Libero

by Discombobulated Soul

Bellum

A zombie stalked towards Bon Bon Heartstrings.

She stood there, silently in her kitchen, watching it lurch ever closer. Its unsteady legs wobbled and it nearly fell on its way, but the determination never left its drooping colorless eyes. Bonnie squinted at it, trying to make sense of the situation, but made no other movements. Ever so slowly, the little thing approached on a collision course with her leg and she followed it with her gaze the entire way until...

...

...finally...

...

...bonk.

"Are you okay, Knight?"

Walking into the earth pony's well-muscled foreleg was much akin to colliding with a brick wall and the zombie bounced back accordingly. Knocked to his rump, he blinked confusedly and looked up, rubbing at his eyes with a hoof. Bonnie felt her brows crease in concern as she gazed down at his white form.

The zombie--otherwise known as Bonnie's adoptive son--glanced around at the kitchen with a dazed look about his face before returning his attention to her. Seconds passed while they sat there--the mare having lowered herself to his level--until he finally piped up.

"Yeah," Knight muttered, nodding to himself as though in confirmation, "I'm good." He swayed in place and blinked out of turn. Bon Bon had to steady the colt before he fell over and her concern did not lighten.

"Is something the matter?" She asked, leaning closer. Her son shook his head initially, but his expression turned pensive and he paused for a good while, leaving most of his weight on her raised leg.

"I didn't sleep good." Knight seemed about to say more, but he cut himself off with a large yawn. Any train of thought in his mind promptly derailed and Bonnie's heart liquefied at the sight. With fluttering eyelids, he rested his chin on her hoof and gave a heavy sigh.

"Would you like to take a nap, then?" The mare asked, nodding towards the couches. "These dishes can wait. Growing colts need their rest, you know." Knight shivered, shaking his head again.

"No. I'm afraid to sleep. The nightmares might come back, and then..." Knight trailed off and Bonnie couldn't help but pull him close as both ponies' frowns deepened.

"Oh, Sugar, I'm sorry. Will you..." she swallowed dryly while Starlight's words echoed through her head, "will you tell me about them? Your dreams?"

"A clear sign of trust will be him telling you things. Bothers, worries, goals. If he's secure enough to share with you, then you'll know you've done something right."

"I dreamt about HIM..."

"Oftentimes, victims are afraid to say anything because they fear retribution. An irrational worry that somehow, their abusers will make them pay for 'tattling,' so to speak."

"...and HER..."

"If Knight can push past all of this and tell you things, that needs to be encouraged and taken as a sign that you're making progress."

"...and...and...Sweetie Belle."

That name made Bonnie stop short and nearly snort in surprise. She managed to hold it in, but still stopped rocking and released the hug to look her son in the eyes.

"Rarity's little sister?" At his shameful nod, she felt her eyebrow shoot right into her hairline. Knight looked impossibly frightened, but the image of a sweet, well-meaning filly simply would not reconcile with that reaction. "Whatever did she do?"

Knight paused for a long time. He stared at the floor, then the ceiling, then back into Bonnie's eyes. Clearly, he was deliberating about something, though what that may have been continued to mystify the mare. From the top of her vision, she could see her wife entering the kitchen and approaching, similarly intrigued, but nearly all of Bonnie's attention remained on her charge.

"When I worked for Rarity, she told me to guard some fabric. I really tried to, but Sweetie came in and..." Knight gulped dryly, screwing his face up in a pained grimace. Dots were already connecting in the mother's mind and she felt her mouth gape open. "...and she cut it in pieces and threatened me when I tried to stop her. Then Rarity came back and...and..." The colt couldn't finish. Bon Bon felt her blood beginning to boil.

The image of Sweetie Belle changed in her mind, shifting from an unassuming, cheery little filly to a menace and threat. Well-meaning fillies didn't threaten other ponies, didn't pin the blame on those who couldn't defend themselves. They certainly did not dare injure her family members, intentionally or no. Familiar emotions Bonnie recognized from when Stormy broke in resurfaced and she felt her face reddening with rage.

"The potion, when I went all..." Bon Bon could barely see his grimace past all the red. She certainly couldn't take notice of Lyra's warning look from behind him. "...that was Sweetie Belle too. She made me drink it. I..." Knight trailed off a little. Lyra edged forward, a warning expression on her face.

"Bonnie..."

Bon Bon had known Sweetie Belle. The filly had been a regular at her candy shop for as long as she could walk. Having such similar names, of course the mare had been interested in her.

This new information brought a sort of betrayal. Sweetie Belle had betrayed her image, their relationship, and Bonnie's trust. The fact that she'd hurt Knight twice...

Was it any wonder the mare couldn't focus on what was happening in front of her?

A shame, then, that Knight could.

"Bonnie...!"

The colt's head slowly rose and he looked up at her with all the timidity of a scared puppy. His eyes widened, flickering across her enraged face. Trained instinct sat on a hair trigger that instantly fired and Knight was backing away, tense and shivering.

Lyra's warnings hadn't cut through the red haze, but the soft, fear-filled whisper to follow finally caught Bon Bon's attention.

"... Mom?"

When she looked, she saw a scared child backing away from her. Bonnie's anger was replaced with alarm faster than Rainbow Dash could clear the sky. She reached out to comfort her son, only to freeze in place when he flinched away.

No...

Panic, plain and simple. In that moment, the months of enormous effort, painstaking labor, and patient dedication to build trust in the foal she'd adopted flashed through her mind. Knight looked as scared of her as he was on day one. Had it all been for nothing? Had her temper finally gotten the better of her?

Lyra stepped back, but wasn't fast enough to avoid Knight, who retreated right into her legs. He jolted away and shrunk in on himself, but kept his gaze on Bonnie--or, more specifically, her raised hoof.

It felt like an eternity. Bon Bon's fear nearly matched her child's. All three ponies could barely draw breath.

Please, no...

Decades of having the most impenetrable of poker faces. Years of training to control her emotions. Untold hours spent schooling her features to the tiniest twitch. All worthless, moot, and void if she made her son feel unsafe.

The consequences of this weren't just immediate, either. Once Starlight caught wind of how Bonnie had butchered any trust she'd built, that would be it. The social worker would have him removed permanently. All of Ponyville would hate her guts for it, too.

They'd be justified in that.

Lyra looked afraid, too, if less so than the earth pony. Her golden eyes flickered between either family member, shaking with unease.

Or was it disgust? Was Lyra repulsed by how thoroughly Bonnie had screwed things up? Would she leave her wife behind as well? Join the rest of Ponyville in spitting at her hooves?

Knight sat there, staring fearfully at her frozen hoof. The poor foal. She'd let him down most of all. Bon Bon could only hope he'd have a better life with a more capable family while she rotted away in jail.

