Celestia shifted a bit, regaining her senses after Nightmare Moon's attack. How she had gathered that much power eluded her, but how really didn't matter at this point. What mattered was that Nightmare Moon had the power now, and was more than happy to use it. Celestia lifted her head up, and regretted that decision instantly. Her head ached as if someone had dropped a mountain on it. At that moment, a large chunk of the ceiling fell from above, crashing to the ground and shattering into hundreds of smaller pieces.
"Figures..." Celestia muttered.
In one quick burst of strength Celestia was back on her hooves. Unfortunately, that was only temporary. Celestia slumped down on her side after taking a few clumsy steps. She must have been hit harder than she thought. Another chunk of dirt fell to the ground, where Celestia saw Luna lying unconscious.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, Celestia lifted herself up off the ground. She wobbled a bit, but now she was determined to stay up. Celestia walked over to her beloved sister, intent on removing her from this collapsing cave. Celestia focused on Luna, trying to grip her with magic. She tried and tried again, but failed each time. The pain was simply too much for Celestia to bear. She would have to carry her sister out the old fashioned way.
Legs still shaking, ready to give way at any time, Celestia got her head under Luna's motionless body, and just kept pushing forward. Her efforts bore fruit quickly. Luna was now secure on Celestia's back. Having to adjust to the extra weight, she couldn't move at first.
"Luna has to lay off all the moon pies..." Celestia muttered to herself as she put one hoof in front of the other and repeated the process continuously until she was safely out of the cave, her precious cargo still safely on her back. Once Celestia was a fair distance from the mouth of the cave, she collapsed to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Luna slumped off of her sisters back, falling to the ground and generating a smaller dust cloud. The small clouds danced with each other for a split second, before gently floating away into the night air. With quick shallow breaths Celestia attempted to supply her body with the oxygen it so desperately needed. She would have simply stayed there, resting if one realization didn't smash her instincts to bits.
"They're still inside..."
Celestia's eyes went wide just as her adrenal system ejected it's emergency stores directly into her bloodstream. With her new-found strength, and the dulling of the pain, she was able to lift herself off the ground once more. She stood at the entrance of the cave, staring into it for a moment. The whole thing looked like it was beckoning her to come inside and seal her fate. She knew that this must have been what Nightmare Moon intended, but she honestly didn't give a damn. Twilight and Wolf were still inside and she was going to get them out, no matter the cost. She would have to hurry though. She could hear the cave ceiling falling to the ground, the loud crashing noises echoing through the narrow tunnel that lead to it.
With sheer determination, she charged into the cave, dodging a falling stalactite from the tunnel roof. She entered the chamber, and realized to her own horror that the part of the ceiling where she and Luna were lying had collapsed completely. If she hadn't woken up...
Celestia shook her head, She couldn't afford to dwell on that now. She had two lives to save. She desperately scanned the room, looking for said lives. She found them both on opposite sides of the stone circle, both resting under the pillars that comprised Nightmare Moon's clever trap. Both lay motionless. Celestia didn't want to admit it, but she knew that she only had time to save one. The ceiling wouldn't hold much longer. But who would she save? Twilight, her beloved student, Element of Magic and current ruler of Equestria? Or Wolf, the greatest warrior Equestria has ever seen, and perhaps their best and only hope against the Separatist Griffons? Celestia knew she had to make her decision quickly, or else they would all be buried in this place.
"Take...Twilight..." A gruff, pained voice echoed from the right side of the chamber. Celestia's head snapped to it's source. Wolf was trying to lift himself off the ground, but a falling piece of rock struck his back, knocking him back down. His shoulder bleeding, his free arm gripping his helmet, Wolf lifted his head up and looked Celestia straight in the eyes. A mixture of anger, fear, desperation and annoyance fueling his voice, he shouted one last thing.
"Go Celestia!"
Celestia wanted to say something, but she stopped, and simply gave Wolf a respectful nod. Wolf's only response was a violent coughing fit as the dust generated from the falling debris invaded his lungs. Celestia rushed over to Twilight's side, and repeated the same thing she did with Luna. Once Twilight was secure on her back, Celestia began a quick trot out of the doomed cave. Her face froze with horror as a loud crack echoed through the room.
