Fairlight - Blood of the Foal

by Bluespectre

Chapter Five - Black Blood

CHAPTER FIVE

BLACK BLOOD

We flew high and fast, skimming over the clouds, the sun now dipping down towards the horizon heralding the onset of night. Far below us I could see the shadows cast by the sun gradually lengthening, bathing the land in an eerie wash of deep orange light. It would be dark soon, and definitely not the sort of time I wanted to be heading home, especially when I could very well end up having to fight for my life the moment we landed. When you added to that the fact that the enemy we were likely to face when we got there all had black coats, making them nigh on invisible in the dark, if we just went barrelling in there without a plan it probably wouldn’t end well for any of us. Unfortunately, with very little information to go on about the enemy’s numbers, disposition, or even if they were still in the village, we were going to be going in virtually blind. We’d have to keep our wits about us, stay alert, and be prepared to get the hell out of there with as many survivors as we could if the whole situation went south. Reinforcements were on the way, but knowing that lot we could all be dead and buried whilst they were still arguing about which bloody armour to wear. I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. No, I would have to push the thought of any help coming at the last moment right out of my mind. This was a tribal matter anyway, and one as the lord of the four winds I had a personal responsibility to deal with. I checked my gear, with Nimble beside me doing the same. That simple act gave me heart, and we shared a grin. Fear mingled with excitement – the excitement of battle, the fear of what I was likely to find when we got there, and one other emotion – anger. If those monsters had done anything to my family… The cover clipped back into place on my pulse gun. It was ready. And as for myself, I was as ready as I was going to be. We’d potentially be going in hot so preparation was essential. We had one advantage though, and that was that we were going to fighting on familiar ground, or at least I was. Nimble and Loofa had never been there before, so keeping together and watching each others backs could mean the difference between life and death for all three of us. One thing was for sure though, there’d been casualties. Any thoughts regarding exactly who may have been injured or killed was something we could worry about later. For now I had keep my focus, a grip on my power, and restrain my broiling emotions. I knew from hard experience how I had to control my anger and rage, channelling it into directed force when, and only when, I needed it. I was its master, not its slave.

Nimble peered over side of the chariot. “Hey Cap’, you’ve got family there, right?”

“I have, yeah.”

He smiled. “Why don’t you tell me about them, it’ll help pass the time.”

I checked my crystal supply as I spoke. “Well, there’s Meadow, my wife, she’s with the herd now. Then there’s little Sparrow Song my daughter, she’s with her mum. There’s Tingles and Shadow, they’re living in the village with Lumin my son.” I chuckled quietly. “Quite the little herd, eh?”

Nimbles’ eyes were wide. “I’ll say! That’s some family you’ve got there!”

“All the more reason for me to get there and make sure they’re safe,” I said gravely. “I’ve already lost two of them, and I’ll be damned if I lose any more.”

The young stallion scrubbed his mane with a hoof. “Look, Cap’, erm, maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up, yeah? I remember what you told me about Meadow and Sparrow, and I’m sure the last thing you need is me dredging up painful memories.” He closed his eyes and leaned back with a loud sigh. “I never learn. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I said tightening one of the equipment straps. “They’re safe with the herd now, as we all will be some day.”

Nimbles’ looked up at me. “What about the others though? I don’t remember you mentioning them before.”

“Didn’t I?” I checked the terrain below us. It was hard to get a fix because of the cloud, but I was sure we were near. I could feel it in my bones. “Tingles is a pegasus,” I explained. “She used to work with me in the watch, then later the agency, but now she’s a bit more… ‘freelance’ you could say. Lumin’s my son to her. He’s very young still and looks like his old dad too.” I smiled, picturing the little fellow in my mind. “Shadow’s my other mare, she’s a thestral from the Wither World.”

He looked up in surprise. “Hang on a minute, ‘other’ mare? What, as in, more than one?”

I face hoofed. Me and my big mouth! Well, there was no going back now was there? “Believe it or not, yes.” I said plainly. “I live with two mares and a foal. It’s not uncommon to herd, Corporal, you know what the female to male ratio is like in Equestria.”

His eye twitched. “Yes, but… No! Maybe, I think, but that was a long time ago! Stallions don’t… That is…” I think I could hear his mental fuses popping from here.

Wanting to change the subject quickly I asked, “What about your family, Corporal? You mentioned a young lady if I remember correctly. Whiffles was it?”

Nimble stopped and re-engaged his train of thought with remarkable speed. “Whiffles?” he frowned. “No, her name’s ‘Ruffles’. Good grief, Captain, who ever heard of a mare called ‘Whiffles’!” He began to laugh and slapped his side. “I’ll have to tell her that one, maybe it could be a new nickname!”

That worked then. Thank the goddesses I’d distracted the inquisitive corporal from delving any deeper into my personal life! I’d already told him far more than I really wanted to in any case. He was a good fellow at heart, and handy in a tight spot too.

He patted the pockets of his agency barding. “Ah! Here…” Nimble hoofed me his wallet which held a small photograph of a cream mare with a pink and blue curly mane and tail. She was looking over her shoulder seductively, her tail barely covering-

“Bloody hell, Nimble!” I squeaked, quickly passing back the wallet. “You don’t show that to other ponies do you?”

He looked surprised. “Eh? Why not? She’s beautiful.”

I rubbed my mane, trying to hide my embarrasment. “Well, yes… yes, she is. But, what she’s doing with her tail...!”

He scrutinised the picture and shook his head. “I don’t see what you mean.” Unbelievably he seemed genuinely perplexed.

“Corporal?” I asked.

“Cap?”

“Do you have any foals?”

Nimble chuckled. “Ha! Not yet, I mean, we haven’t settle down yet and I’d like a home of our own first so we can… you know…”

Smiling, I tapped him on the leg. “I get the idea, Nimble. Just, keep your head down today, okay? I don’t want any casualties, especially if it means I end up having to explain what happened to you to an attractive young mare. Do I make myself clear, corporal?”

He snapped off a smart salute, “Aye, aye, Captain.” The effect was ruined by the cheeky grin that accompanied it.

Loofa suddenly shouted something to us and pointed towards the ground. Both Nimble and I looked to where he was indicating but it was now so dark it was hard to make anything out other than shadows. My wendigo enhanced vision gave me some advantage, but it was no match for Loofa’s pegasi eyes. I instinctively checked the safety on my pulse gun. I was all too aware of how difficult it was going to be to fight in the dark; I’d have to keep my two comrades by my side the moment we landed, and that would be when we would be at out most vulnerable. As we descended and the last of the wispy clouds disappeared, I began to make out the yellow glow of fires - small ones, dotted about the perimeter of the village with dark figures moving around between them. There was no mistaking that shambling gait. They were minotaurs.

Loofa tapped his TED. “Captain, where’d you want us to touch down?”

“Behind the largest building,” I replied, pointing towards the tavern. “Looks like we missed the party after all.” I’m not sure if I was relieved, or disappointed.

We landed gently on the lush grass by the tavern’s vegetable garden and quickly disembarked. Grabbing our gear we readied ourselves for what, if anything, we were going to face in the village. Although it seemed quiet for now I didn’t want to take any chances by being brash or over-confident. And so, filtering my magic through my body, I took the lead just as I had during my days in the watch. Moving at a measured pace I observed the angles, the corners where an enemy could be lurking, using my wendigo enhanced sight to check any darkened areas for signs of movement. Thankfully I had a good working knowledge of the layout of the village, but whether I’d need to use that knowledge remained to be seen. Nimble and Loofa stuck to me like glue as we moved carefully around the corner of the Wyvern’s Tail. And there I froze. Two hulking shapes were stood outside, flanking the door, heavy battleaxes gripped in their large claws. In the darkness and flickering light from the various fires it was hard to see clearly who they were. Hell, I didn’t know even half the minotaurs in the village yet! I only really knew three of them to talk to, and I mentally kicked myself for not taking more time to get to know the rest. Still, I expected they knew who I was. I hoped. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Evening, lads.”

The minotaur closest to me turned his huge bullish head to peer at me before nodding slowly, “Evening, Lord Fairlight.” Without another word, he went back to silently watching the ground before him. Gods, you had to love them. So full of personality…

Nimble nudged me, motioning towards the minotaur. “What is it? What’s up?”

“One of our warriors,” I said with a shake of my mane.

Honestly I don’t think I’d ever get used to these hulking great towers of muscle. I couldn’t work out if they were the strong silent type or just a little short on the old grey matter. Either way they certainly knew how to use those axes of theirs. In the torchlight I could make out the shapes of bodies lying in the grass. Lots of bodies, and not just ponies, minotaurs or griffins either. The silent shapes reflected the moonlight, their slick black bodies shining like the carapaces of some monstrous hell spawned beetles. Only the goddesses knew how many of them had attacked the village, and by the looks of things we were damned lucky it wasn’t a massacre.

“Come on lads,” I ordered leading my troupe in through the tavern’s front door. “Time to face the music.”

The light in the tavern’s lounge was blinding after the darkness outside, and it took my eyes a few moments to re-adjust - in more ways than one. Standing beside me, Nimble and Loofa stared in shocked silence at the scene laid out before us in what should have been a place of song, joy and friendship. There was none of that now. As my vision cleared I looked about at what I could only describe as a landscape of absolute horror. Wounded and dying lay all around us: minotaurs, griffins, even the odd pony, all lying quietly on makeshift pallets being tended to by a swiftly moving team of medics I didn’t even know we had. In a rising sense of desperation I scanned the room but didn’t see any of my family. Where the hell were they? My heart rate began to accelerate and I could feel my teeth beginning to itch as I automatically headed for the stairs. And then, suddenly, a familiar face pushed through the throng and leaned down to address me.

“Lord Fairlight,” the mountain rumbled. “You’re back.”

The gravelly monotone voice of the enormous minotaur known as Heavy Hoof, stared down at me, a massive battle axe strapped to his back.

I bobbed my head to him respectfully. “I am, Heavy Hoof, it’s good to see you again. I’m sorry, would you excuse me for a moment? I need to check on my family.”

“Not here,” came the reply.

I froze in my tracks. “What?”

Heavy Hoof huffed, his beady eyes as emotionless as the steel of his axe. “Things took your foal, orange pony too. Shadow has taken warriors to hunt them.”

Without thinking I leaned forward and grabbed him, my eyes blazing. “What the hell do you mean: ‘things’ took my foal? And Tingles too? Where did they go? Tell me, goddess damn it!” My heart was hammering in my chest fit to burst, my breath pouring out in a stream of icy fog. Thinking quickly, Nimble stepped up and placed a hoof on my foreleg.

“Cap’, steady, he’s on our side, remember?” the young corporal said firmly. “We need to get more intel before we blunder off into the night. Shadow’s already on their tail. We’ll get them back.”

I released the minotaur’s barding and stood back, but the massive creature seemed completely unphased by my angry outburst and simply stood there as I asked, “Heavy Hoof, what can you tell me? What happened here?”

The emotionless minotaur explained in his inimitable fashion, “Black things, changelings, attacked village. We fight, many died, many changelings died. Orange pony and foal were taken into forest. Shadow not here, but came here after. Took warriors into forest to find pony and foal, tell us to stay here and protect hurt warriors.”

Looking up at the warrior before me, a thought flashed through my mind. “Where’s Heather?” I asked. As if on cue a white aproned minotaur appeared from the kitchen carrying a tray full of bandages instead of her more traditional load-out of beer mugs and spirits. She was covered in blood, but thankfully, none of it was hers. “Heather?” I asked quietly.

