Chapter Ten - The Last Defenders of Equestria
Six little ponies, with their new friend in tow, made their way back along the blasted path. As they broke from the trees, Sir Firemane waved back from the top of the hill. He signaled to the rest of the knights and the two groups met up half-way down the slope.
“All hail, King Brightwing!” The knights saluted their king as he half trotted and half glided over to greet them. He quite nearly crashed into the lot of them. Instead of engaging in hoofshakes or salutes, Brightwing set into a giant group hug with the entire bunch. They knocked each other around a bit as they exchanged smiles, stomped their hooves, and shouted in celebratory neighing. It warmed Twilight’s heart to see a group of friends that hadn’t seen each other for a very long time coming back together with their esteemed leader. More tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes as she looked on.
The happy reunion didn’t last for long. King Brightwing soon gathered them all together to lay out plans for the next stage of the battle. “My friends, our foe awaits us. He will not rest. He does not sleep. His only goal is to devour everything that is good in all the lands that surround us. He will stop at nothing until every last pony in Equestria has fallen to his gloom. We cannot let that happen. We must hold this hill.”
The knights chanted, “Here, here!”
Fluttershy squeaked, “Yay.”
“So what’s your plan, Your Majesty?” Twilight asked. “We aren’t really soldiers, but we’ll do our best to help however we can.”
King Brightwing replied, “We don’t have much time. The beast could be upon us at any moment. We must fortify our defenses and prepare for his attack. Let’s get to work everypony!”
They trotted up the hill and fanned out across the pony shrine, everypony working to help clear the statue bases of fallen debris. They had to be careful to avoid the purple goo that lay about the ground following the explosion. Twilight and the other Unicorns, including Rarity, worked to levitate the ooze out of the way and pile it into a fire pit that Applejack lit just outside the stone ring shrine.
The large Earth ponies, Earthquake and Rumble, helped pull the larger pieces of rubble out of the way and clear the area around the center dais. The Pegasi hoisted the stones into a makeshift barrier to fortify their position as well as scout the horizon scanning for any activity from the foe.
As close as they were to the Grundle village, Twilight didn’t see a single one of them appear for even a second as she worked to prepare for the Smooze attack. As much as they might be friends, she had to believe that the Grundles were even more afraid of the Smooze, or perhaps it was the pony shrine come to life that kept them away.
Brightwing noticed her gazing off toward the silent village. He signaled to his team to continue with their work and walked over to her. “They proved to be valuable allies during the first two incursions of the Smooze. Perhaps we can convince them to help us now a third time. We’re going to need all the help we can get. Come with me, Princess. Let’s go talk to the Grundles.”
Twilight fell in next to the King as he walked toward the village. Given her limited exposure to the Grundle King and his lack of interest in facing the shrine, the prospect of garnering their help seemed improbably remote. “The Grundles seemed pretty scared to me, but I guess we can ask. If it’s true that they helped in the past, our history books aren’t as accurate as I thought. Could you tell me what happened before? I’d really like to hear it straight from you.”
“Certainly.” Brightwing continued toward the village. “The first attack happened shortly before I was born, so I’m hardly the expert when it comes to that. My involvement was with the second attack, which occurred long after we ponies left this valley. I can tell you only what I have heard secondhoof about the origin of the beast along with the first attack on Dream Valley.”
“Anything you could share would be very much appreciated.” Twilight skipped ahead, trying to keep pace with the King. “Starswirl took quite a few liberties in covering up your mission, and now I’m not sure what parts are real and how much is make believe.”
“Very well.” Brightwing slowed his stride as they neared the village. “As the story goes, the Trolls used their strongest magic to create the beast in the heart of their volcano to the north. Their jealousy fueled the monster and formed the core of the spell that brought it to life. The ponies of Dream Castle, together with their friends, successfully fought off the attack with the power of the Rainbow of Light. Unfortunately, it also led to their downfall.”
Twilight shuffled down the path leading into town. “How did that happen? Shouldn’t they have all have come together against the monster?”
