Time Bubbles

by Janicethelight

Chapter 32: War

Derpy bolted upright, sweat beading from her brow. Her breathing slowed steadily once she realized she was safe in a room with many other ponies. Topstitch looked to her quizzically, “Derpy, are you alright?”

“Yeah...yeah. Just another nightmare.”

“another? Darling, I know we went through A lot back there, but we're finally safe. There are no more need for nightmares.”

“They're getting worse...there are too many flashes and I can't anything…” she put a hoof to her head, “My head hurts.”

“Now now, darling, a nice cup of tea will perk you right up. Besides, today is the day that we see what the princesses will do to help the poor crystal ponies who couldn't escape. Perhaps once you hear how they plan on saving everypony, your nightmares will cease.”

“While I doubt that, it will be nice to get some good news for a change.”

“that's the spirit!” topstitch helped Derpy stand, and attempted not to wake the others. of course, with Derpy's four left hooves, a line of ponies were grumbling by the time they got to the door. Derpy blushed as the ponies rubbed their eyes, yawning.

“Um...sorry every pony.” There were the usual grumbles of the ponies that had risen to greet the day, starting a chain reaction that ended waking all the crystal ponies. As if in cue, a line of wait ponies greeted their chrystal guests with trays of food. Derpy had a moment of Deja vu as all the ponies dug into their meal, elated to not surviving on what they could as they had been for weeks. Derpy was distracted by the sweet aroma sh turned to see her favorite breakfast treat. Her stomach pleaded in a loud rumble. She consented To the hunger. The moment she tasted the moist bread, tears snuck out her eyes as memories flowed of sharing meals with the doctor and Sombra before everything went wrong. She looked down, Putting the muffin away.

“Are you not feeling hungry, Derpy dear?” Topstitch asked before seeing the tear crawling down her cheek, “darling, whatever is the matter?”

Derpy hadn't realized the tear escaped, and furiously rubbed it away. “wha-no...I mean. it just doesn't taste right. I think I'll eat something else instead.” She shrugged, going off the get a daisy sandwich instead. After breakfast, the group was called into the great hall before Derpy could go much further. Celestia awaited them next to a groggy, confused Luna.

“Thank you all for your patience!” Celestia projected, “We have thought long and hard all through the night about the best Course of action. We have decided to give every pony here temporary housing while helping Each of you find a permanent home. From this moment on any crystal pony who comes to Equestria will be treated as a citizen of Equestria.” as the crystal ponies erupted in cheers, stamping in excitement, Derpy's eye rested on the still confused Luna. It occurred to Derpy that Luna hadn't been asked about any of this for whatever reason. Celestia never looked toward her sister either. Derpy felt a knot tie in her stomach. Something didn't feel right. There was more for Celestia to say, and Derpy somehow knew she wouldn't like it. The crowd died down after a bit, and Celestia continued. “Unfortunately, We do not believe is in the best interest of Equestria to antagonize the Crystal Empire, and start a war.”

A sudden silence overcame the crowd. Derpy opened her mouth, but Rhodan spoke first, “With all due respect, your highnesses, This Isn't antagonization. Sombra has explicitly stated-”

“Sombra has not made any move against us.” Celestia interrupted, “If we Were to fight him before he made a move against Equestria, it would both go against our Treaty, but it would also paint Equestria In a bad light. With our country still recuperating from the Chaos of Discord, fighting without due cause would only prove to weaken the Equestria resolve.”

“I thought you said we would talk about this together.” Luna muttered. Though Derpy couldn't hear it, the anger and frustration was evident on Luna's face.

Celestia didn't reply to Luna. All eyes were concentrated on her now. “That being said, we will bolster our defences and expand our standing army, in case an attack happens. There are ways to make ready for a fight without being foolish about it.” for a split second, Derpy thought Celestia shot a look to Luna, but it was so quick that she couldn't be sure.

“But the longer you wait, the more Ponies are hurt by Sombra.” Derpy shouted, “and we don't know if waiting will make it harder to Get whatever is inside of Sombra out of him!”

“You dare Speak to your princess in such a tone?! Know your place, young pegasus.”

Derpy stepped back a moment, feeling as if slapped, but her thoughts went to the Doctor. What would he do? “My place...is beside my fellow ponies. My place is with those who welcomed me and my friend with open hooves! The crystal kingdom had a treaty with you, and I can only guess that it's a promise not to fight each other, but doesn't that also mean that you promised to help the nation in times of trouble?! I know I'm just a simple pegasus. But an amazing Earth pony taught me that everypony is important. And right now he's somewhere out there, most likely helping ponies. He's probably helped more ponies than you!”

“This was not an easy choice.”

“Uh-huh. I'm sure it's so hard to do nothing!”

“Watch your tone. I am your princess! You have no right-”

“I’m a citizen of Equestria! We have a duty to express our grievances and question rulings if we believe them to be wrong. Otherwise, you're no better than Sombra is now; a tyrant, not a leader!”

Celestia glared at Derpy, spreading her wings out, suddenly looking huge and terrifying, causing Derpy to cower down. “Guards. Take her to the dungeon!” Guards were around her immediately, projecting a barrier around her to prevent escape. They escorted her away from the group.

Once she was left in the dungeon, realization hit her. “I just talked back to princess Celestia. What was I thinking?” She sighed, ears drooped as she sat for minutes, hours...days. she began to wonder if she would ever be let out.

