• Published 29th Jul 2015
  • 16,056 Views, 2,846 Comments

Her Knight in Faded Armor - Doccular42



Princess Luna still feels alone, nineteen years after her return to Equestria. When she finds a friend in an online game, everything seems better. But not all is well in Equestria, and a sinister plot threatens everything that Luna holds dear...

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Barriers, Meetings, and Schemes

Oh, Celestia, they’re back!

Button let himself drop to the ground as the first shadowy creature soared toward him. He yelped as a spear impacted the chair behind him, and he flailed wildly as he tried to crawl away from his growling enemy.

“Move, Mash!” Fortune leapt between Button and the approaching beast, a knife levitated next to him. The windigo saw the incoming weapon, but he couldn’t dodge in time. The blade flashed as Fortune implanted it into his skull. His foe screeched and exploded into a cloud of dust, and Fortune offered Button a hoof, a wild look on his face. “Come on!”

Button allowed himself to be lifted back onto his hooves, and the two of them sprinted for the door to Section Eleven’s main server room. Two other analysts followed them.

They had come without warning. Button had been sitting between Fortune and Breeze as the two of them used their computers to compile information and brief their troops about the attack. Button had watched quietly, trying to stop his mind from reeling. After being kidnapped by Equestria’s agency, surviving an attack from an enemy that he’d considered merely a piece of history for most of his life, and seeing technology that he had thought could only exist in fantasy, he’d been rather distracted… and that hadn’t helped him much when the windigos suddenly reappeared.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Breeze swore as she kicked her way into the server room and cast a shield spell to keep the windigos back while all the other ponies shoved past her to hide inside.

Button slammed the door shut after the last pony ran into the room. He and Agent Breeze pushed against it as heavy objects slammed into them from the other side, trying to force their way inside. Breeze grunted, and a purple barrier appeared across the entryway. She then sighed and stood back.

“Where the tartarus did they come from?” Fortune swore as his voice clipped. “We’re defenseless here…”

“Where’s the director?” Breeze asked.

“I think he’s… Oh shit,” Fortune said. “He’s back in a side room.”

“Who’s there with him?” she demanded.

Fortune paled. “Two medics… no guards. I don’t think we have any guards left in here…”

Button inhaled deeply as the pounding against the door continued. He glanced around the room. Seven ponies, including himself, stood inside the small, cool area. The analysts panted and leaned against the walls, trying to catch their breath. Four of them had crossbows, but the rest were unarmed or had only knives.

“We have to get to him!” Breeze declared.

Fortune stamped a hoof on the ground. “You’re right. How do we do it? I’m not an agent. They aren’t either. I mean, you’re barely an agent yourself. They’ll kill us!”

Breeze growled. “Okay… Fortune, Quad, Shock. Get the other crossbows and follow me.” She picked up her weapon with her magic and looked toward the door. “The rest of you, hold this room until we come back.”

“What?” one unicorn, a stallion with a bright blue coat, asked frantically. His jaw hung open and his eyes were wide. “I don’t know how to shoot!”

“Shock, shut your mouth,” Breeze replied crisply. “You’ve had the same training as me. You can shoot, and you, Fortune, and Quad are unicorns. Shield yourselves and follow me.”

“What do you want me to do?” Button asked her as he stepped forward.

She gave him a once-over. “Mash, I want you to bar the doorway. You’re the only earth pony, so—”

A scream from outside the room cut her off. She spun around and cursed. “That sounded like Aide! They must be attacking the director!”

“Okay, we’ve got to go now!” Fortune exclaimed. He swiftly levitated the crossbows to the other analysts. “We can’t let them get him.”

Breeze and the others approached the door, weapons at the ready. She gritted her teeth and whispered. “On three. One… two… three.”

With that, the shield dropped and the four ponies dashed outside. Button slammed the door shut behind them. The other two analysts ran up beside him to assist with the barricade. They pushed against the cold wood, completely unarmed…

And they waited.

The screeches of windigos resounded through the room, and Button shivered.

