"I thought you were going to eat, not read."
Pan chuckled as he continued researching the books before him. He had to admit, the confusion of both Luna and Celestia was understandable, given that in the current timeline, changelings had never existed, and would never exist again after Pan. In a way, that made Pan a little sad, since that meant that, unless he decided to pursue becoming a pony, he'd never have little Pan-lettes of his own. But on the other hoof, it meant that the ones here who had fled the Crystal Empire in the 'Prime' timeline would get to live the long, happy lives, as would every one of their descendants, as ponies.
And that was why he was digging through books of heraldry: Because the high houses of the changeling aristocracy had started somewhere, and Pan was certain that origin was here, in the nobility of the Crystal Empire...
"I don't eat like a pony does," Pan admitted, as he copied down another coat of arms, then sketched an image next to it. "I absorb love energy from others for sustenance, so I'm actually eating all the time, due to the Crystal Heart, combined with the adoration of my subjects. While I burned through a noticeable portion of my stockpile with that little piece of theatrics a little while ago, I've still got enough to last for... well, unless I make a habit of shows like that, I'll have bigger concerns to worry about before running out of love energy: The sun going out, for example."
Her eyes widening slightly, Celestia asked, "You really have that much?"
Nodding, Pan answered, "Yes. I'd never realized just how much love energy can be found in a city this size, nor had I realized how big a difference there is between love freely given and love taken through subterfuge. Every hour of the day, I gain more love than I thought could be found in the world. I... I don't think there's a true limit to how much energy I can contain, but if there is, it's very, very high." Finding another candidate, Pan scribbled down another copy.
Luna, an eyebrow raised, asked, "Is that why you've been growing?"
Pan took a deep breath, then admitted, "It's a possibility. I've noticed that I've gained a bit of height, and muscle, since I've come here, when I should not be: Most changelings reach their full growth at fifteen, and I'm well past that point. At first, I thought that I was imagining things, but when Luna and I woke up this morning, and I realized we were both of equal height, I could no longer deny it." Letting out a sigh, he continued, "The problem is, normally only the queen gets this tall, with only a few notable exceptions. So is it a result of my stockpile of love energy, a result of my having become a member of royalty, or something else? There are no experts on changeling anatomy or biology, so your guess is as good as mine."
Nodding, Celestia said, "Given the... unique nature of your biology, I suppose that's understandable." Looking in interest at the notes that Pan was still in the process of making, the princess changed the subject, asking, "So, what is it that you are doing, right now?"
Finishing the sketch he was working on, Pan said, "Looking up distant relatives, you might say." At the confused look that both princesses gave him, he chuckled, then said, "Since changelings were originally crystal ponies that fled the city during Sombra's reign, it only stands to reason that there would be a direct correlation between the high houses of the changeling aristocracy, and noble houses here in the city. I'm checking the coats of arms for every noble house in the city, and noting which ones are similar to those that would have been used one thousand years later, potentially by their descendants."
After a moment's though, Luna asked, "While I can understand why that would be interesting to you, I am curious why you would elect to do that now, when you might be looking for clues to who sent those would-be assassins after you."
Pan, a half-smile on his face, stated, "I have a feeling that the two might be related. When I saw those youngsters a little while ago, nearly children, and thought about how somepony out there was willing to get them all killed just for the sake of discrediting me, do you know what the first thing that came to my mind was?"
Both princesses asked, "What?"
"That is not something a pony would do," Pan said, his expression neutral. "At least, not the kinds of ponies I saw in the world a thousand years from now. That kind of heartless action would be unthinkable to the equines I saw in the distant future." Frowning slightly, Pan added, "And to most commonborn changelings, such an action would be considered a terrible thing. But for a changeling aristocrat?" He snorted, then said, "Par for the course. In fact, something like this would be considered fairly tame."
Celestia, catching on quickly, asked, "So you're compiling a list of suspects, based upon what their descendants would be like?"
