Chapter 1:27.1 - The First Sister
Chapter 1:27.1 – The First Sister
28th Day of the 10th Month, Year 1000 of the 4th Age
The walls of Fillidelfiyaa loomed, grey and foreboding, over the sorceress, the Hunter, and the dragon. Nearly a month earlier, the summit in Cant’r Laht had closed with the matter of trade rights on the Shimmering Sea unresolved. King Hadish, King Alhert, and Duchess Seaspray had returned to their respective homes prepared to go to war over the issue, and they wasted no time. Nearly immediately, levies were called up and troops began to assemble. In order to reach Fillidelfiyaa, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle had to pass the vast army camp outside the city, tents of a hundred colors housing peasants called into service from across the kingdom. Across the river were encamped the Griffon Free Companies, contracted by King Alhert to aid him in his war, since he would be fighting on two fronts on land.
Shortly after the summit, before the Brave Companions had left Cant’r Laht, Celestia had approached them with a proposition. Her summit had failed to achieve the peace she desired, but the aged sorceress would not give up so easily. She wished the Brave Companions to travel to the Three Sisters and attempt to convince the monarchs to solve their quarrels through diplomacy rather than bloodshed on the battlefield; the eastern coast of Equestria had drank more than enough blood since those three cities had became centers of trade. A request from the Matron of Sorceresses may as well have been an order, and they had agreed to this (rather dangerous) task.
After returning to Ponieville for a short time to put things in order, they’d set out on their quest. There was no easy way east from Ponieville except for looping around the White Mountains, so Pinkamena and Rarity had headed south, past the Everfree Forest and on to Balte-Maer, and the rest had headed north. After crossing through the Hill Kingdoms, their party had split again, Fluttershy and Applejack taking a northeastern heading and Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Rainbow Dash continuing east. The sorceress and Hunter could not go to Manehattan without risking being burned at the stake or worse, so they would be dealing with King Alhert.
His castle could be seen as they neared the city gates, high atop a bluff overlooking the Shimmering Sea. The Sea Keep was the ancient seat of all who’d ruled this city in the past and, though impressive, showed its age. Its architecture was archaic and its high stone walls, just like those of the city, were crumbling. Scaffoldings were erected across the expanse, ponies scurrying across them to make repairs, just in case the enemy reached the city.
City guards eyed the trio as they made their way through the gates, whispering to each other about what an unusual sight this was. Past the gates and guard towers, the stone gave way to timber construction. Wood was the name of the game in Fillidelfiyaan buildings, and had led to the city being rebuilt many times after fire had grown out of control and swept through it. This haphazard building and rebuilding had turned it into a sprawling city of ramshackle construction where streets wove and wound across several hills and islands of the river delta. On every bank of the several waterways that divided the city were docks populated with barges and ferries upriver and sailing ships downriver as the channels grew wider. The lifeblood of Fillidelfiyaa was trade across the Shimmering Sea, and the entire city was built to support it, even if it had been built with no conscious plan in mind.
As Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike walked down one of the few fairly straight, cobblestone roads through the city, a group of guards with barding in the royal green and blue trotted up to block their path. No weapons were drawn, so the trio halted and waited patiently for an explanation. A stallion in knightly raiment soon joined them, trotting through the semicircle of guards to approach Twilight Sparkle directly. Half the knight’s crest was that of House Caramon, Alhert’s family, but the other was unknown to the sorceress.
“Madam sorceress, it is a disadvantageous time that you choose to visit Fillidelfiyaa,” he addressed her, “What is it that brings you and your companions here?”
“We were sent by Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht,” Twilight said, using her mentor’s title as she wouldn’t within the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and produced a scroll from her saddlebags, “We have come to speak to King Alhert, to serve as observers, and if necessary, to advise him on his plans for this war.”
“No doubt you come to attempt to sway the king’s mind,” the knight harrumphed, “To try to convince him to seek a ‘peaceful resolution’ as Celestia tried at her summit. You cannot have failed to notice our army assembling outside the city. This war will come, and nothing you can say will change the king’s decision.”