Hearing her name called out she paused and turned to face me, blinking in surprise. In almost slow motion, the large female minotaur put her bandages down then rushed over to take me up into her arms in a bone crushing hug. Peering down at me, tears started to well in her eyes.

Despite being half crushed, I couldn’t help but raise a smile. “Thank the goddess you’re safe,” I said gently. “Your dad found us and told us about the attack on the village. He’d been injured, but nothing serious thank the goddess. It looks like we got to him just in time. We’ve left in good hooves at the hospital, so he’s going to be okay.”

She nodded and smiled, wiping the tears away. “Thank you,” she muttered, and without another word, turned and lumbered off to continue tending to the wounded.

I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart as I surveyed the sea of broken and bloodied defenders. “Heavy Hoof, who are the worst wounded here?”

We walked slowly between the pallets, administering life essence to the weakest, the seriously wounded, and in some cases, the dying. Watching the changes was heart lifting; the looks of amazement, the smiles and thanks from my people a balm for my soul at a time when I needed it the most. Doing good, helping others… this was what Meadow used to do. I smiled to myself; If only should could have seen me now. Heavy Hoof managed to catch me as I toppled over, so weak I could barely keep my eyes open. Effortlessly, the powerful warrior hoisted me up and carried me upstairs to what had once been my bedroom. I wished he hadn’t. The place was a wreck, with torn bedding, broken furniture and splintered wood lying everywhere in a literal carpet of destruction. There were signs of one hell of a fight: scorch marks from a PDW, blackened patches where magic energy had impacted on the plaster, and more of the black blood of the changelings. Thankfully, nothing that could be readily identified as being from my family. Looking away I motioned towards to the pile of gear I’d left behind when I’d been abducted, the loosely stacked weapons, packs and armour still lying exactly where I’d left them, seemingly untouched by the battle that had raged around them. Waiting, for this very moment. The huge minotaur lowered me surprisingly gently to the floor, stepping back as I all but fell muzzle first towards what I hoped would still be there. They were. Thank the goddesses the flasks were still intact. A couple of them were empty, but there was more than enough left to refill me. Etiquette thrown to the winds, I gulped it down in great draughts. The silver fluid ran through my veins in a rush of ice cold power, making me gasp and shudder under its onslaught. Nimble walked in moments later looking concerned.

“Cap’, you okay?” the young soldier asked warily. “You looked ready to pass out down there.”

Replacing the flask I began swapping my barding, equipment and weapons. “I’m fine… at least, I am now,” I said in as calm a voice as I could manage. “My people’s needs have to come before mine.” I picked up my scythe and watched in satisfaction as the blade swung out with a smart ‘click’. Heavy Hoof’s eyes reflected in the polished blade, as did my own. Stowing the deadly thing in place, I looked at Nimble. “But my family… Now that is a different matter.”

He didn’t answer, but just nodded instead. Some things didn’t need to be spoken aloud. I returned to adjusting and strapping on my barding and weaponry. A pulse gun lay discarded nearby, empty, and by the looks of the spray of black blood across the floor and walls, used to good effect too. I replaced the ammunition and loaded up as much as I could. There was more than enough to share with Nimble and Loofa. Speaking of which, the inquisitive agency pegasus pushed his nose into the room.

“Great Celestia…” he breathed, his eyes taking in the scene of utter devastation. “There’s been one hell of scrap in here.”

I didn’t reply. Nimble was staring at something and I followed his gaze. He lowered his head, “Oh goddesses… Captain…”

I strapped on the last of my equipment and grit my teeth, turning from the bedroom - the bedroom I had slept with my beloved family. “Come on,” I said firmly, “we’ve got work to do.”

Closing the door behind us, the image of a bloodstained orange feather screamed at me to rush off into the night, howling to the heavens for vengeance and death. This time however, I would keep a cool head. I knew what the forest was like and it would be worse in there at night, if that was even possible. Death would come in its own time, and its own way. The feast had been prepared. All it needed now was for the guests to arrive. And I was on my way…

Outside, a minotaur and a hippogriff were stood waiting quietly, both of them sporting various injuries and watching the tree line warily. “Lord Fairlight”, the hippogriff bowed, “Thank the goddess you’ve returned. I take it my uncle found you safely?”

Uncle? I peered at the creature. It was clearly a hippogriff and not a griffin, but… “You mean Grimble?” I asked curiously. “He’s your uncle?”

“Aye,” the creature nodded. “He wanted to stay and find your foal and the lady Tingles, but lady Shadow felt it best to send for you.”

I stomped a hoof in irritation as a thought flashed into my mind. “Why the hell didn’t they use the communicator? Grimble nearly died trying to reach me!”

The hippogriff blinked in surprise. “I… I don’t know, my lord, I’m sorry.”

Shaking my head, I addressed the creature. “What’s your name, warrior?”

He stood up straight and hefted his spear. “I am Zephyr, my lord. I had the honour of fighting beside the lady Shadow.”

I felt like a bucket of water had been thrown over me. “What do you mean, ‘had’? Where is she now?”

“In the forest, my lord, with a group of our best warriors hunting for the rest of your family,” Zephyr reported. “Dew Shard and I were sent back by lady Shadow to have our wounds tended. I’m sorry, my lord, I would have stayed but she insisted that-”

I raised a hoof, “No… It’s alright, Zephyr. Forgive me, I’m just…” I took a deep breath. “Where are they now?”

He shook his feathered head. “The changelings headed north, but didn’t fly for some reason. Instead they ran through the forest itself, maybe for cover, perhaps to keep cohesion in the dark, I don’t know. We followed them, some of us on hoof, some by air, but the trees are so dense in there it’s almost impossible to see through the canopy.” He scratched his head, looking to his friend Dew Shard, to help with the account.

The minotaur leaned on his axe and spoke in that low rumbling voice of their kind, “We found the changelings. Killed many. They have magic, but no match for our steel and muscle. Lady Shadow took more warriors to hunt the rest down and find pony and foal.”

Loofa tapped me on the shoulder. “How are we going to find them, boss? It’s pitch black, and flying over the Everfree at night? I’m game, but it’s going to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack out there.”

Nimble nodded. “He’s right, Cap’. The forest is vast. You got any ideas?”

It was a good question. The Everfree was near impenetrable at the best of times, but in the dark you could get separated from your party and find yourself hopelessly lost in the blink of an eye. Becoming lost in there was the least of your problems too, there were things in that sea of darkness that wouldn’t think twice about dismembering any hapless adventurer wandering into their home – armed or not. I looked out over the forest and the moonlit mountains beyond. They were there. They were alive. I could sense them, ‘feel’ their life energy flickering like a candle flame in the blackness. My family and I had always had a connection of sorts, but it was more on an emotional and instinctual level, not like the inherited magical bond the tribe shared with me. But… did it work both ways? I closed my eyes and concentrated, channelling my magic and listening to the winds. Nothing. Was a trick of my imagination? Wishful thinking perhaps? There was so much about my magic I didn’t still understand, and likely never would. Damn it all, I was like a child playing with a box matches! Bitterly I gritted my teeth and stared up at the moon.

“Boys, I’ve said it before, you don’t have to come.” I closed my eyes and tried to calm the fear in my heart. “I trust Shadow and her warriors, but there’s no way I’m going to sit here on my arse and wait to hear back when I could do something to help, even if it seems futile.”

Loofa glanced at Nimble and grinned. “North you say? Well come on then, let’s grab the chariot and get airborne. Some of us can’t fly without help you know.”

Nimble rolled his eyes at his friends quip. “Least I’ve got magic,” he huffed.

“Good point,” Loofa chuckled. “You can get us a cuppa when we get back. I’ve never been any good with teaspoons.”

Mist rolled down the stairs, trickling into the lounge where my people lay. Every eye was upon me as I descended the stairs, each gaze following every step as I walked between them. I kept my head high, my feelings and emotions as cold as the ice of the mountains that had once been their home. It would be again some day. Celestia would keep her promise, as I would keep mine both to her and my tribe. War had found us. After a thousand years of peace, it was upon us as surely as night follows day. I had never sought this, and yet now that it was here I would be there at the end to finish the story. The changelings had made a fatal error taking my family, and now… now they would find what it truly meant to challenge the tribe of the four winds.

Heavy Hoof stood by the door, he eyes watching me approach. “My Lord,” he said simply.

“Take care of my people, brother.” I took a deep breath, staring at the door. “Keep them safe.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

A wounded pony lying nearby peered at me from under a bloodied blanket, his face a blanket of scars that put my own to shame. He winced as he tried to sit up. “Bring them home, My Lord,” he breathed. “We… We will be waiting for you.”

Oddly I found myself smiling. “I will,” I said, casting my gaze over the injured warrior. “I will bring them all home.”

There were no cheers, no cries of encouragement or wishing us well. This was simply a task that needed to be done. These warriors had already played their part, defending the village against an unexpected attack and had somehow managed to beat it back despite being heavily outnumbered. Many had paid with it with their lives. That sacrifice, so alien to most of the gentle inhabitants of Equestria, had been made without even a second thought. And now, here I was about to throw myself into battle once more as well. Was this what being the descendant of the wendigo meant? To be constantly embroiled in conflict? Perhaps… To the equestrian side of my being this felt incredibly wrong. It went against everything I had been taught growing in our peaceful land. To my wendigo side, it was simply part of life, and a part of my very nature. That conflict had never quite been resolved within me, and yet there was one thing the two could agree on, and that was the need to protect. Be it in the agency, the watch, or even as a father, to protect my loved ones, and by extension the tribe, needed no second thoughts. I knew what had to be done. Outside Luna’s moon shone down upon us, bathing us in her eternal blessing. It was a good sign. With barely a pause I snapped out my wings and leaped into chill night air, gaining height as Loofa and Nimble followed close behind me. Before long we were soaring over the Everfree, keeping just high enough to allow us to scan the ground below. I flew next to the carriage, feeling the magic flowing through me, the cold air tingling my hide. It felt right… like this was my time, my own element where I could feel truly alive. The moon above, that huge white orb in the sky, calmed my heart and resonated with my magic, making it feel more focussed somehow. I sent a silent prayer to Luna to help guide us, but most of all I prayed I wouldn’t be too late. May the goddess protect them all. We headed north, straight for the mountains while I used my wendigo vision to help watch the forest below for any signs of movement. It was just as Loofa had predicted; the forest canopy was so dense I couldn’t make out any detail beneath. Even in daylight it was just a solid blanket of black and deep green, although with the link to my people I could sense that we were at least heading in the right direction. Nimble leaned out of the carriage with a set of low-light binoculars, but even he had to shake his head at the enormity and seeming fruitlessness of our task. The forest was just so big that all I could do was hope that-

“Cap!” Loofa was pointing to the north-west. “Thought I saw something, a flash of light, could be magical discharge.”

Nimble moved quickly to the front of the chariot. “What? What is it? Damn it, I can’t see a bloody thing!”

“Flash to the north west,” Loofa called back. “Use those binoculars of yours, corp’.”

The young soldier brought them up and scanned the darkness. “It’s just black on black. I can’t- Hang on… Yes! Something’s out there alright. Looks like a yellow light. Could be lanterns moving around.”

I strained my eyesight to see but couldn’t make anything out. “Loofa take us to where you saw them. Nimble, guide us in. Weapons ready boys, but watch your fire, there could be friendlies down there.”

