//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The only thing worse than winning a snowball fight is losing a snowball fight. // Story: The Great Snowball War // by Ponibius //------------------------------// The battle was indeed far from over, at least if I had anything to say about it. Which I did, for I intended to do something about the embarrassing loss we had just suffered. Dusk had done his work well. Our forces fared poorly with their leaders’ elimination. Gale’s brother Ash had attempted to take his sister’s place as leader of the Reds, but while he might have been brave and intelligent for a child his age, Dusk was vastly more experienced. Dusk had conducted a slow, organized retreat on his right flank, and had drawn Ash further and further to his side of the field. In his inexperience, Ash had not seen the trap coming and had poured his forces into the fight as he pushed Dusk from one snowmound to another. In the end, a gap had formed between our right and left flank, and Dusk had exploited it. He drove his reserves into the gap, isolating our flanks from one another and opening a path to our flag. Fort Shadowskull had come to be badly under-garrisoned, as Ash had pulled some of its defenders out to maintain his offensive. To my great frustration, ‘twas almost a trifle for Dusk to send in some of his best pegasi fliers into the fort to take the flag. At that, the second battle had ended in a decisive defeat. That put me in a foul mood. Thus, I climbed the stairs of Fort Shadowskull to enact my plan for the third round of our contest. I poured my magic into the ice around me, and the protesting cracking of ice echoed throughout the structure as it grew larger still. When I reached the top of the fort, I cast another spell and the wall opened up and a balcony formed before me. Ravens landed on the railing and cawed to me in greeting. Stepping onto the balcony, I looked out over the battlefield. On the far end of the field I saw the blue specks of the ponies that were mine enemies. Twice I had been thwarted by them, and I had not even begun to inflict my revenge on the treacherous little filly that had betrayed my trust. This would not do. I had seen Princess Celestia cast the spell that granted her the Royal Canterlot Voice, and I cast the spell to myself so that I could project my voice to mine enemies. “I HAVE SUFFERED MY LAST HUMILIATION!” My horn glew as I created an illusion multiple stories tall of myself in front of Fort Shadowskull, glaring balefully down on them to inform them of my displeasure. "FEAR ME, CHILDREN! FOR I AM MAGUS MIDNIGHT SPARKLE, AND I AM COMING FOR THEE! FEAR ME AND DESPAIR!" Before I could make anymore announcements of their inevitable doom, Gale fluttered up to land on the balcony, frowning. “Midnight, mayhaps thou art becoming too ... enthusiastic?” I gasped at the suggestion. “Neigh! My heart burns with passion and the desire to see our foes so crushed that for three generations they will speak of what has transpired as a warning to others.” Gale’s eyes narrowed. “Midnight, our foes are children. And my husband.” “Aye, and thou hast made thy hatred of thy deceitful husband clear to me,” I said. “He will receive special attention should I fall 'pon him. Just wait and see, for his doom is nigh.” Gale pursed her lips as she thought. “I feel I should point out that his descendants will be my children as well.” “Do not worry.” I waved dismissively. “He has not been able to put a child 'pon thee even after ten years of marriage. I doubt such will be rectified anytime soon.” Gale shuffled awkwardly in place, looking embarrassed for once. “Aye, about that. In truth, we have been pursuing that of late. Vigorously.” “Oh.” For once, I did not have a ready reply. That news that Gale and Dusk were attempting to conceive a foal after so many years of marriage struck me as queer, at least where they were concerned. Dusk seemed more than willing to do what needed to be done. Though from the way Gale had spoken, she would have preferred the company of a kelpie, with its adhesive touch intended to allow it to grab its victims and drag them into the water and drown them so that it can feast on their waterlogged flesh. From what I understood of lovemaking, Gale should have been repulsed to have Dusk do such a thing to her. I did not understand her. Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “But that is beside the point. Thou art becoming rather too excited o'er a mere contest.” I puffed out my chest. “But thou didst bring me here to bring thee victory, and I shall do so. Thou wilt see my worth this day. Thou wilt see.” Gale rubbed her face wearily. “Very well. Just ... remember we are facing children.” I huffed, growing irritated at her needless worries. I knew exactly what I was doing. “Gale, 'tis not as though I intend to kill them, put their heads on pikes, and display them to serve as examples to others as though they were common brigands.” Gale’s mouth worked wordlessly for a moment before she could bring herself to speak properly. “No, I would think not.” I nodded. “Good to hear we understand one another. Now, time to strike fear into their hearts and give them a story to remember!” I turned back to the field. “RAVENS OF THE GREAT UNKINDNESS! COME TO ME! LET MINE ENEMIES KNOW THAT THE END IS NIGH!” Gale pressed her hoof to her face as the Great Unkindness took flight. Ravens scooped up snowballs from the piles of munitions available and they circled around Fort Shadowskull. Eager for battle, I lept from the balcony. My cloak and red scarf flapped in the wind as I plummeted towards the ground, slowing my descent with a feather fall spell and allowing me to land on the ground softly, rather than shattering the bones in my legs and sending the splinters through my flesh. After careful consideration, I had decided ‘pon the spell I would use to clench victory and my horn glew its blue light. “Frightful Fearsome Phantasm!” I cried out. Slowly a veil formed around me. To the ponies watching me, ‘twas as though I grew to a size that would have dwarfed Princess Celestia herself. Great claws formed on my hooves, canines pushed past my lips, my mane came to be long, wild, and unkempt, and mine eyes glew with a baleful red light. In addition to making me appear different, the veil produced a terrible aura—one intended to strike fear into anypony within sight of me. I had never had the opportunity to really use the spell before, but now I did and it made my blood pump. A great cry of dismay and fear came from the Blues as they saw me approach them. The ravens came with me, a vast black of wave that filled the sky above the battlefield. I smiled as I advanced. Victory would be mine. The Blues had no counter to my magics, and the fear from Frightful Fearsome Phantasm would erode away their morale until Dusk’s army melted away in panic. My ravens would take care of anypony else who stood in my way. ‘Twould be as simple as walking up to the Blues’ flag and taking it in order to win. None of the Blues had even tried to approach me by the time I reached the middle half of the field. I may not even need to throw a single snowball to seize the day. That would show everypony whom was the master of this battlefield. My dreams of glory were interrupted when a snowball smashed ‘gainst the back of my head. Less than half a second later, mine entire backside was peppered by at least a score of snowballs. I squawked in surprise and spun around to face my attacker. Who? Who could have attacked me?! I had driven away all before me, so there was nopony nearby. Even if somepony had managed to resist the aura of my spell, they still would have been seen by the unkindness. Then there was the fact that no single pony could have thrown so many snowballs so accurately. That meant a whole team of ponies must have hit me. But how?! The answer revealed itself when Mother, the Archmagus of Canterlot and Grand Vizier of Equestria, stepped out from behind her invisibility veil, smirking  savagely at me. “Hello, my child.” “M-mother?!” I took a step back. “What art thou doing here?!” “Dusk requested mine aid, in exchange for future favors.” Mother brushed the end of her blue scarf so that is settled across her back. “He was wise in thinking that the best counter to a magus was another magus. And it seemed an amusing diversion.” My brain worked as it processed this revelation. “You would side against your daughter?” “‘Tis only a training exercise,” Mother said. “‘Twill be good to see how thou art progressing with thy magic.” Mine eye twitched at the challenge. “I will remember this. Next round, we will meet and I will show you how much I have improved.” Mother grinned savagely. “I would expect nothing less. Now then...” She made a shooing motion with her hoof. “Thou hast been eliminated, daughter. Please step to the side so that I may help Dusk win his battle.” I sighed and turned to go. “Fine.” “And do not forget to remove the veil.” I rolled my eyes and dispelled my veil. “And dismiss the ravens.” I grumbled under my breath and waved the ravens off. The unkindness cawed sadly as they returned to their roosts at the fort. I stomped back with them. When the next round started, I returned to the battlefield with the intention to face my mother. The children did not come rushing out like they had in the first couple of rounds, though; instead, the field seemed strangely silent, as though everypony was afraid to speak higher than a whisper. The children of each team moved forward cautiously and well after my wake. There was a tension in the air as I trotted forward, a crack of energy waiting to be released. ‘Twas not difficult to find Mother. I had worried she might hide herself somewhere on the battlefield and force me to play a game of hide-and-seek. Such was not the case, for she stood boldly on a snowmound at the middle of the field. I suspected a trap, and thus approached cautiously. ‘Twould be like her to try and fool me with some illusion only to sneak up on me from behind, but a quick scan for magic