Move!” they heard Agent Breeze shout, but her voice seemed strangely distant.

Get them off of me! Get them off of me! Get them— Ahhh!” Shock’s scream ripped through the air.

“They’re dying…” one of the analysts murmured quietly.

Button trembled as he heard Shock’s cries of agony continue. Slowly, the voice faded… until only the roar of battle remained. Button closed his eyes and wiped his face with a shaking hoof. After a moment, he opened his eyes once more, his gaze narrowed and jaw set. “I’m going to help them,” he said.

“What? You heard what she s—” one pegasus began.

“Yeah, I did. But they’re dying, and I’m not going to sit here and wait until it’s my turn,” Button cut her off. He took a deep breath and stepped back. “Ponyfeathers… If I don’t make it, will you two do something for me?”

The pegasi continued to hold the door, but one of them nodded. “What do you need?”

“There’s a mare here in the castle. Starry Skies. Can you tell her that… that…” He paused and wiped his face again. “Just tell her that I was thinking of her at the end, okay?”

The mare nodded. “I’ll do that.”

“Thanks,” Button said. He steeled himself, taking another deep breath. “Okay. Open it!”

The pegasi swung the door open, and Button charged through.

Breeze, Fortune, and Quad were pinned down on the other side of the room, hiding behind one of the massive computer screens. Their crossbows levitated over the top of the barrier, and they fired shot after shot at the dozens of windigos in the room.

Button leapt over a fallen desk and cantered at the first windigo who cowered behind another computer screen. He cried out as he spun around and bucked at the monster with his back legs.

The windigo screeched as it flew across the room. As soon as it landed, a crossbow bolt arced through the air, piercing it through the chest. Immediately, the creature exploded into a cloud of dust.

Button charged again, slamming his hooves wildly into a pair of the creatures. They went sprawling outward, and the analysts finished the job with a pair of well-aimed shots.

But as Button turned around, he saw that the other windigos had noticed him at last. They reared up on their hind legs, hissed at him, and lunged.

“Oh, horseapples!” Button dodged to the side, his hooves flailing as the windigos soared through the air. He hit the ground and spun sideways, rolling into a desk. The windigos landed where he had been standing just a moment ago and turned to face him. They hissed once more, their sinister eyes boring into his skull. A wave of nausea overcame Button, and the world seemed to get dark, as if all the fear in Equestria had come crashing down upon him.

“Buck, buck, buck, buck…” Button muttered as he shook off the intense feeling of dread. He glanced around wildly, searching for a weapon, any weapon...

The windigos leapt just as Button spotted a spear about a meter away. He crawled over as rapidly as he could. Grabbing the spear, he raised it up, and—

The first windigo lunged at him, but as the creature continued forward, Button’s spear impaled him directly through the center of his chest. The windigo gasped, and his eyes went completely dark. Button thought that he could just barely see the monster smile as it faded into darkness … but then the next windigo was upon him.

Button swung the spear over, hitting his next foe with the blunt side of the weapon. A crossbow bolt whizzed past him, killing the third windigo, but Button still had to worry about his current enemy.

He shoved at the monster with the haft of the spear and then dropped the weapon so that he could run on all hooves. Taking advantage of the windigo’s distraction, he bolted toward the other armed ponies and slid past the computer screen. “Thanks.”

“What the hay are you doing out here?” Fortune shouted. “We told you to stay back!”

“I’m not very good at listening,” Button replied. He looked to the side and saw Shock’s body, a spear sticking out from his side. Button gulped down bile that rose up in his throat and quickly reached down to grab Shock’s crossbow. He held the weapon in his front right hoof and leaned around the barrier. “Now, how the buck does this thing work?”

“Just point, shoot, and pray…” Quad replied as he fired at an incoming windigo.

“Well, that doesn’t help at all!” Button yelled. He pointed the weapon downrange and fumbled for the weapon’s triggering mechanism. He leaned over, looked down the sight of the crossbow, focused on one of the windigos, and pressed the trigger button, and…

Nothing happened.

