Prima Secundae Tertiae Libri - In Diebus Nostris
Terrus led the way out of the room, reloading his crossbows as he did so. Twilight stared at them. They had two prodds, with each having a separate trigger, but they were a lot smaller than the guard crossbows. That explained the small bolts, she supposed.
He swept the corridor, and nodded. "Let's go. To the barracks. Something must be stopping the guards from securing the Palace. I would find out what."
"Hold on," said Princess Luna with a frown. "What about Celestia? She might be in danger. We have to help her." Terrus turned back, and slowly shook his head.
"No, that's impossible," he said, and turned back to the corridor. "Left, I think." He started to make his way down when the Princess called out again.
"Brother, what are you doing?" she asked. "How do you know that it is impossible that Celestia is in danger? Do you know where she is? What do you know?"
He turned back to face them. "They came for me first. When I came here, they were still searching for the Princess. After I dispatched them, I searched the roomfar more exhaustively than they did, for that matterand recovered my wings. I know she wasn't here when they came. Where she is, I do not know, but it will be within the city. I imagine that the dogs have sent teams out into the city to scour it for her, as well as to cause more havoc. If she is not surprised, though, they would have to be extremely lucky to take her. The only way we can help her is if we stop the dogs. If we try to find her, we could lead them to her." With that, he turned back to the corridor and began to walk down.
Princess Luna, still frowning, began to follow him, and Twilight reluctantly joined her. Something about the alicorn was unsettling Twilight. It was not just his reappearance right as they needed him. How had he healed his wings? His callousness, too, worried her. Did he actually worry about his sisters? Either of them?
The questions continued to echo in her mind as they walked down the corridor. The bodies of the fallen lay around them, both diamond dogs and guards, and she still almost could not believe what was happening. Pictures of her brother flashed through her mind, and she hoped he was safe, wherever he was. He had not been in Canterlot for a long time, so perhaps that would keep him safe.
They continued walking down through the palace, and gradually Twilight became aware of noise, getting closer and louder as they walked. Even as she heard it, Terrus started running, his double-bows pointed ahead, and Princess Luna followed after him. Twilight bit her lip as she ran after the two, and wished her friends were there. Rainbow Dash and Applejack would have seen through his story if he was lying, and together they could have watched Princess Luna's back. She shook that thought away. They weren't here, and wishing they were did not change anything. She would just have to deal with the situation as it was.
As they got closer to the source of the noise, she recognised the ring of metal on metal, and shouting and screams. She took a deep breath, and tried to calm her rapidly-beating heart. Whatever these diamond dogs were expecting, they probably weren't expecting two alicorns and the Element of Magic.
"Hold them back, you mark-less scum! For Equestria!" bellowed one of the voices, and as they turned to see the scene, Twilight was unsurprised to see a burly-looking sergeant holding a knot of the Royal Guards firm against the dogs who kept testing and threatening their position. Neither was making any headway, the guards unable to pin the dogs down and the dogs unable to break the guards' formation. Upon the arrival of the three, the situation began to rapidly change.
Terrus loosed his bows, and within five seconds, four of the dogs lay dead. The room quickly stopped, as the two groups of fighters began to reassess the scene. As quickly as it had stopped, it jumped back into action, and the dogs turned their attentions to the new arrivals. The next few seconds went by too quickly for Twilight Sparkle to make much sense of what was happening, but it ended with the diamond dogs dead or running. One had been stuck to the wall by a knife that had gone through its head. Another had been cut open by the sword that Terrus had taken from somewhere. Two more had their necks sliced open, lying together on the ground in a pool of blood.
Terrus wiped his sword on the body of one of the diamond dogs, and slowly sliding it back into a sheath hidden under his left wing, he turned to the sergeant, who stood there silently, his jaw hanging open. "Report, sergeant," Terrus said, recocking his crossbows as he did so.
The sergeant shook himself out of his stupor. "Sergeant Blindside, your highness, in command of third platoon. What's left of it, at any rate. And elements of second and first. Nopony else to do it, sir," he said, coming to attention.
The dark prince shook his head. "I'm not a sir, or a your highness. Not at the moment. How many more diamond dogs have you seen?" he asked, looking at the bodies on the ground.
"We killed some... Ten, twenty, two floors down," said Blindside, as he thought back. "Lieutenant told us to push forward and upwards, but he bought it last floor. Ambushed us. We broke out, and linked up with first and second, and they kept pushing us up, until we were backed into this corner." He shrugged. "You know the rest."
Terrus nodded. "You did well to survive so long, and to bring so many down. I think we may only have one more pack here to deal with, and those runners will lead us to it. Sergeant, you are being field-promoted to first lieutenant. I need a detail to protect the Princess and Twilight Sparkle while we take this last pack down."
"Hold on one moment, brother," said Princess Luna with a frown. "We are coming with you. Our sister is in danger. I will not hang back and let that continue if I can do something about it. Not this time, not ever." She stepped forward, almost daring him to stop her.
"And I'm coming too," said Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn was almost comically outsized by the two alicorns, but she was stalwart. "I'm not letting my teacher go into danger without helping her."
Terrus looked over them for a time, and then nodded. "Good. Come with us, then. But be prepared to fight. These diamond dogs are not to be trifled with. And they know we are coming for them now. Lieutenant, let's go." With that, he walked out, in the direction the fleeing dogs had taken, and the scratch company followed him.
As the Princess and Twilight joined the mismatched unit, Twilight could see the impact the battle so far had made on the Guardsponies. Armour that was usually polished and gleaming was dented and bloodied. Some ponies had cuts and scratches. At least one was missing a leg. That one was grimly forcing himself to keep going, the only medical treatment he'd received being a bandage around the stump.
