Of Heaven and Earth

by Garuda IV

Chapter 59- Final Planning

Shifting from under the covers of his bed, Sol let out a tired grunt as he struggled to wake up from his long nap. While he had known beforehoof that a nap would be in order after pulling that all-nighter with Twilight trying to get the new amulets completed in time for the departure of Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie, he figured that he would only need himself a few hours of rest before he'd be relatively recharged. Instead, as Sol opened his eyes and looked out to the open garden pond connected to his room, he could easily see the illusion of the fading light of his mother's sun as it began setting behind the horizon.

Seeing that his nap had actually lasted him all day, Sol let out an unhappy snort at himself before he began the process of stretching out the stiffness in his limbs with a groan.

"Looks like somepony's finally awake."

Hearing her voice, Sol turned his attention towards the source near the foot of his bed. There, he saw Twilight with a smile on her face, laying in front of the fire with several pieces of parchment, scrolls, and a quill and ink pot placed around her. However, despite him being happy to see her, he wasn't exactly very pleased with himself.

"I'm sorry," Sol apologized, earning him a confused look from Twilight.

"'Sorry'? What for?"

"For oversleeping. I had intended to sleep for only a few hours before getting back to work, but instead, I end up sleeping the entire day away."

Twilight shrugged as Sol got out of bed and continued stretching.

"Well, to be fair, you're not exactly used to pulling an all-nighter like I am, so it's to be expected that your body wouldn't be able to handle the stress and cause you to crash like you did."

"Maybe, but still, there's still much to be done-"

"And we've been taking care of them," Twilight gently interrupted. "Celestia, Luna and I have been taking care of everything while you were resting."

Sol blinked. "You have?"

"Yes, we have."

"Okay... then have you received any news from Rarity, Spike, and Pinkie?"

"We have. Pinkie has met with Prince Rutherford, and she will be arriving tomorrow with the yaks. Now, I know Pinkie said in the letter she left us that she'd meet with us at the battle, but it turns out that the yaks were bored and more than eager to come give us a hoof. Anyways, Rarity is with Ember in the Dragon Lands, and they will be coming tomorrow, and, funny enough, Spike actually ran into Thorax and his changelings while on his way to meet them. Apparently, they had found out about what had happened, and were already on their way to Equestria to help provide us with assistance before Spike even reached them."

Well... that's a bit of a relief, Sol thought. "So, everything is okay, then?"

"Yes, everything is running smoothly so far... for the most part."

Sol quirked an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

"... kinda. One of our patrols claimed that they spotted one of Chrysalis' changelings flying away from the Crystal Empire's southern boarder."

"I see. My guess is that it was a scout."

Twilight nodded. "That's what we believe. It also doesn't help that the barrier around the Crystal Empire is translucent, so the scout could see everything that happened inside. On top of that, not only were our armies out running drills at that time, but the Underkingdom portal is up and running, too."

"Then we should assume that the scout saw everything."

"Agreed... on the other hoof, there's also a bit of good news that came in while you were asleep. Given how everycreature is positioned, and their timing, we could begin our march and begin retaking Equestria as early as tomorrow."

Sol walked over and sat himself down next to Twilight.

"I'll admit that it is tempting, but what do mother and Aunt Luna think?"

"Actually, we were going to have a meeting about that as soon as you woke up. I know that everypony wants this nightmare to end, but we also can't just run in to it so hastily and risk making a mistake that could end with us losing."

"Agreed." Sol let out a sigh and gently leaned his side up against Twilight. "So, was there any specific time to this?"

Twilight smiled as she leaned back against Sol. "Not really. We waned you to get yourself rested up and not wake you before we would begin."

"I see. Well then, if that's the case, I suppose we should probably go and get this over with."

"Okay. In that case, we'll be heading to the throne room in the Crystal Palace. Princess Celestia and Luna should already be there, or at least somewhere in there."