Nodding, Pan replied, "Precisely. Mind you, not all aristocrats were bad apples: Some of them could be quite noble, and served with distinction in the fields of infiltration, espionage, and even the military. But those were in the minority." With a sigh, he continued, "There was... I guess that there was some sort of mental problem in the aristocracy of the swarm, one that I think may have either been the result of inbreeding, or perhaps a hereditary defect that was present from the start, that caused the overwhelming majority of the aristocracy to develop severe sociopathic, or even psychopathic, tendencies."
"Forgive me if this is a foalish question," Luna interrupted, "but what is the difference?"
With a chuckle, the changeling said, "They're two difference flavors of crazy: A sociopath is an individual with a skewed moral compass. Things that you consider right or wrong would not seem right or wrong to them. They might find the taking of lives acceptable if it means reaching a goal. Mind you, a sociopath does have limitations: Killing person A, B, or C is fine, but killing person D, who is special to the sociopath, is completely unacceptable. Regarding this sociopath, it seems he places no value on the lives of commoners, but it's possible that he may place value on the lives of his fellow nobles, or maybe just his direct family members. That's just speculation, but we'll see..."
His expression turning more serious, Pan stated, "A psychopath is a completely different animal: They can be cruel, even violent. Even in ponies, they can behave in a predatory fashion, and they often crave control, power over others... and will go to any means to achieve it. Once obtained, they will not hesitate to use that power to inflict harm. What makes them especially dangerous is a tendency to attack first, rather than wait for a confrontation: Even a perceived threat is a target for violence. One of the biggest differences between the two is that unlike sociopaths, psychopaths tend to be bold, even fearless. A sociopath tends to be more cautious."
"Thankfully," he said, in conclusion, "I believe that we're dealing with a sociopath in this case: Psychopaths aren't afraid of direct confrontations, and this individual has gone to great lengths to avoid such a thing. Sociopaths feel fear, at least in regards to self-preservation, and yesterday's attack was definitely a fear response to my big announcement the previous day. I rattled him, and as soon as he gets word that I've caught his little assassins, and haven't executed them, he might have another fit."
Celestia, smiling, said, "Which is why you have the guards patrolling the palace and the surrounding area today, to catch any potential spies and assassins?"
With a toothy grin, the changeling stated, "Exactly. This time, we're going to take him completely off-guard." After a moment, Pan closed the book he was reading, then said, "My biggest concern is this: If the... mental problems present in the aristocracy from my time were not the result of inbreeding, then that would mean that there is an inheritable defect in one or more ponies here in the Crystal Empire. That means that, in addition to this sociopath, there's at least one psychopath present in the nobility here, possibly more... and birds of a feather are often found flocking together."
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"I really do not have time for this, Midnight," Scarlet Wake said to his surprise visitor. "My cousin and his armsponies will be here within the hour, and if you are seen here, there will be talk." It was only by good fortune that she had not been seen before entering his office...
Lady Midnight Black was a mare with a black coat, black mane and tail, and golden eyes. Were it not for the fact that she was clearly a unicorn, she could easily have been mistaken for a pooka. Whether she was one or not, she definitely had an unsettling air about her, even if you knew nothing of her.
Scarlet Wake knew plenty of things about her, and while he would never admit it aloud, Midnight Black terrified him...
In a voice as soft as a serpent crossing silk sheets, the mare said, "I am here on behalf of Lord Scorpion, the leader of the Circle. Do you understand what that means, 'Lord Cockroach'?"
Gulping, Scarlet Wake replied, "I do, Lady Spider."
The Circle was a group of ponies who had... appetites like the one that Scarlet Wake had, cravings that could not be sated legally. It was an alliance of convenience between individuals who shared similar interests: They worked together to keep their activities hidden from the public eye. Some enjoyed the pain and suffering of others. A few were... carnivorous, and held a special craving for the flesh of sapient creatures. And then there were ones like Midnight Black, who liked to experiment with the foulest of dark magics, spells that even Sombra had not been willing to use...
Midnight Black asked, "Then you know why the Circle is upset with you right now, yes?"