quickly showed ‘twas a pony of flesh and blood before me. The children from both sides slowly moved until they formed a circle around us, though they stood well clear of the magi before them. ‘Twould seem that this contest would have witnesses. That suited me just fine. I narrowed mine eyes as I stopped at the base of the snowmound. “Mother, have you been waiting for me?” “I have indeed.” Mother flashed a grin that challenged me to come for her. “We both know that this battle shall be decided 'tween the two of us. Come, child; show me what thou hast learned.” I spread my legs in a combat stance. “You will find that I am stronger now, Mother. This will not be nearly as easy a contest as you have experienced in the past.” “I would expect nothing less,” she said. “It is only natural for children to continue growing. But that growth must be tested and tempered.” “Aye, but you will find that the young have supplanted their elders this day.” Mother’s grin only widened at my challenge. “Bold words. Let us see if there is any truth to them.” As quick as a snake's bite, she snapped several snowballs at me with her magic. The snowballs streaked towards me, but I caught each of them in a field of my magic. I answered Mother’s grin with one of mine own and launched them back at her. Before they could reach her though, Mother conjured a wall of fire that instantly melted them. As I thought she would, she was manipulating heat to give her an edge in our battle. Desiring to test the power of that shield, I created a pillar of snow to extinguish it and plow right into her. The pillar soared through the air, but to my surprise Mother did not meet force with force, instead melting the snow under hooves and dropping into the snowdrift. The pillar flew over her head, causing several children to scatter out of its way as it hit the ground. Seeing an opportunity, I put my cyromancy to work. The snow around the hole Mother had created shifted and filled it in. For the briefest moment, I hoped that I had snuck in a win ‘gainst her, but a rumble in the snow announced that she was far from done. There was an explosion of snow and steam, and a sweltering burst of hot air made my cloak flap against the sudden gust. Before I could react, the snow under my very hooves melted out from under me, and I stumbled and fell against the wet ground. ‘Twas at that moment when Mother emerged from her hold, throwing several snowballs without a moment’s hesitation. A few months ago, that would have been the end of the contest; ‘twould have taken too much time for me to form a proper shield or use snow and ice to defend myself. That was where my more recent advancements in the magical arts came to the fore. I concentrated the heat in the air before me, much of it provided by Mother’s previous attack, and created a shield that made the air shimmer before me. The snowballs hit that patch of hot air and instantly evaporated well short of me. Mother blinked in surprise, but that surprise was swiftly replaced by a tight smile. “Ah, I was hoping it would not end that swiftly. Good.” I regained my balance and stood. “I have mastered your technique to manipulate heat and cold, Mother. As I said I would.” I met her eyes with determination. “That includes your spell Sunbeam’s Shimmering Summer Shield.” There was a glint in Mother’s eyes when she spoke. “I expected nothing less from mine own daughter.” “Though I wonder how long this contest will go.” I rolled my shoulders, making sure the fall had caused me no injuries. “We have both mastered fire and ice, and our talents cancel one another out.” “It will go as long as it must,” Mother announced. “Endurance is another skill of a talented magus; ‘tis one thing to sling spells around the battlefield, ‘tis another to do so efficiently.” “That is so,” I acknowledged. “Then let us continue our battle and see who succumbs to fatigue. If I must battle you long into the night to emerge victorious, then so be it.” “Do not declare thyself the victor before the fight is done.” Mother grinned savagely, her horn glowing anew with a green aura. “Arrogance will only lead thee to defeat.” Before I could launch an attack, the snow about me rose up in a wave to bury me. I shot a blue beam of light into that wave, freezing it solid. I knew that a direct confrontation of force was not likely to defeat Mother. She possessed as much magic as myself and had many more decades of experience. Neigh, if I was going to win, I needed to be cleverer than she. An impenetrable globe of darkness that drank in all light spread from my horn until it covered the immediate area. As was my habit, I had already cast a darkvision spell ‘pon myself at the start of the day and I could see even without light. Mother did not have that advantage. ‘Twould not be long until she cast a spell to let her see, and even then she was casting some spell in her defense. I needed to strike quickly. With another spell, my shadow darted forward until ‘twas under Mother. Now with its own mass, the shadow picked up