Secrets of the Everfree

by ChroniclerOfFantasies

Secrets of Paradise Falls Part 1

My heart was uneasy as I dashed through the streets of Ponyville. When I had first left the forest, I had stopped by Fluttershy’s house, picking up a small bag of longevity seeds and enough bits to get myself a train ticket. It was times like these I wished I hadn’t been born an earth pony. Sure being a guardian gives me access to all sorts of different abilities and knowledge unknown to anyone else in the world, but that didn’t deter my jealousy at all. I mean, who wouldn’t want to use magic or fly? Then again all ponies want what they can’t have. Who’s to say there aren’t unicorns or pegasi who would like to trade their wings and horns for a stronger set of hooves?

One of the sadder sights on my way to the train station was seeing an obviously depressed Thunderlane, flanked on either side by Flitter and Cloudchaser. They didn’t know yet. I felt for them. So far as they told everypony it was just Thunderlane and Cloudchaser in a relationship, but it only really took one look at the three to tell Flitter was involved too. Herds weren’t quite as common as they used to be in Equestria, but they made me more comfortable to see. After all a herd is a natural thing for ponies, and being from the Everfree I’m all about natural things whether I want to be or not thanks to my position as a guardian and the influence of the forest.

Rumble and Thunderlanes parents died before Rumble ever had the chance to know them. Rather than get sent to an orphanage, Thunderlane picked up the slack, got a job, and started caring for his little brother himself. Since at the time Flitter and Cloudchaser were such good friends of his, they decided to help him out, getting jobs themselves and giving him a portion of the money. As they all grew up they pretty much became a family. With Thunderlane, Flitter, and Cloudchaser acting as parents and Rumble pretty much being their kid. I had a feeling that his death was going to be harder on them than I could ever imagine.

As I rounded another corner I tried to put my mind elsewhere. That topic was just too depressing and the urge to turn around and tell them was too strong. With nothing left to do, I turned my mind to the situation at hand. I had never seen my master in such a state before. He looked thoroughly exhausted and more than a little worse for wear. By now Fluttershy was undoubtedly taking care of master’s injuries, not that there were very many. She was a far better healer than she was a fighter, or so I was told. As for me I had to make it to Canterlot as quickly as possible and the best way to do that was by boarding the train. Getting on the train wasn’t an issue for me. Ponies tend to be so trusting they don’t think twice about a small child getting on a train all by her lonesome wearing a tattered and nasty looking old cloak. Nope, perfectly normal.

All these years in the Everfree taught me how easy we have it. Master does a lot of work keeping the beasts in the Everfree in check and the world has been prosperous because of his actions. If the walls around the Everfree were to fall, I’m not sure the world would be able to handle it. A thousand years ago, when the monsters roamed freely and ponies and others dealt with them on a daily basis, perhaps if they still had the kill or be killed mentality of back then they would have a chance, but the world has grown complacent with their station in life and no longer has the capability to defend itself. Sure, they can fight wars with other countries and hold their own, but the only ones who fight those wars are trained soldiers. Most civilized creatures, pony or no, didn’t have that combat expertise, and even the ones that did lacked the power to take on anything that wasn’t from the Dawnwoods.

The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon as I purchased my ticket and boarded the train. Looking behind me, images of my past flashed through my mind like a movie reel. If I fail, and my master falls, then so to will the walls… and the first place that would take the hit would be Ponyville.

I lived in Canterlot my whole life up until I became a guardian, but I still went to school in Ponyville. At the time I couldn’t have cared less about the ponies that lived there, but since my training began I’ve gained a new sense of appreciation for the old easy life I lived. I’ve realized how pointlessly selfish and cruel I was, how I looked down on others just because others looked down on me. Being an earth pony in unicorn noble dominated Canterlot, even if you’re the daughter of a multibillion dollar stallion, was hard. Being forced to go to school in a backwater town made it even harder. And not being able to spend any time with my father after my mother passed… that just made it near impossible to cope. I could remember the day I died, the heavy weights I felt as I sat on the swing set waiting to be picked up. I kept trying to tell myself that it was just a stomach ache or something equally ridiculous. I kept trying to convince my tiny little mind that a girl who can get whatever she wants just by throwing a few bits around didn’t have any reason to complain. Well I was right. Even then my life was great. Sure, I was lonely, but at least I was alive. Can’t really say that anymore. Being a guardian of the Everfree is more like being a zombie. Sure I’m walking around, but when I have to either eat seeds or live in a forest to keep my body from falling apart, is it really all worth it?