"I don't understand," she whispered to Princess Luna. "Why would the diamond dogs do this? What do they gain from murdering ponies?"
"It depends on their goals," answered the Princess under her breath. "But if they are trying to kill my sister and I, then I do not think they plan to leave anypony alive." She looked around at the Guardsponies. "Whatever it is, they cannot be allowed to succeed. If they do, it is not only we who will suffer, but everypony in Equestria."
Johann was relieved as the cavern opened up before him. Though they were still within the darkened tunnel, the end had come into sight. With it, though, had also come their next obstacle. More of the beast-men lay in the cavern, and rather than being scattered and disorganised, these were in a block three thick and stretching from one end of the cavern to the other.
Despite their apparent organisation, they showed the same lack of discipline as the others had. They obviously did not expect any foe to come up this tunnel, and even as Johann watched, one of them bellowed a command and they began trudging away, with whips and blows. With a sense of foreboding, Johann heeled his mount on, wondering what could have caused these beings to unite in such a way. Whatever or whoever it was, he did not think it was right to allow them to face such a foe.
He looked down at the foal beside him, who had managed to keep with them through the entire cave system despite her clear tiredness. She seemed to have appreciated the walking rest, and turned to look at him in curiosity. With that look, though, a thought occurred to him. The only nearby peoples were the ponies, and their military left much to be desired. Even if they had the numbers to resist these barbarians, would they have the skill or the weapons?
This closed the issue for him. If they went to the ponies' aid, that would force them to recognise they were not foes. It would be difficult, though, and the danger to themselves would be great. He turned to Frederick. "Father, would you minister to us the sacrament of penance?" he asked.
The priest nodded, and so each of the Templars, in their turn, moved to the rear of the column with the priest. They spoke, under their breath, and Frederick ministered to them the Lord's absolution.
Soon it came to Johann's turn, which he took last of all. He rode his horse back, behind his sergeants, to Frederick, who was waiting for him with a sad smile. Johann looked at him, and the priest shook his head. "My own thoughts," he said, "do not matter over-much. Are you ready?" Johann nodded. "Well, then, let us begin. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."
"Bless me, father, for I have sinned," said Johann, as he made the sign of the cross. "It has been seven weeks since I made my last confession, and my sins are these. I have failed to avoid judging people I have been speaking with, particularly the ponies. I have struggled with anger at them for their injustices. Last, but not least, I have been struggling with the lure of pride in making decisions here. For these and all of my sins, I am truly sorry."
"Johann," said the priest, "you have strived, in our long captivity, to uplift these men and to keep them turning towards God. That is real virtue, and the sign of a true leader. Give thanks to God that you have been given that gift. With regard to your anger at the injustice that you have faced, I would say this. Anger, in its rightful place, is not wrong. When Our Lord met the usurers in the Temple, he was angry at their greed and injustice. It is not anger that is wrong, but giving into it, and allowing it to control you. Now with your struggle with pride. That is the vice of choice of knights, and you are already fighting with it by serving in obedience. You must trust that God will continue to aid you now that you are not a mere servant, but a leader as well. Your penance is to pray thirteen paternosters, and to fervently profess the Credo. Now make your act of contrition, and I will absolve you of your sins."
Johann nodded. "Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you," he began. "I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin."
"God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Go in peace and sin no more." The priest crossed Johann as he spoke the words of absolution, and Johann did the same.
Having received through the priest the complete forgiveness of God, Johann felt his soul rise on high. Drawing his sword once more, he pointed it at the foe ahead. "Onward," he called as he spurred his mount onwards, "and not unto us the glory, O Lord!"
The streets of Canterlot were not designed with ease of thoroughfare in mind, but to keep the city beautiful. That both hindered and helped Princess Celestia as she made her way through the city, along with Curve Ball. The diamond dogs following them were hunting by smell, but the winding streets, along with the damage caused by the earthquake, were hindering their passage more than the ponies, who had the small benefit of knowing the laneways far better.
The Princess and Curve Ball did not have everything their own way, however. The streets were still busy, and the ponies removing rubble crowded around them. Despite her best efforts to disperse them, Princess Celestia knew too few of them would make their way to safety before the dogs would catch up. She only hoped they would be too set on their mission to pay much attention to the other ponies.
The screams were continuing behind her, which gave her some assurance that that was the case. However, they were getting closer, and that was not good. So far, though, it was only the one pack pursuing. The others had not gotten wind of her location, and as long as that happy situation continued, she did not see fit to bring it to a close. Even if flying would bring her to the Palace faster, with who knew how many diamond dogs roaming the city, it seemed too risky to try at the moment.
That thought terrified her. Her little ponies, being hunted and slain at will? She shuddered at the idea. No. There were enough guards patrolling the city that they would stop them soon, she decided. Soon there would be even more. They would protect the citizens. Even as she thought on that, she could hear the screams. Now they were coming closer, and though the Princess knew she could run faster, the little foal beside her was not so able. She bit her lip. She could not just leave him, but if he stayed with her, they would both be caught. What could she do?
As she leapt over another piece of rubble, and saw him clambering over it, she took a deep breath. "Curve Ball," she said, "Do you know anypony who lives over here?"
"No, I don't," he said, as he ran over to catch up to her. "Why do you ask?"
"Those dogs are after me," she said, "and they are catching up to us. If you could hide, you would be safe." She looked at him, to see him thinking the matter over in his head. "And it would be quicker for me to get back to the palace by myself."
At that he cocked his head to face her. "If it's about speed, I can show you another way. It'll be quicker to get us to the palace. It's not, strictly speaking, legal, but it'll be faster."
Before she could guess at what would make the particular way illegal, Curve Ball was already cutting ahead of her, and diverting far from the route that Celestia had planned. With no apparent choice but to follow him, the Princess shook her head, and went after him.
