One of these Days

by Wrabbit

Chapter 7: Sunday, Bloody Sunday

ONE OF THESE DAYS

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Chapter 7: Sunday, Bloody Sunday

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~19 Aevum Illuminationis~

As she walked into the Parliamentary Chamber, the grayish-brown unicorn mare looked around at the gathering nobles and sniffed as she came to her assigned seat next to the Prime Minister's seat. She watched the chamber continue to fill up, noting that even though they had already convened for the day, an alarming number of ponies were being assembled here. She nodded to a fellow noblepony who assumed his seat next to hers. “Dost thou knowest why the Princess recalled us today in favor of just seeing us in session on the morrow, Hard Cheese?” she asked the aging baron.

The lemon yellow unicorn shook his head, looking just as worried as she felt. “Nay, Countess Dirty Laundry. I fear for the future of Equestria if not even a score of years have passed ere the Sisters show their true colors.”

Dirty Laundry laid a hoof on his, patting it reassuringly. She knew as well as he did that his “fears for Equestria” were less for his fellow ponies, and more for his own concerns, but polite ponies didn't point out such things. “Let us give them some benefit of doubt, Milord. After all, the more rope given, the more likely a gallows will be needed in the future.”

With a devious smile, Hard Cheese patted her hoof in return. “Indeed. I- ah! Good eve, Prime Minister Clean Slate.” He nodded to a white unicorn mare who sat in the largest chair in the chamber aside from the three throne that normally sat unoccupied.

“Good eve, Baron. I am glad to see the messenger was able to intercept thee ere thee left,” The severe-looking mare replied. She wiggled around in her chair, trying to adjust herself to a more comfortable position. “I know thou art inundated with many sad duties these days. Pray, which farm was it thou wert closing this eve?” Though her words were dangerously accusatory, her tone was carefully measured to offer no insult.

Hard Cheese drew back for an instant, before resuming his carefully polite facade. “Thou art quite well-informed, Prime Minister. I pray that one day, thou wilt tell me how thou comes by such information.”

Clean Slate looked down at him from her higher vantage point, and he could almost swear he saw an infuriating twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “Careful what thou wish for, my good baron. Thou just might get it.”

By now, the chamber was packed full of murmuring ponies, trying to figure out not only why the session had been reconvened, but how all of them had known or even gotten here. Some of these ponies hadn't attended a session in weeks while they tended to business back home, and the room hadn't been this packed full in some time. Some ponies also noted the curious lack of bailiffs, but all fell silent when the Prime Minister stood and cleared her throat. She stomped three times, a magically enhanced gauntlet on her right hoof creating a resounding BOOM throughout the room. Hear ye, hear ye. All rise and bow for Their Highnesses Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight, and Princess Luna.”

Though all did as commanded, all but Clean Slate shot surprised looks at each other and at the three alicorns the strode into the room with all due grace, to assume their thrones behind the Prime Minister's box. All three princesses hadn't been in attendance since the formation of the Parliament. Sure, Celestia was almost always here while in session, and Twilight attended when military or magical matters were being debated, and occasionally, Luna was allowed to attend, even though the filly was often lost within the enormous throne in which she sat, but all three? A low, muffled susurration of surprise grew in the room, until the Prime Minister stomped once with her gauntlet, restoring order. Turning around to face her Triarchs, Clean Slate bowed low. “Your Highnesses.”

Instead of Celestia responding as everypony expected, Twilight nodded. “My thanks, Prime Minister.” She looked across at the assembled ponies, both noble born and gentry, her stern countenance causing more than a few to swallow and wonder of their Commander-in-Chief was about to bring the axe down to end their antics and power-grabs, and whether or not they'd survive whatever pogrom she had in mind. “My Little Ponies,” she said, leaving no doubt in their minds that she was upset. “Thou hast thy princesses much offended. We wert honored when thou placed thy lives and fortunes in our hooves for safekeeping. Howe'er, we have of late, felt the effects of thy plotting, thy search for rewards unearn'd. Thou preyeth on the fears of others, insinuating that our countenance to the tyrant we o'erthrew be more then mere coincidence.”

She rose from her throne causing more than a few ponies to shrink back in their chairs. Stepping forward, her steely gaze and slight frown passed over the crowd. She looked like she wanted to lash out, indeed, was on the verge of doing so, but the expected blow never came. “Thou clutch the nation's purse strings like misers, doling out pittances for endeavors which would not only improve the nation, but also protect it from enemies both foreign and domestic. Thou close thy eyes to the truth in hopes of eking out one more drop of blood from the rock by placing us in a position of submission.” She stomped the floor, shattering the stone and sending chips flying far enough away that several ponies had to duck. “WE SAY THEE, NO MORE!”