“Still, Celestia would have us here to speak to his majesty nonetheless,” Twilight replied.
“Out of the question,” the knight replied with a swipe of his foreleg, “Celestia has no power in the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, and her wishes are of no concern to King Alhert. I speak for the king when I say that he does not wish to see you.”
“Oh, do you now?” a mare’s voice came from behind the semicircle of guards, and the knight turned with a start at its sound.
The guards made way, a couple of them grumbling, as the mare approached. Her robes of bright blue matched her mane, and her snow-white coat shone in the midday sun. Across her back was a staff with a precious gem set into a fitting at one end—a sorceress. Behind her, four ponies set down the palanquin she’d rode in on, sweating from what had apparently been a rushed journey.
“Ser Gavron, you presume to speak for your king now?” the sorceress asked cattily, “Or, perhaps because you share some small amount of his blood, you feel you can speak on behalf of the royal family?”
“Madam Penbrook,” Ser Gavron said in annoyance, “I did not expect to see you so low in the city.”
“Obviously,” Penbrook snorted, “Otherwise you would not be making such bold and untrue claims. Fortunately, Massif foresaw the approach of our guests and sent me to stop you from misleading them. King Alhert does not wish to see them? Nothing could be further from the truth. How do you think the king would react if he learns you tried to send these honorable dignitaries from Celestia away? He may be short on heirs, but I don’t think his fourth cousin would be spared entirely from punishment.”
“As you said, then. It is rather fortunate that you stopped me from making such an unfortunate mistake,” Gavron replied, “Please, see to it that our guests make it to the Sea Keep without issue.”
Ser Gavron trotted away huffily, but the guards stayed, some of them watching the knight depart. Apparently, they would be providing an armed escort.
“Apologies for the noble ser’s behavior,” Penbrook said as she motioned for Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike to follow her, “There is much contention in the royal court at the moment, and few wish to see additional ponies added to the situation, upsetting the balance of power.”
“But you don’t mind,” Rainbow Dash commented as they trotted past the palanquin, the bearers relieved that they wouldn’t be carrying the sorceress back up to the Sea Keep, “Why is that? Are you on the side of those who wish to prevent this war?”
“There are none who oppose the king’s war,” Penbrook snorted, “The primary squabble is over what terms to extract from Fillidelfiyaa’s opponents. Your arguments will run counter to all parties, but my master and I appreciate a diversity of opinions.”
“You do not believe we will be able to change King Alhert’s mind,” Twilight Sparkle observed.
“No, I do not,” her fellow sorceress admitted as she looked over her shoulder at her, “King Alhert wants this war, and there is nothing that could sway his mind short of regicide.”
***
The Sea Keep’s throne room was dark and dreary, the little light coming in through the high windows smothered by the smoke from braziers. With a war coming, the city of Fillidelfiyaa was filled with nobles and knights called from across the kingdom, and they had all congregated here, at the seat of power. Penbrook led the way, and the crowd parted to make a path to the throne.
Fillidelfiyaa’s throne was not a grand, elaborate seat like those of other kingdoms, but rough and wooden, like the city the pony seated in it ruled over. The throne’s occupant was Alhert of the House Caramon, King of Fillidelfiyaa, Lord of the Blue and White Mountains, and (supposed) Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea. Even swathed in his royal colors, a glittering crown upon his head, Alhert appeared decrepit, even more so than he had at the summit; Twilight suspected his court wizard had imbued him with spells to keep him from appearing weak in front of Equestria’s other monarchs.
Despite his bent posture and the creases and wrinkles on his face, his eyes stared out brightly and intelligently, with the vigor of a much younger stallion. This was the king who in his younger days had ventured into the Blue Mountains and defeated rebellious pegasi lords, storming their Roosts with an earth pony army and winning, the king who’d driven back King Wexel the Wide on multiple occasions and taken his lands, the king who’d sailed south and crushed pirate kingdoms, forcing them to pay him tribute and letting his ships bound for Los Pegasus pass unscathed. Now the king’s glory was much diminished, and he could do nothing in his old age but watch all he’d fought for and accumulated slip away.