“You need to pull back the bowstring!” Agent Breeze cried as her horn flared and two of the windigos caught fire. She grunted in exertion and quickly cast a shield spell. “Pull back the red lever. The pulleys will do most of the work for you!”

Button hastily did as he was told and once again aimed at a windigo. He gently pressed the trigger button and the bolt shot outward through the air. The crossbow slammed back into his shoulder. Button inhaled sharply at the unexpected recoil.

The windigo before him fell, and Button smiled. “Okay, I can do this!” He pulled back the lever again, but then stopped. “Ponyfeathers,” he muttered as he scampered over to Shock’s corpse and grabbed his quiver of bolts. He returned to his spot and loaded another bolt into the weapon.

The four ponies continued to fight off their foes. A few windigos would charge at a time, but they would be quickly incapacitated by magic or projectiles. Button got into a groove. Fire, reload, pull, aim, repeat. If any of the windigos got close, Fortune would cast a shield and Breeze would use some spell to fend them off.

“Okay, just keep holding them back…” Breeze muttered. The hoard of windigos pressed onward, their numbers barely affected by the ponies’ assault.

“Where’s the director?” Button asked as he shot at another windigo. “I’m almost out of ammo.”

Fortune grunted and cast another shield to block one of the windigos. He levitated his knife around the barrier and stabbed him in the neck. “He’s in the room behind us. He’s safe for now… We just need to fend them off.”

“Until what?” Button reloaded his third to last bolt.

“Just… keep shooting,” Breeze muttered.

Button shook his head. “We need to get help somehow!” He frantically looked around the room. The floor was littered with slain ponies, and dozens of spears marked the places where windigos had fallen. Chairs were broken, desks knocked over, devices smashed, and— “Wait! There’s a headset over there! We can call for backup!”

Breeze followed his gaze and nodded swiftly. “Yes!” she shouted.

“Can you reach it with your magic?”

The mare didn’t reply. Her magic surrounded the device, and it flew through the air toward her. She hurriedly placed it on her head and pressed a button on the side of the earpiece. “Flair! The windigos are back! They’re headed for the director, and most of our guards are out fighting their way into the castle. We need you to—”

Just then, a windigo leapt out from the shadows, slamming into Breeze’s side. He tried to bring his spear to bear, but couldn’t quite move it toward her quickly enough due to her positioning.

Argh!” Breeze shouted as she fell to the ground.

Get down here!” Button shouted. “Move out of the way!” He shoved past Quad and dove down toward Agent Breeze.

The windigo jumped on top of Breeze and wrapped one of his forelegs around her throat. The mare struggled in his grip and gasped for breath. Her foe adjusted his spear and brought the blade closer and closer to her neck. Breeze struggled against him, slowing the weapon’s approach.

Button leapt forward and snapped the spear in half with a powerful kick. He picked up the end with the blade and slammed it into the windigo’s head, making the creature disintegrate.

Breeze gasped and stood up. “Thank you.”

He nodded curtly in response and grabbed his crossbow once more. Button fired off his final shots into the windigos, Fortune and Quad doing the same beside him.

“This is Section Eleven calling on all open channels! We are under attack! Windigos have broken into our main room! They are after the director! We have taken heavy casualties, and we’re running low on ammo. If anypony can hear this, please, respond!” Breeze said into her earpiece.

“No more bolts!” Fortune yelled.

“I’m down to five,” Quad said. He smirked as he raised his crossbow. “Now, I’ll just need a few targe—”

A spear flew through the air and struck him right in the face. Button gasped as the pointed weapon punched through the unicorn’s skull, killing him instantly. The stallion slumped to the ground, and his crossbow clattered to the floor as his magic fizzled out and disappeared.

“Quad!” Fortune screamed. He ran over to his friend and tried to pick him up. “Oh, buck!

Button didn’t even have time to react as three windigos leapt past the computer screen and closed in on the last surviving ponies.