With that, her horn glowed a blindingly bright white, causing several ponies to run, thinking that their lives were about to come to an end. When their vision cleared, the entire assembly found themselves among the ruins of Fort Ironspear. Though the bodies had been cleared away, the rubble remained, still scorched and covered with bloodstains. Ruined weapons and armor lay scattered about, but they were not alone. A ring of Royal Guards stood in a circle around the crowd of ponies facing outwards, alert to danger, while a flight of pegasi and aganippe patrolled overhead. Twilight walked among the ponies, her harsh gaze wilting more than a few of them. “Look ye now, upon what thy parsimony hath wrought. Are thee so churlish as to deny thy part in this tragedy? We stand now upon the remains of Fort Ironspear, where only two ponies survived.” She whirled upon Hard Cheese, bringing the full bore of her ire upon the poor stallion and shouted, “TWO! TWO PONIES OUT OF FOUR THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO!” Twilight's eyes turned into inky black pits and began radiating a black smoke as her self control began to slip in her rage.

Fully cowed, Hard Cheese dropped to the dirt, weeping tears of fright. Twilight made no move to cover her disgust, but calmed herself when Celestia laid a hoof on her shoulder, eyes conspicuously drawing her attention to their little sister, Luna. The filly was clearly shocked not just by her surroundings, but also her big sister's anger. Taking a deep breath, the Princess of Dusk and Dawn let it out slowly, and her eyes returned to normal. She offered a hoof to Hard Cheese, who tentatively took it and rose to his own hooves. She waved a hoof at all of them, indicating the ruined fortress. “Look upon this ruin and know that thy dithering and maneuvering hath brought us to this low state. How art we to defend this nation when thou give us naught but the meanest of tools with which to win?”

Twilight pointed a hoof out to the horizon the the west, where a line of jagged mountains loomed ominously, and the sky turned dark and smokey. “Dost thou thinkest the dragons will allow us time to assemble and train an army to fight them? Dost thou thinkest they will not descend upon us as a plague of locusts in a field of wheat, ripe for harvest? Whilst thou tilt at the windmills of profit, the wyrms pluck at their strength and courage in prelude to war, a war that hath been declared when they cast down this fortress as easily as thou might cast off a horseshoe.” She looked upon the assembled ponies, eyes bright with tears unshed. “Wilt thou allow thy hubris and rapacious avarice to be the downfall of our nation, or wilt thou set aside thy petty desires and perform as the brave selfless, strong ponies we know thou to be?”

With another flash of light, they all reappeared back in the parliamentary chamber, and Twilight disappeared in yet another flash of light with Luna, leaving Celestia alone with the assembly. The lone alicorn cleared her throat and said, “We believe a motion has been put forth on the floor, my good ponies. What say ye?”

Clean Slate looked upon the gathered ponies in disappointment, and saw plenty of shame and anger, but not a trace of it directed at the princesses. “All in favor of making preparations for war?” Every single pony raised their hoof in agreement. The Prime Minister nodded. “Motion carried unanimously.”

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( . .)
*(“)(“)
~2015 Aevum Illuminationis~

Celestia and Luna glared at the dragoness whom held their gaze much amusement. “How didst thou return, cur?” Celestia growled. “I saw with mine own eyes my sister destroyed thee.”

Nightmare grinned at her. “How indeed? Let us make a wager. Shouldst thee and thy sister win against me, I shall tell thee. If not... I shall consume thy powers entire... and thy flesh.”

“Monster!” Luna shouted and leaped at him, firing a beam of white energy from her horn. The beam struck the dragon square in the chest, but the only effect it seemed to have was to annoy her.

Nightmare swatted Luna from the air, sending her crashing through a broken pillar “Luna!” Celestia cried out. In a flash, a halberd made of a silver metal, trimmed in gold, and its edges glowing cherry-red with heat appeared floating next to her, held in her telekinetic grip. A single flap brought her within striking range, and she swung the weapon, expertly allowing the scales to guide her stroke upwards and under the scales. She felt the axe head bite into flesh, cleaving muscle as easily as butter.