“You’re missing a few Brave Companions,” the king observed as Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash approached the throne, “I suppose they’ve been sent to Manehattan and Balte-Maer in a sign of impartiality.” This war may have been unnecessary and foolish, but nopony could claim that King Alhert was a fool.
“Your Majesty, Celestia wishes to prevent this war, so naturally she sent a delegation to each of the monarchs involved,” Twilight replied, “Peace is only possible if all parties agree.”
“Pity; if you’re all in separate camps, I imagine that means you won’t be willing to help me in the conflict, since it would mean fighting against your companions,” Alhert said.
“Even if my Hunter vows didn’t prevent me from taking sides in this conflict, Celestia has sent us here only to negotiate peace,” Rainbow Dash said.
“There can be no peace without concessions from Manehattan and Balte-Maer!” one of the nobles objected, “Their port taxes and blockades strangle our kingdom’s trade!”
Twilight couldn’t fail to see King Alhert’s frown as the noble gave his reasons for opposing the ceasing of hostilities. There’s something else going on here besides taxes and trade, something King Alhert wants but his vassals aren’t firmly behind. This must be what Penbrook was talking about when she said there was a disagreement over the terms to extract from Manehattan and Balte-Maer.
“I will speak to these two on my own, without unasked-for council,” King Alhert announced, “Everypony else, get out.”
The nobles and courtiers filed out of the room, casting apprehensive glances at the sorceress and the Hunter, though mostly at the former. No doubt they feared she’d put a spell on the king. A few of them touched a pendant at their necks, but the decoration was a red stone, not the seven-pointed star or Faust’s cross of the Church of One. So, the True Faith has made its way here from Manehattan, then. Perhaps it would’ve been safer to send them as far away from Manehattan as possible, but what was done was done.
“I know you are respected ponies in your land, and maybe all they say about you and the long night at the beginning of the year is true, though I tend to doubt it,” King Alhert said once they were alone (apart from a large number of royal guards around the throne room), “But one thing you are not is high Fillidelfiyaan nobility, so I think it’s safe to speak plainly around you. No matter what you say, no matter how you plead, there must be war.”
“I do not want to place blame on you, for the other Sisters share in it, but would not this war have been avoided had you not instructed your fleet to begin raiding ships from Manehattan and Balte-Maer?” Twilight asked, choosing her words carefully, even if the king claimed he wanted plain speech.
“Of course it would have,” Alhert admitted boldly, “It has provoked King Hadish into a position where we must meet in battle to settle our disagreements, and given me a justifiable reason to do so. This is a war that I wish for, and that is why you cannot change my mind.”
“But why? Isn’t there another way to counteract his trade taxes?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Absolutely, but the taxes are secondary to my true goal. To accomplish that we must have a war; it is the only way I can force King Hadish to do what I want,” Alhert explained.
“And what is your true goal?” Rainbow asked, to which Alhert raised a questioning eyebrow at the Hunter’s boldness, “What? You said you wanted to speak plainly.”
“That I did. Are you familiar with Fillidelfiyaan succession law?” Alhert asked, and Rainbow Dash shook her head no, “On my death, my eldest living son is to receive my crown, but Faust saw fit to grant me only daughters, and only one lived to adulthood. So, in the absence of a son, the crown passes to my eldest living brother, but none of my siblings lived to adulthood. Then, the crown would go to a nephew, that by my brother first, sister second, but, again, no siblings. After that, the crown would pass to a brother of my father, but none of them are alive, and none have any living descendants. Since there’s still no heir in sight, the children of my father’s sisters are next in line, all dead, so her grandchildren through her sons come next.”
“That’s right, I have no sons, brothers, nephews, uncles, or first, second, or third cousins on my father’s side. Now, you might think that my fourth cousins will come next, but if that were the case then Ser Gavron would be my heir, and that is not the case,” Alhert said with a sigh, “No, after third cousins, succession passes to the husband of my eldest daughter. Do you know who my son-in-law is? Do you know who it is that I married my daughter Persimmonne to?”