One night just as she drifted off to sleep, she was started by the unscheduled sounds of metal latches and squeaky hinges. The jailer walked up to her cell. Derpy glanced down confusedly at the few remaining crumbs on her plate. She’d already eaten. To what did she owe this unexpected visit? Princess Luna emerged from the shadows behind the jailer as he unlocked the cell and stepped to one side, opening the door. Derpy tilted her head. “What’s going on?”

“Follow me,” Luna said, bluntly, leading Derpy out of the castle and into the seclusion of the forest before speaking again. “You were right, gray mare.”

“Derpy.”

“Derpy.”

“Right about what? I defied you.”

“You defied my sister, not us. She said we would decide what to do together, but then never considered my input. She never asked my opinion about locking you away, or any other decision regarding our present situation.”

“I embarrassed her. I should have requested to speak about it in private.”

“Her decision affects all who were present, and what you did is what I should have done days ago. What you didn’t see is that after you were escorted out, the Crystal ponies began to protest. Most of them agreed with you, that the spirit of the treaty describes an alliance with the Kingdom, not just the King. There was a great commotion and Celestia was close to an outburst. Word of what is taking place has spread to the nearby towns and is causing civil unrest. Celestia finally calmed everypony by saying plans were in motion, but when i asked her anything about this plan, she kept procrastinating. She has assembled a fresh army of roughly ten-thousand Ponies, but it appears to be just for show, for today she admitted that she was never giving much serious consideration to making a move. I don’t understand why, but she has shown far too much hesitation regarding this matter and I’m tired of waiting. You are free to return to your home or to accompany me to the Crystal Kingdom. But since I know we both have a Pony there that we are concerned for, I suspect I already know what your decision will be.”

“I'll come. I have to find the Doctor.”

“You are a brave pony, young Derpy. Night is the best time for us to travel. It will draw the least attention.” No pony will notice us as long as the moon reigns in the sky…” Luna’s face grew solemn as she searched the stars for answers to questions only she knew, growing quiet for a time before she speaking again, “Equestria always sleeps through the beautiful night.”

Derpy looked up with her. As Derpy looked up to the velvet sky, and the glittering of stars that littered it, and the vivid bright moon that seemed much brighter than her time, she thought aloud, “It’s still weird to look up and not see the mare on the moon…”

“What do you speak of?”

“You know...the mark on the moon...looks like-”

“A… mark? On my gorgeous moon? I do not know what kind of fantasies and jokes ponies are thinking up before their nightly sleep, but I will thank you not to sully my moon again.” There was a pain in the words. Derpy’s ears drooped and she looked at the ground. She wasn’t sure why or how, but on some fundamental level she felt like she knew what Luna was feeling. Her gut told her not to press it further though and she simply bowed her head.

The two ponies traveled away from the Castle towards the train station through the forest that felt oddly familiar to her. Derpy yawned, unaccustomed to traveling at night. “Do we have a plan?”

“Not officially. However, if this Doctor of yours has seen what turned Sombra into this...thing, then we can use those means to undo what's been done...that is my only hope.”

“Right. Find the Doctor. Save The Crystal Kingdom. How are we going to get to him though?”

“We will decide that when we get there and assess the situation.”

Derpy spotted the train at the station. Steam hissed loudly from the locomotive, muffling out the sounds of many loud voices randomly yelling commands. Far more cars were linked together than during normal operations and the cars looked different from what she usually saw. “What is this?”

“I have commandeered a portion of the rail system . This train will get us near the Empire so we don’t have to walk the entire way there.”

The fields near the station of the future Ponyville were littered with soldiers, who were loading themselves and equipment onto the cars.

“The army is going with us?”

“Only half of it.”

“Does Celestia know about this?”

“No, and by the time she does, it will be too late for her to stop it.”

Luna led Derpy to the one remaining passenger car on the train, which appeared to be set up as a private royal chamber. “I know you were ready to sleep anyway, so rest here, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

Derpy let out one last yawn, laying her head down as she fell asleep. Luna watched out the window as the train began to move, pulling out of the station before slowly rushing toward the north. After a bit, Luna noticed the lonesome silence, as she did every night while ponies slept. Luna considered walking the length of the train, but there was little to be concerned with until they reached their destination. She sighed, staring out into the speeding landscapes, playing recent events over in her head for the thousandth time. She wasn't sure how long she had been staring before a yelp caused her to jump. She looked over to Derpy, flailing in her sleep. Concern filled the princess of the night. She lit up her horn, preparing to use one of her unique talents. She had to enter Derpy's dream.

She looked around until she found Derpy's dream. There seemed to be no light. She saw the pegasus running as a dark abyss swallowed up the world around her. Luna bit her lip. Usually, she would help the nightmare become more like a dream from afar, and only for young ponies. This nightmare seemed especially bad. She took a breath before jumping in, suddenly running next to Derpy. As she feared, there would be no hiding and helping from the sidelines in this dream. There were no sidelines in this dream. She looked to Derpy, who had noticed Luna.

“Oh sweet Celestia! Luna, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!”

“Derpy. You are merely dreaming. This isn't real.”

“It won't stop. The Doctor is gone. Everypony is gone. I just don't know what went wrong!”