As the blade exited the wound, Nightmare drew back her foreleg and roared in pain. “Thou sow-bellied flax-wench! I wilt eat every one of thy subjects before thee!” A shadow moved across the ground, merging with hers. The dragoness' rear legs sank into the ground up to the knees, and the shadow detached from hers and reformed into Luna to the side of her. “What sorcery is this?”

“Mine, villain!” Luna crowed. “Let us see how well thee fights when thy legs hath been joined with the ground.” A silver rapier appeared floating next to her in a flash, it's ghostly blade wavering in and out of existence. “Thou didst not face me when thou took our sister from us, but I hath been awaiting this day for almost two millennia!”

With frightening ease, Nightmare cast a spell under her breath and pulled her legs free of the earthy grasp. “Fool. Thou dost not tell thy foe thy advantages ere the foe hast been slain.” Her head snaked towards the blue alicorn with incredible speed, her jaws open to snap her in half. Luna leaped backwards, allowing the maw to close on rubble, which was cleanly sheared off. As she retreated, she stabbed with her rapier, scoring a hit on the snout. The blade passed through the scales as if they did not exist, wreaking havoc with the tender flesh beneath. A gout of blood spurted from a nostril, and she reared back with a howl.

Nightmare pulled her head back, drawing in a deep breath, then exhaled, sending a billowing black cloud out to fill the room. “Luna! Shields!” Celestia shouted as she erected her own protections.

Luna did as instructed, forgetting to include her weapon within the bubble. She gasped as she saw the magical rapier rust and crumble to dust in the span of a second. Not wanting to wait for the next attack to come out of the cloud, the younger alicorn dashed towards the dragoness, intent on getting behind her while the darkness lasted, but was batted away by her massive tail to crash into the welded shut bronze doors leaving a ball-shaped dent near the top, and filling the room with a loud GONG.

“Thou thinkest I couldst not see through mine own darkness, foal? Thy foolhardiness will be thy downfall,” Nightmare said smugly.

Celestia's horn lit with a golden aura as she shouted, “Then let us see if we might bring some light upon the situation!” Her eyes glowed with a fiery aura, and the glow from her horn pushed back the darkness like they were physical beings, fighting for dominance. The light continued pushing the darkness until it was gone entirely, and the room was as well lit as a grassy field on a sunny day.

Nightmare shied away from the light, murmuring the words to a spell. She pointed at Celestia and a green beam of energy shot out, only to be stopped by her shield, but bringing the field down with it. A second green beam from the dragon likewise brought down Luna's shield. Celestia's horn glowed again, and a shiny, silvery liquid poured out from the tip, coating the alicorn, until her entire body resembled a mirror, before turning the dull gray of iron. The living iron statue pawed at the ground a few times, striking sparks with every percussive hit, and her halberd swiped at the air next to her, seemingly eager to be about its business.

Celestia leaped into the air, intent of landing on the dragoness, but she was too slow. Nightmare rolled to the side, taking out more of the outer wall of the palace in the process. The alicorn landed heavily where the wyrm stood an instant before with a resounding BOOM, producing a crater fifteen hooves across, and wedging the axe head of the halberd into the broken floor nearly up to the haft.

Luna's own horn glowed with her blue aura, which surrounded her whole body before dissipating. She crouched with her wings spread, and with a speed faster than the eye could follow, she zipped off towards the dragoness, silvery bolts of energy firing from her horn in a continuous barrage that almost looked like an unending stream. She flew around Nightmare, never letting up her fusillade of destruction, though its effects were minimal. Celestia wrenched her weapon free of its stony prison and charged again, her every step leaving a cracked divot in the stone, clanging loudly like a team of blacksmiths hard at work.

While the younger sister flew about, keeping the dragoness' attention focused on her, Celestia rammed their foe and swung her weapon simultaneously. While she felt the weapon bite deeply once more, her tackle was less than effective. Even with the added inertia of turning her body to solid iron, she felt like she had just tried to tackle a mountain.

Ignoring the weapon still lodged in her side, Nightmare scooped up Celestia with both foreclaws, and with all her might, swung her around and threw the Solar Diarch into her sister. Luna was so intent on hurting the dragoness, she failed to see her sister come flying at her like a solid iron meteorite. The two intertwined alicorns flew into the palace wall and straight through it into the courtyard. Celestia shifted her weight and wrapped her legs around her little sister, shielding her from the vicious impact of the courtyard flagstones. They bounced and struck the outer curtain wall, cracking it, but leaving it standing.

