Stairway to Equestria

by AlexUk

Chapter 28: Of Light and Darkness

Chapter 28

Of Light and Darkness

The snake-like swarm of changelings descended through the first breach and slithered inside the capital’s dome. Green bursts of magic erupted from the formation, as insects crash-landed into the streets below, emerging afterwards from the resulting crates.

High above the city, the airship’s right engine worked at full power, while Pearl spun the helm to turn the zeppelin’s starboard cannons towards the changeling formation. The MG nest below the basket was already firing on the enemy swarm, dropping hundreds of bugs out of the air with the high-caliber rounds.

“Fire!” Pearl shouted at his crew, immediately as the ship aligned.

The entire starboard erupted with the booms of discharged cannons, spitting cannonballs straight at the changeling formation. The projectiles exploded mid-air, forming a red-hot shrapnel barrage. They shredded the entire side of the enemy swarm, causing thousands of changelings to drop dead from the skies. From the other side of the city, the other zeppelin had also opened fire, causing another wave of bugs to fall on the streets and buildings below.

Much like an injured beast, the enemy formation lashed out at the second zeppelin, as tens of thousands of fliers descended upon the aircraft. They tore the vessel to pieces, ripping apart the magically enchanted balloon in just seconds with their attacks. As the zeppelin began to fall, explosions rocked the basket, while the engines fell apart from the rest of the ship under the barrage of magic bolts.

“They’ve torn them to pieces! Pearl, we need to get outta here now!” Silver urged, grabbing a musket and loading it with a charcoal piece.

“Keep those cannons singing and prepare for an attack!” the white captain ordered, adjusting the speed and the direction of the airship as to put some distance between them and the swarm. He grabbed the radio mic. “Hey, where’s our pegasi bunch?”

Several hundred changelings began flying towards them, while the crew armed themselves with muskets, opening up small hatches along the back of the ship’s basket.

Inside the machinegun nest, Crank Shot pulled at the two belts of ammo feeding the twin-barreled gun, trying to get as much as he could in the cramped emplacement. He re-chambered the weapon and aimed it at the enemies.

*** *** ***

Countless bolts of magic flew around them as the two unicorns battled in the square located at the entrance of the city, amidst thousands of equestrian and enemy troops engaged in their own skirmishes. Blink smashed his hoof into the other stallion’s face, and immediately felt blood pouring from his own muzzle.

The unarmored Blink spat a mouthful of blood at the ground, returning a reddened grin to the black armored stallion. “He was never a friend of ours, why do you care so much about him?”

Blink stood back, coughing his own blood through the tight helmet. He focused his magic on the broken nose, trying to mend it as best as possible. The spell barely worked, as his mind was filled with anger and thoughts of revenge, his ears burning from the Nightmare’s defiant mockery.

Still keeping his smile, the dark stallion smashed his front hooves into the ground, causing a powerful shake. A crack formed from the impact area, which traveled to the broken gates nearby. A few moments later, the entire section of the wall among the entrance began crumbling, large pieces of rock falling from the protective structure as it crashed down under its own weight.

The tall landing tower on the corner of the now broken gates fell apart as well; ponies engaging the enemy from the structure fled for their lives, pegasi flying off while unicorns raised shields to protect themselves and their brethren from the collapse. The whole building came crumbling down inside the entrance square, raising a thick cloud of dust that engulfed the troops locked in combat.

“I believe that bringing down the barriers between nations will bring an end to this conundrum we’re having here,” Blink heard his Nightmare’s voice through the settling dust, his ears perking at its source. “Don’t you agree?”

Blink focused his telekinesis on a spot several feet in front of him, and felt that he gripped someone. He caught a glimpse through the curtain of dust of his own self trapped in a blue haze of magic, and hurled the Nightmare into nearby house. A sharp pain invaded his back, his knees buckling under the sudden ache. Blink held onto his armor’s side, certain that at least a few ribs were cracked from bashing his Nightmare through that house.

A hoof grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face a dust-covered pegasus. “Blink, ya’ll right?” Chaser asked, getting him up his hooves. “I called a retreat, they’re swarming over the bloody collapsed wall.”

“I’m sorry, Chase’ . . . I can’t stop him without killing myself,” the unicorn spoke through deep grunts of pain, struggling to stay up.

“Don’t think about that, we need to get you outta here first.”

“No . . . the city will fall . . . we can’t leave-”

Blink felt his friend slide underneath and pick him up onto his back, carrying him away. Around them, the equestrian ground forces fell back further into the city, while holding a flimsy front line against the never-ending swarm of enemies.

“I need a medic here right now!” Chaser yelled at a column of carriages carrying injured soldiers and field doctors.

A couple of ponies got off a cart and rushed to the pegasus captain as he lowered Blink onto his own hooves.

“You can’t take it off,” Blink said as one of the medics tried to un-dress him from his armor. “My side hurts, try to do something about that,” he urged them, holding onto the pain-filled area.

The two medical ponies began casting their diagnosis spells, locating and patching up any injury they could find.

“This might hurt a bit,” one of them said, and Blink heard and felt a loud crack coming from his muzzle. Warm blood immediately began seeping through the helmet, while the initial pain faded away under the effects of the medic’s spell. “Broken nose re-aligned, sir, cast the coagulating spell to halt the bleeding.”

A loud explosion filled the air as a flaming-green comet crashed into a house further up the street. Others soon followed and smashed into the ground or buildings around, raising thick plumes of smoke and sending debris everywhere. Changelings emerged from the craters and broken structures, wasting no time in attacking the dazed ponies or zebras that were unfortunate enough to be near the crash sites.

Chaser drew an arrow, raised his hoof, held the bow steady and fired it at an insect soldier nearby. The changeling died before it hit the ground. The pegasus searched his quiver using a wing tip, only to feel no more than three arrows left. He took one out and slid it along a combat hoofband designed to hold a single arrow for fast firing.

“His body temperature is too high,” one of the medics noticed, running his hoof over his armor. “Is it because of this weird lather?”