Lighting her horn, Twilight teleported herself and Sol to the portal leading to the Crystal Empire and passed through it. Soon after they appeared on the other side, Twilight then teleported them up to the throne room of the Crystal Palace, where Cadence and Shining were both standing at the base of the throne's dais as they talked with Celestia and Luna, all of whom had turned their attention to the flash of light that signaled Twilight and Sol's arrival.

"I'm glad to see you awake," Celestia said as she approached the young pair. "Are you feeling better now, Sol?"

Sol nodded. "I am, though I would have preferred that I hadn't slept for so long."

"I know, sweetie, but no matter how good your intentions may be, you cannot deny your body the rest it requires." Celestia's warm smile slowly turned to a sly smirk. "Isn't that right, Twilight?"

Twilight blushed. "Well, y-yes, it is important. And I have already told Sol as such after he woke up."

"Very good. Then in that case, I don't believe that I'll need to say any more about it."

"That is true, sister," Luna spoke, gaining their attention. "Now that Sol has awoken, we can finally discuss our strategy for retaking Equestria."

Lighting her horn, Luna teleported a large, circular table in the center of the throne room, along with a map of Equestria and its surrounding nations. As everypony gathered around the table and map, Twilight began to speak.

"Now, I've spoken with the others already, and from to what they've told me over the amulet, Pinkie Pie and the yaks will be arriving at the Crystal Empire tomorrow morning."

Suddenly, a magical image of Pinkie and a group of yaks appeared on the map north of the Crystal Empire.

"According to Rarity, Dragon Lord Ember has been rather restless, and has been wanting to send her dragons to Equestria to aid us even before she and Spike got there. Given how fast dragons can fly, especially with a favorable wind, if they left by tomorrow morning, they should reach Equestria shores within a few hours."

An image of Rarity and Ember appeared on the Dragon Lands.

"And lastly, Spike has made contact with Thorax, who was already on his way to Equestria with an army of his changelings. I have no doubt that they are all somewhere in Equestria by now and laying low for the time being. I'll have more for you after I get in touch with Spike again."

An image of Spike and Thorax appeared near the south-eastern border of Equestria and the Badlands.

"And then, there's everypony else."

Again, Twilight lit her horn, this time creating magical images of herself, Sol, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadence in the Crystal Empire, as well as Chrysalis in Canterlot, and Tirek in the fields between Canterlot and Baltimare. As Twilight finished setting everything up, the others took a look at the arrangements on the map.

"Just how close is all of this?" Sol wondered.

"Pretty close," Twilight replied. "After questioning Daring Do and Trixie a bit more on the details, I was able to get a pretty good direction on where Tirek was traveling, which I found out is straight for Baltimare, no doubt to drain the ponies there of their magic. After that, my guess is that he'll head north, draining magic from the ponies in Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Rainbow Falls, and then make his return to Canterlot."

"So, he's pretty much making a large loop around the major land-based cities," Shining spoke.

"Minus Las Pegasus, yes, he is. He'll also be missing Appleloosa and Dodge Junction with this rout, but as far as we know, Chrysalis could have had everypony captured there loaded up on trains and sent to Canterlot."

"The crystal mines beneath Canterlot are definitely big enough to hold them all," Cadence said, her body shivering as she remembered her time trapped down in those crystalline caves.

"But Appleloosa and Dodge Junction are also both between the Badlands and Canterlot," Shining added. "If it's not too late, we can ask Spike if he and Thorax's changelings could drop by quickly to confirm whether or not they've been captured."

Luna nodded. "True, but at the same time, we are also currently unaware of Spike's current location, so there is a chance that he may already be in either of those cities."

"Or close to," Celestia added.

Shaking her head, Twilight held up her amulet and muttered Spike's name into it before holding it up to her ear.

"Spike? Are you there?"

A few moments passed before a voice came back through her amulet.

"Hey, Twilight. What's up?" Spike replied.

"I'm here with the Princesses, Shiny, and Sol, and we we're just wanting to check up and see how things are going on your end."

"So far so good. I'm with Thorax and his changelings right now."

"Okay. Any idea on where you are right now? Like your current location?"

