“Princess, the empire is in danger!”
Twilight shouted that to Princess Celestia as she approached her at the rotunda. Celestia folded a wing over her and told her to pace her breathing. Twilight was liable to faint if she kept it up.
“Princess…the Yaks….reinforcements are coming!”
Celestia gasped and scanned the horizon. “How do you know of this? They told you?”
Twilight pressed a hoof against her chest. “They may as well have.”
“But I don’t understand,” Celestia muttered. “Even the Yaks must know that an approach to the city would be devastating for any advance across the plains. We would see it coming.”
“It could just be some kind of trick.”
“Maybe.” The others finally caught up to the two princesses.
“Twilight, you left in such a fright. What happened?” Ribbon said.
Twilight turned to face her. “There may be an attack against the empire.”
Her brother went into full alert. “Excuse me. I must warn the city guard at once!” He went off in a swift gallop to gather his forces.
“Ribbon Wishes, did you manage to glean any insight from the Yaks?” Celestia had hesitated to ask as if already sensing the worst.
“I’m afraid that what I’ve learned might be enough to fill a small book. And I must say that I’ve never said this before but I have to admit that they are not prone towards reason. I’m sorry.”
Celestia’s voice sank. “Is there truly no hope whatsoever?”
“What can I say? Perhaps the only thing we can hope for is to protect our ponies from the Yaks.”
Just like that, it seemed like it was already decided and the Yaks’ fate sealed. The ponies split up. Celestia went to send a letter to her sister, likely calling for an additional battalion from the capital to be sent. Twilight told Ribbon to go to her room to rest while she also took advantage of the coming night and went to her suite. But despite a long trip, she had no stomach for food and the thought of eating made her queasy. She thought of the Yaks and their retched smell. She vowed to wash it out of her nostrils even if she had to do so with a strong acid.
As the veil of night fell over the city, the distant mountains disappeared into shadow. Twilight wrote in her diary briefly and turned off the light. She didn’t even feel like some light reading which was rare. The pillow felt good enough, like a cloud or a pile of hay. An hour passed and she was drifting in the drowsy aura between wakefulness and a deep sleep before the balance was crushed in an instant. It was a loud boom that must have woken up the entire palace. When she sat up, she smelled smoke drifting in with the cool air from the outside. The distant cries of ponies was coming from below.
When a heavy knock rattled the door, Twilight’s body also shook in kind.
“Who is it?”
A soothing voice answered and told her to open the door. Twilight opened it and was more relieved than ever to see her older brother. He looked extremely agitated and his mane was in disarray.
“Shining, what’s wrong?”
He held his gaze firmly to her. “Twiley, please listen to me. I’m here to advise you not to go out even though you’ll want to. The Yaks have made a move for the capital as you and Princess Celestia had feared. We don’t know how many have come but they’ve attacked the dungeon specifically. I think they want to free the prince.” Twilight rushed over to the window and looked outside. She saw several fires flickering like stars in the northern parts of the empire. “It’s dangerous outside.”
Twilight turned with a pained look on her face. “I refuse to stay like a helpless foal. I will meet the Yaks face to face with Cadance.” Her brother tried to protest but Twilight’s voice made it clear that there would be no debate as she went into the hall. He had underestimated her unwavering devotion as usual. But she didn’t mind. She’s always been that way. The kind to sacrifice herself in the name of some higher ideal. She even sort of preferred it like that even if ponies like her brother didn’t understand. Still, she knew that he wouldn’t be the last before the end.
Twilight went outside as the masses streamed towards safer ground. Smoke obscured the moon and balls of fire that looked like comets arched low over the city until they landed with violent thuds. Many soldiers were busy directing crystal ponies and she could barely keep herself oriented in the bedlam.
A hoof gripped her shoulder and she turned around to see Cadance.
“Twilight, you need not be out here!” She shouted to be heard over whistles and the stomping of hooves.
