Stars in the Shadow of Night

by Melody Song

Meet the Resistance

They made their way up the cliff, helping each other as they went. Ocellus rode on Smolder's back since the narrow path made it difficult for the changelings to fly. Thorax walked behind Ember, Pharynx behind him, and Sandbar and Gallus in the lead. Gilda and Gabby were taking off periodically to tell the others about any obstacles ahead. Sandbar kept apologizing for dropping the basket of their only food, but the others dismissed his concerns. He only let it go when Gallus wrapped a wing over him.

"Dude, no one cares. Just drop it already, we're gonna be at Canterlot soon, we can just get more food."

"How?" Sandbar asked curiously.

"I know, I know! Gilda is a master thief! She got us food all the time back in Griffonstone!" Gabby explained, and Gilda shrugged.

"We need the food more than they do. Most of the other griffons only eat about half of what they buy." Gilda reasoned.

"No, we get it. Or, me at least. We've spent our whole life in the Hive, and it has a limited food supply. Love is hard to find when there's no creatures for miles. We take what we can get and savor it. To a hungry changeling, each meal could be our last." Pharynx replied.

"Guys, the next part has a gap in it, but beyond it is Canterlot." Sandbar backed up a little and gave a run at it.

"Wait, I can carry you!" Gallus called after him, but Sandbar shook his head, glancing back at them.

"Trust me, it's more fun like...this!" Sandbar leapt into the air, clearing the gap easily. He landed on the other side and skidded a little, then glanced over. "You guys coming?"

"And this is the time when any of us having lingering doubts about an earth pony's capabilities fully submit to defeat." Pharynx deadpanned, and Thorax nudged him.

"Well, we might as well join him." Gallus flew across, followed by Smolder; who was still carrying Ocellus; then Pharynx, Gilda, and Gabby.

Ember opened her wings to fly after them, but suddenly she winced and sank onto her knees.

"Princess Ember? You good?" Smolder called.

"I-I'm okay Smolder, keep going!" Ember ordered, waving a claw towards them, suddenly coughing hard.

Ember covered her mouth with her claw, then looked down at it to find blood. She gasped and coughed again.

"Princess Ember!" Smolder was about to take off when Ocellus grabbed her wings, catching them in her leg holes. "What was that for?!"

"Look at the rocks up there. They won't last another takeoff and land, it would cause an avalanche. We'd be crushed, and all those creatures still fighting at the base of the mountain..." Ocellus looked down nervously.

"Then how are we supposed to help her?!" Smolder asked.

"I think you guys are forgetting what changelings are." Thorax objected.

In a flash of green light, a griffon with blue feathers stood beside Ember. Thorax picked up Ember carefully in his front claws, then lifted off, keeping his wings as far from the cliff wall as possible. He then flew Ember over to them, back legs just skimming the expanse beneath him. Thorax set Ember down, then landed and transformed back.

"Your Highness?" Smolder allowed Ocellus to get off her back, then went over to Ember.

"Don't...call me...that." Ember managed between coughs.

"Where are those potions?" Smolder asked, and Gilda pulled them out.

"Here, they're labeled but I'm not sure which one she needs. I mean, none of us know how hurt she is so we can't really tell what to give her." Gilda said as Gallus pulled out the potions in his cloak.

"We've got to try." Smolder uncorked one and smelled it, gagging. "Okay, let's not give her this one."

"Guys, she's bleeding!" Sandbar yelled.

"I am not!" Ember protested, clutching her side. Gabby reached and moved her claw, showing them where her armor was pierced.

"There's a spearhead caught in her scales." Thorax observed, looking panicked.

"You guys have magic, right? Can you get it out?" Smolder asked.

"I can try..." Ocellus' small horn lit up with magic and the spearhead wiggled. Ocellus backed up with a sigh. "It's no use. Changelings are taught to use most of their magic for shapeshifting. The only levitation we use is for moving big objects, I can't get a grip on it."

"So what do we do?" Thorax asked.

"Can you carry her?" Smolder asked, and Thorax nodded, lowering himself down.