A chorus of agreement rang out from the my two companions and we increased speed, heading in the direction of the lights. Sure enough, as we began to draw closer to where Nimble had seen them, I was able to make out moving spots of yellow lamplight in the blackness below. Was it Shadow’s party? The bond felt stronger now, a sure indication that- Suddenly a blindingly bright green flash burst beneath the trees, followed by something altogether more familiar. A beam of crackling purple lightning lanced out into the night sky followed by shouts, bellows, and shrieks carried to me on the faint breeze across the ancient forest. There was only one creature I knew that could use magic like that. It was Shadow! My wings beat furiously and I let slip the grip on my magic, letting it flow through me in a torrent. White mist billowed out from my haunches, my teeth itching as raw power burned in my muscles. Nothing would keep me from my family now. Nothing… The cacophony of battle rang out loud and clear from around a small clearing below us. It barely twenty yards across, just enough for Loofa to land, but barely.

“Let me clear the way first, then follow me in,” I shouted to Loofa. “Nimble, put that bloody gun of yours to good use!”

I dove, a streak of white and blue shining like a night star in the black sky. Barely flaring my wings in time, my hooves slammed into the ground, my magic bringing my scythe up and around ready for battle. Around me, screams, neighs, bellows and snorts rippled through the undergrowth accompanied by blasts of multicoloured magic and the sharp ring of steel. The battle was already well and truly joined. The clearing itself however was empty except for numerous corpses, the silent mounds looking so much like stones in the darkness. Only the reflected moonlight gave them away; the slaughter here had been terrible, and it wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. Loofa brought in the carriage and unbuckled himself as the first of the changelings flew at us out of the darkness, its wickedly curved dagger catching the foliage as it came on clicking and hissing in a blind fury. Nimble was quicker, his pulse gun taking the vile creature in the chest causing it to erupt in a shower of burning black gore and body parts even as more of the more terrifying things came at us from all sides. Loofa and Nimble used the carriage as cover, the two laying down a withering barrage of magical fire that played a symphony of destruction through the ranks of the changelings. The song of battle was being played, its staccato notes bringing me to the edge of ecstasy and beyond. My battle scythe swung through the air, taking the first of my assailants in the chest, cutting through the chitinous body plating, its internal organs, and passing out past its shoulder. It didn’t even have time to scream, falling dead almost as soon as it had appeared. Gore spraying my muzzle, I shouted a wordless war cry and sprayed liquefying icy death at the things, turning many solid instantly. But not all - that would be far too quick and ruin the song. There were so many more who would taste my wrath this night… so many more. And on they came. One after another they charged, felled by either my scythe, magic, or the energy blasts from my comrades in the carriage. A shout of alarm from Loofa carried me up into the air to bring down a storm of blue magical incineration upon a large changeling that had somehow shielded itself from their fire. The thing howled as my magical beam took one of its wings off and most of one leg, dropping it to the ground where Nimble put a shot into its head, silencing it forever. Around us the evening air filled with the cries of the changelings, from fury and anger to ones of fear and the cries of their dying. What drove them to such recklessness I neither knew nor cared. They attacked regardless, heedless of their casualties until, like entering the eye of a storm, abruptly the attack ceased. I stood there, my chest heaving, my coat dripping in black blood and entrails, my scythe matted with the evidence of the evening’s work. Nimble and Loofa sat back in the carriage, exhausted but elated. I was pleased to see that they were quick to reload however, and maintained a vigilant watch on the dark forest depths, even as the first of the minotaurs broached the clearing’s edge.

“Lord Fairlight, we sensed you were here.”

I lowered my scythe, “Where is Lady Shadow?”

Behind the hulking warrior a tall black shape emerged from the darkness, a pair of red eyes burning in the night, pure white teeth sparkling in the starlight. “Fairlight.” She advanced on me, armoured and soaked in blood, thankfully not her own by the looks of things. Shadow smiled. “You are late.”

I stepped forward and leaned my forehead on her shoulder. “I’m sorry love. Thank the goddess you’re safe.”

The thestral nuzzled me and pulled me into a brief hug. “Tingles. Lumin…”

“Have you found them?” I asked hurriedly.

She shook her head. “No. Changelings took them.” Around us, more and more of our warriors began to emerge from the forest. Many of them were injured, all of them looked tired, yet every one of them bore an expression of absolute determination. Shadow looked me square in the eyes, “We will find them, Fairlight. We will.”

“Any idea where they’re heading?” I asked.

Shadow shook her head. “Not my world. Not yet.”

I understood. How could she know? She’d just arrived in Equestria, but Shadow had still been able to track them this far. Part of me knew Tingles and Lumin were near, yet where were they? Anger and despair warred within me and I barely heard Loofa’s voice behind me asking,

“Er… Captain Fairlight?”

He sounded worried. I tore myself away from the barrage of questions I was preparing to throw at Shadow to see what the pegasus was going on about, when I noticed the green orbs at the edge of the forest’s clearing.

Loofa was staring intently at them. “Boss, I think we’ve got company…”

I held out a hoof, “Hold your fire and lower your weapons.”

Reluctantly the warriors around me complied, although kept them to hoof and claw, ready at a moments notice.

Shadow walked up beside me. “Fairlight?”

I smiled at her and walked toward the green orbs, stopping a respectful distance away. I was pleasantly surprised when Loofa and Nimble trotted up beside me. I could sense their unease and quietly hoped it wouldn’t provoke an unnecessary confrontation with our new guests. Before me the orbs glowed brightly, accompanied by a background wooden clacking sound I recognised very well indeed. Behind them, additional snapping and clacking sounds revealed yet more of the forest dwellers - many, many more. Nimble fidgeted with his pulse gun. “Dear Celestia,” he muttered. “They must have been attracted by the smell of blood.”

“What are they?” Loofa whispered.

“Timber Wolves,” I said quietly. “Stay here and don’t move. I’m going to speak to them.”

“Speak to- What?!” Nimble hisse. “Are you nuts? They’ll tear you apart!”

I frowned at him, making him back off a step. I didn’t want anything spooking them, let alone an agitated young soldier. A few seconds later the lead wolf stepped forward into the clearing, its green eyes burning as brightly as Shadow’s did red. It regarded her for a moment then fixed its gaze on me, snuffing the air and bobbing its head in what I presumed was some animalistic attempt at communication. I hadn’t seen many of these wolves before. Indeed, the last time hadn’t exactly been the best introduction to this magical race of living branch, twig, leaf and bark creatures. The one staring at me seemed to know me, and I quickly recognised it as the one who had taken over from the monstrosity that had lead the attack on the village all those months ago.

Bowing slightly, I waved my forelegs across the clearing, taking in the dead changelings. “You can have the dead, my friend. We will leave you to your dinner.” The wolf yipped and pranced forward, taking the haft of my scythe in its jaws and pulling it away. “What? What are you-?”

Shadow placed a hoof on my shoulder, shaking her head. “Follow.”

“Follow?” I asked in surprise. “What, follow the wolf?” Oh great, straight into the pot too most likely too! But then, sarcasm aside, there was definitely something else at play here tonight. Fate had always had a strange sense of humour, and who knew what that mystical mare had in store for us? Nothing good usually, but hell, what did I know of such things? I knelt down and brought myself muzzle to muzzle with the wolf. “We’re looking for my mare and foal, an orange pegasus and a little grey foal. Do you know where they are?” Goddesses above, it was worth a shot.

The wolf bobbed and pranced, clacking and yipping before rushing off to the clearing’s edge and looking back at me expectantly. Shadow shook her mane and watched me, waiting for what I would do next. By the looks of the rest of the warriors, they seemed to think I had the answers to everything too! I took a deep breath as memories of the first encounter I’d had of these creatures replayed through my mind: the darkness, that terrible nerve rattling clacking sound and... the screaming. Goddesses, what the hell was I supposed to do now?

Gritting my teeth, I made my decision. “Loofa, leave the chariot and fly cover, your eyesight’s better than mine. Corporal, you’re with me, the rest of you keep close and alert.”

The warriors behind us rumbled their agreement, a number of the griffins taking to the air and keeping station with Loofa. Before I knew it I had a small army with me, all of them heavily armed and armoured, and all of us following an unknown number of timber wolves through the dense undergrowth of an unforgiving and merciless forest in the middle of nowhere. What was not to like? We rushed through the trees as quickly as we could, barrelling through brambles, branches, and Luna knew what else, the barely seen flora snatching and catching on our coats and equipment with every step. I took point, hoping the other would follow my path, but I needn’t have been concerned, the minotaurs simple acted like muscular bulldozers, ploughing their way through the forest like an unstoppable tidal wave of brawn and spiked armour. Stealth was certainly not one of the strong suits.

I don’t know how long we’d been running for when I started to notice something up ahead. It was an odd silvery-white glow, appearing and then disappearing through the trees. At first I thought it could be the early sign of dawn breaking, but quickly dismissed that thought. It felt different somehow, and the colour was wrong. Oh hell, no… I knew already what it was, but by Celestia’s sagging arse I wished I was wrong.

Loofa shouted over to me, “You see that, Cap’?”

I didn’t bother answering, I’d seen enough of the bloody things to know what that cursed light meant. Nothing good ever came of them, and only the goddess knew where this one lead. Every time I’d encountered one it had been a portent of some form of tragedy. It was ironic that for something which could have been so extraordinarily valuable to our society, their ‘rediscovery’, if that was the right word to use of course, had brought nothing but tragedy. Portals. Most that still stood were little more than inactive ruins, a curiosity from an earlier time to tantalise the imagination, although I doubt many who encountered one had even the slightest inkling as to what they had actually been. This one however was far from some long forgotten collection of mouldering old stones, it very much active, and I knew with terrible certainty that this was where those vile creatures had hauled my family off to. I could only pray I wasn’t too late. Digging in my hooves I burst into the clearing before the portal, just it in time to see one of the black changeling creatures standing over the prone figures of two ponies, a green magical aura surrounding it. It saw us, turned, and fled through the portal as one of the wolves dived after it. There was a deafening shriek, and the wolf re-emerged, pulling the thing back into the light by one of its hind legs whilst it tried desperately to pull itself away. In a flash, one of the minotaurs grabbed the creature and pinned it down, drawing a sword.

“NO!” I shouted at the great beast. “I want it alive.”

The warrior turned and eyed me curiously before obediently lowering the blade, still keeping the changeling firmly secured in a grip that could have bent iron like candle wax. For now, the vile changeling could wait. My gaze fell upon the two ponies, my heart leaping into my throat as I recognised one of the prone shapes before the portal. Shadow reached them at the same time I did. They were still, grey, cold to the touch… a tangerine pegasus and a white mare with a golden mane and tail. My heart faltered, the magic within me answering with horror and anger, lending a strength I didn’t want right then… not now.

“Tingles?” I leaned down, nudging the prone form with my muzzle. “Love? Please, wake up, love, I’m here now.”

She was completely unmoving, her hide ice cold to the touch, and all the colour looked like it had been drained from her. Tingles’ cutie mark was a tragic reflection of her condition – colourless, and devoid of any warmth. Was she…? Shadow nuzzled her as I collapsed to my knees and lay my head across her, feeling for a pulse, for any sign that the spark of life still remained. The thestral warrior sniffed Tingles’ body, snuffing and nuzzling her. Oh gods… Tingles… Those deep green eyes, once so full of life, were now closed tight. How had it come to this? How?! It was all my fault too. I’d been so damned stupid, so unimaginably careless, sitting on the porch smoking that bastard pipe when I should have been there to protect my loved ones. If I’d kept my wits about me, if I’d listened, maybe I could have heard-

Thump…

Wait… was that-?