The last crack.
Celestia winced and crouched down as low to the ground as she could, wanting to squeeze every last second she could as she could hear the ceiling giving way and falling towards her, gaining more speed with each passing second. A thunderous crash echoed in the disturbed air...
Celestia opened her eyes, wondering what the afterlife looked like. She was disappointed. It looked just like the cave she was just in. So that was it? She had lived for thousands of years, wondering how the afterlife would be, only to discover it was just the scene of her death?
A falling piece of rock derailed Celestia's macabre train of thought. Her head darted upwards, where she saw the harbinger of her doom looming over her just like before, only closer. Why had it frozen midair like that? A quick look around revealed the answer. The four pillars around the diameter of the stone circle stubbornly suspended the ceiling up just inches above Celestia's flowing mane. She silently thanked Nightmare Moon, something she thought she'd would never, ever do. For Nightmare Moon, in her attempt to destroy them all in one fell swoop, had just inadvertently saved them all. Well, all except one...
Regaining her focus, Celestia now galloped full speed out of the collapsing cave. She could feel the air rushing behind her as it was forced out of the main chamber by a few tons of rocks and dirt. The effects of the adrenaline wearing off, Celestia went all in. Her legs moving so fast they burned, she got out of the cave just ahead of the massive plume of dust that was forcibly ejected from the main chamber. The sheer force of the cloud nearly launched her into the air. Once she knew that she was safe, the effects of the adrenaline disappeared completely. The pain now finally catching up to her after biding it's time, Celestia collapsed, exhausted by this whole ordeal.
As the dust settled, two large military airships descended above the forest. Multiple cannons jutted out of the armored hull, ready to bombard anything below. These newly commissioned vessels were the first of their kind, fresh out of the shipyards of Manehattan. They were massive, large enough to give even a fully grown Dragon pause. They were the pride and joy of Equestria's hastily formed military. Since the return of Nightmare Moon, many mothballed facilities came to life as the needs of war loomed menacingly over Equestria's industrial capitals. As they were the first vessels in what would become a grand war fleet, they were immediately designated as the flagships of said fleet, and christened with names paying homage to Equestria's former rulers. Thus, the Celestial Blaze and the Lunar Fury were born.
Scores of Pegasi and Unicorn Guards roped, teleported, and flew down through the fairly thin canopy of trees covering their destination.
"Secure the perimeter!" Was the command that all the officers on the ground bellowed out to their subordinates. Immediately, the ponies that moments ago were descending from the warships that carried them all took up positions around the three Royal ponies that lay in front of them, unconscious. As soon as the dust had happily settled on the ground again, it was disturbed more rudely and more violently than ever before. Once all was clear, the all clear signal was sent back up to the Celestial Blaze.
Within the reinforced wooden hull of the majestic warship, two Unicorns stood by the cargo elevator controls, ready to perform their appointed duty. The all clear signal had been given, and they knew what that meant. Soon he would arrive, expecting them to lower him down to ground level. Sure enough, within the next few seconds, the door in front of them opened, revealing Captain Shining Armor, clad in unique set of purple Guard Armor. Handed down from Captain to Captain, it was one of the few military relics of Equestria, and one of the most prized. The Captain trotted over to the elevator, followed closely by a pair of Pegasi Guards, both donning the iconic golden armor of the Equestrian Guard. The trio all stepped onto the elevator in complete silence. Once they were ready to descend, Shining Armor nodded to the higher ranking of the two. Upon seeing the Captain's nod, he turned to his subordinate and said sternly:
"Pull the lever."
The second Unicorn, in turn, smiled slightly as he finally got to perform his duty. He gripped one of the levers with his teeth, and quickly pulled down on it.
Suddenly, a hatch below his superior opened suddenly, sending him plummeting to the ground below. All he could do as he fell was to scream at the top of his lungs, completely destroying the serious atmosphere below him.
“Wrong leveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr!!!!”
His scream was interrupted by a soft thud, The Unicorn then looked at the Captain, and asked the one question that was in his mind.
"Sir, why do we even have that lever?"
