Chapter 5: The Central Gallery
Rarity shook her head, dazed from the rolling concussion. The motion shifted the broken bones in her face. She staggered up to her knees.
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
A glance over her shoulder showed dim light up-cavern, towards Birch Bucket, Sparkler, the prisoners, and the surface—
But around her, darkness.
Ever since her first stay with the Diamond Dogs, and their first trip through the Everfree to battle Nightmare Moon, darkness—
No. Not now. Fear later, when they had time. Now, fight.
Her nose flared with agony as she panted. Standing, up to her hooves, she looked around, ears twisting left and right. She heard only the ringing of the grenades in her ears.
Then:
"Cloudchaser! Now!" Davenport screamed.
The pegasus trooper, hovering at the top of the Dogs' gallery, lit a flare and dropped it, then another, and another, and flickering light and deep shadows appeared. The troopers, earth pony and unicorn, made a line of spears and swords across the cavern entrance, and the Diamond Dogs squared up against it.
Redheart stood a few feet behind the line, Rarity stood next to Redheart, legs flexed, ready to run to the first injured trooper, heart pounding and the pain in her broken muzzle forgotten.
"Bat!" screamed Rex.
Everycreature turned to look into the gallery.
Behind the skirmish line, Dusky stood on Rex's chest, her fangs sunk into his neck, the dog flat on his back.
The dog held Dusky by the throat, both hands strangling her, Dusky's face turning as purple as Twilight's.
Cloudchaser dropped another flare, and another, zigzagging around the ceiling of the gallery, as dogs threw stones the size of stallions' heads at her.
A dog danced forward, swung a club, and cracked Bon Bon across the helmet. She staggered, slashed with her spear, and Comet Tail caught the dog across the hamstring with his sword. It fell, and crawled backwards, smearing blood on the floor.
Dusky's face was almost black as Rex strangled her. Rex lifted her, wrenching her fangs away from his throat, bloody strings of his own flesh hanging from the major's jaws as Rex—still flat on his back—wrenched her off his chest, lifting Dusky high, her legs and wings clenched tight to her barrel.
Just as Cloudchaser lit another flare, one of the stones struck her, crushing her right wing against the ceiling. The rock ricocheted and smashed her right rear leg. She fell and landed left-flank-first onto one of her flares, screamed, and rolled off it, feathers smoking. On three legs, she staggered to the side and threw herself down, rolling to extinguish the flames.
"Ponies not nearly so tough as griffons," Rex said, giving Dusky a hard shake.
Dusky flexed her right wing, a half-inch, revealing an armed grenade tucked tight between her humerus and her ribs. Rarity bit her hoof.
"Wanna die with me?" she choked out.
"Dusky..." Rarity whispered.
Rex's eyes widened and he whined.
One dog held Cloudchaser—deep inside the gallery, far from the other ponies—at spearpoint, while another dog poured a water jug onto her smoldering wing. Her rear right leg collapsed, and she lay prostrate, face twisted with hatred.
Dusky's right wing started to relax, and Rex let go of her throat. She landed flat on Rex's chest with all four hooves.
Rarity's head swam and her vision narrowed on the batpony.
Dusky stood, shakily, as her color returned. "Ponies!" she gasped. "Ponies, if I drop this grenade, run for cover!"
"Step... back!" Davenport ordered, and the line of spears and swords retreated half a pony length into the tunnel, without falter or waver. Bon Bon collapsed, unconscious, and the troopers to either side filled in the space, thinning their line but reinforcing the gap. Rarity sprang forward and bit Bon Bon's tail, dragging her back behind the line.
Dusky and Rex stared at each other, eyes flaring, inches apart.
Darling, Rarity thought, don't do it! Twilight won't be another minute, don't kill yourself to get him!
"You see this, Rex?" Dusky yelled. "I pulled the pin. If I let go of the arming lever, you die."
"Cave pony die too!"
The batpony smiled, then coughed, and Rex's blood dripped from her fangs. She licked her lips. "Do I look like I care?"
Dusky moved a forehoof to Rex's throat and forced his head down. It thunked against the stone of the gallery floor. "You look like the one who's afraid to die, dog."
"You'll kill wing-pony," Rex said.
"Buck you!" Cloudchaser called, still crumpled on the floor, bleeding heavily. "Take him to the doghouse, skipper!"
The dog guarding her whacked her across the helmet with his spear butt. Cloudchaser snarled and snapped at the spear.
"Here's the deal, Rex," Dusky said. "The Princess has the foals by now."
Rex snarled. "Lies!"
"You never met an alicorn in Griffonstone, I wager. Even if you, me, and the other ponies die—you've lost. Canterlot will be here by morning, and your pack is extinct. Wanna bark about your surrender?"
Rex started to snarl something, but Dusky twitched her wing.
"Private Eiffel!"
"Major?"
"Unchain Rover, and bring him down from the surface. As fast as you can sprint."
The earth pony galloped, and was past Rarity and up the cavern in an instant.