“No, I need to,” Twilight said with upmost determination. “I had failed to make friends with the Yaks but I won’t fail this time. Not when our safety is on the line.”
Naturally, Cadance hesitated but she was one of the few that understood Twilight on a personal level. They respect each other too much for her to stand in her way.
“So be it. I believe if we hurry, we can catch up to the prisoners in the north. We can’t let them escape.”
“How did they get away?”
“I don’t know but they blew a hole in the side of the castle. They must have jumped out and ran in the confusion but chances are that they’re hurt. They probably haven’t reached their allies yet.”
“Let’s go. We have no time to waste.”
The two of them flew low over the houses, careful to avoid the projectiles flung into the city. They were huge, the size of boulders and they left flaming craters in buildings. Something strong must be launching them. She knew they had to be disabled right away while so much of the empire’s forces were scrambling to put out the fires. The rest were marching north in formation to meet the Yaks. She feared that Shining Armor would be at the front. It was his duty but she still knew that he was in danger.
At last she spotted the three fugitives crisscrossing their way through alleyways, trying to avoid capture. The prince hobbled a bit. Likely a hurt leg from falling from his prison cell. A small white bird followed them closely.
“Do you see it?” Cadance said in surprise.
“What?”
“That’s how they coordinated their escape. The bird must have relayed exactly where they were and are probably telling them where to go now!”
“Let’s go!” Twilight was about to dive down when Cadance got in her way. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Twilight, we don’t need our combined strength to capture them when they appear to be wounded. If we split up, one of us can go and destroy their weapons before they can do further damage to the empire,” Cadance reasoned.
“Good idea. You go north and join my brother. Defending the empire is your fight. I’ll handle the prince.”
“I know you will. Be safe, Twilight.” With incredible swiftness, Cadance made off for the battle ahead.
Twilight flew with all the power and speed of a griffin. The time had come. They probably wouldn’t surrender but if they were going to, it was going to be their last chance as if they really deserved any after what they’ve done. As she impacted the street below, the Yaks stopped in their tracks. They were a bit different than last time. Even the prince looked reluctant and the other two stood defensively rather than showing off their strength. If anything, they must have been more eager to rejoin their comrades. Twilight didn’t care one bit.
“You are done! Surrender now!” she bellowed, every ounce of her authority radiating from her lungs. In preparation, Twilight prepped her wings to lift her upwards.
The prince choked as he tried to speak. Perhaps out of fear or saliva from his ragged sprinting or who knows. “Yaks….never surrender. Far too noble for that.”
“Why do you have to be so defiant?” Twilight just had to ask, even if it would be the only thing she ever learned from them. No creature has frustrated her as much as the Yaks perhaps save for the spirit of Chaos.
“Because Yaks are powerful and greatest in the world,” the prince said. As he did so, he stood to his full height. He was one of the biggest of them all, a towering creature even taller than Princess Celestia.
“Greatness does not come with arrogance….I’ve personally seen that to be true,” Twilight replied.
The four of them stood silently for a moment, in a kind of standoff. Neither side wanting to strike the first blow in a fight already inevitable. They both had their reasons. Twilight desired only to fight in self-defense and the Yaks were in a weakened position.
Suddenly, a voice grew louder from Twilight’s right. As it came closer, she recognized it as Ribbon Wishes. Twilight was distracted only briefly and glanced at her for just a second. It was a frightful sight. Her friend weaving her way around rubble strewn about. The way her hair glistened red from the fire and in her eyes that grew ever wider.
Twilight’s heart leapt in her chest and she turned to see a long knife flying in the air. She had no time to think or plan or react with anything other than to cover herself with the only thing she had. Her own wing. A massive searing pain pulsed through it as the blade shattered one of the bones and came out the other end, coated in darkened blood. She shoved her wounded wing aside despite it throbbing immensely. Seeing the two yaks come within one pony length in front of her was enough to make her funnel all the anger in her heart into her horn until it was a raging tempest of fire.