"Guys, just go on without me, it's fine." Ember said, eyes flashing with pain.

"No, we're not leaving you." Gallus insisted.

"I'll just slow you down."

"You won't Ember. Believe it or not, I'm pretty strong. So long as you don't move around too much, it should be fine." Thorax told her. Ember sighed and pulled herself onto his back.

"Fine. But I'm not taking any of those potions, we need to save them for more important things. I'll be okay without them, as long as we keep moving." Ember coughed again, this time less blood coming out. "See, I'm okay."

"It's not like we have any place in Canterlot to go to anyway..." Sandbar sighed. "Yeah, let's keep going."

The group of creatures continued on, Ember riding on Thorax's back. Thorax stumbled only a few times, but he always made sure Ember was steady.

"Here we are. Canterlot." Sandbar said, and they stopped to take in the majestic kingdom.

"It's really quiet, but it doesn't look nearly as ravaged as some of the other towns." Gilda commented.

"Based on the fighting at the bottom, I'm guessing the guards have been holding the line of attacks, otherwise this place would probably be taken over by now." Pharynx said, trotting forward and opening his mouth. "But there's life here, the love is overpowering."

"Where's it coming from?" Gabby asked, and Pharynx raised his leg to point at the palace.

"Mostly there, but there's bits scattered everywhere."

"Then there's still townsponies here." Sandbar looked around. "Probably foals, like at Ponyville. I think our best bet is to head up to the castle."

"Then what are we waiting for? An invitation?" Ember slid off Thorax's back and began walking, limping slightly.

"Ember, I don't think that's a good idea-" Thorax followed her, but something caught their attention.

A pony had appeared on the balcony. Two, actually. A purple mare set her forelegs on the balcony, tilting her head to look at the other, a pink mare with wings and a horn. She was talking, apparently to the unicorn mare.

"That alicorn is Princess Cadence, she has to be. That means the Princesses are still inside the castle." Sandbar cried, speeding up.

"Wait up!" Gallus flew after him, joined by the others.

Gabby, Thorax, and Ocellus hung back to guard Ember, who was having trouble walking. Sandbar got as far as what appeared to be a garden before the alicorn mare and her friend looked down. They saw the colt, then the other creatures behind him, and disappeared inside the palace.

"Great, they saw us and are probably raising an alarm." Pharynx muttered.

"And since Sandbar was in front I bet they think he was running from us." Gilda added.

"Where are the guards? There should be some positioned around the castle." Sandbar said, turning around.

"They all left to fight, Celestia's orders." A voice answered, and they all began looking around.

"Who's there?" Smolder asked.

"I'm-"

"Shadowstar!" the alicorn and unicorn appeared from inside the palace, and the pony stepped out of the shadows.

It was the same alicorn Pharynx had described. Right down to the silver-lined wings and the star shape on his muzzle. He flapped his wings once in greeting to the other ponies.

"Who are you? What are you doing with these creatures?" the unicorn asked.

"Where's mom?" the alicorn colt asked, and the alicorn mare glanced his way.

"Gathering Auntie, why?"

"No reason." he turned to them, horn lighting up with dark purple magic.

"There you are my son." Two more alicorns entered the garden, making the others gasp, and Sandbar bowed.

They were clearly Princesses Celestia and Luna. The regalness of their strides and manes, along with the seriousness displayed in their eyes. Thorax, Gabby, Ocellus, and Ember finally caught up with them, and the four gasped as well upon seeing the Equestrian Royalty.

"What are all these creatures doing here?" Princess Celestia asked, and Sandbar stood, gulping nervously.

"Y-your majesty, we came to speak with anyone who can help us...see, we are-" Sandbar glanced around, and Pharynx nodded encouragingly. "We...we are the Resistance."

"The Resistance?" Princess Celestia asked, and Pharynx stepped forward.

"All of us here would rather die than follow our leaders into battle. I nearly did." Pharynx explained.

"You almost died? How?" the unicorn asked, and Princess Celestia put a hoof on her head.

"Twilight..."