The line thinned again as the ponies reshuffled. The dogs banged their spears on their shields, eyes narrowed, calculating.
They can do it, Rarity decided. They can overwhelm us if they want to pay the bill. And they know it. It's up to Rex. Is he willing to brave Dusky's fireball?
And that was when Rarity decided she might—might—understand Rex's plan: use foals to suck in even more ponies, and take even more prisoners. Celestia only knew what he planned to trade them for, but... he could have a dozen wounded Home Guards to add to his pack's stash, if he wanted.
Except, he hadn't counted on alicorns... or batponies.
Redheart kneeled down and pulled off Bon Bon's helmet. The unconscious corporal vomited.
"Hornlight!" Redheart hissed. Rarity glanced at the dogs' archers, then lit her horn anyway, clenching her shoulders against possible arrows, and Redheart examined Bon Bon's wound.
"Dog! You." Dusky pointed with her left wing. "Light some of those sconces again."
"Dogs not listen to ponies!" Rex growled.
"You're yesterday's trash," Dusky said. "Light 'em."
A single dog—a rather runty one—scurried to relight the dogs' fixtures.
"I not speak to Rover!" Rex declared. "I am alpha."
"You," Dusky said, "are irrelevant. Dogs! Do you want your old alpha back? Or do you want to keep the alpha who's bringing the wrath of all Ponykind down on you, your pack, and your pups? I smell your females and your pups, I smell their fear. Save your pups from Rex's stupidity! If we kill you, who protects your pups from other dog packs?"
The dogs looked at each other, mumbling and grumbling in their own language. Rarity cocked her head and raised her ears, but she couldn't understand it. If only Twilight were here, she was probably fluent...
Twilight! Had she saved the foals? Where were they? Rarity leaned over and whispered, "Redheart—can you find the foals' cell again?"
"Lieutenant, let me past," Redheart said. "Rarity, keep Bon Bon's airway clear."
Davenport nodded. "Be safe."
Redheart trotted through the line of ponies. Dogs glared, and a few shifted their clubs or spears. "I'm still unarmed," Redheart yelled, and gestured to the red cross emblazoned across her chest. "I'm going to the prisoners."
Fido nodded, and barked once.
Redheart looked at the brutally wounded pegasus. "Cloudchaser—you okay?"
"Get the foals, Sarge."
Redheart trotted past the dogs, and disappeared up the tunnel, toward the prisoners.
"Dogs, your play is over!" Dusky shouted. "I'm the senior pony here. You get one chance: denounce Rex. Let us carry him to Canterlot. We'll lock him in a nice, high tower, far away from the catacombs and dungeons a dog might like."
"Never!" Rex snarled, and reached for Dusky's throat again.
She twitched the wing holding the grenade.
Rex froze.
"Coward!" Dusky spat. "With Rover back as alpha—dogs and ponies can live in peace again. What say you?"
The dogs muttered and grumbled. Rarity used her magic to scoop gobs of vomit from Bon Bon's airway, and risked a glance into the cavern. Cloudchaser huddled prostrate on the floor, her right wing swollen and bloody and left wing burned and blackened. Her face still oozed blood, leg bent out of shape. She swooned, her head barely up.
Dusky stood on Rex's throat, glaring.
"I am alpha!" Rex shouted. "Dogs do as I say!"
Dusky shifted more weight to the hoof on Rex's larynx.
The standoff lasted several minutes. Bon Bon's eyes fluttered as she fought back toward consciousness. Cloudchaser passed out.
From up-tunnel, Rarity heard a shout: "I am alpha!"
She turned, and saw Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Eiffel, Rover, and even Flitter. Flitter's face was pale and her chest heaved, but she trotted behind the now-untied dog, wingblades out, scowling.
Behind them were two dozen batponies and three pegasi, in heavy black armor.
Behind them strode Luna, clad in a dark-blue rain poncho and armor.
"Canterlot," Rarity whispered.
Next to Luna trotted Twilight.
Twilight winked at Rarity, and nodded yes.
Twilight walked to stand in the line of troopers. "I teleported the foals to the surface," her voice boomed, full-blown Royal Canterlot. Small stones cascaded from the ceilings. Dogs covered their ears, and ponies winced but held their weapons. "Dogs, throw down your arms. I'm prepared to teleport out my soldiers and collapse this tunnel on you. We've received reinforcements from Canterlot. This fight is over."
Rover squeezed past the line of ponies. His left arm still hung in its sling, but he raised his right arm. "I am alpha. Drop weapons."
"Never," Rex said. "How dare—"
"Screw you," Dusky said, and dropped her grenade on Rex's chest.
Many things happened at once. It took Rarity several conversations with the others to get all the details straight in her memories:
Dogs threw themselves down. Ponies turned and galloped several steps up the cavern and threw themselves to their chests and covered their ears.
Redheart emerged from the same side tunnel at a trot, saw the grenade drop, and sprinted toward Cloudchaser, closer to the grenade, perhaps planning to carry the unconscious trooper to cover, or perhaps planning to cover Cloudchaser's body with her own. Not that she had enough time for either.
