Chapter 10 – Applejack / Twilight
Monday, 24 June 1003
“Down!” Applejack yelled, dropping to the floor as the entire first ring of the city lurched forward thirteen meters. She was nearly taken off her hooves anyway, the effective gravity decreasing to only a quarter of a g. Two seconds, and there was the sound of a million lightning strikes at once, the falling ring temporarily catching itself on the side of the mountain. The four ponies felt themselves become heavier as it stabilized, then lighter again as the final struts gave way and the city officially entered free-fall.
“Come on! We don't have time to stand around here!” Applejack hollered. “We need to get to somewhere safer!”
“Where, exactly, would that be!” Rarity screamed. “The entire city is falling!”
“Somewhere strong, that won't break when we hit the ground.” Applejack said. “The center of the ring is our best bet.”
“That won't help!” Rarity said, exasperated. “It might not feel like it, but we're falling right now at nearly one hundred kilometers per hour!” She stomped her hoof, bouncing upwards at the force. “We feel ten time lighter because the floor itself is undergoing nine tenths of the acceleration! By the time we hit the ground, we'll be traveling almost half the speed of sound!”
“Well, what do you suggest? We all stand around here and hope for a miracle?” Applejack asked.
“...” Rarity seemed troubled. “... no. I suppose not.”
“Then let's do all we can. Come on, follow me!” Applejack ordered, and the others complied. It was a struggle to walk. Each step made them bounce, and they could manage no more than a slow trot as they worked their way step by step across the burning city. It was like a dream-scape from some foal's nightmare – acrid smoke filled their lungs, the ground glowed in the light of a thousand burning flames, the city was shelled and destroyed, its once great buildings left crumbling, and their bodies wouldn't respond to their commands in a normal manor. Well, at least Twilight's gotten lighter.
“How long do we have?” Applejack asked Rarity.
“I... I don't know.” Rarity said. “About thirty seconds, I think.”
Applejack swore under her breath. “Alright. Okay. Rarity, this might sound crazy, but any chance we could make a parachute?”
“Out of what, exactly?” Rarity asked.
“Okay, thank you.” Applejack sighed. She looked about, grasping for anything at all which could help them. She found nothing. No ideas popped into her mind, not even crazy ones. Nothing at all. She couldn’t think, couldn't do. It seemed that this was it. “Look, I'm sorry. I want to get that out there. I did what I thought I needed to to keep us alive, but it looks like it was all for nothing. I hope you can forgive me. Quickly, as we don't seem to have much time.” She paused. “Fluttershy, I want you to start flying skywards as fast as you can manage. If you're lucky, you might pull up enough to avoid hitting the ground.”
“I'm not leaving you!” Fluttershy said.
“Then we'll all die!” Rarity screamed. “There's nothing that you staying here will do other than kill you along with us.”
Fluttershy grabbed Rarity in a hug. “I won't leave you. Ever. You're my friend.” There was something final about that statement, something that took all the resistance out of Rarity in a single, almost tangible burst. Rarity broke into tears, falling to the ground in a rush like tiny sparkling gems.
“I forgive you.” Pinkie Pie said, looking at Applejack with a sad smile. “You made a tough decision. And, hey! If you hadn’t, we all would have been dead five minutes ago. None of us are really cut out to lead, and you took the responsibility of keeping us all alive onto yourself with no question. Of course I forgive you.” Tears were leaking out of Pinkie's eyes, slowly dripping onto her chin. “We... We're friends.”
“One last adventure.” Rarity said, laughing even as she cried. “Facing impossible odds, staring our deaths in the face. Business as usual.”
“The best of companions.” Applejack said, glancing around at her friends, her vision blurring. “The six of us, together until the end.”
“It's been an honor.” Pinkie bowed. “I can't think of a better place to be then right here, right now, surrounded by the five other ponies who mean the most in my life. Whatever that may bring.”
“Um...” Fluttershy said. “We're not going to die.”
The others turned to her.
“Look at your tears.” Fluttershy said simply. “They're falling normally. We've stopped accelerating.”
Rarity put a hoof up to her face, feeling the tears slide down her hoof. She started to laugh. “We've stopped...” she convulsed, her body racked in laughter, tears still falling from her face. “We've... stopped... accelerating. We're not in free fall any longer. We've been caught by something.” She turned her face skyward. “Praise Celestia, we've been caught by something.”
“Oop!” Pinkie Pie said. “I'm feeling heavier!”
“We're being accelerated upwards now. We're slowing down.” Fluttershy said. “At the rate this feels like... we should stop moving soon.” She tittered nervously. “I just hope we're slowing down fast enough to stop before we hit the ground. We're still going down quite quickly.”
Applejack just grinned. “Oh, stop it, Fluttershy. Don't be the spoil sport. You did so well as the harbinger of good news. We're going to be fine.” She paused. “WE'RE GOING TO BE FINE!” she yelled, throwing her hoof into the air. A few cheers were heard around them, as other ponies got to their hooves and began to uncover themselves. Within twenty seconds, Canterlot, still falling, still burning, still broken, was filled with the voices of a thousand ponies in celebration. They had made it, somehow.
Fifty seconds, and they stopped feeling heavier. By then, the ponies had already begun to gather around the palace. Strangers walked up to each other, hugging and laughing. Thirty seconds later, and there was a sudden jolt as the basin hit the ground at about 2 meters per second. It tilted over slightly, but came to rest at a reasonable thirteen degree incline. Applejack, still carrying Twilight on her back, Pinkie, carrying Rainbow Dash, and the other two Elements entered the clearing shortly afterwords. They were almost universally recognized by the ponies around them, and Applejack found herself quickly separated from her friends, surrounded by joyous and thankful ponies.
There was a flash of light, and the eyes of the crowd were drawn collectively skywards. Celestia and Luna descended, looking to Applejack to be completely unaffected by the conflict which had done so much damage to the city. Startled for a moment, she turned to look at the unconscious Twilight. She was hurt, obviously, but seemed, to all the world, to be just asleep. And she took the blow that nearly knocked the city off the mountain on its own- directly! She almost took an involuntary step back. She was used to the idea that Celestia and Luna would be unimaginably powerful, but... It's Twilight. She's... Twilight. Applejack shuttered, becoming cold even with the warmth of the day and her survival. Just how small are we to you, Twilight, and when are you going to start showing it?
Celestia and Luna landed on the primary balcony of the palace, and the ponies in the square bowed in waves for them. Applejack started to drop, then stopped. Why did she bow before these ponies? By what right did they rule her? Then she remembered that they had probably just saved her life, and continued into her bow, carefully rolling Twilight off her back and onto the ground to her side. It's a good question, but now is really not the time. They definitely deserve it now.