Perhaps someday, they'd meet again. Older, wiser, he would stroll inside her cell and strike up a conversation. Perhaps he could offer forgiveness, walking slowly up to her much like he was doing right then.

Wait...

Bonnie was snapped out of her anxious spiral when her son rose, trotting right up to her.

"It's okay," said he, reaching out with a hoof of his own. It curled around the back of her fetlock and pulled, angling her leg down to his level. "I trust you, Mom." Tenderly, Knight placed his mother's hoof against his cheek and leaned into it, softly rubbing. His eyes locked onto hers, lucid, clear, and determined. "I know you wouldn't hurt me."

Stunned by this turn of events, Bonnie's mouth opened to reply but could only flop around like a neurotic, stranded fish. Knight smiled, nodded to himself and--without further prompting--strode forward, planting his face right in her barrel. The mare's foreleg fell limply around his body as he sighed, nuzzling deeper.

After staring down in shock and relief, she finally found her voice.

"Yes, I-I would never," Bon Bon stuttered, letting out a breath so shaky it could put a carnival's cheapest ride to shame. With severe numbness, she wrapped her other leg around him and held tight. The mare's lungs heaved and she still felt her blood pounding, slowly coming down from the seconds of stress. Knight sighed again, but midway through it became a yawn, muffled by layers of fluff.

"I'd like that nap, now."

Bon Bon swallowed dryly, looking up only to see a certain mare with the single widest grin across her muzzle. Relief was every bit as evident on Lyra as her, but the unicorn's face held another message, too:

"We're so lucky..."

The earth pony could muster but a single nod.

"Of course, Knight. Let's head for the couch."

---

Bon Bon was shaken, more so than she'd been in a long time. She sat on the main sofa--by then piled with extra couch cushions, scarves and other such bedding alternatives--staring emptily at the wall. Knight slumbered beside her--or was it under her? So much was covered it was hard to tell.

Lyra stood in the kitchen, observing all of this with a light smile. Something about how convinced Knight had been when he spoke an hour or so ago, it put a spring in her step. The minty mare didn't even mind picking up the chores where her wife left off.

The dishes clattered in her sink while she hummed a light tune to herself, stealing peeks at the cute scene every so often. It felt like, with the interaction an hour or so ago, their family dynamics had finally been finalized. The Heartstrings were cemented in place as a group and woe be unto any force that dared try to tear them apart. Together, they could overcome any obstacle they faced. Lyra felt like, if she ever were to be in a fight for her life, there were only two ponies she'd want by her side, strange as it sounded.

Suddenly, an alarm blared throughout the home while red lights flashed in every room. A quick glance At the enchanted screen near the front door revealed something surprising:

Somepony was trying to break in.

Bonnie leapt off the couch and an instantly-alert Knight was soon to follow. Lyra joined them in the middle of the shop area, ears flattened as she wondered who the hay would attack them.

Scores of red dots on the monitor revealed it wasn't just one creature. It seemed like a whole team had been sent after them, and more dots appeared every second.

"Lyra," Bon Bon softly hissed, her muscles tensing as she stared towards the front door, "get my equipment from upstairs. Our bedroom closet." Knight jumped as a loud thump echoed through the building and the earth pony nudged him behind her. "Hurry."

Lyra gave a shaky nod and galloped off. A sudden silence crept through the house, almost as though the invaders had given up on getting through the defenses. Bon Bon knew they were extensive and of the highest quality, but any sufficiently-trained military would be able to penetrate anyway. If the rumors were true, an attack from the Storm Kingdom could have been taking place. With most--if not all--of Ponyville gone to Canterlot for the Festival of Friendship, now would be an opportune time to strike.

But why the Heartstrings? And how much power had they devoted to the cause?

Knight whimpered from behind her, but Bon Bon couldn't offer much in the way of comfort--she was too focused on the door.

With an earsplitting crash, it flew off its hinges, clattering to the floor several feet away. Through the doorway rushed three hulking, armored, and angry hedgehog-like creatures who immediately circled around her, spears drawn and pointed. Only then did she hear the hurried hoofsteps of a returned Lyra, who gasped from behind while yet more enemies stormed inside.

And then the concealed turrets dropped from above.

Screaming filled the room, but not from any ponies. Lyra rushed through the first opening that appeared, ears pinned to muffle the loud blasts and shrieks of pain. Knight ducked under her when she arrived at her wife's side, hooves over his head. Bon Bon snatched her floating harness from the yellow aura, expertly affixing it to herself before inspecting the attached weapons.

Two hooks, each with three prongs that flanged out like scythes, sharpened on the underside. Very similar to the type one would use to scale mountains or grapple across surfaces. Adamantine ranked among the strongest possible substances known to Equus, so precious that even scraps and alloys were beyond bits. These hooks, linked at the bottom to either end of a lightweight chain looped through the harness, were of the highest purity and given only to S.M.I.L.E.'s elite.

Bonnie hadn't brought them out since long before she retired.

She prayed she wouldn't have to use them now.

Fallen enemies groaned all throughout the dining area, collapsed against chairs and hiding under pulverized tables. Some managed to let off returning fire at the turrets, which could only take so much before failing. So numerous were the soldiers that the defenses couldn't keep up and were soon overrun.

Bon Bon stood in the center, watching carefully as the invaders shot beams of light from their spears. Each round took precious seconds to charge, time that could easily be taken advantage of. A plan formed in her mind and the mare readied herself, channeling magic through her planted hooves.

"Take Knight and hide upstairs. Hurry, and bring your lyre. I'll hold them off." The order was quick, sharp, and to-the-point. Unlike an agent, however, Lyra blinked and questioned it.

"Shouldn't we run while we can? Escape to the hills or the forest?" Bonnie snorted, shaking her head, but didn't shift her gaze from the recovering soldiers. Two turrets were left and doing their best, but it'd be mere seconds before they failed as well.

"They have us surrounded. Stay upstairs, where they have to climb to get you." Finally, the ex-agent spared a glance at her family, especially at the shivering foal peering up at her. She smiled, gently of course, but the steel and protective fire was evident in her expression all the same. "I won't let them get you."

Both unicorns nodded, fleeing back up the staircase. Bon Bon followed for a distance, then spun and faced the regrouping enemies. The heavy armor coating their hulking forms clanked as they rose, leering at her with what could be black faces or masks. Their muscles coiled and flexed as they approached and a quick head count revealed exactly twelve among their number, with potentially more beyond the front door.

With odds impossibly stacked in one side's favor, Bonnie couldn't help but smirk.

This is just like Klugetown.

There was much more at stake than just her own life, however. Her expression became grave at that thought. This wasn't a flawless mission from her days as an earth magic prodigy, but an invasion of her home in efforts to harm her family. Things were different. If Bon Bon screwed up, she wouldn't be the one to pay for it.