“It will be alright. I shall put an end to this nightmare.” she turned, the abyss closing in. The summoned the light of the moon to her horn and then reflected it at her target. The abyss hit the magic energy, swallowing it up like it was nothing, and then reached out with a tendril that enveloped the moon until it was gone. Luna froze. This was not a normal dream. The abyss swallowed her a moment later. Swimming through the pitch, she lit her horn up, but it didn't help. There was nothing around that reflected any hint of the light; it only absorbed it. “Derpy?! Derpy where are you?” Luna heard a cry echoing through the darkness and she swam toward it, eventually finding a young Derpy there, crying. She had no cutie mark yet, and her eyes were both straight.. “Derpy?”

The young filly hugged her tightly, shaking in terror. “Don't let the bugs get me!”

“It will be alright, Derpy.”

“Derpy? My name is Ditzy. Ditzy Doo.”

“Ditzy… where are the bugs?”

“In the dark. They love the dark.”

As she said that, millions of yellow eyes flashed in the never ending void. Derpy, or rather Ditzy screamed, hiding behind Luna. Countless shadow creatures that resembled giant ants came around them. “What do they want, Ditzy?”

“I don't know. They just really like the crystal lines.”

Luna looked over and realized that they were in a cavern covered in rope-like crystals laid out in a zigzag pattern, and the black insects were crawling along them. The dream seemed to shift and suddenly Luna was in what on a normal day would have been the most idyllic of towns, but was now thrust into chaos; the creatures were everywhere and were attacking Ponies. Little Ditzy cowered by Luna as the bugs all noticed the two at once, crawling to them. They were swallowed up by a horde of the beasts. Luna felt claws scratching all around before she summoned a magical shield repelling the creatures away from them. She could see the cavern again, covered in crystal ropes. She followed the path of the ropes to a glowing structure where they all converged. It was so bright that it looked like a lightning bolt, frozen in time, shooting from the ground and then splitting into more and more branches above. The light from it pulsed as if it was breathing. The creatures were rushing towards it but Ditzy managed to lure them away. The dream shifted partially but now Luna could see two dreams happening in tandem, pieces of each overlapping the other. The imagery was so confusing that it gave her a headache just trying to make sense of it. Superimposed as if it was unconnected to everything else happening, Luna saw Derpy, the older one, falling through glowing portals, from one realm to another; each realm darker than the last. The abyss then consumed both Derpy, and the cavern with Ditzy. Darkness was everywhere again. Ditzy was there, weightless and seemingly unconscious, bathed in an odd golden light. Ditzy’s lips moved and spoke in a voice that was not her own. “I shall not watch my doctor suffer again.” She quickly grew to her present state. Derpy’s eyes opened, back to their usual state as well. The town that Luna didn’t recognize, mysteriously reappeared. Luna breathed a sigh of relief thinking that the odd nightmare was over when suddenly Derpy's Iris's filled with jet black. Some sort of portal was there, and within was a tunneling vortex. Derpy was drawn to it. Luna used her magic without thinking, trying to stop Derpy. Derpy was held back for a moment but then pressed on, even against Luna’s incredible magic. Every Fiber of her instinct told her to stop Derpy from touching that Portal. Even though she knew it wasn't real...it wasn't real. Luna summoned all of her power and blasted it at Derpy, who had already raised her hoof up, inches from the sinister portal. Luna willed her magical blast to exploding between Derpy and the gate.

Derpy and Luna both entered the waking world with a start. Derpy looked around, still panting. “What? Where? Huh?”

“All is well, young Derpy. The nightmare is over.”

“Nightmare?”

“Yes. I noticed that You were plagued by a nightmare. I tried to turn it to a pleasant dream. However, i could not change it. I have never encountered such a strong nightmare. It was the first time any creature has overpowered my magic.” Derpy blinked as she was magically lifted to Luna’s eyes. “Who or what are you really, Ditzy Doo?”

Derpy’s eyes widened. “How do you…?”

“You told me in your dreams as a filly.” Luna explained. “There was a town I didn’t recognize in it, yet the land seemed familiar; I could see Canterlot off in the distance. There were so many aspects of your nightmare that it is still hard for even me to understand all of it. However, I do know that the dream which you experienced is like nothing I have ever witnessed. For a time, you were having two dreams at the same time, and I was unable to gain control over any of it. Even I began to doubt that it was a dream, and that has never happened before. Tell me the truth. You are not from Equestria, are you?”

“What? No, I-” Derpy sighed. Sombra already knew, and may have tried to use it against the Doctor. It might be for the best for Luna to know too. “I am from Equestria...just not...now. The Doctor has this box, see...and it can travel anywhere, and any when. I’m...from the future.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, “Please, Ditzy, if you are going to tell me a lie, at least make it a believable one.”

“But it’s true!”

“Young Derpy, not even Starswirl the Bearded has mastered the magic needed to travel more than a few seconds back in time, and you expect me to believe that your Doctor, an Earth Pony, was able to pull off a spell that the most powerful unicorn in all of existence can’t do.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in. He says it’s not magic. It’s a machine, like this train. But far more difficult to make than any machine we have ever built. The Doctor… he isn’t from Equestria...he comes from some place far away. He came here by some miracle, and he saved me. He helped me when no pony else would. And he chose to let me stay with him. Even though I make mistakes, and mess up more than I help, he’s kept me as his friend.” Luna put her guard down at Derpy’s words and her face.