Celestia and Luna seemed to survey the crowd for a moment, before Celestia stood forward. “MY LOYAL SUBJECTS!” she began, and for some reason, Applejack felt her heart sink for a second. What the heck is wrong with me? I've never thought this way before. “THIS HAS BEEN A DARK DAY FOR THE PONIES OF EQUESTRIA, BUT WE HAVE SURVIVED! DESPITE THE BEST EFFORTS OF OUR ENEMY, WE HAVE EMERGED VICTORIOUS, OUR FOE IN RETREAT!” she lowered her head, pausing for a second before continuing. “I FEAR IT IS NOT THE LAST. THE DARK GODDESS SPRING HAS RETURNED TO THESE LANDS, AND SHE WILL NOT BE STOPPED EASILY. SHE IS UNLIKE ANY FOE THAT HAS THREATENED US IN YOUR LIFETIMES. SHE DOES NOT WISH TO KILL YOU. SHE DOES NOT WISH TO USE YOU. SHE DOES NOT WISH TO TOY WITH YOU.” Celestia paused for dramatic effect. “SHE WISHES TO RULE YOU. TO CONTROL YOU. SHE WANTS NOTHING MORE THAN TO TAKE OUR NATION AND TEAR IT APART, TO PICK UP THE REMAINS AND REFORM IT IN HER OWN IMAGE. SHE WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO TAKE EVERYTHING WE HAVE WORKED FOR, EVERYTHING WHICH MAKES US A COHESIVE WHOLE, AND DESTROY IT UTTERLY. BUT...” Celestia paused again. “WE ARE STRONG. WE WILL NOT GIVE IN TO HER. WHEN SHE ATTACKS, WE WILL DEFEND. WHEN SHE DESTROYS, WE WILL REBUILD. WE WILL GIVE NO QUARTER! WE WILL MAKE NO COMPROMISES! WE WILL STRUGGLE, AND WE WILL TRIUMPH, FOR WE ARE STRONG! TRUST IN US!” Celestia flew off the balcony, landing in front of the crowd. “TRUST IN THE POWER OF YOUR GODDESSES! TRUST IN THE POWER OF YOUR NATION! WE WILL BE STRONG! WE WILL OUTLAST! WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!” she called, the ponies beginning to murmur. “WE WILL SUCCEED IN OUR STRUGGLE. I CAN NOT SAY THAT IT WILL NOT BE HARD. I WILL NOT LIE TO YOU. THERE WILL BE LOSS. THERE WILL BE HARDSHIP. BUT IF YOU ONLY TRUST IN ME, IN MY SISTER, IN TWILIGHT, WE WILL SUCCEED. WE WILL WIN. WE WILL OUTLAST ANY DARKNESS, FOR WE ARE THE LIGHT! WE WILL NEVER GIVE IN TO HER EVIL POWER! WE WILL BE STRONG!” she stuck her hoof in the air, and a beam of golden light touched the earth at her position, her battle-regalia appearing on her body. She extended her wings and rose four meters into the air, glowing softy, her mane flowing in the wind. Applejack felt pure awe creep up her throat, her body telling her to flee with all its might, her brain forcing her to worship. “WE ARE THE PONIES OF EQUESTRIA, NATION OF THE SUN! WE WILL NOT FALL IN THE FACE OF DANGER. WE WILL NOT BREAK TO THE STRAIN OF HARDSHIP. NEVER, IN ALL OF HISTORY, HAVE I KNOWN A STRONGER, MORE HARDY GROUP OF PONIES THAN I SEE ASSEMBLED BEFORE ME HERE TODAY. I MUST ADMIT, OUR ENEMY IS CUNNING AND POWERFUL, BUT WE ARE GREATER. WE GO FORTH, WITH THE SUPERIORITY OF MIND, OF BODY, OF MORALS. WE GO FORTH, OUR HEARTS SURE OF THE POWER OF OUR NATION, OUR PONIES, OUR PRINCESSES! WE WILL BE STRONG! WE WILL NOT GIVE IN! WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!” her horn flashed, and she cried out, her volume twice what it had been before. “LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA!”
“LONG RULE CELESTIA!” the crowd responded, a frighting cacophony of more than one thousand voices crying out with determination and awe.
“LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA!” Celestia called again, landing back down on the floor.
“LONG RULE CELESTIA!” the crowd yelled again, building into a fever pitch. Ponies began to rise to their hooves, beating them against the ground. “LONG RULE CELESTIA! LONG RULE CLELESTIA!”
Applejack found herself joining in, unable to maintain control, drawn in by the energy of the crowd and the force of the speech. She didn’t even think about what she was saying; she just said it. “LONG RULE CELESTIA!”
“LONG RULE LUNA!” Celestia cried, overpowering the crowd for a moment. The volume dropped, the ponies drawing in to listen to their leader. “LONG RULE TWILIGHT! WE WILL NEVER BE OVERCOME! OUR LOYALTIES WILL NEVER FALTER! NO HARDSHIP IS TO GREAT FOR US. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US, IF WE ONLY KEEP OUR WILL STRONG AND OUR MINDS ALIGNED! WE WILL NEVER GIVE IN. WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER. WE WILL BRING THE FIGHT TO SPRING, AND WE WILL DEFEAT HER!” Celestia struck the earth, her hoof sending out a shock-wave. “TRUST IN YOU GODDESSES! TRUST IN YOUR NATION! TRUST IN YOURSELVES! FOR WE CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING, SO LONG AS WE BELIEVE IN OUR POWER!”
“LONG RULE CELESTIA! LONG RULE LUNA! LONG RULE TWILIGHT!” the ponies screamed, the ground shaking under the strain of their hooves, pounding over and over again, their voices a chorus of zealous fervor, a pledge of infinite loyalty to their gods. “LONG RULE CELESTIA! LONG RULE LUNA! LONG RULE TWILIGHT!”
Applejack snapped out of it. The word Twilight choked in her throat. Twilight was her friend, not her god. Scanning the crowd, she met Pinkie Pie's eyes, seeing her own turmoil played out in their gleam. Pinkie turned to her, uncertainty playing across her features as well. With a quick look around, Applejack found Fluttershy. She was more hesitant than Pinkie, but she did eventually meet Applejack's gaze. What she found there, she would not classify as uncertainty, but perhaps confusion. She flew over to the other two, Pinkie making her way towards Applejack through the crowd. By this time, Celestia had gone back to the balcony, Luna and her entering the mostly intact castle. The ponies were beginning to disperse, but the energy of the crowd had not dissipated. Chants of 'long rule Celestia', 'praise the sun/moon', and 'trust our goddesses' rang out in large groups. Applejack noted Rarity among one of them.
“Quite some speech, hun.” Pinkie said, looking to the side. “Did that make anypony else a bit... uncomfortable?”
“Oh, I mean, it was a bit forceful and rousing, sure, but I don't think it was 'uncomfortable.'” Fluttershy said. “Although, I mean... at the end... perhaps a little.” she blushed. “I trust Celestia. She knows what she's doing.”
“I'm sure of that.” Applejack said. “That's what I'm worried about.” She paused, looking around like Pinkie was. When she was sure nopony was paying her mind, she continued. “Did you two get the impression that if she had told them to worship her hooves they wouldn't have even hesitated?”