"I don't know why you all are here, who commanded you to break into my home, or what you plan to do with my son," Bonnie called out, lowering herself into a fighting stance. "But I do know one thing: You take one step further, and there will be Tartarus to pay. Don't test me."

Perhaps it was the sheer confidence of her words, but the soldiers--all twelve hulking masses--actually hesitated. For a moment, the mare believed she'd successfully scared them off by sheer force of will alone.

Then they stepped forward.

And Special Agent Sweetie Drops let out a snarl, baring her teeth in feral aggression.

So be it.

It was fractions of a second, faster than it could begin to think to react, before her front hooves connected with the foremost soldier's breastplate. Between tempered steel and earth mana-channeled keratin, one force was simply too great for the other. The armor caved in and the creature was sent stumbling into his companions, wheezing.

Sweetie didn't hesitate. There was no space between strikes. One moment, she toppled the first enemy with crushing force, the next, she angled herself and extended her hind legs into another's back. The buck, fueled by earth pony expertise and the raw maternal power brought by a threat to her child, had an amount of approximate power comparable to a full-steam freight train.

The creature went flying.

It sailed right through several chairs and tables, finally impacting the far wall, which promptly crumbled under the force. The agent didn't have time to watch the soldier lie in the rubble, though; she was already staring down her next target.

It glowered at her as she approached, lowering itself as though in preparation for the fight. All the worse for it, then. All that meant was that her thrown punch connected with its black mask/face instead of its chest.

The material was almost definitely some kind of metal, given how cold and hard it felt against her hoof. Sweetie decided it was probably a mask after all, which helped her feel less bad when it bent and warped unrecognizably from her strike. This enemy reeled away, clutching at its head, before toppling over completely.

The mare turned to face the rest, letting out a short breath as she channeled more magic.

Three down, nine to go.

The foremost soldiers stood in a formation, angled entirely towards her. Those at the rear raised their spears, which began glowing with harsh blue light as they charged shots. Sweetie noted that every last bit of attention was focused on her, with not a scrap of thought placed elsewhere. All nine remaining combatants were prepared to devote all their might to fighting her exclusively.

This thought filled her with relief.

They're going to get through me first. I won't have to worry about some breaking off to pursue the others.

As long as she kept fighting, her wife and kid were safe.

That was all the motivation Sweetie needed.

Beams of crackling energy flew towards her from the back, so wide and fast that she had to jump into the air to avoid them. Several were dodged this way, but the soldiers proved good at predicting her movements. It wasn't long before one aimed right where she was about to land and, without wings or any way to change her trajectory, a collision was inevitable. The projectile would hit her, promising a world of pain if she wasn't ready.

So Sweetie prepared. She touched the ground with a foreleg raised.

And when the beam of light approached, she punched it out of the air.

Redirected, the shot slammed into another soldier, who reeled away and fell. The recoil was such that Sweetie went skidding backwards. Her hoof steamed, spent, wispy mana gushing out like an open wound. She felt the strain on her reserves and knew that wouldn't be happening again if she was to last much longer. Still, the shocked posture of the hedgehogs as they lowered their spears was payment enough.

The pause gave her time to sigh heavily in regret. The holstered weapons at her sides came out almost eagerly, shining in the candy shop's fluorescent lights. Sweetie eyed her hooks one last time, noting the dull glint of the still-sharp blades. They felt eerily comfortable in the hold of her hoof-fields.

She could swear they lusted for blood.

"This is your last chance to flee, before things get serious." The agent's voice shook as she called out again, standing on her hind legs. "The weapons I hold now are unethical and banned in every civilized country, including here." Strong though she was, the hooks weighed heavily on her raised forelegs. It wasn't physical heft that caused her shoulders to droop. "I ask you, please, for your own sakes," she gulped, breaking out in a nervous sweat as she swayed in place, "turn away and run."

Perhaps they simply doubted her too much. Perhaps they mistook her unease for fear of them, and thought her words a simple bluff. Perhaps they were unfamiliar with the way pure, sharpened adamantine reacted to biological matter.

Whatever the reason was, all eight remaining soldiers raised their spears again and approached with much more gusto than before. Sweetie Drops felt a single tear streak down her face.

These nameless hooks weren't given to S.M.I.L.E.'s best because they took extensive training to use. They weren't given as a badge of accomplishment, a token of gratitude, or a rare and priceless reward for successful service.

They were a burden placed on the shoulders of those mature enough to come to terms with what must be done.

More charged shots arrived from the back before any soldiers did. It was with thoughtless ease that Sweetie blocked them, each bolt of blue energy fizzling to nothing against the pure, reddish adamantine. When the first creature rushed within range, it took the initiative by thrusting its spear forwards with impressive power. Sweetie slapped the weapon aside with her own, watching it crumble to pieces as a result. Then, when momentum carried the hedgehog up to her, she tensed her hind legs, magically tethering them to the ground.

Reaching forward, the agent planted the dull front ends of her hooks in the charging assailant's chest. Its inertia pushed back, but she angled up and, with the traction granted by her impossibly-strong weapons, the creature was soon freed from gravity's bonds and soaring through the far wall.

Special Agent Sweetie Drops had no time to worry about her poor shop's structural integrity. The rotational force that came from launching the soldier into the air meant her front hooves hit the floor soon after, both hooks digging into its tiled surface. Four more soldiers had her surrounded before she could blink and suddenly it was a rush to parry each syncopated spear swing.

The mare entered a spin to reach all of them, but since the blades were all that came into contact, none of the spears shattered. The soldiers kept their distance, too apparently under the impression that, so long as they kept out of hoof's reach, they were out of her threat range.

No matter. Sweetie kept a tight hold on her left hook's handle, but allowed the right one to slip through until she was grabbing a length of silvery chain instead. The left continued to parry while the right, now made into a flail, bashed each enemy upside the head between strikes.

Even just the power of her swing combined with the speed of her spin resulted in enough force to incapacitate with one hit. Granted, it didn't help that she knew exactly where to aim; each creature on Equus had a weak point somewhere on their skull and, for the size and shape of these hedgehogs, it was just above the back of the cranium. Conveniently enough, a spot unprotected by their masks.

Sweetie nearly came to a halt, but another creature leapt forward before her spin could stop. She tried to convince herself it was reflex, but that didn't stop the guilt that flared up when she stabbed her blade into its hide.

The reaction was immediate.

Flesh bubbled, steamed, and liquefied all around the wound. The creature let out a heartbreaking gurgle, its beady eyes instantly filled with immeasurable agony. Already the crackling of dried bones and squelching of bloated organs filled Sweetie's pinned ears, inescapable as the torturous death she'd subjected the soldier to. She forced herself to gaze up into its mask as it slowly expired.