Dusky leaped and slapped her hooves into the ceiling, sticking there.
Rex flipped himself over, covered his head with his arms, and keened like an abandoned puppy.
Rarity leaned forward, jaw dropping. "Dusky!"
Twilight slammed a shield spell down, across the entrance to the gallery, protecting the ponies other than Cloudchaser, Dusky and Redheart from the coming blast.
Luna said, "My friend—"
The grenade popped, and billowed green smoke.
A puddle of urine spread around Rex.
"Gotcha!" Dusky crowed. "Dogs, see your coward of an alpha. Is an alpha who's so afraid to die for his pack that he pisses himself worthy of you? Throw down your weapons and save your pups and yourselves!"
The dogs stood, one by one, dropped their weapons, and raised their hands.
Rarity led the column back up the tunnel. Trios of reinforcing batponies stood with Birch Bucket and Sparkler, helping guard their prisoners.
Two prisoners' faces were now covered by blankets. Rarity closed her eyes, and looked away from the dead dogs.
Rarity emerged into the rainy night, which was lit by far more torches than she remembered, and a hint of sunrise touched the horizon.
Fifty pegasi and batponies in full armor and slate-gray rain ponchos stood in a perimeter.
Celestia, clad in heavy armor and a white poncho, stood in the center of the torchlight.
Had Rarity ever seen the Princess in armor? She couldn't remember a time, no.
The four rescued fillies stood under an awning, out of the rain, hugging their parents, and in Lemon Scratch's case, her big sister, Vinyl, and future sister-in-law, Octavia, too. A batpony in white medic's armor examined Toola Roola's blackened face.
Luna emerged from the tunnel and strode to Celestia's side. Rarity trotted straight to her. "You were right about Dusky, Luna."
Luna smiled and gestured a hoof at the armored Guards. "A full brigade is en route on every train I could commandeer from Canterlot Central Station. We then brought the winged members of three sections of Ronin Detachment, and a medical section, but just as we were preparing to reinforce Major Fireball, Twilight teleported in with the hostages, and Private Eiffel arrived with word to bring the prisoner. Our timing was just a little too late." Luna frowned. "As usual..."
Davenport sprinted up. "Highnesses!" He saluted. "I have multiple wounded down, ponies and prisoners. I require stretcher bearers and doctors."
Luna whistled and pointed to another batpony in medic's gear. He, in turn, waved to several other medics, and two dozen Ponyville unicorn civilians levitated up stretchers and followed the batpony medics into the cavern.
Celestia grimaced, eyes clenched, teeth grinding. "I have ruled Equestria for one thousand years. Many tens of thousands of guards have died or been maimed at my orders. Yet those words still break my heart, every time. Describe the wounds."
Davenport said, "No ponies killed in action."
Celestia sighed and opened her eyes. "Thank goodness."
"Everypony has scrapes and bruises," Davenport said. "Major Fireball broke her nose, as did Miss Rarity, here. Private Cloudchaser suffered double-wing injuries and broke a rear leg."
Luna hissed.
"Private Birch Bucket broke a foreleg, but it doesn't look too bad. Sergeant Sparkler is in bad shape. She'll need surgery. Probably several surgeries. She took an arrow through her thigh armor."
"Sparkler? Another graduate of my School has shed her blood for Equestria." Celestia looked away, into the dark night, and her voice faded to a whisper. "That School has been my greatest joy, and darkest curse, for centuries."
"Corporal Bon Bon is unconscious," Davenport finished. "We don't know how bad she is."
"Sweetie Drops," Celestia muttered. "Well, this heroism need not be secret..."
Rarity frowned at that, puzzled.
Luna tapped a hoof as they watched the troopers of the Home Guard emerge from underground. Cloudchaser was levitated out on a stretcher, her mangled right wing spread carefully over her sister's back. Cloudchaser extended her burned left wing into the cold rain and gasped in relief.
"Combat-T devices on everything," Luna said. "Twilight will claim she did no fighting, but we all know better. The Combat Action Badge can only be awarded once per pony, so I cannot give it to Major Fireball and Sergeant Redheart, but the rest of you have truly earned it. Wounded in action decorations for all who shed blood or broke bones. And the Distinguished Unit Citation—the first Home Guard unit to earn such in... what?"
"Sixty-five years," Celestia supplied.
Luna looked at Davenport. "And I shall expect the commander of the unit to provide recommendations for individual gallantry citations, as he sees fit."
The lieutenant nodded as his ears wilted and face paled. "Redheart and Cloudchaser. Just for starters."
Rarity migrated away from Davenport and the Princesses, and found Rainbow Dash. The two huddled together, sharing a borrowed poncho in the rain outside the torchlight. Rarity vomited, shook, and bawled into Rainbow's chest as the night's stress finally caught up to her.