“Well, I'm not sure I'd go that far...” Pinkie said, “but kind of, yeah.” she laughed nervously. “'praise Celestia!'”
“Oh, that's definitely too far.” Fluttershy said. “I don't fully agree with her methods, but she was just getting the ponies together after a crisis. It was leadership, that's all.”
“If that was the case, why did they come out praising her? And why did it sound like she was raising an army?” Applejack asked, looking over her shoulder. A few ponies around were looking and pointing at them, and some of them were muttering between themselves.
Pinkie saw them too. “Perhaps we should talk about it elsewhere?” she offered. “It doesn't look like you hold a very popular opinion at the moment.”
“Can't. As much as I'd like to.” Applejack sighed, picking up the unconscious Twilight and adjusting her onto her back. “We've got friends who need help. Pinkie, you and I need to get to the palace. Now. I'm honestly more worried about Rainbow than Twilight. She took that pretty hard, and, well, only one of them are gods.”
“She's stopped bleeding, and her breath is weak but stable. I don't think she's in any immediate danger. Still, you're right. We should get her some help. It's no fun to be hurt, and Dash will complain most of all. The sooner she recovers, the less of her wining we'll have to listen to.” Pinkie said, some of her cheer finally reentering her tone. “Hey, you know what? I know you know what I'm about to say, but, this time, I really really really think that this calls for -”
“Go for it.” Applejack said. “After we drop these two off, start your set up. You're right, this does call for a party. And it'll be good to have something for the ponies of Canterlot to lean on other than religious fervor.”
“Ha-ha!” Pinkie jumped into the air, seemingly unhindered by Dash's weight on her back. “Oh, I can't wait to get started!”
“Hey, Fluttershy, do you mind getting Rarity?” Applejack said, beginning off for the palace. “Tell her to meet us at the palace entrance.” Fluttershy nodded, flying over towards one of the larger groups. Applejack continued onwards towards the palace, flanked by Pinkie.
They traveled in silence for a while, negotiating the groups of ponies milling about the square. Applejack looked at Pinkie a few times, eventually turning her head to face her. She opened her mouth to speak.
“Yes.” Pinkie said. Applejack closed her mouth, startled. “I did mean it. It wasn't just the near death thing. I actually do forgive you, and the others will too, with time.”
Applejack opened her mouth again, but found nothing to say. She sighed. “Thanks. I really... just, thank you.”
“That's what friends are for.” She said, trotting lively towards the palace.
Even as crowded as it was, it took them only about a minute to cross the distance to the palace gates. Nopony tried to stop them from entering. Once they passed beyond the threshold, the volume dropped off considerably. Applejack found herself yawning as she entered. Their hooves echoed off the floor of the nearly silent halls, as the two attempted to find their way to the infirmary.
For whatever reason, the palace was nearly deserted. Applejack would have thought anypony stuck inside when the city fell would likely still be here, but apparently this was not the case. On their way, they passed only three other ponies, all of whom were equally lost. After five frustrating minutes, Applejack stopped.
“Alright. Look. Why don't we go to the throne room. I'm sure Celestia will know where her own infirmary is, and it's pretty much the only room in the palace that I know how to get to. That, and the kitchens, but I don't think they'll be much help.” She sighed. “Unless you have a better idea.”
“Um...” Pinkie put one of her hooves on her chin. Applejack was still amazed at how she didn’t loose balance with Rainbow Dash on her back. Yes, Dash was a pegasus, but she still weighed at least 120 Kg! “No, not really.” She yawned, and Applejack followed. She shook her head. “Oof. Sorry.”
“Well then.” Applejack sighed again. She really, really didn't want to see Celestia right now, but this was the only thing she could think of, and Rainbow Dash definitely needed treatment. Pinkie Pie herself, not to mention Fluttershy, could use some too for the knife wounds they had received. “Lets go.”
It did not take them long to find their way to the throne room. The doors were shut, and seemed to be barred from the inside. Applejack tapped on the door with her hoof loudly. Their was no response. Applejack tapped harder. And harder. Nothing happened.
“Alright, my turn.” Pinkie said, drawing her party cannon from nowhere with a flourish. “Cover your ears!”
*BANG*
The report was far louder than normal, and it nearly deafened Applejack, who had unsurprisingly not been able to cover her ears in light of the unconscious Twilight on her back. Dully, over the ringing, she thought she heard rushed hooves from beyond the door.
The doors opened. A disgruntled day guard stepped out, a scowl on his face. “The princesses are busy! Take your business...” He paused. “Is that...”
“An unconscious princess Twilight, carried by one of the Elements of Harmony?” Pinkie asked. “Yes, yes it is.” The guard’s face flushed red. “May we come in?”
“Of... Of course!” He stuttered, bowing and letting the two enter the room. The stained glass windows had shattered, likely upon impact, but aside from this the room seemed to be fairly intact. Luna was sitting in her silver throne at the head of the room. Celestia's seat was vacant. As soon as the two entered the room, she turned to greet them.
“Ah, Pinkie, Applejack. We have been expecting...” Luna started, her eyes growing wide and her words stopping in her throat. “Oh, my.”
Applejack put Twilight down, Pinkie depositing Rainbow Dash. Without pause, Luna left her throne and paced over to the unconscious ponies. Sparing Twilight a brief glance, she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. “What happened?”
“Dash had a falling out with the ground at about one hundred meters per second.” Pinkie Pie said. “All things considered, she took it rather well, but she's still a little broken up about it.”
Luna's horn flashed, coating Dash in an array of lights. After a short pause, she sighed. “She is going to be fine. Some broken bones, but little to no internal bleeding and no organ damage. Still, she needs help. Why did you bring her here?”
Applejack opened her mouth, and found herself yawning again. “Eugh. Sorry. Well, to be perfectly honest, we can't find the infirmary.” she said. “If ya could point us in the right direction...”
“I thought I had made it very explicit that the rout to the infirmary was to be marked at every intersection.” Celestia entered the throne room from the royal chambers, still adorned with her battle-regalia. “It's perhaps the second most important room in the palace, after the kitchens, of course.” She tapped her hoof lightly on the floor, and five servant ponies, whom Applejack had not noticed before, assembled. “Take princess Twilight and her companion Rainbow Dash to the infirmary.” The servants bowed.
“Yes, princess!” Picking them up, they carried the unconscious ponies out of the room. Applejack watched them go.
“Now, where are the others?” Celestia asked. “I've only seen four of you since the battle. Are Fluttershy and Rarity...”
“They're fine.” Applejack said stiffly. “Fluttershy went to get Rarity after your speech. She got a bit... carried away.”
Something flashed across Celestia's face, but it was far too brief for Applejack to identify. “I'm glad of that. You had me worried there for a moment.” Celestia had her gaze trained directly on Applejack, her eyes searching. “In all the chaos, after all this time, I wasn’t sure what would happen. You six especially were on my mind.” She paused, waiting, her eyes daring.
You have got to be kidding me.
“Well, you know us. Strong willed, and not ready to panic with the crowd.” Applejack said, gauging Celestia's reaction.