“You truly mean it. You and your doctor friend aren’t from this time.”

Derpy nodded, “We come from some time many moons from now. The land you saw that looked familiar... we were on that land when we boarded the train. One day it will be known as Ponyville. It's a wonderful town where Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies live together.”

“And in your time, I put some sort of...mark on my moon?”

“Oh. Right. Uh, I guess you must have.” Derpy couldn't quiet look Luna in the eyes. How could she tell Luna that she wasn't even known in the future?!

“Why would I do that?”

“I don't know.” Derpy admitted.

“Wait, if you are from the future. You must already know how we help Sombra.”

“Well...no. The truth is...I must have forgotten more than a few things in school, because I don't remember much about the Crystal Empire's history.” Derpy lied.

Luna gave a short sigh, “I suppose that doesn't surprise me. Pegusi have usually favored flying and sport over history and culture. I went to Cloudsdale to give them a history of the sky at night, and most of them were asleep before I finished.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I don't think it's that we don't like history. But maybe if you do something more hooves on then you can keep more attention.”

Luna looked down at her, “Hooves on, you say? Perhaps Starswirl would be interested in building a new observatory in Cloudsdale, even closer to the stars.”

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Derpy nodded. A question popped into her head a bit later, “Princess Luna, where is Starswirl? I didn't see him at the castle.”

“Starswirl and the other pillars of Equestria have been holding a meeting to think of ways to help Sombra. They have been as fruitless as my own venture. Your Doctor is truly my best hope.”

“And these pillars decided not to come?” Derpy wondered.

“They shall once they form a plan that is to Celestia's liking, I'm certain.”

“They don't care about your thoughts? Starswirl at least seemed like he might.”

“Starswirl is a genius unicorn, and one of the best scientific minds of our time. However, he has a hard time taking other ponies’ Feelings into account.”

“Oh. Yeah. I noticed that…”

“Indeed. And he believes that I’m too emotionally-involved to make a logical decision, which my sister is all-too-satisfied to agree with.”

“That's rude!”

Luna smiled despite herself. “And you are the pony who yelled at my sister in front of every pony.” causing Derpy to blush. Luna glanced out the window and noticed rays of sunlight on the horizon. Luna moved her beautiful moon to make way for the sun. “Morning already. It won’t be long before she knows something is ahoof. Hopefully it will be a while before she figures out what,” she sighed. They traveled through the morning which mostly consisted of Derpy trying to avoid questions about the future until Luna fell asleep. The train brakes squealed not long after, jolting the princess awake as she nearly slid off of the couch. “Are we there?” she asked.

“I’m not sure where we are. Maybe they saw the train wreck and stopped.”

“That’s not right, we were due to stop at the last town before heading into Crystal territory.”

There was an insistent knock on the door from an adjacent car.

“Enter,” Princess Luna said formally.

The door opened, revealing an officer in full armor. Luna scrambled off the couch . “General Hay Brands, what happened?”

The General bowed. “Princess Luna, my sincerest apologies for the sudden stop, but it couldn’t be avoided if were to have any chance remaining undetected, and I can’t make another choice with a clear conscience until you’ve seen this.” Luna and Derpy exchanged a look before rushing out to see what happened.

The General led them through the train and then up a stairwell to the roof of a train car. There was a moderate snowfall and light wind. The sky was dark even though it was morning. A thick forest lined both sides of the tracks, stretching forward and back as far as the eye could see. Luna’s ears drew her in the direction of dark smoke off in the distance. It was hard to hear over the wind, but the screaming voices of ponies were definitely there, accompanied by the use of spells and occasionally an explosion.

“Where are we?” Luna asked.

The General pointed to the smoke. “That’s Yetisburg, the last Equestrian settlement before the Crystal border. And unfortunately it appears we’re not the first to arrive.” The General held a spyglass to his eye and pointed it in the direction of the smoke.

“Are they… under attack?” Luna asked.

“I can’t make out much, but that smoke is from no accidental fire. And so close to the border, I can only assume this is the beginning of an invasion.”

“Do they know we’re here?”

“It’s impossible to be certain. I can’t see much of anything through this snow but the fighting isn’t over. The town is resisting, so there’s a good chance we haven’t been detected.

“And with no formal declaration of war, they’ll think they have the element of surprise and won’t be expecting a counter-attack.”

“Still, I don’t want to know what would have happened if we stopped at the station with this going on. It could have been disastrous, even if the rails haven’t been tampered with. But now, we have an opportunity--”

“To route the invasion before it starts. Yes,” Luna finished.

“With your permission, I wish to liberate this town. The only problem is, we can’t see what is really happening, so we can’t be completely certain this is a Crystal army. And there’s the high risk of civilian casualties.”

A hoof-full of platoons were already in front of the train, ready to move.

“Very well. We will take one regiment to the north side of the town and determine for certain what is going on. If it is indeed an attack, we will hit them. And I’m going with you.”

“Your Highness, I can’t allow that. To send a Princess into a possible battle?”

“Is it not my duty to maintain peace in our lands? And who are you to question my decision?”

“I’m sorry, but I have my orders.”

“Who’s orders?” Luna snapped, nearly screaming in Royal Canterlot voice.
The General lowered his head. “While this army was being assembled, one of Princess Celestia’s most critical directives was to keep you out of the fighting.”