Thump…

I waved for silence to the increasingly agitated warriors whilst Shadow leaned over Tingles, her eyes blazing. “Fairlight,” Shadow breathed, “is Tingles…?”

“No,” I said shaking my head. “No, she’s still alive… barely.”

Gently, I raised the pegasus’ head and dribbled some of my life essence into her open mouth, hoping it would help restore her, but all it did was drip back out onto the muddied ground. I tried moving her. She was so light, like a ragdoll with its strings cut, used and discarded upon the cold, hard ground. More than anything right then I wanted just to wrap her up and take her home, to get her some proper care, but some of Meadow’s advice came back to me about not moving an injured pony. Was this the same sort of situation? Tingles just lay there silently, her life fading before my very eyes. There were few injuries, certainly none life threatening that I could see, but I still couldn’t detect any sign of the vibrant mare I loved so much except for that slow beat of her heart. What the hell was I supposed to do now?!

Panic, anger and rage cascaded through me as I looked up at the cause of her suffering - the changeling. I nodded to the warrior without taking my eyes from the thing he held. The minotaur watched me carefully, waiting, retaining his grip on the slick black creature. The other warriors of the tribe moved up around me forming a circle. Behind them the wolves made a plaintive, low howl, clacking occasionally in their strange manner. It was like the watchers of the dead, waiting for the passing of a soul. Several warriors brought pole lanterns and set them up around us, lending at least a little light to the scene. I leaned down and nuzzled Tingles. Her body frigid, and not even my magic was enough to help. She was slipping away from me. A tear rolled down my cheek and I heard the creature, the monster that had done this, buzzing its bee-like wings. Of course… of course I knew what they’d done… The stories had been true. All too true.

“Repair the damage you have done,” I whispered, holding Tingles’ head in my forelegs. “Fix this now or I swear by the moon I will tear your still beating heart from your body.” In reply the thing chattered and hissed its defiance, those soulless eyes staring blind hatred at me. I motioned to the creature’s captor. “Release it.”

The minotaur hesitated. “My Lord?”

One glance was all it took. “Do I have to repeat myself?”

I growled deep in my throat, watching the creature as I rose to my hooves, letting the magic sing, listening to its howl of fury as it seared through me in a torrent of unbridled rage and hatred. White fog billowed up around me in a tempest, faster and faster, silver motes of magic mixing and swirling, with myself, Tingles, and the creature at its heart. My horn glowed and ice formed around the creature’s legs, freezing it to the ground. Helplessly it beat its wings and tried to fly, the unexpected additional weight keeping it bound to the earth.

“I gave you your chance,” I hissed, forming a short dagger of ice before me. The blade, unnaturally sharp and thin, floated in the air, held up before the changeling’s face. “If you will not help me, then perhaps your screams will bring her back.”

Shadow trotted over shaking her head, “Fairlight… don’t…”

I stared up at her, my eyes brimming with anger and tears alike. “No. Shadow, look away… please.” I turned to Nimble. “Corporal…” Dutifully, the young stallion trotted up as I gazed at Shadow. “Take Shadow away, I don’t want her to see this.”

He stared at the changeling and then back to me. “Cap’,” he said, swallowing, “this… this isn’t right…”

I looked him in the eyes, “And if that was Ruffles lying there dying before your very eyes, where would your morality be then, Nimble? Tell me, explain to me now, exactly how you could walk away and let this thing go as the mare you loved died before you, and you did nothing… NOTHING!”

He lowered his head silently, and without another word led Shadow gently away. Meanwhile the creature that had caused this glared at me, its blue-green eyes looking for all the world like some giant insect’s – emotionless, and completely devoid of expression.

I whispered into its ear, “I know you can understand me, I’ve met your kind before. You’ve drained her of emotions, left her an empty husk of who she is…” I sighed, closing my eyes and tapped the knife on the changeling’s chest. “I’m going to leave you empty now… One piece at a time.” The knife trailed down until I found a joint in the carapace below its belly. “Take a deep breath now,” I hissed, baring my teeth to the thing. “I want to hear your screams fill the void you’ve left in my soul.” I pushed the knife firmly but slowly forward. “This might take a while…”

The creature suddenly shrieked and hissed, “Pleasssse!”

“It’s too late for begging,” I whispered to it. “Far, far too late…”

“No! I cannn helllpp!” It stared up at me, struggling against the grip of the ice. “Pleasssse!”

Reluctantly I stayed my hoof, taking the knife away but kept eye contact with the disgusting thing. “You have one chance. Only one.”

The changeling swallowed, nodding towards Tingles. “I mussst be nearrr.”

I nodded to one of the minotaurs who lay the changeling between Tingles and the white mare. The white mare… Did I know her? She looked familiar somehow, yet strangely there was no cutie mark on her flank which… Oh goddesses…

I grabbed the creature roughly. “Both. You help both, you understand?”

It nodded quickly. “Yesss, I underrrssstanddd.”

A deep emerald glow emerged from the thing’s horn, slowly becoming brighter and brighter as it grew in intensity, spreading out to cover both of the mares. In the flow of magic I saw patterns, swirling black and blue lines travelling from the tip of its horn and into the bodies of the mares. The strain was clearly telling on the changeling and, horribly, holes began to appear in its legs, wings and even its mane. The beast cried out and gasped as the magic flickered out,

“I… I’vvveee donnne all I cannn,” it hissed weakly, “I cannn givvve nooo more”

I pushed the thing away and lifted Tingles in my forelegs once more, watching her chest for movement, praying for some sign, no matter how small, of the spark of life within her. She was as cold as she had been before, but her coat…

Shadow rushed up beside me, roughly shoving Nimble aside to reach her friend. “Tingles!” she cried out nuzzling her, “Alive!”

I looked up at her, my heart as still as a millpond. “Shadow… she’s…” I couldn’t say it. I… I couldn’t...

“F...Fairlight?” A voice, barely a whisper, no more than a breath on the night’s breeze, entered my ears and I looked down to see a pair of large green eyes staring back at me.

“Tingles?” I stared at her in frozen shock.

She smacked her lips dryly. “You took your time…”

Loofa was the first to react, hurrying over with a canteen of water for the weakened mare. “We need to get her out of here, Captain,” Loofa cautioned. “I’ve contacted Brandy and Mitre, they’ve got whoever they can spare on the way already, including a few medics. They’ll rendezvous with us at the tavern.”

I nodded my understanding. “Get the carriage, Loofa. Take a couple of the griffins with you and fly like the wind.” He said no more, but I felt the blast of air as he soared into the sky to collect the carriage.

Tingles leaned into me, shivering. “I’m so cold…”

I snuggled her into my fur, wrapping a cloak around her that one of our warriors had thoughtfully brought over to us. With Shadow on the other side, I stroked her mane. “We’re here love, it’s going to be okay now. We’re with you.”

I gave her a kiss, gentle and soft as she reached up and pulled me into it, her customary strength only a fraction of what it had been. But even as she held me, barely noticeable in the poor light, I could still make out the familiar colours of my mare gradually returning to her coat. It was slow at first, but it was definitely there, a gradual wave of tangerine vibrancy spreading out from her head to her tail. I let her take all she wanted from me. I had enough for her. For my loved ones, there would always be enough.

“Fairlight,” she breathed, her eyes visibly brighter than they had been. “You’ve got Lumin haven’t you? Please, tell me you have him?”

I laid my forehead upon hers, closing my eyes against the torrent of emotion. “We’re going after him now, love. Don’t worry, we’ll get him back.”

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. I’d hear the expression ‘feeling a little off colour’, but this was quite literal, the vibrancy of her coat looked like it had simply faded away. I glared at the thing that had done this to her, to my family. It had stolen my son, killed my friends… I felt my teeth tingle and a growl in my throat rose up as my vision narrowed. Hatred, bitter and insatiable, seized my soul. This thing had to die… They all had to die. Whilst even one of the these evil creatures existed within Equestria it was a threat to everypony around it. Purging them from our lands was the only possible-

“Fairlight!”, I whirled round at the call. Nimble was kneeling beside the white unicorn. “She’s still alive, she’s coming to.”

Leaving Tingles with Shadow, I walked over to the other mare, her golden mane and tail as limp and lifeless as Tingles’ had been. But there, just noticeable in the lamplight, her chest rose and fell with a strong steady rhythm. She was most certainly alive, whoever she was. I looked closer… Other than the lack of a cutie mark she bore a striking resemblance to Celestia, at least at first glance anyway. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more this elegant creature reminded me of that strange friend of Velvet Cream’s, the one who’d killed my friends in the warehouse that terrible evening at the wharf. Looking down at her body now, any doubt about who she was vanished the moment I caught a faint hint of her perfume. It was her. The human.

A large purple eye opened and peered up at me in unfocused confusion. “Wha… What’s happening? Where-?”

I looked down at the despicable creature as the fog of the wendigo swirled around me, echoing my mood. “Where are you?” I finished for her. “A good question. Maybe you’d like to tell me what you are doing here, and where my son is?”

Tingles tried to push herself weakly to her hooves, the effort clearly straining her. “Fairlight, please…Annabelle tried to save us, she’s a friend.”

“Annabelle?” Yes, that was her name. Annabelle. Even her name sounded alien. “She’s no friend, Tingles. No friend at all, I can assure you.”

The white mare whispered quietly as Nimble held her in his hooves, “Fairlight? C… Captain?”

Hearing that name, from her… How could it… Memories slammed into me with all the subtlety of a burst dam. One after another they deluged me: a room, a dark, cold room, a saddle and bridle. I shook my head, trying to free myself from the invisible bonds. It was there. It was all there. The taste of the metal bit, the orders, the hose water pounding my body as I hung suspended from the ceiling in a fog of endless pain and humiliation. She was my mistress, I must… I had to… A heavy thud behind us announced the arrival of Loofa and the chariot, together with the griffin escort. Whatever spell this damned mare had me under disappeared as quickly as a popped soap bubble on a summers day.

“Loofa!” I near shouted, turning to face him.

“Yes, Captain?”

I gave myself a hard shake. “Get these mares back to the tavern and have the medics look them over. Take the griffins with you as escort too.”

The alabaster coated unicorn lifted her head to stare at me, the dark shadows under her eyes betraying her weakened state. “Captain, is that… is that you?” She blinked, trying to make sense of her situation. She had never seen me in my wendigo form, and yet somehow… somehow she still knew it was. “Please,” she said pleadingly. “I have to… to tell you something.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Please!” the white mare insisted. “It’s important, please listen! It’s about-”

I couldn’t listen to her any more. “Loofa, get her out of here. Now.” I turned away. I couldn’t bare to see that bitch’s face for another second longer. I couldn’t recall it all as yet, but there was enough. More than enough. If she didn’t leave now I might have lost what little control of myself I had. I took Loofa to one side while Nimble helped the unicorn to her hooves. “Watch her, and keep her away from Tingles. I want guards all around her at all times, you understand me? If you’ve got a hornlock, use it, otherwise multiple guards.”

He cocked his head to one side. “She’s very weak, Cap’, I don’t think she’ll be much of a problem.”

“Don’t trust her Loofa, I’m serious.” I tapped him on the shoulder, fixing him with a gaze that brooked no nonsense. “Trust me, you don’t want her in your head…or your heart.” He looked unsure at first, but nodded and turned to help load her into the carriage as I helped to secure Tingles into the seat next to her. “You’ll be alright love, Loofa will get you home. I’ll have little Lumin back with you soon too. We’ll all be home soon.”