"I assume," the stallion said, "it's because of the emperor's recent decree puts the Circle in jeopardy."
Her expression dark with fury, the mare stated, "Jeopardy does not begin to describe it. You may as well have tried to have all of our throats cut while we slept, you moronic buffoon."
Startled, Scarlet Wake asked, "What are you talking about? I mean, yes, we can no longer rely on our servants to keep quiet about our transgressions, but..."
Closing the distance between the two of them, Midnight Black pushed Scarlet Wake down into a chair, then said, "Listen very carefully, Cockroach, because I do not wish to repeat myself." While her tone remained whisper soft, it was clear that she was furious. "You think we of the Circle care about our servants betraying us? With enough bits, a servant will keep quiet about anything, regardless of what the emperor offers, especially if they willingly participate in our activities. No, it's the fact that all of us will have the crown breathing down our necks from this point forward. Within the week, we'll have royal investigators going snooping around our estates, evaluating us. Investigators who cannot be denied, bribed, or otherwise dissuaded from their duties without raising questions. What happens when they find something? Worse, what happens if we lose our noble status? How will you or I sate our appetites then?"
With dawning horror, Scarlet realized that she was right: He had not thought, until now, about what the emperor had meant by evaluation. He had assumed that it was simply a matter of turning a profit, but if it ran deeper than that...
...It was no wonder Lord Scorpion was so angry.
"Were it not for you, the emperor might have left us alone, but now?" Midnight Black took a deep breath, then said, "Now, we will have to remove him from the throne, princesses or no." Her eyes narrowing, she added, "Lord Scorpion has decided we must go on the offensive... and our first attack is going to be made today..."
His eyes widening, Scarlet Wake asked, "Attack? What attack? How? Where?"
The slightest ghost of a smile crossed her face as she said, "You gave us something to work with today: The emperor gathered your would-be assassins together just this morning, along with their families. He may decide to execute them right away, and if he does, that works in our favor. If he tries to interrogate them beforehoof, well..." She gave a quiet chuckle, then said, "I've sent one of my pets to deal with them, if they're still alive by now. There will be no way of hiding the massacre that will ensue, given how... enthusiastic my little Hugglefluff tends to be. Everypony will think the emperor is responsible, and when we announce our intentions, we'll have the entire city on our side."
Wait, she sent that THING to the palace? She may was well have stood up and shouted 'I am using forbidden magic and I don't care what you think!' in Celestia's face at the gathering the other day. Was she mad?
As if reading his thoughts, she said, "This is our declaration of war, Cockroach. We cannot survive under the new regime, so it will have to be... put down. Don't forget whose side you're on, because I promise you, the only thing the other side will have to offer you is an executioner's axe." With a chuckle, Midnight Black added, "And that brings us to your contribution to the war effort..."
"Lord Scorpion has decided," Lady Spider said, a terrible smile on her face, "that your task will be the elimination of the most prominent noble that could potentially oppose us: Your cousin, Golden Grace."
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"Son," Sacred Trust said to his son, Straight Arrow, "I honestly cannot express in words how disappointed I am with you."
Straight Arrow didn't know what to say. He'd tried raising the arguments that the leader have given, regarding how the Crystal Empire would be better off if only Crystal Ponies were allowed inside of the city, but even to his own ears, they sounded hollow. To his credit, Arrow's father waited until the youth had finished, then explained how stupid all of that was, and why such a thing would result only in the city's destruction.