Luna sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. “It’s alright, General Hay Brands, you did nothing wrong. But I have the same rank as Princess Celestia, and furthermore, I am here. She is not. And that means I am in charge. My sister’s concern is misplaced. She has always underestimated me, her meddling in my affairs is what created this situation in the first place. She thinks I need constant protection, and that is something that has to end!” Luna stomped her hoof on the roof of the train and for a brief moment, her eyes turned a luminous white.

A look of surprise came over the General. “Your Highness?”

Luna shut her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them, they were back to their usual mystical teal color. “It’s fine. I’ve simply grown tired of being treated like I can’t handle myself. We will not speak of this again. Henceforth, my decisions are to be treated as being equal to my sister’s. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly, clear, Your Highness,” General Hay Brands replied, feeling slightly nervous. “But might I ask why we should not advance as a single unit?”

“Because if the town is indeed being invaded, once I engage them from the north, you will have no problem flanking them from the south.”

“Hitting them from two opposing fronts. Aggressive. I like it.”

“We will take the one regiment north. The others will wait for thirty minutes, and then head to the southern edge of the town.”

“If the situation gets out of control, how will they know if you wish for them to push into the town?”

“You’ve never seen an Alicorn fight before.” Luna asked.

“No, Your Highness, I can’t say that I have. The last war Equestria faced was long before I was born.”

“If I fight them, they will most certainly know it is time to attack.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” He bowed again and then yelled orders into the air. “Second Regiment, form up East of the tracks, ready to move out in five! Princess Luna is in command! First and third, in front of the train in thirty!”

“Hey, what about me?” Derpy interrupted.

“Have you any experience?” Hay Brands asked.

“Well, I…” she wanted to tell him how she took down a weeping angel, but those words would mean nothing to him.

Luna interjected, “She has seen the Crystal Empire, she has seen more of what happened to King Sombra than I have, and she has visions of the future. In the absence of Starswirl, she is my personal spiritual advisor.”

“But if she were to--”

“Accommodate her,” Luna said. “There is just as much at stake for her as there is for me.”

“Very well,” the General said. “Miss…”

“Derpy.”

“Derpy, provisions are near the rear of the train. Go down, head back there. Somepony will fit you for armor.”

“Thank you,” Luna said.

“And the same goes for you,” the General said.

“What?”

“I won’t hold you back, but I’ll be damned if I don’t ensure that you’re as prepared as you can be.”

Luna smiled and nodded.

After what felt like a blur of nervousness, Derpy was trudging quietly through the snow-covered woods alongside a Princess and a General, both clad in armor. As the regiment passed on the east and then made a turn and slowly approached visual range of the edge of town, the voices became louder, but the sounds of fighting had mostly ceased.

“Pegusi!” cried the voice of a pony from within the town. General Hay Brands waved his hoof, ordering for all to kneel down. They watched through the dense trees, their Pegusi flying high above and a few desperate soldiers on the ground trying desperately to shoot them down. Derpy found herself behind her, the heavy armor she hadn’t had time to get used to already weighing her down. She joined in the back as requested by Hay Brands, who still worried for this pony who had obviously had some sense of formal training, but didn’t seem like she had been in a battle before.

The pegusi dispersed and flew just above the tree line before descending beyond sight. A few minutes later, the squadron leader arrived before the three and bowed. “General Hay Brands, Princess Luna, as we suspected, the town has been captured.” Derpy felt her heart sink. For a brief moment, she was glad the doctor wasn’t there...it would break his heart to know this happened.

“You’re wounded.” Hay Brands noted, looking at the arrow stuck in the wing of the Pegasus.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” He grabbed the arrow with his teeth and bit it in half, making it easy to pull out. Derpy shuddered, almost feeling the pain herself just from watching it.

More Pegusi approached from different directions and one of them said, “The remaining citizens are being rounded up and chained. They could just be prisoners but if I didn’t know any better, I would think they were going to be used as slaves.”

“Were any of our ponies harmed?” Luna asked.

“I saw some laying, unmoving. No way to be sure if they’re alive,” another Pegusus said.

“Were there Crystal soldiers?”

“They’re definitely from the Crystal Empire,” the squadron leader said. Derpy was both unsurprised and disheartened by the news. The poor crystal ponies...what happened to them?!

Luna and Hay Brands looked at each other.

“How many?” Hay Brands asked.

“Three or four regiments I would say.”

“They might have us outnumbered,” Hay Brands said.

“Numerically, yes. But we have Unicorns and Pegusi. Our plan will also help even the odds if it comes to that.”

“That’s true, but their equipment is much more advan--”

“And have you forgotten you have me as well?” Luna said, slightly annoyed.

Hay Brands sighed.

“Let us approach them,” Luna said.

“But what about.” Derpy started before they left, “The town ponies?” She finished to no one save a few pegasi around her gearing up for the attack. Determination set in her. She had to save as many ponies as she could!

The army silently moved through the trees to the edge of the town. It was relatively small, with probably no more than one hundred homes, all made from the logs of the evergreen trees. Crystal soldiers were moving about. One of them was driving a group of Ponies in chains. Others looked to be searching houses for supplies or Ponies who might be hiding. A random crystal soldier paused and looked in the direction of the countless eyes peering from within the forest. He didn’t seem to know whether to fight, flee, or scream. He stood there, frozen.