Some would argue that yes, it is worth it. I’m alive, therefore it’s worth it. But being alive and actually living are two entirely different things. I can’t do the things other ponies do anymore. I can’t fall in love, marry some wonderful stallion, and have cute little minio- I mean foals. Okay maybe I could technically do the first two, but that wouldn’t exactly be an easy thing to accomplish. First there’s the truth about me being a creature of the Everfree. Even if I did somehow manage to reveal my true form without them running away screaming, what kind of stallion would want to put up with a girl whose as high maintenance as me? And I mean that in multiple ways. I’ve always been high maintenance, that much is a given, but it’s even worse now as some of the things about me are real issues I have to take care of.

I have to eat a seed every day. I can only eat very specialized foods. I have to keep my secret. I have to continue physical training for three hours a day. Unless I live in Canterlot I have to live somewhere nearby to the forest, like Ponyville. I have to leave whenever my master calls regardless of where I am or what I’m doing. I can’t get accidentally impaled and have ponies wondering why in Tartarus I’m walking around like its nothing.

Okay maybe that last one is relatively easy to avoid but that’s not the point.

The point is when you add all of those things on top of my already very demanding personality, even if said personality has been toned down quite a bit, you get a pony that’s… well… very hard to love. And then of course there’s that one big problem about having children. I can’t have any.

Normally something like that wouldn’t bother me given my age, but I’m connected to the forest and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the most natural thing about that natural world was the ability to create new life. An ability I was now lacking. Guardians can’t have children. That’s just the way it is. Think of it as the big price we have to pay for coming back from the dead.

Throughout all of time every unicorn that has ever lost a loved one has dived into necromancy at some point or another and for whatever idiotic reason the one thing they all come to agree on is the one thing that keeps their spells from working. Well… aside from the fact that you HAVE to be an Alicorn to even CONSIDER casting the spell. And that one thing is this ridiculous idea of ‘Equivalent Exchange’. It means to create something you have to give up something of equal value, or in other words you have to give as good as you get. In the case of bringing back the dead, that should mean you’d have to give another life.

Which, when you really think about it, makes absolutely no sense.

The way my master explained it to me was you’re trying to bring somepony who’s already dead, back to life and your logical solution is to kill somepony else? It doesn’t matter if you give death one pony, two ponies, or a thousand ponies he’s not going to care. A life isn’t worth just one other life. Every life is more precious than anything else and you expect to match the loss of infinity by taking away another infinity? Come on. You’re not just trying to create another living creature with its own mind and body, you’re trying to take a creature that already HAD a mind and body, pull it out from the grasp of DEATH ITSELF, the all consuming beast who no creature can escape the grasp of forever, even the alicorns, and bring it BACK to the world of the living. You don’t just have to equal a single life, you have to equal out all the lives death has ever taken.

Of course that’s where the punishment comes in. You could always give up something even more precious, the ability to bring life into this world at all. That is worth SO much more. Any mare or stallion could have any number of children with any number of partners, who could then in turn provide any number of children of their own with any number of partners of their own and the cycle can just continue like that on and on and on. If every life is worth an infinite amount, then what about all those lives that never actually get to live? What if you give up an infinite number of infinites?

Do that and THEN you’ll get deaths attention.

And so that is the price that we all pay for being brought back. Of course whatever forces of the universe that control this world are no fools. Whoever or whatever it is that keeps all of existence running, is smart enough to know that any creature brought back to life could easily just adopt or take in a child to care for as their own, so obviously there are going to be other downsides as well. Such as having to eat a seed everyday so I don’t end up with a big hole in my stomach.

I was lying down quite comfortably on one of the train seats while all of these thoughts rushed through my head. I was exhausted. The past twenty four hours had been nothing but running and fighting almost non stop. Sure that’s all I’ve done for the past three years, but most of my fighting today has been outside of the forest where I’m far weaker. Being able to sit down and just relax for two or three hours like this was a small blessing in my current state.