Rainbow hugged her tightly and rubbed her withers with a hoof, nuzzling her, cheek-to-cheek. Rarity shivered in frigid cold, cold, cold, cold like she'd never felt before, cold worse than crossing the snowfields of the Crystal Empire with Sombra nipping at their hooves, cold as the last hours of continuous terror and adrenaline came to a sudden stop.
At least half of the reservists, Rarity saw, had taken themselves into the shadows to vomit in peace, now that the battle was over and the elite Canterlot troops were securing the scene.
Rainbow wrapped her forelegs and wings around Rarity, rocking her gently. Rainbow didn't even complain when Rarity splashed yellow vomit on her feathers.
She just rubbed Rarity's withers.
"You're awesome, Rarity," she said. "Twenty percent more awesome than me."
A pegasus in medic's armor found them. "Miss Rarity?"
Rarity looked up, out from under their shared poncho. "Yes?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Soft Feathers. Let me treat your nose."
"Redheart taped it up."
"No offense to the sergeant, but I'm a surgeon, and Princess Twilight commands I examine you. I shall not annoy Her Highness."
Rainbow nuzzled Rarity and released her hug. Rarity trotted with the surgeon.
"What happened to your snout, specifically, Miss Rarity?"
"A Diamond Dog backhanded me across the cave. I have whiplash, too."
"In the fight?" he asked.
"No, I went and parleyed with him under a truce, to try to settle this little debacle."
The surgeon's eyebrows arched. "That's brave."
Rarity snuck at glance at the surgeon. The word HOUSEHOLD was etched on the shoulder of his armor.
"I failed," Rarity snarled.
"It's still brave."
Rarity looked around. Where was Dusky?
The awning shielded all the wounded, and the four rescued foals, from the rain. Dinky and her parents, a middle-aged couple—brown unicorn stallion, pink earth pony mare—hugged Sparkler as her stretcher was loaded into a pegasus ambulance. Her father climbed in the chariot with two medics, and their mother stayed behind with Dinky.
"Where're you taking my sister?" Dinky demanded.
A pegasus mare in silver armor looked at her, and mussed Dinky's mane with a hoof. "University Hospital Canterlot."
"Ain't ya staying in Ponyville?"
"She needs special doctors."
Dinky plopped down on her bottom and howled. "I'm sorry I got napped!"
Rarity looked around the medical tent. Where was Dusky? She had most certainly broken her nose, too.
Birch Bucket sat glumly on a tree stump, foreleg splinted and slung, his helmet upside-down next to him, discreetly filled with vomit.
Where was Dusky?
Lyra held Bon Bon as Dr. Horse, from Ponyville hospital, shined a flashlight into the dazed—but now-conscious—corporal's eyes.
Where was Dusky? Her muzzle was broken, and the dog's strangling must have done damage.
Coudchaser, now stripped of her armor and poncho, lay flat on her belly as surgeons splinted her broken wing and leg, wrapped her burned wing, and stitched her scalp. She whispered curses.
Flitter sat behind her sister, one hoof on Cloudchaser's left cutie mark. Their father sat behind the twins, shaking quietly, his wings limp.
Where was Dusky?
Colonel Soft Feathers unwrapped Rarity's nose and felt the alignment of the broken bones and cartilage. "I'll give you a painkiller. We'll take you to the hospital for X-rays, and see if you need surgery."
"Yes, darling," Rarity said, holding her head still but scanning with her eyes, looking for Dusky.
After a few minutes, a flash of blond in the deep shadows near the cavern entrance caught Rarity's eye.
"Colonel? Are you done?"
The surgeon looked at her. "I'd like to check your neck."
"I'll let the hospital do it," Rarity said, and trotted toward the cavern entrance.
Dusky layin the mud, under a bush. She breathed through her mouth, her nose heavily swollen and crusted with clotted blood.
"Dusky, dear, you look worse."
"That last dog hit me right on the first break. It hurts a fair bit, and I can't breathe through my nose at all. My throat is a little tight, but it's getting better."
"There's a surgeon down in the tent."
"I think I'll fly to Appleoosa. I can make it that far before the sun gets too high. They might not rent a batpony a room, especially if it looks like she'll bleed on their bedclothes, but no doctor in Equestria would refuse to treat broken bones. I'll send Dad a letter, and get him to send me some money for a train ticket home. Appleoosa to Vanhoover to Equuicigalpa. I can hide in the apple orchards outside town and check the post office once a day. Dad's a schoolteacher, he's not rich, but he can find the bits for a train ticket."
"Dusky, Ponyville is your home now." Rarity gestured at the crowds just visible in the rising sun. "You'll likely get a Key to the City from the Mayor."
"Lunadammit, Rarity, that's my point. I emigrated to start a new life—and here I am, fighting in caves again, like it's still two years ago, like I'm back on active duty. I'm going to be some sort of hero, even though I was just part of the team. Even though I want to be just an ordinary pony. And the next batpony who tries to immigrate—what will she have to do to earn the town's tolerance? How can she top this? Fight Tirek?"
