“I’ve never been to Saddlebrook,” said Twilight. “What was the town like?”
"As it happens," said Luna, "it had a major similarity with your hometown of Ponyville, in that both were founded on a magical crop. For Ponyville, of course, you have the zap apples. In the case of Saddlebrook, the crop was flood maple syrup. Halfway up a mountain called Mount Upandride, there was a vast lake. During the spring thaws, the lake would flood the land below. Over many years this had produced fertile land on which grew magical maple trees. The settlers of the town discovered the taste of the syrup that was tapped from them to be superior to anything that existed then or now. They had dammed the lake so that the irrigation was now controlled, and built their town further down the mountain, below the trees.
“The town had been laid out with its major roads as a kind of bent square. Two roads traveling east and west followed the curve of the mountain, and at either terminus connecting roads ran north and south. Because of the limitations of flat ground for building space, the homes and shops were tall, some reaching three or four stories, and the alleys that connected the town in between the square outer roads were narrow. Both the western and eastern roads continued north into the trees. At the northwest corner was the town square, and it was there that we gathered for a counsel of battle.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We stood in the town hall and conferred with the mayor of the town and Captain Storm. We had expected to find battle already in progress, but were informed that it was yet to come.
“We believe that the enemy is mustering his strength,” the mayor had said, “for it is not a long distance to the border where they broke through. Yet In the three nights since the crossing we have seen campfires moving steadily up the mountain and increasing in number as they come. Where they are finding their numbers nopony knows, but if the rate of progress goes as it has, then this day we shall be reached by an army equal in number to all the ponies in this town. And then we’ll know whether they mean to invade or to besiege us.”
“Let us hope that they are foolish enough to attempt a siege,” We said. “At the first sign of such We can fly back to Canterlot and obtain reinforcements that can ride upon their rear in only two days and grind them to dust. It will be the shortest siege in history.”
“If they do attack, they must come up the west road, as it is the only road that continues down the mountain. I have told our strongest ponies to barricade themselves at the entry point and make our stand there, to stop them from dispersing throughout the town.”
Captain Storm spoke up. “It is a good plan, but depends on hoof-to-hoof fighting at a single point, and if you’ll forgive me, mayor, you are farmers, not fighters. If the nerve of our line breaks, they can overrun us and disperse as you say.”
“What would you suggest?”
“Let us instead plan for our failure and fail in our own time. Fell trees and use them to block the entries along the southern, eastern, and northern roads. Then take the largest tree you have and stand it at the southwest corner where they must come to. We can feint a retreat there, and drop the tree to block that road as well, forcing the enemy to take the long way around the town. As they spread out, we can attack from the upper floors of the buildings along those roads for attrition, then make our final stand here.”
“Our trees are our livelihood. The ponies of this town will be loath to see them felled.”
“It is a question of your livelihood versus your lives, mayor.”
“What if they have pegasi? Road access will not matter to them.”
“They cannot stop the interdiction from the houses along the roads, and as for the town square itself,” The captain thought a moment. “How many pegasi do we have?”
“Perhaps a dozen who will fight.”
“That will suffice unless the enemy are all pegasi, and if that were the case they would not be following the road. We will still be working downhill and they uphill, and our ponies in the air will stop them as they come up. They will have to.”
“And we will have the only spellcaster in the air,” We said.
The mayor turned to Us. “I am no tactician. It seems a good plan, but I cannot decide such things.”
“We are also not experienced in battles. But We will trust this campaigner and follow his plan. Captain, will you take three of the guard troop and lead the feint at the front gate, and ask Forest Path and the others to lead the stand in the square? We will trust to strategy at first, and passion at the last.”
“Agreed.”
It was a good plan, and yet it was doomed to failure because of inexcusable errors on Our part. We had forgotten or ignored the report of how the enemy came upon the guard post in the guise of friends, and of this We failed to inform the defenders of the town. We joined with fifteen pegasi in the air defense, and their spirits were high at Our presence. They felt that they were invincible with a princess of Canterlot in their ranks, and We were not about to lower their morale by confessing Our trepidation.
The marching force of earth ponies and unicorns fell into the feint as we had hoped, though the trap was sprung sooner than we had thought it would. We hoped that the blocking of the western road would trap some of the invaders who came too far forward too soon, but instead, seeing ponies who looked like their kin attacking them, confusion reigned. The captain, rather than see the plan fail and the town overrun along the west road, ordered our defense to fall back and drop the blockage immediately. The enemy column turned along and took the long path, moving swiftly. But then We had no time to pay attention to the ground, for the opposing pegasi came up, and that was when We had a great shock, for leading the opposition, We saw Princess Celestia.
Many things that We did or failed to do that day warrant great shame, but of one thing We are proud: We did not for a moment think that Our sister was truly in the ranks of Our enemies. We recognized it for a foul doppelganger, and, led the charge down the mountain, enraged.
