23
23
Nightmare Night
Twilight looked over the stretch of land the Orduud army had come out of. It was a quagmire of the bizarre and pure destruction. Twilight and the other unicorns had unleashed a torrent of magical bolts into the sky, pegasi had blitzed through the air, and the earth ponies had fought with all their strength. Ultimately, though, there was no contest. The Orduud pushed the ponies back with their numbers, but in the space between the retreating ponies and the approaching Orduud, the Elements of Harmony and Discord had combined forces and unleashed the combined powers of friendship and chaos.
The result had been a kaleidoscopic wave of energy that transformed the landscape into some sort of warped reality. The sky rained chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds, but each drop stuck like tar on impact. Griffons and dragons plummeted from the skies as their wings grew heavy and stuck together, landing on the yaks below. Intense light of every hue imaginable had spread out in rainbows of power, knocking yaks from their hooves and blowing their herds backwards in tumbling masses. The ground beneath them transformed between liquid and solid intermittently, encasing dozens of the Orduud. Some managed to keep themselves from sinking, but their ranks had been thoroughly thinned.
Those still capable of fighting were shell-shocked, looking around at how they had fallen to so few in an instant. The ponies rallied and charged in, trouncing the last of the Orduud. It had taken only an hour. More time had been spent imprisoning the captured soldiers, rescuing those buried underground, and treating the seriously injured. After hours of such labor and ensuring the town’s security, the alicorn had returned to the battlefield to inspect the damage.
“It’s quite lovely,” Discord’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and saw him floating just above her. “I’ve created many kinds of landscapes as a being of chaos, but I’ve never had the ability to create such a thing with others. I never thought my first collaboration would be with the same Elements that saw me encased in stone.”
Twilight said nothing, turning her eyes back to the landscape. The Spirit of Chaos wasn’t wrong about the beauty. The ground was fluid, the grassy flooring rolling like waves, ponds of liquid chocolate pouring skyward like a lava lamp. Starlight glinted off of pink clouds, and everything was suffused with a multi-hued aura, like an insect’s wings or soap bubbles catching the light.
“Can you fix it?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he confessed, “but maybe not. I’ve never created something with others. I might not be able to return it to normal myself, and even if we worked together, there’s no guarantee it could be fixed,” he smirked, “Chaos magic is unpredictable.”
“That figures,” Twilight snorted, “Forget it, then.”
“Really?” Discord’s eyes widened, “You’d actually let my work stand in Equestria?”
“Just this once,” the Princess of Friendship smiled up at him, “You did help defend the town, and it’s a nice commemoration of the battle.”
Discord chuckled gleefully. Finally, the fuddy-duddy bookworm could appreciate true genius! His laughter died when he noticed her frowning.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, “Should I add some Prench fry wind chimes? It is a little dull without some kind of musical accompaniment, isn’t it?”
“It’s not that,” Twilight had to suppress the urge to laugh at the idea, forcing herself to be serious, “This can’t be it. There’s no way the Orduud only sent this many warriors this deep into Equestria… Either there’s a larger army preparing to attack us, or there’s another target…” she squinted, scanning the horizon, “There are fires in the distance, and a huge glow to the east…”
Discord was about to say something when he heard a bamf! above him. Looking up, he barely had time to move before a screaming Trixie fell past him and onto Twilight’s back. They both yelped at the impact, and the noise attracted most of the other Elements.
“What in tarnation?” Applejack asked as she approached with the others. Only Rainbow Dash was absent.
“Trixie?” the Princess of Friendship grunted from under the other mare, “What are you doing here? How did you get here? I thought you were in Canterlot!”
“Trixie teleported herself here to warn you…” the magician mumbled in pain, picking herself up from the pile and helping the alicorn up.
“Wait,” Twilight’s eyes widened, “you teleported all the way from Canterlot?”
“Sort of,” Trixie blushed, “She got angry and teleported her wagon into a tree just outside of the city, then teleported several times to get here.”
“That’s amazing!” Twilight giggled, bringing the magician in for a hug, “I’m so proud of you!”
Trixie’s face heated up and her mind went blank for a moment. The severity of the situation, however, caused her to put her desires aside for the moment.
“Listen, Twilight,” she said, pushing herself free, “I had to get here to warn you! There’s an army of yaks, griffons, and dragons attacking Canterlot as we speak! They’re coming from every direction, and Trixie fears that most of the city-states around us have been attacked!”
The others gasped at this information. All except Twilight. All this did was confirm her worst fears.
“Hopefully the Empresses can hold them off until we get there,” Rainbow Dash said as she arrived with Gilda in tow.
Trixie tensed at the approaching griffon, eyes wide in fear.
“Relax,” Gilda sighed, rolling her eyes, “Rainbow Dash already grilled me about this Orduud business, but I helped defend Ponyville and all the captured griffons are calling me a traitor.”
“Captured griffons?” Trixie raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, dear,” Rarity smiled proudly, “We defeated a mighty host of those hooligans and showed them what for!”
“Well, it was mostly out Element powers and Discord’s weird magic,” Pinkie Pie clarified, “but every pony – and donkey, and zebra, and Gilda – helped out, of course.”
“That’s amazing!” Trixie directed her gaze at Twilight rather than the others. Her expression fell when she remembered what Rainbow Dash said earlier, though. “I don’t think the Empresses will be of much use tonight… Luna has probably already entered the dream world, and Celestia has fallen asleep.”
“So?” Rainbow Dash laughed, “She can’t sleep through an invasion!”
“You’d be surprised…” Trixie murmured, “Celestia slept through the riots, and her policies… Trixie would rather not talk about it.”
“It will take us forever to get there, even with a train!” Applejack said, “Well, except for Rainbow Dash…”
“And don’t forget how quickly Trixie got here with her teleportation!” Pinkie noted.
“Discord, do you think you can teleport all of us there?” Fluttershy asked.
“Normally, yes, but I used a lot of my energy helping you defeat just one army!” the draconequues explained, “I could teleport us there, but after that I might not have enough energy to put up a good fight.”
“Even with your powers, this army will be difficult…” Trixie warned Twilight, “They have thousands attacking the city. Trixie thinks Cadance might help, though.”
“Is she in the city?” Twilight blinked. She rubbed her chin in thought. Cadance would surely wake Celestia, so that was already two alicorns. If they could get word to Luna, she could leave the world of dreams and help, too. “Trixie, how tired are you?”
“I can’t sleep at a time like this!” the unicorn gaped.
“I need you to warn Luna about all of this,” Twilight explained, “I’m going to put a sleep spell on you. Are you alright with that?”
“Only if it’s you,” Trixie tried to give an encouraging smirk despite being terrified. They were under attack, and Twilight wanted her to sleep?!
Twilight nodded once, part of her mind trying to see if that had been some double entendre while the majority of it focused on the spell. With a brief flash of purple magic, the blue unicorn fell asleep. Twilight caught her from falling and laid her down, gently. Smiling, the alicorn gingerly moved a lock of silver hair out of the other mare’s face, lost for a moment. Suddenly aware of everyone looking at her, she straightened up, blushing.