"Our location? Well, we're camped out on the northern side of Hayseed Swamp at the moment, just out of view of the tree line. At least, I'm camping out. Thorax and his changelings have turned themselves to small woodland animals to help themselves blend in."

"Northern Hayseed... okay, good. In that case, you guys would have passed by Dodge Junction, right?"

"If we had followed the tree line on the western side then we would have, but instead we just flew over the tree canopy. You'd be surprised how quick and stealthily these guys can fly when they're all turned into a flock of hummingbirds"

"So you haven't been there yet?"

"Not yet. We're trying to be sneaky and avoid other towns right now."

"I understand. We were just talking here and are wondering how the ponies in Dodge Junction and Appleloosa are doing. We were also wondering if you or some changelings would be willing to go and investigate there while you're near?"

"Sure. I can ask around and see if a few would take a quick look over there. With it nighttime now, they shouldn't be spotted."

"Thanks, Spike. Also, could you have some go and check out Appleloosa?"

There was a bit of hesitation on Spike's end before he replied. "I'm not really sure, Twilight. Dodge Junction is one thing, but Appleloosa is a bit too far away from here to check and return. After all, we're gonna need everyone rested up for not just the rest of the trip tomorrow, but the battle as well, and a trip to Appleloosa would leave whoever goes there drained."

Twilight let out a dejected sigh. "I was afraid of that, but I suppose it can't be helped. Still, thanks for checking up on Dodge Junction at least."

"No problem, Twilight. Was there anything else?"

"Other than we'll probably begin retaking Equestria tomorrow, I don't think so."

"Okay. In that case- oh, hold on a sec."

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no. Just that I almost forgot to ask you to tell Sol something."

"Sure. What is it you want me to tell him?"

"Just that Torch is on the move, whatever that means."

"I'll be sure to tell him. Be safe, Spike, and see you soon."

"You too, Twilight. Tell the others I said 'hi'."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye."

Ending the call on the amulet, Twilight let it hang back down around her neck and turned her attention to the others.

"So, how is everything?" Luna inquired.

"Sounds like everything is going well so far. They're on the western side of Hayseed Swamp, and will quickly check out Dodge Junction while they're there."

"And what of Appleloosa? From the sound of things on this end, it didn't sound very good."

Twilight shook her head. "It's too far for them. If they did, they wouldn't be well rested for their travel tomorrow, not to mention the fighting that will follow afterwards."

"I see. 'tis unfortunate, but understandable."

"Also," Twilight turned her attention to Sol, "Spike wanted me to mention to you that Torch is on the move."

Sol nodded. "Good. So, he got my message then."

"Speaking which, what did you write to him?"

Sol turned back to the table. "Just some instructions in preparation."

"Preparation for what, exactly?" Cadence questioned.

Instead of answering, Sol lit his horns and, grabbing the illusion of himself, moved it over in front of the illusion of Tirek.

"For when I confront Tirek."

"WHAT?! Are you CRAZY?!"

"Twilight-"

"The last time you two fought, he was winning! And now you want to go and fight him all on your own without anypony around to help you?!"

"Twilight, please." This time, instead of Sol, it was Celestia who spoke to calm Twilight down. "Let Sol explain. I'm sure he has a very good reason for this," she added, shooting a quick glare at Sol.

"Actually, mother, I do," Sol replied. "And yes, Twilight, you are right. Tirek did have me beat back in Canterlot... but this time will be different."

"Really?" she questioned. "Apart from not having any of your friends or us around, how will things end differently than the last time?"

"Because, apart from Chrysalis not being there to aid him, this time I won't be holding back." Sol's eyes wandered over the others gathered around the table, but lingered on Celestia and Luna, who seemed to recognize what he was thinking. "Last time I had to be cautious because my magic over the earth could've caused Canterlot to fall off the side of the mountain if I wasn't careful enough. But this time, we'll be fighting in a place of my choosing, far away from any towns or civilizations, and, most importantly, anypony who would get caught up in between our battle."

Luna, while nodding in agreement, was also frowning.

"While what you speak is true, Tirek is still powerful, and he will also have his escort with him."

