//------------------------------//
// Chapter 22 
// Story: Endless Sky 
// by Algorhythm 
//------------------------------//


-22-


The cold winter wind blew gently over the fields, kicking up early snowflakes. They hovered through the air, dancing with one another, before settling somewhere new. The nearby peaks shielded the white panorama from the sunlight, casting a blanket of clouds over the lands below.
Several figures trudged through the snow, leaving a wide set of tracks behind them. The wind slowly removed the blemish on the landscape. It was as if they had never passed through the area.
Twilight used her magic to pull her coat tighter against her body. Rainbow hovered above her, riding on the thermals. Her down coat seemed to be working better than the clothes she had on. She turned her attention instead to the filly riding on her back.
"You okay back there, Dawn?"
Dawn nodded, hugging onto Twilight's neck.
She turned her attention to Applejack and Gilda, "How about you two?"
"I could use a cup o' cider 'bout now, but I've been through colder than this," Applejack said. She pulled her Stetson tighter onto her head.
Gilda just shrugged.
Rainbow began to descend, making sure to pick a spot ahead of the group. As she touched down, she quickly adjusted to their walking pace.
"See anything?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Big city up ahead. It doesn't look like there's anyone home though..."
Twilight mulled it over for a moment. An empty city was rather unusual. Perhaps it was abandoned?
"Those must be the ruins of Olympia." Gilda adjusted her winter armor as she spoke. "The city has been abandoned since the early days of the empire. Nobirdy has been there for centuries. At least during the winter - it's a big archeological dig in the summer."
As they approached the crest of the hill, the city came into view.
Tall ruined structures - mainly columns and supporting walls - still stood tall in the snow. Small piles of rubble littered the area, indicating that stone structures of some sort existed once. Within the confines of the main street, Twilight could just barely make out the forms of old statues.
A light chill passed through her spine. She pulled the jacket tighter, shoving her concern to the winds. Nopony in their right mind would be here during winter.
Except for us, Twilight mused.
In order not to slide down the hill, they were forced to take it easy - each step needed to be calculated and observed. They began passing stray bits of debris - a piece of a building or wall here and there, or even some sort of decorative ruin. As they drew closer to the main entrance, the amount of broken stone increased, then suddenly stopped. Twilight was a little unnerved by that, but she paid it no heed, leading the group onto the road.
Up close, the statues were far more intimidating. Perhaps sixty or seventy feet tall, they were built nearly identical to one another. Most had only sustained minor damage over time, which made Twilight jittery the closer she was forced to get.
"Mom," Dawn whispered, shrinking into Twilight's jacket. "I don't like it here."
"I know. We'll be leaving soon-"
A loud crash echoed through the town, making the group jump and turn towards the noise of falling rock. Gilda even drew her weapon, preparing to defend herself. Applejack stood near one of the crumbled statues, it's loosely piled remnants now spilled all over the main road. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
"Sorry y'all," she said.
As she moved to rejoin the group, Dawn took another look at the other statues. They stood proud, towering above them, guarding the ancient city. She hadn't noticed before, but she could now see the remnants of some kind of wall up ahead. She tightened her grip on Twilight's neck. Her heartbeat started to quicken, as she looked back at the ones in the front.
They looked like they were staring at her. Her eyes went wide and her body began to shake, as the other statues silently turned their heads to stare. A strange liquid began to drop from their weapons, if they had one in hand.
Dawn's ears flattened against her head. "Mom..."
"I know you're scared Dawn, but everything will be fine."
"Then t-t-turn around," she squeaked.
Twilight slowly turned to stare at the hulking monsters. Each of the statues moved their right claw to the swords on their side, drawing them to the ready. The sound of stone grinding together, echoing into the town.
"QUEEN CELESTIA." The gryffons statues glared down at them, raising their shields in tandem. "THY PRESENCE AND THE PRESENCE OF THY WEAPONS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED UNDER LORIUS’ COMMAND. LEAVE, OR FOREVER SEAL THY DOOM."
Gilda took up a position between the statues and the other ponies, waving Rainbow and the others on towards the city. Twilight hesitated. "What are those... things?"
Gilda's eyes narrowed. "Constructs. Gryffons created them to protect their cities, parks, and homes in ancient times. It's been a lost art for centuries."
"Why are they talking about the Princess?" Rainbow whispered. She backed up into a crouch, ready to spring into a fight.
Gilda looked concerned, but only gave a slight shrug in response.
Applejack continued to back away. Her coat was damp with sweat, and everything in her mind screamed at her to back off. A manticore was one thing, but these statues were huge. If she could relate it to anything, they'd be about half the size of a dragon.
While her mind tried to decide whether to run or stand her ground, she crossed the threshold of where the ruined gate used to stand, its remaining structure casting a shadow over the entrance.
The stone eye sockets of the statues burst into flame. The stone creaked and stretched before crumbling, releasing them from their pedestals.
"THE QUEEN INVADES! THE QUEEN INVADES!" A strange green liquid began to coat the edge of their swords as they shuffled forward. The closest one swung its blade down onto the road. Had Gilda not rolled to the side, she'd be in two pieces.
"RUN!" Twilight screamed. She leapt into a full on sprint, passing Applejack as she struggled to move from the sight.
Gilda took to the air, spinning around the first statue. Its compatriot tried to knock her from the air, but she dodged around it. The second statue connected with the head of the first and it collapsed. Dust billowed into the air and pieces of shattered stone scattered all over the road. She choked on the dust, causing her to narrowly avoid another sword swing, but the shield it was carrying connected with her body, launching her into one of the nearby buildings. It collapsed under the sudden weight.
"Gilda!" Twilight screamed. She slowed to a stop before whipping around to try and help.
Applejack cowered in the road, her mind still stuck processing the situation. She slid back , but the statues were closing in on her. One of them ripped down the remainder of the wall, tossing the stone behind them.
Rainbow Dash, who had taken to the air as soon as the fighting picked up, dived down to scoop the earth pony up in her hooves. A stone paw came down moments later, shattering the cobblestone street.
One of the statues opened its beak. Crossbow bolts started to pierce the air. She dived left and right, hearing them whizz by her.

