//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve // Story: Past Shadows // by ChaosDragoon //------------------------------// Flash Sentry flew high above the large group of ponies heading towards the train station. He flew ahead of the group and landed next to Twilight and her friends. Guards on each side of the train station in case the changelings got past the first group of guards with Weaponry. “We might have a problem, what are we going to do if they stampede into the train cars?” Flash said. Twilight stroked her chin before an idea popped into her head. “I’ll handle it, trust me and my friends. We’ll get them into the trains in an orderly fashion,” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash quickly flew up and saw the dust coming from them massive herd of ponies and yelled, “Better make it quick Twilight! Here they come!” Twilight looked at the massive dust cloud as ponies raced towards the train station. Fluttershy hid behind a lamp post waiting for the stampede to pass. Twilight cleared her throat, I hope this’ll work. She thought. “Attention citizens of ponyville!” Twilight yelled in her best Canterlot voice. The ponies started to slow down to a trot and soon stopped in front of Twilight. She looked at all of them as fear filled their eyes. Many of them had their colts and fillies on their backs. The pegasi hovered in the air waiting for her. She cleared her throat again and added, “We understand your concern, but you all will be able to get to Canterlot before the protection barrier is put up. We ask that only mares, fillies, and colts please enter the train at this time in an orderly fashion. The last thing we need are ponies being trampled on. The train can only hold a maximum of hundred ponies, so it will make multiple trips to insure you all make it to Canterlot. The first few trips will take the mares, fillies, and colts. When they have arrived safely there, then the stallions will board. The guards will do their best to protect the train from a changeling attack, if any stallion wishes to help, please see Flash Sentry.” Within moments, mares and their fillies and colts boarded the train. A filly cried as she hugged her father who placed her on the train. “But, I don’t want to go without you,” she cried. Her father’s eyes were filled with tears. “I’ll meet up with you at the train station at Canterlot. I’ll be fine.” He said in a reassuring voice. He gently caressed the top of her head as a mare walked over to her. “We’ll make sure she gets there safely.” She said. The stallion thanked her before he hugged his filly before he walked back and the doors closed. The locomotive’s smoke stack shot out black smoke as the train began to move. It picked up speed as it headed towards Canterlot. --- Weaponry heard hooves behind him and as he turned he saw a group of sixty ponies comprised of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns running towards him. They quickly stopped in front of him and Saluted. “Weaponry, sir! We’re the group of ponies Flash Sentry sent to help you fight the changelings and stall them until the train has brought all the ponies in ponyville to Canterlot,” one of the unicorns said. “Ok, first things first: we need to get the attention of the changeling swarm. We need to get them down here and keep them here until we know the civilians are safe. The pegasi will fly up and engage the enemy. Get them close to the ground so that some of the unicorns can shoot them down. The rest of the unicorns have to perform the magical spell to keep the changelings from changing into ponies. That will cause less confusion. Once we get them on the ground, we take out as many as we can before we know ponyville is completely evacuated,” Weaponry explained. He looked at all the ponies, their golden armor shining in the sunlight. He stopped when he noticed a bright blue unicorn amongst them. He quickly shook his head and the unicorn changed to a lighter shade of brown. He looked at them all once again and asked, “Understand?” Yes Sir!” they all said in unison. The pegasi took their lances in their hooves and flew up towards the massive swarm of changelings. Weaponry winced as the weapons around him hovered in the sky next to the pegasi. He turned to see some of the unicorns horns had lit up, ready to strike. The pegasi and the weapons all hid inside clouds in the sky, ready to ambush the swarm. The unicorns and earth ponies all hid in bushes as they watched the swarm get closer. “Wait for it,” Weaponry whispered as he hid behind a small shed. He whispered again, “Wait for it.” he watched as the changelings drew closer. “Now!” he screamed. The pegasi flew from the clouds, colliding with the swarm of changelings. Their lances soon covered in green blood. An array of colorful beams of magical energy was shot from the ground and hit the changelings as they fell to the ground. The weapons Weaponry sent up with the pegasi slashed and stabbed at the changelings around them. “Ok, bring them down!” Weaponry ordered. The pegasi quickly flew down towards the rest of the group as the changeling swarm followed. As the changelings dive bombed towards the earth ponies and unicorns, Weaponry turned to some of the unicorns and ordered, “Preform the spell!” they nodded and their horns lit up as sweat dripped from their brows before their eyes glowed and they whipped their heads up and a dome of colorful magical energy shot across ponyville. The dome hit the changelings as their bodies where coated in magical energy before the dome dissipated. Weaponry and the rest of the guards quickly darted out of the way of the swarm as it smashed into the ground. The changelings quickly raced out of the cloud of dirt and dust and headed towards the guards. “Don’t let them