The short version was simply this: The Crystal Empire cannot produce everything that it needs. What did they lack? While, yes, they could produce their own food, those foods native to the city did not contain all of the vitamins and minerals necessary for long term survival, so the locals had to supplement their diet with foods from the rest of Equestria, or a number of vitamin deficiencies would eventually leave the citizens in poor health. Perhaps more importantly, the Crystal Empire had no salt whatsoever, and for health reasons, a pony needs at least one to two ounces of salt every single day to remain healthy, and that amount increases during the warmer months. While not immediately fatal, salt deficiency can cause a number of health problems, which over the long term can be potentially life threatening. Most importantly, the Crystal Empire had a very limited supply of medicinal herbs, so without outside trade, one good outbreak of Distemper Of Strangles, Rain Rot, or Swamp Fever, and half the city would be wiped out in less than a moon. There was also the plague, which used to run through Equestria at least once a century before a medicine, derived from a flower not native to the Crystal Empire, became available. One outbreak of that, and no medicine to treat it, and nine-tenths of the city would be dead in a week...
Isolation policies had been tried before, and had failed each and every time, for those very reasons, as well as economic issues: The Crystal Empire had a continuous food surplus, due to how fertile its soil was, but as mentioned, the foods produced did not equal a complete diet. Thus, that food was traded with the rest of the world. That food surplus was enormous, so much so that the ponies of the city could feed themselves for five years off of a single harvest... but without an outside world to sell it to, that would mean that the food would suddenly diminish in cost, and worth, drastically. Supply and demand: You can't sell what nopony is buying. Farms would close, merchants would go out of business, and their employees would be out of a job as well. Not just food merchants, but carters, tinkerers, smiths, jewelers, all the ponies who made a living sharing the unique goods of the Crystal Empire to the outside world would be left without a means of making money. Within half a year, the city would be filled with poor, jobless ponies. There'd be crime, riots, and worse as a result. The Crystal Empire relied on Equestria to buy that food surplus, along with the goods that the city, in exchange for the city's needs, and if that relationship was cut off, the entire system broke down.
Straight Arrow listened to all of that, his jaw hanging open, and then hung his head in shame. He was about to open his mouth, to express how sorry he was, to beg forgiveness from his father...
When he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of shattering glass...
----------------------------
Wild Wing had enjoyed the emperor's theatrics earlier today. Seriously, many of those colts and mares, in spite of being her own age, were spoiled, soft. Not a single one of them had ever set foot outside of the Crystal Empire, and it showed: They thought that their little city was the center of the universe, and from what they'd been saying to their parents, they'd thought that they'd be better off if they just cut all ties and turned their city into a fortress. Their parents remembered the last time that was tried, and why it had failed. While not all of them were as eloquent as Sacred Trust, each and every one of them was, in their own unique way, shattering those illusions.
Wild Wing's job was simple: Celestia and Luna had stationed her up towards the ceiling, with a nice little invisibility spell to keep her unseen, so she could watch and make certain that nothing happened to the assembled ponies while they were away. It was a simple enough job, boring really. There were guards on high alert all over the palace, ready to apprehend any spies trying to escape, as well as intercept any would-be assassins who might try to put an end to a potential source of intel. With so many guards on patrol, the Widowmaker itself would need to show up to be a threat.
That false sense of security was the reason why she was caught completely off guard by the... thing that suddenly entered the throne room by shattering one of the windows. It resembled a griffin, but it was... wrong.
The beast was massive, as well as both armed and armored. The majority of its body was clad in scale-mail, while its legs were covered in chain mail. Upon the head was a helmet, covering all but the beak and its eyes. Evil-looking, glowing red eyes, filled with malice. The beak, while razor sharp, dripped a vile black fluid that, even from the ceiling, stank of death. Its wings spread wide, the abomination made for a fearsome sight. Upon touching the ground, the beast drew a long, black blade, inscribed with runes that shone with a sickly green light, and let out a fearsome roar.
Any pony who has heard a griffon roar will tell you it is a fearsome sound. This griffon's roar was fit to stop the heart. It seemed almost as if all the pain, rage, and hatred in the world was contained within. In that moment, Wild Wing realized what was wrong with this creature, and that those present in the room faced something far worse than a mere griffon: They were now under attack by a wight.
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There are laws in place against the use of magic upon the dead: True resurrection is believed to be impossible, but that has not stopped many ponies from trying to bring back their loved ones. If you pump enough magic into a corpse, you'll get something back, but what you get is often a cruel mockery of the original. The few times that somepony has 'returned from the dead' it was because that pony took steps to ensure that they did not die a true death, but rather kept some portion of themselves alive until their body was restored. Even then, those attempts did not always work properly...