“Er… I guess we just wait,” the Princess cleared her throat.
As the seconds turned into minutes and tension grew, their cadre began dispersing to attend to other tasks to distract themselves from the unbearable suspense. Canterlot was very likely burning and they had no way to get there. Soon, only Twilight, Fluttershy, and Discord remained. The others needed to find something to work out their anxiety, but Twilight could not leave Trixie in her state. Discord was regenerating his energy, while Fluttershy stayed out of both the desire to be near Discord, and her nurturing nature wanting to ensure Trixie’s health.
“How will Luna be able to help us, exactly?” the pegasus asked at last.
“She has the ability to travel great distances through the world of dreams,” Twilight explained, “From my understanding of dream-walking, it is strenuous to do so without some sort of anchor.”
“Anchor?” Discord asked, resisting the urge to conjure a ship’s anchor. He had to conserve his energy!
“A fixed point that allows for an easier portal,” Twilight explained, “For instance, wherever Luna usually enters and exits her dreams is one. If we can manage an anchor here, then it should be easier for her to ferry us to Canterlot with her…”
She looked at Trixie, hoping that somehow the unicorn could act as an anchor. How was the magician doing in the world of dreams? Was she alright? The alicorn forced herself to remain calm and have faith that Trixie would succeed.
…
Trixie screamed as she descended through landscape after surreal landscape. They rushed by her at great speed, the thoughts and feelings of dreamers screaming into her mind as she plummeted through their most intimate fears and desires. Gruesome, horrifying nightmares flashed by her only to be replaced by kingdoms of such beauty and grace as to astonish, and back again. Mundane realities blended with unrealistic impossibilities that bent her mind, and all vanished with a blur as she continued her descent.
How do I move?! she screamed in her mind, How do I stop?!
Then, all at once, she was saved.
Trixie blinked. She was warm and felt a presence curled around her that promised security. Sunlight filtered in with birdsong from an open window in her wagon. No, not her wagon, she realized. It was larger, colored different. The magician noticed her form was much smaller, that she had become a filly once more. Startled, Trixie looked up and saw the figure embracing her was her mother.
Was this a dream or a memory?
“Perhaps a little of both,” her mother suggested, but it was not her mother’s voice. Slowly the form shifted into Luna. Trixie lost her foal-hood, and the wagon disappeared into the familiar landscape of the castle. “Why have you been sent into the realm of dreams so unprepared?”
“Un-unprepared?” Trixie repeated, blinking and looking around, “How could you tell Trixie was sent and not just asleep?”
“The world of dreams is like a night sky,” Luna explained, “Every dream is like a star, hanging in a void of darkness. If you had been dreaming, you would have simply been within a single star. Instead, I found you screaming through multiple stars like a comet.”
“I see,” the magician chuckled in embarrassment.
“There is no need to feel embarrassed,” Luna smiled affectionately, “It is actually quite impressive you did not go insane from the experience or get trapped in some pony else’s dream. I believe you might have a talent at dream-walking.”
“Is that… common?” Trixie frowned.
“For a pony to enter this realm without proper training is extremely dangerous, and to do so without even a concept of what to expect is even more so,” Luna said, evenly, “Your soul wanders these dreams – not merely your consciousness. If something should happen to you here, it will affect your very being. This is no more dangerous than living in the waking world, except that in this realm the impossible becomes possible. Any manner of dangerous things can happen here, all outside of your control.”
“The risk you take must be enormous,” Trixie gaped, “Your body and soul are here, night after night, entering ponies’ dreams!”
“There are dangers, yes,” Luna chuckled at the compliment, “but my talent ensures a mastery over dreams that keeps me safe from nearly all instances.”
“Nearly all?” the magician asked, raising an eyebrow. The Empress of Night looked away, crestfallen.
“There was a dream, once…” Luna muttered, “It wasn’t… natural. It had a sentience behind it, yet it flowed like any other dream. It whispered promises and made reality out of my wishes. In a moment of weakness, I allowed myself to be enraptured by that dream until it consumed me.”
“Nightmare Moon…” Trixie breathed out, eyes widening.
Luna only nodded. A somber moment passed before the alicorn smiled to lighten the tension.
“We’ve gotten off-track,” Luna said, “Why did you come here in such a reckless fashion? How did you manage it?”
“Twilight used a sleeping spell!” Trixie blurted, remembering the gravity of the situation, “Equestria is under attack! Canterlot is surrounded by a massive army of yaks, griffons, and dragons!”
“WHAT?!” Luna roared, rearing onto her hind-legs and flaring instantly with silver moonlight, “The cowards choose to strike at the heart of our lands while my sister rests and I am away?! They think the cover of night will shelter them, but night is mine to command!”
“T-Twilight needs your help,” the magician said, awed and terrified of the mare before her, “W-we need some pony to help transport us to Canterlot, to help defend it! With four alicorns, Discord, and the Elements of Harmony, there’s no way they can win!”
Luna calmed her fury into smoldering coals fit to burst aflame at the right opportunity. She nodded once to Trixie and harnessed the power of this night – the darkest of the cross-quarter nights, resting between the autumn and winter equinoxes. The new moon, too, helped lend some strength to her abilities, though it was the springy energy of youth rather than the raw potency she’d get from a full moon. Still, it would be difficult to open a physical portal away from her usual point of entry.
Her eyes drifted to Trixie and she felt an idea strike her.
“Your physical form is in Ponyville, yes?” the alicorn asked.
“Yes,” Trixie nodded once.
“I feel I must ask your permission before I do this, but I wish to give you a gift,” Luna explained, “a sort of marker, a magical spark from myself for you to carry. It will aid us in the creation of a portal without putting too much strain on myself.”
“A part of you?” the magician looked overawed, “inside me? That’s amazing! Does it give me cool powers, aside from the portal?”
“Now that you mention it, it should help you by acting as a reservoir for magic related to dreams, the night, and illusion,” the alicorn smiled despite the situation, pleased to have a pony so interested in this gift, “but there are other effects…”
“Such as?” Trixie frowned.
“When I originally imbued this blessing in subjects, it was given to pegasi who wished to serve in my Guard,” Luna explained, “They became the first thestrals, and passed the gift onto their offspring. I’ve created several more thestrals since my return, but I have never gifted this to unicorns or earth ponies. I do not know what kind of physical changes will happen, or even if it will improve your powers.”
Trixie looked conflicted for a moment before her features hardened in resolve. She stood taller, though Luna could feel the fear radiating through her.
“To save Equestria, I’ll do it,” the unicorn said. She smiled, then, a mixture of bleak resignation and forced confidence. “Make Trixie great and powerful.”
Luna gave an encouraging smile that didn’t reach her eyes, her horn lighting up with indigo magic. There was a flash of light…
…
Sweetie Belle ran through the streets of Canterlot, lost in the fear of the mob and unable to navigate. The socialites she had become friends with had abandoned her almost instantly once the attack had begun. The unicorn filly let loose a stream of colorful expletives that turned a few heads even as the ponies gawking tried to run for their lives.