The was the only slow part of the process: The actual death. Precious seconds spent with a failing body, trying fruitlessly to survive, to carry on, to recover from the injury. Sweetie could never truly understand what it was like to die that way, but she felt some part of her, the caring, empathetic part of her, die a little with each death she inflicted.

There was no survival.

Within seconds--a short span of time, but long enough that it always felt like an eternity--the thing slumped to the ground, unrecognizably warped and deteriorating faster by the moment. In a minute or so, it'd be reduced to a melted lump of still-twitching flesh.

As for the adamantine hook, every last bit of biomatter either dripped or fizzled off and it was left pristine as always, with nary a stain to be found.

A quick glance around revealed the two remaining enemies having taken several steps away. They glanced between each other, their melted comrade, and back several times before turning tail and rushing right out the door. Sweetie sighed with relief, but tailed them anyway, leaving her hooks unholstered for now.

On her way through the store area, she galloped past several fallen bodies, which littered the room like discarded candy wrappers. She'd only downed ten, so the other five had to have been taken out by the turrets and other defenses. Such a large force for a single home--Knight must've been considered a high-value target.

Of course they're after Knight. Why else would they be here?

With such hulking beasts as mere foot soldiers, Sweetie could only imagine what their commander looked like. No matter; she'd felled hydras and countless other monsters without breaking a sweat, so as long as it wasn't a--

A tall figure stood in Sweetie Drops' front lawn. A dark, docked, smallish airship blocking the street behind revealed their mode of transportation. The figure wore jet black armor that glistened as it walked, slowly approaching the front door. The figure didn't even bat an eye at its fleeing minions, instead staring Sweetie down with a cold, curious expression.

That's a unicorn!

The agent had thought earth pony at first, but her attention was brought to a crackling, glowing, jagged stump atop the pony's head. Her eyes promptly bulged in shock.

What...could possibly have removed her horn?

Such an injury was not feasible under normal circumstances. Unicorn horns were far more than mere bone. The magical connections and mana pathways were incredibly resilient. Sweetie's mind was set awhirl with possible explanations, but the armored mare called out before she could get too far.

"I must say: I'm impressed. You managed to fight off all my underlings, and without sustaining much damage, either." A wicked grin appeared on the unicorn's face as her piercing blue gaze intensified. "It'll be nice to fight something that doesn't immediately perish." The expression on the mare's scarred face was chilling and Sweetie shook herself, somewhat intimidated.

"You sound confident," she returned, squinting her eyes. "Who are you, who sent you, and why are you here?" Sweetie stepped out onto the lawn a bit while the other mare came to a stop some dozen feet away, out of threat range.

"I suppose I owe some sort of explanation," she mused, her creepy smile never leaving. "I am Commander Tempest Shadow, Right Hand of the mighty Storm King." Her hoof, once placed proudly against the front of her ebony armor, pointed northeast, towards Mt. Canterhorn. "His Excellency is personally leading an invasion of your capital as we speak. By now, he has likely captured all four of your princesses and is working on harnessing their power for his own grand designs."

Sweetie was loathe to take her eyes off her opponent, but a quick glance revealed dozens of darkly-colored airships blotting out Canterlot's skies. Tempest didn't move for several moments, patiently letting her absorb this information.

"Meanwhile, I was personally assigned to...shall we say...take care of Equestria's strongest weapon, lest it interfere with our annexation of your fair principality." Sweetie's attention was promptly torn away from pondering Canterlot's fall, placed instead on the sickly smile Tempest was making.

"So, what you're saying is, you're here to take my son," The agent surmised, beginning to lower herself once more.

Tempest Shadow shook her head.

"Close, but not quite." The smile was so cold, so lifeless, like there was no shred of equinity left in its wearer's soul. Her next words brought chills down Sweetie's spine: "I'm here to kill your son."

The commander was so infuriatingly casual with the way she described it, as though ending a life--a young life, and one belonging to her own species--was a daily occurrence to be skimmed over. Sweetie Drops felt her lips curl away from her teeth in an expression of aggression quite unusual for a pony.

"You'll have to kill me first."

And Tempest laughed, giving her a giant grin of what appeared to be genuine joy.

"Oh, thank you. I was really hoping you'd say that, Sweetie Drops." She lowered herself in turn, but never so much as blinked, keeping eye contact. "This will be the first time I've had an actual challenge."

It was unnerving, how truly confident Tempest was. Against virtually any other enemy, the agent would have zero reservations. She was trained to take down all manner of monsters, from hydras to manticores to rogue dragons and everything in between. Wielding her hooks gave an extra edge that made Sweetie virtually unstoppable.

And yet...

That's a unicorn. Another pony. She'll have mana on her side as well. And with that broken horn, there won't be--

Almost as if on cue, raging currents of blue electricity came rushing out of Tempest's horn stump. There was no warning, no twitch or telling grimace. One instant, she was standing feet away almost placidly. The next, Sweetie's vision was filled with lightning.

The agent was able to raise a hook to block, but only just. With one sunk into the ground, the chain acted like a lightning rod, funneling all the energy safely away. The shot to follow was more concentrated, like the spears' projectiles, so Sweetie was able to bat it away with a perfectly-timed swing. As a response, she threw her other hook at her assailant, who simply shot it into the sky.

Pressing her advantage, Sweetie yanked on the chain to pull it back to her, simultaneously launching the first hook at speeds rivaling Rainbow Dash. Tempest parried with a redirecting shot all the same, but then the next hook was flying toward her face. It was a tight rhythm, pulling and throwing while she stalked forward, one step at a time. Her pace increased gradually, each attack coming sooner the closer she got. Somehow, Tempest kept up perfectly, even when the agent changed the timing of her strikes to stagger, rather than be evenly spaced.

When they were under four feet apart, Tempest managed an extra shot between throws. With both weapons midair, Sweetie had no choice but to roll away. When she came up, her opponent was there, already firing another blast.

The agent let out a grunt, forced to block with her forelegs. The shock hurt and sent her tumbling away, while the enchantments on her harness glowed red, absorbing as much as they could. For those high-capacity runes, enchanted by the head of S.M.I.L.E. herself, to fail? Tempest's level of output in each missile must have been higher than anything Sweetie had ever seen before.

Swiftly regaining control of her trajectory, she stood up again, only for Tempest to be right there, that same grin of glee slathered across her muzzle. By that point, the hooks had finally managed to be reeled in all the way, so Sweetie blocked the flurry of lightning with pure adamantine.

The switch from defense to offense was instantaneous. Parrying oncoming attacks one moment, then leaping forward to deliver a punishing slash the next. Tempest was forced to roll and Sweetie was ready. As a unicorn, her opponent would have no chance in close-quarters. The thrusting hook was on a trajectory straight for her face, fast enough that even teleporting to dodge would be too slow. The armored mare threw up a foreleg in defense, as though under some vain hope that that would be sufficient. This was it, Sweetie had won.