I heard my stomach rumble and quickly remembered the apple I got from the farm. Reaching into my cloak pocket I pulled out the delicious red orb and took my first bite of apple in three years, savoring the taste as the juices filled my mouth. It’s not like there isn’t tasty food in the Everfree. The forest is filled with all sorts of delicious treats, you just have to know what you’re looking for and where to look for it. And besides, if I ever go too long without being able to forage anything, there are plenty of wild animals for me to roast on a stick.

Yeah, that fang I get in my true form isn’t just for show you know, nor is it the only one. I have others, that ones just really long. My guardian body is built to help me survive a living hell. It would only make sense that it would provide me with a way to eat as much food as possible to sustain myself. At first the idea of eating meat bothered me. I mean what pony wouldn’t be freaked out about that? But when you get hungry enough… well let’s just say I’ve eaten things I’d really rather not talk about.

As I took the last few bites of my apple I jumped a little as a harsh pinging sound rung through the trains cabin, the telltale sign of an announcement coming up over a speaker. “Hello everypony,” said a gruff stallions voice. “For those of you getting off at Canterlot please get ready to depart. For those remaining with us until we reach Baltimare, please take your seats if you haven’t already so that other passengers may get off and on safely. Thank you for choosing the Ponyville Ex-”

A spark lit up in the top right corner of our train cabin, shutting off the speaker and scaring everypony inside. Not a moment later the train began shaking violently. Ponies began screaming as they ran to the windows to see what was going on. I did the same thing and the sight left me speechless.

Black roots as big around as the train I was riding on and easily ten times the length were beginning to grow out of the mountain that Canterlot was situated on. One of these roots was pushing up against the tracks built into the mountain, threatening to send the entire train and the station it was connected to tumbling down the side of the mountain. I opened the window, sticking my head out to get a better view.

The city was in chaos. Ponies were running everywhere, screaming at the top of their lungs. If it weren’t for the fact that I was about to plummet do my death, I would have face hoofed. Instead I simply decided to give the whole city a deadpan stare. I mean really? They’re just tree roots. Aside from the train I was on they weren’t causing any real problems at all. Those ponies should be far more concerned about WHY there are tree roots popping out of the ground. At least that’s what had ME worried. I guess I can’t blame them though. Three years ago I would have done the exact same thing.

Unfortunately for me I had more important issues to deal with. The train tracks were built on metal supports that were drilled into the mountainside. Kind of like a roller coaster but much bigger and without the loop de loops. The tree root started jutting out right from under the station where it turned and began growing around the tracks like a vine.

I sighed. This wasn’t exactly a difficult problem, all I had to do was make pillars pop out of the mountain side and cut the root in all the places that were covering the track, then retract the pillars so that the train didn’t smash into them. It was actually quite simple. No, the problem came with the fact I was stuck in a crowded train car with a bunch of random ponies who would undoubtedly freak out, and maybe even attack me, the minute I took my true form.

I took my head out of the window and backed up a bit, beginning my chant. I would have to deal with this whether I wanted to or not, so it wasn’t exactly like I had a choice. Besides, my duty as a guardian demands I protect these ponies, even if they’re too stupid to figure out they’re being protected.

As I finished my chant and took my true form I got the exact response I was hoping to avoid. Ponies started screaming monster over and over again and this one brown earth pony stallion even stood in front of what I could only assume was his wife and kids in a valiant effort to protect them before charging at me like an idiot. Without even looking at him, I kicked him in the head and knocked him out. Well at least he gets an ‘A’ for effort.

With that minor inconvenience out of the way I reared up on my back hooves, eliciting even more screams from the passengers on board the train, and slammed them into the seat I was standing on, waiting for the sound of moving earth slicing apart giant plant parts. Only there was one problem…

No such sound was being made.

I blinked in confusion, rearing onto my hind hooves once again and slamming back down only to get the same result. Ignoring the confused looks of the other passengers I stuck my head back out the window to find that nothing at all had changed. The mountain wasn’t growing spikes, the root was getting bigger and bigger, and the train was still hurdling towards it at high speeds set unfortunately on a collision course of impending death.

I felt myself revert to my original form as I sat back down, throwing a seed into my mouth almost instinctively before my body could begin to deteriorate. All right, so apparently this was NOT a simple fix. I started pacing back and forth as I thought about what was wrong. My powers had never failed for me before, so why now?! I would say that I was to far away from the forest, but I was actually beginning to feel somewhat stronger as those roots continued to grow. Meaning they were definitely from the Everfree so that couldn’t be it.