"Dusky," Rarity said, lying down in the mud next to her, and slipping a foreleg over the small batpony's shoulder, "some ponies are speciesist. There's nothing any batpony can do about that. Not even defeating Tirek would make Rental Room like you. But most ponies are good. Ponyville is a good town. You know my parents were among the first unicorns to move here? Before I was born. The earth ponies and pegasi didn't like having snooty hornheads in town." Rarity sniffed, and her eyes watered from the sudden pain in her nose. "Things are changing, faster every day, especially with the non-ponies in the School."
"I shouldn't have to spill somecreature's blood to be treated like a pony," Dusky said. "Did those donkeys have to fight into a defended cavern?"
"Dusky, I can't make you stay in town. But you're my friend. I should hate to lose you to become a mere distant pen-pal."
Dusky pulled her sunglasses from a pocket, put them on, and stared toward the rising sun. "I never thought I'd be doing this again."
"Doing what?" asked Rarity.
"Leading ponies into a fight. Sometimes I think the universe has it out for me. Cutie marks are so... intransigent."
Rarity hugged her closer, and Dusky furled a wing around Rarity. The mud in her coat and tail nagged at Rarity, but she simply held Dusky as the sun rose.
"Rarity?" she asked, starting to shake.
"Yes, Dusky?"
"Move. I'm gonna puke."
Rarity hugged Dusky closer, all through the batpony's post-battle vomiting fit.
On a Thursday afternoon five weeks later, Rarity walked across Town Square from the friendship school to her appointment with Doctor Horse. Hopefully, the X-ray would show the bones in her muzzle fully knit by now, and she could stop taping up her face several times every day. The adhesive was pulling out the coat on her snout, giving her a mangy appearance, and leaving her skin red and irritated.
Most uncouth.
"Rarity! Hey!"
She looked to her left and smiled. "Dusky, darling, how are you?"
"Great! I'm finally settled into my new place. Hey, would you and Sweetie like to come over Saturday? I'll make dinner. No crickets this time!"
"Wonderful, darling! I'll ask Mother and Father if I can borrow her. Whatever are you wearing?"
A cinnabar-colored cape covered Dusky's torso and rump, her wings shielded under loose-hanging panels, the hood thrown back from her head. Like usual, her sunglasses covered her sensitive eyes. She wore two saddlebags that, although not terribly large, looked rather encumbering for a mare Dusky's petite size.
A quick flash of Rarity's magic straightened the cape, and she read Barnyard Bargains Delivery. "Oh! You got the job from Filthy Rich?"
Dusky nodded. "Yes! Deliveries, and running the evening shift at the sales counter. Roll in my bits from the reserve, pension, being on-call with the night weather crew, and lectures at the school, and I'm above water, finally. Filthy Rich is actually a pretty good boss." Dusky smiled, and whispered: "Best of all, when I knock on a door, the ponies just see me as the pony delivering their order, not that crazy batpony with the history."
"Wonderful! How's your nose?"
Dusky frowned and rubbed her snout with a forehoof. "Sore, but it's not affecting my sleep anymore, unless I roll over. You?"
"The same, darling. Oh—I heard Sparkler is getting transferred to Ponyville Hospital tomorrow?"
Dusky's face paled. "Yeah, that's true. I caught the train and visited her in Canterlot. Yesterday was my day off."
"Goodness, that's kind of you."
Dusky swallowed, then swallowed again, and her ears went flat. "A trooper went down under my command, Rarity. Going to visit her is what good officers do. I learned from the best. Did I tell you Twilight's brother visited me while the doctors put me back together? He's the only unicorn I've ever seen willingly visit Equuicigalpa, in all my years, and he was already retired from the Guard and running the Empire when I got... uh, hurt..."
"Shiny is special, indeed. Princess Cadance is lucky she got to him before I did. Would you like a chocolate? I went to Bon Bon's shop earlier today. She's back to normal."
"No thanks, Rarity. Three-tribes chocolate is boring. I need to show Bon Bon how to add red chile powder to it. Hey, last time we talked, you promised to ask Twilight...?"
"Rex? He's standing on his right to remain silent, and driving his public defenders insane. The courts in Canterlot are trying to decide if he's a common criminal or a prisoner of war. With the three dogs that died, they're leaning toward a criminal trial. Dogs don't have a justice system to speak of, so Rover asked us to deal with Rex."
Dusky's face darkened, and she nodded. "I made a delivery to Cloudchaser earlier today. She's back on her hooves, and the doctors cleared her to try her wings next week."
Rarity smiled. "Good. The twins and I go back to earlier than I can remember. Ha! Cloudchaser and I once got in a physical fight over a colt, when I was in ninth grade, and she eighth... What's on your agenda this evening?"
"My shift's over, so I'm going home to drop off my uniform and saddlebags. It's less than two hours to dark. I won't sunburn without a cape."
Rarity fought down a smile. Dusky, without a cape? No longer hiding her scars? That was progress, indeed! "Care to go eat at Café Hay? I have an appointment at the hospital, but it shan't take long... Dusky, why are you blushing?"