Steel clashed upon steel. The thick scent of blood filled the air, mixed with the catastrophic storm barely contained below them.
"Come on you foals! Come on!" screamed one of the soldiers.

Rainbow watched Twilight launch pieces of the rubble at the statues. One was outright decapitated. It swung wildly, before collapsing to the ground in a heap. Another blocked with its shield, before swiping at the ground. The sword lifted the stone into the air, launching it in the unicorn's direction. She blasted it to pieces.
The Pegasus weaved in and out of the buildings, while the bolts embedded themselves in the walls. She shook Applejack, "AJ! Come on AJ, snap out of it!"
The orange mare slowly began to recover, her heart pumping blood as fast as she'd ever remembered.
They're in danger, Applejack thought. They're in danger.
Rainbow dove through one of the ruined windows, dipping downwards to avoid a huge stone blasting through the wall. She needed to get to Twilight. She needed to make sure Gilda was alive. And Dawn...
Dawn.
Gilda lifted herself from the loosened stone, using Twilight's hoof for support. Dawn hopped onto the ground and grabbed onto Gilda's sleeve with her teeth.
She cast her eyes around the area.
Rainbow had most of the statues occupied, but there were still two coming at them. Gilda cursed under her breath. Her sword was lodged in the stone wall not too far away. Everything in her body throbbed in pain. There wasn't much her armor could do to protect her from flying through a wall.
Figures, Gilda thought bitterly.
Magic surrounded Twilight's horn, before producing a raw burst of energy. It ripped off the shield arm of one of the approaching statues. Another shot was barely blocked by its sword.
Gilda crawled over the loose wreckage to recover Justice while Dawn took cover behind the building. The little filly was panting heavily, her eyes still wide with fear. She could feel the adrenaline burning in her veins, keeping her alert and awake. Rainbow zoomed past her, followed by arrows. One of them stuck into the ground at her hooves.
"Dawn!" Twilight yelled. Another blast flew out from behind the wall. It slammed into one of the constructs firing arrows, knocking it to the ground.
Dawn sprinted down the main street. She needed to get as far away as she could from the assailants. Her attempt was shortly interrupted by more arrows, this time directed at her attempt to flee. She jumped into one of the side streets. Her hooves slipped on the layer of snow and she landed shoulder first on the ground. The stains of red in the snow only contributed to her fear. Without even thinking, she took off like a bullet, switching roads to avoid her pursuer.
Gilda removed her sword from yet another statue. Rainbow swooped in behind her, letting Applejack drop to the ground. "Where's Dawn?!"
Twilight took off down the main road after the last few guardians. She watched in horror as they leveled entire buildings with their gait.
Rainbow took off after her, easily rushing past the unicorn within seconds. She swerved past the statue's heads with ease, hoping to take their attention off of the filly. They didn't take the bait.
Dawn tumbled out of the alley, slipping through the snow. Up ahead, barren trees and bushes lined the center of her view. The road split and surrounded the area, creating what she thought would be some kind of park.
"HELP!" She screamed. "MOM! RAINBOW! APPLEJACK!"
Rainbow dove to the ground, sweeping her up much like she did with Applejack. It was short lived, however, as one of the bolts finally tore through one of her wings. She grit her teeth, holding in the pain. They were dropping in altitude and fast.
Twilight started to panic. No, no, no, no, no, not like this. Not like this! Her face was losing color and her breath came ragged. There was very little magic left in her. But she had to do something. 
She watched the statue build up its swing, prepared to cleave both ponies in two. There was no way around it.
No.
Her mind shaped the spell, forming the magic in front of her. It twisted around her body and burned the air in her lungs. She exhaled.
Leaping forward, her magic took the lead. She felt the strange stretching feeling, closing the two points into one. Like an elastic band, she appeared at full speed in midair, slamming into the two falling ponies, before pulling herself back into her spell.
As Gilda and Applejack reached the park, Twilight's spell opened up, dumping the three ponies onto the street beside them. Rainbow coughed a few times, before spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her wing was practically soaked in it.
"Oh, Celestia... Rainbow!" Applejack yelled, running over to the pegasus' side. Twilight rose to help Dawn up.
Suddenly, she was lifted into the air, as a sword slammed into the building beside her. Applejack and Rainbow were tossed aside as the flat end of the sword erupted from the ground.
Dawn tried to lift herself, to crawl away, but immediately collapsed. She could feel the stinging pain in her side and the warm blood melting the snow underneath her. Her breathing was slow and raspy. She dragged a hoof along her side. It was soaked in blood and that strange green liquid.
Her eyes floated to Twilight. She was already sprinting over to her, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"DAWN! DAAAWWN!"
She was so tired. Her hoof dropped back to her chest as her muscles began to relax. The sounds began to grow softer and softer.
Mom... I love... you...
Twilight watched her eyes closing.

