That evening, the ponies held a council of defense around the bonfire. Twilight sat center stage at a long table with her four closest friends: Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. Spike stood nearby with a piece of parchment and a quill, ready to transcribe the meeting.
Lily and Derpy were off to the side, at another table with myself and several other ponies; Lily had apparently forgiven me, or at least she didn’t seem to be harboring a grudge. Twilight pounded her hoof down, and called the meeting to order.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, we have gathered here this evening to discuss several urgent matters,” Twilight began. “Enemies of ponykind have strayed closer to our new home than ever before. I fear that we may be forced into action, and that this temporary period of safety and peace must be cut short. We should prepare ourselves to relocate, possibly even before Rainbow Dash returns with her team.”
Many ponies shouted their dissent. Rainbow Dash might be back any day now, they said, with good news of a permanent home across the mountains. If only they waited a little longer . . .
“No!” Twilight’s voice rose to match theirs. “We cannot afford mistakes now, and inaction may prove to be the worst mistake of all. We might have already spent too long simply biding our time.”
Bickering began in earnest, divided between the ponies for and against another upheaval and change of location so near to hostile territory.
“After what happened in the forest today, I also fear that we may need to lay down our love of peace and become versed in the ways of physical conflict if we are to survive. The Royal Guard fell with Canterlot, and so each of us now have a role to play in the defense of our way of life.”
The uproar reached remarkable levels. Twilight was unable to regain order, so she simply slumped back in her chair. Applejack placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s back, while Rarity and Fluttershy watched the mob with nervous expressions. Lily and Derpy put their hooves around one another and held each other close.
After several minutes, Twilight had heard enough. “Quiet!” she cried, magic leaping from her horn and bathing the entire assembly in a shimmering purple light. The ponies suddenly fell silent, though I could still see their mouths forming words. I figured that it must have been another spell she had up her sleeve, so to speak.
Once they realized that they could not be heard no matter how hard they tried, the ponies returned their attention to Twilight. Their body language spoke volumes despite the silence—all of the ponies were still thoroughly agitated.
“I understand that this is something we’ve dared not speak of,” Twilight sympathized. “We are not creatures of war, but of love and kindness. Our only knowledge of weapons and armor are those we saw carried and worn by the Royal Guards, and those we heard about in dusty tales of the ancient wars between the different races of ponykind. This is not something that I say lightly—if nothing else, we must be able to defend ourselves! We no longer have the luxury of allowing only the strong and the brave among us to fight on our behalf.”
The crowd seemed to accept that, though it could have been that they were simply unable to voice their objections.
“Take heart, though! As you can see, the patrols did accomplish one of their objectives. The sisters have been reunited!”
Many of the ponies threw their hooves skyward in an eerily silent gesture, and Twilight watched them curiously before she remembered to cease her spell. A sudden rush of cheers filled the assembly.
Twilight allowed the crowd a short time of celebration before continuing. “We have worked so hard to rebuild even this small portion of what we lost. We have managed incredible feats of pony ingenuity and resourcefulness. We left our old home in Ponyville behind, forced out by Dissonance and his miscreants, but we brought its heart and soul along with us into exile. We constructed New Ponyville here, upon bare earth and grass in the untamed Everfree Forest. We’ve defended ourselves against countless attacks from the wildlife, and after today, repelled the first of what will certainly prove to be many parties of Dissonance’s forces. Whether we like it or not, we are already growing out of our old ways.”
“Let us officially recognize and embrace this change, doing our best to ready ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead. Even so, I fear that what is yet to come could prove to be the darkest trial that we have ever faced. If we are to be tested, then we must meet the coming challenge head on—as brothers, sisters, and above all, as friends!”
The crowd approved of her speech, and they began to cheer anew.
“Therefore, we shall remain organized into patrols, and starting tomorrow we will begin training in the ways of physical and magical combat. We must be prepared to meet whatever Dissonance sends our way. Prepare yourselves to relocate if we have not heard from Rainbow Dash within a week.”
I guess I had never really considered it before, but what could a bunch of ponies know about fighting, in any capacity? Twilight seemed to get it though, and by the end of her speech so did the rest of them. As the ponies began to disperse, Twilight and her friends made their way over to Derpy, Lily, and me.
“Thanks, Lily,” Twilight gracefully curtsied. “I wouldn’t have known what to say, if you hadn’t worked with me all afternoon on that speech. You have quite a way with words.”
Lily just smiled shyly and nodded in return.
“What is Dissonance, exactly?” I asked.
“Dissonance is a Draconequus. He’s a kind of hybrid, though primarily draconic or serpentine in appearance and movement,” Twilight explained.
“He’s got lots’a magical what’sit, like our Twi here,” Applejack interjected. Twilight blushed in response.
“He’s just a big meanie like his brother,” Fluttershy commented, in an uncharacteristically stern voice.
“We’ve dealt with another of his kind in the past,” Rarity said. “He made us all absolutely horrid, and turned Old Ponyville into a mess of chaos, but we managed to undo it all.”
“We thought that Discord had changed . . . ” Twilight began to explain, but she stopped herself after she saw Fluttershy’s dejected expression.