Overhead a legion of griffons filled the sky, coming down in waves to pluck helpless ponies up and drop them from great heights. Twice the unicorn filly had teleported herself out of the way of screaming ponies slamming into the pavement like a morbid rainstorm. The buildings were being set alight by massive dragons, their fire illuminating the city in multi-colored flames. Through the press of panicked mares and stallions, Sweetie Belle could see the large, shaggy silhouettes of yaks, their forms obscured by the bright heat haze of the inferno taking the city. It was like something from a nightmare.
Sweetie looked up and saw Cadance holding back the griffons with an umbrella of pink magic, allowing ponies to flee towards the castle while Shining Armor tried and failed to rally the Imperial Guard. For whatever reason, the new stallions of the Guard ignored the unicorn’s orders with sneers and only focused on protecting the Princess and her daughter. If the filly could reach the protection of the shield…
She screamed as a massive scaled form barred her path. Falling back on her haunches and trying to cover herself with her forelegs, it took her a moment to realize the dragon was talking to her. Blinking, she looked up and recognized Spike with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom clinging to his spines.
“Sweetie Belle! Hop on! We need to get out of here!” the dragon was saying, cringing at the horrified screams the ponies around him gave as they ran past him. Perhaps it was a good thing the guards weren’t attacking; they would surely target him!
“Where could we go that’s safer than the castle?” she asked, hesitant to climb on his back.
“Out of the city, duh!” Scootaloo said.
“No way!” Apple Bloom argued, “We need to get to the Lunar Republic’s headquarters! The army is there!”
“Oh yeah, like those volunteers who have trained for two days can stand up to this,” Spike scoffed, “We’re getting out of the city. Your sisters will have my hide if I let anything happen to you girls!”
“Who put you in charge, you overgrown-” Apple Bloom began before the dragon reared up, suddenly. She yelped as she struggled to cling onto his spines.
Out of the sky another dragon descended, jaws open and aimed at the fleeing ponies. Spike opened his own jaws and the fillies shielded their eyes as a jet of green flame bellowed from his gullet in a stream of heat and light. The other dragon snapped her mouth shut, trying and failing to dodge the blast. She screamed in pain as the fire caught and hung onto her scales. Her flight stuttered as she shot skyward, spasms shaking her the whole way. She slammed through the cloud of griffons, and Spike’s green flame caught on them, spreading with every contact they made. Sometimes the flames guttered out quickly, but some plummeted to the ground, screaming as they burned, rolling in the streets to put the fire out.
The fillies gaped at Spike in a mixture of fear and awe, and the drake himself blinked in surprise at his power. He looked down at Sweetie Belle again, unsure what to say, but she only galloped around his hind-leg and hopped onto his back, joining Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Ponies made a wide berth as he ran away from the castle. They were almost out of the city, taking detours to get around the fighting and hordes of yaks, mostly unmolested as the griffons failed to realize the running dragon wasn’t on their side. Eventually they ran into a stretch of city where the Imperial Guard fought a losing battle against the Orduud army and blocking their escape.
“Dragon to our rear!” the officer managing the defense screamed. A line of guards in the rear of their formation began to turn, bearing spears.
“Wait, I’m on your side!” Spike held up his claws.
“It’s true! He’s trying to save us!” Sweetie Belle shouted over his shoulder.
“Lady Sweetie Belle?” the officer stayed the soldiers, but looked skeptical, “How do you know you can trust this… dragon,” Spike suppressed a snarl at the emphasis the officer had put on the word ‘dragon’ as if it were a curse, “For all you know, this beast is taking you to his own kind! What loyalty could he possibly hold for us?”
“Girls, get off my back,” the dragon said.
“Shouldn’t you be telling him that?” Scootaloo scowled at the stallion officer.
“Now, please,” Spike requested, soft yet firm.
The fillies hopped off his back. The officer watched the dragon warily as he approached the fight on all fours. The soldiers stepped out of his path, slowly, unsure of his intent, but with weapons poised. Finally, Spike jumped over the heads of the forward rank of soldiers, landing amidst startled yaks. He stood as tall as he could on his haunches and even his friends’ eyes widened, for they had never seen him at his maximum height. Without the buildings of Canterlot for comparison, Spike appeared as a tower ten times as tall as the largest yak. He opened his maw and gave a fearsome roar, unleashing a well of green flame into the sky that forced the griffons to part or suffer immolation. The battlefield stilled as all eyes were drawn to him.
“My fellow non-ponies!” the dragon greeted his kindred, “Stop this assault at once! Why are you attacking the city anyway?”
The Orduud soldiers looked at one another as if he had asked a trick question, but before any of them could answer, three dragons descended from the sky and approached Spike. He instantly recognized Garble and, much to his horror, the Dragon Lord’s staff clutched in the other dragon’s claws.
“Because I ordered them to!” Garble stated with a scoff. He held the staff up and sneered. “See this? I’m the Dragon Lord, now.”
“What happened to Ember?” Spike demanded, the fury and threat in his tone giving even Garble pause, “I swear, if you hurt her-”
“You’ll what?” Garble countered. He calmed slightly. “Relax, dweeb. She’s fine. She was too weak to lead, so we removed her from power. She’s with all the other losers, now.”
“So, not only have you attacked the ponies unprovoked, but you turned on your own kind, as well?” Spike didn’t bother to hide his disgust, “I thought your group was supposed to protect non-ponies, not make things worse!”
A few of the soldiers shared uneasy looks, remembering the recent schism in the Orduud all too well. The yaks, especially, grimaced at the betrayal of their prince.
“We are protecting them!” Garble shouted back, “We’re protecting them from the things that make them weak! From stupid pony ideas! They turned you into a weakling, and I refuse to see any other dragons brought so low!” Garble raised the staff, snarling as his eyes became reptilian slits, “I’ll turn you into a real dragon! You need to grow up and ditch these losers, and you’ll start with those stupid fillies! Roast them!”
Spike felt himself turning to face the Crusaders. He tensed all of his muscles and fought the command with every fiber of his being. Slowly, painfully slowly, his movements stilled. His body shook with the effort of resisting the command, and he found himself staring at the terrified fillies. The thought filled him with self-loathing – the idea that his closest friends secretly feared what he was and didn’t trust him.
He didn’t realize it, but they were terrified for him, not of him.
“What the heck?!” Garble snarled in a rage, “Roast them! Obey me, you stupid pony-lover!” slowly Spike began to move again, “Yes! That’s it!”
Only, the drake was turning away from the fillies. Garble blinked in shock, the reptilian quality leaving his eyes as fear overrode the darkness gripping his heart.
“No!” the older dragon roared, “No, no, no! There’s no way! You have to obey me!”
“I…” Spike strained against every muscle in his body, “I was… born under the eyes of the Princess of the Sun, raised by the Princess… of Friendship…” his control grew greater, his movements more fluid, “I saved an Empire and helped vanquish a King… I befriended the Changeling King before he was even a prince, and I am friend to the true Dragon Lord!”