We had said in the counsel that our side would have the only aerial spellcaster, and in that We were wrong. Though the mockery was not the equal of Our sister in magic, it was still a dangerous foe, and We struggled to neutralize it. For many minutes we fought hoof and wing and horn, and the shade taunted Us.
“Why, dear sister, how ever can you bring yourself to stand against your beloved Celestia?”
“Speak not that name, filth! You have corrupted yourself enough by assuming a form well above your station. Say rather why you lead an attack against a peaceful town!”
“Lead? Oh, no, sister of mine, I do not lead. We attack with one will, the will of one who will soon be lord of all Equestria!”
It was then that We remembered the black beast spoken of by Captain Storm, and from the corner of Our eye saw the shadow of its figure in the line that was advancing north along the eastern road.
“The ponies of this town are brave, strong, and intelligent,” We said, returning the taunts of the imitator. “They will never yield this town to you!”
“Ha! So be it. You and yours may hold this town until you die. But we may see that that comes sooner than you like!”
But its boasting was its undoing, as this kindled even greater rage in Our heart. We cast from Our horn a spell which pierced all its defenses. As We threw it to the ground it lost its usurped form and crumbled into dust.
The rest of the battle had been a stalemate. Our advantages of tactics and height had been nullified through hesitation or fear of striking a companion. Every pony saw in the enemy the face of some loved one, and was loath to attack. The fighting had reached the town square as planned, but it was much closer than hoped.
But in the midst of the chaos a voice rang out loud and true. Young Forest Path had been tussling with one of the enemy that had taken the face of the fallen brother whose grave We had hallowed. He raged and felt no fear, and he struck down his target, then climbed on a fallen stone and called out:
“Citizens of Saddlebrook! Do not allow your love of your kin to be your undoing! Each of us in our hearts knows love from hate! Mark not the faces of the enemy but their deeds, and fear not to strike against those who come to take this town. Charge!”
Perhaps this battle cry held magic We wot not, for as if it had lifted the veil from all of our eyes, we saw the enemy for themselves and no longer hesitated. Stampeding upon them, the ponies of Saddlebrook won the charge with fire in their eyes and drove the enemy in shambles back along the road and down the mountain.
But another veil fell from Our eyes as We saw that the leader of the enemy had not made the turn along the northern road, but continued north through the trees, climbing the mountain, until it was nearly at the dam. Then all the devices of the enemy became clear, and we took to the sky to reach it first. As we alit we saw for the first time clearly the leader of the opposition.
As a great black bull he appeared, and his hoof-stamps rent the ground as he trampled. Long horns spread out from his gnarled head, and his eyes glowed a sinister crimson. He snorted and We dove in to challenge him.
The spells We cast were to displace, and then to damage him, but whether because of some malevolent defense he possessed or whether his hide was so thick that We could not penetrate it, he shrugged them off. On he came through the maple trees like a juggernaut, and endlessly We tacked to the air to get in front of his path. Where it finally burst out to the dam itself We placed Our body and prepared for hoof fighting, but he gained unnatural speed and shouldered Us out of the way until We crashed to the ground. Then he took his position at the eastern end of the dam and turned to face the town.
He looked down on Saddlebrook and a deep laughter came from him, his voice shaking the mountain like an earthquake.
“Foolish ponies, your playful dance with my shades gave me a fine opportunity to sneak past you up the road. Cower before me in your last seconds of life! Now perish, but know the name of who has bested you. I am Taur, Master of Shadows!”
And he ran along the dam, striking its supports and piercing it until a torrent of water shattered the structure completely, flowing down the mountain. It was to consume the trees, the livelihood of Saddlebrook, and then it was to consume its ponies.
We soared down the way We had come as fast as We could fly. The call went up throughout the doomed town. “Flee! Run for your lives! Save the mares and foals!” Brave deeds had been done in the battle, but at this moment when all was lost the true spirit of the town came to the fore. Earth ponies carried loads of foals far beyond what should have broken their backs, and charged down the mountain toward safety. Pegasi, who could have easily flown above the flood and saved their own lives, dove back in time and time again to carry out those who had no wings. More than one was overtaken by the water before they could reach the sky. And as the water broke upon the road that led down, a dozen unicorn stallions, in full knowledge of the consequences, faced north and cast a spell to create a tunnel which held back the water, until it rushed in from the east to drown them. The act bought only seconds, but how many ponies’ lives were saved by those seconds none can say.
We dove into the town, landing near a home where many mares had fled with their young. They thrust the foals toward Us, begging for aid. Without stopping to think of those we could not reach, lest We hesitate and doom all including Ourselves, We grabbed those We could and bore them on Our back and in Our hooves, then flew down to where the others were gathering. Some distance beyond the entrance there was a higher plateau that might have eventually served as an expansion to the town. Now, as the flood flowed past, it was to be where the ponies looked upon their homes for the last time. As We landed and deposited the wailing colts and fillies, We turned as well to witness the carnage. The torrent had calmed, but the waters had reached all but the highest structures. The town of Saddlebrook was destroyed.