"Not to mention how far away it is," Shining added. "I know you're not the fastest on land or air, so how do you plan on getting from the Crystal Empire to there exactly?"

"That is true," Sol nodded in agreement, "but I won't be traveling from the Crystal Empire. Remember, the entrance to the Underkingdom is located in the Everfree Forest, so that alone will make the distance much shorter. Also, while I may not be a very fast runner or flyer, when it comes to my ability to meld into and travel through the earth, there are very few things that can outrun me, whether they are running, flying, or swimming."

"... alright, fair enough... but, and this is just a thought, you could also ask Discord to simply send you to Tirek."

Sol furrowed his brow at Shining. "I mean no offense, Shining Armor, but I have absolutely zero intention of asking him for help of any kind. Especially after what he did last time when Tirek was free."

Celestia tapped her hoof on the table to get everypony's attention. "Actually, I already have plans for Discord's aid, so there should be no problems here."

"And what exactly will he be doing?"

"Well, if all goes as planned, while Spike, Thorax, and his changelings are moving to liberate Baltimare, and Rarity, Dragon Lord Ember, and her dragons liberate Fillydelphia, Discord will be freeing Manehattan of Chrysalis' changelings."

Sol's eye gave an involuntary twitch.

"You would trust him with the responsibility of liberating one of our major cities?"

"I know you still don't trust him, Sol, and nopony can hardly blame you, but I believe that Discord won't fall for the same trap as he did before. He has too much at stake to risk that happening again." Celestia smirked. "And, to make sure he does stay in line and doesn't do anything too dramatic, I've gone ahead and asked Eris to go with him, both to assist him in retaking Manehattan, as well as to help keep an eye on him."

Sol let out a sigh of relief through his nose. "Alright. I suppose if he's got someone like Eris looking over him, then it shouldn't be too bad."

I hope.

"On a different note," he continued, "Twilight has informed me about a possible scout that had spotted our army training in the Crystal Empire, as well as the portal."

"Yeah, and it got away," Shining snorted distastefully. "This scout has just made things a lot more complicated for us. Now that they know for sure where everypony is, and that we're rebuilding our army, Chrysalis will no doubt send out a number of her minions at ambush points between here and Canterlot."

Luna frowned at the implications. "Even with the yaks at our side, this campaign will still be a harrowing venture."

Sol nodded as his eyes scanned over the map, trying to think of a way to get the pony and yak armies to Canterlot without the risk of running into an ambush. As his eyes traced over the map between the Crystal Empire and Canterlot, the sight of Ponyville caught his attention, causing him to miss the homely village even more. It was while he was looking at the town that his eyes were drawn to the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest, which in turn gave him an idea.

"... actually, we could make this work to our advantage," Sol said, gaining a surprised and questioning look from everypony there.

"Make what work?" Cadence questioned.

"This scout." Sol raised a claw to silently ask them to let him explain before they could get the chance. "Now, we can all agree that Chrysalis will send perhaps a third to one-half of her army to intercept us, correct?" There were a collection of nods. "So, that will obviously mean that the forces protecting her and Canterlot will be weakened as well."

"Yes, but doesn't really matter if they set up ambushes for us along the way," Shining countered.

"That is true... which is why we'll march our armies from here." Lighting his horns, Sol moved the images of himself and the others over to the Tree of Harmony. "From here, we can have our unicorns cast a field of invisibility around the army, just like Trixie did with the refugees, while we march through the Everfree Forest, past Ponyville, and up to Canterlot. And once the army reaches there, not only will they be unprepared and caught off guard, but their forces will be reduced by a rather sizeable amount."

Everypony started looking back at the map as they played the scenario in their heads.

"That could work," Celestia muttered. "Between the unicorn guards, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and us alicorns, we could easily hide both armies while we march."

"We could, but there's just one problem with this plan," Shining voiced as he pointed between the Crystal Empire and the Tree of Harmony. "How exactly do you plan on moving our armies from up here, all the way to down here?"

Twilight facehoofed. "Because we don't need to move them at all," she said as she looked at Sol with admiration," because the army will already be here."