“Oh, I'm sure. But, you know, sometimes even the best of us get caught in the fray.” Celestia said. “It's justified to worry that those who attempt to fight the tide might get hurt.” She was smiling lightly, but her eyes were intense, staring Applejack down. She swallowed hard.
“Of course. Still, if nopony did it, we wouldn't have heroes. That's what separates us from normal ponies.” Applejack said, beginning to sweat. “We stick to our morals and fight the wrongs, even when that's not the path of least resistance. Especially when it's not. We stand up when other ponies back down.”
“And I'm glad for it. After all, ponies need heroes sometimes. But there's no sense in being a martyr without a cause, as the world leaves you behind.” She said, and Applejack felt a chill pass down her spine. “All I'm saying is be careful. You can't win every battle, and some fights aren’t worth the consequences. There's no shame in realizing that you're out of your depth, and living to fight another day.” She smiled. “Sometimes, you just have to trust those around you to pick up the slack. Your friends can take some of the burden, too, you know.” She leaned towards Applejack, who nearly took a step back. “We're here to help you. There's no reason to be worried. I can see you shaking there. You know full well that our position is... not as strong as I made it seem. But we will win. Trust me. This was... a warm up for us, as dismissive as that sounds. We'll be much, much more effective next time.” She motioned with her head. “You will be anxious to visit your friends, I'm sure. Please, do. I will call the six of you together soon, once they've begun to recover. If you follow the red tiles, you'll find the infirmary in no time.”
“Thank you, princess.” Applejack and Pinkie Pie bowed, turned, and exited the room. As soon as she had passed beyond the threshold, she shuddered violently, barely containing a scream.
“What happened back there?” Pinkie said anxiously to Applejack. “You were shaking more than I've ever seen anypony shake before, and you're drenched in sweat!”
Applejack's mouth was dry, but after a few breaths, she managed to calm down. “I think I've made enemies ah two of the gods now.” She shuddered.
Pinkie looked confused. “Wait. What?” She bounced up around Applejack. “You can't be serious.”
“I am! I tell you, Pinkie, something's up with Celestia. She's not acting normal.”
“Well, I agree with that, but you're going way to far in the other direction.” Pinkie said. “I don't even know how you could have come to a conclusion like 'Celestia hates me' from the conversion.”
“Were you even listening?” Applejack asked. “She essentially threatened to kill me if I didn't do what she said!”
Pinkie Pie laughed. “Okay, now I know you're paranoid. Applejack, you started off worried. Between Spring and what you thought you saw in Celestia, you were pretty shaken up. She was trying to comfort you. Yeah, she was subtly arguing with you. She was trying to convince you that nopony will care if you can't stop a goddess on your own. She was worried about you, and wanted to make sure you didn't try to take the whole world on your shoulders. That's all.”
Applejack paused. It was a good point. She had been jumping to a predetermined conclusion. And, looking at what had been said, there really wasn't too much that pointed directly to such a conclusion. There was plenty to support it if you were looking for it, but that could be said of a lot of ponies, and a lot of motives.
“I still don't buy it completely. There's definitely something off.” Applejack said. “But perhaps I was takin' it a little to far.”
“I agree. There is something up. But Celestia's not turning into the evil dictator. Just taking a few steps in the wrong direction.” Pinkie said. “I think it's a good idea for you to keep an eye on it, but I don't think a freakout of the size you've been having is really justified.”
Applejack laughed softly. “No, probably not.” She sighed. “It's the stress. It has to be. I'm so on edge right now, I'm finding things to fight even when they're not there.” She sighed again. “Thanks, Pinkie. I never thought I'd say this, but you really acted as my stable anchor there.”
“What do you mean?” Pinkie took a step back, feigning insult. “Me, not being stable? I'm the most stable of the bunch of us!” She took three hooves off the ground, somehow still managing to keep balance. “See? Bet you can't do that!”
“I suppose so.” Applejack stated, turning the corner. A smile came to her lips again, and, for the first time in a few hours, stayed there for more than a couple of seconds. Her mouth quickly contorted into a yawn, which she stifled with a hoof. “Perhaps we're more tired that we thought. We've been yawning for a while now.”
“Could be.” Pinkie said, yawning herself. “We have been doing quite a large amount of strenuous activity, and we were up all night. It would make...” she yawned again. “some sense.”
The two ponies were now at the infirmary doors. This time, they opened with nothing more than a light tap. A nurse trotted out to meet them.
“You're here to see the princess, I assume?” She said cheerily.
“And her companion, Rainbow Dash, yes.” Applejack said.
“Of course. Right this way.” The nurse motioned them inside, taking them to two beds in the far end of the room. Rarity and Fluttershy were already there, both of whom perked up as soon as they spotted their companions.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Fluttershy said. “I was getting worried.”
“We were only like, eight minutes, you silly!” Pinkie said, laughing. “What did you think could have happened?”
“After the past thirty-six hours? Just about anything.” Rarity said flatly. “Have you been paying attention?”
“Yes. I just don't see why you're all so down!” Pinkie said, smiling. “We're all okay still, everypony who got hurt is recovering, and we've even got a response plan in the works.” Her cheer faltered. “Besides, as soon as we let her get into our heads, she's won.”
After that, the other three didn't know what to say, their conversation hanging, slipping into strained silence. Two minutes passed. Fluttershy yawned.
“Well...” Rarity said. “What now?” She looked up at the others, seeing her own tiredness reflected in their eyes, both physically and mentally. “What's our next move?”
“I vote sleep.” Pinkie yawned. “We can figure out how we want to go from here when we've not been up for the past twenty-four hours(1).”
Applejack found herself yawning as well. “Ah... think Pinkie might have a point. We have been up an awfully long time, and we do need to sleep at some point here. Now does seem like the best time we might get for a while.”
“Sleep? At eight in the morning?” Rarity let out a large yawn. “I mean... I suppose if you woke up at eight on the day before...” She yawned again. “Oh, we're really crashing off our adrenalin now, aren’t we?”
“Um... nurse?” Fluttershy asked. “Can we find beds?”
The nurse nodded to two of the guards, who came over to them. “We will escort you to your chambers, Elements.” They bowed. “Please, follow us.”
Applejack stood, looking back at her unconscious friends. She felt bad about leaving them; she really should stay by their side. Still, she could hardly keep her eyes open now, her stress finally letting up enough for her body to drag her into sleep. She had completed all that she could for now, she knew, and her body was relaxing, whether she wanted it to or not. She didn't have much choice in the matter. Either she would fall asleep siting by them, or she would fall asleep in a bed less than one hundred meters away. Besides, Twilight and Dash were in the best hospital in the country, with two of the five most powerful beings in the world upstairs. Nothing would happen to them.