Attempts to raise the dead have resulted in a total of five zombie outbreaks, twelve vampire lords who now require a good staking every century to keep them down, dozens of haunted houses, and one very surprised and confused mummy who was somewhat disappointed to find that her life after death was just more of this one (Mind you, after a few weeks of education, and about five hundred gallons of moisturizing cream, Princess Ebe has managed to adapt well to modern society, and is now one of Equestria's top supermodels in the 'prime' timeline. She's also still stuffed with sawdust, so if anypony comes across the canopic jars that contain her internal organs, she'd be really, incredibly grateful for their return). Trying the bring back the dead just causes too many problems, so research into that field, often called necromancy, has been made illegal.
The wight is a byproduct of research into resurrecting the dead, and in many ways, it was both a success and a failure: A wight possesses all of the skills that it possessed in life, as well as the memories. However, all of its emotions are gone, save one: Hatred. The reanimation process left out some essential part of the wight's heart, and so it is a creature possessed only by a terrible enmity towards the world around it. A wight hates everything in this world, and will slaughter anyone, even former loved ones, without hesitation. Spells exist that control such creatures, and without them, these creatures would go berserk, murdering all in their path in a spectacularly gory fashion.
These dreaded fiends possess strength, speed, and endurance beyond that which they had in life, in addition to the ability to drain the life force of the living to repair any damage it takes. On the battlefield, such monstrosities are known to wipe out dozens, even hundreds, before being put down.
Hugglefluff's master (Sadly, yes, that was his real name. It wasn't his fault, blame his parents) had sent the wight here in order to slaughter all of the ponies in this room. Having once been a skilled mercenary, now armed with enchanted armor and weaponry, he was more than ready to do the job.
...But he was not quite prepared for the flying kick that Wild Wing gave him before the invisibility spell upon her wore off.
----------------------------
Straight Arrow was shocked by the appearance of the monstrosity, as well as the sudden arrival of a pegasus mare (And... a surprisingly lovely looking one, no less), who immediately engaged the abomination in combat. While she was obviously no match for the wight, she was working hard to keep it occupied, weaving in and out of the range of the creature's attacks to keep it from pursuing the other ponies in the room. However, without assistance, she would likely tire quickly, and when she did, it would be all over for every pony here...
Straight Arrow was surprised to find that many of his compatriots immediately began fleeing, their expressions nearly mad with terror. Rather than trying to reach the door like they should have, they seemed to almost be trying to force their way through the very walls. Something about this creature had drained them of all reason, and left only absolute and total terror in its wake.
But whatever effect it had was not working on Straight Arrow or his father...
"Father!"
Sacred Trust, his expression grim, said, "I'm already on it, son." His horn glowing with power, the former soldier used his signature spell to summon a weapon...
An enchanted bow and arrows.
Taking the bow, and quickly readying an arrow, Straight Arrow took aim, and the instant he had a clear shot, he loosed. The arrow flew straight and true, and took the griffon in the wing.
The wight did not even seem to feel it, up until the arrow began to glow with a brilliant light. The abomination abruptly roared in pain, clutching at the projectile, but having difficulty in grasping it since the arrow burned at the slightest touch. A second arrow followed, hitting it in the thigh, and a third took out one of its eyes. However, while it was obviously in pain, it was clearly not slowed in any meaningful way. Still, when the fourth arrow was loosed, the wight raised a claw, and made a gesture. The arrow stopped in midair, and fell harmlessly to the ground. It seemed as though this beast possessed some measure of magical prowess, atop its already fearsome martial skills. Without some serious firepower, everypony in this room was as good as dead...
Almost as if summoned, the emperor was there, as were the princesses. While Luna cast a spell to bring a magical wall of energy between the wight and everypony else, Celestia began raining bolts of energy down upon the fiend. While none of them seemed strong enough to slay the beast outright, it definitely felt each blow.