His colleague’s focus shifted from the back injuries to the unusually high temperature. His spell swept through every nook and cranny of the otherwise magic proof armor, eventually finding the cause of the heat.

“Sweet Celestia, It’s not from the suit, he’s burning a fever.”

“A fever? From what?”

The medic unicorn looked at his colleague, surprise still plastered on his face. “His entire body under that armor is burned. First and second degree but still . . . sir, how did this happen to-”

“They’ve assembled it directly onto me while it was hot. Princess Luna cast a numbing spell of some kind so I won’t feel it, but it’s fading away. Can you do something about it?” His plea was followed by a couple of long stares from the two medics. The sound of a building crashing nearby filled the street, as the line of defense began pulling back deeper into the city. “Anything!” Blink urged them.

“Casting partial anesthesia on epidermis-”

“Preserve your magic, the spell won’t hold for long and you may paralyze an important muscle,” the other medic said, retrieving a minuscule tube container from his first aid backpack. He popped the cap off, revealing a small needle at the end. The unicorn then struck it into the skin around Blink’s mane that was sticking out of the armor. “That should last a few hours, you’ll start feeling it in a bit.”

“Is he okay? We don’t have a lot of time left,” Chaser yelled at them from above.

“His ribs are still in a bad shape, but the pain will be manageable for the mome-”

“I’m fine!” Blink said, arching his back as he stretched on the ground. Getting up on his hooves, he took a moment to adjust to the strange vision blurs that clouded his eyes for a while. His vision cleared out and sounds became sharper and unblemished as the whole world around him came back into focus.

“What did you give me? Everything is so . . . clear now.”

“Cortisone and morphine,” one of them shouted back as the two medics galloped down the street.

“Morphine? Ohh boy.”

A couple of magic bolts flew over his head, as the battle continued not a rock’s throw away from him. The changeling assault had redoubled as they flooded the streets. Another projectile hit Chaser in the leg, blasting away the armor covering his hind hoof. He immediately landed with a thud and inspected his limb.

“Those bloody insects, almost took off my leg!”

Bright flames engulfed the air above them, and two changeling soldiers that were about to pounce them dropped dead to the ground, their crisp bodies sizzling and popping from the immense heat.

Blink and Chaser’s wide eyes moved from the two carbonized carcasses to the dragon latching onto a building nearby. “Spike, I thought I told you to go find Twilight and the rest and take care of them,” Blink scolded him as he channeled his magic and focused on several fliers above.

Spike took to the skies, and sent a changeling into the windows of a two story house with a powerful swipe of his claws. “And let you have all the fun here? Nice try, dude, but no.” With another swipe, he cut short a gryphon’s attack, severing his wing and letting him continue his now fatal dive.

“Suit yourself, Spike, but at least try to keep up!” Blink shouted through the tumult of the battle as he cast his spell. A barrage of bright blue projectiles flew out from the tip of his horn, tracing arc-like paths as they sought their targets in the sky, felling tens of changelings that were unlucky enough to be hit by them.

Meanwhile, Chaser galloped across a rooftop, making his way towards the front line of their troops. A group of changelings came crashing into the building in front of him, emerging shortly afterwards from the wreckage. Their haunting hisses were shortly followed by pounces, as three of them jumped at the stallion while the rest stood back and fired green magic projectiles at him.

The pegasus propelled himself in the air with a powerful wings beat, avoiding the bolts and drawing his bow mid-air. His hind hooves smashed into the rooftop, sending shingles flying as he landed back. The arrow from his hoofband was now drawn back into the bow, but it didn’t remain there for long as Chaser released it into the first pouncing soldier.

“Don’t you go anywhere, you bloody bastard!” he grunted at the dead changeling as its body slipped down the rooftop. The pegasus rushed towards it, and right when it was about to fall, he managed to snatch the precious arrow from its head in the very last second. Falling off the building, Chaser used his wings to get right back at the other bugs. As soon as he touched the rooftop again, his right wing reached at a satchel below his chest piece, pulling a couple of daggers and hurling them at two changelings that had jumped him. Meanwhile, using his front hooves he drew the bow and launched the blood-stained arrow at another changeling. The projectile pierced the first target in its path, lodged into the leg of another one, then finally imbedded itself between the brick layer of the building’s chimney.

“Two fer’ one, how bout’ that?”

The ground suddenly trembled under every soldier’s hooves. Shingles fell from the broken rooftops onto the death-filled streets below. Stallions in the frontline held their shields closer as they backed away, eyes pinned on the monstrosities ahead: three large changeling soldiers, each the size of a small house approached them with heavy thuds as they stepped onto anything in their path, even their own. They were considerably larger than the tank bugs that smashed through the city’s gates. The outside of their bodies was made of a thick, black carapace, and their massive heads were reinforced as well, with large antlers sticking out from the sides. Their short legs and necks exposed no weak spots, as even their shoulders and sides seemed to be protected by their natural armor.

Spells cast by the unicorn troops behind the main line of defense were all futile. The various-colored bolts of magic bounced off their armor, turning buildings and streets nearby to rubble. Blink came out of a dispersing cloud of blue smoke near Chaser. He looked at the rapidly approaching creatures, trying to think of a way to take them down. Blink then looked back towards the capital’s center and saw the main swarm engaged with the remainder of the pegasus armada, the changeling fliers winning more and more ground as they approached the royal castle.

The breached magic dome surrounding the capital pulsed several times before the entire spell finally broke. In its wake, a rain of colorful sparks gently fell over the besieged capital, giving way to the remaining swarm to freely advance inside.

“Chaser, we have to fall back,” Blink said with a disheartened voice, all of his hopes dwindling much like the falling magic residue around him. “Canterlot has fallen, we need to evacuate the city.”

*** *** ***

A broken pipe shot hot steam inside the basket. A bolt of magic tore through a hatch, hitting the ceiling and starting another fire. A crew stallion fired off a cannon, but the projectile struck a changeling clinging onto the hatch and exploded right outside the zeppelin’s basket, sending hot pieces of metal back inside. The crew member dropped on the floor behind the cannon, blood gushing out of his fresh wounds, his screams drowning the chaos around for just a moment.