When the diamond dogs attacked, Princess Luna was caught by surprise. They came out of darkness, and even the lieutenant barely had time to yell "Formation!" before the dogs were upon them. This was not, however, the first time the Princess had seen battle, and she recovered from her surprise quickly. Although she was without a weapon, she was not unarmed. The first dog that tried her received a ray of magic that sent it flying back. It hit the roof with an audible snap, and fell among the other diamond dogs still coming at the ponies.
Terrus swirled and struck out like a lightning cloud, dealing death and delivering other ponies through the fight. Though he did not use his magic like the Princess did, that did not make him any less effective. He had an almost preternatural speed and grace in his actions. Each of his blows was precise, sufficient to deal with his current opponent and to set up his next strike. Twilight was almost entranced at the dance he was making of the fight. As he continued to move through it, she could see him raise and loose his crossbow just past her head. She turned, and saw a dog fall to the ground with a bolt through its eye. Shaking herself of the distraction, she focused back on the fight. Beams shot from her horn at the encroaching diamond dogs, knocking them back and down. She did not have the raw magic of Princess Luna, but what she had she was well-practiced in using as efficiently as she could.
Almost as quickly as it had begun, the ambush was over. This time, though, the dogs had not fled, fighting to the last one. Twilight sighed in relief. One less thing to worry about. She walked over to the Princess, Terrus, and Blindside, who had gathered almost in the time it took for her to realise the battle had finished.
"Don't know what they wanted," Blindside was saying, "But without your highnesses and the Captain's sister, I don't think we could have won here."
"I don't know if I would call this a victory," said Terrus, shaking his head a little. Blindside shrugged.
"All the same," he said, "You saved my life, and the life of my ponies. We're very grateful." Terrus nodded at that.
"Now we just have to find Princess Celestia, don't we?" asked Twilight as she joined the conversation.
"Is the Princess missing?" asked Blindside, turning to Princess Luna, who nodded her head. "Well, my ponies are tired, but we'll help you any way we can."
"Lieutenant, how many more ponies are at the barracks? Did they just send one company?" asked Terrus. "And can you spare a messenger to go to the Guard Tower?"
"Oh, there's plenty of us down at the barracks. We can have them called up right away, if there aren't any dogs to pick off the messengers," nodded Blindside. "And I'll send Skimmer up to the tower. She's the fastest runner. Of the survivors, that is."
"Good. Today's swordwork hasn't finished yet," Terrus said as Blindside went off to find his runner. Princess Luna frowned.
"I thought you said only one more pack would be here," she said, turning a questioning gaze to her brother. What more is there to do?"
"That would be the last pack here," said Terrus. "But I doubt it's the last pack in the city. They don't work alone. The ones here were probably only here to distract us, or wanted our shiny things. If any guard has spotted them, they might have signalled the tower, and that would have been written down if they weren't killed first." The Princess reluctantly nodded at his logic.
"Then what do we do now?" she asked.
"We'll just have to wait," he said, as one of the guardsponies started running up to the tower. "But we'll need to scour the palace. If there are any diamond dogs left, we need to deal with them."
Emerging from what felt like the thirteenth or fourteenth window they had forced open, Princess Celestia looked down on the street below. They were far from the ground now, and the barking of the dogs had died away, but that did not mean they were not still following.
Curve Ball had already leapt across the street to the roof of the next building. That she could fly did not seem to have occurred to him, or else he had recognised why she had not done it in the first place, but whatever it was, he had not asked her, instead relying on his natural agility. Drops that would have given her pause seemed beneath his notice, and if he was able do it, she saw no reason not to follow along. She leapt the gap in a single bound, and as her hooves clattered down onto the shingles, she felt a small hint of excitement touch her for the first time in what seemed like a thousand years, and a small smile began to form on her face. Whatever else this trip had wrought, it had also reminded her of her own nature.
Ahead of them, the Palace had begun to loom. In view of the lack of response to her last message that she had flashed to them, she was considering trying again. That silence, though, was worrying her. There were too many guards at the Palace for them to have all been brought down by the dogs, surely. Especially if the small numbers of them were anything to talk about.
"Curve Ball," she called out, and the foal turned back to face her. "I must signal the Palace again. Can you wait for me, please?" He nodded without a word, and she turned to the tallest tower of the Palace. Taking a breath as she translated the message into signal code, her horn began flashing light at the tower. Diamond dogs are here and attacking. Please send help. Her message completed, she did not have to wait long for a reply. Acknowledged, flashed the tower back to her.
She frowned at that. That was the shortest reply she could have expected, without even a request for clarification. If that was the case, they must already know. If they already knew, then the diamond dogs must be more prevalent in the city than she had feared. Pursing her lips, she turned back to Curve Ball. "We're running out of time, Curve Ball. Let's get back on the move."
The beastmen had only a few seconds to react as the Poor Warriors of the Temple charged into the battle from behind them.
Johann was in the fore, the foal riding behind him on his mount, and the three sergeants formed a flying wedge before Frederick. He laid into the beasts on left and right, driving the wedge through their line and coming out the other side.
The beasts seemed to freeze, not knowing how to react to the sudden enemy from behind. Only by the time they had carried the charge through and beyond their formation did they seem to come back to life.
Barking furiously, they began to lope behind them, even without the whips to push them on, and Johann knew that to slow down would mean death for him and his brothers. That did not scare him, though. Either he would live or die. He would live for Christ, and if he died he would gain Christ. These earthly foes could do nothing to harm him.