Then it hit me. I wasn’t on the ground! I was in a train that was more or less suspended in the air by a track. The entire time I was in the Everfree I was either on the ground or connected to something that was connected to the ground. Sure I could use my powers if I stood on a tall tree, but that’s only because trees are natural things. I was in a pony made box of refined steel that had all sorts of electrical and magical conduits running through its systems. My powers were completely useless! So of course I did exactly as I was taught NOT to do in situations like these.

I panicked.

Yup, there I was, the big bad guardian of the Everfree, running around in circles like a filly chasing her own tail as I screamed the futility of our situation at the top of my lungs. Any other time I would have looked downright adorable. Now was not that time.

Once again the train shook violently this time accompanied by the sound of crashing earth. Excited by the idea that my powers had simply taken a little longer than normal to kick in, I peeked my head outside once more… and was met with an utterly horrific sight.

One of the roots had popped out of the mountain, right overtop some of the buildings in Canterlot. I watched with a frozen gaze as the tip of the root slowly began to form a black flower bud. My body began to shake in fear. I knew what that was. I’d seen it before. It was a siren of doom, a harbinger of death. I wanted nothing more than to tear my eyes away, but found them glued to the monstrosity. Slowly the flower bud began to bloom, taking on the form of what would otherwise have been a beautiful black rose half the size of the palace. But this rose was far from the innocent breathtaking view it fancied itself to be as it opened up fully, revealing a hollow hole in the center of the cursed flora.

Tears streamed down my face. I knew what was coming, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. The ponies of Canterlot stood speechless as they gazed at it in wonder. The screaming and shouting had died down and the whole city had gone quiet. I wanted to shout, to tell them to run. I wanted someone to let them know that they needed to just abandon everything and make a break for it, but I knew it was futile. My voice would never reach them from here.

I watched as some of the Pegasi from the royal guards flew up to the opening. I pitied them, for I knew they would be the first to die. They hovered near the entrance, weapons raised in oblivious futility as they grew closer. And in an instant it happened. Tendrils made of pure shadows shot out from the darkness of the flower, impaling each of the guards in all of their vital points and killing them instantly. At least their deaths were quick…

The rest of the city would not be so lucky.

Shocked gasps rang out all across Canterlot as they witnessed the guards get struck down so quickly, their bodies being pulled back into the abysmal blackness of the flowers center. A few short seconds passed before a series of roars pierced the air causing the whole mountain to tremble. Monsters began to pour out of the flowers center. Some taking to the skies, others falling to the ground below. The royal guard tried to form some sort of defensive position in an attempt to halt the enemy’s movement, but the dreaded beasts cut a swath through them like a knife cuts through butter.

It took seconds for the entire city to erupt into total chaos. The monsters that poured out of the flower feasted on the city’s citizens like they were at a feast. Most ran, some tried to fight back only to fail miserably. There was nothing they could do. I had seen some of these monters before. They were all from the Duskwoods. Even I wouldn’t be able to take just one of them. If I couldn’t do it, I knew they had no chance.

The whole scene brought back the memories from when I had first seen one of these flowers a little over a two years ago. There was a settlement of ponies who lived in the Everfree forest on the outer edges of the Dawnwoods. On my masters request I had dealt with them several times and I considered them good company, though they only ever saw me with reverence. They knew that my master was king of the wood and that I was one of his direct servants. That was enough for them to show complete and total respect towards me and everything I said and hey, I am Diamond Tiara after all. It wasn’t like I was going to complain about a bunch of ponies bowing down to me every time I came near them.

Of course… all good things eventually come to an end. My master sent me to investigate strange occurrences that had been taking place in the woods near the settlement. I searched high and low for any sort of disturbances, but could find nothing aside from the ground seeming to shift in an odd way, which, in the Everfree, isn’t all that much of something to be worried about most of the time.

On what was supposed to be the night of my investigation, the ground ripped apart and a black rose sprout from the ground in the center of the settlement. It wasn’t nearly the size of the one overtop of Canterlot but the size is hardly what matters. It’s what they house inside, the monsters that are just dying to be fed.