a snowball and threw it at Mother’s belly. Whether due to instincts, detecting my magic at work, or having seen it after casting her spell, Mother’s eyes widened at the moving shadow. She jerked away and barely moved out of the snowball’s path in time. Not content to stop there, I had my shadow reach out to try and grab her. A jet of flame shot from Mother’s horn and burned the shadow away, causing me to flinch from the magical backlash that ran down my horn. Having her off-balance, I pressed mine attack. As quickly as I could cast multiple simultaneous spells, I covered a snowball with an invisibility spell and launched it at Mother. No doubt suspecting I was up to something, Mother set everything immediately around her afire, making mine attack utterly impotent. When the fire abated, Mother stared at me with a wild look about her eyes. “Good! Thou art being inventive whilst pressing thine attacks. I am pleased.” “And I am far from done yet.” I levitated out more snowballs and had them orbit Mother to threaten her from all sides. “I have the vigor of youth and can keep this up for some time.” I flung my snowballs at her, and once again, they melted against her fire shield. Good thing that was merely a distraction to provoke her to do as I desired. I pushed more snow into her shield at ground level, and it quickly melted into pools of water. I took that water and made it seep into the ground. Soon the ground was saturated and rapidly turning into mud. If I could just make enough mud to sink Mother into the ground, then I could at least eliminate her ability to walk ‘bout the battlefield. Mother’s hooves started sinking into the mud and she turned her gaze downwards. “Ah, much better. Alas...” She hit the ground with a burst of fire, the heat being such that it made me flinch back. With a jerk of her hooves, Mother pulled herself out of the baked clay. The smile she gave me irritated with the confidence it beamed. “ I think I have allowed thee enough time on the offensive.” She hurled a fireball at me. Mine eyes widened, and I barely had time to scoop up some snow to intercept the fireball. My heart beat heavily in response to the attack. Was she trying to burn me? Her power and control over fire was second to none, but I did not like the idea of having my flesh burned from my bones regardless. I decided to try a bluff to make her stop considering using that type of attack ‘gainst me again. “Really now? More fire? I have far more snow available to me than thou hast fire. In a contest of endurance, this will not end well for you.” Mother tsked and shook her head. “Thou thinkest so?” There was a roar of flame as she threw a massive, rolling wave of fire at me. I immediately countered by harnessing the snow about me and throwing it as a wave. The two forces collided with a crack of magical forces made me flinch, and the fire and snow exploded into a steamy fog which covered everything. My heart sank as I realized the danger I was now in. I had lost sight of Mother, meaning she could be anywhere and be planning any number of strategies to crush me. Knowing that I had mere moments before the hammer fell, I fell back ‘pon a traditional defense: a light blue bubble of magical force formed around me as I cast my shield spell. My caution was immediately rewarded. Another wave of fire came from my left and a wave of snow fell ‘pon me from my right. My shield buckled, but did not break under the pressure of the two forces and I poured more of my magic into it to keep it from failing. I grunted as Mother pressed the attack, with snow and ice grinding on opposite sides of my shield. ‘Twas a display of pyromancy and cyromancy that I had not reached yet, and was something I could not help but admire even as it threatened to overwhelm me. “You should be honored, child!” Mother called out. “I was waiting for the chance to test this spell on a worthy foe, and now I have one.” Before I could ask what she was speaking of, the waves of snow and fire collided with one another and worked themselves into the air. There was a series of sparks, and then with a great boom, a lightning bolt crashed down into my shield. As the shield broke, my whole world became overwhelmed with light, sound, and pain. I knew not how long I lay on the ground. My ears rung and dots swam over my vision. Vertigo seized me as I looked up at Mother as she stood over me. She bent her head down to look me over, pushing aside my cloak to thoroughly examine me as she cast a spell that would tell her of my health. Mother canceled her spell and nodded. “Well fought, my child.” A snowball struck me across the shoulders, bringing my part in this round to a close. All I could do was groan and bury my face in the snow. Mother inflicted two decisive defeats against Gale’s forces. I had failed to beat her, and that had allowed her to work as she willed to give Dusk victory. She had even melted an opening right through Fort Shadowskull to cut a straight path our flag, mocking the defenses I had created. I considered