It was the emperor who slew the beast, and in a spectacular fashion. He suddenly raised up on his hind legs... and changed. His hind and forelegs shifted, the holes normally present disappearing, and his limbs took on a form similar to that of a griffin, and his face likewise shifting into an approximation of a griffin's beak. Suddenly crackling with green witchfire, he sprang over the barrier with a fierce roar, then began attacking the wight with his claws.
When the emperor struck, steel scales of armor flew, and a nasty looking gash appeared on the griffin's chest, though no blood flowed from the wound. The wight, although surprised by the ferocious blow, rallied quickly, and tried to launch a counter-assault. Raising the dreadful blade over its head, the undead abomination struck the emperor with all the power it could muster...
The blade shattered over the emperor's head as if it was made of glass.
Pandinus Imperator struck out, again and again, at the now weaponless wight, forcing it back. After several seconds of furious combat, the emperor grasped the beast's head with one claw, its shoulder with the other, and with seemingly no more resistance than plucking an apple, ripped the wight's head clean off.
-----------------------------------
"I admit, I was surprised by what you did," Celestia said a few minutes later.
The throne room was abuzz with activity: The would-be assassins, previously more than willing to give statements, were now spilling their guts about everything, swearing vows of eternal loyalty and giving long and heart-felt apologies with every other sentence. Pan would have been flattered, were it not for the fact that they all seemed slightly... intimidated by him now.
Watching somebuggy rip a wight's head off with his bare claws will do that.
"The griffin transformation? That's nothing," Pan said, dismissively. "Changelings are able to change the configuration of our limbs in order to approximate those of other creatures. Most creatures with hands or claws have greetings that involve their use, and if we didn't have some way of changing our hooves, we'd be made the first time we interacted with others..."
In truth, that was why changelings had holes in their legs: Conservation of mass. In order to be able to mimic the claws of griffins, changelings needed less mass in their limbs than a pony did. Without those holes, a changeling in griffin form would have much heavier forelimbs that normal. And the face thing? Kissing a griffin when you didn't have a beak was another way to get made quickly.
That transformation was very useful on the battlefield: A griffin's body was made for battle, unlike that of a pony, and the claws made the use of weaponry a much easier task...
"Not that," Celestia said, "although it did surprise me somewhat. What I meant was how quickly, and how effectively, you sprang to your subject's defense."
A small smile on his face, Pan admitted, "I was somewhat surprised myself. Not by how well I took that thing down: I spent a good portion of my life stuck in the military, and I wouldn't have lasted long if I hadn't learned how to fight effectively. What surprised me was that my first instinct was to go in there and tear that thing apart before it hurt anypony. I mean, after a second or two, I would have done so on my own, but I was already on that thing before I even realized what I was doing..."
Luna, examining the wight's remains, said, "I've seen such an effect before in encounters with the undead. Every creature has a fight or flight reflex, and in an encounter against abominations, that reflex is immediately triggered. Whether that is a supernatural effect, or just a natural response to such a horrific fiend is debated in some circles, but either way, the result is that those who are easily given over to fear will immediately flee, while those with a courageous heart will immediately attack on instinct."
With a smile, Celestia said, "So I must congratulate you, Pandinus Imperator, on your bravery. Well done: I'd not have been able to defeat that wight so quickly myself, for fear of accidentally injuring one of the innocents here, but you took it down before it could hurt anypony here.."
A half-smile on his face, Pan said, "All in a day's work." Looking over at the abomination, the changeling's expression turned grim as he said, "Problem is, this isn't the end of it. Wights don't just suddenly spring into existence: They have to be created, and whoever created one could easily have created more. There could be an army of these things out there, and while that one was well-equipped, I doubt it was the cream of the crop: He was skilled, but if he'd been a true elite, he'd have wiped out half the room before we arrived, in spite of your agent's best efforts. There could be an army of those things, and whoever has that army has just declared war..."
