The Last Stand of Twilight Sparkle's Personal Guard

by Type_Writer

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Everfree Castle… Hoo boy, Everfree Castle. I wasn’t there the first time the girls went, but I saw something in their eyes when they got back. Too much death. They were happy then, but that place broke them eventually. I handled Twilight, and Pinkie found her friend, Dash and AJ found comfort in each other, even Rarity found comfort in Sweetie Belle.

Fluttershy didn’t, and I suppose that should have been the first hint she was hiding a few things…

-Spike of House Sparkle, Guardian of the Vaults

The group of fourteen ponies stood on the edge of the cliff, looking across the mist-filled chasm at the crumbling ancient castle opposite their position. Despite its age, and what they had seen the rest of the week previous, Castle Everfree was easily one of the creepiest buildings that they had ever seen in their lives.

Torn, faded banners emblazoned with the sun and moon, were visible... Though only through collapsed walls. It seemed as though the entire outside of the castle had been drowned in flames at some point in the distant past, scorching everything but the solid stone walls themselves to cinders. Massive stained-glass windows had been shattered, their images lost forever, but the glass still at the edges had been sanded smooth by age and wind.

One of the towers adjacent to the main dining hall had collapsed, flattening an eighth of the castle underneath it, yet retaining enough structural integrity that it survived the fall, leaving the rooms of the tower angled sideways in the wake of the dining halls' untimely destruction. The great iron doors of the front entrance had been reclaimed by moisture and vines, and had been pulled down to rust before the doorway, which, with its own iron fixtures, resembling a bleeding, infected wound more than anything architectural. The stone bridge that was meant to cross the chasm had had some unknown calamity befall it, and now it was simply absent, presumably now consisting solely of a pile of bleached rubble sitting underneath the mist below.

"It's a bit of a fixer-upper." Stated the pudgy pink pony, who was standing near the center of the group, attempting to lighten the atmosphere of dread that had slowly been accumulating as they trekked through the forest for the past week.

A sky-blue Pegasus, with wings bruised and battered and the rest of her even moreso, sighed. "Pinkie?"

"Yes, Dashie?" The pink pony had fared a bit better, though one of her saddle-bags of supplies had been completely lost and the other was a hair away from being completely empty. Her repurposed pink skating ensemble was even looking a bit ragged at the edges.

"Time and a place, alright? Not now." Without waiting for an answer, she pointed across the chasm. "Twilight? That looks like a rope bridge. Not nearly as old as the rest of the place, but definitely in pieces. I'm gonna see if I can't find the rest and fix it for you ground-pounders."

"I see it, but Rainbow, don't... Dammit." The purple unicorn watched as Dash glided over to the chasm's opposite side, and the mist seemed to close behind her. A yellow Pegasus, wearing a scarf wrapped around her so much it may as well have been called a toga by now, turned to her.

"If you'd like, I could probably go after her, Twilight."

Twilight tilted her head back and clenched her eyes shut, exhaling a cloud of vapor into the frigid air. She wore a simple coat, that extended back into a long, plain skirt, though it had been torn during the past week of trudging through the Everfree forest. “No. No, but thank you, Fluttershy. That’s what I have guards for.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, shrinking back alongside a white unicorn, who was visibly shivering. It wasn’t hard to see why; her once-fancy evening dress had been brutally disassembled by the mare herself, and used to patch up everypony’s own clothes at some point or another. Fluttershy delicately spread a wing out around Rarity, forgoing appearances simply to keep her friend warm.

Applejack, an orange earth pony, had nearly the opposite problem. She had brought an article of clothing borrowed hastily from her grandmother—a wool shawl—and it had proven laughably ineffective several days in. A good portion of Rarity’s dress had gone into making it weather-worthy, paired with Applejack’s stetson. The mare in question, however, couldn’t stop toying with it.

With a cough, a sturdy-looking sage green stallion with a chin one usually saw on the heroes of penny dreadfuls moved to Twilight’s side. He wore a bright red officer’s uniform, and a wool undershirt under that, and then had a set of rippling muscles underneath all of that. “Ma’am? Would you like me to send Lieutenant Iron Feather after Miss Dash?”