Nodding silently, Tingles struggled to keep her eyes open. “Soon…” she muttered. The exhausted pegasus was starting to nod off already. Seconds later the chariot lifted off and swiftly disappeared into the sky across the forest, back towards the relative safety of Smiling Borders.

One of the minotaurs lumbered over, it was Heavy Hoof. “Lord Fairlight, what are your orders?”

I hefted my war scythe and smiled, nodding to Shadow who had her axe ready on her back, her eyes burning like the sun. “We go forward, my friend, always forward. Fortune favours the bold.”

“How are we to find your son?” Heavy asked.

“I have a little something to help us.” I lifted Starswirl’s beacon up before him. Tingles must have taken it with her hoping it would lead her to our son. Instead it had nearly led her to her death. Now, it was my turn. Rotating on the end of its chain, the ethereal light shone brightly toward the portal, “It shows the path to what its wearer desires most," I said levelly, "and right now, I want my son back.”

Shadow prodded the prostrate changeling. “Him?”

I curled my lip, eyeing the thing. “I think we’ve got all we’re going to get from it.”

Heavy Hoof scratched his stubbly chin. “Want me to kill it?”

I shook my head, smiling. “No. Let him go.”

There was a chorus of shocked mutterings from the other warriors standing behind us. I cast my blue eyed gaze on them, silencing the dissent in a heartbeat. “You heard me, Heavy Hoof. I said let him go.” Reluctantly, the bulky minotaur brought the stricken creature to its hooves and I removed the ice from its legs, leaning down to stare into the creatures soulless insectoid eyes. I grinned, white mist dripping from between my teeth. “Run…” The thing looked at me and tried its useless wings before turning to look into the forest. I snarled at its hesitation. “I SAID RUN!”

It didn’t need telling twice. The changeling held its head down and charged off into the forest, quickly disappearing in a whirl of broken twigs and kicked up grass and ferns. A pair of glowing feral green eyes stared at me from the darkness, the hollow wooden click-clacking, inquisitive and questioning. I smiled and nodded to my new ally. He knew what to do. After all, sharing was what friends did, wasn’t it? I turned and headed for the portal, joining my warriors as they began to file through one after the other. Shadow and I shared a kiss before following them into that mysterious enveloping silver light. What awaited us on the other side? Who could say? It didn’t matter anyway. Fate would reveal it to us in her own inimitable way regardless.

The last sound I heard from the forest was the lonely cry of a timber wolf in the distance. I looked back momentarily and smiled to myself. Justice had been served…deliciously.

********************

Travelling through these portals was very much a hit and miss affair with regards to how it would affect you once you emerged on the other side. The trip to the human world had resulted in a rapid evacuation of my stomach contents, making me the perfect target for any potential enemy. This time though I hoped I’d be able to keep everything down. More worrying however, was that I had no idea where this portal lead, only that Lumin was in danger and needed me. Thank Luna that Tingles would be getting help back at the tavern, and as for that white mare… Damn it all, whenever I tried to think of her my mind recoiled like an alarmed kitten. Was I frightened of her? I don’t know, but whatever she’d done to me she’d really bucked me up good and proper. Right now though, I had to concentrate on the job at hoof. Concerns about mystery mares, human or otherwise, would have to wait. Besides, Loofa was keeping an eye on her and with the agency team there too, she wasn’t going anywhere. I, on the other hoof, was. Exiting the portal was all but instantaneous. In the blink of an eye I emerged with Shadow by my side and the warriors already taking their positions in ranks before us under the instruction of Heavy Hoof. The first thing that struck me however, was the light here. It had a peculiar green tinge to it that bathed the world with a hazy, sickly hue. Even sun, faded and washed out looking, felt… ‘wrong’ somehow. Were we still in Equestria? It was a valid question, the portals could take you to other worlds as I already knew, but the changelings, as alien as they appeared, were still a part of Equestrian history. Or, more specifically, Equestrian ‘folklore’. Mind you, I had a much healthier respect for the writings of our forebears nowadays, particularly as creatures I had once believed to be no more than myth were popping up around me at an alarming rate: thestrals, changelings, wendigo, and things I had no name for either, like the huge pony-eating worm thing in the cave. I gave my mane a hard shake, letting my eyes adjust to the surroundings. The ground, the trees... everything I could see here looked as if it were sickening from some form of insidious malady. Gods, even the air tasted strange, reminding me in part of the sulphurous air of the dragon lands. As for our enemies, there was no sign of the changelings other than their hoofprints in the soil leading off into the distance. In fact, other than ourselves, the area around the portal was completely devoid of any signs of life whatsoever. There were no birds overhead, no small critters chattering in the warped trees, nor even the sound of the wind. Strange, why was there nopony here? Our minotaurs had gone through first, ready to act as a battering ram whilst the rest of us followed, but rather than meeting any resistance, we’d been completely unchallenged. At least, so far.

Shadow looked about her, shaking her mane irritably. “I don’t like this place. It feels wrong.”

I let go of my magic, taking out one of my flasks. “I know,” I said scanning the area around us, “it’s like it’s shielded somehow. In fact…” I stared up at the sky, watching a shimmer of magical energy flicker across it momentarily, “…it is.”

This would explain why Equestria hadn’t seen changelings for such a long time. The damned things had been sealed away for a reason, and no wonder, the murderous insects were a scourge that I’m surprised ‘old burger buns’ hadn’t given the wendigo treatment too long ago. Instead, it looked like her royal highness, or whoever it had been, had stuck them here in this glorified goldfish bowl. Unfortunately, it looked like somepony had left the bloody door open for them to come and go as they pleased. But why? And just as importantly, how? From what we knew so far, somepony was clearly using these monsters for their natural ability to infiltrate, the royal wedding venue being the case in point. On the face of it of course, that seemed like a good idea – for all intents and purposes the changelings were absolutely perfect for assassination or espionage roles. The only problem, however, was that now they were able to enter Equestria through this very portal on a whim, and from what I had seen so far, there was nothing to stop them coming back in force too. Come to think about it, what the hell was a portal doing in the middle of nowhere anyway? The ones I’d seen had been deliberately placed, either a long time ago or, more recently, by the smugglers. This one was in the middle of a bloody forest, so- Suddenly an image of the white mare flashed through my mind again. It was her, her and the smugglers, Velvet Cream, the commissioner, the changelings in Canterlot...

“My goddesses,” I breathed. “Shadow, this whole thing… the portal, the attempt on Celestia and the infiltration of the wedding. Somepony’s set this damned thing up to use the changelings as a game changer.”

Shadow shook her head. “Foolish,” she said firmly. “Monsters cannot be reasoned with. Too dangerous.”

She was right. Whoever was behind this was not only playing with fire, they were throwing fuel on it for good measure. The portal sat behind me, shimmering with that now familiar silvery light. The engravings, the construction, the lack of any visible weathering… This wasn’t some ancient structure that somepony had somehow managed to reactivate, it was all new. Somepony had manufactured it, and recently too. One thing was for sure, whoever had built it was highly skilled in magic. But where would you even find skills like that to learn in the first place? It was hardly the sort of thing taught in night-schools or colleges, was it? In fact I doubt most ponies would even know what a portal was, let alone how to reactivate and use one the things. The more I thought about it the more insidious the whole matter seemed to become. I had a horrible feeling we were out of depth here, and massively so.

One of the griffins walked up to us, bowing, “My lord, may I have your permission to scout ahead?”

It was an excellent idea. With no clue as to the topography of this land nor the disposition of the enemy, any intelligence we could garner from aerial reconnaissance would be essential, particularly as we were likely to be outnumbered too. Whichever way you looked at it we were in the changelings back yard here, and whether they expected us or not they would find out we were here soon enough. How they’d react to our presence remained to be seen, although somehow I doubted it would be with a tray of cakes and a pot of tea. I nodded to the griffin. “Yes, but keep as low a profile as possible. I don’t know if they’re aware we’re here or not yet. If they’re in the dark, let’s try to keep it that way.” The winged creature nodded and returned to her fellows, issuing orders.

Shadow nuzzled me, “Lumin…”

“I know, love,” I smiled. “See? The beacon’s brighter than ever now.” I held up Star Swirl’s pendant, noting how the light shone with a distinctly purer light than it had on the other side of the portal. Shadow closed her eyes and nodded before giving herself a shake. It was time to move out.

With Shadow, Heavy Hoof and I taking the lead, the rest of the warriors fanned out either side of us in a loose formation whilst the scouts watched our flanks. Without exception, each and every one of us kept alert for any signs of danger. We were in hostile territory now, and there was no way I was going to be caught with my pants down out here. Not that I really wore pants all that often of course, but the analogy still works - mostly. We trudged onward, following the hoofprints of the changelings as they disappeared off into the distance. By the way the ground had been churned up, they had been running at not inconsiderable speed too. Whether that was because they had feared pursuit or simply because they wanted to take their prize back to their masters as quickly as possible, it was impossible to say. They’d taken considerable casualties during the attack on the village, plus the fight in the forest. They must have realised we’d be hot on their hooves, so I wouldn’t discount the possibility that panic had overridden all else in their desperation to escape. What really concerned me however, was that to assume there wasn’t going to be some form of attempt to recover Lumin would be either ignorant in the extreme, or supremely arrogant on behalf of their leaders. Then there was the third option of course – the portal had been left open deliberately. Could we be walking into a trap of some sort? And if we were, what choice did I have? I had to recover my son, come what may. Unfortunately I was all too aware of the fatigue of my warriors. Many of them looked tired from their exertions in the forest as it was, whilst others sported various injuries. If we were going to be successful I wanted any operation here to be quick and decisive so we could get out as fast as possible. And that was only part of it. Once back in the Everfree we’d still have to navigate the treacherous depths of the forest before we reached home. Still, if we were being pursued at the same time we’d have a chance to evade them in there. What truly struck me about this place though was the sheer bleakness of it all, the emptiness, as though the land itself was on the verge of death but never quite tipping over into the emptiness of the eternal abyss. The foliage, if you could call it that, was all dark and wilted like the trees - nearly dead, barely alive, surviving in an eternal half life between life and death. I checked my supplies. Fortunately I’d been able to bring a fairly decent stock of life energy with me and I paused to retrieve a flask. It was halfway to my lips when, to my surprise, I realised I didn’t really need it after all. Curious. I scratched my chin and replaced the container. When was the last time I’d had any? I’d pushed myself to the brink healing our people back in the tavern of course, but that was exceptional rather than the norm. We’d fought since then, fighting in the forest where I’d expended magic fighting off the changelings, yet for some reason I didn’t have that familiar hollow feeling that tended to follow any extended use of my magic. It was a pleasant revelation, though nothing of particular note. Even so, I’d have to keep an eye on it. The last thing I wanted was to push myself too far and not realise I’d burned myself out until it was too late. I’d ponder it later when my pipe and a brandy would be a nice accompaniment to any thought processes. Them, and some chocolates. A nice mare or two would be good as well, afterwards…

Shadow nudged me. “Love?”

“Hmmm?”

She motioned to the green tinged sky. One of the scouts was returning, a hippogriff male by the looks of it. He landed a few feet away, bobbed his head, and trotted up to me.

I nodded to him, “Report.”

“My Lord, enemy forces are massed ahead,” the hippogriff said gravely. “I kept low as you ordered. I don’t believe they saw me.”

“Good,” I replied. “Estimated numbers?”

He grimaced slightly. “I couldn’t say for certain, they were massed tightly. I would certainly estimate several hundred, including some larger ones I believe are leading them.”

Heavy Hoof strode over. “My lord?”