“Prince Robar of Manehattan,” Twilight answered.
“Yes. I didn’t expect all my heirs to suddenly die out and leave me with the prospect of turning my throne over to Manehattan when I die,” Alhert said spitefully, “Robar is Hadish’s firstborn son, and will one day rule both Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa. This is something I cannot allow! It sickens me to think that House Vasa-Elutria will replace my house, but if that must be so, then at least I cannot allow one of them to control both cities, both kingdoms. I must defeat Hadish and I must force him to disinherit Robar from the Crown of Manehattan. I’m resigned to the fact that he will rule Fillidelfiyaa, but he must not rule Manehattan as well.”
His fear was not merely the fear of an aged monarch desperate to keep his family from going extinct. The Kingdom of Manehattan under King Hadish had become increasingly powerful and despotic. If they were allowed to merge with Fillidelfiyaa, it wouldn’t be long before they conquered Balte-Maer as well, and then swept over the rest of Equestria. Celestia wanted a united Equestria, but something told Twilight that she wouldn’t want it to come about in this way, for the spread of Manehattan would bring with it the spread of the True Faith. Most sorceresses didn’t care much for religion, but when the alternative was being burned at the stake or crucified simply for being born with the ability to do magic, the Church of One was the safer choice.
King Alhert was right, though; Hadish would never agree to disinherit his firstborn son unless he were forced to in a peace settlement, and he’d have to be crushed pretty soundly to agree to something like that. It would be for the good of Equestria if he did, but Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash weren’t supposed to interfere in this war other than to prevent it. They couldn’t help Alhert to win his war, but they could pass on his demands to Fluttershy and Applejack, for all the good it would do. There was no way to convince the king to turn back now, short of regicide, just as Penbrook had said. Twilight had assumed she’d meant that Alhert’s death would prevent it, but now she saw that she’d meant the death of Prince Robar.
“Is there anything else you want to discuss before I let the sycophants back in?” Alhert asked, his tone making his unwillingness to compromise clear.
“The war with Balte-Maer?” Twilight asked, “What is your motivation for that?”
“That truly is a trade dispute, though my fleet has been hitting her ships as well so that my actions against Manehattan could not be declared an act of war,” Alhert admitted, “It’s unfortunate that Duchess Seaspray was drawn into Hadish’s and my fight, but it was only a matter of time with what she was extracting from our merchants sailing south. If she were to let up on her fees, I would make peace with her without joining battle.”
This was also useful information to know. Pinkamena and Rarity were likely already in Balte-Maer, and this could help them in their efforts to prevent Duchess Seaspray from going to war with Alhert. King Alhert would not be swayed in his war with Hadish, but they had to keep trying.
“Your Majesty, even if you do not intend to change your mind regarding this war, we would like to stay, to observe and advise, with your permission, of course,” Twilight proposed.
“So long as you keep your noses out of where they don’t belong, you are welcome to stay, though you will have to find your own lodgings tonight. I’m afraid my castle has no room for guests at the moment,” King Alhert said as he waved to the guards at the throne room’s door to let the nobles and courtiers back in, “If you manage to locate an inn, you’ll have no need to pay for more than one night. My armies depart tomorrow, so you’d best accept the fact that the Seventeenth Trade War will happen, no matter what sage advice you might have to give.”
***
King Alhert had been right; nothing Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash had to say to him could change his mind about going to war. Not that they had much opportunity to speak with him once his court returned to the throne room. The rest of the day was consumed by bickering nobles arguing about their positions and what they could expect to see after the war was won. Nopony was interested in stopping the war, even though it meant a war for Fillidelfiyaa that would see fighting on land to the north and south as well as on the sea. Even with the aid of the Griffon Free Companies, it wouldn’t be an easy fight to win.