## ^ ##
Twilight slowly fought her way awake, pulling through the drowsiness which clouded her mind and restrained her form. Her eyes blinked open for a fraction of a second, light streaming onto her corneas and telling her brain to close them again, to which she happily complied. Her body was aching all over, in just such a way that she knew that any movement would hurt, but that not moving felt wonderful. Or perhaps that was just the drowsiness talking. She knew she should be getting up, that there was something she should be doing, but what it was... no, wait, she remembered. She was fighting Spring. But that must have been a while ago. That blast... if she was waking up, it must have knocked her out. Was she lying there, on the rocks, the burning city around her? No, this felt much more like a bed. So they must have won while she was out. How nice.
She really should wake up. There were probably scared and hurt ponies who could really use her help. Her friends would be worried, at the very least. They would probably be standing around her, looking anxious, turning to happy as she blinked awake. She knew they had all made it, of course they had! They had to have. She felt fear rising in her chest. Her eyes blinked open again. She forced herself to keep them open. Her vision slowly returned to normal.
The sun was beginning to set outside a shattered window in the corner. She had been out about twelve hours, then. She was in the Canterlot castle infirmary. Every bed she could see was filled, unsurprisingly. The nurses and doctors seemed very busy. Her hearing was coming into focus too, the sounds of soft moaning and rapid whispered conversations reaching her ears. She scanned the room. None of her friends were present, except...
Rainbow Dash, in the bed next to her.
Twilight's panic rose. Dash looked hurt, pretty bad too. If she was hurt, and here, and the others weren't, then...
“They're fine.” A nurse said, looking at her kindly. Twilight was startled for a second, unsure how she had gotten there so quickly. “The yellow one told me you'd get worried when you didn't see them right away. They're off doing something for the princesses.” She paused. “Sorry. The other princesses.” She smiled worriedly. “I didn't mean to imply anything about you, princess. You are, of course, just as important as the other two. Three.” She looked down. “I'm not very good at this, am I?”
“It confuses me too. Don't take it too harshly.” A voice said from behind her. Twilight and the nurse both turned.
“Cadence!” Twilight said, smiling. “When did you get here!”
“Three hours or so ago.” Cadence smiled softly at Twilight. “We got the message an hour before that, as soon as the telegraph lines went back up. We thought something was up, but this...” Cadence sighed. “Needless to say, this was not what we had expected. We came here as soon as we could.”
“So Shining's here as well?” Twilight asked.
“Up with the guards now. I just came down to check up on my injured sister-in-law.” She smiled. “You seem to be okay.”
Twilight sat up, shaking her head. After a few seconds of pause, she lurched forward, ungracefully but successfully managing to get to her hooves on the floor. She wobbled for a second, then stood up straight. “Looks that way. What's the news with Dash?”
“She's just sleeping now. We think two more hours.” The nurse said, seemingly happy to perhaps redeem herself. “We've done everything we can to insure a quick and full recovery.”
Twilight nodded. Fourteen hours seemed fairly reasonable for the extent of the injuries(2). The healing magics they used here were extremely advanced, far beyond her knowledge, and took a considerable amount longer to complete. Though...
“You know, if you set two co-planer magical foci at the seventh line in the fourth layer of the matrix instead of the three equilateral foci you currently use, you'll be able to fix the looping issue in the sixth layer and cut back on the output oscillation, effectively increasing your maximum throughput by twenty-six percent. With the added stability, you could support up to... three channels simultaneously. Each one would only work at about sixty percent of the rate the current set up gives you, but there would be three of them, so your total output would be boosted nearly eighty percent. It won't make it any more efficient, so you'll need more power, but it would speed the spells rate up considerably without costing you any energy or materials.” Twilight said, thoughtfully. Cadence blinked. The nurse looked shocked.
“You did that in your head, just now?” she said incredulously. “That's...” She shook her head. “They were not kidding when they said you were a magical protege, princess.”
“Personally, I'm impressed you followed that.” Twilight said. “I was having a hard time, and I'm the one who said it.” She smiled sheepishly. “It's been happening to me every once in a while now. I'll just know how a spell works, even if I have none of the prerequisite knowledge. That’s the third time, or maybe the fourth, in the past two days. It's actually freaking me out, to be honest.”
“That is... rather odd.” Cadence said. “And this just started recently?”
“Yep. Last night, actually.” Twilight sighed. “Just another crazy thing to add to the long list of crazy occurrences in the past forty-eight hours.” she shook her head. “At least this one isn't trying to kill me or my friends. Well, I don't think it is, anyway.”
“That's probably a safe bet.” Cadence said lightly, then sighed. “I would love to stay, but I have a meeting to attend. You should probably come too, to be honest, but...” she looked both ways. “If you wanted to stay with Rainbow Dash, I could just tell them you were still out.”
Twilight looked at Dash, then back to the nurse. She paused. Dash was safe here, she knew. Still, she would feel better about staying by her side, as irrational as it was. It wasn't the best thing to do, she knew, but she was probably going to take Cadence up on her offer.
She looked at Cadence. She already seemed tired, after only being her a few hours at most. Whatever she was doing, it must be very stressful. Twilight sighed. She was one of the ruling princesses of the most powerful nation on the planet. She was going to have to suck it up and attend a meeting sometime, and given how important all the signs seemed to say it was, now was as good a time as any to start. As much as she wished it didn’t, duty called. “No, I'll come with you.” As soon as she said it, Cadence relaxed. Twilight smiled internally. She had made the right choice, it seemed.
“Well, if you're sure. Follow me.” She said, turning away and beginning to walk out of the room. Twilight nearly tripped over her own hooves on the first step, but very quickly recovered, regaining her balance and control quickly and catching up to Cadence in no time. Before she left, she turned to the nurse one last time. “Her name, the yellow one? It's Fluttershy. Dash might not put it together too quick, especially as tired as she'll be at the time.”
The nurse nodded. “I will remember, princess.”
With that, Twilight and Cadence left the infirmary and headed out for the conference room. After walking for a few seconds, Twilight turned to Cadence. “It's not just me. It can't be. The floor actually is slanted, isn't it?”
“Yes, it is.” Cadence blinked, then sighed. “I forget, you were unconscious for quite a while. You don't know yet.”
“Don't know what?” Twilight asked. “Stop it with the pronoun game and just tell me.”
“Canterlot castle sort of fell off the mountain.” Cadence said in a mater-of-fact tone. Twilight stopped walking, her body shutting down for a second in response.
“What.” She said flatly. “What.”
“We're on the ground right now. The ring settled at an angle, which is why the floors are slanted.” Cadence said.
“What.” Twilight repeated, her mind kicking back into action. “How? And if it fell, how did the castle survive without breaking into a million pieces? I suppose it would explain all the broken windows, but that's about it. There's no way the city could have fallen off the mountain and only broken its windows.”
“Spring knocked it down.” Cadence said. Twilight felt a chill. “She's proving to be quite dangerous, isn't she?” she smiled. “Celestia and Luna caught it as it was falling and saved the city. Mostly. They couldn't stop it completely, so there was a little bump, hence the broken windows.”
Twilight let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. “That's good. So, nopony died then.”