Shining Armor shot an evil glare at the young Guard. He immediately got the message and pulled the correct lever. The gears creaked slightly as the elevator slowly descended to the forest floor. As it strayed further and further from the ship, it became more and more susceptible to the elements. The elevator swayed a bit as the wind tried to remove the stubborn obstacle that dared to interrupt it's flow. All it did however was bounce off harmlessly. Tonight, the obstacle would win...
The elevator finally set down, kicking up a small cloud of dust that quickly scattered in the breeze. Shining Armor stepped off, followed by his two-Guard escort. All three walked in complete silence at first, but the sight of his sister lying unconscious on Celestia's back was too much for the Captain of the Royal Guard to bear. Breaking years and years of training and discipline, he ran out to the three alicorns, exhaling heavily as he came closer and closer.
The last few meters were covered by skidding. The dust cloud kicked off from the ground and twisted and turned in the air in dizzying patterns.
"Twily..." Shining Armor's voice broke, as tears welled up in his eyes. His sister was there was lying there right in front of her, and he could do nothing. He blamed himself of course. He had failed to protect her, left her with...with...
No. Shining Armor couldn't afford to think of him now. He could take care of himself. Twilight needed her brother with her. Celestia coughed, and Shining Armor remembered she was there too.
"Princess, are you-?"
"Did he make it out?" Celestia's question came at him so quickly it took him time to realize what she had asked.
"Who are you-" Then it hit him. Shining Armor didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure he wanted to have one. He just looked back at the entrance of the cave, dust still billowing up in plumes from the entrance. Where it used to be at least. Shining Armor's mouth hung open as he looked on the sheer amount of rock and dirt that now flooded what once was an opening large enough to fit three chariots side by side.
"I don't think he..." He couldn't say it. More importantly, he didn't want want to say it. And he didn't. Twilight's gasp for breath cut him off. Her eyes opened slowly, and Shining Armor saw his reflection in her eyes. He had to regain control of himself quickly. Anything could still happen.
"Shining?" Twilight's voice was only half as strong as it normally was. She wasn't fully aware of her situation yet. And that was exactly what he needed right now. If she was, she wouldn't like what he was going to do. Hell, she would hate him for the rest of her life anyway once she came to. Mustering every scrap of authority he had in him, he gave his command.
"Get the Princesses aboard the ship. We're leaving."
Deep down he regretted it. He thought he'd never leave anyone behind. But now he had no choice. They were still in dangerous territory, and the Princesses were needed back in Canterlot.
"Captain...no..." This voice came from Celestia, who was in relatively better condition that Twilight.
"I'm sorry Princess, we can't stay here." Shining Armor's words were firm. Or at least as firm as he could make them under the circumstances. A group of twelve Earth ponies came up to them, each holding one corner of three stretchers. They were followed by several Unicorns. Their horns glowed, and the three Princesses were lifted onto a stretcher. Immediately, the Earth ponies sped off towards the elevator of the Celestial Blaze. Shining Armor looked around and saw that the makeshift perimeter had collapsed, and all of his forces were retreating back to the ships at breakneck speed. He followed the last group onto the elevator, and was then lifted back into the belly of the ship.
Shining Armor told one of his lieutenants to make best speed towards Canterlot immediately. He himself stepped back into the rear observation deck of the ship. He opened the door and stepped out on the deck and watched as the ship lifted away from the clearing. The wind blew his mane forward as his eyes fell upon the cave.
"I'm sorry." He spoke those two words as a tear threatened to fall from his eye.
- - - - - - -
Within the bridge of the Red Dawn, the only sound was a loud beep every few seconds. It came from the only monitor that was on, flooding the room with bright blue light. Several sections of the monitor were brighter than the others.
W713 "Wolf"
Sam monitored his heart rate closely, noticing every fluctuation. Something had gone wrong. His pulse was fading, and she could do nothing to help him. Maybe send out a Hunter drone to pick him up? But would he be in any condition to board it if his pulse was dropping? Most of her processing power was dedicated to solving the problem. But nearly all processes stopped dead in their tracks as the beeps were replaced by a high tone screech.
"No..."
Whether through condensation or some miracle, a thin droplet of water appeared on the monitor and flowed down it towards the floor.