“Quite the opposite. Before they could act, the Smooze had already destroyed their home. It also destroyed the homes of many others before it was finally forced back into the Troll’s volcano. Control over the power of the Rainbow of Light’s magic caused friction among the pony tribes. Not only did they struggle with building a new home, they couldn’t decide who should govern the amazing force contained within a simple locket.” Brightwing passed through the stone archway at the edge of the Grundle town. “I was born shortly after, in the foothills of the mountains to the east where the ponies sought to rebuild. However, they never fully realized their plans for Paradise Estates before the Windigoes entered the picture.”
Twilight thought back to the previous day. Her trip down the mountainside led to the amazing rock garden in the foothills. The stone blocks around the perimeter formed a weather-beaten foundation for what she could only consider to be the footings of the King’s forgotten birthplace. She turned up to Brightwing standing in the middle of the road leading through the heart of the Grundle village. “What happened to Dream Castle? Why didn’t the ponies just rebuild their old home?”
“Generosity.” The King turned on his heels. “The ponies felt sorry for their friends and turned over the ruins of their old home in order to help those in need. Some felt it too much to give up. Others felt it wasn’t enough to repay the debt. Call it what you will, in the end, the ponies moved on. Still, it seems that kindness remains a hallmark of the Grundle’s friendship to this very day.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight spun around searching the silent huts for any signs of life. “How can you tell? It looks like they’ve all gone into hiding.”
“Isn’t it plain to see? The very fact that the Grundles remain here to this day says a lot. We find ourselves in the midst of the legacy of that ancient pact of friendship even now.” Brightwing spun around, reveling in the moment. “Look around, Princess, and behold! Dream Castle—in all its once and future glory!”
The quiet town came to life in the King’s burst of magic. A glittering trail of light traced the ruined stone blocks and pillars filling in the outline of an old castle far lost to the ravages of time. Twilight watched in awe as the walls rose around her in spectacular golden trappings. The archway framed the portal of the western wall and golden writing swirled across its span. The elegant script, long ago worn from the stone shone brightly in the revealing magic glow: Isn’t the world a lovely place…
Twilight bowed her head, realizing just then the significance of where she stood. Recalling the stories from her youth, the line stood out as part of the motto written across the archway to the gates of Dream Castle—her ancestor’s ancient home. The entire Grundle village had been built on the ruined foundation of the castle destroyed by the Smooze so long ago. The pieces of the past came back to haunt her as she stared down the pathway past the glowing arch and up the hill beyond. The castle gardens would have stretched all the way to the top and even a bit further beyond.
Brightwing approached. “My magic shows only the echo of the fortress that once stood here, a proud emblem of the distant past from a time of peace and friendship long forgotten. I’m not old enough to remember Dream Castle as it was before the Smooze attacked, but I do remember Paradise Estates. This entire valley looked a lot different before the Trolls brought their destructive magic of hate and envy upon us.”
Twilight hunched down in the grass at the edge of the path and picked at the blades. The ebbing light of the castle echo sank in magical strands all around. “Why do some things have to destroy what others have worked so hard to build?”
“Because they don’t know any better.” Brightwing took up a spot next to Twilight. “That shouldn’t stop us from continuing to build them, however.”
“It hurts to lose something that means so much, though.”
“Time can heal those wounds. Light will prevail in the end. Our ancestors knew that—I think you know it too, Princess.” The Kind’s gentle gaze shone down on Twilight.
Twilight shook her head and poked at the ground. “That doesn’t make it any easier, Your Majesty.”
“No, it doesn’t. It’s hard letting go. It’s hard moving on. I lost my parents when I was very young—they didn’t survive the migration. But that helps me cherish the time I was able to share with them even more.” Brightwing placed his hoof over top of Twilight’s. “The world is a lovely place, Twilight Sparkle—you just have do your part to make it so and keep the light within you burning bright.”
Like a dagger splitting the tender heart of the moment, Rainbow Dash’s voice reverberated around the hill and echoed down the path into town. “Incoming!”
Sir Thundercloud called out as well. “Hostile on the horizon!” As the sun dipped down in the west, the horizon blazed an odd shade of purple.
Brightwing turned back to Twilight. “Twilight, this is it. I need you to listen very closely. We don’t have much time left.”
Twilight sat in rapt awe. “Yes, Your Majesty. How can I help?”
Brightwing laid a hoof on her shoulder. “I’ve been thinking very hard about this and I’ve made my decision. I need you and your friends to leave. You have to escape.”