King Alhert’s focus was on the Kingdom of Manehattan and crushing Hadish, so that was where the larger army, led personally by the king, would be headed. A second army would be sent south, under the command of Baron Hadrian of Trotston, his most trusted general. Though the core of the army would be the baron’s own levy, the bulk of the southern forces would be made up of the Griffon Free Companies and the pegasus levies from the mountains. These airborne soldiers could’ve given the king a significant advantage against Hadish, who preferred to exile or torture pegasi and gryphons over conscripting them, but Alhert wouldn’t hear it. If he was going to beat Hadish, it had to be in a way that the King of Manehattan couldn’t claim victory had come about because of trickery from other races. The same reasoning necessitated that no mages could be present in the northern army; Massif and Penbrook would both be sent south.
After Alhert sent his courtiers away at the end of the day, Twilight and Rainbow Dash headed down into the city to the inn Spike had procured a room for them in while they’d been busy at court. It had cost them a high price to convince somepony else to give up their room, but the fact that it had even been possible was probably due to Spike’s status as a dragon more than anything else. Even if he was still a child, nopony wanted to mess with a creature that could breathe fire (and nopony needed to know that Spike’s skill with that was still developing). Fillidelfiyaa was filled with ponies here to see the armies off, and the inn’s tavern was crowded as the sorceress and Hunter made their way to their room.
Once in the small corner chamber, Twilight began dictating three messages to Spike, summing up what they’d learned at Alhert’s court today. One went to Celestia, one went to Pinkamena and Rarity, and one went to Fluttershy and Applejack. Part of the preparation time in Ponieville had been spent by Spike in learning how to send letters to recipients other than Celestia. The Brave Companions needed to stay in communication to fulfill their missions, but there was no way to effectively do that unless each group had somepony who could do magic. They’d have to make do with Twilight being able to send them messages without being able to reply. The sorceress was already brainstorming ways in the future to allow communication between them all, but so far had no solutions.
“There, that’s the last one,” Spike said as he sent off the letter to Applejack and Fluttershy, somewhere in the Kingdom of Manehattan, “That is the last one, right?”
“It is, Spike,” Twilight confirmed, “We have done all we can now.”
“Do you really think it’ll make a difference?” Rainbow Dash asked as she sharpened a knife, “King Hadish is just as stubborn as Alhert is, and even if he weren’t, I can’t see him disinheriting his heir.”
“I know,” Twilight sighed, “It seems hopeless, but Applejack and Fluttershy have to at least bring it up for us to say we have done all we could.”
“And hope they don’t have their heads taken off for it,” Rainbow harrumphed as she sheathed her knife, apparently deciding that it was sharp enough, “This war is going to happen, you realize? What else can we do here?”
“With Alhert’s mind made up, it seems all we can do is travel with his armies and try to keep the carnage from becoming too great,” Twilight said, wincing.
Celestia had sent them here to prevent a war, and here it looked like they were going to be swept up into it. They were to serve as advisors and observers and not directly interfere, but that would be difficult. If they became involved in battle, what could they do but interfere?
Twilight retrieved a basin of water and began to work her magic. She was really getting the hang of scrying and quite enjoyed being able to sweep her gaze across the land. She’d also made several improvements to existing spells she’d learned and was able to do them without as much strain now. Her goal tonight was to find where Fluttershy and Applejack were camped. They wouldn’t arrive in Manehattan until tomorrow, but they were close, probably on the island the city called home already, but Twilight didn’t go directly there. I was easier to move your magical gaze out from where you were than to home in on a location immediately, so she started over Fillidelfiyaa and followed the coastal roads north through countryside that would soon be host to armies. Scrying was more difficult at night, but villages and occasionally camps lit the way.
She paused as she nearly passed over a memorable camp. A large carriage had been drawn off next to the road near a copse. Around the campfire were several guards, some wearing the colors of Fillidelfiyaa, others the colors of Manehattan. Through discussion in King Alhert’s court, Twilight had learned that Prince Robar and Princess Persimmonne had left yesterday, departing for Manehattan before anypony in Fillidelfiyaa got the idea to kill the Manehattanite prince. This was their royal coach, staying ahead of the Fillidelfiyaan army as it whisked the royal couple away to safety.