---------------------------------
"Thanks for the assist," Wild Wing said as she sat beside Straight Arrow. "I don't think I could have kept that thing distracted much longer if you hadn't jumped in."
Being this close to an attractive young mare his own age was not something that the stallion was used to. Straight Arrow, blushing, said, "It was the least I could do: If you hadn't been there, we'd not have had time to get the bow ready to fire."
Giggling, the pegasus said, "Well, I was just doing my job: The Equestrian Secret Service doesn't pay me to just sit on my flank when civilians are in danger."
An eyebrow raised, the earth pony asked, "You're a secret agent?"
Nodding, Wild Wing admitted, "Yeah. Not for much longer, though. Luna decided that, after all the trouble I went through here, what with Sombra and all, I'd gone above and beyond the call of duty, so I was not only up for a commendation, but for the 'brass ring': A title of nobility, a plot of land, and a full retirement, pension included. A pretty good deal: Most ponies have to work twenty years for that, and I earned it within the first year."
With a snort, Straight Arrow said, "Lucky. Odds are, I'm going to be spending the next twenty years, or longer, inside a dungeon cell..."
"Well now, I wouldn't say that," the emperor said, suddenly sitting down beside the young stallion with a chuckle. "You fought to protect your fellow ponies against a monster that had most of them mad with fear. That buys you a certain measure of clemency... even though, given your special talent, you were likely the one who nearly slew the chancellor."
With a gulp, Straight Arrow admitted, "Guilty, milord."
Nodding, Pandinus Imperator said, "Well, while I am not pleased about that, I'd like to think I know talent when I see it, and that everyone, regardless of who they are, or what they've done, deserves a chance at redemption. Today, my enemies declared war on the throne, and in the days ahead, I'll need brave ponies like you two, who will fight when they see those things, rather than flee screaming. While I can't offer you anything, young lady," Pan said with a chuckle, "I will be willing to offer you, young sir, a full pardon for your attempted treason, as well as something similar to what she has: In exchange for a term of service not exceeding twenty years, I'll grant you land, title, and a pension after your retirement. If you serve bravely and with distinction, I'll be willing to end your term of service early."
Straight Arrow nodded, then asked, "And the others?"
His expression neutral, Pan said, "Community service for most of them. They'll be spending a couple of days each week doing projects on behalf of their fellow ponies. There are plenty of jobs that are currently short on hooves and strong backs, so they'll be have plenty of work to do, helping in getting the city back in top condition. The two or three who didn't run, but didn't know what else to do in such an unusual situation, I'll see if I can't find something a bit better for them to do. The guard can always use a few new cadets, I'm told."
Nodding, Straight Arrow said, "Thank you, milord."
With a dismissive gesture, Pan said, "No thanks needed. Just be ready with a bow and arrows from now on: This is war, and you've just become my personal bodyguard. You are now officially the busiest pony in Equestria."
Giggling, Wild Wing said, "Second busiest. I'm not going to leave the service just yet, your majesty: This city was my home long before it was ever yours, and if you think that I'm just going to stand by while somepony who can do that..." She pointed at the wight, and then, with a look of fierce determination stated, "is running loose, you've got another thing coming."
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Within an hour of the wight's defeat, a message was received by every member of the Circle, telling them of their assassin's failure, and that they should prepare themselves for war. While some of them would only be somewhat involved, given their lack of serious resources to contribute, each member would play their part, including Lady Spider and the Circle's leader, Lord Scorpion.
The war which would soon ensue would have many names in the history books: The War Of Shadows, due to the fact that, until its final day, nopony save those directly involved even knew that there WAS a war; the Winter War, due to the surprising involvement of one of the world's strongest immortals; the Bug War, due to the fact that the war was between the changeling emperor and the Circle, whose members each had given themselves a codename based on insects and arachnids; the War Of The Dead, due to the fact that the majority of the soldiers used by the Circle were undead in nature. But the name most commonly used is also the one most appropriate for this conflict...
The Three Day War.