Only One Speck of Dust

by TheMareWhoSaysNi

Chapter 23

Rainbow Dash was walking back and forth through the room, on the lift platform, right in front of the big blackboard. Her mane tied in a ponytail, she was clad in a beige shirt with a black tie, with black fitted pants, along with a flashed blazer. While speaking, she was shaking a rod in an energetic manner.

Sitting down at a table facing her, her whole Council was present, as well as Pinkie Pie. She had summoned them this afternoon before the training sessions in order to tell us about an important matter.

Caramel and Applejack looked at each other with a knowing look, and leaned over Soarin.

“Why is dat she’s wearin’ her Cavalry Trainin’ Academy uniform?”

Soarin shrugged. He had been the last one to arrive and did not know more than the others. Just because they were closer than before did not mean that she would let him know about each of her whims.

Rainbow Dash stopped in her speech, and made her rod crack against the table, making them all jump.

“Because it looks cool, ok?! I look more awesome than usually with it on. If that’s possible.”

They sighed. During a few days, they all thought they had lost her. Her behavior was a bit different, probably because she had been more shaken by the latest events than she let them know. It was pleasant to notice that they had found her old good self back. Both pleasant and irritating. But at least, it was something stable, a little cozy comfort zone, and they all liked it best. As long as she did not do too much.

She started to walk back in the same manner, still shaking her rod, and once the surprise of her get-up was over, they each did their best to stay focused. If she had summoned them here, it was undoubtedly because something important had to be said.

It had been almost two months now that the Unavowed Army had not shown signs of existence. This had been too long. They all were convinced they would strike back, and the more the wait until the next attack was starting to be long; the more stress was increasing within The Militia, no matter the teams.

“Twilight told me they were planning something huge inside their kind of castle so-called Headquarter but she had not been told what it was. It means we have to expect this huge something to hit us any time soon… Yes, Pinkie?”, she said in a blasé tone seeing the mare lifting her hoof high.

“Why can’t we instead go in their kind of castle so-called Headquarter to arrest them?”

“Because the Cavalry’s the only one empowered to do that.”

She was still shaking her rod, with more energy at each words that she spoke.

“And it would mean less protection for the Princesses, and that’s precisely what they want! Ouch!”

None could help but laugh seeing Rainbow Dash falling into her own trap. A thin red trace thick as her rod now appeared above and under her eyelids.

If she had asked them to gather, it was to talk to them about some very serious topics. So the whole thing would look more solemn, she had decided on that little dramatization, but obviously, the finale show was more comical than what she had in mind. It made her think of those sappy novels Melrose was fond of, and that, although trying to locate their stories in dark and mysterious universes, always had a laughable result – not on purpose.

She gave up on her rod, cleared her throat, and with a few strikes of her hips, brought the blackboard she had prepared in front of her friends. There was a map of Ponyville pinned on it, or more exactly the Great Weaver area with a particular spot circled in red.

“Is that… the Royal Tavern and Inn?”, Caramel asked, now serious.

“Yes. As you all know, next week we’ll be celebrating my parents’ wedding anniversary. It’s going to be their silver wedding anniversary, and it’s something like very important. What again, Pinkie?”

Once again, she had lifted her hoof above her head, willing to ask a question.

“How many years of marriage are a silver wedding anniversary?”

“Twenty-five. But that’s not what really matters… Question. If you were Prince Blueblood, when would you attack your enemy?”

“When they more vulnerable?”

“When he’s not expecting it?”

“In presence of the loving ones?”

“When there would be cakes to eat?”

“You’re all right. Except maybe for the cakes… Although there will be a cake, but well! This means we have to expect them to make their huge something next week. We have to be prepared for it at any cost. So, next week, under our alluring clothes, we’ll all have to be armed, and we’ll have to train like before each of our watch, if not harder. Everything could be decided on that special night.”

Her eyes met Soarin’s, who immediately understood that, scared or not, he would not have the choice on whether to come or not to this family reunion. However, the fact that she had insisted that she really wanted to have him by her side remedied the bittersweet assessment.

They all knew the date was important to Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter. It was not any wedding anniversary they were about to celebrate…

Their marriage had occurred in the middle of the Fratricide War, and Longreen had married them in a half-destroyed temple, between two ambushes, with no real ceremony and no other witnesses than him, Melrose and a very young Big Macintosh who was nothing a tiny newborn foal. It was a bit like a second wedding they were going to get.

To take into account that this second chance had the potential to be ruined hurt a lot but Rainbow Dash knew she could not neglect the probability. If something had to happen, she wanted it to occur with the least of damages.

“That’s why… I’m sorry, but Pinkie… You’ll have to be at your appointment in your guard tower. You’re a part of the family in our heart and it really hurts me that you won’t be here to celebrate this with us, especially since you’re really fond of parties…”

“Stop”, Pinkie Pie said, stretching her hoof in front of her. “I understand, Dashie. I love parties but I love you even more. And if somepony lash out at my family… I’M GOING TO BE REALLY ANGRY!”

Her sudden shout made Soarin jumped, since he has not yet seen Pinkie Pie’s darkest side, but no other companions of his table seemed to be startled. He even saw Big Macintosh saying is typical “eeyup”, as if it was indeed normal to see this pink endless energy abruptly shouting to her heart’s content.