“Let me try to resolve this before it gets any worse,” Luna said. Good. Maybe I don’t have to worry about more innocent ponies getting hurt. Princess Luna is amazing. Derpy mused with astonishment.

“But Princess--”

Luna was already walking from the cover of the forest towards the frightened soldier. A few others saw what was happening and called for defense.

Sensing things could spiral out of control at any moment, Luna opted to use her Royal Canterlot voice, but not before speaking to the terrified soldier before her, who clearly was only slightly older than a foal. “I don’t want to hurt anypony. Go on.” She motioned him to back off, which he did, still nervously trying to keep his spear aimed at her as he stumbled away backwards. Poor filly...was he forced to go into battle? It’s worse than I thought. Derpy sighed before a sickening thought went into her head, The Doctor could be here somewhere...forced to fight as well, No. No. He would find a way out of that...I’m sure of it. And even not, he would want the ponies to be safe. She believed in Princess Luna. If any pony could help the Crystal Empire come to its senses, it was the princess of the night.

Then Luna’s voice resounded throughout the town. “I am Princess Luna of Equestria, ruler of the night. I know what has happened here. These lands are under my protection! What is the meaning of this intrusion?! I demand to speak to whoever is in charge, in the hopes that we may end this without any further violence!”

The crystal soldiers were forming a battle line pointed towards Luna. Javeliners and archers were ready to strike at a moment’s notice. From the woods,the pegasi, Earth ponies and unicorns poised to defend their princess if need be. One officer ran in front of Luna and the Crystal batalion, and ordered for nopony to fire. He then turned and faced the Princess.

“Come forward. I will not harm you,” Luna said.

“Filthy Equestrian Ponies, surrender yourselves or be destroyed,” the officer yelled back.

“Why are you unwilling to even talk? I do not want war with you!”

“Do not try to fool us, we know of your plan to destroy the crystal heart to let the winter consume us. We will not negotiate with monsters such as yourselves! Surrender now and you will be allowed to live some semblance of a life. Refuse, and you will all die!”

“That’s not true!” Derpy’s murmured, knowing full well she wouldn’t be heard.

“This is your last chance!” Luna yelled.

“No, Princess. It is yours!” the officer replied. Derpy felt her heart break for both parties. She was really hoping things could go easy this once.

Luna sighed and lowered her head slightly. “Very well th--”

“Fire!” the officer screamed. The front line of crystal ponies ducked down, revealing a second line who already had their weapons trained on the Princess of Night. Luna’s eyes snapped open widely and her horn ignited a forcefield around her just in time to block a stream of arrows.

“Charge!” General Hay Brands yelled and Equestrian Ponies immediately rushed out of the forest. Derpy felt herself pushed forward before she could even react, flying a bit slower than the rest of the pegasi due to the taxing weight of the armor. c

The arrows still flying, Luna could do nothing but remain defensive, unable to fight back without a break in the barrage. She unfolded her wings and pushed skyward, giving her an opportunity to lower her shield and deliver a surge of silver magic right into the front line of the crystal army. The resulting blast sent the nearest soldiers flying and the others scattered to avoid taking damage.

“Hold the line, cowards!” the crystal officer screamed as Equestrian spears hurtled towards them, putting a considerable dent in the front line. Soldiers from the second line quickly stepped forward to fill in the gaps.

Two more crystal regiments began skirting the edge of the town from the west to flank the Equestrian forces from the right. From her vantage, Luna could see this clearly and called out a warning. Also seeing that they were outside the town, she sensed an opportunity to use her full might with minimal risk. She flew westward and climbed higher into the sky, ceasing her flapping as momentum carried her still higher. Her horn glowed brightly, a shimmering image of her cutie mark appeared in the sky momentarily just before she unleashed a blinding beam of white light at the forest where the other two regiments were. The resulting explosion was deafening. A white sphere of energy expanded outward with a shockwave that momentarily cleared the sky of any snow. Crystal Ponies were flung like ragdolls by the blast and Luna was certain she had reduced their numbers by at least a couple hundred. The attack had drained her more than she suspected though. Fighting in daylight with no sleep wasn’t easy for the Princess of Night, and she was forced to land within the relative safety of the woods behind her first regiment, which was now turning its right flank to prepare for the attack from the west. The regiment was in danger of being cornered now, but Luna was certain that her attack was enough to inform her other regiments to begin their attack from the south.

Derpy, on the other hoof, was trying to break in order to evacuate some ponies to safety while Luna had the Crystal ponies distracted, which seemed impossible with fights breaking out all around the wall eyed mare. The sudden explosion threw the mare from the shock wave that emanated from a powerful attack, throwing her into a building that immediately collapsed from being hit by her. She laid dazed in the ruble.

Pegusi were making repeated swooping attacks against the center of the main crystal regiment, causing confusion and chaos in the ranks. Unicorns were launching bursts of energy towards the front lines. Ponies were fighting hoof-to-hoof now and spears were clashing against one another.

Luna caught her breath and took to the air once again, flying over the main crystal regiment and spraying a beam of magic as she passed. Quickly she scanned the area for her remaining regiments and quickly found them. Diving down to ground level and hovering just above the commanding officer, she said, “Their backs are to you, straight ahead, a few hundred yards, charge them now,” she ordered.

“Yes, your highness!” he replied before ordering his troops into a full gallop.