The airship’s interior had become a death trap, as hundreds of changelings swarmed Celestia’s Pearl and tore it to pieces. Silver Wisp was lying on the floor near the helm with a gash on his head, while the captain desperately tried to figure out his heading through the swarm in front of him. Another crack tore through the large windshield, as spell after spell hit the reinforced glass, leaving dark spots where they impacted.

“Tiny! Fire another flare! We ain’t getting sound outta this one if they don’t be sending us help soon!”

The large unicorn in the back of the ship got near a hatch and fired several bright red flares from his horn. Sparks flew everywhere, and they couldn’t even know for sure if any of them had made it through the enemies trying to breach the zeppelin.

Several crew members were tending to the wounded as best as they could, in the middle of what was basically a falling metal trap. Bolts of magic penetrated the hull, striking crew members, pipes and command panels. Crew ponies dropped dead or injured among the heavy artillery pieces, the rolling cannonballs hilting in their limp bodies as the ship began leaning towards its starboard. The radio station had a smoking hole in it, and the ship’s commands barely responded under Pearl’s control.

Light flashes of different colors erupted throughout the zeppelin, revealing several armored unicorns. They quickly got their bearings set and rushed to the downed crew members, teleporting out with them.

“Captain Pearl?” one of the unicorns approached the captain, his voice slightly muffled by the full-face helmet he was wearing. “Hold on to me, sir.”

“No, I’m the last! Take him. Now!” He shouted, picking up Silver’s body from the basket’s floor.

Part of the windshield burst from an attack, spitting a column of glass inside the airship’s cabin. The unicorns teleported one by one, taking with them the injured crew members. The soldier in front of him held Silver over his back, his horn charged with magic as he waited for the captain.

“Crank Shot, get out of there. We’re abandonin’ ship!” Pearl dropped to his knees, yelling through the machinegun nest’s hatch. The sound of the weapon however had been absent for a while. “Crank Shot?” the captain asked again, turning the small lever and opening up the access hatch.

Inside the turret, the small unicorn was resting on his back on the gunner seat, a hoof still grasping the trigger. The entire nest was riddled with holes from the changeling attacks; blood poured over the bullet shells gathered underneath the gun, smoke still coming from some of them.

A bolt of magic tore through the windshield, flying above Pearl’s head. It hit a cannon, lighting its fuse and moving the barrel away from the firing opening, towards another cannon nearby.

“Get out!” the captain yelled at the last unicorn that was carrying Silver, before taking cover behind the turret’s hatch in the floor.

The roar of the cannon’s blast resonated throughout the basket, filling it up with flames and sending shrapnel everywhere. The explosion wave broke off the hatch Pearl was hiding behind, sending both into the ship’s helm. Lights went out for the white stallion.

When his senses returned, he opened his eyes to a fire-engulfed ceiling, the heavy hatch resting on his chest, while the helm spun on itself. With a heavy grunt, he pushed off the round metal door off of him. The heat wave from the burning ceiling was getting unbearable, as the fire slowly spread to the entire basket.

Pearl raised his head painfully, his eyes full of wonder at why the ammunition had not exploded yet in all that chaos. Cannonballs and gunpowder charges rolled across the hole-riddled metal floor as the ship leaned dangerously towards the starboard. The captain got up, holding onto the helm for support. There was no one around that was still alive in the zeppelin. He looked outside through the ravaged windshield, and was able to get a glimpse of the city’s wall and the fierce battle taking place in the streets below. The enemy air troops had ceased their assault on the ship, probably right after it had started crashing towards the city.

His eyes quivered, darting from the ground invading forces to the control panel around him. “You bastards. Not taking me down that easily . . .” He grabbed the helm, gently sliding his hooves through the handles. Among the chaos, death and suffering happening all around him, Pearl closed his eyes, sliding into a world of his own. Pipes burst around the basket, and the entire airship screeched from all its joints. The captain however drowned all that noise, and took a moment to enjoy the sensation of the wheel’s wood through his fur, before focusing his eyes on the city’s broken wall in the distance.

He reached for the speed controller and pushed it to the max. Various flashing buttons and dials revealed the dying state of the airship, yet he ignored them all.

“Come on girl, stay with me for one last stretch. We’re going home. Just you and me . . .”

The zeppelin was losing altitude fast, but the engines had ignited again. They managed to spin what was left of the large propellers, while spitting smoke and flames behind them. With a jolt, the airship started accelerating. Pearl turned the helm, finding it difficult to actually divert the ship from its original crash path. The steering was off and not in sync with the engines anymore. At that rate he wouldn’t turn the zeppelin in time.

“Let me help ya out there, girl.” He reached for the speed lever of the left engine, pushing it further down. As more and more fuel pumped into it, the explosions taking place inside the engine got louder and faster. The flames it was spitting also grew, and the pistons began falling out of sync, making the entire ship shake violently.

“Steady there, we’re almost on path.”

The zeppelin eventually turned right a few degrees, at which point the captain set the other engine to maximum speed as well. The ship gained more and more speed. The faster it went, the more it would shake and screech, its engines and propellers falling apart in clouds of thick smoke. The ship’s balloon was engulfed in flames, no longer able to provide any lift at all, sending the zeppelin to its ultimate fate.

Pearl held firmly onto the helm as the airship jolted violently, one of its engines being ripped off by the rooftop of a tall building. The broken walls of the city’s entrance were everything the captain could see through the basket’s smashed windshield. He closed his eyes, knowing the thousands of changelings invaders swarming before him would be no more soon. And then death embraced him.

The zeppelin crashed into the market square at the capital’s entrance, sending a large ball of flame in the air. The loud noise of the metal basket hitting the ground shortly after was followed by a huge explosion that shook the very mountain the city was standing on. Fueled by the caches of ammunition left inside, the blast sent out a powerful wave, collapsing the buildings around and sending all enemies nearby to the ground. Thick clouds of dust rose along the explosion’s mushroom, flooding the streets around the square and dispersing the enemy troops in all directions.

“Quite a sight you made there Pearl.”