The tunnel ahead was mostly clear of the beastmen, aside from a few scratching at the walls. It was cruder than the one previously, and seemed to be a natural cavern. Small offshoots sprouted from the main tunnel, but the path they were following was illuminated by parallel lines of torches on each side of the cavern. Whoever had placed these lights here had only passed recently, and Johann had plenty of reason to thank God for his providence in allowing it as they passed over craggy ground.
Behind them, the sound of pursuit drained off as the horses proved their worth once more. Johann knew that it was not over yet, for the beasts had clearly not been the first of their kind to pass through this tunnel, but those would not catch them.
A long, winding howl came from the tunnel behind them, and as the other beasts through the tunnel heard it, they made the same howl, raising their voices up. Whatever that was, Johann felt reasonably assured it was not a call for forgiveness. "Keep going. There are more ahead of us to match ourselves against," he said to the sergeants and priest behind him. "They will already know of us, so let them hear our praise of God as well." With that, he lifted his voice up to God.
"Da pacem Domine, in diebus nostris," he began, and the other Templars joined him. "Quia non est alius, qui pugnet pro nobis, nisi tu Deus noster." The little foal behind Johann lifted her head at the voice, and listened to the plainsong. Her ears perked up, and he could see her smile.
"Sir," called out the guardspony as she returned, running back down the corridor. Terrus looked up from the impromptu command post where he was examining maps of the palace with Blindside.
"What is it, Skimmer?" the Lieutenant asked. Despite the reinforcements from the barracks that had joined them in sweeping the palace, Terrus had liked the new officer's mettle and courage, and had kept him as the second-in-command.
"Report from the tower. We've been asked for assistance from several locations in the city. Diamond dogs on the loose. Guard patrols have stopped most of them, but we don't know how many others are out there," she said.
Princess Luna spoke up then. "Could any of those be from Princess Celestia?"
"I do not know, your highness. None of these messages have identifiers. One of them was under a non-Guardspony code, however," said Skimmer.
"Was there anything else?" asked Terrus, who had turned back to the maps.
"There was also a request from the walls." At that mention, Terrus looked up.
"What's happening at the walls?" he asked, dreading the news he knew it would be.
She did not disappoint. "Something's breached the walls, and they're under attack."
Terrus took a deep breath, and then grabbed his wargear from the benches. "Blindside, as of now, you are in command of this operation. Princess Luna, I would advise you to listen to his advice. I must go," he said as he checked his crossbows. "Something personal has cropped up."
Luna shook her head in amazement. "What do you mean, something personal has cropped up? We have to find Celestia, and stop these diamond dogs. That is what is important right now."
"Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore," he said, shaking his head. "At the time that message was dispatched, we were invaded by a far more serious foe than the diamond dogs could ever be. More than the diamond dogs, I bear personal responsibility for this threat. The Guardsponies cannot stop this by themselves. They will need my help." He strapped the two bandoliers of throwing knives back across his barrel. "I am taking two companies from the Palace Guard and reinforcing the walls. I would suggest you take the rest and stop the rest of the diamond dogs infesting the city once you have cleared the palace. Celestia will be one of those requests for assistance."
"How do you know?" asked Princess Luna, her lips still pursed as he began to walk away.
"She wants to be found," was his final answer.
Him-Enthroned blinked in the daylight, as His litter bore Him up to the cavern's mouth. Around Him, the dogs howled and whined as they waited for the order that would set them loose. He tasted the moment, and its anticipation. This order could not be taken back, but it would bring His victory.
Well, there was no point to delaying it any longer. "Go, My minions," he roared, "and bring Me the princesses alive or dead. The one who does My will I will reward beyond his wildest dreams. The one who cowers or disobeys I will punish beyond his more terrible fears!" He howled, a long winding howl of death and pain and war, and His pack joined it around Him before surging forth into the city, till all that was left were His slaves and the pony in chains. He nodded, and His bearers began to carry Him into the city.
Around Him, birthed by His warriors' work, the screams of ponies began to fill the air. The victory was already His. He could taste it, and salivated for the moment He would consummate it.
The atmosphere in the barracks was almost enough to make Major Rook sick. Almost an hour ago, there had come word of intruders in the Palace, and they had sent a company up. No word had come from them yet, but as long as Colonel Whitefeather was in charge, nopony would be allowed to go and investigate. So in the meantime, the detritus of the Guard would remain inside their barracks, and do what idle guards did best - drink, boast, and fight. The provost marshal had his hooves full just keeping a fully fledged riot from breaking out, let alone restoring full order.
Rook turned to his subaltern. "Look at this madness," he said bitterly. "It used to be that this was a privileged posting. Only the best of the best would get a placing here. Now they only care about how much you can brownnose up to the Colonel. There's no discipline here at all."
Aegis, his lieutenant, shrugged as sympathetically as he could manage. "We're still among the best of the Guard. And you know the Captain personally oversees all appointments to the Palace. Whitefeather isn't just given free rein."
"Not officially, no. But the Captain's never here anymore. Doesn't give a buck about this place. Too concerned with his precious wife's little country." Rook spat. "He just tells the Colonel to keep the place going, and the poor fool's got no idea it's going to pieces around his ears."
Rook was about to give up on the entire business when the barrack doors slammed open. The noise from within ceased as a dark green alicorn stallion walked in. Nopony moved as he looked from side to side of the room. They only stared at the newcomer.
"Which officer is in command?" he asked, his voice quiet but hard, like glass. Nopony moved, but many of their eyes turned to look at the Colonel, who seemed to have drowsed off. At that, they swung their eyes back to where the alicorn had been standing, to find that he was not there. He had caught the turn to the colonel, and approached him. On finding him asleep, he slapped him. In the silence of the room, the sound seemed to echo.
"Eh? What?" asked the colonel, now awake. On seeing the alicorn in front of him, his jaw dropped.