"... you lost me, Twily."

"Okay, you and Cadence probably don't know this, but the secret location to the Underkingdom's entrance is actually hidden in the back of the cave where the Tree of Harmony is located. So, instead of having the armies marching from the Crystal Empire to Canterlot, we just need to have them travel over to the southern side of the Underkingdom, up the ramp leading to the surface, and we'll be in the Everfree Forest. After that, we can carry out the plan with turning the army invisible and sneak up on them from behind."

Sol nodded, seeing that Twilight had figured out exactly what he had been thinking.

"This will also put me closer to Tirek. With any luck, from here, I may actually reach him by the time the army gets to Canterlot."

Any further thought that Sol had was interrupted by a rather loud rumble that echoed throughout the room, courtesy of Sol's empty stomach.

"I believe that we have covered most of everything there was to cover," Luna said with a smirk. "And, much like my hungry nephew, a meal is starting to sound rather good about now. Let us adjourn for now to eat, and reconvene afterwards with our Captains to fill them in on our new plan of attack."

With a collection of varying agreements, and another rumble from Sol's stomach, the six rulers made their way out of the throne room, with Celestia and Luna talking to their respective captains, Shining and Cadence with their Lieutenants, and Sol and Twilight to grab some much-needed food.

---

Several hours later, back in his room, Sol and Twilight were laying down side-by-side in front of the warm fireplace, spending some quiet time together before they retired for the night. With the inevitable battle awaiting them the next day, and having spent the hours prior with their own friends and families, they set aside this moment to spend what time they could together.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Twilight asked.

"Hm? Is what a good idea?"

"Your plan to fight Tirek without anypony there to help you. I get that you're really strong, and your explanation earlier does make a lot of sense, but I can't help but worry that something unexpected might happen. What's worse is that if something does happen, and you can't move or get away... then there won't be anypony there for you."

Hearing the tone of worry and fear in her voice, Sol draped a comforting wing over her, hugged Twilight to his side, and rested his head atop of hers with a sigh.

"I wish I could say that everything will be fine, but you are right," he admitted, feeling her press up into his coat at his admittance. "In the chaos of battle, things can happen that you might not expect... however." Sol leaned back away so he could look Twilight in the eyes. "That works both ways, and if Torch followed the directions in my message, then Tirek will be in for a rather unpleasant surprise."

"Like what?"

Sol let out a small chuckle before giving Twilight a quick peck on the lips.

"Let's just say that, thanks to Torch, arrangements have been made to turn my battle with Tirek over to my favor. Now, I won't promise that everything in my fight will go perfectly, but I can at least promise you that it'll end better than what it possibly could."

Twilight sighed as she leaned her forehead against Sol's.

"I won't be able to talk you out of this, will I?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry, but not this time." Sol's tone then took on a more hardened note. "I'm serious, Twilight. If I'm going to fight him, then I can't hold anything back. I'm planning to unleash a cataclysm upon him, that means earthquakes, fissures, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters. That's why I can't have anypony near us when our fighting starts, because they would surely die if they got anywhere close to us, no matter what race of pony they may be."

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise." You can actually do that?"

"You saw a small example when I was fighting Discord, but yes, I can, though I would generally choose not to. It's much like how mother never uses the sun to rain down a beam of scorching sunlight that would reduce her enemies and the surrounding area to a lifeless wasteland of glass, or how Aunt Luna doesn't use the moon to affect the tides and cause tsunamis along the coastlines."

Twilight shivered at the notion. "... I see... and now I know why you're wanting to catch Tirek while he's away from any of the cities or other settlements, but will it be far enough?"

"It won't, but I have a plan to help fix that." A stretch of silence lingered for a moment between the two before Sol spoke up again. "So, how are you and your friends feeling about this? Are you all ready for tomorrow?"

"Not really, but I don't think we ever will be," she replied.