Luna flew up high again and launched another burst into the main crystal regiment, then flying over to observe the flank. Equestria had successfully stalled the western advance of the crystal army. Looking down, she could see the line of the main crystal regiment was beginning to break. She spotted General Hay Brands picking off a stray crystal soldier with his sword and she flew down to meet him. Her second and third regiments hit the rear of the main crystal regiment just as she reached ground level.

“We’re doing well,” she said, noticing that the main crystal regiment was in full retreat towards the west, not keen on trying to stand their ground against an attack from two opposing directions.

“We’re not done yet, two of those regiments are still pretty healthy. We need to merge our regiments now and form a new line, and fast.”

“Stay on this, I’ll go tell your Lieutenant Colonel, and once we have the line we can--” Luna’s breath was taken out of her as she felt like she’d just been hit by a burning hot train. A beam of black and purple energy struck her out of nowhere, smashing her through the front of a nearby house.

Derpy shook her head, swooping out of the rubble to join back in the fight. She flew back in time to see an odd dark energy as she rejoined the second squadron.

“Luna!” Hay Brands cried out, quickly trying to determine the source of the attack.

Sombra’s champion leaped from a smoldering hole in the side of a house, glaring furiously. Hay Brands saw the aberration first, and tried to attack it with his spear. The champion easily grabbed the spear with its mouth and yanked it from Hay Brands’s teeth, nearly taking the General with it. It then spun around and bucked Hay Brands away. Other Equestrian soldiers had seen the beast now and tried to take it down. The champion powered up another spell and unleashed a beam of purple that knocked down a dozen ponies.

Luna staggered back out of the home she’d been shoved into, locking eyes on her attacker. Her eyes flashed white and she sent a beam into the ground beneath the Champion, knocking him into the air. The champion spread his wings to control his arc, and he turned straight towards Luna, who took off as well. The two flew straight at one another, both firing beams that exploded on contact with one another. They continued their flight and collided with each other, repeatedly swooping past again and again like some kind of aerial joust, neither able to gain an upper hoof. Luna then managed to buck the Champion so hard that it sent him crashing to the ground, sending up a cloud of snow all around. Luna tried to follow up with a magical blast but the Champion was already back up and flying towards her, and he dodged the attack easily, returning with one of his own that stunned Luna and sent her upwards into the clouds.

Sensing a lull in his fight, the Champion looked down at the battlefield and spotted the mostly fresh second and third regiments merging their line with the first. He powered up and sprayed a beam of energy from one end of the line to the other, taking down hundreds of ponies, caring nothing for the fact that he definitely hit some allies with the shot.

Derpy saw the purple shot, “Watch out!” she told every pony she could, willing herself to fly up as the beam made contact. She felt herself thrown once more tumbling in the air, her world seeming to go quiet. The muffled sounds barely filled her ears as she landed in the snow. She staggered, lifting her head up to see the indentation on the ground right above where she was stationed at. This was different from the slight shock wave. Her entire body felt shaky. No pony was in that area. Did they all get thrown like she did or...was she the only one who lived through it? Was all of this really happening? It no longer felt real to Derpy as she lifted her head up, trying to ignore the constant ringing in her ears. She couldn’t feel any pain, so that had to mean she was okay, right? Right? And that meant the other ponies could be okay too...right? Crystal ponies were attacking from the ground, trying to finish any pony that had managed to survive the attack. One found Derpy. Her eyes went wide as it charged before stopping dead in its tracks. It’s eyes grew wide and it ran off in the opposite direction. Confused, Derpy looked back to see the impact she had made. There was a crater behind her that she hadn’t noticed before. For once, she was glad for her odd destructive nature.

A ball of light smacked the Champion from above, stunning him. Luna dove straight at him and slammed into him with her forehooves. She flapped her wings ever harder, accelerating towards the ground, only pulling up at the last moment, just enough to stop her descent and then drop, putting all her weight on the champion, who was clearly dazed now. She raised her forehooves high, her eyes and horn both glowing a blinding white, and she brought her hooves down, holding the champion fast to the ground and unleashing a focused concentrated beam on him.

The champion screamed in pain as his armor began to heat up. Luna’s light faded for a moment and then she grunted loudly, forcing more power into the attack. She began to scream as the beam of her attack became ever brighter. The champion’s armor was beginning to smoke as he cried out, begging for mercy. Luna ignored his plea and kept firing until the Champion ignited into flames inside his armor which was now glowing red. Luna quickly leaped back, and fell onto her side. Her forehooves were smoking and looked burned. The glow of Luna’s eyes was gone and as her adrenaline wore off, the pain in her hooves and the overall beating she had taken, started to become apparent to her. She saw a small snowbank near her and shoved her forehooves into the snow, wincing from the pain as she did. Then slowly she tried to get up, only to fall again.

Derpy stopped, horror plastered on her face. She couldn’t see exactly what was making the blinding light, but she and the rest of the town could hear the unmistakable screams of agony that ended in an eerie silence on her end. She pushed through until she saw Luna on the ground. Derpy ran up to Luna looking very concerned. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t know. It hurts to move. I can’t put any weight on my forehooves.”

A medic ran to her and put a burn cream on her hooves before bandaging them. “Rest here for a moment, the pain will begin to subside.”

The defeat of the champion had broken the morale of the crystal army and they were now in full retreat, running towards Crystal Empire territory.