Applejack picked up where she had left off. “Discord hasn’t been seen for ‘bout as long as Dissonance has been rampagin’ across Equestria, so I s’pose that they could have had a fallin’ out as well. I’m sure we can beat ‘em both anyways, if’n it comes to that.”
“Twilight and her friends are the Elements of Harmony!” Lily beamed. “As long as they’re all together, they’re unstoppable!”
“So,” I inquired, “what drove Dissonance to attack Ponyville, then?”
“We don’t know for certain, but his wrath is a terrifying sight to behold,” Rarity replied.
“The specifics are still vague,” Twilight added, “but as best we can tell, Dissonance went to Tartarus first. He freed a centaur named Tirek that we imprisoned there, in that terrible realm. At some point, he must have also made contact with Queen Chrysalis and the Diamond Dogs. I don’t know how he earned their allegiance, but they have all been working together throughout this campaign of his.”
“Next, he turned his sights upon Canterlot. Dissonance and Tirek infiltrated the castle under the cover of night, with Chrysalis and her army of shapeshifting Changelings waiting to close in.”
Every one of Twilight’s friends placed a supportive hoof on her shoulders or back as she shuddered, the memory still vivid and clearly painful for her. “I was in Canterlot on official business. Tirek came to my quarters first. He grabbed me and tried to drain me of my magic—I was powerless to stop him. He tore away my Alicorn Aspect, but was interrupted before he could take the rest of my magic ability by shouts from the hallway. The Changelings had moved too soon, and the scheme had been uncovered.”
Tears streaked down Twilight’s cheeks. “Celestia gave herself up to Tirek and Dissonance as a distraction. The Royal Guard were engaged in battle outside. They weren’t even a match for the full force of the Changelings anyways, not without my brother to lead them.”
“As one final act before Celestia’s Alicorn Aspect was stolen, she ignored the centaur bellowing in her face to cast a spell that I had only read about—she used the banishment spell to send Luna to the moon again, this time as a place of refuge. Celestia sent along a messenger dragon as well, to keep Luna company and ensure that we could communicate, but I didn’t find out where she had gone until Spike delivered the first letter. For days afterward, I thought that she had been taken too.”
“I ran,” Twilight hesitated, choking back sobs. “I left her there. She wanted me to run, I know she did, but guilt is blind to circumstances. When I close my eyes, I can still see her face as I turned to leave—she was at peace with her decision.”
“She left Equestria in good hooves,” Fluttershy whispered. “Celestia knew what she was doing.”
Twilight drew her foreleg across her face, drying her tears. “I teleported into Ponyville to raise the alarm, but Diamond Dogs were already rampaging across the outskirts of town. My friends and I saved as many ponies as we could, fleeing just in time to watch Ponyville burn from the fringes of the Everfree. If Discord is the architect of chaos, then his brother must be the artisan of destruction.”
“They destroyed the castle, and the Royal Guard along with it. After that, Chrysalis was seen heading north with Tirek and her Changelings. We presumed that Dissonance intended to turn his attention to the Crystal Empire, so I sent a warning via dragon to Princess Cadance and her husband, my brother Shining Armor. We haven’t received a response yet, but I know that they will do everything in their power to guide the Crystal Empire through this.”
“Dissonance must be stopped,” Lily said, her voice barely above a whisper, and her eyes sparkling in the firelight as they burned with determination. All of the friends slowly nodded in agreement.
“This is not your struggle, Max,” Twilight suddenly muttered, turning toward me. “You are under no obligation to stay. You must wish to return to your own home, don’t you?”
The question surprised me. Going home wasn’t even an option that had crossed my mind. They were in desperate need of allies, and I wasn’t about to leave them to their fate. It was time to take a stand.
Twilight hesitated for a moment before elaborating. “Ever since you arrived, I’ve been searching my books for a spell that might be able to help me locate another portal to your world—the only functional one that I know of must be buried in the ruins of my crystal castle outside Old Ponyville. The portal that you came through seems to be only one way, but last night, I think I found one that may allow you to return.” Her eyes searched my face. “If you would like to return—“
“No, I don’t want to go. I want to stay, and help in any way that I can.”
All of the ponies cheered and wrapped me up with a group hug—even Lily. In that moment, I realized that I was sitting in the midst of friends who welcomed and accepted me. It was a refreshing change of pace from the life I was slowly leaving behind. I felt as though I had finally found a place where I belonged.
“If I’m going to help though, I’ll need a weapon.”
“What kind?” Twilight asked. “There is an old castle here in the Everfree Forest which has a cache of armaments used by the Royal Guard. Maybe we could find you a spear.”
“Oh, I was never any good with close-combat weapons,” I explained, thinking back to a childhood filled with martial arts lessons and summer camp adventures. “The bow and arrow was my favorite.”
Twilight gave me a blank look. “Something from your world, I presume.”
I nodded. “I might be able to make one, if I can get the right materials. I could probably find them here in the forest.”
“Then we’ll keep an eye out while on patrol tomorrow, and see what turns up,” Twilight said with a slight smile.
After that, it seemed as though everything which needed to be said had been said. The eight of us sat in silence together for hours, watching the moon rise over the treetops as the bonfire burned down to a pile of glowing embers.