Breeze’s magic surrounded one of the windigos and slammed him into the floor. Fortune turned to face the second, his eyes filled with tears. He launched himself at his foe, a battle cry on his lips and his knife in the air. Button spun around to face his own opponent.

The windigo lunged, and Button jumped out of the way just in time. Swiftly throwing himself sideways, he rammed into the monster, bringing his hoof down and slamming it into the spear. The weapon flew away, and the windigo danced after it.

Button didn’t give him time to get away though. He dashed after the windigo and roared as his hooves slammed into his foe’s back. The windigo tripped, and Button kicked out with all of his might. He managed to send the windigo crashing to the floor. Button jumped up into the air and came down on the windigo’s head. His back hoof crushed the monster’s skull, and it evaporated into the air, just as all the others had.

He immediately sprinted over to Fortune’s enemy and bucked out with his hind legs. His ambush proved to be just enough of a distraction for Fortune to ram his knife home into the windigo’s neck.

Breeze finished her own foe off with a fire spell. The three ponies looked at one another, anger in their eyes.

“We can’t keep this up!” Fortune cried. “Dammit, they got Quad! Shit!” He gasped and threw a hoof up against his face.

“We need to hide,” Button said. “Can you two keep a shield spell up in the room with the director?”

Breeze cast another shield to keep another pair of windigos back. She lit them on fire and then nodded. “We can do that. Flair should come back soon, and then... Wait. What about the other ponies in the server room?”

“Horseapples,” Fortune swore. “We’ll have to get them over here.”

Button nodded. “I’ll get them if you two can cover me.”

The unicorns nodded, and Button darted out of cover to sprint for the other door. A few windigos charged at him, but shield spells and lightning bolts held them back. He weaved through the debris on the floor and managed to get across the room unscathed.

“Open up!” he shouted as he pounded his hoof on the door. “We need to get you into the other room, now!”

The two pegasi mares came out immediately, their eyes wide. Button pointed past all of the windigos at the far wall. “Go!” he yelled.

The three of them sprinted as fast as they could. Button gasped as a spear flew through the air at him, but a spell knocked it aside. One windigo tried to block the way, so he lowered his shoulder, gritted his teeth, and ran even faster. He knocked the foe aside and stamped at him with a strong back leg, crushing another skull.

Finally, they reached Breeze and Fortune. The unicorns’ shield spells materialized behind them, and they all rushed inside the room.

Just as Button turned around to slam the door, he barely saw the entrance of Section Eleven open. Windigo after windigo poured into the room, and they all charged toward him. He gasped and pushed his body up against the entryway.

Breeze and Fortune’s horns flashed, and a brilliant purple and lime-green barrier covered the doorway right before countless bodies started hammering against it from the other side.

Button sighed and turned around. Blueblood lay atop a stretcher on the floor. Two mares stood against a far wall, shivering from the cold that filled the room. Button walked over to the director. He was still breathing now, and his emergency bandage had been replaced by a clean gauze. His chest rose and fell at regular intervals although his eyes remained closed. A slight grimace of pain rested on his sleeping face.

“This is Section Eleven, once again calling on all frequencies. We are under attack by windigos. Please send assistance! I say again, Section Eleven is under attack by windigos, and they have us pinned!” Breeze said.

Button felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and he turned slightly to his left. He gasped as he saw a windigo suddenly appear out of a corner, his spear pointed at Breeze.

Get down!” he shouted as he charged at the creature.

Breeze turned and stiffened as the windigo swooped toward her. She moved to the side, but not quickly enough. The spear went into her, going through her shoulder at an angle. She cried out in shock and pain as she fell to the floor.

Button knocked the windigo down and wrestled him into submission. In a heartbeat, Fortune was there with his knife raised. He plunged it into his enemy’s neck, slaying the beast. As the windigo blew away, Button felt the room immediately become warmer.

“Breeze!” Fortune shouted. He ran over to the other analyst and held the spear in his hooves.

