high priority targets.” “All respect considered Princess, that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with frontline war.” “It doesn’t, but as I said, it’s a mere formality. None of the military ponies you saw earlier have been through war or even witnessed war in their lives. Thou on the other hoof come from a world plagued by conflict. You may or may have not been part of any of that conflict, but it’s the best we have, and being Captain of the Royal guard secures you a seat at that table, where thine voice can be heard.” “I . . . I understand.” She started walking towards the Throne Hall’s entrance, leaving Blink behind, near the thrones. “I need to attend to some private affairs, return to your friends and rest for now, I will seek you later.” Luna thus left the large room, making her way towards the castle’s east wing. Rows of guards went up and down the corridors, taking a few moments to salute the Princess as she passed them. She eventually reached the busy reception inside the clinic ward, which was filled with wounded ponies from the earlier attack. A stallion in a white gown came to her assistance in a heartbeat. “Princess Luna, how may I be of assistance?” he asked with a quick bow. “I am looking for one of the injured ponies, as I wish to visit him. Last I heard he was in good condition.” “Absolutely, Princess. His name?” The doctor levitated a clipboard in front of him. “Chaser. Star Chaser,” Luna said clearly. “Hmm, last room down the west section; shoulder injury, just left magical surgery, stable condition and one hundred percent recovery rate over the next 72 hours.” “Thank you, doctor. Please, return to thine duties.” With another bow of his head and saying no more words, the doctor ran back to one of the less injured ponies awaiting triage, while nurses and other doctors swarmed around the busy reception. Luna turned towards the west section and made her way down the hallway, eventually entering one of the last rooms and closing the door after her. *** *** *** As Blink made his way back towards Twilight’s room, his vision went blurry all of a sudden, while his horn chucked a few blue stars of magic. “Ohh boy. Damn it, Rarity!” he snarled to no one in particular. He dragged himself up the stairwell, and barged right into the room, all the heads inside turning towards him. “What did you find out? Are you okay?” Twilight asked, worried a bit by his dazed appearance. Blink’s eyes went half lidded for a moment, several other sparks flying off his horn. He started swaying on his hooves but Twilight propped against him for support, just in time. “Your magic,” she whispered, her eyes turning a lighter shade of purple as she inspected the stallion’s inner magic field. “You’re having a minor burnout.” Blink shook his head and squeezed his eyes closed for a moment, before taking a step away from her, inside the room. “I panicked when we were attacked, used too much . . . but it’s not what’s causing the migraines though.” He looked at his clone, which was still there. Rarity was standing right beside it. “You intellectually stimulated it and triggered a surge in the link between us,” Blink said, pointing a hoof at the mare. “Never do that again.” “I’m so sorry darling, I just asked him-” “She asked me if I know that I’m not the real one,” the clone said, staring at Blink with empty eyes, his voice hollow as well. “Am I not?” Blink waived a hoof in the air, and the clone disintegrated into a gentle blue storm of particles. Silence fell in the room, which was eventually broken when Blink told everyone the latest news. *** *** *** The sun rose all too early the following morning, catching Twilight sleeping close to Blink, who was awake, eyes pinned against the ceiling of his fiancé’s old room. The night before, all six ponies listened to what he had found out from Luna, including his untimely promotion to Captain of the Royal Guard. In the middle of all that, Twilight’s horn lit up, a letter appearing in front of her. Spike had sent them news that nothing was wrong in Ponyville and told them that he would spend the night there, as he was too tired to fly back to Canterlot. Blink then called it a night and had several guards come in and personally escort everyone to nearby rooms so they could get some much needed rest. He and Twilight remained in her room. Blink got out of the bed, and looked outside a window, gazing across the entire capital. Hundreds of guards marched on the streets bellow, with as many pegasi roaming the skies above. He stared at the troubling scenery for a few more seconds, before turning his attention to the mare in the bed. He approached her and rested himself on the edge of her bed. A hoof hovered above her head, brushing away a few strands of her mane. Her beauty and the surreal calm of her sleep took his breath away, as it has always done to him. With a sigh, he sat up and left the room, making sure he made as little noise as possible. Outside, two heavy armored guards stood waiting for him. “Good morning, sir. Your new armor, as requested by Princess Luna,” they said, levitating a new set to his hooves. He darted his eyes from the equipment to the two guards, feeling slightly uncomfortable by being addressed like that. His magic surrounded the pieces, and he started walking, followed closely by the two stallions. “I assume there is an agenda planned for today,” Blink said, leaving the thoughts of his Twilight somewhere in the back of his mind. While walking towards nowhere in particular, he strapped