So why was Tempest still grinning?

The hook was propelled with all the strength in Sweetie Drops' body. The same force that had felled beasts the size of Manehattan skyscrapers in one blow. The force that had managed to take out ten hulking masses of muscle mere minutes ago. This was the kind of force that would shatter boulders, put dents in mountains, or fell dozens of trees with one strike.

This insane force met a mere unicorn's raised foreleg.

And stopped short.

Resultant wind whipped their manes and tails every which way, peeling parts of the cobbled street clear off. Tempest's ebony armor bent and warped, even rupturing slightly at the point of impact. Both ponies slid across the ground for several feet, but the smile never left her face.

And then Tempest returned a punch.

Perhaps it was the impossibility of it. No unicorn could be as strong as an earth pony, it just simply wasn't possible. And Sweetie Drops was a prodigy! One with decades of experience in the field, years spent training her strength. Her cutie mark was three wrapped bon bons, a candy high in sugar which boosted magic. Bon bons were a staple of Prance and signified power and protection. The agent had every right to block a physical attack from a unicorn, and doing so would probably shatter every bone in her assailant's leg!

Only, that didn't happen. When the strike connected, Sweetie Drops felt the sheer power behind it. Her eyes bulged just in time for her to be violently thrown away by the force.

The grass of Sweetie's small front lawn tasted dry and dirty. She made a mental note to water it more often, then yanked her muzzle out of the ground. Her harness was glowing red again, which meant at least some of the impact hadn't gone through. Her leg ached and was already beginning to bruise. A quick check of her internal mana pool revealed she was about halfway spent, and fighting the soldiers hadn't taken much at all.

Sweetie knew she needed to end this fast. If only the swaggering unicorn stalking towards her had a weakness.

"The Storm Kingdom excels in the art of alchemy," Tempest explained, coming to a stop some yards away. "Potions have really developed there, to the point that you'd be surprised at what we can accomplish." Sweetie stood, dusting herself off while warily eyeing her opponent.

"Like boosting the strength of a unicorn to match an earth pony?"

The commander's grin widened in answer.

"I'm under the effects of a slew of them right now. They boost my performance to...unprecedented levels." Sweetie Drops scoffed, reeling in her hooks under the watchful eye of her enemy.

"You realize you've told me exactly how to win, right? I just need to stall for time long enough for your potions to wear off." Tempest didn't seem too worried about this. In fact, if her smile deepened any further, it risked splitting her dark purple face right open.

"And all I need to do is get in long enough to find your son..." She turned away and towards the front door, but wasn't able to take more than a step or two before a launched hook flew towards her head. It ricocheted off her raised foreleg and Sweetie was already galloping forward with the other clenched in her teeth.

The exchange to follow went so fast, there was no room for anything other than pure instinct. She attacked, she blocked, she parried, she punched, she swung, she dodged. Through all of it, her opponent kept up blow for blow.

When Tempest fired an electric beam, her adamantine hook knocked it aside. When Tempest threw a hoof forward, the same hook blocked, creaking and straining under the power. When Tempest lashed out with a kick, she took a risk and looped the chain around her leg. Much to Sweetie's disappointment, the silvery links immediately snapped apart. Worse, the kick continued and connected with her chest.

What Tempest didn't know was that the other hook had dug into the back of her armor, pulling her along for the ride. Both ponies went tumbling across the drying grass, trading blows as they went. Tempest landed on top and proceeded to stomp her hoof into the ground. It punched straight through Sweetie's curls after she jerked her head out of the way. Her returning strike connected with her opponent's breastplate, which dented and cracked under the pressure.

Tempest didn't look impressed, shooting another projectile at point-blank range. With her legs caging Sweetie in, she wouldn't normally have been able to dodge. How lucky that her hook wrapped around one and pulled, leaving space to roll away.

Tempest wasn't fast enough to dodge the slash that followed. Pure adamantine bit right through ebony armor and sunk into flesh, which immediately began bubbling. A shame that Sweetie also wasn't fast enough to dodge the answering blast, which connected and once more sent her flying away, dislodging her hooks from both her grip and Tempest's leg.

The agent landed on the street this time, skidding across for some feet before coming to a stop. She rose, panting for breath like a tired dog, and noted that only one hook was still attached to her glowing harness. The other was stuck in the ground next to Tempest, who trotted up to it and reached out, pulling the weapon from the bubbling, liquefying grass. The commander raised Sweetie's hook up to her face, inspecting it with an unreadable expression.

"That's a nice little war crime you've got, there." The unicorn's gaze flickered between the glistening adamantine and her injured foreleg, nodding in appreciation. The air lit up as she shot herself with lightning, presumably to cauterize the wound, all without flinching once. After a moment, she finished and gave the hook a few test swings while Sweetie noticed the cut in her armor had apparently closed. "Still, it's not really my style."

Having been casually tossed, the weapon clattered to a halt inches away from the earth pony, who didn't hesitate to loop a new length of chain through its handle and return it to her side. With a sudden realization, she shot her attention back to her opponent, who, much to her relief, was still standing placidly on the lawn, watching her work.

The mares had switched places since the beginning of the fight, but several differences were apparent. Special Agent Sweetie Drops was clearly the worse for wear, while the only signs of a skirmish on Commander Tempest Shadow were the dents and scratches on her pitch black armor.

Despite her goal, the fallen unicorn had not turned back to run into the house. When Sweetie's gaze flickered between the two, she shook her proud head and grinned again.

"Nah, I won't run ahead while your back is turned, in case you were wondering. I intend to finish you first, since that'll be a lot more fun." Tempest began stalking forward again, her shattered horn stump crackling with limitless energy. "I've heard so much about you, Sweetie Drops. I was so excited when I learned I'd get to face you in battle. The great prodigy herself, fighting little old me." The earth pony panted, steeling herself and what dregs were left of her reserves once more.

"What are you?"

That creepy little grin was haunting. Sweetie swore she'd see it in her dreams, if she managed to live through this.

"A long time ago, a starry-eyed little filly went out into the big, wide world, filled with the promise of adventure." Tempest stalked forward, causing the cobblestoned street to rattle and shake. "She traveled wide and went far, amazed at the wonders Equus had to offer. But then she got into trouble." Sweetie slowly backed up, but came to a stop when her rump hit the side of the parked airship. Tempest continued, unceasingly. "That little filly needed to find a way to settle her debts, before she got taken away for good."

Sweetie was given a harsh reminder of her prey animal nature. She almost swore she could see fangs in Tempest's unhinged grin. She was close, now. Far too close for comfort. The purple unicorn leaned in, less than a foot away. "That little filly was my mother," Sweetie's eyes bulged in surprise and no small amount of fear, while Tempest's grin became the widest it had ever been. "And me? I'm the thing she sold to keep her precious freedom."