going out and facing Mother directly again, but that struck me as unwise. Mother had decades of experience on me, both in warfare and in hunting warlocks. As much as I had closed the gap ‘tween us, I was still not her equal. Another direct confrontation was not likely to end any better for me than the first. Neigh, what I needed to do was to do something she did not expect—something that could overwhelm her attacks and defenses and achieve victory. I had time to think about my options, reviewing all the spells, rituals and magics I knew, and an idea struck me. Once the fourth round ended, I repaired the damage done to Fort Shadowskull, making the walls thicker, adding more spikes and other embellishments before I got to my real task. First, I created a curtain wall around Fort Shadowskull to hide mine actions. Hopefully Dusk’s soldiers would only think that I was improving the fort’s defenses rather than obscuring his sight for other purposes. Second came the real task before me. I shooed away a score of children away to clear a spot that would allow me to work, then drew a large circle in the snow within the courtyard, taking care to ensure there were no breaks in it. I breathed heavily as I concentrated on the next spell I cast. Within the circle, I created more ice. The wind picked up as they fed more and more snow to my growing construct, and soon my craft loomed over me and took shape. I build it a scaly hide with a long tail and neck, wings on its back, four legs ending in sharp claws, and a sloped head with a maw filled with fangs. I smiled widely once my ice dragon was finished. All around, the children stared up at it, slack-jawed at its grandeur. This would be mine instrument of victory, and ‘twas one Mother could not hope to counter. Gale trotted up to me wide-eyed, no doubt to congratulate me for creating the creature that would destroy her husband and his forces. “Midnight, what is that? Is ... is that ice golem? In the shape of a dragon?” I grinned widely. “Nonono, a golem would take too long to make.” I felt mine ear twitch. “Instead, I have made a vessel in which I will bind a spirit of the Plane of Ice and Wind to do my bidding. I have designed it to crush Dusk's team. Is it not wonderful?!” Gale’s mouth hung open for a time, no doubt she was having trouble forming the words for the terrible magnificence I had brought into the world. “Midnight, that is ... grossly excessive.” “I know!” I giggled and clapped my hooves together. “Is that not the beauty of it? Even Mother will not be able to stand 'gainst it once I bind the spirit to the vessel!” Gale’s eyes narrowed. “Midnight, I think mayhaps thou hast gone too far.” “Oh neigh, not yet.” I waved dismissively. “I have not done something like unleash any windigos to bury our opponents in snow and ice for all eternity to serve as a warning to all who would cross us. That would be excessive.” Gale let out a long sigh. “Midnight, I think thou shouldst leave the field.” I blinked a couple of times, not understanding what she meant. Why would she wish for me to leave? I was about to give her victory after so many difficult battles. I gasped as I realized what must be her problem with me. “Neigh!” I prostrated myself before Gale and wrapped my legs around hers, looking up at her as I felt my lower lip quiver. “Please, reconsider! I know I have failed thee thus far, but I can win! I know I can! Please, give me a second, err...” I realized I had been eliminated not once, but a total of four times while fighting for Gale. “A fifth chance! Give me that and I will succeed!” Gale blinked, taken aback by my pleas. “Midnight...” I felt tears well up in my eyes, feeling like a poor friend indeed to Gale. All she had asked of me was that I use my talents to help her win her a victory ‘gainst her husband, yet for all my skill, we had lost three of the four rounds. If she could not count on me for a simple exercise for children, then how could she ever trust me with something more important? “I know I am not some great warrior, but I can still contribute to thy cause,” I insisted. “If given a chance, I could turn the tide as thou wish.” Gale clenched her teeth in a grimace, and I could see her wavering in her decision. “Canst thou moderate thine actions?” Seeing a spark of hope, I seized ‘pon it. “But of course I can!” Gale hummed unhappily. “Then I suppose I can allow it. But no dragons.” I nodded. “No dragons. That is an easy enough rule to follow.” Gale let out a relieved sigh. “Good, then.” I stood, feeling much better about the situation. “I am glad we could come to understand one another.” I trotted over to the ice construct and pressed my horn ‘gainst it. Magic flowed from my horn and into the ice as I summoned an ice spirit to inhabit the vessel and bound it. When that was done, I felt the ice construct reverberate with my magic as it stirred awake. I smiled and reached up to my creation. “Arise, Icingdeath Frostmourne Snowblower of the Frozen Heart, Bringer of Woe and Pain to My Most Hated Enemies, The Blue Team in General and the Perfidious Filly in Particular! Rise to thy master's call!” “Midnight,” Gale growled. “What are thou doing?” I felt a giggle rise up in my throat that I could not resist. “I am bringing Icingdeath to life, of course.” Gale ground her teeth together. “I thought we said no dragons.” “Aye, my dear friend, this is not a dragon.” My ear twitched. “This is an ice construct inhabited by an ice spirit. 