the new armor to himself, piece by piece. It was a modified night armor, with straighter cuts and made out of a more durable material. He smiled at the sensation of the new straps, feeling the soft paddings around the parts that pulled the tightest around him. “Princess Luna requires your presence in the artefact room,” one of the guards stated as they marched alongside him. Blink followed them without saying anything else. Reaching a stairwell, they descended a few levels before turning left in a large corridor and ending up in a long, wide room. Hundreds of objects of various colors, shapes and sizes rested on pedestals or behind glass cases. Most of them were armor pieces, jewelry or even parchments and banners. The two guards led Blink into a smaller, adjacent room, stopping at the entrance. He went inside where, his eyes immediately met Luna but other ponies as well. He noticed the other ponies were all unicorns, one of them wearing an intricate attire, embroidered with various symbols. “Captain Midnight Blink, glad thou could join us,” Luna said with a slight nod. Blink returned the gesture. “Princess . . .” He then noticed everyone else was standing around a pedestal. Chills started running down his spine when he saw the object resting on it. “Is that the weapon Trixie tried to attack you with?” “It is indeed.” “An unspeakable insult to our race,” the robed unicorn spat, eyes fixated on the weapon. “Starswirl did not deserve such audacity.” “It’s his horn?” asked another unicorn stallion from the group. “Yes, that is indeed Starswirl the Bearded’s horn,” Luna said with surprising calm, gazing herself on the handle of the dagger. “This is indeed the mythical weapon that I’ve read about when I returned from my exile. This is the Magebane.” “How did Trixie get something like this?” Blink asked. “Most likely from the ones that motivated her to commit such acts of treason. The Magebane has been just a legend for most of the time, an artefact lost in a chain of trades and deals over the centuries. The last rumors dated decades ago placed it over the ocean, where the Gryphons reside,” one of the ponies studying it explained. “Be that as it may, the weapon is now safe from enemy hooves and claws. It shall be condemned to Tartarus as soon as this conflict ends. Until then, I will move it into the Royal Vault.” “Are we not using it against them?” Blink asked, probably a bit too soon after Luna finished her sentence. “The risks are far too high and the only ones we can use it against are changelings, which are easy to defeat as opponents. The rest of our enemies are non-magic creatures.” “The rest? I thought it was only the gryphons and changelings.” “That is something we’ll discuss in the next meeting. Until then, you are dismissed,” Luna said, looking at the rest of the unicorns in the room. “Save for you, Dark and Blink.” The two stopped in their tracks as they were about to leave, and turned to the Princess. “Dark Shine, this is Midnight Blink, the new Captain of the Royal Guard. And Blink, this is the new General of the unicorns, Dark Shine.” “Archmage Dark Shine,” the older stallion corrected Luna. “And you are the unicorn I’ve heard so many things about. A mere guard just days ago, a Captain today-” “That being said,” Luna cut him off, “Midnight Blink will not answer to you, Dark Shine. The Captain of the Royal Guard answers only to the General of the Armies and me, is that understood?” The Archmage shot her an almost defying glare underneath his frowned brow yet conceded when her eyes met his for a second. “Yes Princess. Anything else I can be of assistance?” “That would be all. Dismissed.” Dark left the room, not before giving Blink one last despised glance. The blue stallion simply smirked at the older unicorn as he made his way out. “Who’s that wimp?” Blink ask when the door of the secure room slammed closed. “He is Dark Shine, Archmage of the Royal Institute of Magic. He is, as we speak, one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria.” “Him? Are you sure?” “Don’t let his age fool you, Midnight Blink; he is times more knowledgeable than thou are in the field of Magic and although his potential is much lower than thine, at this point he would defeat you in a duel, I have no doubt about it.” “I understand. Well, what’s that meeting about?” Luna engulfed in magic the pedestal on which the weapon sat, and made it disappear, most likely in the Vault she had mentioned previously. “Two stories above,” she said, before black, cold fabrics engulfed her from every direction, leaving nothing in their wake. Blink’s mouth formed a slight smirk. He, in turn, dissipated into dark smoke, teleporting above into the War Room. When the magic around him cleared, he found himself in the large room he had found Luna and the other military ponies the night before. Everyone was there, and Luna was just about to take her seat. Shining armor sat to the right of Luna, next to a larger chair where Celestia would have stood. Dark Shine was there as well, shooting daggers at the blue stallion with his look. Blink approached the table, taking his seat on the last chair that was of normal size, the one left of Luna. His eyes went around the table, recognizing some of the military personal there; his eyes stopped on the chair between Luna and Shining. “Celestia has not returned,” Luna told him, noticing his stare. “Good, it’s probably for the best,” Blink said with spite, still harboring loathe for the former ruler. Luna said nothing, her eyes however holding