“What?” Twilight recoiled.
Brightwing held on and hugged her gently trying to calm the frazzled princess. “Hear me out. If things go badly for us here, I need you to warn Canterlot. You must take your friends and leave. You must go now.”
Twilight broke off standing up to pace before the King. “But King Brightwing, we can’t just leave you here like this. You need us now more than ever. You even said yourself that the Smooze was more powerful now than before. It’s going to take all of us working together to defeat it.”
Brightwing stood as well. “That’s just it, Twilight. My guards and I know what is at stake here and we are more than willing to lay down our lives in the defense of our great nation. I fear this may be our last battle, and we must do our part to stop the Smooze, whatever the cost. You must take your friends and go—go now!” Brightwing looked nervously at the coming storm. A purple wave approached from the western edge of the forest. “A king’s duty is to defend his kingdom. A princess must look to her ponies and keep them safe.”
“What about our Rainbow Power? Can’t we be of some help with that?” Twilight pleaded with the King.
“I have taken that into consideration, but you must understand. The Rainbow of Light is a powerful magic, but it can only be used to heal and restore that which has been corrupted. The Smooze is a being of dark magic—there is nothing there to heal or restore. When the magic was first used against the beast, it merely drove it back. Not less than a quarter century later, it was back and more powerful than before. We cannot risk history repeating itself. The harness of the Spell of Harmony must be restored. My knights and I are prepared to make that sacrifice, and I cannot ask you to be a part of it. You must return to Canterlot and warn my daughters. We will remain here and work to put the spell back together. I hope it can buy you enough time to think of another plan or perhaps summon reinforcements should we fail.”
Twilight bowed her head. “I-I understand, Your Majesty.”
“Give my love to my daughters and to my beloved Una,” King Brightwing added. “Now hurry, you don’t have much time.”
Twilight ran, the tears now flowing freely down her muzzle. She wasted no time in rounding up her friends to give them the news. “Grab your packs, girls. We need to leave and warn Canterlot.”
“What do ya mean, Twilight?” Applejack demanded. “We can’t leave now, not when they need us here the most!”
Rainbow Dash shook her head in outright objection. “Yeah, I can’t abandon our friends. What kind of messed up Loyalty is that?
“Can’t we use our Rainbow Powers to help fight?” Fluttershy countered.
“Twilight, dear, Fluttershy does have a point,” Rarity said. “Didn’t we come all this way because of our special power?”
Rainbow Dash nodded in the affirmative. “Yeah, Twi. We’ve got Rainbow Powers! All we have to do is line up and blast that goo monster back to the pit it crawled out of. Nothin’ to it!”
Twilight took a moment to consider her friend’s reactions. “We do have an amazing power, but King Brightwing doesn’t think it can be used to destroy the creature. I’m inclined to agree—we aren’t even sure if the Spell of Harmony will be enough to stop the Smooze this time around. The beast has been feeding on the King’s magic for quite some time and it may have grown too powerful. We can’t take the chance of failure leaving Equestria unprepared. We must do as he says and warn Canterlot before it’s too late.”
“If you put it that way, I guess there isn’t much we can do here.” Applejack turned to look out over the forest. “But if we’re getting, we better get while the gettin’s good. That thing’s gaining ground fast.”
“I don’t like it,” Rainbow Dash kicked at a stone which ricocheted off the barricade fortification and shot straight back at her. “Why does it always have to be like this? Why can’t we ever get easy assignments from the Princess?” She locked eyes with Twilight. “Why can’t I stay and fight?”
“Because life isn’t fair, Rainbow!” Twilight turned away, shocked by her own sudden outburst. “Someponies have to stay and fight and someponies have to warn the others. We have our orders. The world is a lovely place, and we all have to do our part to keep it that way.”
No pony could argue against warning Canterlot should the King and his knights fail to stop the Smooze’s advance. The girls gathered up their packs and quickly took their leave of the shrine. The Smooze, not more than a few hundred yards away, crashed in waves of black and purple goo as it advanced through the forest toward the shrine on the hill. Twilight knew they had to get out now, or there would be no chance of escape for them later. The battle lines were drawn, and they needed to be far away when the fighting began.