The batpony looked away, and flipped up her hood to shadow her face. "I'm not blushing! You're blushing!"
Rarity smiled. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! You can't go eat dinner with me because you already have dinner plans, is that the situation, dear?"
Dusky looked back at her. She was definitely blushing. "Yeah."
"You have a date, Lieutenant Colonel Fireball."
"No, I don't! I. Do. Not! It's just a sunset flight in the nice evening air, and then a late dinner at, well, Café Hay. It's not a date."
"Who's this lucky stallion? ...Or mare, I suppose?"
"Stallion. But it's not a date. Redheart invited me to dinner at her place a few days ago, with her family. Her brother-in-law was there."
Rarity laughed. "That clever nurse. She's trying to hook you up with Warm Front?"
"It's not a hookup. We're going to have a fly together, and then eat dinner. As acquaintances. Because I'm new in town and he was born here. And knows the town. It's not a date."
The batpony's bright-red blush was worthy of Fluttershy.
"Well, Dusky," Rarity said, "I shan't make you late. I'm happy to say I was your first friend here in Ponyville—and I'm even happier to say I'm not your last. Welcome home, darling."
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Well that was interesting. Even though Rex could've and should've gotten worse, I can see the reason to keep him alive after all.....death is a mercy, only in life can you suffer
Excellent story, nice happy ending, very well done
9779678
Thanks!!!
9779680
Your welcome
A well written wonderful read. Thank you for sharing it.
If you wanted to, you could add any deleted scenes to the author notes in their respective chapters.
9779684
Thanks!!! However, most of the deleted scenes were deleted for good reasons!!!
9779686
Understandable. I await your next story, wherever it may take us.
I hope we get to see more from Dusky in the future, this was an awesome story!
9779777
Thanks! I don't have any firm plans, but the response has been humbling, so I might need to find a story for her.
Ha! Who got the last laugh now, eh, Rex?
And alls well that ends...well, relatively well. We all know it could've gone way worse than it did though, so thank goodness for that. In the grand and bloody scheme of war, though, this was really a mere kerfuffle by comparison. And yet still gives you quite a taste for the horrors of battle, and makes you appreciate just how much most of us never have to face it, and appreciate more those few who not only do, but willingly do so.
9779678
Eh, I don't think Rex's crimes were that bad to require a death penalty (his fearing for his own life probably helped with that, though). But certainly throw the book at him otherwise, get him forty or more, if not life. Probably life, actually, now that I'm thinking about it. In Tartarus. I mean, if Cozy Glow's crimes were bad enough to justify Tartarus...
9779823
The horrors of the Everfree always made me wonder why Ponyville didn't have a permanent garrison. I got to thinking and realized a militia was completely possible.
I've wanted to write a story about Redheart and the Ponyville Home Guard for some time now. When I realized that Dusky's story and Redheart's story could be one story, this fic came together!!!
And I wanted to show the valor and bravery of the background ponies, and through them, everyone who stands ready to put down their civilian lives at a moment's notice.
Very good story, I liked your character Dusky.
Any plans on using her in the future?
9779871
Undecided at present. But I hope so!!!
OMG. Please write a sequel! I absolutely love Dusky. She's one of the first MLP OCs that actually felt like she could have stepped out of the show itself. I love the military/foal napping plot, too. Maybe Rover could come back? He's a pretty cool dog. I'd like to see him negotiate peace with the ponies, or even become friends with Dusky.
Bad tactics that, a bulldog's thick neck protects them quite well from such maneuvers. You'd have done better to use a blade or simply break his neck.
9779837
And you did a fine job of it too. This was an excellent read.
9779941
Fair enough, but I didn't want to lose readers to a sudden downshift in pacing. I won't say you're wrong, though! You make a good point.
9779916
Many thanks!
9779910
Many thanks! I was worried about creating a Mary Sue, and OC fics often bomb. I'm glad readers seem to have enjoyed this!
Looking at it, Rex's apparent plan wasn't necessarily a bad one, but he clearly didn't have a full understanding of the situation and overplayed his hand because of it. If it had been griffons he was dealing with, it probably would have worked, and that's most likely why he thought it would work. You can see the difference that understanding makes in leadership styles.
As soon as he was ousted, Rover immediately ran to Ponyville to explain what happened and more importantly, to get help. He knew ponies, and thus knew that if he went to them, not only could he get help removing Rex (thus restoring a relationship that ponies at least didn't find dangerous for them), but he could save the lives of his pack. That is how you can tell that Rover is a good leader: He took prompt action to take care of his dogs, regardless of whether others might have perceived him as being weak.
9780323
Thank you! Exactly what I was going for!
Quite a good little story indeed. Dusty was quite fascinating to watch. I do hope for more of her. A pity bats aren’t canon. Not that Hasbro can prove it outside of writer tweets.
9780373
Thank you! I appreciate it.