The stallion’s ear flicked at the somewhat familiar voice. As he opened his eyes, he saw and felt a black-armored pony letting him go, breathing hard through his full-face helm. Pearl’s eyes widened, as he found himself at the top of a wall a mile away from the main entrance into the city.

“B- Blink? Is that you?”

“Not really,” the dark soldier spoke, still struggling to breathe. He looked down to his chest and noticed a piece of shrapnel imbedded into it, blood already pouring out onto the black armor. “I managed to see your ship in time; something told me I should send a clone to check it out. Glad I did so,” he spoke his last words before his shape dissipated into a blue mist.

*** *** ***

Red Heart pulled a gurney near the makeshift arrival terminal, her entire body and mind exhausted from the recent hours. Several spheres of light exploded on the stage, revealing more and more unicorns with one of two other ponies each at their side.

One of the soldiers turned to the medic mare. “They’re from the last zeppelin, we got five injured, two look critical.”

The white nurse brought the gurney closer so that one of the soldiers could rest an injured pony onto it before being taken off by other assistants and doctors near the stage. Her hooves worked automatically at that point, pulling out and preparing bandages and dressings.

She leaned over one of the stallions that was bleeding from his head and pressed onto the blood gushing wound. The pony’s face was completely covered by his own blood, and Red Heart tried wiped it with her free hoof while checking for other wounds. As she did so, the crew member’s features formed into a very familiar face.

The nurse froze, her heart stopped beating and a heavy lump formed in her throat. She recognized the passed out pony as her coltfriend, and her mind locked up completely.

“Nurse, nurse! Come on, we got to get him into surgery!” a doctor shouted at her, standing on the other side of the injured stallion.

The mare snapped back to reality. “I- yes, yes we need to.” She began preparing a stretcher to put Silver on, then grabbed another dressing to wrap his bleeding wound on the head. Her hooves however were shaking badly and her eyes barely left the stallion’s face.

The doctor nearby noticed all that and her watering eyes. “Hey! Do you know him?” She didn’t seem to acknowledge that question at first. “Nurse! Look at me.” Her eyes faced him, a hoof covering her grimacing mouth, on the edge of breaking into tears.

“Yes. W- We’re together-”

“You’re no use to me, or to him, in that condition. Quick Patch!” the doctor immediately yelled at another medic tending to the injured crew members. “Come here and help me out with this critical, we need to get him into surgery, stat!”

The two immediately began moving Silver Wisp onto the gurney. Quick Patch then used his magic to levitate it out towards the makeshift surgery rooms in the auditorium. “Stay here and take a break. I’ll make sure he’s taken care of,” the doctor said, stopping Nurse Red Heart from following them.

As the two medics left, taking with them her loved one, Red Heart sat on the floor amidst the chaos of a was clinic. Her legs couldn’t hold her up anymore, and she broke into sobs then and there, as lives were lost and saved all around her.

An alicorn closely followed by a unicorn passed by the devastated mare. By then, the sight of emotionally compromised ponies was no longer a rare thing.

“Where are you going?” the unicorn asked as she tried to keep up with the alicorn’s much larger steps.

“I’m going to stop all this suffering and pain from its very source,” Cadence said as she trotted outside of the auditorium building.

“What about Emerald? You can’t just go out-”

“Yes Twilight, I can!” the pink alicorn snapped. She had geared up after several hours of helping out the medics and nurses, and was wearing a royal battle armor that matched her mane and coat.

Her eyes were tearing up as she tried to hold off her emotions. “Somewhere out there,” she said, pointing at the swarm of changelings battling the pegasi formation above the capital’s center, “the same thing that attacked Canterlot at my wedding, that evil parasite that killed my husband is still taking innocent lives-”

“We don’t know if he’s dead!” Twilight yelled at her former foal sitter, now queen of the Crystal Empire. Her tears were falling freely on the ground, eyes red and puffy. “He’s my big brother, and the father of your foal; how can you still not have hope?”

The alicorn stopped for a moment and turned to Twilight. “Emerald is safe. I left him in the care of your parents. They’re all in Cloudsdale, miles away from this place by now. I can’t allow this to happen, Twilight. Too many ponies are dying just to keep a few out of harm’s way. I’ve stopped her once, I’ll do it again.”

With that, Cadence took off, flying straight towards the aerial battle that was steadily shifting towards the royal castle. Twilight didn’t even had the chance to call after her sister-in-law, as a wave of soldiers rushed into the auditorium’s vast courtyard. Thousands of beaten, bruised or injured stallions flooded the area, led by the unicorn General Dark Shine.

Seeing Twilight standing in front of the make-shift field hospital, Dark rushed to her. “Is Celestia still here?” he yelled from afar.

Twilight shook her head, while trying to figure out what the soldiers were all doing out there. “Celestia left . . . a while ago. She’s at the castle by now. Why are you all here? Are the changelings in this neighborhood already?”

“They tore through our defense at the city’s entrance with huge monstrosities from the darkest depths of their hives. Those wretched creatures only seem to want to reach the castle,” he spoke, stopping near Twilight and catching his breath.

“But what about the Princesses?”

“We’ve lost too many,” he answered, looking back at the distant air fight. “The pegasi will soon pull back as well. The city is lost, Twilight Sparkle. Luna’s last orders were for us to evacuate as many as we can. Almost all civilians have left Canterlot through the crystal caves underneath the mountain, this auditorium is the last place we need to empty out.”

“They’re all here then? All the soldiers we have left are with you?” she asked with dismay, a small group of silver-armored zebras passing by them while no more than a few thousand soldiers continued flooding the courtyard.

“Yes, that’s why we can’t fight anymore. Until our reinforcements arrive, we have to evacuate. You might want to know this however: only a few returned to the castle to defend it, and among them was Midnight B-”

A purple flash sent magic sparks flying all about. Some of them hit the archmage’s battle robe, his mouth still hanging open, “-link.”

*** *** ***

A row of elite guards marched in front of the Sun Princess as she made her way through the castle’s hallways, stopping in front of a tall door. Just as each half of the massive entrance was engulfed in two of the unicorns’ auras, the Princess’s yellow one canceled them out.