The arrows sailed through the air, honing in on her flesh. She watched her life flash by her eyes. Studying under the princess' guidance, meeting her best friends in Ponyville - sitting with Luna the night before they woke up her mentor. But most of all, she thought of Luna. Her smile, the warmth of her touch. She stated into the very heart of the goddess and found love. But also so much regret.
She looked back at Luna. Her foals... They were far from being born, but... She would protect them with her life. Lastly, she stared at Rainbow. She had seen so much war, so much pain in such a short period of time.
"I'm sorry. I'm-"

White light poured from Twilight's eyes. Her mane coalesced together, practically catching aflame. The others had to look away as she screamed - a horrible gut-wrenching scream that seemed to make the earth shake. 
No, Rainbow thought as she shielded her eyes. The ground was shaking - perhaps in fear at the awesome power she wielded. They could all feel her emotions - anguish, torment, anger. They weighed down on them, pressing them towards the earth.
For the first time since the war, Rainbow was completely terrified. She wanted to run, but even if she was able, her body wouldn't respond. The horrifying thought dawned on her. Right now, Twilight could practically kill anypony she wanted with a simple thought.
Twilight stood her ground, aiming her horn at the closest statue. It disintegrated. Not a single trace of its existence remained in the world. But the other one suffered a far more horrendous fate. Piece by piece she ripped it apart. The fact that it felt nothing made her more angry. It wasn't enough just to remove her attackers. 
No, she wouldn't be satisfied until this whole city burned. The white glow began to turn red. Her angry cries tore apart the earth. Buildings were flattened under her magic. Others just ceased to be. The whole city was engulfed in her rage. As her friends cowered below her, helpless, they watched the city start to burn and melt away.
Two purple claws surrounded her horn, cutting off the flow of magic. With the pressure suddenly lifted, Rainbow noticed the huge purple dragon towering over her, whispering something to himself. The red glow turned back to white. He waved his free claw through the air, pulling back the wild magic and dragging the spell back into her body. The others hung onto the ground for dear life, as the pressure began to pull them towards the unicorn and dragon.
Rainbow's ears popped, the pressure finally stabilizing. She felt woozy - from loss of blood and from the spell. Her hooves barely supported her bid to stand.
The dragon set the unconscious unicorn on the ground. "Check to make sure the Princess is breathing," he whispered. It sounded more like a rumble of thunder.
Rainbow placed an ear to Dawn's chest. She could hear her heartbeat and could feel her chest rising and falling.
Gilda stood, sword still at the ready. "Who the hell are you?"
He ignored her. "AJ. Grab Dawn and hop on my back."
She was confused for a moment. They had never met a purple dragon with green... scales...
"Spike?" she whispered.
He nodded. "I'll explain later. But we need to hurry. Neither of them have much time left."