She groaned at him. “That… didn’t feel very good…”

Fortune ran a hoof through her mane. “Stay with me, Amethyst…”

She looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. “Do I look like I’m in any condition to go anywhere?”

Fortune chuckled. “You know what I mean…”

“Oh, Celestia,” Breeze groaned. “Why hasn’t the poison kicked in yet?” She looked at the spear still sticking out of her shoulder. “Buck, it hurts like tartarus, but I should be out by now…”

The thumping continued, but the barrier held. Button shifted uncomfortably at the unsettling sound.

“Well, Captain Flair gave you the antidote earlier, right? Maybe it’s still in your system,” Fortune said. He smiled lopsidedly. “Or maybe all that snark in your bloodstream killed off the poison.”

“Possible…” Breeze moaned. “Ahhhh…”

Button walked to the door and examined it. “Are you sure that this’ll hold?” He examined the shield. The magic pulsed in time with the impacts on the other side. Each time the light flashed, the spell became duller, almost as if something was stealing the magic.

Breeze and Fortune looked at each other uneasily. “Uh, no,” Fortune muttered. “I have no idea if it’ll hold or not.”

Button sighed. “Well then… I just hope that somepony got our messages…”

And so the ponies waited.

~~~

Luna cantered down the stairs of the castle. She panted as she threw open the doors at the bottom of the stairwell. Her magic surrounded her as she quickly teleported to the end of the long hallway and once again took off into a sprint. “Oh, stars… I’ll get to you, Button…”

The roar of battle filled the long corridor, but no windigos attacked the princess as she continued her mad dash to Section Eleven. She took the turns as swiftly as possible, her eyes narrowed in concentration as her heart pounded in her ears.

“I’ll save you.”

As she ran, she came upon a pony in a suit of glowing black armor and a griffon who were flying in the same corridor. They raised their weapons, but then immediately lowered them. “Princess Luna!” the pony called out.

Luna looked at the other beings. “Captain Flair. And… Ivanov?”

Captain Ivanov,” the griffon responded gruffly.

“What are you doing here?” Flair asked.

Luna nodded in the direction of the end of the hallway. They continued to move toward Section Eleven as she spoke. “Section Eleven is under attack. I’m going to help.”

“Oh, thank L—” Flair cleared her throat. “I mean, thank you, Princess. We’re headed there too. Another hoof would be a lifesaver.”

The princess gave another curt nod. “Of course. Do you have any idea what happened there?”

“We were attacked earlier,” Flair said. “The windigos hit our chain of command. They took out the director. He’s alive, but still in Sec Eleven. If they get to him…”

“I heard that there were other ponies there too.” Luna took a deep breath. “Who else is with your director?”

“Well, we had a few analysts left there… I don’t think there were any more guards. They all left to help the rest of the castle.”

Luna grunted, her heartbeat still echoing through her ears. “Is that all? Nopony else?”

“Uhh…” Flair said. “Oh! There was an asset that we’d brought in to assist us with a situation not connected to the windigos. I think he’s still there.”

“What is his name?” Luna demanded as the group turned the final corner and entered the corridor leading to Section Eleven.

“His name is Button Mash,” the pegasus replied.

Luna’s heart plummeted. “Why was he present?” she asked harshly. “Why would you have a civilian down here?”

Flair recoiled. “Uh, Princess… we picked him up during our investigation of…” She glanced suspiciously over at Captain Ivanov. “Well, during our investigation of the issue that you brought to our attention.”

Luna grimaced. “Of course.”

The three of them finally arrived at the entrance to Section Eleven. The doors were on the floor, ripped off their hinges. The rabid sounding snarls of beasts came from within, and Luna’s magic surrounded her as she blazed with dark blue energy.

“What’s the plan, Princess?” Ivanov growled. “I’m at your disposal.”

Luna glanced inside to see dozens of windigos trying to tear down a shielded barrier, many of them throwing themselves against the glowing barrier. More of the beasts stalked through the room, smashing computers and forcing their way into the adjacent chambers.

“I’ll go in first and try to draw them together. Flair, is that suit fully operational?” she asked.