As they slid to the ground, Celestia's Ironbody spell faded, returning her to her normal alabaster coat, though nowhere near as pristine. Luna coughed and spit out a gobbet of bloody mucous. “What do we do, 'Tia? Her abjurations and draconic might art too strong for our magics to pierce, and we dare not attempt to face her physically.”

Celestia touched a hoof to her golden peytral, steeling her resolve. “If we cannot end her reign of terror with magic, then we must bring our full celestial might against her, though it may cost us our mortal forms.”

Luna laid a hoof on her own peytral, clutching it like one would a treasure. “Nay, sister, we cannot! Twilight crafted these so that we wouldst not lay waste to the land in a fit of pique! Our powers be too potent by far to risk such a thing, e'en for this!”

The taller alicorn laid a hoof on Luna's and said, “I shall not force thy hoof, sweet Luna, but if we do not, Equestria faces annihilation regardless. We sent Paladin to fetch the Elements, but any number of things could negate that effort. We may even be wrong and she is not the Element of Magic, though I've yet to meet a more talented unicorn.” Celestia stood and calmly used her telekinesis to carefully unlock the jewelry's catch that only a few even knew about.

Immediately, her mane and tail turned from a pastel rainbow, to a riot of fiery, orange-yellow plasma. Prominences leaked off of them, dissipating into the cool early evening air, while sunspots drifted lazily throughout the solar mass. Her coat became blindingly bright, burning off the dust and dirt it had accumulated in a sublime act of destruction, and her eyes blazed with a blue-white flame. She looked down at Luna and said, “Do what thou wilt, Lulu. I shan't hold thy decision against thee.”

With that, she leapt into the air, but was unsurprised to see Luna next to her, her own peytral left on the ground. Her coat had turned inky black, absorbing all light, giving nothing back. Her mane and tail however, had turned from its normal starry field, to bone white miasmas with bluish gray patches and craters. Her eyes were like two, deep set stars, twinkling from the Stygian depths of the Far Realm. An aura of airless cold surrounded her, making conversation impossible, but with beings like this, that was no real impediment. “Thank ye, Lulu. E'en thus, I wouldst not care to face this threat alone,” Celestia thought at her telepathically.

Luna simply nodded in return, and they flew back to the palace. They saw the dragoness below worrying at the halberd still embedded in her side with her teeth. The haft had already been snapped off, but she could not reach the weapon's head, which had been buried deep. With a glare, Nightmare looked up to find the alicorns staring down at her, and her grimace turned into a grin.

“SURRENDER, NIGHTMARE. THOU CANNOT HOPE TO STAND AGAINST US THUS,” Celestia shouted.

A sinister laugh bubbled up from Nightmare's belly, escaping her great, toothy maw. “Fools! Thou hast already lost! Like a moth to flame, thou hast sealed thy doom thyselves! Look ye upon thy destruction and despair, simpletons!” She held out a claw where two large gemstones, an opal and a fire ruby floated. A dozen dragons just entering adulthood appeared in a flash around them in the air, each holding a quartz crystal the size of Celestia, and glowing with a pale blue light.

A beam of that same pale blue energy shot out of the gems, striking the ponies. A scream was torn from Celestia that pierced the ears of every creature for miles around, and a psychic scream was likewise pitched from Luna as the two ponies felt their physical forms being pulled in twelve directions. Never before had they felt pain like this. Not even when they had fought Discord had they been subjected to such agony.

Though just seconds passed, it felt to them like an eternity had gone by unaccounted for, except for the excruciating torment. Bit by bit, their corporeal bodies were torn apart by the insistent, pulling magic. Unable to withstand the torture any longer, their souls fled from their bodies, only to be sucked up by the gems held in Nightmare's paw.

When the last of the alicorns' physical manifestations were disintegrated, the dragons, gems crumbled to dust, landed around Nightmare, who towered over all of them. She peered at the gems, grinning maliciously. “Behold. In my paw I hold not only the moon, but the sun! Is it not meet that it should be thus? How I hath yearned for this moment; the millennia spent plotting and toiling, all leading to this!” She held aloft the gems, which still hung suspended midair, slowly rotating and glinting in the light. “Let the Age of Enlightenment end, for this is the dawn of the Nightmare!” The dragons all looked to the sky and exhaled, releasing their breath weapons in a salute to their mistress and her victory.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Paladin watched the scouting group of minotaurs walk past calmly. While these creatures were more dangerous in combat than the diamond dog patrols, they were also easier to avoid, thanks to their being “noseblind” as the dogs were wont to say. The group of pony refugees had been dodging patrols all night on the move, and while they had been holding up remarkably well, the children and wounded were tiring, some of them practically sleepwalking. Naturally, they had all been thankful when the sandy unicorn had called a halt to the forced march, most simply collapsing where they stood. The guards had stoically remained awake, and covered the exhausted civilians as best they could and stood watch while Paladin herself went ahead to scout the path a bit.