disapproval and sadness. She took a deep breath, then faced the rest of the table. *** *** *** Celestia’s horn threw a couple of sparks, causing her to wince from the pain of her imminent burnout. She raised her head and looked around the empty desert. She had managed to teleport almost three hundred miles north of the zebra village, however she was still a long way from Equestria. In fact, the desert had not even ended. For the last twelve hours, Celestia had been walking through the freezing night, using what was left of her powers to coat the little zebra on her back in a warm, comfortable magic blanket. She was getting tired though and her magic waned as the hours ticked by. Her luck was that the sun was peering over the distant ocean of sand, and, for a few hours the temperature outside would be allow her to rest and regain some of her magic. A cough made her ears flinch back, towards the source of the noise. She craned her neck and cast a worried glance over to the zebra strapped in the harness. “It’s interesting how frail a spark of life can be,” a cold voice came from her side. A black pony without a cutie mark walked alongside her, as if it had been then for a long time. As the sun’s early light shined across his features, Celestia caught sight of his empty eyes, and couldn’t help but feel a knot in her stomach as she stared in the two spheres of infinite void. “You are not taking her,” she said firmly. “Oh, I’m not here for her; no, not yet. And I’m not here for you either, as you are not able to . . . die, so to speak. I came here to simply spectate this attempt to delay my visit.” “Then feel free to gladly spectate, away from her,” Celestia spoke as she carried on walking. “You see, I find something unfair about life,” Death continued, ignoring Celestia’s warning, “’I find it unfair that, as a Watcher, you are not allowed to harm any living creature in your world, while attempts to save one of these frail little things brings no consequences whatsoever.” “And your point is?” “No point at all, just bringing voice to my thoughts.” Celestia remained silent, continuing to walk with determinacy in her step. “I expected your brother to be here, not you,” she spoke eventually. “I think Luna would appreciate your company more than me.” “My brother is actually speaking with your student, and Luna is rather busy at this time.” Celestia stopped and turned towards the black pony. “He’s speaking with Twilight?” “He told me that the time has come for him to meet her. There are troubled times ahead for your ponies, Celestia; you most certainly have felt that in the recent days.” She remained silent, a silence that came only as an admission to His words. “I will go for now,” Death spoke in a serious tone. “She is slipping, Celestia, and I will come and take her if she falls. It is how things work.” The Princess looked back at the zebra, watching her back rise and fall slowly, too slowly. Death was gone, but Celestia did not care for that. She levitated a canteen containing a special herb tea to the zebra’s mouth, gently letting the content pour in her mouth. “We will reach Equestria, little one, I promise . . .” *** *** *** Twilight froze as she came back into her room in Canterlot’s castle from a breakfast with her friends. A pure white pony gazed out the window, almost as if he was admiring the scenery of the capital city. “Who- who are you?” Twilight asked, her horn lit up. A strange sensation was overcoming her, and he noticed immediately that the stallion had no cutie mark. “Twilight Sparkle,” he said, turning to her. “It’s nice to see you in- person; it’s been a while; you’ve grown so much.” “How do you know me?” she asked, taking a few, precautious steps towards him. Deep inside, Twilight knew almost immediately who the white creature in front of her was, but she couldn’t be sure. She felt His magic all around her, it was so powerful, assaulting all her senses. It was surreal, so different from any kind of magic she had ever felt; except for hers. “I believe you know very well who I am,” he said, a contagious calm sipping from his voice. “I- I have so many questions . . . who exactly are you, why did you choose me to become what I am today?” “I am the one that welcomes life into this universe. I know for a fact that your entire life was twirled around the concept of exact knowledge: science, facts, data, magic . . .” In the space between them, symbols, images and examples of those enumerations came and faded away one by one, his entire body glowing slightly as he brought life to His words. “While my own presence here is enough to shatter all those pillars you’ve built your believes around, I can only assure you that those concepts stand at the very base of my existence.” “Did you . . . create this world, the universe?” Twilight asked, gaining confidence and letting curiosity take over. The white pony laughed in a light manner, returning a smile to the thirsty-for-knowledge mare. “No, Twilight, I did not. There is a natural path one must follow in order to achieve information like that. I am inclined to say that you are a long way from that journey, and the visit from my brother that marks its start.” Twilight eyes widened at his words and all the implications. “However, I cannot stay here for long. I am merely here to tell you that there are hard times ahead, Twilight Sparkle. You will have to find it in you to rise above and use your powers to the greater good that they were meant to. What that entitles, is up to your very own judgment. Listen carefully though, that there will come a time, very soon, when you will have to make a decision, a decision that will shape your entire future. It will not be an easy one to make, but you will have to use your heart to make it, not your mind.” “What decision are you talking about?” She asked hurriedly, getting closer to the white pony. Life simply smiled at the unicorn, thus answering her question. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Her ears flopped, eyes begging for more time to talk to him. “A last word from me before I go: your inner strength; do not be afraid to use it for what is to come. I am not talking about your Lifebringer powers, I’m talking about what’s in here . . .” he said, placing the tip of his hoof over Twilight’s chest. As Twilight stared into his white eyes, feeling the very touch of Life over her heart, He disappeared into the early rays of the sun that permeated through the window. She stood there watching the window, her heart heavy with the regret of not spending more time with the one that changed her destiny. Twilight sighed, gazing out the window upon a nation readying itself for war. *** *** *** The War Room’s doors burst open. Shining Armor marched out, snorting steam through his nostrils at the decision that had been reached. Inside, Luna was sitting on her chair along with the rest of the table, a worried Blink at her side. “Princess, what he said makes sense. Now that we know minotaurs are in this as well, we should try not to let our enemies become even stronger.” “Captain, you know very well that they are only interested in the capital. We can’t expend troops over audacious missions like that,” she said firmly, addressing the stallion by his official title. Blink felt the harshness of her tone to the bones, yet he did not escalate his voice to match Luna’s. “If that middle swarm reaches Tartarus, it will be a matter of days until the guardian falls, maybe less. You don’t even want to tell us about everything that is in that place, and you expect him to be happy about letting the changelings get their hooves on it?” “The routes to Canterlot are blocked, we will have to handle the attack ourselves. Doesn’t thou not understand why we can’t risk sending a contingency to defend Tartarus? Our capital would be exposed, more than it is now! My orders were clear, we stand here and defend ourselves.” “We have a little over twenty thousand earth stallions readied,” Iron Hooves’ heavy voice came from the other side of the table. “We began urgent recruitment from the civilian population of the capital and the small cities and towns around it. By tomorrow evening, all stallions fit to fight will start learning how to use a spear or a sword.” “How about unicorns?” Luna asked, facing Dark Shine. “Ten thousand military magic users. Most of them however can’t do more than swing a weapon with their magic. I’m gladly leaving those in General Hooves’ command to do what he sees fit with them. What we have left is a shy over two thousand specialized unicorns: mostly healers, some teleporters, and just a few offensive mages.” “Twenty five thousand pegasus,” came Spitfire’s turn to report. “Most of them are based on Cloudsdale. However, I believe we can get almost fifteen thousand more from the coastal cities if I have your permission, Princess. They will have to go around the changeling swarms, preferably at night.” Luna considered the idea, but the decision came without hesitation. “Gather them. If what we hear from our scouts is true, the other two swarms will converge on our capital and join with the third.” “Princess, the third swarm, the central one that is heading towards the Tartarus Gates; we have information that Queen Chrysalis is in it,” a young pegasus mentioned, shuffling scrolls over the table. “It matters not. We hold our ground against the enemy, and ready our troops from the coast cities to come in our aid when the armies will come charging against the capital. Unfortunately all our diplomats’ attempts to bring the heads of the three hostile nations to a discussion have failed.” “What about our allies? Will they not help us?” a voice made itself heard from around the table. Approving noises accompanied the two questions. “The letters have been sent. Alas, do not put your faith in them, they are too far from us, both in distance and in spirit. You are dismissed, prepare your stallions and mares. We have but a few days,” Luna ordered, sitting up from her chair. Every pony in the room sat up at attention as the Princess made her way out. Following her request, Blink was at her side, trying to keep up with her large, hurried steps. “What about Shining? He didn’t take that news very well,” Blink said, reminding Luna about the General of the Armies that stormed out of the War Room before the meeting was over. “He needs to out his frustrations, but I am sure he will not disobey direct orders. He is too loyal to the crown and the kingdom, he will help us greatly in the war.” Blink continued to follow Luna as they went outside of the castle. Several guards flanked them, making sure no one would even look towards their way. The unicorn conjured two translucent lenses over his eyes to protect them from the outside light. “So why do you want me to come with you again?” “There is need for thine input on the matter of weaponry we have at our disposal. I am certain you will find the building we’re heading towards to your liking.” “The Royal Armory?” Blink asked, a smirk on his face. “Indeed.” End of Chapter 24