“Well...” Cadence looked down. “Spring kept on attacking for ten minutes after you were knocked out, if what I've been told is correct. Nopony died from the fall, yes, but... quite a few ponies are dead, Twilight. We don't know the exact numbers yet, but at least two hundred, with another five hundred injured.”
“Two-” Twilight's eyes shrunk. “Two hundred ponies dead?!”
“That's what this meeting is about, I believe.” Cadence said. “That, and what we're going to do about it.” She looked at Twilight, a determined look on her face. “We can't let something like this happen again, Twilight. That should be our focus now.”
Twilight swallowed hard. Suddenly, the reality of the situation hit her fully. They were really, really playing for keeps now, in a way she really hadn’t faced before. Well, the changeling invasion would have been this eventually, she supposed, but it had never gotten that far. They had always stopped whatever was happening before the hecto- and kilo-deaths started. She supposed it was about time that they failed. She shuttered.
They walked in silence to the conference room. The pitch black doors seemed somehow darker now even than they were before. Perhaps it was the fading light. Or maybe the new ones they put in were even darker than the originals, if that was possible. They knocked once, and they opened slowly, revealing a much better lit interior. Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and three ponies she did not recognize were in attendance. There was an eleventh pony in the back, a pale yellow pegasus stallion with a lemon-yellow mane, whom she was sure she had seen recently, but couldn't name.
“Cadence, Twilight, welcome. We were just about to begin.” Luna said. “Please, join us.” Twilight noticed that Celestia seemed strangely restrained, almost as if she was wary of something. Weird. The other ponies opened a space for the two princesses, who sat respectfully in their seats. Once everypony was settled in, Luna began her address.
“This morning, at approximately seven fifteen, the alicorn goddess Spring attacked Canterlot. Celestia, Twilight, and myself engaged her and managed to hold her for about five minutes, until Twilight was knocked unconscious. From there, Celestia and myself continued in combat with her for an additional ten minutes, until the first ring of the city was broken off of the side of the mountain, at approximately seven thirty. Spring retreated for reasons unknown, and combat ended.” Luna said. “The results of the battle, as have so far been ascertained, are as follows: three hundred and forty-seven million bits worth of property damage. An additional four and two thirds million bits worth of lost resources. Significant, as of yet unmeasured loss of confidence due to partial destruction of capital city. Partial destruction of capital city.” Luna paused, pulling out a sheet of paper and looking at in briefly before turning back to face the others. “Seven hundred and sixty-six ponies injured. Two hundred and nine ponies confirmed dead, one hundred twenty-five missing.” She locked eyes with each pony at the table in turn. “These numbers are better than we should have hoped for, given what happened. Because what happened was Spring took us by surprise and made complete fools of us at the cost of hundreds of lives. What happened was we failed to defend our capital city for more than a quarter of an hour. What happened was we were lucky enough to lose only a couple hundred instead of a couple thousand because Spring got bored of attacking us. What happened, quite frankly, is we lost. We really, really lost, in a way we can not afford to lose again. Because next time, it is for real.” Luna paused. “This whole battle was the equivalent of a light smack for playing a prank. Spring was getting us back for attacking her. She was not aiming for a goal, or completing part of a plan. That is all this was to her, a jab at myself and my sister. She cared not to, nor aimed to, cause any major damage to us. That will not be the case next time. Next time, she will be attempting to actually accomplish something.” Luna said flatly.
“You can't be serious.” Applejack said. “This was all some kind of alicorn 'gotcha'! A city destroyed over what amounts to a personal insult!”
“Yes.” Celestia finally spoke up. “That is all it was.” She looked around. “Can you see now why we were so desperate to stop her before she got serious? This was a light poke, a small in-family punishment. Now we're even as far as she is concerned. Her next move, then, is to begin her real attack. All this has been warmup, a little family spat. Now we're finally going to war.”
Twilight felt a slow creeping fear set in across her mind. She looked down at her hooves. They were shaking slightly. This was a level of crises she was not truly ready for, and she knew it. You don't exactly have a choice, though, do you? The real world doesn’t put the weakest things against you first and let you progress slowly to the top. You get whatever is thrown at you, and you either rise to the challenge or die trying. Literally.
Twilight took a deep breath, then raised her head to look around at the others. She swallowed, her throat dry, but her mind calming. “Okay. What's our plan. How do we stop her?” Twilight asked, looking to Celestia.
Luna was the one to speak. “There are no easy solutions. She has no explicit weaknesses, nor are there any magical artifacts made to beat her. We have not the means to seal her again. Simply put, we are forced to, for the first time since my return, to defeat her the slow, old-fashioned way; we must beat her in combat, render her injured enough that she can not threaten us, or we must kill her. These are our only options.”
“Okay then. We find her, we kill her. Messy, inelegant, but it gets the job done.” Rarity said. “One battle, and this is over with.”
“If only.” Luna laughed darkly. “There is no such thing as a decisive battle for alicorns. If we just kill her, she will resurrect in five minutes. Then we need to kill her again. And again, and again, until it takes. If at any time she escapes, at any point she gets away, any deterioration of her essence will be reversed. We would have perhaps a one hour window to find her again before it would be like starting from the beginning. Alicorns do not die easily. There is a reason that only once has anything other than another alicorn killed one.”
“But it is possible.” Applejack said. “Eris ain't alive anymore, last time I checked. Neither are any of her daughters. Its been done before.”
“It's been done before seventeen times,” Celestia said. “in seven groups. The first almost stopped the agricultural revolution, the second nearly reversed it. The third delayed the bronze age by two hundred years. The fourth led to the destruction of three of the five largest empires at the time. The fifth put the iron age back almost five hundred years. The sixth, the Great Destruction, plunged the world into a three year ash winter, killed one in ten living creatures, created the badlands, flattened the equestrian planes into existence, made the dragons into an endangered species, and in general nearly ended the world. In comparison, the seventh, which only managed to kill a few thousand mortals and destabilize a paltry third of a continent was by far the tamest of the seven.” She paused. “You may have noticed a pattern here. Namely, that these conflicts never end well for the mortals caught in between. That,” she looked around the table. “is not something we can allow. Equestrian civilization is not an acceptable price to pay for this conflict.”
“So...” Applejack said. “You have another plan, then? 'cuz it really looks like we don't have another choice.” Twilight was surprised to see her so actively contributing to the discussion. She tended to only speak out when she had an idea, or needed clarification. Still, she was glad that she had said it before her. It did seem like their only option, as suboptimal as it may be.
“Not so.” Luna said. “Though the essence of it is largely unchanged. Killing Spring is plainly impractical given our goals and the exceptionally low chance of things going exactly as planned. Defeating her, however, is not out of the question. If we hit her hard, keep the pressure on, and never give her the opportunity to act on any of her plans, we might have a chance of beating her into submission. Never going in for the kill will keep the stakes low enough that it will not tare the world apart, with any luck. Spring is not in the business of fighting after she knows she has lost. A few hard strikes, four or five victories in a row, should be well enough to force her to yield to us. Once she does, we will be able to exercise enough direct control over her to render her incapable of threatening us. Perhaps then we can discuss a more permanent solution.”