In the aftermath of the battle the army of Equestria regrouped in the town, and then went to the painful tasks of counting the dead, tending to the wounded, and freeing and aiding the villagers.

Luna slowly stood up again. Her hooves still hurt, but it wasn’t as bad now that she couldn’t walk on them. Still, she quite clearly didn’t want to put weight on them, and numerous muscles all over her were aching. Derpy slowly began to notice a dull pain all over her body. Her wings hurt more than anything, and she didn’t really want to know how bad she looked. One thing was certain. She wouldn’t be flying any time soon.

General Hay Brands approached Luna, his neck wrapped in a bandage that was stained with blood. “Your Highness, you will be pleased to know that the battle was a success. The invasion has been stopped and the crystal army has been routed. They’re running back to the Empire with their tails between their legs.

“Good work, General.” Luna said. “And how are we doing?”

“Well, we’re still counting, but I estimate that--”

The Lieutenant Colonel ran up to Luna and the General at that moment. “Your Highness! General! I have some surprising news. We have--”

“What have you done, Luna?!” Celestia yelled from off in the distance, with a solid battle line of ponies behind her.

“Oh no…” Derpy murmured before she could help herself.

Luna looked extremely annoyed and groaned, limping to face her sister. “Doing what you should have been doing.”

“Do you realize how big of a mess you may have created? You may have started a war that I cannot undo!” Celestia said, walking forward.

“I just repelled an invasion, Tia!” Luna retorted angrily as she walked towards her sister. “They were on our land, they had taken over a town! We were already at war whether you say so or not!”

“And what of the numbers?” Celestia looked to the General. “How many did they lose? How many did we lose?” Celestia asked.

“At best current guess, 20% on their side, 40% on ours,” Hay Brands replied.

Celestia shook her head. “Foolish, sister. What were you thinking?!”

“You weren’t here! You didn’t even see what happened. There was this creature--”

“I don’t want to hear about it,” Celestia said.

“Your Highness,” General Hay Brands interrupted. “It’s true. There was some kind of a monstrous crystal soldier, and I’m sure no such thing existed before. I don’t know how it came into being, but--”

“And this is why we don’t do anything without getting all the information we can first. This could have been avoided.”

“You really expect me to believe that you were ever planning on making a move? You told me as much that you had no such intention. The Empire would have taken over half of Equestria before you even batted an ey--”

“That’s enough, sister! Now that I’m here, I will see if I can salvage this mess.” She turned to hay Brands. “General, I have brought the rest of the army; there is a second train just behind yours. I want the entire army to be ready to travel within the hour.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Celestia turned back to face Luna. “And as for you, if I had a train to spare, I’d put you on it back for Canterlot right this instant. But as it stands that isn’t an option. But I wish-- just look at you. I want you nowhere near any of the fighting. You are to stay back where it is safe.”

“I am not a foal anymore!” Luna stomped her hooves into the ground, forgetting how much it would hurt, but ignoring it nonetheless. “I appreciate all that you did back then but this needs to stop now. I don’t need you to be my mother! I need a sister, and a sister that doesn’t treat me like I can’t make any of my own decisions!”

“Based on what has already taken place here, you obviously can’t. If I hadn’t come, who knows what kind of mess you would have gotten yourself into next!”

“Fine, if you can do everything so perfectly by yourself, maybe it would be better if I wasn’t around at all!” Luna turned and began storming away. “I’ll never be the Princess of the Moon to you, will I? All you see in the moon is a light that doesn’t shine as brightly as yours. Princess of the Lesser Light.”

“Luna, wait!” Celestia said.

“Just forget it.”

Celestia hung her head and sighed.

“That could have gone better,” General Hay Brands said quietly.

“How can I ever trust her when she does something like this?”

A group of the villagers approached Celestia then. “Your Highness?”

“Yes, what is it?” Celestia asked.

“If you are planning to make a move on the Empire, we are ready to fight.”

“Well I cannot promise that there will be any fighting. General, do you have enough resources?”

“After that battle, we have enough armor now that needs filling. I’m sure we can accomodate them.”

“There’s a catch,” the villager said.

“What is that?”

“Princess Luna came to help us. If she hadn’t shown up when she did, I don’t know what would have happened. We will only fight if she retains command of this half of the army.”

“I beg your pardon?” Celestia said.

“Those are our terms. I don’t know what is going on between the two of you, and really it’s none of my business, but this is the little we can give her for saving us from the crystal army.”

Celestia looked to General Hay Brands, who simply shrugged. “She did put up a good fight, Your Highness. She had a sound battle plan. We would have suffered less losses were it not for the abomination that attacked in the midst of everything. It was incredibly powerful, and almost like an Alicorn. Your sister gave it her all to defeat it.”
Celestia looked back and forth between the villagers and the General and finally sighed. “Very well. Luna will retain command of these three regiments. Get everyone back on the trains within an hour.”

“Luna! Luna!” Derpy called, sensing she needed some pony with her, “For what it’s worth...I think you did the best job you could. No pony could have predicted that...whatever that pony was.” She gave a smile, wondering lightly why the world seemed to be blurring. Her wings felt on fire. “Really. I mean it. You saved the lives of so many ponies, so just ignore what Celestia-” The blurr became worse as her head swam, a heavy dizziness encompassing, and Derpy fell. Luna gasped, catching the fainted pegasus with her magic.