"I think...it's okay Celestia." the mare said, then turned back to Pharynx. "Well?"

"My name is Pharynx, Princess. I was separated from my brother during a battle, but he managed to get to me and pull me out of the fighting, along with Ocellus." Pharynx nodded to Thorax and Ocellus, who came forward.

"I escaped the fight too, and helped them get Pharynx help. I don't know if you know this, but there's a zebra named Zecora living in the Everfree Forest. She healed him." Sandbar added.

"They met us outside the forest. I'm Smolder, that's Princess-"

Ember cleared her throat.

"Sorry, Ember. She and I saw them helping each other and wanted to help them through the forest." Smolder explained.

"Why did you title her Princess?" Princess Luna asked, raising a brow.

"Technically, Ember is a Princess. She is the daughter of Lord Torch. Though he told her not to fight, I helped her sneak onto the battlefield. We want to prove to him there are better things then being big and strong. That a dragon can be smart too, and win this for the safety of innocents." Smolder explained.

"And the griffons?" the pink alicorn asked.

"I'm Gilda, that's Gabby and Gallus. We came to the zebra looking for help for Gallus. He was sick, and since we fend for ourselves back in Griffonstone we didn't know who to turn to." Gilda explained.

"So, your Resistance, what are you trying to do, exactly?" the unicorn asked.

"Stop the war. On our own. Zecora said someone in Canterlot could help us." Pharynx replied, avoiding mentioning they knew of the alicorn colt.

"I'm afraid unless you can prove where your loyalties lie, and that you aren't trying to trick us-" Princess Celestia was cut off as Ember began coughing again.

"Ember!"

Smolder whipped around, sending the griffons into the air from the sudden movement, screeching in shock.

"I'm fine Smolder-" Ember coughed hard, spattering blood onto the grass.

"Ember!" Thorax ran to her and helped the dragoness stand.

"You guys, just leave it, I'm okay-" Ember could barely speak, she was coughing so violently.

"I knew it wasn't a good idea to let her keep going." Gabby added, flying over and helping Thorax lift her.

"What is wrong with her?" Princess Luna asked

"We had to pass through a battle at the base of the mountain. We were separated due to the fighting, but still with at least one other of us. We all were looking out for each other, but Ember got hit while defending Thorax." Sandbar explained, brushing his mane out of his eyes.

"It was a spear, the head got caught in her scales and she started coughing up blood." Smolder added. "Plus her wing's hurt."

Ember's helmet fell from under her arm and she collapsed. Gabby cried out and Gallus stared down at her in horror, eyes wide. Ocellus staggered backwards as Smolder yelled and reached for her Princess. Gilda and Pharynx looked on, unflinchingly, sympathy in the griffon's eyes and Pharynx's head cocked in dismay. Thorax lifted Ember up slightly, while Sandbar backed up.

----------------------------------------------

Shadowstar turned to his family.

"We should help them."

"What?" Cadence asked

"Look at them Cadence. Ember isn't even of their own kind and you can tell how much they care."

"Even though some of them look like they're in shock?" Twilight objected.

"Why would they be in shock if they didn't care about her?" Shadowstar reasoned. "I assume Pharynx and Gilda have just seen this happen before, but that doesn't mean they aren't upset."

"Sister, the dragonness won't have long if she's left there. I believe Shadowstar is right." Luna told her sister.

"Auntie Celestia..." Cadence's horn lit up, and her eyes flashed. "They're right. I can feel the pure love coming off them all. It's not stronger in any one creature, but together it's as powerful as the love of...well, friends."

"We are friends." Ocellus murmured, and they turned to her. "They're my friends."

A pink light shone off her momentarily, and Ocellus closed her eyes.

"That's been happening more and more ever since we started the journey. Zecora said it's what happens when a changeling shares love." she mumbled, and Cadence blinked.

"Of course. Sharing love instead of what your nature tells you to do would create a unbalance."

"Ember, wake up!" Thorax yelled, nudging her.

"Come on." Celestia lifted Ember into the air with her magic. "Let's get you all inside."