“My orders are clear,” Celestia spoke while staring at the door, “leave the premises of this castle, and evacuate the city as planned.”

“Princess, we cannot-”

“This is a direct order,” she retorted, looking back at the larger guard in the group.

The heavy doors swung open, and Celestia stepped inside, closing them behind her. The light of the dawning sun filtered through the imposing stained windows of the hall, illuminating the archways and marble floor with the intricate drawings painted onto them. The Princess walked towards the two thrones, her hoofsteps echoing in the almost empty room.

The commotion from the world outside the throne room was muffled and dull. Celestia climbed the short steps and seated herself on her rightful place. “Good evening, sister.” She looked to her side at the pony occupying the second throne.

Luna returned the greeting with a slight nod. “Sister.”

“Has the castle been evacuated?” Celestia asked quietly.

“All staff are long gone by now. Along with them, part of the city used the crystal caverns underneath us, which hath been sealed off. The rest of the population and our injured troops were evacuated through the tunnels near the auditorium’s square.”

And so, a deep silence fell in the throne room, the two sisters simply staring at the large wooden doors at the end of it, waiting patiently.

*** *** ***

Fragments of buildings and walls flew in every direction, as an entire house collapsed in the wake of the magic explosion. A thin strand of smoke rose from Blink’s horn, as he panted hard in a defensive stance. The soldiers around him hid behind their shields, cautiously trying to peer at the damage.

They were only a couple of streets from the castle, where the enemy ground troops reunited with their air forces, clashing down on the last bastion standing between them and the castle.

A powerful earth shake was followed by an avalanche of debris as a large changeling monstrosity smashed its way through the makeshift barrier formed by the collapsed remains of the street house. Green bolts began erupting again through the smoke, as waves of changelings poured alongside the slow moving giant bug.

The equestrian soldiers began falling back again, keeping their shields up to protect them from the barrage of fire. Chaser fired one last arrow before grabbing his sword. He and Blink hid behind a group of soldiers and their shields, while moving back step by step, in order to remain under the little protection their formation offered.

In a fleeting moment, Blink looked on the other side of the street. There, another group of stallions retreated at a slow pace. One of them was falling behind, his back stuck against a flight of stairs. The deadly bolts hit all around him as he stayed crouched, holding his shield up.

A magic burst shot through the soldier’s shield, and his eyes cleared of any fear, dread, and even life. He slumped down against pavement, the smoking helmet rolling onto the debris-littered street. The shield slowly lowered over his body, as other shots continued to hit all around him.

“We’re getting slaughtered out here!” Chaser yelled through the battle’s mayhem.

Several blue shields of magic materialized all around the remaining troops, covering their retreat. “You think I don’t see that?” Blink snapped back at him. “We need to let the castle defenders know about this. Spike! Spikeeee!” Blink yelled at a building behind him. Balls of flames were shooting out from a window at the second floor, but stopped soon enough.

A dragon smashed through the house’s weakest wall, landing several feet away from the soldiers.

“Go to the castle, Spike. Tell them they are too many to handle; they need to evacuate ASAP,” Blink shouted at him right as he landed on the street.

“What about you guys?”

“Go now, god damn it!”

Wasting no more time, Spike darted across the street. He jumped over a fence and into a garden separating the row of houses, taking flight and heading straight towards the royal court.

“Come on, soldiers, pull back! Head towards the castle, we’re leaving the city through the crystal caverns!”

The stallions began galloping down the street, magic shields protecting them from enemy fire. Blink stayed behind them, making sure his protective spells held. The ground continued to tremble under the heavy feet of the gigantic changeling soldier. Chaser engaged with fliers that got too close, delivering deadly blows with his sword as they tried to fly above them.

“Chaser, stop sticking around me! Go already or we’ll never make it!”

“And leave ya here alone? Who’s gonna-”

The house next to them blew up into an avalanche of bricks and rubble, burying the pegasus in an instant. Blink’s eyes widened as he saw his friend eaten by the pulverized building. “CHASER!”

A changeling similar to the giant one behind them tore through the wreckage of the house, its large eyes behind the armored head focused on the standing unicorn. He let out a scream, dust rising around him as his magic surged to even higher levels. A blue aura encased the front part of the house-sized changeling, stopping it in its tracks.

Blink focused all his anger into a spell he hadn’t used since training. The creature let out a shrieking scream, as dust of its own hard carapace began to emanate from its head. In just moments, the dust turned green, as the unicorn’s spell reached the inside of its skull, continuing to pull it apart particle by particle.

The spell dispelled and the stallion fell to his knees, too exhausted to maintain it. The changeling stood on its legs for a few more seconds before collapsing against the neighboring house and rising a thick cloud of dust.

Blink rushed to the remains of the house in front of him, coughing wildly from the dust. “Chaser . . .” He started digging through the rubble, searching for any kind of sign from the buried pegasus.

He found a hoof sticking out of a mountain of remains. “Buddy, I’m here. I’m here,” Blink murmured while clearing out the bricks and beams, revealing his dust-covered friend. His eyelids fluttered open, greeting his eyes to the sight of his unicorn friend.

“You’re okay, thank god. Give me a minute Chase’, I’ll get you out of here.”

The pegasus’ hoof grabbed his own however, holding onto it as tight as he could.

“Too late. You’re . . . you’re not getting this off of me,” Chaser managed in between coughs.

“It’s just a stupid beam, I’ll fucking lift whatever’s left of this damn house if I have to-”

“You’ve barely got . . . any magic. Save it.” A few tears streamed down his dust-covered face, joining the vivid blood seeping through from his mouth. “Tell my sister I’m sorry-”

“No, I’m not doing that Chase’, you tell your own sister that if you want, I’m not leaving you behind. Just the same as you didn’t leave me.” Blink focused on the support beam pinning Chaser into the ruble, but he didn’t have nearly enough energy to even budge it. In the near distance, the sound of approaching enemies got louder and louder.

“Tell Luna . . . I enjoyed every moment spent with her . . . and I’m grateful for the each and . . . every star-filled sky she brought us every night.”