9779678
Things can still get worse for Rex:
If this is treated as banditry, he gets to face multiple kidnapping charges plus a boatload of aggravated assault and/or attempted murder charges. On top of that, most jurisdictions consider reasonably predictable deaths¹ in the commission of a violent crime to be murder, so he would be up for the murder of his own dogs.
If this is treated as the actions of an independent, if small, state then the wonderful world of war crimes charges open up on him. Even worse if the world Equestria is in has something like our concept of a crime against the peace². The punishment for war crimes is pretty much "whatever the judge thinks is just," crimes against the peace boils down to "what is the harshest punishment allowed?"
1: Some jurisdictions have even included any death provided that there was a way a death was a reasonable outcome. It used to be in Canada that if a piano fell on an armed robber during a robbery, he could be guilty of his own first degree murder.
2: There is exactly one crime against the peace, "the waging of aggressive war."
Put me down for more Dusky stories. As for Rex.
1. 2 Dogs of your own pack dead because of your actions.
2. 4 foals foalnapped
3. 4 counts assault
4. 3 counts assault with grave bodily harm
I think that this ought to be good for 50 t0 60 years In a lovely tower with large unbreakable windows and a good view of the thousand hoof drop before he could look forward to even the first bounce.
9780472
very interesting. tell me, what punishment do you think Rex should receive? I personally think absolute isolation would be a fitting punishment but that's just me
9780727
Well, given that solitary confinement for more than a few days is torture, that's not something I would do. That sort of stack of crimes, assuming that we treat it as banditry and neglect the deaths, I'd say multi-decade incarceration, (if not life), and probably whatever Equestria has as an equivalent to a dangerous offender's warrant¹. Adding the deaths puts you in 1st degree murder territory, so that's life right there.
If we go the war crimes route, we have kidnapping and abusing civilians, so there is little question of that being life. Plus, as I said, the punishment for a crime against the peace is "what's the limit?"
1: Where I live, particularly dangerous criminals can be given an indefinite jail term that lasts until such a time as they can show they are no longer a high risk to re-offend. That's the point when they can start thinking about going before a parole board.
9780323
It's a good thing they managed to take Rex alive. As the man said, "someone's got to go to jail." Tidying this whole escapade up will go much smoother with a malefactor to prosecute.
9781047
I suppose your right, it would indeed depend on the level of crime that Rex committed.
So this was one of the few stories I actually finished in one sitting. Batponies as a whole are underutilized and that's a shame, so it's always a pleasant surprise to see one starring in a fic. And what a batpony that was. Dusky Fireball is a good mix of badass and relatable. She isn't a hero by choice but by duty, and is cursed with a talent for combat even though all she wants is a quiet life. She's broken, but doesn't let that come in the way of what is right. And at the same time, she isn't an implacable emotionless machine. She actually comes across as fragile for all the right reasons - having been thrown under the bus (cart?) because of her tribe, and having that be an obstacle to her peace even though ponies should be eternally grateful to her for having sacrificed her health to save their foals. And I had a fleeting moment where I thought you were going a bit far having her a decorated major at a young age like that, until it became apparent that the only reason she rose in ranks so much was by default, and she doesn't like it nor sees it as a mark of pride.
Speaking of, I've always been a fan of the "broken soldier needs to relive the situation that broke them in order to save the day" trope, and I think this does it well. You don't really linger on it to much, but the interaction between Rarity and Dusky when the latter starts freaking out really shows the synergy between those two characters. It's rare that I see people believably have a member of the M6 and an OC become friends in a story, but you made me believe this friendship.
Luna cameos are always fun too. You use her sparingly but efficiently.
I don't know if this was intended, but I like how you actually had Dusky be incredibly biased toward ponies and had her pretty much believe that everypony saw her as an inferior even if most didn't seem to mind her that much, and some comments that were inelegant but without malice (ie: Glimmer's comment) seemed to affect her much more than they should have. She's clearly bitter about how she's been discarded because of her tribe in the past. It makes her flawed and pretty relatable, and not some unshakeable uber-badass like I too often see.
Speaking of her past. Neo-Mexican batpony is not something I would have ever thought I'd see, but here we are. It's pretty unique, and I love how you had the differences between her culture and Ponyville come through things like architecture and food (red chile chocolate is godly). It reinforced the "stranger in a strange land" aspect of the story without becoming overbearing, just a nudge here and there to remind us she came from far away.
Background ponies being utilized. Thank you so much for that. I was a bit worried at first that this was going to be a "M6 make a new friend and go on an adventure" kinda fic, but having Rarity and Twilight be the only ones of the main cast really present and giving the spotlight to background ponies in the militia was a nice touch.
Speaking of! I love the concept of pony militia. As you stated in another comment, with how dangerous the Everfree is, you'd think they'd have a standing army in Ponyville or something, so showing that the townsfolk are actually willing and able to hold against whatever dark forces could come out of the place only makes sense (kinda like Duskwood in World of Warcraft). And Nurse Redheart being a combat medic is now headcanon for me, thank you very much for that.
