Twilight Sparkle vs. the Yaks

by Silver Letter

Chapter 6

If there was any reason for a pony to stop and tell others to beware the wrath of Princess Twilight Sparkle, it had come at the battle against the Yaks. But they had no idea that she had felt the same fear as those that would tell the tales. A pony like her feared her own power. She hated wielding it, seeing it and smelling it. And the smells of rubble, smoke, and burnt flesh was unmistakable. A depraved cocktail of destruction.

The two yaks that had charged her lay in burnt, broken heaps. One of their horns as broken as her wing, its shards amongst the ruins and toppled helmets.

“Twilight!” Ribbon came to her and embraced her friend. Tears stained Ribbon’s cheeks.

“Stay back! The prince is still alive.” Twilight kept her gaze fixed upon him. He may look like a wounded animal but it could be yet another ruse to fool her. The only reason why he wasn’t a charred corpse was due to his guards sacrificing their lives, absorbing the full brunt of Twilight’s attack. If she could say anything about them, it would be that they were loyal to the end.

“I was just so worried about you,” Ribbon said. Her voice cracked and she sniffled. “And now you’re injured.”

“I’m going to be okay,” Twilight assured her. “But he won’t.” She looked at the prince. He couldn’t even stand anymore, having suffered wounds to his legs. Each breath struggled from his lungs. She stepped closer to him.

“Is there any last words you’ll say before we put you away for good?” Twilight stared deep into his eyes which were now glazed with anger.

“Last words are not needed…..last joy will be enjoying the sight of your death, pony princess,” he said. He laughed at them.

“Look, Twilight!” Ribbon pointed at the white bird, which flew in a circle overhead. The next thing Twilight knew, one of those flaming meteors was heading right towards her. With her wing broken, she couldn’t fly and even if she could, she knew her friend had no wings. She ignored her pain and leapt at her, knocking her to the ground. At the same time, she activated her horn and teleported them both away to safety as it struck the exact place she had been standing before. The only thing they found at that place later was a few large golden rings.

---

Twilight and Ribbon rejoined Cadance and Celestia at the front lines. Far off, lines of troops pushed back the retreating Yaks.

Celestia took in Twilight’s dirty and bloody sight and looked frozen in shock.

“Twilight, what happened?”

Twilight managed a weary smile. “Not much princess. Just a little broken wing and smoke damage and some scrapes from having had dodged a giant stone a bit earlier. Not too bad.” She indeed had quite the sight like an action hero from one of her books. Although she felt too tired to stand proudly and wobbled as she walked.

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I did all I could but it just wasn’t possible to get to the last one in time,” Cadance said regretfully.

“No worries. I know you tried your best.”

“The battle is nearly concluded,” Celestia said. “I think they know as well as we that their prince is not going to return. Their cause is lost.”

“Not fully. Not if they keep their hatred and remain as ruthless as before. They’ll strike again,” Cadance warned.

A heavy thought must have come to Celestia as she grimaced sadly. “I have then only one last question.” She turned towards Ribbon Wishes. “Ribbon, your insight into the minds of others is valuable. We need you now. Do you believe that the Yaks have any capacity to see reason and come around to a state of peace and do you think our two societies can ever find common ground?”

As much as Twilight would have wanted to make such a decision herself and spare her friend from having to do it, she knew that Ribbon’s ability to understand the mind dwarfed her own immensely. In that case, she had to keep silent and let her friend speak.

Ribbon stared at the ground and felt the wind blow through her hair. In that almost impossibly quiet moment in the center of so much pony suffering, all her thoughts swirled together. Every last perception was just one part of a greater whole. And there really could be only one. The kind to decide the fate of nations, empires and leaders. It felt too great for her cutie mark, the ribbon shaped like a heart, to bear. She noticed blood streaked across her left hoof. Twilight’s blood. If she really wanted anything, then it would be nothing more than a respite from the shedding of blood. But she also knew that no matter how much she would beg, the Yaks would have given her and Twilight no mercy if she and her friend had been on the ground and unable to stand. And then she knew what she had to say.

“Princess Celestia, I want you to give mercy to the Yaks and let them go.”

Celestia was confused nearly to the point of astonishment. “Let them go? Do you believe that they can negotiate a peace?”

Ribbon shook her head. “That’s it…I don’t. That’s why we should give them mercy of our own kind. Show them that we’re better than they are. You see, this war in the Crystal Empire reminded me of when you and Princess Luna also fought for a greater purpose. This whole place, the empire itself, was sacrificed. But it had to be done, hadn’t it? Now, I see that time has come again. If you taught us anything, wouldn’t it be that the gift of a thousand years can perhaps heal all wounds?”

“I think I understand,” Twilight said. “If we use Rainbow Power, we can banish the Yaks and put this to an end.”

“What’s Rainbow Power?”

“Our ultimate power derived from the Tree of Harmony,” Cadance said. “With Twilight as the leader, all Alicorns can be brought to summon it. If we have to use it, then we must have a clear mind. To not be discouraged.”

“I have no doubt left that we’re doing the necessary thing,” Twilight said.

“So be it. Let’s use our powers at once,” Celestia decided. Nopony protested even in passing. They all realized that it had to be done. Perhaps they would have, even if Ribbon Wishes hadn’t been present. But it would have taken longer to finally do it. Twilight begun to summon the innate powers and her horn produced an intense light. Ribbon stepped back and watched as the two other princesses joined, nearly touching their horns and basking in the radiant rainbow glow. A great shield shimmered and they rose into the sky. Their manes somehow were even grander than ever before, full of beautiful colors like a flowing stream and sparkling as if made of gems. They did not speak but threw out a great wave of light which enveloped the land and dispelled the clouds and smoke, putting out every last fire which still burned. And in the end, there was no more crying or wailing to be heard. It was all silenced in an instant. There were many still awake, soldiers no longer facing an enemy while others tended to the wounded. Those asleep or unconscious could have spotted Princess Luna drifting from each mind, granting sweeter dreams to all to replace the nightmares they suffered.

Comments

[i_am_the_jam]

Why didn't Cadence or Shining put a shield around the city?

[Silver Letter]

6187574
I guess magic shields sends a message of "I'm preparing for an attack" rather than "let's negotiate". Celestia wanted to at least try diplomatic efforts

[Silver Letter]

By the way, all those people that downvoted without saying why are worse in my opinion than disgusting flee bitten yaks. Sending a message with a vote should be mandatory. Those that fail should be banned

[Silver Letter]

7094554
I think that was before the Crystal Empire?