"Your incompetence has almost cost the lives of the Princesses, as well as everypony in this city. You are relieved," spat the alicorn, "of command." The room rippled as the news was passed from one drunk soldier to another. Rook could feel a sense of destiny. This could be the change he had wanted so much.
One of the drunk soldiers was an angry one. Moreover, he was happy where he was. Why should they go out there and fight? So, smashing the empty bottle nearest to him, he swaggered up towards the alicorn. "Oi! Mister! You can't speak to the colonel like that!" he bellowed, slurring his words as he did. The alicorn turned, and shaking his head, he took a dagger from one of the bandoliers over his barrel, and cast it at the drunkard. It hit him in the head hilt-first, and he went down, with only his pride and his state of awakeness harmed.
"Does anypony else object to this change of affairs?" asked the alicorn, slowly sauntering over and picking up the dagger. Nopony spoke as he slid it back into the bandolier it came from. He waited for a few seconds, and then spoke again. "Very well. Senior officers, report to me. Every second allows the murderers running through the street to kill more civilians, so on the double if you please."
Terrus led the three companies out from the palace barracks, and shook his head. How had the situation in there become that bad? Captain Shining Armour had a lot to answer for when this was over. He turned to the senior officer, a unicorn called Rook. Even he unsettled Terrus. A more careerist soldier he had not seen for a long time. At least he was competent, and knew his soldiering.
"Are the Guardsponies ready, Major?" he asked, knowing that at least his company was. Whether either of the others was, on the other hoof, was more in question.
"As much as they can be, my lord," said the major. That was part of what annoyed Terrus. The 'my lord's, 'sir's, and 'prince's. He had had to live for so long as if he was seeking them, and now he was more than sick of them.
"Very good. Now, Major, when we reach the enemy forces, you are to take command," he said as they crossed through the open gate. "I have a special target, their leader. Nopony else will be able to take her." He held the major's gaze. "Is that understood?" The major nodded. "Good. Onwards, to the wall."
Him-Enthroned looked over the devastation that His warriors had wreaked upon the city, and smiled. How glorious it was, to see His works writ large. The sun loomed over the horizon, and He looked upon its brightness for what felt like the first time. This was deserved. He had earned this, with His tireless labours for His people. Nobody could take this from Him.
As He was borne through the city, He curled His prisoner close to Himself. "Soon, this destruction will be your only legacy. Nopony will survive, only a handful of ruins," He whispered to her, enjoying the way she tried to pull away from Him but failed. She had underestimated Him, as they all had. What a victory!
Behind Him, though, there was a sound, which seemed to come from a great distance. A moment later, it came again, but closer, and He could identify it. It was a howl, from His dogs. Now He could hear His others repeat it, and He could hear the message. It was a warning howl. Something was on their territory, something that should not be. It was toned into anger, and hate, and He could feel those undercurrents being interwoven into the very substance of the howl. The other dogs around Him looked to Him, to see what His response would be.
He was unworried. No foe could stand against His entire army. If they had breached His rearguard, the remnant of His forces behind, then they were trapped, in between them, and His own Guard. He merely had to give the howl Himself, and His slaves would crush them like two jaws around a toothsome morsel.
There was nothing to trouble Him in this city yet, and so He let loose the pack howl, and dispatched His personal Guard to seek them out. Whatever pathetic foe might be trying to get through, they would soon be corrected.
They were almost at the Palace now, far sooner than Celestia would have thought possible. Now she was close, though, the beautiful curves and promise of safety were almost unsettling. The bustle that it should have been boasting was gone. The guards, at least, appeared at their positions, so perhaps they were merely trying to keep the civilians safe inside the Palace itself, rather than within its courtyards.
Indeed, even as she watched, five pegasoi in the uniform of the Wonderbolts flew from one of the landings on the tower, and she felt a surge of relief that those elite flyers seemed to be sent to deal with the dogs. She watched them streak past, leaving their signature contrail, and breathed out.
Her eyes still tracked the formation for a second, and her mouth dropped as a swarm of missiles flew from the streets at them. Though the Wonderbolts were too fast for the missiles to hit, she knew that such a display could not have come from the scattered groups of diamond dogs. Her mission had just become a good deal more important, for even though the ponies had been unharmed, whatever army had invaded Canterlot was clearly set on the Palace. Not only did she have to protect her little ponies, but her sister and her student as well. More, the Guard must be roused for battle.
With that, all benefits of stealth fell away before the need for speed, and she turned to Curve Ball. "Climb on my back, as quickly as you can. We need to get inside the Palace before that army does. Even if they spot us, we must reach it in time," she said, and crouched down to allow the foal to clamber up. Once he was onboard, she flapped her wings experimentally, testing the air even as she had been taught when she was young. At last, she cantered over to the edge of the building, and tucking her wings in, she dived off.
The dive was as enthralling as she had hoped, and the fear that coursed through her blood energised her. She opened her wings, pulling up from her rapid dive, and turned towards the Palace. Behind her, she could hear the angry voices of diamond dogs, and she grit her teeth. Though their ranged weapons were crude and inaccurate, they made up for that deficiency by sheer numbers. A barbaric-looking crossbow bolt whizzed past her, barely an inch from her muzzle, and though nothing else had come close, the thrill began to quickly fade as the projectiles began to rattle on the ground around her.
A jolt of pain shot up her left side, and her wing collapsed. She only had time to yell out a warning to Curve Ball before she fell to the street below, sliding painfully across the pavement to a stop.
She forced herself to get up, as the hooting and howling of the dogs behind her grew louder. Curve Ball was lying in a sprawl, though he seemed mostly unharmed. The Princess winced as she stood up, and turned to look at the dogs. They had given up on their missile weapons, and had started bounding forward. Celestia was under no illusions that she could hold them back for long, and turned back. The gate to the Palace courtyard was still open, but if she and Curve Ball could get inside in time, they could close it and leave the defence to the guards.