Here's a random list of little details I loved:
Pony sign language
Vinyl and Octavia being a couple
Bon Bon and Lyra being married
Pegasi not being good in caves
Acknowledging the M6 are OP because Elements
Sun poisoning
Rarity using her experience with AJ and RD to diagnose terminal stubbornness
The ridiculous amount of specific detail about medals and decorations and different titles for your military
Alicorns are apparently fairies that have trouble with cold iron
I haven't even gotten to the actual plot. The characters and the world you build around what the show gives you are so good and developed that I cannot help but gush over them.
So about that: pretty good I must say. The way you introduced the "real" plot early on made the sudden shift from "Dusky must find a job" to "Dusky must save the foals" expected and not jarring as it could have been. And it also goes to show that this character could work as well in a SoL setting than in an action-oriented setting. The rescue mission proper was gruesome, and from what I could gather, not inaccurate. The cave infiltration was tight and tense, and I commend you for focusing on the important stuff and not devolving into action sequences after action sequences. Sparkler getting hurt was definitely an intense moment to get through. Tinnitus is a bitch and I hope Zecora actually has something to cure that
. And the aftermath of the rescue... man you really went all-in to show how much of a shitshow that all was, and with Rarity panicking and looking for Dusky, that was probably one of the punchiest scenes I've read in recent memory. The decorations were bittersweet, and Dusky didn't receive her Cross (I actually feel silly believing you were building up to her being decorated properly after the mission). Dogs died. Ponies were hurt, some maybe crippled for life, all of them will have mental scars. This was not a happy ending, nor should it have been. Thank you for not shying away from consequences of these kinds of missions.
Overall, this was excellent, and well-deserving of the 4(?) days in the featured box. Anything less would have showed just how unfair the world really is.
I'll be looking forward to see more of your stuff
Well done. You wrote a story that I was able to finish in one sitting, and I do not regret having read it. Your world building's tight, your characters are well fleshed out... overall, this is good writing, typos aside.
However, good writing should be typo-free, and there is an egregious one here:
Homophone error. I shouldn't have to explain which spelling is needed here.
I'm going to join them the rest of them in saying "More Dusky stories, please". You may be on the cusp of something good here.
9781544
Many thanks for the catches!
9781500
Wow! I appreciate the detailed comment, amd I'm delighted you enjoyed the story!
9782053
Thanks! I love Rarity, and she was so much fun to write as a hero.
9782053
Absolutely agree with you. I learned long ago that many of the characters are often mistreated in the show, particularly when the writers decided they needed to show the same lesson again and again. Especially when I viewed them as having grown after the first incidents. Rainbow Dash being the classic example.
For me, Rarity's season one self was just far too close to someone I know in real life, which has always been why (unfairly so) I have struggled most with her of the main cast.
Fanfiction, particularly pieces like this one, are helping me greatly to come around to her.
9782611
Do you want a dracolich? Because that's how you get a dracolich.
9782850
Dusky's home town of "Equuigalpa" came from the Archer line: "Where do you think you are, Tegucigalpa?"
(And because I couldn't find a way to ponify "Chaco Canyon," "Acoma," or "Taos," which were my actual inspirations.)
9782854
Huh, the more you know.
9781544
I feel saying that “Good writing should be typo-free” is a little unfair. Even big budget novels have typos here and there, and the only reason they don’t have more is because of high paid editors that go over the draft with a fine toothed comb before submitting it for publishing. People make mistakes, that isn’t avoidable, and it isn’t something to demonize them over.
That said, I fully agree with everything else you said in your comment. This story was awesome, and it is sparking the fires in my otherwise burntout brain to want to write something similar in one of my own, unexplored AUs. Keep this up, this was great! :)
9783010
I agree that we all make mistakes. I am not trying to demonize the author, and I hope that that's not the way that I came across to him. But the point still remains that after we manage to get the idea out, it's important to polish it up to make sure that it's perfectly understandable.
9783029
Fair enough, and I understand that wasn’t your intent. I often wish I could put more time into editing my stories, because I KNOW they have a ton of typos, but I don’t have time or energy for it, most of the time.
Cover art by commission with Pillowrabbit (Deviant Art / Fimfic ). Thanks!
One of the best!
I'll read this tonight and let you know what I think!! :D
9873255
Thanks!
Wow! Fucking amazing story. Combat was just on point, there was realism one rarely come across.
I'm promoting this on my blog. Well done!
I'm marking the scenes and rereading then for inspiration.
9873973
Many, many thanks!!!
Awesome story!
9941720
Thanks!!!
Sorry, needs of the story.
Great opsec, Tia. Even the mare who's gone through half a dozen grenades heard that one.
Magnificent work all around. Fascinating headcanon, great characterization, excellent fleshing-out of the Equestrian military both in general and specifically for Ponyville, and an unflinching look of the visceral realities of combat. Thank you for an amazing read.
Though again, really shouldn't have gotten lunch midway through.
9992565
Big thanks for taking the time, and for the comments! As always, I appreciate your thoughts and effort.
Ohhh living this universe more and more. I’m just sad I’m all but caught up.