Or, not quite safety. As she watched the camp in the water, Twilight observed bandits emerging stealthily from the nearby woods. One of the guards fell with an arrow through his neck before the others even knew what was happening. The rest of them drew their weapons as the brigands fell upon them, taking the camp by surprise.
“What’re you watching so intently?” Rainbow Dash asked from across the room and jumped up from her bed, using her wings to flip herself onto her hooves.
“Prince Robar and Princess Persimmonne’s camp is under attack by bandits,” Twilight Sparkle answered, and the Hunter trotted over to take a look.
“Those aren’t bandits; I know bandits,” Rainbow said as she watched the attack, “They’re way too organized and well-equipped; the guards should’ve beaten them back by now.”
“Manehattanite soldiers?” Twilight asked, trying to puzzle things out.
“More likely Fillidelfiyaans who don’t want their land to be merged with Manehattan if Alhert dies in battle. They must’ve known where the carriage was going and laid an ambush. That’s not a bandit attack—it's an assassination,” Rainbow Dash said as she trotted over to her swords and strapped them on, “How far away are they?”
“Too far to fly,” Twilight answered as she looked up and the image in the water basin grew momentarily blurry, “You are not planning on stopping them, are you?”
“Now that I know they’re in trouble, I can’t just sit back and let them get killed, can I?” Rainbow asked.
“We are not supposed to get involved in the war,” Twilight said, though she knew it was a weak argument.
“This isn’t part of the war; it’s murder, plain and simple, regicide even,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Could you bear to just watch as they’re killed and not do anything?”
“I … suppose not,” Twilight sighed, though it would make things so much easier if they were dead, “I can try to teleport you there, but it is a long way, longer than I have ever teleported anypony before, and I cannot guarantee accuracy.”
“Just get me close and I’ll take care of the rest,” Rainbow Dash said as she finished strapping on the last of her equipment.
With a flash of light, the inn vanished from Rainbow’s sight and was replaced by a darkened countryside. She was standing on nothing, and began to fall, but her wings flicked out on instinct and stopped her before she hit the ground. Despite Twilight’s concerns, the Hunter was close enough to hear the sounds of the fight, and flew off in the direction they were coming from.
She swooped out of the darkness, taking the attackers by surprise, her sword slicing through one’s lightly-armored torso. She spun away as the pony she’d saved watched in surprise and cracked the pommel of her sword so hard against the back of another attacker’s head that it fractured his skull. As that pony dropped, she flared her wings and jumped over the fight, swinging her sword to knock another’s blade aside before she landed. Propelling herself forward, she impaled the attacker with her sword and immediately drew back, striking out with her hindhooves at another brigand who’d knocked her opponent aside. As she recovered from the strike, she charged Rainbow Dash with her sword. The Hunter ducked down and let the blade sail over her before jamming her own weapon up through the attacker’s ribs.
These assassins were skilled and had managed to kill several of the guards, but they were no match for a trained Hunter. Her purpose was to fight and kill monsters, but her training had prepared her for combat with ponies as well. All too often, ponies were just another kind of monster, something she’d seen plenty of in her line of work. The older Hunters tended to reminisce about the old days when things were simpler, when monsters were monsters and ponies were ponies, but Rainbow Dash doubted if it had ever been that way. A simple glance at history showed that ponies had always been just as capable of monstrous acts as they were today.
“Who-who are you?” one of the guards asked as they approached cautiously while Rainbow Dash cleaned her blade.
“Just a Hunter who saw you were in trouble,” Rainbow replied, “No need to repay me. That’s precious cargo you’re escorting, and I’m sure King Alhert will show plenty of gratitude for my saving it.”
A few of the guards looked back at the royal carriage, understanding full well as Robar and Persimmonne descended now that the fight was over exactly what she’d meant by precious cargo.
“Who are you?” the same guard asked as Twilight Sparkle suddenly materialized in front of Rainbow Dash.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked in confusion, “The battle’s over.”
“No, it is not,” Twilight said frantically, “There is more to this. The assassins wanted to disguise this as a bandit attack, but they had another plan in case it went awry.”
