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// Preparing for Something Big 
// Story: Terror in Equestria 5:  One Thousand Years Later 
// by StormLuna 
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A week has passed in Ponyville and the spears are ready.  Colgate and Scootaloo head down to the blacksmith's shop to see if they are what they ordered.  Steel Mane saw them coming and said, "Colgate, Scootaloo!  I see you two are here to pick up your spears."

Scootaloo replied, "Yep, we are!  We need to start preparing for the dragon as soon as possible."

Colgate added, "Scootaloo, let's take a look at these first. Let's make sure they are sharp enough."

Colgate looked at the tips of the spears and could tell they were extremely sharp.  She just barely put her hoof on the tip of one of the spears and it cut her.  She knew that these would be perfect.  She said, "Steel Mane, you and your apprentices have done a perfect job.  This is exactly why you are the sole blacksmith for our military."

Steel Mane replied, "Well it is something that runs in my family's blood.  We have always had a knack for working with metal."

Colgate and Scootaloo levitated the spears and headed to the base.  Colgate said, "Alright Scootaloo, we will be having a brief meeting right after lunch and then we will start training everypony for this."

Scootaloo asked, "So will we be taking part in these too or will we simply be overseeing them?"

This question was one of those facehoof moments for Colgate.  She put her hoof up to her forehead and said, "Scootaloo, we will be taking part in them as well.  After all, this isn't like we are shooting energy at targets.  These will be the most difficult tests that any of us will ever be taking.  Now come on, let's get to lunch."

Everypony gathered for lunch and they could tell Colgate was planning something.  Fluttershy asked, "Colgate, I can see the wheels turning in your head.  What is running through your mind?"

Colgate replied, "I will discuss this in the meeting after lunch.  For right now let's just enjoy our meal."

Fluttershy nodded and the rest of their lunch went by as it normally would.  After lunch they headed into the throne room where Colgate addressed them.  She started, "Alright everypony, Scootaloo and I went and picked up the spears from Steel Mane this morning, they are perfect for the task at hand."

Brevity said, "Brevity takes it that task is killing the dragon that Twilight will be bringing with her."

Colgate replied, "Yes, that is what the task is.  However, there is something with these spears that you must know.  You must handle them very carefully."

Lyra asked, "Why do we have to handle them carefully?"

Scootaloo replied, "The spears themselves are made out of stainless steel but the tips are made out of titanium and are very sharp."

Colgate added, "The tips are so sharp that when I went to pick them up, i tested the sharpness.  I just barely put my hoof on the tip and it cut it, so these are extremely sharp.  Do not touch the tips.  The last thing we need is for us to become casualties to our own weapons.  Do you understand?"

Big Mac replied, "Eeyep!"

Colgate asked, "Everypony else understand?"

Everypony else replied, "Yep."

Colgate was very pleased with this.  She then told them to meet them down at the base in thirty minutes where they along with all the other soldiers would meet to test their skills.  Colgate asked, "Scootaloo, is the replica dragon ready?"

Scootaloo replied, "Yes, it is.  I even have the size of the soft spot accurate and it can maneuver like a normal dragon."

Colgate smiled and they headed down to the base.  She was amazed by what she saw when they got down there.  Every single soldier, both Alicorns, her other officers and ordinary soldiers were all there waiting for her arrival.  She looked at the dragon Scootaloo had made and it was beyond perfect to her.  

Colgate addressed her whole army.   She started, "Alright everypony, I am thrilled to see you here ready to start the exercises.  I think that with enough training, we will be ready to bring that dragon down.  If we can bring the dragon down, Twilight will be the only other real threat they will have.  Does anypony have any questions?"

One of the dark Alicorn soldiers asked, "Colgate, will we be firing at this dragon individually or will we be doing these exercises more like we would in the real life battle?"

Colgate replied, "We will be doing this like we would in real life.  Use your levitation skills to pick these spears up.  I have already told those in my inner circle this but do not, under any circumstances, touch the tips of those spears physically.  When I picked them up this morning I would up cutting myself when i tested them."

Lieutenant Dark Crystal said, "Wow, those must be really sharp!"

Colgate replied, "Yes, they are very sharp."

General Lightning Storm asked, "What about us changelings?  What are we supposed to do?"