'Tis completely different.” Gale stomped a hoof. “Thou grasped my meaning, Midnight! Thou art not a stupid mare. Thou didst twist my words to thine own ends.” “Not now, Gale.” I waved her off. She would see that I was right soon enough; I merely had to make a demonstration of Icingdeath’s power. “I simply must show Mother what I have done.” I wrung my hooves together as the ice spirit tested the bounds of its shell. “Midnight, stop this.” “Mine apologies, Gale!” I started my trot to the gate of the curtain wall. “But I am afraid I must cite the Fourth Axiom of Lyequinegus. I am sure thou art familiar with it—you pegasi to so love to quote him often enough.” Gale applied her hoof to her face. “I suppose there is nothing I can do to stop thee?” I shook my head. “Neigh, thou canst not stop me. The Blue Team cannot stop me. The Perfidious Filly cannot stop me! Mother cannot stop me! NOTHING IN THE WORLD CAN STOP ME NOW!” I laughed well and good. I trotted out towards the Blues, a big smile on my lips. After so many struggles and setbacks, victory would now be mine! Gale was so confident in me she had not even bothered to send any of her children along with me to defeat Dusk. That was fine; that only meant more of the glory would be mine. As before, ‘twas Mother who came out to meet me, accompanied by children that probably wished to see another match ‘tween powerful magi. She stopped short of me, that ever-confident smile on her face. “And so we meet again, my child.” I could not help but giggle at the knowledge of what I had to reveal to Mother. “So we do, Mother. And this time 'twill be I who emerges victorious.” Mother raised an eyebrow. “And what makes thee so certain?” My ear twitched. “I see what my problem is when facing you in battle. I am always playing the game as by your rules, in a way that is to your advantage.” I made another deep-throated giggle. “Then it came to me: I needed to change the way the game worked, and not in some small way, neigh. I needed to do something you would never, ever expect. So I did something mad!” “What hast thou done, child?” Mother asked warily. I could no longer contain myself. I had to reveal what I had done. “Behold, Mother! The instrument of your destruction!” Reacting to my will, Icingdeath reared up from behind the curtain wall. Its eyes narrowed as it glared down towards the Blues. I noted proudly that the ice dragon was the size of a building, blue scales glistening in the sunlight. It climbed up onto the wall and let out a mighty roar that made the ground shake. The Blues let out cries of terror and fled en masse, as was only appropriate. To my delight, Mother’s jaw dropped. ‘Twas so rare that I could surprise her that I savored the image and made sure to memorize it for eternity. “Child, please tell me that is an illusion.” I rolled mine eyes. “Please, I know that a mere illusion would never fool you, much less defeat you. But Icingdeath Frostmourne Snowblower of the Frozen Heart, on the other hoof...” I chopped down with a hoof, and Icingdeath acted. It drew in a big breath, and once its lungs were full, it unleashed its fury upon the Blues. A torrent of snowballs flew from its mouth, spraying their line from one end to the other. The Blues were hammered by the assault, many of the children practically buried beneath the snow. “Do you see, Mother?! Victory is mine!” Something welled up within my belly, and a great uproarious laugh overcame me. I laughed as I had never laughed before as the Blues were decimated by my creation. Unsurprisingly, Mother did not stand for this. She built up a great fireball and then launched it at Icingdeath. The fireball hit its head and blew it into a fine mist. Icingdeath jerked at the carnage, but it did not fall from the wall. Instead, it stood passively for a long moment as the ice spirit went to work. A great gust whipped at us as snow was sucked towards beast’s neck, as the ice spirit used the fresh snow to slowly but surely regenerate the construct’s head. I giggled, my ear feeling like it had a will of its own as it twitched. “Please, did you think I would build such a construct that could be so easily defeated by fire when I knew you were on the field? Give me some credit, Mother.” Mother frowned. “Oh ... this could be a problem.” I smile coyly. “Do you wish to surrender? I can be most gracious in victory if mine enemies surrender when 'tis clear their defeat is inevitable.” Mother glowered as she was faced with utter defeat. There was nothing, nothing she could do to defeat the ice dragon. Not when she had already been drained by our previous battle