Before the sorceress could explain any more, an unnatural groan came from the darkness, accompanied by heavy hoofsteps. A giant faceless stone pony emerged from the gloom, a golem nearly the size of the royal carriage. Rainbow Dash drew her other sword as the golem charged toward the camp. A circle of flame suddenly shot up around the royal carriage, and the prince and princess jumped back inside to avoid the fire. Twilight Sparkle spun, building spells in her mind as she faced the new attacker. Beyond the flames, ethereal as her cloak flapped in the moonlight, stood Penbrook, her staff crouched in her foreleg.
“Why are you interfering?” the Fillidelfiyaan sorceress demanded.
“Mrinessen’r caen![1]” Twilight replied, an icy blast of air suddenly smothering the magical fire around the royal carriage and scattering snowflakes across the ground.
Penbrook swung her staff around before striking the ground with end. The gem glowed briefly and the soil around the royal carriage began to drag the vehicle under.
“Leya![2]” Twilight Sparkle yelled, lifting the carriage free of the grasping soil, though it was a strain to lift something so large.
While she was struggling to levitate the carriage, Penbrook cast another spell, and spears of earth shot toward the Cant’r Laht sorceress.
“Falan otha ye![3]” Twilight incanted, a shield springing up around her and stopping the spears, but she had to drop the royal carriage to do so.
She managed to throw the carriage away a bit, and only one wheel was dragged into the grasping earth. As the spears of earth continued to pound at her shield, Twilight scratched runes into the dirt in front of her.
“Ye seni cavan’r seyat![4]” she yelled when it was complete, and a hundred magical arrows shot toward Penbrook, who conjured her own shield to absorb them, “Eren’r torrisal![5]”
Spears of earth sprang up around Penbrook but didn’t attack her. Instead, they formed a dome over her, shield and all, encasing her in a prison of soil. While the other sorceress was trapped, Twilight Sparkle took the opportunity to cast protective spells over the royal carriage.
“Why are you protecting them?” Penbrook demanded as she broke free from her prison quicker than Twilight had expected, “What do you have to gain? Surely you don’t want a united Fillidelfiyaa and Manehattan under the rule of Hadish’s son!”
“No, but this is not the right way to go about it!” Twilight shouted back as more earthen spears broke against her shield, “Killing them in cold blood through treachery will cause more harm than good!”
“Obviously your teacher has not passed on everything to you!” Penbrook yelled as she dodged the flying branches Twilight had drawn from the nearby trees, “Celestia’s hooves are bathed in the blood of thousands, if not millions, yet she sheds no tears over them! They were a necessary loss, just like the mages she had executed in the Cant’r Laht Commons mere weeks ago after you provided her with their names! I learned from my master long ago that what matters is the end result; the means are inconsequential!”
Do I really disagree with her? Everypony knows the rumors about Celestia, but nopony says anything. Sometimes hard decisions are called for, but no, this isn’t one of those times. The mages of the New Cabal were traitors who intended to kill Celestia and seize power for themselves. Penbrook is a traitor, and maybe she’s right about ends justifying means; the death of Robar and Persimmonne would definitely serve a noble end, but it is not justified by these means. If they die, then Gavron would be the next king, and his rule would be contested. He might never truly rule, instead being controlled by nobles and the likes of Penbrook. That is why she cannot be allowed to succeed; because other motives drive her to this, and because the means sometimes do matter just as much as the ends.
“Judd Caradain’r ossi, soretta eri reacetei![6]” Twilight Sparkle incanted, testing out a new spell she’d come up with since learning of the otherworldly powers she and her friends possessed.
Intense cold was drawn to Penbrook’s staff, coating it in ice in seconds. The sorceress’s robes protected her from it, but she still felt it through the cloth, and knew Twilight was attacking her weapon. Penbrook spun the staff around before striking the ground with it to cast her spell. As Twilight had hoped, the staff was hollow, and the intense cold had made it so brittle that it snapped upon impacting the ground. Penbrook pitched forward as the staff unexpectedly broke, the magic emanating from it stunning her momentarily.
“Mrinessen’r torrisal![7]” Twilight Sparkle yelled before she could recover, encasing Penbrook in ice.