Twilight glanced back at him, weighing the pros and cons within milliseconds. “Not yet, Major Gilded Blade. But instruct your troops to listen for sounds of conflict. Then they can freely assist.”

The Major nodded, turning to face his troops. “All of you get that?” A chorus of “Ayes,” followed from the guards, who had taken up defensive positions around the herd, and were watching the tree line.

With that settled, and with nothing left to do but wait, Twilight’s thoughts settled on the Major. She could be forgiven, after all, for making contingency plans in the event that their primary plan—stop Nightmare Moon, and bring back Celestia, and by extension, the sun—failed miserably.

He was, she decided, a desirable breeding partner in the event that they could escape. Leaned a bit far towards strength as opposed to Intelligence, in her opinion, but she’d always had a predilection towards military stallions. Likely due to some freudian reason involving her brother, however little she wished to dwell on the fact. Of course, it was possible she’d misjudged him, as he was from a noble family of Swordsponies, and he’d graduated at the top of his class… She’d have to look into it, she decided.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Dash re-appeared, holding the end of the rope bridge in shaky hooves. “Dash? Are you alright?”

The pegasus paused as her hooves tried to tie a knot around a wooden stake, only for the knot to unravel. Applejack stepped in for her, as Dash hovered nervously, looking back along the rope length.

Gritting her teeth, she simply stated, “Giant fake bee illusion. Afraid of bees. Wasn’t gonna leave you all in the dust. Don’t wanna talk about it.”

Below her, Applejack finished tying off the bridge, and motioned for Dash to hover lower. As soon as she did, both Pinkie and Applejack gave her a hug, and Rainbow finally landed, clinging to Applejack as she began to obsessively preen. "It's all right, sugarcube, the bees ain't real."

A sky blue down feather stuck to her muzzle as she glanced up. It shook in sync with her breathing and her words. "Yeah, well... Yeah."

Pinkie poked her own muzzle. "You got a little something-"

Dash inhaled, sucking the feather up her nose by accident, before sneezing it back out.

"Yep! You got it!"

The Major snorted. "The bridge is stable, miss Dash?"

Dismissively, Rainbow waved a hoof at the ropes. "If you call a centuries-old rope bridge that's already collapsed once 'stable."

The Major sighed, and turned to his squad. "Right. Squad, double up with the civilians. In case it snaps, I want each Pegasus to be catching Somepony. Understand? We'll go in groups of four, considering Miss Moray's nervous deposition."

Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you."

The first group set out, consisting of Gilded Wing accompanying Twilight, Rainbow accompanying Applejack, Fluttershy quietly behind Rarity, and another Guard Pegasus, named Iron Feather, leading Pinkie Pie. Providing overwatch from above was Jet Pinion, the team's 'Mullet', or Markspony, with a Cloudsdale Needle Rifle braced against her shoulder.

The first group passed across the bridge without incident, and glanced around as Iron Feather and Gilded Wing flew back through the mist to assist the others across. This side of the bridge had been fortified, presumably before its destruction, with a pair of square stone watchtowers. Grooves for a door that didn't exist were cut into the sides facing each other, while only a few stones remained of the cobble path leading up the short hill to the castle. Jet silently fluttered atop the left tower to watch from there, as the right tower had half-collapsed into the chasm.

"So, Twilight, we got a plan for once we get inside? Or are we just gonna wing it?"

Twilight glared at Dash, and her freshly-preened wings. "Ha ha. Yes, I have a plan. I told you girls about the Elements of Harmony?" They all nodded.

Pointing with her hoof at the castle, Twilight continued, "Well, Princess Celestia didn't have them in Canterlot. I think she may have just left them here."

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. "May have, my dear?"

Twilight paused, her tail flicking from side to side. "Look, I..." Her gaze passed across the five ponies before her, each as travel-weary and bedraggled as the last. The night had not been kind. Only Pinkie wore a smile, and it was clearly a tired one.