And feed they did. Just like with Canterlot they swarmed from the flower, hard and fast and with barely any warning. I did the best I could to protect them. At the time I had only just started fighting the creatures in the Twilightwoods on a regular basis. And just like now the ones that sprouted from that flower were creatures from the Duskwoods. It was my first time ever encountering them, and I was practically powerless. There were only fifteen or so of them, but they overwhelmed me and the one hundred ponies that had been living there. As soon as I realized I was no match I immediately cried out for my masters help… but it was too late. It was over before it even began. By the time Lord Everfree arrived to end the onslaught, I had been heavily wounded and there were only four survivors. Two of whom had injuries so severe they didn’t make it through the night. In the end we were left with a teenage mare and a young colt barely older than a foal. I all but groveled at their feet asking for their forgiveness. To my surprise she wasn’t angry. Just sad. She told me she knew I did the best that I could, as did Lord Everfree.

I spent the next few days… cleaning up the mess. I buried who I could, the village girl assisting me as she helped me… well… figure out who was who from all the sticky bits. Master couldn’t stay with me of course, telling me he had far too much to do. I could feel his emotions flow through me, he didn’t want to leave me alone like that and it was tearing at his heart. But he had a job to do, one that couldn’t wait. Eventually once I had recovered from my injuries I led her and the child out of the forest at her request. I asked her where she intended on going and she told me she had an aunt living in Ponyville who broke away from the settlement when she was very young.

After that whole ordeal I asked my master what those flowers were, only to find that he himself had no idea. He had seen them a few times in the past. Strange black roses that popped out of the ground carrying anywhere from one to thousands of monsters that would pour out and attack anything in sight like a pack of starving wolves. They always came without warning and they always had monsters from the Duskwoods. He’s been investigating them for hundreds of years, yet hasn’t found out a single thing.

As I began sending silent prayers to my master for miracle, a sharp ringing resounded through the air followed by a flash of blue light and more violent shaking. Like everypony else I rushed over to one of the windows sticking out my head to a most welcoming sight.

Princess Luna was in the air zapping away at the vines and beasts covering the tracks with her magic. The other ponies began to whoop and rejoice, but I had more important matters to attend to. My panic attack having subsided I kicked my brain into overdrive. Now was a great chance to speak with one of the princesses.

Ducking my head back into the compartment I looked around. Master had taught me a way to catch the princesses attention in practically any circumstance, but if I did it while leaning my head out the window she would never be able to recognize who was doing it.

Looking around I tried to find some way to make me distinguishable. I briefly considered transforming and kicking the roof of the train car off, before realizing that would be a bad idea for a multitude of reasons. As I searched for something, anything, to help me my eyes landed on a latch in the roof. Perfect! That was exactly what I needed!

Grabbing random ponies luggage I began to stack things on top of one another to create a makeshift ladder up to the top of the car. The other ponies began to protest but all I had to do was shift into my true form for a moment to shut them up. Once I was at the top I pulled on the lever and kicked the small door completely off, giving me access to the roof.

I stood on top of the train watching Luna as she zapped the remaining roots off of the tracks. Ignoring the breathtaking view of the world below, I took in as deep a breath as I could manage just as my master had shown me. I didn’t have time to waste, Lord Everfree had given me a mission and it was high time I completed it.

With all the force I could manage, I let loose the guardians Battle Cry. My voice roared like thunder, creating a fearsome sound that would stop dragons in their tracks. To be honest the technique is really just an incomplete form of the Royal Canterlot voice. The only difference being that I can’t use it to speak, only to shout or scream or roar.

Needless to say it got her attention.

Luna’s head whipped around looking down the line of carts as she prepared another bolt of her magic, no doubt thinking that it had come from some sort of monster. Only instead of a monster all she found was a small pink earth pony jumping up and down and waving for her to come over with her hooves.

She looked at me confused for a moment, before taking flying over to me and landing on top of the train. I quickly bowed my head as she began to speak. “Art thou the one who made that undignified sound?” she asked.

“Yes Princess. My name is Diamond Tiara and I am a guardian from the Everfree.” Luna took a step back. Apparently she wasn’t expecting that.

“A guardian? Art thou telling us that thee has been sent by Lord Everfree?”

“Yes Princess! Lord Everfree requires the assistance of both you and your sister immediately!”

Luna looked down, her brow creasing with worry. “If Everfree hath called for us, then no doubt the situation must be grave indeed. However as thine eyes can clearly see, neither my sister nor we can leave Canterlot at the moment.”