This time, the shot was visibly charged before it fired, giving the agent just enough time to duck out of the way. This avoided a direct hit, but then the beam punched right through the airship she'd backed up against, which promptly exploded. The resultant fireball blinded Sweetie, throwing her another few yards away. When she risked a peek upwards, she saw a tall silhouette, backlit by the pillar of flames, once again approaching.

It seemed entirely unaffected by the fire, though how that was she couldn't comprehend. Groaning, Sweetie brushed singed locks of mane out of her face, the curls having utterly unraveled. Black soot stained her back and she noticed her harness was fraying. These details almost distracted her from the bolt of cyan lightning coming her way.

Sweetie lifted her remaining hook in an attempt to block, but cried out when most it of arced into her. A hoof swung down while she was prone--how was Tempest so fast?--and this she managed to intercept. Her hook was torn out of her grip while Tempest's head angled down. The shot to follow struck Sweetie right in her chest.

Coughing, grimacing in pain, she tumbled away. Tempest pursued and pinned her to the rocky path. Sharp scraps of metal from the explosion dug into her shoulders, drawing blood. Sweetie's harness had torn in several places and its red glow was fading. A sharp flick of the chain brought her hook back in time to parry Tempest's punch, but it went flying away again thanks to her weak hoof-fields.

Sweetie was only fast enough to recover the hook in time for the next punch. Tempest reeled back again and again, thrusting the same hoof towards the agent's grimacing face. With each blow, the adamantine creaked under the power.

Tempest Shadow's final strike was different. Her foreleg became wreathed in pulsing electricity and, when it came down, the hook shattered under the pressure.

Sweetie Drops' returning strike was weak in comparison. It didn't even put another dent in Tempest's armor. The commander almost looked disappointed, shaking her head.

Then she backhooved Sweetie across the lawn.

She felt her harness come apart during the roll. She felt hope leave her, as well. She came to a stop only after slamming into the front wall of her shop, scarcely able to raise her head.

"I had hoped for better, Sweetie Drops."

Wheezing, the agent attempted to stand, but collapsed.

"I suppose I'll have to finish this, then."

No...

A shattered horn charged again, somehow. What conduit was left began glowing, but the main feature was the orb of raw, crackling energy forming about the stump. Sweetie raised a bruised, bleeding leg, but knew deep down that it was futile. She'd failed. Lost. All it'd taken was another pony with access to mana and her years of success in combat were worthless.

I'm sorry...

This beam of magic was unstoppable. It lit the very sky, visible for miles as it streaked towards her home. Sweetie's teary eyes closed, her ears flicking back as they heard it draw ever closer.

Suddenly, the sound muted. Sweetie assumed she'd been hit already and her senses were leaving, but then she jumped when a furious crackling noise erupted from every side. Opening her eyes revealed the beam having split down the middle, fanning out to just about every direction but hers. The cause of this, situated precious inches from Sweetie's prone form, was indisputably a solid slab of...

...Thaunon?

Tempest quickly caught on to the fact that her death ray wasn't doing its job. When she cut the power, Sweetie's vision cleared enough for her to look across the lawn and at--

--Knight!

--who stood some yards away, proudly staring Tempest down.

"You won't hurt her!" He called, stepping forward. The commander sharply turned to leer out at him, raising a brow. "You want me, right?" At Tempest's nod, the colt snorted and dipped his head. "You won't hurt me, either." Knight's conduit glowed a strong grey while the horn sprung to life, summoning a slew of pole-shaped strips of Thaunon all around him. These rods--easily numbering over forty total--arrayed themselves parallel to the ground in a wide arc above the foal, shimmering in the fading sun's light.

"I won't let you."

Tempest didn't hesitate. Knight had barely finished his statement when a veritable river of lightning rushed towards him. A solitary rod of Thaunon zipped forth, splitting the beam in half like it was the simplest thing in the world. Both halves flew past him while Tempest switched strategies, angling her head upwards. She galloped closer, firing off several rays of power that each took different, curving paths toward their target.

It only took one rod each to block the projectiles. Knight furrowed his brows, focusing on each different attack in rapid succession before they were stopped in their tracks. Tempest had to take a roundabout route, still letting off shots that hung in the air, continually fizzling against the Thaunon. One rod was held behind the colt and made to rotate about its axis. Once it was spinning fast enough, Knight let his counterattack loose, aimed low at the commander's running legs.

Tempest was forced to hurdle over the rotating rod of doom, which zipped right through the ground on its way under. Grass and dirt went spraying up while its path curved around, angling back towards the armored unicorn. Tempest dodged again, even ducking out of the way when the five-foot-long rod split lengthwise into two mid-pass. She danced expertly around the dangers, focused on their every unpredictable move.

So focused that she didn't see the third rod until it was too late.

Smacked upside the head, the unstoppable Tempest Shadow sailed through the air, across the street, and right through the wall of a neighboring house. Sweetie Drops let out a cheer, feeling a proud grin settle itself about her face.

How ironic it was that the very 'weapon' Tempest was sent to destroy proved to be her downfall.

And yet, when the commander stepped out of the rubble, she was grinning, too. That same creepy grin that'd given Sweetie chills of horror earlier. Tempest was standing tall, about as tall as Big Macintosh, which the agent hadn't fully registered before. Tempest's sparking horn stump created rapid white flashes, too. The earth pony's heart dropped as she realized.

Knight stared right at his adversary as she stalked forward. Suddenly, his proud, determined squint devolved into a fearful frown. The colt's ears and tail tucked themselves tight against his body. His horn's light faded away, as did all the rods. Because why bother trying to use them? They hadn't saved him on the airship. They didn't work with HER. Now Colza was back, somehow standing just across the street.

Another beam launched across the sky, headed right for its prone target. Knight huddled vulnerably on the grass, too lost in traumatic memories to defend himself.

And then Lyra appeared.

Galloping into view, the third unicorn reached her son and leaped, grabbing him midair. The beam zipped right behind both of them, narrowly dodged, while they rolled across the grass. Lyra popped up, spoke into Knight's ear, then pushed him towards Sweetie while ignoring the beam impacting their house.

The colt scampered towards the agent's prone form while both unicorn mares faced off. He reached her and skidded to a halt, white eyes roving all across her battered form.

"Are you okay, Momma?" Sweetie Drops coughed in response and attempted to stand again. Knight looked concerned and rushed under her, helping with the arduous task. Seeing him look so worried, it reminded her why she'd been fighting. The fact that she'd all but given up a minute ago disgusted her, now. Sweetie managed a smile and, filled with renewed strength, managed to stand unaided.