“Shut up, Chaser. You’re bleeding inside, you need to stay quiet until I can get you to a medic . . . somewhere.”

The pegasus simply smiled. His eyes slowly closed, while his grip faded away.

“Chaser . . . come on Chase’ don’t do this to me, don’t you fucking dare die on me like this.” Blink held onto his friend’s forehoof tightly, while he desperately tried to use whatever magic he had left to heal his wounds. The energy couldn’t even form into the healing spell, dissipating as soon as it left his horn.

“Chaser no . . .” he cried, pressing his head against his friend’s. Blink’s eyes were filled to the brim, yet he couldn’t look away. The immaculate red line of blood that poured from the corner of his friend’s mouth, the dust-covered fur coat and mane, and a couple of his feathers sticking out from between the rubble. Yet the smile on his cold lips was content, eyes closed as if he was taking a much-deserved rest after a hard day of training.

“I guess we cared about this one a bit, didn’t we?” a voice came right from behind him.

A hoof touched Blink’s shoulder and the world plunged to darkness. A fraction of a second later, he re-appeared on the rooftop of a building overseeing the castle. Blink turned back, teeth gritted as he recognized the voice before he was teleported away.

“You die. Now!” Blink shouted, jumping at the Nightmare. He smashed into the grinning stallion, locking him into a tight grip around his neck. They struggled for a few hectic seconds before falling off the edge of the building, plunging to their deaths.

“I didn’t even need to do it myself,” the Nightmare said with a laugh as they fell. “Well, I might have inspired that little changeling guy. He just loves to play fetch!”

A hoof collided with his face, and again, and again. Blink’s fury was unmeasurable, and even though he was hurting himself with every punch, he kept striking the dark side of him, relinquishing in the pain he felt.

The Nightmare simply laughed between hits as they fell, the ground fast approaching underneath them. Another dark flash and Blink found himself in the middle of a pony-filled area. Dazed from the hits, Blink turned his head around a couple of times, noticing more than a few soldiers staring back at him. They all seemed to me heading alongside a tall building, which Blink soon recognized as the auditorium.

“Let’s see what our friends here have to say,” the Nightmare started, but was cut off by a loud voice from behind them.

“Midnight Blink! You brought him here? Dark Shine, help me take them out!”

The general of the pegasi herself walked towards Blink’s Nightmare, getting onto her hind legs and triggering her hoof blades. She swung the weapons at the un-armored stallion, while Blink simply sat there watching him evade every hit. Just as the dark stallion flashed out and then back in right next to Spitfire’s side, a powerful burst of light was followed by a shield appearing between him and her.

Dark Shine appeared behind them, ready to fight. “I told you to take care of him! We cannot have him run rampant through our evacuating troops,” the Archmage yelled towards the real Blink.

“You won’t, I’ll make sure of that.” He jumped at his Nightmare again. They rolled over onto the ground, trading punches and hurting each-other as best as they could. Blink was almost out of any magic, and it seemed his Nightmare was also in a similar, albeit much better state.

“So you’re embarrassed to show me to your friends? I seemed to make quite on an impression on the dead ones!”

He blasted Blink off of him with a burst of magic into the chest. After hitting the ground, he got up as fast as he could, determined to not let the Nightmare out of his sight. He darted at him again, every part of his body now screaming in pain from all the injuries. Blink tackled the Nightmare to the ground, before surrounding both of themselves in a magic sphere and disappearing out of there.

The two stallions fell against the hard surface of a street, Blink’s landing somewhat cushioned by his foe’s body. He held onto his neck and smashed him against the ground. A stabbing pain immediately seared through the back of his own head, yet he continued bashing the Nightmare’s head against the cobblestone.

“Stop it, you’re gonna kill us both!” the stallion underneath Blink hissed, holding onto Blink’s hooves, stopping the attack. His devilish grin resurfaced in that moment of pause. “- it’s just that I’ve yet to have a word with our mutual love interest! Do you think she’s still alive? I don’t-”

A hoof smashed into his already battered face, sending fresh droplets of blood flying. “You will never touch her. Do you hear me?” Blink asked, a strand of blood seeping through his black hydra helmet and onto the Nightmare’s face. “You will never touch anyone else, for the rest of your life. I know where to put you,” he continued, horn glowing as he gathered some magic for one last spell.

Teleportation is always less demanding without quantum shielding . . .

The two unicorns disappeared in an explosion of magic, sending sparks flying about on the deserted street. As Blink came through, he felt his hooves were still wrapped around his darker self’s neck.

“Ohhh, this place. I- I feel Death lingering just nearby,” the Nightmare murmured. “Clever move to bring us here, dearest self, clever move.”

Blink however darted his head around, confused by the surroundings. They seemed to have teleported on Struthill, but time seemed to have flashed forward, as the last rays of sun brought color to the star-less sky. A step in the grass nearby startled Blink, and he got up on his hooves. He saw a minotaur warrior walking down the hill towards them, with hundreds more behind him.

“What the hell are you doing here,” he muttered, trying to come up with a way out of that situation. He started gathering his energy, and the entire area around his cutie mark began to burn underneath his armor, despite the fact that he was drugged and not supposed to feel anything.

The closest minotaur kept walking, eventually passing the two unicorns, dragging his two feet across the grassy hill and ignoring the two ponies. On the back of the warrior’s head there was a large gash from where blood has stopped dripping long ago. As soon as he realised what was happening, Blink already spotted a dark silhouette pacing among various pony, griffin, minotaur and zebra soldiers.

“Where are the changelings?” Blink simply asked, Death now a couple of feet away from the two of them.

“Only free-willed creatures truly live . . . and die.”

“So we’re-”

“The same place you were when we first met.”

Thousands upon thousands of soldiers walked down Struthill, their pace slow and their eyes focused in the distance. At the base of the hill, the lost souls faded away one by one, having reached their final destination. Blink pried over the hilltop, but saw no city or settlement standing where the capital should have been. A wave of questions ate away at him, but he chose to postpone them and tend to the more urgent matter.