“I understand your concerns princess, but I fear that if you do not hurry to his side, there may be no point in saving Canterlot at all!” Luna’s eyes grew wide at this as she took a step back. I had risen from my bow without permission to speak on more equal terms with her, further signifying the strength of my statement.

“Whatever couldst thou mean, child of the wood?”

“Princess, Lord Everfree is exhausted. I don’t know the details but something has gone horribly wrong in the forest! He’s being forced to weaken the walls to preserve strength and monsters are breaking out of the inner woods! If something is not done all the beasts in the Everfree will escape and wreak havoc everywhere! As much as I hate to say it, you must forget about Canterlot! Equestria, no, the entire WORLD is in danger! If you and Princess Celestia don’t leave now then it won’t matter if you save they city! It will burn in the end along with everything else!”

Luna stared at me and I was shocked to find that her legs had begun to shake. Was she… scared? Luna, princess of the night, master of the time when darkness thrives, was so terrified that she was going weak in the knees?

“Are thou sure thee are speaking the truth? There truly is no other option?” she whispered quietly as the train finally pulled into the station. Members of the royal guard and the CPD were escorting the passengers off of the train and into specified areas I couldn’t see from here.

“Yes Princess… I’m sorry.” Luna shut her eyes, a few tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want her to do this. Both she and Celestia were being forced to abandon their ponies when they needed them most. But if they didn’t go the results would be so much worse.

“Fine… I will get my sister and we will head to the forest as quickly as we possibly can. Before I do I have a favor to ask of you?” I perked my ears up, listening intently. “Forest Guardian Trainee Diamond Tiara, we beg of you to help defend our city. Please.”

I gave looked up into her eyes and gave her a warm smile. “I was going to do that anyways princess, though I must ask, how did you know I was a trainee?”

The princess gave a soft chuckle. “A fully trained guardian would know that they do not need to bow to a princess as we are of the same rank.” I took a step back. Seriously? I was on equal terms with the princesses?

“Seriously?”

“Quite. It tends to be one of the last things that Everfree teaches his young guardians. Thou will understand why when thy training is complete. Now we must ask does thou have any apples of discord?” I shook my head. No I didn’t have anything of the sort. Just a bag of longevity seeds. Theoretically I could down the whole bag and that would let my fight just as long as an apple would, but that wouldn’t be good for me in the slightest. While longevity seeds came from apples of discord, the way the two work is very different. Apples of Discord are kind of like energy drinks. They provide a quick short term power boost that leave you a bit winded after they wear off. Longevity seeds are more like steroids. If taken in the correct doses over time they help keep a weak body strong, take too many at once or too often though, and the effects will be… less than desirable.

“We see. Come then, hop upon our back. We will take thee with us to see our sister and provide thee with the means for battle.” She laid herself across the ground, spreading her wing to act as a walkway up to her back. Once I sat down I wrapped my hooves around her neck and we took off into the sky, soaring as quickly as possible towards the palace.

I watched as the city fell to ruins below me. As far as I could tell the only ones doing any damage against the beasts at all were the princesses. All of the ponies, including the royal guard, had realized that they were no match and stopped trying to fight back, attempting to run away instead. I would’ve been more sympathetic to their situation, but I’d seen too many monsters tear each other apart just like this for it to really phase me anymore. Sure Canterlot was being painted in blood but at least it wasn’t MY blood. If I died, which once I started fighting would be rather likely, they wouldn’t have a chance in Tatarus. At least I can hold them off while others get to safety. The same can’t really be said for them.

I watched as a blast of gold whizzed past us and struck down one of the flying beasts, burning it to a pile of ash. I looked ahead with a smile. I only knew one being that could produce an aura like that. She stood in front of the palace doors ringed by the very best of her guards which, to my surprise, were fairing rather well against their enemies. About as well as I would at least.

It’s not that I can’t FIGHT the creatures that come from the Duskwoods, I just can’t BEAT them. I can deter them, run away from them, trap them, so on and so on. The only issue I have is landing a killing blow. Of course fighting in the Everfree is a little different. When I’m in the Everfree, it’s normally me versus one Duskwoods beast. No interference and no distractions. This attack was a completely different story. They wouldn’t be concentrating their full attention and power on me. The entire time we’re fighting they’ll have to be wary of all the other ponies. Even if the other ponies aren’t strong enough to kill them in a one on one, that doesn’t mean they can’t get lucky and get in a kill shot while the beasts are distracted. And with all of this chaos there were distractions aplenty.