Garble felt himself take a step back as Spike stood before him, only now realizing that the purple drake was far taller than him or his lackeys.
“I have spent my entire life surrounded by royalty and leaders worthy of respect,” Spike came face to face with the shorter dragon, smirking, “You. Are. No. Lord.”
Garble’s mouth worked furiously as he tried to come up with some retort, rage and fear bubbling over.
“You two!” he snapped to his dragon henchmen, “Kill him!”
The dragons moved to do so when a griffon soared out of the sky and threw himself between the two dragons.
“Stop this, Garble!” the griffon snapped, “Just let him and the fillies go! We don’t have time for this.”
“Who asked you?!” Garble snapped.
“We have to take the castle soon, or we’ve lost!” the griffon growled out, “Cadance is too weak to hold us all off, but if Celestia wakes up or Luna returns, we can’t win!”
“Yes we can!” Garble retorted, “I refuse to be beaten by pastel-colored weaklings!”
Spike turned around and started returning to Canterlot, the soldiers parting with less reluctance than before. The officer still eyed him warily, but said nothing as he reached the fillies.
“Wait! Get back here, whelp!” Garble snapped.
“What are you doing, Spike?!” the griffon demanded, earning a questioning glance from the dragon.
Spike turned his attention back to the fillies.
“Sorry, girls,” he chuckled, “but I can’t leave yet. I’m strong enough that I can actually help fight! I can’t run away while the city is under attack…”
“Well, shoot, if you ain’t running, then there ain’t no way I’m turning tail!” Apple Bloom stood tall.
“And that goes double for me!” Scootaloo grinned.
“You better believe I’m staying!” Sweetie Belle giggled, “They torched my sister’s boutique! It must be avenged!”
The dragon opened his mouth to argue, then sighed. He knew it would be pointless. He gestured to his back and the three hopped on, clinging to his spines as he ran back into town. He batted squadrons of yaks aside with his tail and filled the sky with green flame, sending dozens of griffons to the earth. By the time he reached the castle proper to join the resistance there, he was already tired from exertion. A mass of yaks, griffons, and dragons tore away at the ranks of pony soldiers standing before the castle. Spike barreled his way through the Orduud, making a show of his strength and tossing clusters of enemies vast distances away from the castle. Despite seeing this, many of the Imperial Guard leveled their spears as he approached.
“Wait!” Cadance called weakly, drawing eyes from the Guard. Her shield had been shattered and she was being shielded by Shining Armor and several volunteers from Luna’s militia willing to follow his orders where the Imperial Guard had simply ignored him. She managed to stand. “Let him in; he is on our side.”
The ponies reluctantly parted and the tired drake trudged into the mix of Lunar militia and Imperial Guard. They seemed to be making a last stand at the gates of the castle where, presumably, the civilians were taking shelter. Spike nodded a greeting to Night Bane as he passed, and was surprised to see Starlight near him.
“Starlight?” he shook his head, “What are you doing here? You’re a civilian!”
“I’m also the commander-in-chief of the Lunar Republican Army,” she smirked, “Look at you! Saving your filly-friend and two more fillies to boot! You must take after Twilight’s brother.”
“Oh, Apple Bloom and I broke up,” Spike said, nonchalantly, earning a death glare from the earth filly on his back.
“Oh?” Starlight beamed, sounding hopeful. She noticed Scootaloo scowling a challenge at her from the dragon’s back and her expression slackened. “Oh. Seriously? Another one?!”
“What?” the dragon asked, confused.
“Nothing,” Starlight tsked, “Now that you’re here, we should be able to hold out a little longer, but… I don’t know how long.”
“But, we have three alicorns here!” Sweetie pointed out.
“Cadance is exhausted,” Starlight explained, grimly, “She used up a lot of energy shielding ponies from the attack. Celestia is sleeping and these guards refuse to wake her, and Luna is in the dream world, unaware of what’s happening!”
“Isn’t there a way to go into the dream world and warn her?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I mean, I could cast a dream-walking sleep spell, but nobody here is trained in that kind of work,” Starlight grimaced, “It’s extremely dangerous to do it to anyone unprepared, and the chance of success is… limited.”
“Besides,” Cadance spoke up, “I’m afraid, even two alicorns might not be enough… The armies keep coming.”
“Not to mention the command structure here is seriously flawed…” Shining noted, “The Imperial Guard refuse to cooperate with the Republic soldiers, and they refuse to listen to me. They barely listen to Cadance!”
“I always thought the Royal Guard were competent?” Scootaloo tilted her head.
“The Royal Guard, yes,” Shining scowled, “but these tin soldiers aren’t the Royal Guard.”
“I don’t understand why Empress Celestia would fill her ranks with such arrogant and self-important snobs…” Night Bane muttered, “Practically the entire Guard has been filled either with snobbish elites or impressionable youths trying to imitate them.”
“What about Gutsy Gust?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I haven’t seen him in days,” Night Bane shrugged, “but he was never one to speak out of turn. He and I might have our differences, but I refuse to believe he’s turned into one of these… oh, here one comes, now.”
An Imperial officer approached, saluting the Princess and ignoring everyone else present.
“The vile non-ponies have broken through the outer defenses,” the officer explained, shortly, “an even larger force will be joining the assault on our current position momentarily.”
“Here we go again…” Cadance steadied herself.
Within minutes the new horde of Orduud warriors charged to join the force already assaulting the castle walls. This force filled the streets and sky, blotting out everything with their numbers. Their war cries carried on, one into another, to the point where the air vibrated with a sustained, deafening tone. Ponies took their stances, bracing spears and readying bows. The bright-eyed, volunteer militia-ponies already looked like grizzled veterans after a few hours of fighting. Spike joined them, as did Starlight, Shining Armor, and Night Bane. Garble was in the mass of attackers, glaring hatred at his enemies. With a dismissive wave of his claw he signaled the assault.
The screams grew to a new height of intensity and the ponies tensed in anxiety. This was it. This was where they would fall, and with them all of Equestria and pony-kind would be subjected to the cruel whims of a war band driven mad by greed and hate. The realization crept into the souls of even the most condescending Imperial and optimistic Republican. Dreams of hegemony, dominance, liberty, equality – all became ash on their tongues. There was nothing left but to show bitter defiance until the end.
Then the air between the armies flared with silver light. It was soft, yet intense, but not so much as to blind. From a rip of black and indigo, 8 mares – one taller than the others – a griffon, and an amalgamation of creatures appeared. The assaulting force halted as six of the mares ascended into the sky, golden jewelry decorating their colorful bodies. The Orduud grew silent, too shocked to reconcile how quickly the tables had turned. The world exploded with multi-colored light as the Elements of Harmony unleashed their combined magic upon the hateful horde.
A bubble spread outward, pushing the yaks to the ground, the griffons from the sky, and tossing dragons aside as though they were ragdolls. It struck with such force that hundreds of warriors could not get back up, many simply groaning where they lay. Then the Elements were back on terra firma, galloping into the broken army – six against thousands – without even considering the risk to themselves. In sequence, Luna, Spike, Starlight, the Crusaders, the militia, and the Guard joined them.