through! Hold them here!” Weaponry screamed as the earth ponies ran past him towards the massive swarm of changelings, swords in their mouths as they clinched their teeth tight around the handles. The pegasi flew into the sky, clutching their lances as they collided with the changelings that were still in the air. Their lances pierced into changeling flesh as the green blood oozed from the wounds and fell from the sky like rain. The unicorns charged up their horns before letting lose a barrage of magical energy that slammed into each changeling. Weaponry’s weapons floated around him as something clicked in his mind. He looked around at the battle at all the carnage and fighting. Everypony was fighting with him, fighting for the same cause as he was. None of them seemed to be judging him for his past mistakes. None of them questioned his orders or felt he would abandon them. He suddenly raced towards a stallions being pinned down by a changeling. Weaponry’s sword flew through the air and stabbed the changeling in the back before it lifted up and slammed the changeling into to the ground. “Thanks commander,” the stallion said before he picked up his mace and ran towards a changeling and swung down onto its head, splattering the creature’s brains on the ground. Commander? Weaponry thought. He hadn’t been called that in years, many of the guards thought of him as nothing more as a traitor. He raised all his weapons and smiled. He wasn’t just fighting for Equestria and the princesses anymore. He was fighting for the ponies fighting next to him, around him, and. Flash Sentry, Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Spike all flashed in his mind. He was fighting for his friends. He raced towards the massive swarm of changelings; six more orbs floated from his horn and created six more weapons as twelve verities of weapons floated around him. Each weapon attacked a changeling: a sword pierced into the chest of a changeling, a spear ripped through another’s skull, a bow shot arrows at each changeling, a mace crushed a changeling’s skull in, two daggers pierced into the eyes of another, two clawed gauntlets pierced the flesh of a changeling before lifting it up and tearing it in half, and a scythe that whirled around slicing each changeling in its way in half. “Don’t let them to the train station! Show them the true strength of Equestria!” Weaponry roared. The guards erupted in cheers as they continued their attack. Weaponry smiled before he felt something hit his body then a warm liquid slid down his body. He looked to his side to see a magical arrow had pierced into his side. He looked up to see a changeling holding a bow, a sly smile on its face before he pulled the string of the bow and another magical arrow formed. He looked around to see some of the changelings change into weapons as the others picked up the weapons and began to attack. Weaponry began to stumble around, his weapons he created from his magic all disappeared. He felt the poisonous magic from the arrow start to invade is body. “Looks like you could use my help,” The figures voice echoed in his mind. Weaponry corrected himself before his magic covered the arrow and in one motion pulled it from his body. He bit his lip to keep himself from screaming before he flung the arrow at a changeling. He had thrown it with such magical force. It pierced through the first changelings head and imbedded itself into the changeling’s skull behind it. “I don’t need your help,” Weaponry said between each breath. Three orbs floated from his horn and changed into a sword, halberd, and a morning star. “Seems that arrow’s poison has hindered your magic. You could always use some of mine,” The figure said before it chuckled. --- The train pulled into the train station as the last group of ponies climbed into the cars. Flash turned to see if there was any other pony, but saw that the only ones there were Twilight and her friends. He turned to them and said, “Alright, you all get on the train. We’ll head over to help Weaponry and the others.” “What about you and the other guards?” Applejack asked. “The train will make one final run back here, we’ll be on that and will head to Canterlot,” Flash said. Twilight nodded but before she could get on the train she looked at all her friends and noticed Rainbow Dash was missing “Where’s Dash?” Twilight asked. The six looked back towards ponyville as a rainbow streak faded away. “You don’t think,” Rarity said. Twilight and Flash suddenly ran towards where the streak was headed. “Make sure the conductor stays put! We’ll bring back Rainbow Dash,” Twilight yelled as she turned to Fluttershy and Applejack. Applejack nodded before headed towards the front of the train. --- The guards continued to fight the massive swarm of changelings. It felt that no matter how many they brought down, the swarm kept its mass. A changeling had snuck around Weaponry and lunged towards him, but before it could bite down with its fangs it was met with a cyan hoof. It fangs chipped as it crashed into another changeling. “That’s twice I’ve saved your flank,” Rainbow Dash boasted. Weaponry turned towards her before his sword shot past her and into the chest of the changeling behind her. She turned towards the falling creature and chuckled before she added, “You still owe me for the first time!” “What in Celestia’s name are you doing here,” he questioned. “Isn’t it obvious, I’m helping! This isn’t my first changeling fight you know,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned to a changeling and flew above it and smashed her back hooves into the top of its skull. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the train station helping the civilians on the train?” Weaponry asked. His halberd pierced into the back of the changeling before lifting it up and slamming the creature to the ground. “We finished that already,” Rainbow Dash said before a purple stream of magical energy slammed into a changeling in front of her. Twilight galloped towards the battle as Flash flew up into the sky and drop kicked a changeling to the ground. “Dash, we need to go. The train is ready to head to Canterlot,” Twilight said between each breath. “What about them?” Rainbow Dash questioned as she pointed to the guards fighting. “Another train is coming to pick us up and take us to Canterlot, but you need to get on that train now!” Weaponry yelled. “They’ll be fine. The rest of the guards are coming to help,” Twilight said “But,” Rainbow Dash said. “You said you’re the element of loyalty. If we were to lose one of the elements, Equestria would be lost. Those elements keep the peace in Equestria, no, they keep the peace throughout the entire world,” Weaponry interrupted. Rainbow Dash nodded but before she went with Twilight she turned to Weaponry. “You better not forget: you still owe me a cider,” Rainbow Dash said and with that she and Twilight both ran towards the train station as more of the guards raced past them towards the battle. “What was that about?” Flash asked. “Just something between friends,” Weaponry said. Flash and Weaponry both stood side by side as earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi raced past them to join their comrades. “Let’s show them a true Equestrian battle,” Weaponry said with a smile. Flash nodded and flew towards the large swarm. Two black orbs flew from Weaponry’s horn and formed gauntlets that were placed on Flash’s hooves. Flash took the gauntlets and began hitting every changeling around him. Their faces caved in at the sheer force of his attacks. A changeling lunged at him from behind but was met with a sword that was plunged deep into its back. “Thanks Weaponry,” Flash said before he slammed another changeling with his gauntlets. Weaponry nodded before his halberd and morning star floated next to him. “Let’s show these insect bastards what happens when you mess with Equestria,” Weaponry said. His morning star whipped around and slammed into the left side of a changeling’s face. His halberd spun like a wheel and was flung towards a group of changelings. Each one it slashed through was cut in half. The battle raged for what felt like days until one of the pegasi flew in the air and kicked a changeling to the ground. He looked towards the train station and saw black smoke billow out of the smoke stack from the locomotive. “The trains back!” he yelled. Flash smashed a changeling with his gauntlets to the ground as its skull popped open like a zit and its brains spattered to the ground. He turned to the Pegasus before he turned to the rest of the guards. “Retreat back to the train! Carry any wounded you can!” Flash ordered. The group began to race away from the swarm of changelings. Earth ponies carried wounded that couldn’t walk on their own as unicorns shot magical energy back towards the swarm to slow them down. Weaponry was the last one to leave the battle field as he made sure every guard was able to get out of the battle. He galloped towards the train station and as he did he looked behind him to see the remaining changelings where pursuing them. He looked back at the group of guards in front of him. He suddenly stopped and slid his body around to face the still massive swarm of changelings. Flash looked behind him to see Weaponry had stopped and quickly flew back and landed next to him. “What are you doing? We need to get to the train!” Flash said. “Even if we get to the train, they’ll attack us before we can leave the station. In those small cars we’ll be sitting ducks. I can slow them down so you and the others can get to Canterlot and wait for reinforcements,” Weaponry explained. “Do you honestly think I’d leave my best friend here to face this massive swarm,” Flash said before he stood next to him, his legs spread ready to pounce on the coming swarm. He looked at his friend and added, “I’m staying too. We work better as a team anyway.” Weaponry nodded and to a step back to let Flash lead. “Ok, first we’ll,” Flash said before he felt something hit the back of his neck. He fell unconscious to the ground as Weaponry lowered his hoof. He looked up to see two pegasi fly past. “You there, get down here now!” Weaponry yelled. The two looked down and flew towards him. When they landed he lifted Flash up from the ground and placed him on one of the Pegasus’s back before he added, “Take Flash Sentry to the train and as soon as you all are on it, have the conductor take off to Canterlot. That’s an order!” the two nodded and raced towards the train station. He watched as they soon where out of site. He turned to the large swarm and sighed, I will not lose any more friends. Weaponry thought as six orbs floated out of his horn. One took the shape of a sword, another changed to a halberd, the third a mace, the fourth a spear, and the final one took the shape of a scythe. He started galloping towards the large swarm of changelings, the weapons all hovering around his body. “As Celestia as my witness: should I die here, protecting the kingdom I love, the princesses I’m loyal to, and the friends I cherish,” Weaponry said as the images of all the guards he fought alongside appeared in front of him, Celestia and Luna appeared next to him, Flash, Twilight and all her friends appeared around him as they laughed at twilights home, and Sacred Arrow’s voice echoed in his mind. You can’t always save everypony around you, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. He suddenly quickened his pace towards the swarm as he screamed, “Then I’m taking you all to Tartarus with me!”