“So, we want to almost kill her, then.” Applejack said. “Seems reasonable enough. It would make sense that it would be easier to capture her than kill her, I suppose.”
“So, what's our first move?” Twilight said. “We intend to force her into submission, not kill her. That's our goal. But how are we going to achieve it? We have a partly destroyed city, a few hundred dead, fading moral, no idea where our target is, and Spring's got a twelve hour head start in getting her plan in action.” She looked around anxiously at the two elder alicorns. “I don't see us applying pressure any time soon.”
“As harsh as it sounds...” Celestia said, glancing briefly at Luna before continuing. “We'll just have to put the reconstruction off. As for the twelve hour head start, that's exactly what we want. She's going to be gearing up to begin her plan. We intercept her at her first target, stop her immediately. The one time she should have been in control, we take it from her. What better way to start.” Celestia smiled. “Now, it will be quite a challenge, no doubt. She will be at her most prepared. Still, if we can cut her off before she begins, it will give us the highest chance of being able to disrupt her whole strategy. Spring is intelligent, sure, but it takes even her time to form a strong plan. That's when we attack again. We wait one hour, then strike again, on the attack this time. That will put her on the run. From there, it becomes a matter of whether we can find her faster than she can counter-plan against us.”
The table grew quiet. A few seconds of silence ensued as the ponies present metabolized the information they had been given.
“I think...” Pinkie Pie said slowly. “that that just might work.” she giggled. “See, Twilight? We do have a plan!”
“Where is she attacking first?” Cadence asked suddenly. “Wouldn't we need to know before she makes it there? How on Equis are we supposed to-”
“Either Manehatten or Stableside.” Luna said. “Both large industrial centers, both large population centers, both within five hundred kilometers of Canterlot, and, critically, both within one hundred and fifty kilometers of each other. She will hit one, then the other. Perhaps right after each other, perhaps with a day in between. But, nearly guaranteed, it will be one of these two places she will attack. The attack will happen between one and five in the morning. It is the time when we would have the least ability to gather any kind of evacuation response.” she glanced around at the others. “It is possible she could do something else, but very unlikely.”
“So, how do we prepare?” The yellow pegasus stallion asked, leaning in from behind. “We have a good meta-strategy. We know what we're doing on the whole. We know where we're heading. We have a goal. But what's the low down? What do we physically do before she gets there? Who goes where, what do they take with them, where do they set up? We've filled out a good structure, but as for the specifics...” he shook his head. “We have no idea.”
“This is a meeting, Windbreaker, not a debriefing. We are still working on the details. That is why you are here.” Luna said, raising an eyebrow. “We have covered all of the pre-planed strategies. Now, we open to discussion. What do you think we should do?”
“Well...” Windbreaker paused, casting his eyes around the room for a second. “I differ to my commander.”
Twilight turned to Shining, but was surprised to find him looking at her. “I am the captain of the day guard.” He said. “Not the... whatever you call your ponies, Twilight.”
Twilight blinked twice, then it came to her. “Oh! Windbreaker! Right! We met up in Hoofany two days ago, right? You said something of the like...” She paused. Everypony was still looking at her. “Uh... plan...” She took a deep breath. “Okay, well-”
“Um...” Fluttershy started, then stopped. “Oh, sorry. Continue, Twilight.”
“No, no. I was just going to start talking at hope I came up with something.” Twilight said sheepishly. “If you actually have something to say, please, say it.”
“Oh. Well, okay then...” Fluttershy looked around the room. “Um... Celestia should head to Manehatten with Twilight, while Luna and Cadence go to Stableside. There's really no reason to stick Luna and Cadence together, but we know that Celestia and Twilight work well together. That's... it. Really, it comes down to who is going to do the fighting, and, well, as much as I hate to say it, well, um, only the four of you are really going to be any help in the fight. There's a limit to the planning that can be done. We're only placing four ponies in two locations for eight hours or less. We're defending, not attacking, so our plan of operation is 'don't let Spring break anything'. We should probably evacuate the cities now, I guess, if we know she's going to attack them. Though, if we do that, might she switch her targets?” Fluttershy paused. “No, she wouldn't, because they still have all the infrastructure required to continue our industry. They're still the best targets. When she shows up, one team should signal the other. But, uh...” She said, looking down. “Well, I was thinking... why doesn’t the other team wait about a minute and a half before showing up? We're trying to stop her, right? But our overall goal is to really beat her up until she gives up. So, at the cost of not being able to handle her as well, we could get a surprise attack on her. It would be bad for the battle, but good in the long run. She'll have to run away suddenly or be overwhelmed, instead of being driven out slowly by the four of you. She can't plan against unknown unknowns.” She paused. “I mean... if you think that could work... I'm not a strategist.”
“...” Luna paused. “Forcing her to suddenly retreat would indeed be a bigger blow to her confidence than slowly pushing her out... but I am not sure either Celestia and Twilight or Cadence and myself are capable of holding out on our long against her long enough for the surprise to be effective. She has to truly think that we are all there is, and I am of the opinion that that would require a pause on the order of five, or even ten minutes, not a minute and a half. And from what we have seen, even a minute and a half might be too long. Spring is deadly. The four of us could handle her almost certainly. Celestia and myself, possibly. But, even Celestia, Cadence and Twilight might not be enough. I do not mean any disrespect, but neither of you have even one twentieth of my fighting experience, and not a hundredth of Celestia's. I do not like your unaided odds against her.”
“Sorry.” Fluttershy said, looking down.
“It is a good idea for an idealized system, but we do not live in an idealized world.” Luna said.
“Wait, though.” Shining said. “She has a point here. You alicorns can output much more power than you can take. If we can get surprise, even a single attack, it could be devastating. Why don't we modify it slightly? Signal comes through, and either Luna or Celestia leaves. Whoever is left waits the five or ten or whatever we decide on minutes, then comes over. It should still work. The extra kick might fail, but even if it does, a fresh new fighter will join the side. And if they do it right, they should still be able to sneak in one unnoticed attack.”
“Extra... kick?” Luna said, blinking. “I am afraid I did not follow you.” She looked confused at Shining. “Perhaps you have used some unfamiliar colloquialisms?”
“One of us stays, the other goes. We put three on one, then surprise with the fourth. Gives us both the power we need to defend and the surprise.” Celestia clarified. “I think it should work. Though, there is something else missing.” She looked at the other ponies at the table. “It is not just the four of us who can be useful in the battle. Alicorns are not untouchable. You wouldn't be able to handle her alone, but you will still be vital as support. A stray, unexpected attack, even a weak one, can still disrupt her pattern. And, well...” Celestia smiled. “The elements in particular... you six... even you five, not counting Twilight... I wouldn't be so sure you don't stand a chance. Some of the feats you have managed still surprise me. We need you out there, helping us. We don't have an assured victory, and we really do need all the help we can get. We need to not only win, but win clearly, decisively, and quickly. It has to be overwhelmingly apparent that we are stronger than her, and it has to be so to her. This is as much an attack on her pride as a defense of our city. We need to break her. And so we need to hit as strong and hard as we can the first time, and never let up.”