The Empress of the Night ascended into the heavens, calling on powers of the night to her command, bringing darkness down upon her terrified enemies. It was Nightmare Night, and she played her part as its patron. A wrathful, righteous angel of the night, she cleared the sky with baleful shadow, and tore into the ranks on the ground with burning starlight. The Orduud quickly grew more terrified of her than they had been of the Elements of Harmony.
Then there was Discord.
The draconequues warped reality with every step, turning griffon weapons into binding serpents, the ground beneath yaks hooves into quicksand, and the fire of dragons into harmless bubbles. His silly antics seemed harmless enough compared to the damage meted out by the others, but his ability to make the Orduud powerless instilled a helpless fear within the hearts and minds of the warriors. Despite his whimsy and the lightheartedness of his attacks, Discord seeded dread and a sense of worthlessness in his opponents, lowering them to the status of an insect before a god.
Garble readied himself to belch flame on Starlight who was leading the Lunar militia from the front. As he opened his gullet, he heard a hiss and saw a flash of blue and silver strike him in chin, making him swallow his fire. Coughing, he looked at the strangest unicorn he had ever laid eyes on: a blue mare with a silver mane, smirking with too-large-canines in her mouth, and tufts of fur on her oddly-shaped ears. For a moment, he mistook her for a thestral until he saw her horn.
“I don’t know much about ponies,” he said, rubbing his bruised chin, “but I can tell you’re some kinda freak.”
Trixie grimaced but relaxed when Starlight joined her.
“You two girls think you can take me?” Garble snorted, “I’m the Dragon Lord!”
As he held the staff high, Trixie’s horn glowed. The staff turned into the largest serpent they had ever seen, trying to wrap itself around the dragon’s arm and sink its fangs into his scaly hide. Giving a shrill scream, Garble tossed it aside, shaking his head when he saw it turn back to the staff. Before he could reach for it, it disappeared beneath the milling herd of ponies and yaks fighting in the streets, lost from sight. He turned back towards the two unicorns, growling in rage at Trixie’s smug grin.
“You think you can trick me, you little worm?” Garble seethed.
“Well, illusion magic does work best on the weak-minded,” Starlight noted, smirking.
“I’ll kill you!” Garble’s eyes turned into slits again, fire coming up from his throat. A griffon descended from the sky and shielded the ponies. Once more, Garble turned his head skyward and let loose with his flame. He looked down, stunned. “Gabby?! What the- I thought you were back in Griffonstone?! What the heck are you doing here, trying to get roasted again?!”
Gabby shifted form into Pharynx and the dragon grimaced.
“Dude, that’s creepy,” he said, “Why were you pretending to be Gabby?”
“I noticed you tried not to kill her,” Pharynx explained, “so I had a hunch you wouldn’t fire on me if I looked like her.”
“I-I totally would have,” Garble avoided eye-contact, “Why are you protecting these two, anyway?”
“Because we’re his friends,” Trixie said.
“Pharynx, what the hay are you doing fighting with the Orduud?” Starlight was horrified, “I thought the Changelings were neutral!”
“We are!” the Changeling King said, then frowned, “I mean, Thorax and the others are, I…”
“You betrayed your fellow changelings?” Trixie asked.
“No!” Pharynx seemed horrified, “I-I was trying to help them! I-”
“Look!” one of the Imperial officers shouted, drawing eyes, “A changeling is working with the Orduud!”
“That’s the Changeling King!” a soldier said.
“They’ve betrayed us!” another voice joined in.
“So much for keeping your dweeby brother out of this,” Garble muttered.
“No!” Pharynx took a step forward, flinching back as an arrow nearly shot his hoof, “I-I swear, the hive had nothing to do with this!”
“Hold on!” Starlight ordered, her rank assuring that the militia-ponies would stop firing. They, in-turn, kept the Imperial Guard from attacking, though neither faction was too happy with such restraint.
“It’s too late!” a griffon officer pointed out the pacifist dragons Garble had enthralled flying away, free from his control, “We’re losing warriors, and there’s no way we can stand against these champions!”
“Don’t be such a wuss!” Garble snapped, but the griffon didn’t even flinch; instead, he sneered. “Show me some respect!”
“When you are worthy of it, perhaps,” the griffon muttered. He turned his attention to Starlight and Trixie, “I’m withdrawing the griffons from this fight. The yaks will, likely, follow suit. Garble, however, is the Lord of the Dragons. Do I have your word you will not run us down?”
“My word?” the pink unicorn gaped.
“You are the commander-in-chief of the Lunar Republic, yes?” the griffon tilted his head, “That is what our intelligence led us to believe.”
“I am, but most of the soldiers here aren’t under my command…” Starlight explained, weakly.
“You’re running away?!” Garble was outraged, “Just like that?!”
“Look around you, oaf!” the griffon snapped, “Your control over the dragons is gone, half of our attacking force has broken – either their resolve, or their bodies! – and I will not be responsible for any more casualties! Ember and Rutherford were right; this was a mistake!”
Garble snapped his jaws shut, sulking. Pharynx was still horrified at how his actions now implicated his people in the invasion. The griffon returned his attention to Starlight after surveying their continuing defeat.
“I beg you to show restraint,” he pleaded, “We can discuss the terms of surrender later, but allow us the time and space to escape!”
“I… suppose…” Starlight looked conflicted. She didn’t like the idea of giving the invaders the opportunity to flee and regroup, or to escape punishment. She didn’t like the idea of letting them be run down and destroyed, either. Perhaps it had all been a mistake by their leaders?
“I will remember this,” the griffon bowed his head, “If you are ever in Griffonstone, ask for me. My name is Gustav.”
“Just don’t go too far,” Starlight said, “we still need to discuss terms of surrender.”
“Agreed,” the griffon looked at the horizon, “We shall retire a mile outside the city’s walls. If we stray further, then your forces can still catch up, especially with us slowed by our wounded. Is this fair?”
“What about the other Orduud armies?” Trixie demanded.
“Ah, yes… those…” Gustav sighed, “I have no means of contacting them… They do not have orders to come here, though; they are to stay in the territories they’ve liber- I mean, conquered.”
“Then I can’t vouch for their safety,” Starlight’s face was as unrelenting as stone.
“I understand…” Gustav bowed again, “I can have my forces pull back within the hour. Garble? Will you do the same with the dragons and help me convince the yaks?”
The dragon grumbled something that was close enough to an affirmative.
The two flew off, a distracted Pharynx following close behind. The soldiers jumped forward, outraged, both Republican and Imperial.
“You’re letting them go?!” one Imperial demanded.
“They are retreating,” Starlight explained, “With my authority as the President of the Lunar Republic, I am ordering all forces to stand down and allow the Orduud to retrieve their wounded and make camp within one mile of the city. If they go beyond that, we will attack. They have agreed to negotiate terms of surrender.”
“We do not answer to the President of the Lunar Republic!” the officer snapped, “Stallions! Prepare to run those beasts down!”