“I’m sorry I came here again with unwanted guests. But I can’t fight him. I’m losing everything back there: my friends, my home . . . my life.”

“What makes you think that bringing me to the Antechamber will solve your problems?” the Nightmare asked defiantly while getting up from the ground.

“Casting your problems to this place will not bring you peace,” Death said, ignoring the un-armored stallion. “But she’s here to lend you help, and with it you can make sure your darkest of thoughts remain here,” He continued while looking up at the sky, his face hidden by his cloak.

Blink followed His gaze and saw a familiar black bird flying long circles above them, her call echoing in the air. The bird dropped in a dive towards the unicorn.

“Raven? What are you-”

He raised his hooves up just as the bird flew straight at him. The raven passed through him and into his chest, where he felt a deep pang. Raven flew off as she passed through him, taking her place on Death’s staff.

A wave of renewed energy flooded inside of Blink, as his cutie mark continued to sear. The air in his lungs froze, dark whisperings began plaguing his mind, yet his magic refilled. It felt darker, colder but much more powerful than anything he had ever felt.

“There are powers that come with the title of a Deathbearer.”

“So you just gave them to me like that? Just because of what I am?”

“I’ve not given them to you. You’ve called upon them unwillingly. Being here was mere coincidence. A fair warning, young one: the more you make use of those powers, the more you come closer to your inevitable fate.”

“Let me guess, that inevitable fate is you?” Blink asked, looking Death straight in the eyes, his insides churning with magic beyond his understanding.

The dark figure responded with an eerie silence. Blink turned to his Nightmare, who was staring him down with what seemed to be eternal wrath and hatred. By then, black steam was emanating off of Blink’s armor, his eyes leaking darkness.

“It feels like his powers,” he grunted, still getting used to the new sensation.

“They are the powers that fuel your darker part of your soul, but they belong to both of you.”

Blink stared at the pony across the field, while plenty of dead soldiers from all sides of the battle carried on in their last walk. A black chain shot out from the ground, wrapping itself around the Nightmare’s neck. He held onto it with his hooves, struggling to escape. “You think you can hold me?” He spat, his horn emanating a dark wave of magic. The energy started shaping itself into a long tendril that launched towards Blink.

As soon as it was about to wrap around its target, Blink’s horn erupted in a more powerful blue light, keeping the tendril at bay. The blue light ate at it, eventually dissolving the Nightmare’s spell into nothingness.

“You are going to remain here until the day I die, no sooner,” Blink said as more chains came from the ground. They all wrapped around the Nightmare’s hooves and body, pinning him down. The chains tightened all around him, pressing the dark stallion into the ground.

He trashed his head and flailed his body in anger. “I will come back,” came his rage-dripping shout. “You think mere chains will keep me here forever?”

“Mere chains? No, not mere chains.” With another surge of magic, several black horse-shoe metal shapes materialized above the bound Nightmare. One by one, they dropped into the ground, further immobilizing his hooves.

“You cannot defeat your own terror!” came the Nightmare’s last words, right before a long piece of fabric wrapped itself around his muzzle. Another one then covered his eyes, before a final shackle dropped down and immobilized his neck.

Blink fell on his rump, sighing in relief. His head however was still buzzing, and the recent events were burned into the back of his eyes replaying again and again. Raven sat on his shoulder, remaining silent.

“You did it, mate.”

The unicorn raised his head at the familiar voice. His breath caught up as he recognized the smiling stallion wearing a captain’s armor right in front of him. He got up, throwing a hoof over the pegasus’ neck. He tried formulating words, but none came out.

“I’m sorry I had to leave ya, Blink.”

The blue stallion stepped back and looked at his friend, noticing several other soldiers standing behind him. Amongst them, the Earth General was giving him a reassuring look.

“You . . . you died because of me,” Blink managed to say to him, but was cut off by the large earth pony.

“I died to protect Equestria. I see that I have not died in vain, kid.” He smiled, then began walking down the hill, followed by the others that have stopped. They all nodded at Blink, most of them having lost their lives battling side by side with the unicorn.

Eventually, it was only Chaser that remained. He placed his hoof on Blink’s shoulder. “It’s time for you to go back and finish what we started.”

“I can’t . . . I can’t leave you here. Not again. Not like this.”

“There’s nothing you can do about it, mate.”

“I can take you back with me. I have the power,” Blink struggled.

“I know you do, mate; but it wouldn’t last. I feel the calling, Blink, and I need to get there. I’m sorry.” With a sigh, the pegasus patted Blink’s shoulder and got up. “Take care of yourself out there, and make them pay for what they did,” he said, walking away.

Blink remained seated on the ground, watching his friend going down the ghastly Struthill, surrounded by numerous other fallen soldier.

“Save me a seat at your wedding, will ya?” Chaser shouted from the bottom of the hill, waving a hoof. He turned his head back towards the endless stretch of land that lied ahead of him. “Huh, strange.” His form faded away, leaving Blink to stare with empty eyes at the nothingness left behind by the pegasus.

The unicorn got up and walked towards the top of the hill. Raven sat on his shoulder, her claws holding onto his black armor. With his stare still empty and unfocused, the stallion murmured in a hushed voice: “I’m going back.”

Death, who was right by his side, stood patiently as if waiting for him to make a decision. Blink raised a hoof, stopping a fallen minotaur that was walking past him. At the boundary between the afterlife and the real world, a distinct moment of silence hung in the air.

“Such actions would-”

“Shut the fuck up,” Blink cut off Death, his magic erupting around him as he stared at the minotaur.

*** *** ***

Teleporting to the royal court, Twilight rushed through one of the castle’s hallways in search of Blink or her mentor, Celestia. A group of stallions marching towards her stopped in their tracks, eyeing the armored mare.

“Halt, who are you and why are you wearing the Princess’ battle garment?”

“She gave it to me! I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“I know you,” one of the guards recalled. “You’re Celestia’s student. She is with her sister in the throne room.”

The elite guards continued their march, leaving Twilight to stare in their wake. The unicorn began heading towards the main hall hoping Blink would be there with Luna, when a loud hoot caught her attention. A rather familiar bird whizzed past her, flying through a small archway.