The Princess swept up Curve Ball onto her back, and started galloping to the gate. Although her wing hurt at every step, the dogs would catch her if she slowed even for a second. She looked up at the guards at their station, but nopony moved. They just stared impassively down at the Princess, who frowned. That was not right. Even the usually disciplined guards should be moving into action, yelling some warning, doing something. For the moment, though, there was no time to consider such oddities.
She galloping through into the courtyard, and called out in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Close the gates!"
Nopony stirred from their stations. The scene was still except for the dogs, who continued their bounding gait towards the wounded Princess. There was no time for questions now, and Celestia charged the magic from her horn, forcing the gates shut. Though the mechanisms would not appreciate being forced, she could not afford to care about such things now.
With the gates shut, she put Curve Ball down, and hurried up to the gatehouse. Opening the door, she found the guardspony on duty standing still as if nothing was happening.
"Why did you not obey orders and close the gate?" she demanded, her tension making itself shown in her voice.
Nothing.
"Answer me," she shouted at the insolent guardspony, before giving him a well-deserved cuff on the head. Slowly, he keeled over to the side, and lay there on the ground, unmoving. She peered closer, and her frowning eyes slowly opened first in surprise, and then in knowledge and apprehension, quickly followed by alarm.
The Guardspony's throat had been cut, and left to lean against a convenient pole. The disobedience of the others made horrifying sense. The diamond dogs were already inside the Palace. She and Curve Ball had walked right into a trap.
She ran out of the gatehouse, and saw the diamond dogs had reached the wall. Rather than battering on the gate, they were trying to scale the walls, and although they had not succeeded yet, they were slowly making their way up. She looked one in the eyes, and it grinned cruelly at her, before licking its lips. The Princess turned her gaze to Curve Ball, trying to apologize to him somehow.
Over the sound of the diamond dogs came a rhythmical and steady sound of metal on stone, coming from the door into the Palace proper. Celestia turned to look, and the door slammed open. The corridor within was dark, even compared to the dusk of the city around it, but light was glinting off something within.
"You dare," called out a voice from within, at the sound of which the diamond dogs stopped climbing, "to enter our city? To harm our people? Come, then, mongrels, and face the terrible might of the Thrice-Cursed." At that title, Celestia blanched. That title had not been used for a long time.
Steadily, three columns of Guardsponies filed out from the darkened corridor, and by what seemed to be pre-arranged order, made their ways out through the courtyard to the walls above. "Present arms," ordered the voice from the corridor, and they unslung the crossbows at their sides, turning them to face the dogs on the walls.
"Load," ordered the same voice, and while the guardsponies loaded bolts as perfectly as if it was parade drill, the diamond dogs began to realise what was coming. The climbing resumed, and they seemed almost rabid in their attempt to climb up the wall before the crossbows were loosed.
Even their fastest, though, would not have been enough. "Loose," called the voice, and the three companies of guardsponies began to cut a swathe through the attackers. Accuracy was not in question, only the killing power of the bolts, but that proved more than adequate. After the initial volley, the officers and sergeants began directing the guards to loose at will.
Celestia slowly made her way down from the wall, still not certain that she believed the rescue that had happened. From the darkened corridor emerged three ponies. Her sister, Twilight Sparkle, and a guardspony she did not recognise. They came over to meet Celestia halfway, and as they met, the guardspony saluted.
"Sister," said Celestia, her voice almost cracking. "I thoughtyou're alive. What happened?"
Luna cocked her head at Celestia. "Our brother. Did he not pass this way?"
Celestia frowned. "What do you mean, our brother? He has returned? Where is he? Why did he go?"
Luna shook her head. "There is no time to discuss it all at present. We need to push forward from the Palace, and secure the city. More of these murderers are coming, and if we fail, then he will be cut off."
At that, Celestia blanched. She had not tested herself in the art of warfare for almost a thousand years, having turned that over to the Royal Guard. In truth, she had almost expected to be safe behind the Palace walls, but it looked as if she would have to go right back into the fight. The Captain had not yet returned from the Crystal Empire, and without somepony like him to unify them, they would be broken up and destroyed. More than that, her brother was in danger. She could not allow him to go back into danger again, not without standing beside him. Even knowing that she had no choice, she did not want to do it.
Taking a deep breath, she forced her voice to remain steady, and spoke. "Let us get to work, then, sister. It has been too long since we put our strength together. These murderers will not be able to stand against us."
Dizzy looked down at the fighting through the streets as she hovered above the wreckage of the airship that had breached the walls for them. Her zebras had swept through the city like a wave, washing the streets in blood. Although there were stubborn pockets of resistance still, the pony guards were unable to form a serious barrier to her minions. In spite of their best efforts, they were being washed away, eroded as a rock by the water.
As she continued to survey the field of her victory, she began to frown. There, blocking a street, was another rock, another group of the ponies, stretching between the rows of buildings on both sides. They were holding, a small and hopelessly underprepared flood barrier that was somehow still holding, still breaking the water upon itself. She looked, and she could see one of the ponies bellowing and ranting. He was holding them together. If he died, the rest would break.
This annoyance could not be tolerated any longer, and she took a dagger from her side deliberately. She was about to cast it down at the leader when something streaked past her too fast for her to see, leaving only a trail of sparking clouds behind. She turned her head to see what had done it, and saw hovering before her a mare, dressed in a strange bodysuit of blue and gold.
"Who are you?" she called out to her colourfully dressed opponent. The pony did not even have a weapon. Was she intending to fight her with smoke trails and light displays? Her foolishness was as annoying as it was amusing.