I turned to look at our warriors. Although quite capable of taking on a larger force, there were so many of the changelings that there was a very real possibility we could be overwhelmed. Heavy Hoof rubbed at a bandage on his arm in thought whilst I considered our position. Everypony had been hurt during the fighting, even with my wendigo powers backing us up.

I lifted my head. “Scout!”

The hippogriff bowed, “My Lord?”

“Show me where the enemy are, the rest of you wait here. Shadow, Heavy Hoof, keep a lookout but make sure these warriors get some rest.”

We took to the air, the half pony, half eagle creature a curious sight as he lead the way across the strange landscape. Not that I had any room to talk really, he probably thought I was just as odd to look at too. After all, how many wendigo had he ever seen in Smiling Borders? Or anywhere else for that matter. Still, hippogriffs were far from a common sight in Equestria. If I remember correctly, once upon a time they had their own lands, rather like the wendigo I suppose. Whatever had happened to it was yet another gap in my sieve like knowledge, as well as an uncomfortable reminder of just how little I knew of our world outside of the princess’s cosseted domain. I kept pace with the scout quite easily, marvelling at this extraordinary blend of two species. His pony hind quarters bobbing along blended seamlessly into his feathered forelegs and head. Like I’d seen with many of our griffin contingent, he carried with him a quiver of short throwing spears and a curved sword by his side. Add to that his lethal looking hooked beak and claws, the curious warrior was certainly a force to be reckoned with. I yawned, stretching my legs. Well, if there was one thing I’d learned about the tribe so far, it was that I would definitely have to spend more time with the enigmatic denizens of Smiling Borders when we got back. It was my home after all, and besides, it was always good practice to keep in with the neighbours, no matter what the species.

Ahead of us the land rose sharply and then dropped away into a deep valley, shrouded in shadows. Both of us came to a halt, quickly dropping quietly to the ground whereupon we shimmied forward to peer over the edge to take in the sights below. I took a moment to take it all in, every single, terrifying detail of it. The hippogriff hadn’t exaggerated their numbers. If anything, he’d underestimated them. Arrayed in the valley was a huge force of armed changelings, the scale of which I’d never seen outside of my ancestral memories of the great war. This was no mere band of raiders, it was an army, and not just a specialized attack force for an assault on the royal wedding either. No, it was way too big for that. The black sea of creatures buzzed and clicked, the sound of such a mass of the things creating a wall of noise which reminded me of waves breaking upon the shoreline, an inexorable force that would crash upon Equestria leaving nothing in its wake. If Tingles and the white mare were any indication of what awaited everypony if this lot were unleashed, then Equestria was facing a threat that would have put Nightmare Moon’s legion to shame. I watched them for a moment longer before creeping back from the edge and taking a deep breath to clear my head. Maroc’s memories flared up a moment later, flooding me with images of the war, the final battle at River Valley and the sheer numbers that had been involved. Back then there had been thousands involved on both sides: ponies, griffins, minotaurs, hippogriffs, dragons… I swallowed, trying to make sense of it all. Was I overthinking things? The world had been a very different place back then after all, and River Valley it had been a set piece battle, with both armies arrayed like playing pieces on a chess board, with each side waiting for their commanders to make their respective moves. Here we were talking about a force of shape-shifting monsters that were, in all likelihood, poised to launch a surprise attack on the capital of my homeland. Even if there were only a few hundred of them, with our country’s hopelessly depleted armed forces reduced to little more than a ceremonial role, we wouldn’t stand a hope in hell. Gods above, if it wasn’t for Celestia and Luna’s presence, a foreign invader would be able to walk right in and set up shop with next to no opposition whatsoever. Come to think of it, what would happen to us if an assassin actually did manage to take them out? All it would take would be an MAD in the right place at the right time, and BOOM, it was game over. They’d tried it once, why wouldn’t they try it again? I shook my head. No, there was no doubt about it. This… this was an invasion force. We flew as fast as we could back to our own force, its size pitiful in comparison to the changelings. As much as I respected the tribe’s strength and fighting prowess, we didn’t stand a hope in hell against such numbers.

Heavy Hoof watched me as I approached. The hulking fellow was emanating anticipation like a furnace. “My Lord, you have news?”

I nodded, taking the hulking minotaur, Nimble and Shadow to one side out of earshot of the warriors. “Heavy Hoof, how many warriors do we have here?”

The great beast scratched his chin and held up his claws, muttering under his breath. “Uhhhh…”

Oh goddesses, what a question to ask him! Nimble placed a hoof on the minotaur’s elbow. “It’s okay big guy, I’ve got your back.” He turned to me. “One hundred and fifty, give or take a few.”

“Out of them, how many are fit for battle?” I asked.

“Around a hundred,” Nimble replied. “The other fifty are sporting some nasty injuries.”

Heavy Hoof snorted, gripping Nimbles’ shoulder. “They can fight!”

“I know,” I nodded to him placatingly, “but by my count we’re outnumbered around eight to one.”

Shadow whinnied. “Too many. We are too few.”

“Even with my magic and yours, we’d be overwhelmed,” I said looking at the warriors arrayed before us.

Heavy Hoof hefted his axe, apparently unphased by such insignificant details as being heavily outnumbered. “We are strong,” he growled. “They are weak, frail things. We should attack, surprise them. We could win!”

“Maybe…” I sat on my haunches and checked my saddle packs. “I am inclined to agree with you, Heavy Hoof. Speed, aggression and surprise would be of great advantage to us. However, what happens after the first few minutes when the others have rallied from the initial shock of our attack?” I looked up at him. “We would be swamped, and many of our warriors are already hurt.” I shook my head, “No, my friend. If we fail, Smiling Borders would be open to attack and my family, your family, would be drained of everything that makes them who they are and left to die. You saw what they did to Tingles, would you want that to happen again?”

The minotaur slumped forward. “No, My Lord.”

Nimble’s ears pricked up. “I say we go round them, rescue your lad, then lay charges on the portal. We can them bail out and leave these buckers to rot in their prison shit-hole where they belong.”

“What if there’s more than one portal?” I replied. “How long before somepony returns to repair what we destroyed? You saw that portal, Corporal, it’s new. Some bastards are making them.” I shook my head. “No. No, we have to stop them here. The question, of course, is how.”

Shadow reached back into an equipment pannier strapped to her armour. I hadn’t really noticed it before with all the excitement in the Everfree, but not I was able to get a good look at it, it was quite clearly thestral armour. Where in Equestria had she got that from?! I don’t remember her bringing it with her from the Withers, and it was hardly the kind of thing that fitted neatly into the small amount of luggage we’d been able to bring with us. I’d have to spend more time with her when we got back… If we got back. The midnight coated thestral pulled out a white leather pouch and tossed it to me, her eyes burning brightly as she said one word.

“Etrida.”

Nimble looked at the bag like it contained a snake. “Etrida?”

“She’s a dragon,” I said quietly. “The elder dragon from their realm in the Wither World. She helped us get home, but to ask her to come here and fight for us?” I smiled thinly at Shadow. “That’s quite a different matter, love.”

Heavy Hoof sat down and re-tightened his bandages. “A dragon? My ancestors fought with dragons. They are strong.”

They were that. I’d fought the enormous reptiles myself and was nearly barbecued in the process. If it hadn’t been for Shadow when that big bugger came for me at the monastery I sure as hell wouldn’t be here now. I could picture in my mind like it had happened yesterday, the way that wonderful thestral had rushed in to save my bacon and… Hmm… Thank gave me an idea. I picked up the bag and grinned to myself. Yes… Yes, it could work…

“We need to think tactically, everypony,” I said thoughtfully. “But first things first. A tactical withdrawal is in order.” Heavy Hoof looked like a vein was going to pop on his forehead, opening his mouth to protest until he saw the look in my eyes. I hefted my scythe. “Don’t worry my friend, your time for glory is near.”

He stared at me for a moment, snorted, then nodded once before crossing his hands on the hilt of his axe. “Good,” he huffed.

Leaving a small contingent of scouts on the changeling side of the portal, we took station back in the Everfree, setting up a small camp and a defensible perimeter. Heavy, as always, took command of his troops like a seasoned veteran. Shadow meanwhile, trotted off to help the medics look over our wounded, leaving me to see how things were going in the wider world. I tapped my communications device.

“Brandy? It’s Fairlight, you receiving?”

A few moments later a strained voice came back. “We’re still here, just. The damned things are everywhere, Fairlight. The army’s backing us up but there’s just no end to them!”

My heart sank into my stomach. I’d been right. Damn it all, it looked like we’d missed the boat too. “I’m sorry to say that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg,” I replied gravely. “We’ve found a portal into their homeland. There’s nearly a thousand of the things here and they look like they mean business.”

“How many troops do you have?” Brandy shouted back over the sound of magical weapons fire.

“Not enough.” I wiped my muzzle, accepting a flask of water from one of the warriors. “The troops mitre’s sent will be at the village by now, and I want to keep them there in case any more of these damned things turn up. Brandy, how many MAD’s can you get to my position, and how fast?”

“MAD’s? Fairlight, I… Damn it, fine! I’ll get you what we’ve can spare.” There was a shrieking burst of static. “For Luna’s sake, watch him! Watch him!” Another blast of energy fire, and then, “We can’t transport them by magic, the bloody things aren’t that stable, not to mention the distance. I’ll get my fastest fliers on the job, and if you can have one of your team meet us at the village to guide them in, that would speed things up.”

“I want a special order too,” I added. “You remember those things that they had on the barge?”

Brandy was livid by the end of the conversation but thankfully agreed to my requests, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I could only hope they’d arrive in time of course, but considering the gravity of the situation, none of us were in a position to argue over such petty issues as ‘formal requests’ and ‘permits’. The changeling army would be on the move soon, and the tension was almost palpable amongst our troops too. I used the opportunity to administer to wounds and meet the warriors I would be fighting with. Griffins, hippogriffs and minotaurs, were the ones who made up the bulk of the forces. The ones I hadn’t conversed with, oddly enough, were the ones of my own species – ponies. Several armoured stallions and mares were sat smoking and playing dice at the edge of the clearing by their stacked weapons. At my request, the troops had started clearing ground around the portal and were beginning to array sharpened stakes, spike pits and, just as importantly, to take it in turns to have a break from all the work. These warriors, as strong as they were, needed a moment to relax and restore some of their energy. I was all too aware that they’d been fighting for hours and although they probably wouldn’t admit it, some were clearly at the point of exhaustion. Around us, the clamour of chopping and digging continued unabated.

“Evening ponies,” I said trotting up to the small band.

One of them looked up at me and rose to his hooves, saluting smartly, “My Lord.”

I shook my head, smiling to relieve a little of the tension. “Please guys, my name’s Fairlight. If you want to be formal, fine, but just not right now, okay? I‘ve had enough of that bullshit to last ten lifetimes, never mind one.”

The stallion looked a little unsure, but bobbed his head politely. “As you wish, my… Fairlight.”

I motioned him to continue. “And you are…?”

“Oh… I’m Dusk Haze,” he explained, holding out a hoof to indicate his comrades. “This is Thistle, Blue Rummy, and Jasper Star.”

I greeted them all one by one, noting their names, faces, every detail that I could, committing it all to memory. These weren’t nameless, faceless fodder for the grinding wheels of war; they were ponies, creatures with thoughts, feelings, and lives of their own. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, forget that. Maroc’s memories tugged at me, as we talked. He’d known his warriors, each and every one. He may not have recalled every name of course, but he knew them nonetheless.