The minotaurs paused mere hooves away from her, and one of them pointed towards the sky, prompting her to look up as well. The sight of the now familiar deep purple dragon landing on the road caused her to hold her breath and draw back into the bushes a little more. Brimfrost settled into a quadruped stance as she folded her wings. “What do you have to report?” she asked them.

The minotaurs lounged about casually, one leaning on a massive two-bitted axe as heavy as a pony. He picked at his teeth with a stubby finger and nonchalantly spit on the ground missing the dragoness by inches. “Nothing, same as we've told you the last three times. No sign of any escapees from Equus, and certainly no guards.”

Brimfrost kept a lid on her boiling temper. “Then keep sssearching. I want thossse poniesss found and brought to me. I have plansss for them, yesss...”

“Nah. I don't think so,” the minotaur said with a shrug. The three other minotaurs snickered behind him, not bothering to hide their amusement.

The dragoness' purple scales bristled at their temerity. “Perhapsss I misssheard you, yessss...”

“And perhapsss you ssshould get ssstuffed,” the minotaur replied, causing his cohorts to burst into fresh gales of laughter. “We're going looting before all the good stuff is gone. We've done what we were hired to do, and now we aim to collect our pay, with or without your approval.”

Brimfrost's claws dug deep furrows into the dirt road, but she smiled evilly. “Then maybe it'sss time to cut back on the overhead, yesss...” In the blink of an eye, she exhaled, covering the minotaurs in a thick rime of frost, freezing them in place. Her exhalation seemed to go on forever, and when it was over, she drew in a deep breath. Walking up to the lead minotaur, she tapped on his head, shattering it. “Insssolent fool. You ssshould have learned to recognizzze your bettersss, yesss...” She whipped around, slamming into the ice sculptures with her tail, shattering them all.

Taking to the wing, the dragoness flew off muttering about underlings. Paladin counted off five full minutes before crawling out of her concealment behind the bushes and quickly collected the minotaurs' daggers and smaller weapons before running back to the hidden camp. One of the privates ran up and saluted as she approached. “What was all the commotion, Ma'am? We heard something, but couldn't see anything.”

“Just our favorite dragon still hot our tails,” she said casually. She gave him the weapons she had collected and added, “Distribute these among the civilians. The way things are going the time may come where they'll have to fight for their lives, and they'll need to be prepared.”

As he walked next to her back to the camp, the stallion said, “By the way, we picked up another pony. She just wandered into the camp. She looked to be in bad shape, but insisted on healing our wounded first.”

Paladin arched an eyebrow at this, but smiled widely as she entered the camp, spotting a familiar face. “Miss Awesomeshine! Am I glad to see you!”

The white unicorn trotted over and nuzzled her neck. “Dame Paladin! I didn't know you were the lieutenant they spoke of, though it should not have surprised me. There are few mares as brave and capable as you!”

Paladin blushed, pulling back, but not so fast as to offend, and looked over to Silver Bell, who was watching at them both with a guarded look. “What were you doing out here alone, Miss Awesomeshine?”

“I was in Equus, shopping for some herbal ingredients. Not twenty minutes after leaving town, the dragons came out of nowhere and attacked. I've been dodging roving patrols ever since,” she replied. She looked hesitant, but asked, “A-are you headed towards Foalton, by any chance?”

“We are,” Paladin answered with a nod. “I figured it was small enough to avoid direct attention for the moment, especially since there was no garrison there. We could regroup, and hopefully seek shelter in the swamp nearby.”

Awesomeshine bit her lip and whispered, “How are the princesses? I know you're Celestia's personal bodyguard, but if you're here and she's not...”

Leading her further into the camp, she replied, “I'll tell you about it later. We still need to get to Foalton first.” They came up to Silver Bell, and the Royal Bodyguard nuzzled the mare affectionately. “How are you holding up, Bell?” she asked.

Silver Bell smiled gently at the taller guard. “Still in one piece. The wounded need to rest, but I suppose we better get going again?”