Luna landed gracefully next to her sister and began to speak as she helped fend off the monsters attempting to gain access into the palace. I hopped off her back and looked beyond them to see a line of unicorns straining to maintain a barrier around the castle as royal guards and the CPD did their best to guide civilians inside.

“WHAT?!” Celestia shouted. And I don’t mean shouted, I mean SHOUTED. Like Royal Equestrian Voice shouted. I began to feel a bit out of place and felt that it was best to return to their side in case Celestia needed to speak to me. I began to walk over to them but was suddenly grabbed by a royal guard.

“Quickly child into the barrier!” He shouted as he tried to shove me along. I stamped my hooves into the ground pushing back against him with surprising strength.

“Absolutely not, guard. If anypony should be heading inside it’s you!” He looked at me with confusion before once again attempting to forcefully move me out of the way. Our struggle continued until Princess Luna finally stepped in.

“UNHOOF THIS CHILD AT ONCE!” she shouted scaring the living daylights out of the guard. He turned to look at his princess with eyes wide in fear and confusion.

“But… but princess! She’s a child! If she stays out here!”

“She will be just fine. She may not look it but that child is a professional at dealing with these creatures. She’s a hundred times stronger than you and can kill you just as quickly as the monsters you’re fighting. In fact… as of now she’s in charge.”

Several guards and civilians were stunned into silence, myself included. Sure I was expecting to fight, but to actually be in charge of a fighting force? My training does NOT cover that! Or maybe it does… it’s still incomplete after all. I could feel another twinge of shame pass through me. I don’t like being reminded that I’m still just a trainee. It makes me feel… well weak. Something I’m not exactly used to feeling when I impale monsters with giant earthen pillars.

“I’m sorry Princess, but what do you mean she’s in charge?!”

Celestia walked up next to Luna and I and accomplished a feat I never would have imagined possible. She spoke gently in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Not just gently, it was almost… motherly. “MY SISTER MEANS EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID. AS MUCH AS WE HATE TO DO THIS, WE MUST LEAVE. A MATTER OF EVEN GREATER IMPORTANCE HAS JUST ARISEN. IF WE DO NOT GO, THEN IT WON’T MATTER IF CANTERLOT IS SAVED, THE WHOLE WORLD WILL FALL. I’M… I’M SORRY MY LITTLE PONIES. WE HOPE THAT IF WE SUCCEED, THEN WE MAY ALSO BE ABLE TO PUT AN END TO WHAT IS GOING ON HERE AT THE SAME TIME. UNTIL WE RETURN, YOU WILL TAKE YOUR ORDERS FROM THIS CHILD. SHE MAY NOT LOOK IT BUT SHE’S MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU THINK.” She turned to the best of her guards and spoke quickly. They nodded their heads and walked over to me. I watched as Celestia and Luna looked at Canterlot with teary eyes before looking at each other and taking to the air.

“Lady Tiara, I’ve been ordered to give you these.” Said the first guard. Its voice was a certain quality of high pitched telling me it was obviously a mare speaking, even though she looked the same as all the others. She held out her hoof to reveal a brown bag. I took it and examined its contents to find not one, but three apples of discord. With this I could fight for an hour and a half without worry.

I took one and ate it whole. I could feel the power surge through me like ice in my veins. It was even better than when I was at Fluttershy’s house. The strength I was gaining was out of this world. I felt like I could take on the entire army single hoofedly. Perhaps one day, with a bit more training, I could.

I quickly began my chant, we didn’t have much time. None of the creatures in the Everfree were truly sentient, but the deeper you went the smarter they got. Some could even understand basic equine speech. Since these creatures were all from the Duskwoods they knew that the princesses were the main thing getting in their way of a good meal. Watching them leave made them back off a bit out of fear of them pulling some kind of stunt. It wouldn’t take long though for them to realize they weren’t coming back so I had to get some kind of plan in motion.

That’s when an idea struck me. “You.” I said, pointing at the guard who had spoken to me. “Am I correct in assuming that you’re second in command next to me at the moment?”