“Look out!” Rainbow Dash yelled in warning, and Twilight teleported out of the way as the golem crashed into the ground where she’d been standing.
It had taken substantial damage from Rainbow’s attacks while Twilight had been dealing with her fellow sorceress, but it was unable to feel pain like an actual pony and rose effortlessly back to its hooves. The Hunter threw a bomb at one of its forelegs, trapping it in place momentarily. She swooped in at the golem’s head, kicking its mouth open, the jaw already weakened by earlier attacks. A small scrap of parchment was revealed in the back of its mouth, and Rainbow Dash struck at it with her sword. As it was cut apart, the golem ceased its motion and turned to dust a second later.
“Is that the last of them now?” Rainbow Dash asked as she drifted down to land next to Twilight.
“It certainly should be,” the sorceress replied as the guards began to tentatively approach, and she reached out with her magic to confirm that no other surprises were waiting around.
“Now what?” the Hunter asked, speaking the question on Twilight’s mind as well, and she looked over at the nearby frozen sorceress, who apparently had no way to break free of her prison other than waiting for it to melt.
***
“Take her away,” King Alhert ordered angrily, and the royal guards marched Penbrook off to the Sea Keep’s dungeons, “Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, you have my profound gratitude for bringing this traitor to me.”
Though it wasn’t easy, they’d managed to bring Penbrook back to Fillidelfiyaa. She had focused all her skill on learning to cast spells with the use of her staff, and without her magical implement, she wasn’t able to do much. Just to be safe, she was gagged before Twilight teleported her back to the city to join Rainbow Dash, who she’d sent ahead. By the time Twilight herself returned to Fillidelfiyaa, she was exhausted, and her magical reserves were nearly empty. Unfortunately, the night wasn’t over yet.
The sight of the sorceress and the Hunter bringing a restrained Penbrook to the Sea Keep caused quite a stir. Fortunately, the guards didn’t act on their assumptions of the worst and attack immediately, and Twilight was able to give them the letter Robar had penned explaining what had happened. The prince had inherited his father’s paranoia and distrust of sorceresses, and the events of that night hadn’t done anything to help it, but at least he’d recognized that Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash had saved the lives of him and his wife, so he was civil to them.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Twilight replied to Alhert’s congratulations, “She surely did not act alone in this plot.”
“Of course not, but the other perpetrators will be brought to justice as well. I assure you, she will tell all,” Alhert said while looking around at the nobles surrounding him.
No doubt, some of them had been involved in the assassination attempt and would be looking for a way out. A few of the more foolish ones might try to assassinate Alhert on the march north or try to “accidentally” kill him in the heat of battle, but he’d survived this long, and that was no accident. The wise ones would sacrifice themselves in the battle or win a heroic victory so that Alhert would not punish them as severely. Twilight looked to Massif, Penbrook’s mentor, who’d shown his student no mercy or compassion during Alhert’s questioning. The bearded stallion was surely in on it—Penbrook hadn’t had the skill to create that golem—and Twilight wondered what his response would be if and when he was found out.
She was also worried that this wouldn’t be the last attempt on Robar’s and Persimmonne’s lives. It was a troubling worry, especially since it wasn’t something she really should’ve cared about. Hardly anypony in Equestria would agree that it would be a good thing for the Kingdoms of Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa to be united under Hadish’s dynasty. She’d had the opportunity to prevent that outcome but had instead (at Rainbow’s insistence) saved the lives of the two ponies who’d ensure it. She still wasn’t entirely certain that she’d made the right decision, and feared she’d live to regret it.
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I have just barely started reading this and I am already addicted to it! I absolutely love the creativity and time that you put into this story. To be honest, I kind of wish I had thought of something as cool as this.
I'm looking forward to the future of this! I, for one, can't wait until the Wonderbolts Academy retelling. I really want to see how it works since they're Hunters instead of stunt flyers. Lightning Dust is sure to be interesting with her recklessness too.
Please keep writing! This is great!
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Thank you so much! I hope the story lives up to your expectations.