“Yes, Highness. All the way up to spec,” the mare replied.

“Good. I want you to use your rifle on full automatic and try to take down as many of the main group as possible. After that, switch to your blade. We cannot risk the director or any of the others. No explosives.” Luna turned to the other captain. “Ivanov, I want you in the air taking out any who are apart from the main group.”

“Sounds good, Princess,” Flair said. “I’ll be re—”

With a sudden crash, the windigos broke through the magical shield and knocked down the door in the other room. A scream pierced the air, and the monsters rushed inside.

“Forget the plan!” Luna yelled. “Save the ponies!”

She teleported herself above the mass of monsters and cried out as her magic expanded from her horn, coming down upon the windigos like a hammer forged of lunar energy.

The windigos jumped back in shock, and four of the creatures were instantly disintegrated by the magical blow. Half a dozen made it inside the room, and the rest of them turned their weapons on the princess.

Luna’s power surrounded her hooves, creating two magical black blades that seemed to suck the light out of the air. She swung her forelegs in wide arcs, cutting through her foes.

She heard Captain Ivanov firing his burstfire rifle. The griffon flew through the air, shooting with deadly accuracy. Windigo after windigo fell, but more came pouring out of other rooms to replace them.

And that was when Flair struck. The mare had cloaked as she entered the room, and she chose that moment to reveal herself as her fully automatic rifle tore through the windigos’ reinforcements.

A familiar voice cried out from within the chamber that the windigos had just entered. Luna gasped and slashed through the enemies between herself and her friend. She shoved her way into the room, just in time to—

Luna blinked rapidly as a windigo flew through the air directly in front of her. As he slammed into the far wall and sprawled onto the floor, Luna sent magic into her horn and summoned a small black blade that impaled the beast in its neck.

She quickly turned the other way, and her eyes opened widely. Button snarled as he slammed his back hooves into another windigo. He stood next to two prone ponies who were too wounded to defend themselves. The corpses of a medic and a pegasus analyst lay on the floor, fresh blood pooling from their wounds. Another medic, a pegasus, and a unicorn stood beside Button. All of them fought off their enemies with blades, magic, or their bare hooves.

Luna charged at the surviving windigos. She gave a shout as she slammed her own hooves into them. The force of her physical blows instantly killed two of the enemies, and a quick flurry of energy spells felled the few that remained standing.

“Ah!” Luna cried as something jumped onto her from the shadows. She tried to turn around, but—

Princess Luna!

Her breath hitched as she heard his voice. She continued to try to buck the creature off of her, but to no avail. She tried to—

Something, or somepony, tackled her and knocked her down to the ground. She skidded across the floor, tangled up with two other creatures. She saw a brown hoof clutching a long bladed knife arc through the air above her. The weapon sped downward and impaled itself in the windigo’s skull. One of the bodies disappeared, leaving Luna lying on the floor with a familiar stallion laying partially atop her. She felt a leg beneath her, pushing into her uncomfortably.

“Uh, Princess Luna…” Button Mash said hesitantly. “Hello.”

Luna looked up to see his face mere centimeters from her own. Sweat lined his face, and his cheeks were covered in dust. His hair was terribly disheveled, and he was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen in her life. She smiled at him, and he nervously returned the grin.

“Hi,” she replied.

Button shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, I’ll try to get off of you, but I think you’ve got me stuck...” he said.

“Oh!” Luna said. She flushed slightly as she lifted herself up off his leg. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Button said as he crawled off the princess. He cleared his throat and brushed himself off.

“Thank you for the assistance, Button,” Luna said.