Rainbow Dash walked to Pinkie Pie to hold her between her hooves. She might well not be a part of The Militia, without her, it would have been impossible for the mare pegasus to be able to do her watches, and even her Head duty, with peace of mind. Every night, Pinkie Pie sacrificed some of the things she liked the most in order to assure the safety of those who were the dearest in her heart.

The worse of it all was that she knew Pinkie Pie was committed in this because she held them close to her heart and that she regarded them as her real adoptive family, the one she never really knew since her parents and siblings had died during the Fratricide War.

“Well, em”, Rainbow Dash said, her cheeks pinkish and her eyes staring at the floor in embarrassment, before she got herself together.

“Because one’s never too cautious, I’m going to warn the substitute teams so that one or two of them could help us, just in case. Since this is about the Royal Tavern and Inn, it means there’s also a potential threat towards citizens. To finish, Twilight’s going to install a magnetic field around the Inn for the night. Only those authorized to enter through the magnetic field will be able to come and go. By the way, speaking of the devil… Where’s Twilight Sparkle?”

Rainbow Dash remembered perfectly she had given Ditzy Doo a missive asking to her presence to the unicorn. It was one of two things… Either Ditzy Doo was lost in the Everfree Forest, what she hoped not, either Twilight had just showed her she had been wrong to trust her. What she hoped not as well.

It was imperative that she would be with them. She was the only unicorn in all Ponyville able to install such a magnetic field. No other was as clever with magic as she was over here, and asking such a favor to Princess Celestia was a risk. And, the request had all the chance of the world not to reach her in time.

As if her ears have been burning, Twilight appeared on the doorstep. Though she had worn the same fancy clothes than during their dual, her appearance was more unkempt. Her clothes were flecked with brown stains, her horsehair tousled… She looked as if she had rolled herself into mud.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to talk to her in order to know what had happened to her, but a very crumpled sheet of paper appeared in front of her eyes, surrounded by a pinkish purple halo. With a red that seemed to be blood and stank, ‘death for traitors’ was written on it.

“Err… What is it?”, she asked with a disgusted smirk.

Twilight made the paper spin to the table, and sat on the first free chair she found, letting her chin fall against the wood.

“It’s a message I’ve found yesterday in my shack, that’s been entirely pillaged. I had to sleep in the woods, and I could’ve been eaten alive by timberwolves, or raped by criminals at least fifteen times! Sleeping in the Everfree Forest in the middle of the Ceaseless Night isn’t what I’ll called being pampered by luck’s Emgok.”

Most of the unicorns did not worship the Spider God. Their mythology, polytheist, was pulling horsehair complicated for the other races of ponies. Various deities called Emgoks watched over each elements of the universe, forming whole in the middle of which ponies were only a tiny part, one cog of a huge well-oiled mechanic. But it sometimes eased off a little…

They all understood what the message meant. Twilight’s cover was blown, and the Unavowed Army, knowing she had chosen the enemy faction, was going to make a prominent victim out of her. If they laid hooves on her, she would be showed as an example. Like Double Diamond, she would illustrate what it costed to tackle Prince Blueblood.

Fine. They had had Double Diamond. But they had had August Charmer. They showed what it costed to try to put The Militia down, and in particular, The Head’s Council. All square everywhere.

There was no way they would have Twilight Sparkle. She already had been the victim of the self-centeredness of a despotic pony, it was not to step into history repeating. By taking her as the Main Quartermaster, Rainbow Dash has accepted her as one of theirs.

“We won’t let them kill you. Trust me, they won’t have my Quartermaster. I really like her, but I like Spitfire even more when she’s only managing her Mare Combatant’s Guild. You’re going to settle yourself at the Royal Tavern and Inn. You’re be safe there. Is there anything you’d like to retrieve?”

“The little I got left, if that’s possible… If they haven’t come back to burn it all.”

“I can’t come with you, I have to see Master Crim… well, some pony. But someone’s from the Council is going to be with you.”

To go to Twilight’s shack in the Everfree Forest, and this as she was under a death threat, it was a perilous mission. Her love for each of the Council’s Members pushed Rainbow Dash to hope none of them would take such a risk. On the other hand, her devotion to duty dictated her that it was the best thing to do. They were the most qualified for such a mission, whoever would go.

“Ah can do it, if Twilight’s alright wit it”, Applejack declared while lifting her hoof.

They all turned around, surprised.

Twilight was the one who had brought Double Diamond’s mutilated body and they all knew how much guilt his death had made her feel. Of all the Head’s Council, she was the last one each of them would have thought about, supposing her extreme pride would push her to hold a strong grudge against the unicorn.

What they knew as well, was that Applejack was a pony with an iron will, a tower of strength. She more willingly shed tears in front of the others than Rainbow Dash but she was as strong physically and morally. As soon as her tears were soothed, she was able to throw herself body and soul in any kind of battles, pushed by rage and a will to live. Stronger than the need to survive.

Comments

[Dusk_Writer]

Why do I get the feeling they're gonna be ambushed?