Paladin nodded. “We have a very small window of opportunity to get to Foalton and evacuate it before the dragons take notice of it, if they haven't already. Could you and Miss Awesomeshine here handle getting them on their hooves again while I talk to the troops?”

“You two know each other, then?” Silver Bell asked, hesitant to upset Paladin at this critical time, but unable to contain her curiosity.

Paladin indicated the white unicorn with a hoof, saying, “This is the healer's apprentice I was telling you about. The one that healed my broken leg in about a week?”

Silver Bell looked quite surprised. “So I have you to thank for her quick return?” She bowed low to the unicorn. “You've no idea how much that meant to me. Thank you for helping this clumsy filly mend so quickly.”

Awesomeshine straightened up the mare and hugged her gently, but with great affection. Silver Bell couldn't help but melt into the embrace. “It was the least I could do,” the healer said. “After all she's done for us and Equestria, I could do no less.”

“All right, all right, break it up before I get jealous,” Paladin said with amusement. “Awesomeshine, this is the mare I was hinting about.”

Holding Silver Bell out at arm's length, she looked from one mare to the the other. A joyous smile spread across her face, and she pulled them both in for a hug. “Oh, I'm so happy for you two! You make such a lovely couple! Paladin is so strong and brave, and you're so beautiful, Silver Bell! I can't wait to see your foals!”

Paladin pushed the exuberant mare back a little. “Whoa, there! I haven't even asked her out on a date yet; don't go planning out our futures for us already!”

Silver Bell smirked at Paladin. “Well, what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?” She shook her head and held up a hoof, neither pony noticing Awesomeshine making a discreet exit to give them a semblance of privacy. “Never mind. I'll take that as an invitation, and just skip ahead to the acceptance.” Looking into Paladin's eyes again, she said, “Yes. I'd love to go on a date with you.”

Leaning forward, the two unicorns met in a kiss. It was a moment the two of them had been wanting for a long time. When they pulled apart, they rested their foreheads against each other, letting their horns cross. They stared into one another's eyes as their hearts swelled with love.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Cresting a small hill in the forest, Paladin called a halt to their march and carefully surveyed the small town below her. They had been marching most of the day, and the sun was starting its descent to the west. She caught sight of the occasional pony rushing from one building to another, but the total lack of standing defenses didn't bode well.

“At least it's still standing,” Silver Bell remarked.

Paladin grunted in agreement, but pointed out several houses. “Note that there are no fires burning, so no smoke to draw attention to them. No ponies out wandering the streets, and the market looks closed down as well.” She looked back, noting the bedraggled appearance of her motley crew and shook her head. “I'm going ahead to see what's what. When I give the all clear, bring the rest in quick as you can, all right?”

Silver Bell glared at her. “You're not going without me. There may be some hidden danger in there.”

“Which is precisely why I need you here in case something goes wrong,” Paladin retorted. “Somepony needs to get these ponies into the swamp to the south in case I don't make it back, and right now, you're the one pony I can trust to do that. Private Blue Note may be a decent soldier, but he just doesn't have the guts to order ponies around, and the other guards are too wounded to take over. You're the only pony here with the guts to take charge in my absence.”

Rolling her eyes, Silver Bell replied, “Then take a pony with you. Isn't Awesomeshine from here? She should be able to tell if there's a trap if anyone.”

Awesomeshine walked up quietly. “She's right. It's too risky to go alone, and I know this town better than anypony here. Besides. I'm anxious to see if everyone is all right. I'm going.”

“Fine, but let's get going. The sun will be going down soon, and I'd like to rest in a real house for a bit,” Paladin said. Awesomeshine started walking down the path to the town, and Paladin moved to follow, but hesitated. After a moment's internal debate, she turned around and kissed Silver Bell again. “For luck,” she said, and trotted off to catch up to Awesomeshine.

Author's Note:

This chappie is dedicated to those who felt cheated out of an awesome Celestia fight scene in my story, I Would Do Anything for Love. Also, kudos to anyone who can spot the transformers reference.

Comments

[Flicka Ravenhide]

"Autobots, roll out!"

Oh wait.

[Wrabbit]

4183174
Glad you liked it. There's three more now, so catch up!
4216221
I'm glad you liked her so much. She's actually the one I've been most worried about being too bland.
4228847
Yeah, it's a bit tough to make that a big reveal, given the setting and build up, but I hope there will be a few surprises and twists coming.
4256575
Quick! Catch it before it gets away!
4292866
Not quite the reference I meant.