“You’re welc— wait, you know who I am?” Button asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“I… uh…” Luna stammered. “C-captain Flair briefed me on the situation.” she replied.

Button nodded. “Oh, okay.” He grinned widely. “I thought that… never mind.”

The princess cocked her head to the side. “What do you m—”

Princess!” Flair’s voice cut through the air. “Help!”

Luna looked up quickly. She gasped as she glanced into the other room.

Windigos poured through the entrance to Section Eleven like an unstoppable tide. The ethereal beings rushed at the two airborne captains. Their rifles fired, but the horde continued their approach unabated.

Luna’s magic enveloped her once more and she swiftly teleported to their side. Energy arced out from her horn as she electrocuted the first line of her foes. The princess dropped to the ground and re-summoned the blades around her hooves. She cried out as she spun around, slicing through the air and the flesh of windigos as if they were one and the same.

Ivanov’s rifle clicked, and he swore. “I’m out of ammo!” He tossed his rifle to the ground and drew his saber. With a screech, he swooped downward. The griffon slashed at his enemies with blade and talon. He ripped the throats from the first pair of windigos and quickly spun around to decapitate another. His talon reached out and clawed into the chest of a final foe, and he twisted his foreleg. The monster cried out in agony as it disappeared.

Flair flew up above them all. In one hoof she held her rifle, and her other clutched her sidearm. She soared over the windigos, sending glowing blue energy down into the furthest creatures as her bullets arced at her foes. The kinetic rounds ripped through their skulls and tore massive holes in the floor as they impacted on the ground.

Bodies flew all around Luna as she swung her limbs around in a whirlwind of death. Her magic flashed, and spells burned through her foes.

“They just keep coming!” Flair shouted. A spear flew at her and impacted her against her armor. “Shit!” The shields on the suit flashed brightly, but they held. The mare grinned wildly. “Oh, so that’s how well these work? Okay then…”

Flair joined the other two on the ground. She holstered her sidearm and pulled out her glowing shortsword. All of them spun around, cutting through the windigos.

More. More. More. They continued to pour into the room, and kept falling to the onslaught of the three soldiers. Luna panted in exertion as she felt fatigue pull at her bones. She gave a final swing as her eyes moved to the doorway. It was as if they would never st—

A brilliant purple flash filled the air, and the windigos shrieked in agony as they all instantly disintegrated. Luna gasped as she turned her head to see an alicorn covered in a shield spell stride confidently into the room.

Princess Twilight did not wear armor. Instead, the princess of friendship protected herself with pure magic that wove itself around her in an ever-changing pattern of incredible power. Her horn was alight as the last residue of her immensely powerful spell faded away. She nodded to Luna.

“Twilight,” the princess of the night said thankfully. “Your timing is impeccable.”

“Well, at least something went right tonight,” Twilight muttered. “I came as soon as I heard the emergency message. Is Blueblood safe?”

“I think he’s in the back room,” Luna replied. “What was that spell?”

“These are windigos. They feed on hostility and rage. I’m the princess of friendship. It was simple to come up with the solution, actually.” Twilight grinned and shook her head.

“You…” Luna said slowly. “You killed them with friendship?”

“Basically!” the other princess laughed quietly. “There’s some kind of irony in there somewhere, I’m sure.”

Flair landed and lowered her rifle. “Well. That was interesting. Let’s not do it again, okay?”

“I agr—” Luna began.

“Is… is it over?” Button asked as he poked his head out from the other room.

Luna spun around quickly, a smile tugging at her lips. However, she swiftly halted her reaction and kept her expression neutral. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

“The Royal Guard, Night Guard, Griffonian soldiers, and Section Eleven agents are clearing out the rest of the castle,” Twilight said. “We think this was the last of them.”

“Thank the stars,” Luna muttered. “How did this happen?”

“I don’t know…” Twilight replied quietly. She met Luna’s eyes with a grim look. “But we’re going to find out.”