“Belay that,” Luna’s voice cut in like a knife, stalling the fight, “The Equestrian Empire shall entreat with the enemy, as well.”
“B-but, Your Majesty! The invaders-” the officer began.
“Have made a grave error,” Luna nodded, “one that has cost them hundreds of warriors and the mistrust of the most powerful nations on the planet. However, destroying their leaders and thousands more non-ponies will not win the war; it will only serve to further sour relations between our peoples. Make no mistake, my little ponies: they will pay for this betrayal, but we will not be made the villains this day. We must be above our enemies.”
The arrogance of the Imperial soldiers seemed to erode with each word the Empress spoke, and they bowed as one, properly humbled. They eyed her with a level of reverence usually reserved for Celestia alone. Luna noticed the Lunar militia-ponies had bowed, too, the same look in their eyes. She had mixed feelings about their near-worship. The Empress spared a nod of appreciation to Starlight before issuing orders for the Guard to follow her.
“Wait, I thought we were going to negotiate terms of surrender!” Starlight said.
“We shall,” Luna said, pleased that Discord, Spike, the Crusaders, and the Elements of Harmony had arrived to their sector, “However, there are still remnants scattered throughout Equestria. Discord, I would like you to stay here with the Elements and most of the Imperial Guard to ensure the Orduud army neither attacks, nor escapes. Keep my sister and niece safe.”
“You realize I am an independent operative, yes?” the draconequues raised an eyebrow, smugly. Fluttershy spared a pleading look at him and he rolled his eyes. “Oh, alright.”
“Starlight, I need you to help Trixie teleport to the next city-state,” Luna explained.
“What?” the President looked at her friend and only now that the immediate danger had passed did she notice the changes, “Wait, are you a… thestral?”
“Close, but not quite,” Trixie laughed, her canines glinting.
“I imbued her with a piece of my essence, as I did with the original thestrals,” Luna explained, “She will act as my anchor in the dream world, allowing me to teleport an entire army from city-state to city-state. Your army, commander-in-chief.”
The Lunar militia snapped their hooves together and saluted as one, following Luna’s order to muster and gathering as many of their kind as they could. Starlight was baffled by the suddenness of it. There were nearly a hundred of them still in fighting order by the time they had all gathered. A lot, but was it enough? Luna looked skyward to track the stars and estimated there were only a few hours before the sun rose.
Better make them count.
“Are you ready, Starlight?” she asked.
“As ready as I can be,” the unicorn noted, anxiously, “Ready, Trix?”
“Er… just a moment,” the magician tensed, suddenly.
“Really?” the President furrowed her brow, “You were so brave just a few minutes ago, and we were being attacked by, like… a hundred yaks! What the hay could be so terrifying that you need a moment to-”
“Twilight!” Trixie said suddenly, unable to even look at the alicorn.
“Er… yes?” the Princess of Friendship jumped a little in surprise from nearby.
“Trixie was… wondering…” the unicorn struggled, face absolutely crimson, “if she survives, would… would you like to…”
“Oh, for the love of…” Starlight face-hooved, “Twilight, would you like to go on a date with Trixie when we get back?”
“That’s no fair!” Trixie snapped, “How would you like it if I asked Spike out on a date for you when you got back?!” The magician blinked and covered her mouth.
“Trixie!” Starlight growled.
“I-I’d say,” Twilight said, blushing as much as the dragon near her and her friends; she offered a smile, “don’t die.”
“That goes double for me, Star,” Spike chuckled.
Thoroughly embarrassed, the two unicorns disappeared in a flash of magic. As soon as they were gone, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both turned and bucked the dragon in his shins.
“Ow!” he howled, startling the other ponies as he fell forward, unable to stand on his bruised legs, “What was that for?!”
“For being blinder than a mole in a coal mine!” Apple Bloom scowled, trotting away with her head held high in offense.
“Man, dragon skulls really are thick!” Scootaloo followed her friend, head lowered in simmering anger.
Sweetie Belle stayed behind, politely covering her mouth and trying not to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” the dragon glared up at her.
“Oh,” the unicorn giggled, “nothing.”
Within a few minutes the city section was cleared out except for Spike, Sweetie Belle, Twilight, and Rarity.
“So…” Twilight said, finally, trying to avoid looking at her former-ward while simultaneously studying his increased size, “…you’ve grown!”
“And… you haven’t,” Spike rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly.
Silence stretched on, so Rarity seized the opportunity to defuse the tension with her sister.
“Oh, you look absolutely lovely in that dress!” the older unicorn giggled, “It is simply a crime that it has gotten so tarnished from all this muck! Wherever did you get it?”
“It was a gift from Sassy Saddle so I could impress the elite of Canterlot,” Sweetie Belle smiled as she struck a pose, then frowned, “It might actually be the only surviving dress from the shop.”
“Excuse me, what?” Rarity’s mouth dropped open.
“They torched the store,” Sweetie explained, “Twice, actually. Once during the riots, but that wasn’t too bad, and just now with the invasion. Sassy wasn’t hurt, though I heard they had to force her out of the store because she was trying to shield to dresses with her body.”
“That foolish mare,” Rarity sighed, though honestly she would have tried the same thing, “Her life is more important to me than some dresses,” she leaned down and drew her sister in for a hug, “as is yours, Sweetie Belle!”
After a heartfelt hugging, Rarity broke contact, tearfully and dried her eyes. Once calmed, she looked back at Spike, then back to her sister, suspiciously.
“Wait… you’re not in love with little Spikey too, are you?” she asked.
“Little?” the dragon repeated.
“Too?” Sweetie Belle gaped, “Wait, are you in love with Spike?”
“What? No!” Rarity looked as if she’d been slapped, then looked abashedly at the dragon, “Sorry, Spike, that came out wrong. You know you’ll always hold a special place in my heart; just not that place.”
“At this point that’s actually kind of a relief to hear,” Spike chuckled.
“Sweetie Belle, you still haven’t answered me,” Rarity chided.
“Oh no, I don’t share my friends’ tastes,” Sweetie giggled, waving a dismissive hoof, “I have a crush on Rumble.”
“And… you’re comfortable just admitting that?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah,” the filly smirked, “I never understood why everyone else tries to cover up their feelings. I mean, if everyone just came out and said what they meant, then Spike wouldn’t be in such hot water with his filly-friends.”
“Apple Bloom and I broke up!” Spike countered, “Wait? Filly-friends?”
“Scootaloo was right about dragon skulls,” Sweetie murmured under her breath then blushed at the glare Rarity shot her.
“Spike, I think we should talk,” Twilight said at last, “I’m… sorry I haven’t responded to your letter yet.”
“Oh,” the dragon said, avoiding eye contact, “It’s alright. I know it’s probably an awkward topic…”
“Not at all!” the Princess smiled, startling her former ward, “I was actually very touched by you calling me ‘mom’! I just… I wasn’t sure how to react. I wasn’t prepared for it, and I wasn’t sure what to say, but… I appreciated it a lot.”