“How are you keeping up?” I asked, taking out my pipe.

Blue Rummy scrubbed her mane, “We’re all a little tired, but we’ll be alright.”

“Yeah!” Thistle added. “We’ll make our ancestors proud. Nopony bucks with the four winds tribe.”

Dusk Haze nodded. “We’ll be ready, My Lord, don’t you worry about that.”

Jasper Star, the chestnut coated mare sporting numerous dents and scrapes along her armour, sat quietly, staring at the ground.

“Jasper?” I asked. “What about you?”

The quiet unicorn mare didn’t move her head but stared up at me with intense yellow eyes. “We won’t run if that’s what you want to know,” she said levelly.

Something in the way she looked at me... her eyes… “I didn’t expect you to, Jasper,” I replied.

She spat on the ground. “We’re not bucking cowards, whatever anypony else says. We don’t run from a fight! I won’t run!” Blue Rummy gave her a consoling look and placed a comforting foreleg on her. She closed her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. “We don’t run…”

I had a sudden image of a lone pony on a hilltop, standing strong and proud against the storm coming towards him, the banner of the moon goddess held in his hooves. In Jasper’s eyes I saw the same stern determination, the acceptance of fate... of death. This one, these ponies, we were all one… all of us. It didn’t matter whether we were unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi or wendigo, we were all children of the goddess.

Thistle rose to his hooves. “Excuse me, my lord Fairlight, it’s our turn at the defences.”

I nodded, watching them go. As Jasper stood to leave I stopped her with an outstretched hoof. She turned to look at me, those baleful yellow eyes of hers staring into mine. “He didn’t run,” I said quietly. “When others did, he stood as immovable as a mountain in the storm.”

She didn’t look at me. She didn’t need to. “Do you know his name?”

I shook my head sadly. “My memories aren’t complete from my ancestors. I mostly recall pieces, fragments of events from the past. The final battle at River Valley is one of the largest ones, though even that is like trying to read a book where half the pages have been torn out.”

Jasper Star’s voice was distant, as if she were looking into the past. “Moon Rise,” she said quietly. “His name was Moon Rise.”

I looked up at the sky. Luna’s moon was disappearing now, the sun beginning its silent journey above the forest canopy in its stead as the orange light of dawn caressed the edges of the mountains. It was quietly beautiful in its own way, perhaps even sombre, but with a melancholy feel to it that echoed the sadness in my heart right then.

“Moon Rise,” I murmured. “Was he a relative of yours?”

“I don’t know,” Jasper replied softly. “To those who were there he became symbol of what it means to be a warrior of the goddess, to defend that which you love. Even…” She swallowed. “Even when all is lost.”

Jasper bobbed her head and trotted after her friends. Moon Rise; I wouldn’t forget. As long as I lived, the tribe would never forget either. So many heroes, so many lost, both on the side of Celestia and of Nightmare Moon. The stories of their heroism and sacrifice had been lost to the mists of time, and yet here was one pony, one solitary warrior, who had given his all to hold the banner of the goddess aloft against impossible odds - until he was cut down. Any what for? Maybe it really was all pointless. After all, whoever truly wins in a war? The world still turns, time passes, ponies lives come and go as memories slowly fade and what was a time of fear, pain and suffering, becomes no more than an interesting passage in a history book nopony reads. Perhaps it really had all been for nothing, but that didn’t change the reality for those who had lived through it. I gave myself a shake and went back to helping with the defences. Hours passed as we worked, the rows of lethally sharp stakes we’d set up presenting batteries of death and injury to any unwary foe that might be foolish enough to enter the killing ground. Pit traps and other ingeniously cruel creations were also liberally sprinkled around the approach to the portal. It wouldn’t stop them all of course, not the kind of numbers I’d seen in the changeling realm, but we had one advantage. As big as this portal was, it would act as a bottle neck for the changelings, like the restriction in an hour glass. Part of the problem however was that come of them could fly, and we had precious little air cover. My musings were interrupted by two of our scouts flying in from the south. Everypony paused to watch before Heavy Hoof, ever the consummate professional, bellowed at them to get back to work.

Nimble shouted over to me excitedly, “Captain, it’s Loofa!”

Sure enough, the pale blue pegasus flew into the middle of the clearing, carefully landing his cargo whilst trying desperately to catch his breath. I’d never seen him so winded. “Somepony… ask for… a special delivery?” he gasped.

I clopped him on the shoulder and checked the cargo under the thick tarpaulins. They were exactly what I’d ordered, but how they’d managed to get them loaded and all this way to the Everfree was nothing short of miraculous. “Heavy, get your boys over here and get these things into the entrenchments,” I said urgently. “Nimble, take charge of your team and get them ready.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n”, he replied, saluting smartly.

I turned back to Loofa, clopping him on the shoulder as the doctor looked him over. “Thanks, my friend. Any news from home?”

He nodded, knocking back a large gulp of water. “Tingles and Annabelle are doing okay. The doc’s wanting to move them to Manehattan but they’ve refused to go.” That sounded like Tingles alright. As for ‘Annabelle’, I wasn’t so sure. Loofa continued, “The detectors have been going off all over Equestria, converging on the palace. Shining Armour believes a major assault is imminent on the wedding party but he’s confident the shield will keep them out.”

I nodded to the portal. “Unless somepony leaves the door open.”

Loofa nodded. “I heard over the comm that they’ve been coming in from another location too. The agency and army are dealing with it, but the damned things are popping up all over the place like gophers.” He hoofed me a heavy bag. “Careful with that. Brandy said you‘d know what to do with them.”

Opening it up, I peered inside. A box of innocent looking egg-like devices sat nestled inside their packaging; eggs, awaiting hatching. I shook my head, smiling to myself. “Loofa, you never fail to deliver.”

“Ha!” he chortled. “You can always rely on the Loofa.”

Laughing, I helped him unload the last of the supplies and sent one of the hippogriffs through the portal with orders for the scouting party. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Any chance of reinforcements?” I asked Loofa as I carried a box of gear over to a minotaur who was directing distribution.

He shook his head. “Everyponies out there trying to contain those damned bugs. The army’s even pulling their troops back from the border outposts, but you know how it is, boss, the poor sods have been mostly ceremonial for years. Training, numbers, equipment - you’ve seen the state of them.”

He was right, the equipment they had was mostly archaic, the training too. Saying that, the majority of the warriors here were armed and armoured like something from the pages of ancient history as well. Dishing out modern PDW’s and pulse guns now with no training would probably lead to a massacre of our own troops, let alone the enemy. Thank the goddesses that Nimble and Loofa were here to help. I tapped out my pipe on my hoof and stowed it back in my pack. I don’t think Tingles could complain about my ‘bad habit’ right now. No, she’d probably let me have it later at full volume later when all this insanity had come to an end instead. Smiling wryly to myself, I looked up at the sky. Dawn had arrived.

I’m not a particularly religious pony to be honest. It’s rather hard to be when your gods live in a very solid, and also very real palace up on a mountainside where you can call in and see them pretty much any time you fancy. Having tea and cakes with the local deity of your choice tends to diminish the necessity for what the religious call ‘faith’. It also doesn’t help when one of them turns out to be a complete bitch either. I was little surprised to find some of the warriors from the village still worshipped Nightmare Moon as the one true goddess too. I’d overheard them saying prayers to her in their own way. Whether Luna heard them or answered their prayers, remained to be seen. As for myself… well, Luna may have been that very same vanquished being from one thousand years ago, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Somewhere inside I felt that the real Luna, her altered self like the wendigo inside me, was never that far away. In some ways I wished I could have seen her before the battle, but then... why? Was I expecting to die today? No… No, this was something different altogether. On some level she was somepony special to me, one who had loved my ancestor, and one for whom, should history have been kinder to them, could have taken a very different path in life. Would life in Equestria have been better with Nightmare Moon in charge and the Legion running things? I don’t know. And secretly, I was rather glad I didn’t either. I shook myself and took a deep breath. Most of the work was done now, and melancholy thoughts wouldn’t serve me well in the coming battle. Instead I pictured the princess in my mind and silently offered her my thanks her for her kindness and help. If she could hear my thoughts, she didn’t let on, but still…

The portal shimmered as one of the scouts flew in, looking around urgently before spotting me and swooping in for a quick landing. “Lord Fairlight,” she said urgently, taking a steadying breath. “The enemy are approaching.”

“How many?” I asked.

Her avian eyes never blinked. “All of them.”

I glanced around at our defences before turning back to her. “How long before they get here?”

Right on cue the rest of the scouting party flew in and took positions. The scout ruffled her feathers as she replied, “Estimate around twenty minutes before their advance party arrives, My Lord.”

I nodded my thanks to her and turned to face Heavy Hoof and Nimble. Loofa stood with his team watching close by. They knew already.

“This is it everypony,” I shouted. “Get your warriors into position.”

I walked into the middle of the glade and watched the portal, the way the silvery liquid magic rippled and sparkled; it was bewitching. Sunlight was just starting to catch the edges of the structure and glinted off the armour and weapons of the warriors who were all watching me intently. Nimble waggled his eyebrows at me and I turned to see that I was, suddenly and rather unnervingly, the centre of attention. Oh Luna’s furry arse! I knew what they wanted of course, it was some bloody pep talk from ‘Lord Fairlight’, something to give them courage and drive in the coming battle. Damn it! What the bloody hell did I know of these things? Maroc’s memories had given me a few brief hints, a smattering of suggestions here and there, but each one of them had been tailored to the specific situation. However one common thread ran through them all. All of them, every single one… came from the heart. I breathed deeply, steadying my breath, sweeping my gaze around the clearing, taking in the sight of my warriors. They were my tribe. My people. I gave them my trademark Fairlight smile.

“Warriors of the Four Winds,” I called. “You are here with me today not as my soldiers, but as my brothers and sisters. You accepted me, a stranger to your home, as the new lord of the fortress in the mountains, and of your tribe. I knew little of our people and little of my past, but now…” I raised a hoof and swept it around in an arc. “I can say truly that I feel as much a part of the tribe as I do of my own family. You are part of that family now, each and every one of you. I may not know all your names, but I know your faces, and I know your heart. I will gladly fight by your side and defend you all with my life. This coming battle may decide the future of Equestria, and also of our very existence. Your loved ones and my own are depending on us to stop these creatures, to throw them back into their own lands and make our home safe once more.” I looked at Jasper Star. “Many of us share ties with our past, with a history we will never forget, but I say we must also forge ahead, holding the past dear, but pushing boldly into a new future. We have a chance here, an opportunity to restore the honour, the glory of our people and home, to rebuild and be strong once more. I say we seize that chance by the balls and take what is ours.” There was a loud murmuring from the warriors, a general nodding of heads and smiles on weary faces. I unleashed the magic within me, feeling it surge through my body as my wings burst from my back and a shuddering force of anger and hatred flooded my heart and soul. My vision tinged blue and I reared on my hind legs, holding my war scythe high above me, the winds of winter swirling around the clearing. “Brothers and Sisters!” I cried, my wendigo voice deep and frigid as the mountain air, “Bring down the wrath of the Four Winds upon our foe. Join me in the song of war, sing the refrain of battle in your hearts.” I snorted and shook my mane, grinning. “They have brought us woe, but let us not be poor hosts…” The first of the creatures emerged from the portal, its head dropping away from its shoulders, the dark spray of its viscera spraying my chest. I laughed, the sound rolling out across the clearing, “…LET US BRING THEM A FEAST OF DEATH!”