~~~

Father Dmitri sighed as he leaned back in his chair and took off his glasses. He allowed his pen to drop down to his desk and ran a claw through his crest. The lamp beside him illuminated the luxuriously furnished study. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with literature from all over Equus. From the “Art of War” to “The Zebran Empire: Grace in Defeat,” the books spanned the full history of war, strategy, and tactics.

Dmitri had read them all.

The griffon tapped a talon on his desk, which was currently covered from front to back with paperwork. Approval for construction of an orphanage for the children of his deceased soldiers, increased funding for hospitals, improving the living conditions for factory workers… All of the sheets bore his flowing signature. With another pile of documents to examine, he knew that he’d be having a rather long night. Wresting control of a nation from a corrupt king was one thing, but the administrative tasks of running the kingdom was quite another.

He cleared his throat and reached for his goblet of water. Raising it to his beak, he—

“Father!” somegriff cried from outside his office.

Dmitri stood as he recognized Yvonne’s urgent voice. He walked across the room and gruffly replied, “Enter!”

One of the guards outside opened his doorway and a female griffon walked inside, her face pale. “Father,” Yvonne said. “I just received news from our spy in Canterlot Castle!”

“What is it? Did Chaput complete his mission?” he demanded.

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that… There was an attack.”

Dmitri’s eyebrows rose. “What?”

“Earlier this evening, a collection of beings attacked the castle during their welcoming gala for our representatives,” Yvonne stated. “Father, the reports say that the attackers were… windigos.”

“Windigos…” Dmitri muttered. He stroked his chin with a claw. “What is the status of our entourage?”

“All we know right now is that Chaput was wounded. The report said that he nearly died.” Yvonne inhaled deeply. “Father, tell me… Was this attack one of yours?”

Dmitri gazed at the other griffon and slowly shook his head. “No. This is definitely not one of mine.”

She sighed. “Who could have a motive to do this? The report said that many of the ponies were killed, so it couldn’t be them. Chaput is daring, and we know that he has some kind of scheme, but would he risk his own life? Is there some other party in this game?”

The father tapped his back paw on the floor. He grimaced and shook his head. “Do you have a copy of the report?”

“Yes, it’s right here.” Yvonne took a folder from her saddlebag and gave it to Dmitri.

“Thank you,” he said as he returned to his desk. He sat down and put his glasses back onto his face. Muttering to himself, he read through the report. A moment later, he grunted. “Windigos in the castle, Chaput preparing for another revolution, and Equestria in peace talks. It’s not a coincidence, Yvonne.”

“So, you think it was Chaput, then?” she asked quietly as she sat down in the chair across the desk.

“I think that the possibility exists,” Dmitri remarked. “It’s also possible that the ponies may have staged this, or that these ‘Zebran terrorists’ who had been plaguing them are attempting to disrupt our relations.”

“That seems unlikely.”

He nodded. “Indeed. The most likely cause of the attack is Chaput.”

“I agree,” Yvonne said. “What should we do? Recall his party and send a new envoy?”

“And allow him to continue to manipulate politics here in the capital? No. It’s safer for us if he’s far away until we can prove his betrayal, eliminate his power base, and schedule a public execution.” Dmitri smirked.

“So we just allow him to have free reign in Equestria? He could be manipulating them, turning them against us.”

He shook his head. “No, we need a third option…” Tapping a talon on the table once more, he leaned forward. “Hmm…”

“What are you thinking, Father?” Yvonne asked.

“How is the council progressing? Can we trust them yet? What is the risk of a power grab?”

The female griffon rubbed her neck. “Umm… thus far, they have performed their duties perfectly. I would say that the risk of open rebellion is negligible.” She cocked her head to the side. “What is the relevance, Father?”

“Do you think that they could manage Griffonia for, say, a week without everything coming crashing down?” he continued.

“I… I think so, provided that they had adequate supervision from our political officers,” Yvonne replied slowly. “What are you planning, Father?”

A wide grin split Dmitri’s face. “I think it’s time that we end this little chess match. In person.”

Realization flashed in the other griffon’s eyes. “You mean…”

“Notify the FAS Honor, send a message to our ambassador in Equestria, and pack your bags, Yvonne.” His smile deepened. “We’re going to pay a visit to Canterlot…”

Author's Note:

Music for this chapter was Demons by Imagine Dragons. Thanks to all the live readers and my amazing editors!

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