and with no preparation to deal with such a foe. There was nothing the Blues could hope to do ‘gainst Icingdeath. They were poorly equipped to deal with such a foe, and  ‘twould only be a matter of time until I reigned supreme. That is when everything came apart. A great beam of bright yellow light struck out from one end of the field and struck Icingdeath in the head. Once again its head was destroyed, but unlike Mother’s attack, the yellow beam continued moving slowly down its body downwards and evaporating the ice as it went. It even melted the section of the curtain wall the ice dragon was leaning ‘gainst. Soon Icingdeath Frostmourne Snowblower of the Frozen Heart was gone. Exactly like my dreams of victory. My jaw dropped. What had happened? Did Mother possess some spell I had not known about to destroy my creation? I looked to her, but she was staring off with wide eyes at where the dragon had been, looking as dumbstruck as I. ‘Twas all the more startling when a snowball shot past me and smashed ‘gainst the side of her head. Mother blinked, running her hoof along where the snowball had hit her. “What?” I jerked away, surprised by the sudden assault. Nopony was even standing near us. Who was doing all of this? I looked down to the side of the field where the snowball had come from. ‘Twas there that I saw a sight that made my heart sink. There was a shimmer in the air as a great veil that covered the side of the field ‘tween the Blues and Reds slowly dissipated, revealing none other than Princess Celestia, Sovereign of Equestria, Sol Invictus—and leader of her own army of children. They stood by Her Highness and her yellow banner, every one of them wearing a scarf of the same color. She must have gathered a vast horde from the children of Canterlot. That was the only answer that made sense. How or why I did not know, but I knew that mine eyes did not lie to me. Princess Celestia smiled beatifically as she stood proudly in front of her army. She raised a hoof and called out with the Royal Canterlot Voice. “CHILDREN! TO BATTLE!” There was a great cheer from the Yellows as they charged forward. The sight made my heart sink. Defeat. That was what faced us and I knew it. Her Highness’ army may not have had the discipline and organization of the Kickers, but unlike the Kicker Clan children, ‘twas fresh, enthusiastic, and under Princess Celestia’s personal leadership. Some primal instinct rose up within me, and I quickly raised a shield just in time to block a snowball flung by Her Highness. Half a dozen more followed swiftly behind it, thrown with terrible accuracy from a range I could not hope to match. My remaining magic had been badly drained from the creation of Icingdeath, and I was no longer in a state where I could wield my more powerful spells. I did the only thing I could think to do: I held my shield and ran for Fort Shadowskull as fast as my legs could carry me. I considered myself fortunate that I managed to get into the fort before Princess Celestia’s army could cut me off. Some of those children were damnably fast, and they would soon be laying siege to our defenses. I doubted Dusk’s forces would last long after the casualties I had inflicted ‘pon them. The curtain wall had been already been penetrated, so likely ‘twould not be long before it fell and the final battle began in earnest. Already I could hear the children of the Red and Yellow teams battling one another. I retreated to the inner sanctum of Fort Shadowskull. ‘Twas there I tried to catch my breath and think of a plan, any plan to turn this around. My time ran out before I could come up with such an ingenious plan. A section of one of the walls disappeared in a puff of steam. Princess Celestia herself strode through that new hole and smiled down at me; a second later, score ‘pon score of children flooded into the inner sanctum of Fort Shadowskull and surrounded me in short order. Each of them had a snowball in hoof and a hungry look in their eye that made me feel like I was ‘bout to be set ‘pon by a pack of wolves. There were even children standing by the murder-holes, ready to rain down snowballs on me. But among all those eager children, one face stood out to me: that of the perfidious filly who had so treacherously smitten me earlier. Evil dripped from her victorious smile, like cruor from a raven’s beak—she did not even have the decency to face her end with her comrades-in-arms, having instead turned her tabard and joined the Yellows the moment it was clear the Blues were about to lose. Truly, she had the blackest heart this day. Princess Celestia carefully made her way through the children that had filled the room so that she could smile down ‘pon me. “So, Magus Midnight Sparkle. Dost thou have any final words?” This was it. Defeat faced me. There was no escape and fighting was futile. There was but one thing that could be done in such a situation: face my doom with dignity. “Meep!” I tried to meet my doom with dignity, I really did. And then the snowballs came raining down.