A cheer rose from the warriors of the four winds. Every weapon was ready, every eye keen, their hearts and minds focussed on what must be done. War was upon us, and we revelled in it. Our ancestors would be proud.

The tidal wave of black flooded through the portal, some flying, most running, straight into a storm of bolts, arrows, and magical energy weapon fire. Although we had few PDW’s and pulse guns, at this range their fire was murderous. Those that made it through the hailstorm of fire tried to get through the ever increasing mass of bodies, stumbling and crawling through the stakes and pits, only to be cut down by the axes and swords of the waiting warriors. The discipline of our tribe was impressive indeed. Despite the excitement and adrenalin of battle, they kept their heads, making every shot, every thrust and cut count. Nimble and Loofa kept up a steady crossfire across the portal, concentrating on the fliers. We couldn’t let any of them get past us, the next target on their way into Equestria would most likely be the village - our home. Shrieks, cries and screams resounded across the forest, rending the morning air as the bodies of the changelings were rent asunder before us. Blood, black as oil, fell like rain upon us all, making my heart soar to heights of ecstasy I’d never known. Life… Death… This was where a wendigo lived. This was the true heart of the tribe. Celestia had been right, war was the natural element of our people, and looking at the eyes and expressions of my warriors, my brothers and sisters, they understood it too. I laughed aloud, leaping the barricade and gutting the changelings that rushed me, struggling over the bodies of their comrades. One by one they fell, their charge endless, unceasing… Faster and faster, more and more of the things came through, the clearing filling with dead and dying alike, but to these creatures there appeared to be a single minded drive, like some monstrous hive mind behind their willingness to die on our axes, swords and spears. If death was what they so desired, then they had come to the right place. We would give them their fill.

One of the griffins shouted down to me, “Lord Fairlight, the portal!”

The flow of creatures slowed momentarily and we looked on, watching keenly as monstrously huge claws appeared around its edges with nails like scythe blades and skin as black as coal. Slowly hauling itself through the opening was a creature the likes of which I’d never seen; a hideous, terrifying thing of spikes, teeth, and demonic hate. It shambled in on two legs as thick as tree trunks, roaring its defiance as the pulse gun fire danced across its hide.

I shouted my orders. “Loofa, Nimble, keep fire your fire on the changelings, ignore that big bastard…” I grinned. “He’s mine.”

I unleashed a blast of sparkling white mist into the clearing at waist height, freezing cold and laced with raw magic. The thing, dragging a massive iron club behind it, saw me... and swung. For its size the beast was incredible strong, but it was also slow. Far too slow. The ice began to form on its body, cracking and snapping as the creature tried desperately to reach me. My scythe swung in response, biting into its skin, barely making much impression on its thick, gnarled hide. I weighed up my options; this would require something a little more aggressive than mere blade work. I took a deep breath and let the magic build as the creature tried to free itself from the icy prison. Peaking, and with a scream of released power and rage, a beam of purest magic lanced from my horn straight at my adversary whilst around us, the battle raged on. Flooding around the things legs, the changelings continued their attack, none of them seeming to notice their juggernaut had stopped its advance. Confused, the beast stared at me, then looked down. I grinned at the baffled look on its face. The hole was so large I could have flown through it without touching the sides. And finally, with the speed of a glacier, the things brain realised… it was already dead. The ground shook when the enormous corpse fell, its size so grotesque that it managed to smash some of the barricades beneath it, and with a hissing shriek and howl, the changelings began surging toward the gap.

“Now!” I shouted to Loofa and Nimble. “Now’s your time!”

The sacking and branches were pulled back and the multi barrelled machines swivelled to face the attacking horde. Nimble and Loofa, more experienced with such things, brought a whole new level of violence to the proceedings. Some of ours warriors stood in shock, staring at the carnage before them as the metallic whine and roar of leaden death swept through the changelings ranks, filling the air with body parts, entrails and gore. To see these things in action, to watch them killing… this wasn’t war. This was murder. Maroc’s calm voice echoed through my memories, ‘victory is victory, my descendant, however it is achieved.’ He was right of course. The battlefield was no place for sentiment, especially not for so cruel a foe. For what these creatures were capable of, death was the only answer. They still had my son. For that, and that alone, there would be no mercy. No mercy at all. But all too soon the firing, the shouts and the clash of arms, gradually ebbed away, draining into the morning air like the blood soaking into the ground around our hooves. Was it over already? I took a breath, standing there, still and quiet atop the pile of changeling dead. It was hard to find a spot that wasn’t approaching waist deep in the insect-like things. The ground of the clearing was a virtual lake of black blood, many of the beasts twitching or crawling about only to be silenced with a sword, axe or spear. The multi-barrelled guns clanked in the chill dawn air as they cooled, allowing the teams a chance to reload them.

Loofa shook his head. “Not many rounds left, Captain. These things eat through them in seconds. Should be more on the way though… hopefully.”

Spreading my wings I flew across the scene of carnage to the portal. Taking a deep breath, I plunged through it once more. Before me was a sea of black and green, interspersed with more of the giant club wielding creatures and larger pony-type things. They would be on us in moments. Quickly, I ducked back through to the clearing. It was nearly time. Screams and shouts reverberated around me as my scythe swung, my magic flaring. The second wave had begun. Frozen, burned and cut changelings piled up around me while more of the giant creatures clambered through, one after another. The tide was reaching its peak. Soon… Soon we would be swamped in the sea of chittering black horrors.

I shouted over to the hippogriff, “NOW! DO IT NOW!”

She nodded and flew to the top of the portal, landing on its apex and pulled out the detonator. Flicking the switch, the brave warrior ducked to throw it into the portal when a wild swing from one of the giants took her in the side and flung her broken body clear across the clearing and into the trees.

“Buck!” I shouted, trying to cut my way to the device. But no matter how hard I fought, it was hopeless. The ground and air were both thick with a solid mass of the changelings. I was giving them everything I had, yet despite cutting them down in droves they just kept coming, more and more and ever more. To my horror I saw our lines begin to falter under the inexorable tide, our warriors struggling to keep the defensive line intact. Heavy Hoof bellowed as a wickedly curved sword pierced his shoulder, the mighty beast bringing his axe down to cleave his changeling adversary nearly in two. Loofa and Nimble, their main weapons out of ammunition, had resorted to their pulse guns, the things all but glowing as they overheated with the excessive firing. Despite it all, regardless of the death dealt to them, the changelings surged forward, trampling their dead and wounded in their single minded determination to break through our lines. If this kept up… I looked at Nimble and he stared back, his face ashen, eyes wide with the adrenalin coursing through his body… He knew, as I did… We were losing.

From the corner of my eye I saw a flash of silver and black armour. Somepony was running, leaping over the corpse of one of the fallen giants. In the blink of an eye they picked something up and with a toss of their head, sent the thing in through the portal. I watched them turn, try to run back... and fall, a spear lodged in their side. I cried out and flung my rage and hate at the things before me, even as the fire storm of magic blew through the portal with the strength a hurricane. The world screamed around us in that inferno of green fire and death. Lives that ended in the initial flash were the fortunate ones, whilst the others… My goddesses, what had we done…? Burning and shrieking changelings ran at us in blind terror, flames pouring from their half melted bodies. Putting them down was a mercy. Many crawled, whimpering as they were sent to the next world by our steel. The stink of burnt changeling was something I will never forget, not for as long as I live. It was terrible… simply terrible. The warriors of the four winds tribe staggered wearily amongst the wounded enemy, dispatching them at will. No prisoners were taken here, no mercy was even considered. It was simply a job that needed doing. Taking advantage of the lull, I passed the piles of dead and made my way to the edge of the portal. She had to be here. She had to be! I pulled the dead creatures aside, kicking the remains of their burnt and mangled bodies away to reach my goal. There! A chestnut leg, still twitching, emerged from the charnel pit before me. I shouted for help and two of the minotaurs lumbered over to help move the badly burned body of one of the giants to reveal the mercifully still breathing form of the pony below. Heavy Hoof rushed over to help and between us we carried the wounded mare to the makeshift dressing station one of the griffins had set up. When he saw us he cleared his table and we rested our wounded comrade on the makeshift pallet.

Jasper looked up at me, pain keen in her eyes. “I didn’t run, did I?” she coughed. “I didn’t…”

I smiled down at her. “You didn’t run, Jasper. You saved us. You saved all of us.”

The spear protruding through her had nearly run the stricken mare through completely. Only her armour had protected her from being crushed and, perversely, the giant’s body had shielded her from being incinerated in the ensuing blast. I nodded to the griffin medic, indicating the spear.

Realising what I intended, Jasper cried out suddenly, “NO!” She grabbed my barding, pulling me down. “No… you do it… Please...”

I gazed into her eyes. “I’m not a doctor, Jasper. I can use my magic to help you, but not when the weapon is inside you still.”

“I don’t…” She gasped in a ragged breath. “I don’t care… you’re my lord. Please… If I’m going to die here, I want you to see me. I want you to watch me…” The young mare winced in pain. “I won’t run…”

Motioning to the warriors around us, I closed my eyes momentarily. Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath. “Hold her down.” Each of the warriors took a leg. Dear gods, she looked like a toy next to the huge minotaurs. But even so, she was still one of them - one of us. I marvelled at her bravery. “Jasper, I wont lie to you, this is going to hurt.”

She gritted her teeth, nodding and gave me the oddest smile I’d seen in a long time. “Do it…”

I took the haft of the spear in my forelegs, twisting it, rotating the thing as I pulled. Maroc’s memories were guiding my hooves, advising me on how to remove the vile weapon. What they didn’t prepare me for her pitiful cries of pain. Jasper gasped and whimpered, desperately trying to keep quiet, to not lose face in front of her brothers and sisters. I leaned down and looked her straight in the eyes as I pulled.

“Open your mouth.”

In a haze of agony, Jasper did as I commanded and I clamped my mouth over hers, pouring my life essence into her as the spear finally came free. The mare thrashed and shook beneath me, her eyes never leaving mine. There was a wild look of fear about them, of anger and pain combined. She looked almost… feral. Smoke poured from the wound as the magic went to work, and slowly, gradually, the flesh began to knit, arteries, veins and muscle knitting as her hide returned to its proper place. Jasper’s tongue lapped at the fluid, taking it in, repairing and restoring her life drop by precious drop.

It was done.

Moving away from her, I staggered slightly, the loss of so much energy hit me hard. Loofa tapped me on the shoulder, a flask held in his outstretched hoof. “Thirsty?”

I could have kissed him, but instead was taken with a sudden and loud bout of laughter. It was a deep echoing laugh, one full of relief, joy and… Damn it, I had to see for myself. Downing the flasks contents, I stowed my scythe and rushed to the portal, followed by worried shouts from the warriors. I didn’t care, I had to know, to see what had… Oh dear sweet goddesses… The world beyond was fire. Nothing could have lived through this, and nothing had. A molten sea of black corpses, almost impossible to recognise, had melded together in the heat from the blast of the multiple MAD’s. Jasper had indeed saved us, the cost to the enemy of such selfless bravery... immeasurable. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing but bodies, mostly massed by the portal, but many flung away by the blast, rendered into chunks of bone, limb, and entrails. It was like the very gates of hell had opened and I had wandered in to see its infernal sights. Hoofsteps behind me caught my attention, but I couldn’t look away from that dreadful vista no matter how hard I tried.

“Oh Celestia…” Nimble breathed. “What have we done…”

The spell finally broken, I turned back to the portal, giving him a hard look. “We’ve saved our home, Corporal,” I said plainly. “That’s what we’ve done.”