"Yes, Sugar. I'll manage." After glancing up at the unicorn face-off happening yards away, a question formed in her mind. "Knight?" The colt's ears perked and he looked up at her, wide-eyed. "How fast can your Thaunon travel?" He blinked, edging closer.

"Speed depends on size. Bigger pieces move slower."

And I know summoning it takes really long, too. If he's to keep up with the pace of battle, that won't do.

"Then stick to smaller ones, alright? Tempest is fast." At his affirming nod, she took a few testing steps forward, wincing. Knight rushed to help her, but was so small and physically weak that he couldn't really do much.

Meanwhile, Lyra Heartstrings stared down Tempest Shadow, who by then had made her way back to the grass.

"You're the wife, I presume?"

Lyra made no move to respond in any capacity. She just stared, darkly, with an unreadable expression.

"Not a big chatter, I see," Tempest mused, eyeing her up and down. "How do you plan to fight me? I hope not with spells." In answer, Lyra magically raised her golden lyre from behind. Tempest scoffed, rolling her eyes. "A musician? What are you going to do, play badly?"

But Tempest had missed two very important, pivotal, crucial details: Firstly, the lyre was holding so much charged magic that its glow rivaled the sun itself.

And secondly, Lyra was very, very angry.

With the sound of an electric guitar strumming a power chord, she released the stored energy. Thousands of blazing, magical motes spread out from the source, washing all of Ponyville with golden light. Each softball-sized sun arced outwards a ways before closing in on its target. Tempest had just enough time to let her eyes bulge and her mouth form an acute 'O' before being introduced to a world of pain.

An explosion to dwarf all the others took place, creating an impossibly-strong wind that blew the shop's sign right off, sending it tumbling away. In fact, anything within a rather wide range that was hanging up or loose enough on the ground was suddenly relocated.

Sweetie Drops, having been limping towards her wife, now inched a few steps back.

Once the dust cleared, Tempest was revealed to be lying on her back in the middle of a sizable crater. Her once-dark-pink mane was now recolored a most interesting shade of soot-black. What was left of it, at least. Her armor had broken and shattered in several places, revealing a purple coat beneath. She didn't so much as twitch, just lying there in her pit.

Lyra, who'd been stooped and panting for breath from the exertion, straightened and huffed, turning away. She even went so far as to kick some grass behind her, as a dog does when it's finished relieving itself.

Lyra paused, though, when manic laughter echoed out from inside the hole. Upon turning back, she saw that the commander had risen and was brushing herself off, her signature grin having returned.

"Oh, I haven't seen a display like that in a long time. Bravo to you, Mrs. Musician. I've certainly underestimated you." Cracking her neck with several pops, the commander hopped out of the pit in a single smooth bound. "Still, it'll take much more than that to get rid of me." By that point, Sweetie had made it some feet from her wife's side and regained some strength, enough that she wasn't completely out of commission. Knight stood between them, his determined expression back in full force. Lyra's glare came back and she readied her lyre, which levitated off to the side.

All three ponies were standing in a formation, staring down at their enemy. Said enemy looked around at each of them, chuckling to herself. "My my, it's quite a little squad you've got here, Special Agent Sweetie Drops. This fight may turn out to be evenly-matched after all."

Standing there, supported by her loved ones after foolishly thinking she could protect them against anything herself, the earth pony was reminded of something.

"My name isn't Sweetie Drops. And I'm not an agent anymore." She locked eyes with her son, nodding in acknowledgment, which he returned. A similar gesture was performed with her wife. One final plan formed in her head. They'd beat this enemy, and they'd do it together.

"My name is Bon Bon Heartstrings.

And you've messed with the wrong family."

Tempest lashed out towards Knight with a beam of power. He shrunk back, both from the beam and the manic grin on her face. His barrier was manifesting itself far too slowly to block, but an intercepting ray from Lyra redirected the attack just in time.

Tempest turned her attention to Lyra, dashing forwards and extending a lightning-charged hoof. Rather than attempt to block it herself, Lyra levitated Bonnie's remaining adamantine hook over to her from across the street. She plucked a few fast chords on her lyre, which surrounded Tempest in a soft yellow glow. Some kind of slowing field, but it didn't last long before the magic was absorbed by her armor.

When the commander continued her lunge, it almost looked like it would connect. Too bad, then, that a launched bit of adamantine slammed right into her chest. Tempest was sent sprawling midair, but she let off a flurry of projectiles even before hitting the ground.

These magical bolts arced towards Bon Bon, who was too preoccupied steadying herself after the throw to dodge. Disks of shimmering grey matter appeared, blocking each ray. A few extras zipped towards Tempest, all while Knight's brows furrowed in concentration.

Perhaps it was instinct, but after dodging nearly all of them, Tempest reeled back and let loose a punch at the last disk. Her foreleg, wreathed in magical energy, crackled as it swung, while a simple circle, mere inches in diameter, stood in the way. When the strike connected, rather than the disc being sent flying like she thought, instead her leg crumbled in on itself.

The Thaunon continued on its path, unaffected by anything, while Tempest burrowed into the earth like a crippled mole. When she rose, though, her fearsome expression and formidable height caused each disk to fade away.

They did so just in time for a beam of yellow light to erupt from Lyra's instrument, accompanied by the sound of a harsh, dissonant chord. Tempest answered with a beam of her own, which connected and pushed back, placing the two in a test of wills.

When the hook flew once again at her face, the commander knocked it into the sky with a punch. Still locked in place by the clashing beams, she glared and shoved harder. Lyre grimaced and lost ground, shining yellow giving way to crackling blue. Bonnie rushed forth to intercept, but was shoved away. Knight recovered, shaking his head, and lit his horn again, but that was far too slow.

The crackling blue beam forced itself all the way against the yellow. When the lyre gave out, Lyra clutched at her horn. Bon Bon grabbed it out of midair while Tempest's shot went wide. Spinning, the earth pony launched her wife's golden instrument right into the commander's face.

Grunting, she shook her head and let off another shot. This happened just in time for the adamantine hook to fall from the heavens, guided by Lyra's levitation right into Bonnie's waiting hooves. This bolt was redirected with a well-timed swing, but her weakened grip meant the hook went flying again. Leaping forward, Bon Bon grabbed the fallen lyre and threw it once more, scoring a solid hit.

Left with no means of defense, she could only stumble as the answering blast sailed towards her. Sailed, that was, until a thin sheet of grey matter appeared, blocking it all perfectly. The bottom section separated, forming two razor-thin squares that Tempest was forced to dodge.

Knight galloped around the outside, while Lyra repositioned herself, snagging her lyre from the ground on her way. The Heartstrings formed a triangle around their aggressor, whom they proceeded to show who was boss.

First, a thin slab of Thaunon smacked Tempest in the chin, disorienting her. Next, three orbs of yellow light impacted her from one side, stumbling her. Then, a hook slammed right into her barrel, tearing off a large section of armor.