“So, I can call you…?” Spike left the word unspoken, feeling his throat tighten with emotion. Twilight was just as incapable of talking, only able to give a small nod and a teary-eyed smile.
“How precious,” Rarity teared up as well.
“Spike, I forgot to mention that I did some research on dragon legends when you left,” Twilight said, forcing control into her voice, “and one of them… disturbed me.”
“Thurdojun?” the dragon guessed.
“Wha… how did you know?” the alicorn looked flabbergasted.
“Luna loaned me Cinder Crisp’s journal,” Spike explained, “it’s the only dragon legend I can think of that would be enough to disturb you.”
“She gave you Cinder Crisp’s journal?!” Twilight gasped, “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! Cinder Crisp set the groundwork for all of modern pony research in regards to dragons and their culture, and you get to read his hoof-writing! Ah! I’m so jealous!”
“The Thurdojun?” Spike reminded her, smiling at her nerdish distraction.
“Right…” Twilight blushed, “I… had a dream about it. Before I’d ever heard about it.”
“Really?” Spike looked surprised, “One of those weird alicorn visions? Luna mentioned something about that stuff during our political courses.”
“I’m not sure it was a prophecy,” Twilight suddenly slumped, “I hope it wasn’t… I saw who the Thurdojun is.”
“It’s not Garble, is it?” the dragon shuddered at the thought, “I thought it might end up being Ember, but I hoped it wouldn’t be. Garble would be even worse!”
“In my dream… you were the Thurdojun,” Twilight explained, “and you were huge!”
Spike took a moment to process that before bursting into thunderous laughter that startled the two mares. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as they practically cowered, having long grown used to Spike’s new volume. The dragon chuckled as he dried his eyes with a massive claw.
“I might be larger, but there’s no way I could be the Thurdojun,” he said, “I mean, me? Lead the dragons? Against the ponies? I was raised by ponies! I might have been the Dragon Lord for, like… two seconds, but I gave the staff to Ember. Leadership isn’t my style, mom.”
There was an awkward pause as both dragon and alicorn adjusted to that word. It felt weird actually giving the concept voice, despite both of them agreeing it was alright to use.
“Well, son,” Twilight’s encouraging smile faded quickly, “I’m just telling you what I saw. I’m worried you might have to fulfill some greater destiny that might put you at odds against the ponies.”
“I mean… I have been feeling the need to return to the Dragon Lands, but…” Spike shook his head, horrified, “I can’t! If that’s my destiny, I-I can’t follow it! I don’t want to fight you guys!”
“Maybe the legend doesn’t tell the whole story, or maybe it doesn’t mean fighting like that!” Twilight tried to placate both her and Spike’s fears, “Maybe it’s just misinterpreted?”
“I don’t want to risk it…” the dragon looked close to heartbreak at the idea he had some inescapable destiny that would see him fight everything he loved.
“Spikey,” Rarity spoke up, “remember when you tried to resist the call of the Dragon Lord and all that pain you suffered through? I don’t want to send you into danger, especially with how awful those Orduud brutes have been, but I don’t think Twilight or I want to see you suffer for resisting your calling. If you stay true to yourself, then I am confident you will fulfill your destiny without harming us.”
“And I wouldn’t worry about getting hurt,” Sweetie beamed, “You singlehandedly took out, like, a hundred yaks and griffons! And you resisted Garble’s commands!”
“What?!” Rarity and Twilight cried as one, both looking close to fainting.
“Y-you could have died!” Rarity gasped out.
“You fought?!” Twilight twitched anxiously, “Were you hurt?! Did they hurt you?!”
“I’m fine!” Spike held up his hands, defensively.
“I’m fine too, thanks,” Sweetie deadpanned.
“Sorry, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity smiled, sheepishly, “How about we get out of this sorry state of a street and try to find somewhere more… aesthetically pleasing. After all, we should have a lovely background while catching up, don’t you think?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” the filly beamed, “See you later, Spike!”
“It was lovely to see you again, darling,” Rarity waved to her erstwhile admirer, “We’ll have to catch up soon, alright?”
Spike waved back to them as they left, then returned his attention to Twilight. The awkward tension between them was fading fast, their respective affection for one another helping overcome their recent setbacks. Twilight allowed herself to take the dragon in, no longer trying to avoid eye contact. He was so large, now… so grown. A part of her still feared the dreams she had had, but while Spike had grown, he was not the monster from those visions. No, he was somehow noble in bearing, radiating a calm command and humble pride. There was more than a little contradiction in the observation, but it fit.
“You’ve really grown up…” Twilight smiled sadly.
“I still have a lot of growing to do,” Spike returned the expression, “But not yet. For now, let’s just sit here and talk for a little while.”
Twilight’s smile was happier as she nodded agreement.
…
The moon was resting on the horizon by the time Trixie opened the portal to Las Pegasus. The magician slumped, supported by an equally-exhausted Starlight Glimmer, both panting as they caught their breaths. Luna ripped out of the portal with a war cry, a legion of pony volunteers charging after her, screaming in fury. Trixie managed a cold smile as she watched the unsuspecting Orduud soldiers camping in the ruins of a casino lurch in surprise before being swarmed and brought low by the sudden army in their midst.
Las Pegasus was the latest in a line of city-states liberated west of Canterlot. In each of the city-states, Lunar militia had been tasked with both guarding captured Orduud soldiers and galloping to the aid of neighboring city-states. For every militia-pony they lost to guard duty or relief efforts, however, a dozen more angered ponies from each city-state took up arms and joined the Empress of the Night on her counterattack. Starlight wasn’t sure how many were actual Republic-supporters, but there was something stirring about seeing so many ponies united in liberating their homeland from tyrants.
“I’m not sure I can take any more of this tonight, Starlight,” Trixie huffed beside her friend, “I know you’re the one carrying the brunt of the magic, but being Luna’s anchor is…”
“I get it,” Starlight managed a grunt that was supposed to be a laugh, “I think the Lunar Republican Army can hoof it from here. All we have to do is return to Canterlot, and the Imperial Guard will take care of the Orduud to the east.”
“I hope, so…” Trixie confessed, “You don’t think every pony city-state was attacked, do you?”
“I doubt it…” Starlight knitted her brow in thought, “From what we’ve seen, it seems like the Orduud just sent one massive army at Canterlot, splitting up into smaller groups along the way. I’m assuming they attacked from Griffonstone, thanks to Garble… If that’s the case, then the city-states east of Canterlot – including the overseas ones – might not have even been attacked.”
“So we’re doing all the work?” Trixie grimaced.
“Well, the Imperial Guard can still liberate Saddle Arabia, I suppose,” Starlight laughed, weakly, exhaustion catching up with her.
Luna returned within mere minutes, seemingly disappointed. The two unicorns could see that, behind the Empress, there was a small grouping of yaks and griffons being rounded up by the Lunar Militia. After the massive army that had ravaged Canterlot, all of the subsequent Orduud forces they encountered had seemed small by comparison, but this force numbered barely a dozen warriors, and not the healthiest looking ones. The further west they had gone, the smaller the forces encountered had gotten.