“Yes Lady Tiara. My name is Cloudtrooper.”

“All right then Cloudtrooper I need you to find my sister!”

“Already here.” I whirled around and was met with a wonderful sight. There standing before me in all of her glory was my eldest sister and the strongest of the guardians. She stood next to her good friend, who was cowering behind her in fear.

“Fleur… you’re here! Oh thank Lord Everfree you’re alright.”

Fleur closed her eyes and let out a sigh. “Of course I’m alright sister. Now tell me what in master’s name is going on?”

I recounted my tale as quickly as I could. The mission master sent me on, my failure to follow basic instructions, the events that took place at Fluttershy’s, the birth of our baby sister (which took her by surprise) and the attack that was now happening to Canterlot.

A scowl came across her face when I was finished. “You disobeyed a basic tenant?!” she spat. Leave it to Fleur to only think about the line of duty when thousands of pony’s lives were on the line. “Bah. Lord Everfree has decided to forgive you, as ridiculous as that may be, so I shall as well. I guess I shouldn’t blame you. You ARE still a trainee. No matter. Give me one of those apples, I’ll take on the main force. You form a defensive perimeter around the entrance to the palace with the help of the other guards and pick off any stragglers that make it past me.” She said, turning towards the crowd of monsters ahead of us. I watched them for a moment. They had stopped looking around for any signs of the princesses and were turning their hungry glares towards us. We were out of time.

“You’re going to take them on by yourself?” I asked. I knew she was perfectly capable of such a task, but still the idea of it astounded me. In her true form, Fleur was as powerful as an alicorn and twice as durable. She was no weak opponent. That being said though, she’s also one of a kind. Most guardians don’t get as strong as she does. In fact guardians were never supposed to be as strong as we are. Originally we were only meant for each of us to be about as strong as Fluttershy, with somepony a little weaker than me leading a team of them. But that was long ago, when there were plenty of us to handle all the problems that took place in the Everfree. Now that there were only four of us, one being less than a day old, we didn’t have that kind of luxury.

“Of course. Now hand me the apple of discord.” I did as instructed, watching as she too ate it whole. I barked a few orders to the nearby guards, telling them to pretty much form a ‘U’ shape around the front gate behind Fleur and I. Ponies rushed to do as they were told. Now that I was in my true form they were much more keen to listen to me.

I stood next to Fleur, a low primal growl escaping my throat as I gave a quiet challenge to the monsters in front of us. The last few ponies and guards who were still alive in the city rushed passed us and either got into position or cowered behind the barrier. I was happy to see a few unicorns take initiative and add their magic to the barrier. Even if they didn’t know the spell, adding magic to it would help make it that extra bit stronger.

I looked to Fleur and she looked back to me. We nodded our heads in silence before turning our attention back on the horde of demons. Fleur began her chant as they began crawling to us ever so slowly, trying to decide who would be brave enough to lash out first. Just as she reached the final word, the first of the monsters lashed out diving towards the two of us. I slammed hoof into the ground and heard the satisfying crunch of breaking bones as it pierced through. I was surprised by how easily I had killed it, until it turned into smoke and reformed beside my pillar completely unharmed. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. Letting loose a battle cry, it rallied its allies. Fleur and I got into battle positions as a wave of monsters flooded the streets and skies heading right towards us.

The battle for Canterlot had begun.

Author's Note:

Alright, before I get some complaints about the whole 'Herd' thing, a word from Best Princess Luna

Plus it's kinda my OTP so... yeah. Let's just leave it at that.

All of that being said though, this chapter was kind of hard to write as it was originally supposed to be a single chapter in and of itself, not a two parter. However while writing it I had two ideas pop into my head for the story from out of nowhere that I absolutely love and I just couldn't help but go back and edit it so that they would work in the long run. What I ended up with was an incredibly long chapter that I decided to split up.

So yeah, sorry about the delay. Took me a while to get the chapter out because of that. Hopefully it's really good and the wait is worth it! Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Buzzard]

rad hope for more soon

[hailetheking]

Keep this baby going! I wanna see SweetieTiara fighting force!

[hailetheking]

This story is much too underrated. Holy crap someone get this on the featured page, NOW.

[FlightToHollis]

That. Was. Flipn. AWESOME!!!!!!

[hailetheking]

Waiting on an update.