"My name is Spitfire, murderer," said the pony defiantly. "Of the Wonderbolts. And we are here to stop you." On cue, another four blue-and-gold costumed ponies streaked through the air, surrounding Dizzy. Her eyes narrowed. One of them she could deal with easily, her combat skill easily making up for her relative lack of flying skill. Five would be rather more complex, and she would have to change those odds quickly, or they might even be able to threaten her.
"You can certainly try," Dizzy said with a laugh, and sliding her dagger back into its sheath, she drew out her tulwar. It was the one gift her father had left her before he disappeared, and it had not failed her yet. It had bought her mastery of her tribe, and had tasted the life of many beings, both ponies and zebras. She could already feel it hungering for the souls of these upstarts.
The first one matched her earlier speed again, and only her reflexes saved Dizzy from that quick strike. The blade whined as it bit only air, and her eyes narrowed. They were certainly prepared to fight. Another swept past her even faster, if that were possible, and once again her blade met nothing. She hovered, her eyes flickering from one to the other of the three who had not moved, and slowly breathed in and out, settling into the dance.
She felt, rather than saw, the next one start to move, and as her sword licked out, it screamed aloud in triumph. Although it had not yet tasted blood, as the pony had flown past it had cut through his mane. Even as the hair fell, she had dived forward at the two who remained hovering in place. One of them hesitated, and too slowly began to move. Dizzy's tulwar sung out as it drew a thin red line across the pony's withers. She screamed in fear, and Dizzy's mouth curled in a sneer as the pony froze in place. Pathetic.
The other had moved, and without any conscious thought, Dizzy swayed lazily to the left. Streaking through the place where she had been was the last of the five. His enthusiasm had left him open, though, and she sliced back at his left rear leg, her blade opening it in a downward stroke that made it sigh in contentment. To the overconfident colt's credit, though, he did not give any sign of feeling the blade's bite. As he swept past, a light crimson spray behind, she turned to seek the timid one, but she had finally had sufficient intelligence to move. Without the colt's interference, Dizzy would have been able to feed her soul to her sword, and her body to the birds of the air. Only a contrail now marked where she had been.
She turned around to look at where the other pony she had marked had gone, but his own contrail was masking him from view. As she looked, she could see the contrails begin circling around her, blocking her vision, and a keen sense of outrage began to make itself felt. They were planning to leave her blinded and strike from hiding? Her, the Hidden Blade? In a blaze of fury, she shot straight through the fog of cloud, abandoning her waltz for the quickstep.
If anything, however, they seemed to be waiting for her to do so. As she emerged from the cloud, she was buffeted by their hooves as they flew past her and around her, like the bees of the forest. Unlike the bees, though, these could be struck, and Dizzy endured the blows until she could be certain of the mark. She lashed out with her blade and it bit home with a snarl to mark its ground. The pony cried out, and almost drowned out the blade's roar in anger as its prey broke free from its jaw. As it did, the buzzing stopped, and Dizzy began to breathe in and out more calmly.
Two of the wounded stallion's compatriots bore him aloft. With a hint of satisfaction, Dizzy noted that this was the one whose mane she had cut. The last two, including the insolent mare who had spoken first, hovered between her and him. "Are you still planning to stop me, shortwing?" Dizzy asked, with ridicule in her voice. "Three already have I given new marks to. Do you dislike your own so much?"
The mare was clearly incensed, and it pleased Dizzy to apply the goad to her. If this was how they behaved when the grass was green, how much more when it was dying?
"You'll have your own mark to worry about soon," shouted the mare in return. "Leave now, before you meet our Princesses." At that, Dizzy laughed aloud.
"If your minders send you rather than coming themselves, then you might forgive me for not worrying overmuch about them," said Dizzy, shaking her head in bemusement.
"They sent us because you aren't worthy of their attention," said the stallion beside her, the only other unharmed pony.
"Then clearly they overestimated you, and underestimated me." She gestured to the ground below, the ruined airship and the zebras swarming through the streets. "This is the doom of ponykind. Behold it and despair. Now, get you gone back behind your precious princesses' caparisons, and tell them that their reinforcements have been permanently delayed. Go! Before I kill you."
She watched as they departed, now without their contrails, limping back to wherever they had come from. Another of the barriers the ponies tried to put before her was gone. How many more would they try before they realised their futility?
Dismissing the question with a smile, she turned back to the battle. Still that same pony stood, holding his little knot of soldiers firm against the tide. Slowly, she slid the thirsty tulwar back into its sheath and drew back out the dagger, preparing to deal the long awaited blow. Before she could deal it, though, the fighting below rolled to a halt. Both the ponies and her zebras had turned to look at something coming from the streets behind. Now that the sounds of close battle had faded, she could hear the rhythmic sound of hooves at a quick-march. With a frown, she wondered what force could be coming.
Sergeant Wind Shear watched the zebras circling his little command like sharks around a shoal. "Keep fighting, damn you!" he yelled as he tried to keep the despair from his eyes. Only three remained with him, and they were tiring fast. Even so, they were the best of the platoon, and the zebras had reason to fear them while they still fought.
The striped rats pulled back, and he almost allowed himself a second to hope that it was over. He could see them, though, and while they hung back, they were gathering. Almost thirty of them had come together when they charged again, and he knew beyond doubt that this was the final blow. The world almost seemed to slow down, and he could see over the battered streets all of his fellow guards who had lived and died to protect ponies who never even knew them. The tang of spilt blood hit him again, and brought him back to the fight. The zebras were twenty yards away. Ten.
The leading zebra had just leapt into the air when Wind Shear heard the high-pitched buzz of a crossbow bolt in flight. The leaping zebra's barrel suddenly blossomed in red, and collapsed to the ground.