“Garrison forces,” Luna explained, “They were left behind to guard their conquests while the rest of their rabble moved towards Canterlot. I admit I was hoping for fiercer resistance to vent my fury against.”
“It’s probably for the best,” Starlight suppressed a yawn, “We should get back to Canterlot and see to the surrender of the Orduud.”
“Yes, we should,” Luna frowned as she saw the first touch of light in the east, “My sister shall wake soon. I would have words with her…”
Trixie and Starlight exchanged worried looks, not looking forward to a confrontation between the most powerful sisters in Equestria. With one final effort, Trixie and Starlight teleported to Canterlot, Luna following the anchor Trixie had become. So much further east, the sun had already risen. The dawn highlighted the destruction the Orduud had delivered upon the city in such a short span of time. Luna, usually so well at burying her sadness beneath righteous fury, scanned the burnt city blocks and toppled statuary of her home in anguish. Trixie and Starlight looked around in horror and awe, unable to process the level of destruction to the shining to jewel of Equestria.
All their eyes were drawn to the only building left largely unscathed, the castle itself. There, standing tall and defiant, sheathed in golden armor, was Celestia, glaring down with disgust at the ruins of her capital and the wounded of her army. Her eyes met Luna’s and the younger alicorn felt overcome with rage. With a brief gallop the Empress of the Night jumped into the air and flew to the balcony, landing mere inches from her sister, wings flared, teeth bared, and only keeping herself from snorting threateningly with supreme effort.
“Sister,” Celestia noted, dryly, eyes looking past Luna and surveying the destruction of Canterlot, “I am told you repelled the invaders.”
“No thanks to you,” Luna hissed, “or your Imperial Guard. These fools refused to cooperate with the other defenders or obey any orders!”
“Do not push me, Luna,” Celestia’s eyes flashed darkly for an instant, “I have just awakened to a destroyed city, a reduced army, a near-death niece, and an enemy camp a mile away. I do not need to add ‘angry sister’ to that list.”
“This all could have been avoided…” Luna grimaced.
“I confess,” Celestia’s coldness slipped for a moment, “I… I should have coordinated more with you.”
Luna looked back at her sister, hopeful. Was Celestia returning to her old self.
“Unfortunately, we must deal with the Orduud army outside our walls,” the older alicorn returned to her ironclad hostility.
“They’ve surrendered…” Luna spoke softly.
“Then they will come quietly as I lock them away in Tartarus,” Celestia smirked.
“They are non-ponies fighting for their peoples,” Luna looked horrified, “if anyone should be punished, it should be their leaders – not the commoners.”
“Would you say the same of the umbral ponies?” Celestia raised an eyebrow, “Were they not an entire people? They were rotten to the core. The few that weren’t locked away became tyrants, demons! Sombra? The Pony of Shadows?”
“That was different…” Luna said, her mind tickling with a memory, “they are cursed.”
“Cursed?” Celestia’s eyes twitched, dreamlike, “What makes you say that? There is nothing in our annals that speaks of them having any condition other than being what they are.”
“I’m not sure, I just… I remember knowing they were…” Luna paused, feeling her memories lapsing, flashing with cruel laughter and long years of isolation on an air-starved rock, “The point is, the umbral ponies are not like the yaks, griffons, or dragons. You yourself have sent peace missions to these peoples; I implore you, do not betray their confidence!”
“I also trusted the changelings, yet reports indicate they were involved in the attack.”
“The changelings?” Luna shook her head, “They’re neutral.”
“Not as neutral as we would have hoped, hm?” the Empress of the Day cackled slightly, unnervingly, “Very well, I promise I will leave negotiations with the Orduud to you. I’m sure you will act in the best interests of our people…?”
Luna narrowed her eyes at the elder alicorn, wondering what the angle was. There was something conspiratorial in Celestia’s eyes, some sort of fathomless depth to her plans and designs, as if a creature far older and malevolent than her sister was residing in that body, watching her, manipulating her. There was a cold familiarity between Luna and that creature, but the Empress of the Night refused to entertain the idea that her sister was possessed, especially now when Equestria needed to be rebuilt. Luna shuddered, breaking eye contact.
“I will see to it,” she said, uneasily, “the Orduud will agree to reparations, that is certain.”
“Oh no, sister,” Celestia’s smile held nothing pleasant, “they will agree to so much more than that.”
For the first time in a long time, Luna felt fear grip her heart.
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Well equestria is going evil
The problem is that the ponies speak of spikes destiny as an evil monster that attacks ponies but it is more likely that he is the leader of a coalition to defeat the evil Celestia and all her idiot subjects that follow her no matter what she does.( ie twilight)
The second world war occured because the reparations done to germany in the first world war were so severe that Hitler could rise to power.
9300851
Well, it's a lot more complicated than that, as all things in history are. Blaming Hitler's rise on the reparations alone neglects all the other factors, including Germany's long history of militancy and nationalism.
But I see what you're saying and it's true. Celestia's hold on power comes first and foremost from the blind obedience of her subjects. The idea that a leader can do no wrong is sadly one that's overlooked today...
I want someone to tell twilight that she is not a good leader.
Before celestia went mad twilight may have ruled over ponyville but only as a figurehead.
You know something, this story is starting to feel like one massive crossover comic, like how Crisis on Infinite Earths brought together so many DC characters. If you look at the story in this context, it starts to make more sense. Especially the whole "Trixie becomes a thestral-ish out of nowhere." Also, hats off for the Spike-Twilight exchange and the Trixie stuff. So.... now we have a wrench thrown in things. Is Spike still going to go to the Dragon Lands with Scoots? Will he have that date with Starlight? Should be interesting. I don't think any long-term war is here yet, but I think we're starting to go in that direction. So far, it looks like the Republic and Empire are cooperating. but I feel that isn't going to last.
So far, it's Empire, Republic, and Everfree vs. The Orduud, but I feel there's going to be a lot of changes to this as time goes on, including the addition of Chrysalis into the picture.
9304383
Oh yeah. We're reaching the brief, final conflict for Part 1. Then, after a hiatus, comes Part 2. Just a small warning: the ending of Part 1 will probably feel a little disappointing until Part 2 comes out.
9304506
Disappointing how? Like, "This is a let-down" disappointing, "I can't believe I have to wait" disappointing, or "I'm going to cry right now" disappointing?
9304513
Well hopefully just the second one, but possibly the first. No spoilers, though
Imagine the media coverage of this event. "Empress of the sun sleeps as Equestria burns!" ah I can picture tyrant celestia suppressing local news already or twisting the story to make her look better (as tyrants are fond of).
Also, like the idea you went with Trixie. Think she'd be a wolf pony or a cat pony?
9305614
Oh, she'll give them a bigger story to publish before they even have time to finish rebuilding their burned out stations, don't you worry
Good question... I imagine she takes on a few qualities of both.
9450046
Yeah, go for it. I assume you'll use it in a rewrite or reimagining since you've cancelled this one, but sure.
Ngl I think I'm on re-read #3 on this story. I really like reading it.