"I suppose that's fair. Besides, I don't believe that anypony can actually ever be ready for combat, even with training. Only time and experience can prove if whether or not they are ready for it." Sol smiled and proceeded to nuzzle Twilight. "That being said, I have confidence that you and your friends will come out of this just fine. From what I've been told and seen, you and your friends are not exactly strangers to combat. As long as you use that experience and keep a cool head, you'll all be fine."

Though she was still uneasy about it, Twilight couldn't help the small smile that had started to form.

"I guess you're right... also probably helps that we'll have Princess Celestia and Luna there with us, too."

"Heheh. Yeah. And mother forbid should anything happen to you under her watch. I know Aunt Luna considers you a close and personal friend, but mother just absolutely adores you."

"I know. You don't need to tell me that," she giggled.

"But I will, and I will keep saying that until you get tired of it."

"Well, I doubt that'll ever happen."

"Good."

Though the thoughts of tomorrow's events still hung in the back of their minds, for the moment, the two didn't feel as bothered by it as they did before. As time continued to tick by, Sol and Twilight remained in silence, listening to the sounds of the fire cracking in the fire place, as well as the gentle breathing of one another. Unfortunately, as time continued to pass by, their breathing started to gradually lessen until Sol let out a soft yawn that was quickly followed by Twilight.

"I suppose that's our cue," Sol tiredly said.

"Yeah. I guess so." Standing up from her spot, Twilight began making her way over to the bed, but stopped just as she was about to pull the covers back to hop in. "Are you coming?"

Sol stood up from his spot on the ground and stretched. "Not just yet. I've still got one last thing that I need to do before I can call it a night."

"Do you need any help?"

"Thank you, Twilight, but I've got this. It'll take me no more than an hour, so you go on ahead to bed and I'll be there as soon as I'm done."

Twilight covered her mouth as she let out another yawn. "Alright. If you're sure, then I'll see you when you get back."

"Okay. Until then, goodnight, Twilight, and I'll see you in a bit."

"Goodnight to you too, Sol. See you soon."

Comments

[SleepyBear]

Noice I was starting to forget this and booom chapter baby, love it.

[DustyBeard]

I love it when I come back to a story, and it updates while I'm re-reading it.

[Komodo Dragoon]

I honestly thought this story was done for. I'm so glad it's not.

[Booster Spice]

Getting Torch to help fight Tirek?

I will call this...

Operation Monty Python.

[B4ssxCello]

Awesome chapter Garuda!

[Always Breakfast]

You'd be surprised how quick and stealthily these guys can fly when they're all turned into a flock of hummingbirds"

Inb4 one or the other of the villains catches them by realizing that hummingbirds are almost completely solitary and don't flock

In all seriousness good to see an update!

[Bronyshot]

YAY

[OminousBrony]

10086484
Tell that to the swarms of hummingbirds that would try to kill each other on a daily basis at one of my old houses fighting over the two feeders we had out for them

[Always Breakfast]

10086584
That's not really a flock so much as an avaricious rampage. But it does mean you can disguise the secret changeling swarm by having them chase Spike holding a bird feeder! An airborne dragon followed by a mob of angry birbs will certainly draw less attention!

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

It lives... IT LIVES!

[dreammaster]

It's alive.. it's alive!

[Bloody_Tofu]

Woot! Glad to see this again.

[Stellar_]

damn I was just starting to reread this yesterday!

[Akira Dragonborne]

WHOO-HOO! Been waiting for this story to update.

......And it's a good one!

[Winter Fox]

It’s alivvvvveeee

[lazyreader19]

Oh snap, finally caught up and at the edge of my seat with all these battle preparations!

[Gboyd]

Finally! Another great chapter... It's about damn time! (I know, I know.... you're busy with work and all that but we all LOVE you and really want to see what happens next!) Then again, I suppose waiting is part of the suspense.....

Well then. I will keep waiting....

Keep up the good work my friend!

[Zapper Frost]

You know, I find it kinda funny that I was asking about when this would update, only for it to take me almost a week to get around to reading it

[Hewolf]

New Chapter soon Please!

[Akira Dragonborne]

10508154
Yer welcome.

[pittsacee]

Please continue