There was silence in the air for one second, two, three. Then a voice roared from the direction that the crossbow bolt had come from. "Bring the zebras down." The zebras, who had halted once their leader had fallen, started surging forward again, but disciplined and accurate crossbow bolts began to pick them off. Wind Shear breathed out as the tension seeped out from him. He was going to survive.
That feeling of relief did not leave him once his rescuer came into sight. A dark green stallion, an alicorn, leading a company or more Guardsponies. "Secure the square and prepare to push forward to the wall. Combat formation," he said, and then moved over to Wind Shear. "Afternoon, Sergeant," he said. "Report."
Wind Shear saluted. "Sir. Enemy forces breached the wall onboard airship Even Chance. We've tried to hold them as long as we could, sir, but maybe half of the Guardsponies broke and ran. I think most of the rest are dead. Sir."
"Disposition of the enemy?"
"Pretty angry, I think, sir," said the sergeant with a wry smile. "They're just swarming through and killing as they can. No tactics I can pick out. They've got a leader, a flying one with pretty colours. If she didn't have those stripes, she might be my type," he laughed.
"With or without her stripes, she's more dangerous than any foe you'll see. Fall in, and get ready to fight again. This battle will not be over until the sun is down."
Terrus had to struggle to hide his annoyance at the pegasus. This rise of paternal care was not what he had expected, least of all for a daughter he had not seen in so long. He regretted that now, but when he had abandoned her, it had been too painful to keep any reminder of her mother. He had just left her there and fled. No wonder she had such a hate for ponykind.
He led the column down the street, until the wall was in sight. With it was a terrible breach, and the wreck of the airship. Even if the battle was won, it would never again take to the skies. The only other sight of interest was a small knot of Guardsponies, still holding out. One of them was bellowing orders like they were going out of fashion, but if nothing else it seemed to bolster their morale.
Even so, they could not last forever, and as he hurried his column on, he could see something glinting in the air in the afternoon sun. Looking at it for a second, he could recognise the telltale stripes and bright colours of a zony. She was here, and seemed to be about to remedy this obstacle to her plans. Terrus turned to the guard beside him. "Give me your crossbow," he ordered, and taking the weapon in his magic, he aimed it at the zony filly, at his daughter.
He breathed out, and let his emotions drop away, taking only the problem of a specific target to mark. He was about to loose when it moved, the glint flying from it. Quickly, he adjusted his aim, leading the projectile, and loosed. Tossing the crossbow back to the guard, he cantered forward. "Attack," he called, and leaving the rest of the orders to Major Rook and his underlings, he drew his twinned swords out.
The zony turned as the bolt plinked off what sounded like a knife, and Terrus could not feel but the touch of shame for not even knowing her name. He shook it off, forcing himself to focus. As it was, he was behaving almost like a scared school-filly, and that would kill him in this fight. He met her eyes, and watched first shock and disbelief, followed by anger and bitterness, flood through her body. At least she had not forgotten him.
"Father!" she called, and Terrus slowed to a stop. The Guardsponies kept on with the charge, and met the swarming zebras between them and their beleaguered comrades. "You abandoned me."
"Yes, my daughter," he replied, his heart aching at the words. "I did."
"Why? Did I matter that little?"
"No," he said. "It was because you mattered that much. I could not raise you. Not without your mother."
"And so because she died, you abandoned me? You left me alone, and never thought about me again!"
"Yes, I did, and for that I am sorry."
She laughed, an unhappy laugh. "Do you think that will be enough to make me leave? Just saying that you are sorry? Do you even know how far I have come? How far I am willing to go?"
"You have already come far enough," he said, and he could not keep back a hint of regret from his tone. "But if this is all about me, then let these others go."
She laughed again at that. "I will face you alone, then. So be it!" With that, she drew her tulwar from its sheath, the weapon which had been his last gift to her.
"For what I will have to do, I am sorry," he said, and holding his swords ready in his magic, he waited for the attack.
He did not have to wait long.
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Welp, another chapter of ink has been spilled. The next chapter may take as long to write, although this one was definitely not intended to take so long to write.
Anyway, that's all from me. Enjoy :)
Confound it, I have an exam in the morning...
Terrus seems kind of Over powered, able to shoot a dagger out of the air when he can only see a glint due to distance with a weapon he had never used before??? That's a stunt even Legolas never pulled off. I could accept it better if it was one of the custom crossbows Twilight noticed earlier though.
Can we see more of Scootaloo's reactions to the events from her point of view???
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Well, all I can say is I hope I didn't stop you from passing that exam :P
6399505
The problem with Legolas trying to do so is that bows are not very accurate. That's why in history, sides which used archers used them en masse, and typically with volley fire.
Crossbows, however, seem to be quite a bit more accurate. Both the Romans and the Chinese seem to have used them for sniping. And you might be assuming that the Royal Guard crossbow is unfamiliar to Terrus :)
As for Scootaloo, I feel like I might be a bit misleading in the text. I will endeavour to write some more from the perspective of the foal riding along with the Templars, though :P
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I can neither confirm nor deny any of the suggestions you have made about the prophecy. But you may be on the right boat :P
Thank you for the compliment, and as regards Twilight, I will try to answer those questions in the text. Hopefully it will satisfy :)
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They are not entirely essential, being as the Stagirite might put it being accidental to the story. But I hope they are not uninteresting or informative :P
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Thanks. It was actually surprisingly easy. it's this one that I'm worried about.
Well, I have (actually) begun to write the next chapter over the last three days. About halfway done. What I have noticed is that when you get into writing these long-winded stories, it's not the writing itself that is the problem (well, mostly) but the motivation, and finding the time to actually do a solid block of writing.