Colgate replied, "All the changelings will be responsible for coating our enemies in ooze.  Just a note to everypony, be careful when throwing your spears.  I do not want to see us killing our own forces with errant throws.  Now let's get these exercises going."

Colgate set the dragon in motion and everypony began to fire the spears at the dragon.  As was expected, for about the first ten minutes, there were no strikes on the soft spot.  Finally Fluttershy was the first one to score a hit on the soft spot.  Brevity saw this and shouted, "Way to go Fluttershy!"

The exercise continued on for three more hours and there were just a few strikes on the soft spot.  Fluttershy scored six hits on it while Colgate and the other Alicorns scored anywhere from two to four.  Very few of the soldiers scored any hits.  This frustrated Colgate but she knew that with more practice, that everypony's accuracy would improve.

Finally suppertime arrived and Colgate shouted, "At ease soldiers!"  When she did this the exercise stopped.  Colgate continued, "You guys have done well.  We will continue our exercises at 0900 tomorrow morning.  Scootaloo, I want you to get all these spears gathered together and stacked nicely over at the base.  Those in my inner circle, after supper we will be having a meeting.  For the rest of you, you are dismissed."

After supper they all gathered in the throne room where Colgate said, "Well everypony, we did a little better than I had expected.  I think that by the end of the week we will have this down pretty good."

Applejack asked, "So what is going on with Twilight and her forces?"

Colgate replied, "Well they are thinking that I am going to write a spell to protect us from the dragon's fire, which I am going to work on tonight.  Twilight also seems to be underestimating our ability to bring Spike down."

Apple Bloom asked, "Why do y'all say that?"

Colgate replied, "Well for one, Twilight doesn't know how much titanium we have and she has vastly underestimated the abilities of Steel Hooves and his apprentices.  She is going on and on about how hitting a dragon's soft spot is next to zero and how we will never be able to hit it."

Sweetie Belle commented, "Well that sounds like Twilight, always getting up on her soap box and boasting about how great she is.  Just like last time, we will prove her wrong."

Colgate replied, "Yep, that is the case.  Alright everypony, you are dismissed.  Go home, get some rest and we will resume our exercises at 0900."

After that the exercises Colgate felt a sense of relief knowing that they were all on the same page.  She then headed down to the archives to figure out a spell to protect her forces from dragon fire.  She stayed up until midnight when she finally discovered what she needed to write the spell.  

She headed to her room and cast the spell on her dresser.  She began to glow and her horn was shining blue as she recited, "Dragon breath shall result in certain death, yet we must continue to draw breath.  His fire will make us burn but our death he will not earn.  While he desires for our burned bodies to decay, we shall continue to live so we may fight another day."

She then threw a lighted torch onto the dresser yet the torch landed on the dresser yet it did not burn.  She was pleased with this and extinguished the torch.  She headed to bed that night in good spirits knowing that her forces would be immune from the fiery breath of Spike.

In Faustica Twilight was holding a meeting outside in the courtyard with all of her forces.  She said, "Alright everypony, I think here in a few days we should set sail for Equestria.  We just need to remain calm and I will reclaim what is rightfully MINE."

Galaxia interrupted and said, "Don't you mean we will reclaim what is rightfully yours?"

Twilight glared at her and sneered, "Oh fine.  We will reclaim what is rightfully mine."

Cosmos asked, "When are we going to do exercises to prepare for this?  We can't just go into battle completely unprepared."

Twilight replied, "Oh, and where are we supposed to have these military exercises.  There isn't really enough room here on Alicorn Island and I don't want to duplicate the regular soldiers until we get to Equestria.  After all, we don't have the resources to feed that many soldiers for a four day voyage."

Spike asked, "Where am I going to ride during this voyage?  There isn't room for a dragon on a regular ship."

Cosmos replied, "We will take the carrier as well and you will ride on it.  There will be just barely enough room for you."

Twilight asked, "Well I think that pretty much covers everything.  In four days I shall replenish my rank of officers and we will set sail.  Let's go have a snack, I'm hungry."

As they headed to the dining hall Colgate was watching this and realized that their enemy would be quite unprepared yet that they still need to be at the top of the game, especially given that Twilight will have Spike with her.