“Do you really think we'll be more of a help than a liability?” Rarity asked. “I would think that our presence would give Spring some easy targets to use against you, or at the very least Twilight.”
“I agree.” Twilight said. This is my chance! “If she attacks, I will defend them, even if it breaks our plan. And she already knows them, so there's no chance of her just missing them. It was bad enough to have them out when we had a super weapon on our side. I don't think we should just throw them in the line of fire again.” Twilight paused. “Not that, uh, I'm questioning what you did, Celestia.”
Celestia looked as if she had been struck with a bolt. Her eyes were wide and her face was limp. She regained her composure quickly, but she seemed... worried, for some reason. “Of- Of course. You're right, Twilight. Putting them out only makes it more likely for them to be killed. I'm sorry.”
“Ya think we're going to sit on our haunches and let you go without us?” Applejack said incredulously. “Now, Twilight, that's the stupidest thing I've heard all day. We're coming, whether you want us too or not.”
“Twilight believes you will decrease her ability to fight if you come.” Celestia said. “It is her opinion that she will spend more time defending you than you will spend fighting Spring yourselves. I agree with her. There is no point in getting you five killed.”
“Then don't.” Everypony turned towards the door. Rainbow Dash was leaning heavily on the wall. She seemed tired but otherwise unhurt. “Don't defend us. We're not kids, Twilight. I'm older than you, actually. We can handle ourselves. This way, you get whatever help we can give you, and you don't lose any effectiveness.”
“Unacceptable.” Twilight said flatly. “I'm not agreeing to let you die if I can protect you! This isn't some kind of normal challenge! We're going up against a goddess, one who is smarter than Nightmare Moon and more powerful than Discord!”
“Tough luck! Either you agree to our terms and at least know where we are, or we sneak in anyway.” Dash said. “Your call.” Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy nodded, standing up and walking next to Dash.
“You ain't getting rid of us, princess.” Applejack said, staring Twilight down.
“If you believe that we would let you go in alone, you obviously haven't been thinking.” Rarity said.
“What good are friends if we can't help you?” Pinkie said. “Do you imagine for a second that we don't want to protect you as much as you want to protect us?”
“This is not the time to let your personal feelings get in the way of doing what we need to do.” Fluttershy said. “Do you seriously think that we won't be able to help? Because if you do, that's one thing. But we all know why you're saying this, Twilight. You don't want us hurt.” She stared hard into Twilight's eyes, and Twilight felt herself physically unable to turn away. “What do you think is going to happen if you fail? If we don't all give it our all here, now? If she can get ahead of us, there won't be a pony in Equestria besides the four of you safe, and you know it. We need to stop her right now. Just look outside, Twilight! She knocked Canterlot off the mountain side! On accident! While trying to kill you! Any, any, any help at all is good right now! This is the last hour in the light. We sit poised above the pit, ready to plunge into darkness. So unless you want the next time we speak to be us desperately clawing our way out from our darkest hour, we need to keep ourselves ahead. This is it. Either we maintain control here, now, or we start fighting uphill instead of downhill. We have to maintain this advantage. We're barely capable of coming out on top with it! So, I ask you again: do you really think we won't be able to help?”
Fluttershy's eyes flashed, and she shook her head. “Uh...” She seemed somewhat dazed. “Uh... so, of course we'll fight with you!”
“... … … …” Twilight screamed on the inside, but let nothing out. “Fine. Fine. Yes, you'll be helpful.” She looked at them. “I said it. Congratulations.” She glared at them. “Don't. Get. Killed.”
“We don't plan on it.” Applejack said. “Now, Celestia, I believe you had a plan for us?”
“Not really.” Celestia said. “Just go with Twilight and myself to Manehatten, and do your thing. Be a general nuisance. Pop up when she least expects it. Alicorns never fight each-other hoof-to-hoof, so get in close, and hit her for me! She won't expect that, I guarantee it. Pinkie, you have a cannon of some sort, right?”
“Oh! Smoke bombs! I could use those!” Pinkie said excitedly.
“I see you're all set, then.” Celestia said. “Fluttershy, Dash, you two have aerial combat down fairly well. Make sure she can't pull off her maneuvers. Just get in her way. Even if you can't do her any damage, just disrupt her flight path as much as you can.” Fluttershy and Dash nodded.
“Rarity, you have limited combat ability, but you can do one very vital thing: you know shield casting. Whenever the others need that half-second to get away, you have to give it to them. They won't, with perhaps the exception of Dash, be able to get out of her way in time. Their lives will depend on you.” Rarity looked down at her hooves.
“I understand.” She said, determination on her face.
“Finally, you five need to stick together at all times. You work best as a team.” Celestia paused. “Actually, you six work best as a team. Twilight, I believe it makes more sense for you to stay with them. I can handle myself fine, and having you as a unit... you'll be unstoppable.”
Twilight smiled. “This is perfect! Think about it. Spring knows she's hit me hard. So, instead of having the six of us with you in Manehatten, why don't we stick us in a boat half-way between the two cities? The plan proceeds as normal, except that instead of either me or Cadence being the backup, we become dedicated backup. She thinks I'm out, so we don't have to wait as long before surprising her, and the other five can give me a wide enough distraction for my attack to get through with a much higher chance.”
“Good.” Luna clapped her hooves together. “This sounds workable to me.”
“Erh...” One of the three ponies in the back spoke up. “Why did you want us here, again?”
“Evacuation teams. You're the heads of pony resources for these areas, right? You need to know our plan to evacuate the right places.” Luna said slowly.
“Uh... right. Sorry.”
“So, I think we have our plan now. Celestia will go to Manehatten, while Cadence and myself travel to Stableside. Whichever city gets attacked, calls the other. They teleport in, and the three engage Spring. We wait... two and a half minutes, then Twilight and the Elements show up and take her by surprise. We hit her hard until she is forced to teleport away. Then, we immediately try to find her, and as soon as we do, we attack her again.” Luna paused. “Does everypony understand?”
Everypony nodded.
“Good. We start in fifteen minutes. Be ready.” Luna tapped her hoof twice. “This meeting is adjourned.”
Twilight felt a rush building in her chest. This is it. This is our chance to turn things back in our favor. We have a plan, we have our fighters, and we have our confidence back... I think we could actually win this. We can do it. We can beat Spring, tonight.
She looked briefly at Celestia. Her slips, her changes from normalcy... she must be very stressed out right now. Unsurprising, given the circumstances. She made sure to pass her on the way out, brushing against her breifly.
“It's okay. We'll win.” Twilight whispered softly. Celestia paused, and looked at Twilight as she walked away. A smile crossed Celestia's face, briefly, full of pride, before she continued her trek away. Twilight passed her five friends, seeing determination in their eyes. They turned to her, Rarity smiling reassuringly, Applejack solemnly nodding, Rainbow Dash grinning and winking.
We will win. We have to.
End Chapter 10