The parting was bittersweet—Pinkie Pie took it the hardest, however. Having just made seven new friends, she had to leave them and would probably never see them again. It was difficult to find a reason to smile about that—especially since she hadn’t been able to throw them a party yet.
The girls turned back and gave their new stallion friends a final farewell wave as they reached the edge of the hill’s slope and started to descend down the path toward the village. Even before they reached archway of the Grundle village, they could hear shouting and clanging of metal from behind.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help herself any longer. She flew up into to the air to get a look at what was happening back at the shrine behind them. Twilight swooped up to join her. Both the ponies had visible tears falling down their faces. Twilight placed her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Rainbow, it’s best that you not look. It’s what they wanted. We have our orders and we need to get back to Canterlot as soon as possible.”
“I know,” Rainbow Dash wiped a foreleg across her face. “But I can’t stand the thought of running away from a battle when I know the fate of Equestria hangs in the balance.”
“I know, Rainbow. I know.” Twilight turned back and joined the others just making their way past the broken stone wall with the crumbling archway leading into town.
Just through the gate, Twilight came to a full stop. The entire Grundle town blocked the path ahead. Swarming out into the streets, the King stepped forward from the group. “Princess pony, we heard you talking to King pony. Grundles want to say sorry. We forget about friends and want to change that. We do what we can to fight Smooze. Grundles help friend ponies.” Four dozen or so little bodies in a patchwork of expertly repaired clothing, holding nothing more than gardening tools and the odd sling fed with rocks pulled from the masonry of their dilapidated homes, stood ready to assist.
Taken aback by the unexpected show of support, Twilight couldn’t find the words to express herself. She suddenly fell forward as an explosion rocked the ground, sending shockwaves crashing through the air. The force flooded over her, throwing her into the crowd. She quickly righted herself and spun around to check in the direction the blast had come from. All she saw was Rainbow Dash speeding up the hill and back into the melee at the shrine.
“Rainbow—No!”
Her protest fell on deaf ears.
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So they all work together to set up defenses for their final stand against the Smooze, which is approaching right now. Once the defenses are set up....
*rereads*
What!?
*rereads again*
You said it yourself that the Smooze has grown significantly stronger than last time, feeding off YOUR strength! You are weaker while it is stronger, and when you fought it at your FULL STRENGTH, all you were able to do was seal it away! And now you're turning down assistance from the most powerful group of friends in Equestria!?
If it was me there, here's what'd be happening:
But, unfortunately, Twilight eventually gives and convinces the girls to leave and they begin their trip to Canterlot.
Rainbow Dash stops and looks back at the battle.
Y'know, I feel her. When my friends are in trouble and I'm unable to help them, it just tears me apart. I can totally relate to her fee-----
SONIC RAINBOOM!!!!!!
Shoulda seen that coming from RD...
Normally, when I post a critique of a fic, I first finish reading it. I've been trying to finish this one for a month, and I can't continue. I apologize if I miss any details from having not read the final 2 chapters.
The single biggest reason why I disliked this story was how poorly it explained things. Twice (at least) when we get important exposition, it's presented in a quasi-archaic, completely nonclinical style. It's just difficult to understand, and sounds kinda silly.
For most of the story, I have no idea what the mane 6 are up against, and it seems like they don't either. The problem with this is two-fold. First, since they go into the situation without very much knowledge of what they are actually dealing with, the mane 6 seem like idiots. Second, since I don't know what the conflict exactly is, I don't know what I'm supposed to care about.
Without a good conflict, and without much reason to care about the characters, the story doesn't have any sort of weight to it. Not helping this fact is the story taking detours that lead nowhere. The bits with the yeti and spiders take up about 2 chapters in total, and then aren't mentioned again, at least not in what I read. Maybe they come back in the last 2 chapters, I don't know.
Top this all off with dialogue ranging from pseudo-archaic weirdness to everyone trying too hard to get a word in, and we're left with a story that never held my interest beyond the first chapter. It was just too boring for me to finish; even if the finale which I didn't read, is the best thing ever, it's behind a wall of meandering which I just can't get through.
Should be the King*
God damn it, Rainbow.
GOD DAM IT RAINBOW
YOU GOD DAM FUCKIN MORON NOW TWILIGHT AND CO HAS TO DRAG YOUR ASS OUT OF THE FIRE AGAIN