She gulped. "If I'm wrong... We may not come back. And it may be too late to save Celestia, even if we somehow succeed..."

Applejack gently whapped her with her hat. "Lan'sakes, quit talkin' like we're already doomed! We're still walkin' and we're still talkin', ain't we? Now lesgo, afore the whole danged world freezes over!”

Twilight sighed. “Good.” She turned to the guards, who were approaching across the bridge. “Major. I assume you have a plan for storming the castle?"

Every pony, whether guard or civilian, looked expectantly at the Major. "Of course," he replied. "You mentioned that once we arrived, we should try and locate the Elements of Harmony. Any plan beyond that? Any idea how they work?"

Her ears drooped. “No. All we have is the prophecy.”

“In that case, stay in formation. We’ve been slacking on the way here, because we’ve just had to deal with crazed wildlife, but now we’re facing a real military threat. Simple unit cohesion should give them at least a little pause.”

“Got it. We’ll be safe behind your boys.”

With a sigh, the Major nodded again. “Very well. That being said, what point of entry takes your fancy?”

Twilight turned back to the castle, evaluating the myriad of entrances and exits. “I’d say… I’d say Nightmare Moon clearly knows we’re coming, if she’s not watching us now. We’ll go right in the front door, so if we have to fall back we’ll know it’s clear. It should be the easiest way in and out.”

The Major glanced at the rusty frame himself. “Not what I would’ve picked, Ma’am, but I can see your point.” He whistled, and his troops fell into formation around the herd once more.

Moving into the entrance hall, both the guards and Twilight kept their heads on a swivel. The guards, watching for threats in every shadow, and Twilight, mentally trying to catalogue every archaeological item of interest. It was a quickly-growing list, and so far included nearly everything in sight, from the bricks (ancient Equestrian masonry styles) to the tapestries (probably lost works of art).

However, the hundreds of years left unattended had taken their toll on the castle's exterior, and when that began to crumble and collapse, it began taking bites out of the interior as well. Even the stability and preservation spells, laid carefully over nearly any government building since before this castle was built, had began to fold in on themselves. The carpet, once a glorious red from Saddle Arabia, had been rained and snowed on for a millenium, and barely existed as a grey trail past most of the rubble. The wooden supports holding up the ceiling had termites, and those that hadn’t collapsed outright were sitting at a distressingly skewed angle, considering the sheer weight of the shingles sitting atop them.

Twilight clicked her tongue, and the Major followed her gaze. “This may have been a mistake.” She whispered, afraid that speaking too loudly might bring the roof down on their heads.

“Unlike the bridge, this has stayed up for a long, long time,” The Major said, speaking quietly beside himself. “When this room falls, we’ll have plenty of warning.”

A creak from above preceded a shower of wood dust, which landed on Pinkie. Her eyes screwed up as she tried desperately not to sneeze. She failed.

“Achoo!”

Everypony cringed, dropping to their knees and watching the ceiling for signs of structural damage. In their heads, they knew a sneeze wouldn’t do much… But it was Pinkie they were talking about.

Blinking, Pinkie said, “Guys? No twitchy tail. I think we’re good.” While this just earned a confused look from Twilight and her guards, everypony else breathed a sigh of relief. Shrugging, they continued onwards, entering the main hall.

The room was a full two stories tall, and then some. Twin grand staircases wound their way up to the second floor on either side, while rotting doors adorned every wall. A pile of rubble from the collapsed second floor balcony blocked both doors into the grand library, much to Twilight's annoyance. To the right was the dining room, and while the doorway seemed intact, a piano had been shoved on front of the door. Straight ahead, a pair of wooden doors leading to the ancient throne room had simply rotted away, leaving this as the obvious choice. Nopony wanted to risk the stairs upwards being unstable.

Passing into the throne room, Twilight's hooves began tapping in excitement. She was actually going to see Princess Celestia's old throne! She glanced around at her friends, and her guards... Who all seemed to be staring at her. "Sorry. Excited."