This naked section was aimed for by a streak of yellow light. Tempest dodged, but that only sent her in the path of a spinning rod of Thaunon. This she futilely shot at before being pummeled by. Having dug into the earth, she was in the perfect spot to get hit with a punishing buck.

Tempest flew, but wasn't able to get far before being surrounded in a yellow glow. It was quickly absorbed, but not in time to avoid redirecting her path right into a floating grey wall. Bouncing painfully off, Tempest fell quite nicely onto Bon Bon's raised hoof.

She dug into the earth again, right in the path of a curving beam of magic that had first arced into the sky, then angled down at the location she'd landed. Again, her armor absorbed most of it, but that same wall of Thaunon came floating down atop her. Galloping out of the way just in time led her back to where Bon Bon was standing, right into her prepared punch.

Sailing backwards, Tempest landed on top of the wall, which tipped back up, sliding her into Lyra's beam of yellow. This knocked her aside, into the path of the flying grey rod, which otherwise would have missed. Fed up, Tempest attached herself to the ground and fired at the unicorns, but her back was turned and she had no choice but to accept a lovely hoof sandwich from the earth pony.

Letting out a scream of rage, Tempest Shadow stood after bouncing yards away and unleashed her mana.

A dome of raw power spread outwards from her horn, frying anything it touched as it expanded across the ground. This dome was just slow enough that Knight could summon barriers around himself and his mothers, but that meant they could only watch as the whole block sizzled under the might. Bon Bon's Bon Bons burst into flames and houses in every direction did the same, while every bit of vegetation shriveled and died.

The blast radius was immense. Everything in sight was electrocuted and the growing dome of power went far beyond that. The sky cleared above, each cloud in the way immediately shocked out of existence. The Heartstrings huddled in their spheres, watching the fallout around them with wide eyes.

Finally, the dome of mana faded away and Tempest stomped towards Knight's sphere.

"You think yourself safe in there, don't you? I'm not fooled." Her horn blazed to life again and the colt's eyes bulged. "All I have to do is trace your mana back to its origin, I'm told." Knight flinched back as though struck by some force, while Tempest's sneer intensified. Her creepy grin was long gone, now. "All that's left is a test of wills. I just need to shove against your inner walls until they come crashing down."

She slammed a hoof against the barrier and, while it didn't so much as creak, she saw with satisfaction that her target whimpered and recoiled away. Tempest had fired a steady stream of crackling magic at the shield, mostly for show, but also because it helped her focus. Doing this sort of high-finesse operation was difficult and required much concentration thanks to her shattered horn.

Tempest Shadow knew many things. She knew that, once her mission was finished, the Storm Kingdom's annexation of Equestria was assured. She knew that she was seconds away from completing said mission, and would receive nothing but praise for her work upon returning. She knew that her intelligence had been right about essentially everything, but made a note to have the mole taken care of once this was all over. No one could know too much, after all.

Tempest knew many things. There was little relevant information that she didn't have at her disposal.

That said, there were two things she didn't know. The first being that, in her efforts to shatter her prey's barrier, two other spheres had fallen.

The second?

Tempest was woefully unfamiliar with raw maternal fury.

This would be remedied immediately, of course.

When the commander was hit soundly on either side of her head by a golden lyre and crimson hook respectively, every scrap of focus was understandably shaken apart. She wobbled there, her eyes wheeling in place, for just long enough for Knight to recover. When Tempest growled and was about to execute the mares on either side of her, the Thaunon sphere she'd been working so hard to destroy flew forward and smacked her square in the face.

Tempest responded, but not fast enough to avoid being closed in on all sides by a sphere of her own. Knight was kind enough to provide air holes as the prison floated there, suspended in the air. She yelled, punching, kicking and blasting, but soon realized the futility of such things.

With a second to stand there, collecting her composure, the bruised, bleeding and now-mostly-unarmored commander sat, staring down at her captors with a neutral expression.

"It seems you've won." Bon Bon nodded, brushing her draping, singed bangs out of her face.

"A matter of time until your potions wear off. Knight can crush you anytime if you try something funny. You've seen what his powers can do." Those words were mostly a bluff, of course, but she didn't need to know that. Tempest sighed almost daintily and laid down, resting her head on her hooves.

"That's quite the weapon you've raised. Still, you'll never stop the actual invasion in time. His Highness has already harnessed your rulers' magic by now."

Just then, everypony's heads whipped towards Mt. Canterhorn as a deep rumbling echoed across the land. They watched with faces ranging from shock to horror as the dozens of airships became clumped together before rising speedily into the sky. A firework display to end all firework displays took place above Canterlot, like a miniature supernova. The sky was instantly covered in dust and they could watch even from there as debris rained down.

Tempest could only look for another few seconds before her eyes rolled back in her head and she promptly fainted.

Knight let out a loud gasp, his eyes roving emptily as his horn fiercely glowed. Lyra ducked down beside him, her brows creasing in worry.

"What is it, Sugar?"

Both mares gaped at his response.

"Thaunon..." he muttered weakly, "it...it's Thaunon." Bon Bon shook her head in denial.

"Is it yours, then? It has to be yours, right?" But Knight merely confirmed their fears, still staring vacantly towards the crumbling towers of Canterlot.

"No. Not mine. It's somepony else's."

Stormy Night had awakened.

Author's Note:

Please help. This took forever to write. UwU

Comments

[Cold Philosophy]

Oh boy. That last line... probably not good.

Smashing fight scene, I liked what you did with Tempest. Nice to see Knight strut his stuff as it were. Lyra being so powerful was well foreshadowed and quite satisfying. Bon Bon's prowess was nothing to scoff atiether, whough I find myself hoping that the pieces of the hooks aren't as dangerous as the full hook seems to be. Gonna be a heck of a cleanup job.

I would like to see the next inerraction with Bon Bon and Swertie. I seem to remember Sweetie having to do some kind of community service as punishment for the potion incident, but I don't remember if she was ever disciplined for the cloth incident.

What worries me is how Tempest found out about the weakness in Knight's Thaunon barriers. As far as I can remember, the only ones who knew about that were Twilight, Broken Barrier, and possibly Colza.

Great chapter, keep up the good work on this and your other story!

[Munro]

awesome chapter ^^

good thing this tempest did not fight in canterlot, the poor princesse's

[L0RD3N]

Glorious fight scenes! Although I did get a bit confused at some points during the first one, but that might be 'cause I was reading it during class who knows
Really nice way to include the MLP movie in all of this, and the powers were very nicely interpreted. It understandably took quite a bit longer to write, but there's no rush. Great job & good luck man!

[Mister-H]

Awakened?

[Discombobulated Soul]

11844434

[KindaTired]

Not a fan of how Bonnie committed war crimes