The throne room was plain, or perhaps everything nonessential had disappeared over a millennium. Thirty metres long, and fifteen across, with a carpet running along the centre to the thrones themselves. The gold one on the left was clearly Celestia's, but Twilight was slightly confused by the silver one on the right. It had a crescent moon inscribed on it... Had Nightmare Moon added her own? But... Then, why did it look so old, and why was Celestia's still standing?

As they stepped further into the room, there was a grinding, mechanical noise, and the floor in the centre opened up. From below came a metal pedestal of some description, which had six more attached at various points, each holding a metal sphere. These could only be the Elements of Harmony.

"Well, shucks!" Applejack chuckled. "That weren't no problem at all!"

A voice spoke, like a whisper on the wind, but the source was right behind Twilight. "Step into my parlour, said the spider to the fly..." She spun around, but couldn't see anything but the vaguest hint of a shadow... Yet there was nothing to cast a shadow on that spot, and it was gone as soon as she tried to focus on it.

Pinkie had clearly seen it too, as well as the Major, but she was the first to speak. "Twilight? Can Nightmare Moon turn invisible?"

"Pinkie, true invisibility is impossible--no known spell can bend light like that, and even if Somepony could, they'd be blind, because the light wouldn't reach their retinas-" Twilight was interrupted by a large pony brushing up against her side, and the voice again.

"Six little ponies, and eight of Celestia's tin soldiers... I wonder what you were hoping to find." And then the contact was lost, though Twilight stayed frozen on the spot. "She's invisible. How is she doing that?"

Behind her, the Major twitched the same way Twilight had. "Perhaps you thought I would just allow you to stroll into my home, and retrieve your little toys?" The invisible mare slithered around the Major's other side. "Perhaps you thought Celestia would simply be tied up somewhere, and you could rescue her upon your exit?"

Somehow, Twilight found her voice. "Where... Where is Princess Celestia?"

And then the mare was standing before Twilight, lifting her chin with a hoof. "She is no longer among the living... But nor is she among the dead. She floats in the void between, our void, and there she shall stay until we have had our fun... And paid her back for the last thousand years." The hoof fell away.

"We're going to stop you." Twilight even surprised herself with the conviction in her voice.

"WRONG." And then Major Gilded Blade... Simply didn't have a head anymore. His neck simply ended in a stump, which started squirted blood as his body slowly realized it was dead. Around him, her friends screamed, while the other seven guards dropped into combat positions.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flying straight for her face, and she caught it with her magic on instinct. Bringing it closer for inspection revealed that it was the Major's decapitated head, still twitching spasmodically as he saw her. She grimaced--Twilight was suddenly very happy Spike had stayed in Ponyville.

Twilight focused, feeling her fear fade. She needed the Elements of Harmony. With a snap, she blinked to the pedestals, shoving the metal spheres as quickly as she could into her own saddle-bags. Yet, as soon as she did this and turned around, ancient instincts made her realize her mistake--she'd left the safety of the herd.

Before her, Nightmare Moon decloaked in all her terrible glory, and holding a pristine blade made of the same purple material as her armour. But that didn't scare her. What scared her was the grin.

"Purple foal..." She began to approach Twilight as Batponies dove in through the ceiling, descending onto her guards. "Who are you? Too powerful, too determined, to be just another pony... Celestia's pet, perhaps?"

Her own eyes betrayed Twilight, and the Nightmare took a step towards her. Even her taking a step looked wrong; puppet-like, as though the puppeteer knew how ponies normally moved, but simply didn't care if it looked like that, only if the hoof reached the same spot. Shakily, Twilight took a step back, clutching the now-still head of Major Blade to her chest, unconcerned with the blood it was still leaking.

The Nightmare's horn lit, and everything else faded out of focus. "I see I have new questions to ask of Celestia. Until then... You shall be timeless." The horn flashed, and all Twilight Sparkle knew was the Void.

Author's Note:

This chapter... feels a bit rushed, I guess. Wanted to write the fun stuff. It's still decent, but there's better later, and at least it means it goes quickly.