“Owlowiscious? What are you doing here? Hey!” Twilight shouted, following the unresponsive bird. The archway lead straight into a balcony, where Twilight froze completely at the sight ahead of her.

The sky was moving with tens of thousands of changelings approaching the castle grounds. Green flashes erupted throughout the cloud of enemies, as bugs crash-landed into the ground below, forming lines of attack.

In front of the castle, all the elite guards lined up in a defense formation, effectively disobeying the Princesses’ orders.

“No . . .”

The owl took flight again, hooting at Twilight as she went back inside the castle. The unicorn followed her pet, calling after her with little success. Owlowiscious kept hooting, beckoning Twilight to follow.

Eventually the mare found herself in the Hall of Heroes, where life-sized statues of Equestria’s greatest heroes and personalities stood. She had visited that hall before the battle had started, and, much like then, she began feeling small and insignificant near the notorious ponies of the past. Her pet owl was resting on the statue of a soldier, furling her wings and calling upon her owner.

“What is it Owlowiscious? Why did you bring me-” Her eyes widened as the realization came upon her. “I’m out of magic, I can’t do anything like that anymore . . .”

The owl’s eyes shined with a bright light for a moment, and then she dived off the statue, right towards Twilight. Before the mare could even react, the owl went through her and her armor, leaving Twilight stunned and slightly light-headed.

Pure, white strands of mist began rising from her already white armor, as a strange magic flew through her core. She immediately recognized it as the untapped powers she had always felt when performing certain advanced spells. It only took the bright unicorn a moment to know what she had to do.

*** *** ***

Silence reigned in Equestria’s throne hall. Eventually, Luna turned to her sister, her face betraying insurmountable sadness and regret.

“I fear I might have not taken the right decision, sister.”

Celestia’s expression remained one of calm as she gazed back at her sibling.

“We lost so many at Struthill, I can’t stop wondering if we could have avoided all those lost lives. Maybe if we simply evacuated sooner-”

“You did well, Luna. The civilians got enough time to leave because of that delay. Our troops also had the chance to fulfill their duties to the best of their abilities. From what Dark Shine told me last I saw him, they have downed almost half of the enemy forces.”

“Yet they’re still at our doorstep. So many ponies have died, Celly . . . for what?”

Celestia got off her throne, and sat down next to Luna’s. “For their families, for their friends, their kingdom . . . for us. Now it’s our time to make sacrifices for them; by staying here, and drawing our enemy to us, instead of our ponies.”

Luna joined her sister on the carpeted floor, leaning her head underneath Celestia’s neck. The white alicorn embraced her, holding her tight.

“The troops from the outer provinces,” she spoke calmly, “they’re not going to be here soon, are they?”

Luna ran her hoof underneath her eyes, wiping away a few lone tears. “I’m afraid not. At least not in the next hours. Are we- are we going to Ascend?” she asked, looking Celestia in the eyes.

A deep, low hum filled the air. The two alicorn sisters perked up, feeling a tremendous amount of magic in the air around them.

“Is that-”

A series of bright columns of light descended through the throne room’s ceiling, some going into the marble floor to the lower levels while others stopped there. More beams of light could be seen and heard outside and throughout the castle. One by one, the same way they started, the columns of light came to an abrupt end.

Celestia took a few steps in front of the two thrones, all her senses on edge. “That’s the same kind of magic I had back in the previous Cycle, when I was a Lifebringer. That means Twilight’s still here-”

A crack was heard coming from the walls, catching the sisters’ attention. They darted their eyes from the windows, walls and statues, until something quite unexpected happened. The two statues portraying royal guards near the thrones twitched. They began moving, looking at each other and then at the two alicorns.

The two guards got off their pedestals, cracking the marble floor as they landed onto it with loud thuds. Holding granite spears in their hooves, they marched out the throne hall, opening the front gates and turning left on the corridor. The two statue soldiers joined a row of other lifeless figures, all on their way towards the castle’s front court.

Princess Celestia rushed outside the throne room in pursuit of the statues, with Luna following her closely.

*** *** ***

Spike ran through the castle’s court gate, carrying a wounded pegasus in his arms. Several rows of soldiers galloped in his wake, all volunteers that stayed to defend the castle. They all fell back behind the thin rows of elite royal guards, catching their breath and preparing for their last stand.

“Thanks, Spike,” the pegasus mare in his arms said as he placed her on the ground.

“It was still stupid of you to be there anyway, Rainbow, especially with that wing like that. What were- what were you even thinking?” He asked, coughing clouds of dark smoke and ash.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m just-” A stronger coughing fit overtook him, and he started spitting more and more smoke through his mouth and nostrils. “My fire . . . I can’t breathe fire anymore, I’m spent.”

“Wrong place to be then, dragon,” one guard said, turning to them. “I suggest you and your friend get out of here, the entrance to the crystal caverns beneath the castle has been sealed.”

“Then why are you still here?” Spike asked, trying to clear his throat.

“We stand by the Princesses. It is our sacred oath.”

“Prepare your ranks!” an officer shouted, standing before them, readying his shield and spear. The rows of stallions behind him lowered their spears as well, forming a long wall of shields in the castle’s court.

A murmur from above got louder and louder, urging the guards to raise their heads towards the sky. Swirls of pure-white energy circled above the entire castle, forming a wide area of light. From that magic-infused cumulus, numerous columns of light shot into the castle building, the air around buzzing with magic.

“What in Celestia’s name?”

The rows of elite guards stared at the skies above, their eyes wide in utter amazement. Spike spotted a familiar figure floating in the air at a balcony facing the outer court, and his jaw dropped, joining Dash’s.

“Is that-”

“Yeah, it’s Twilight alright,” the dragon concluded as he stared at the unicorn above them. Her purple mane and tail waved violently in the swirl of energy circling her, and her body hovered above the balcony’s floor, eyes bleeding a bright light.

“Sir, that statue is moving!” a stallion yelled, backing away from one of the large monuments guarding the castle’s entrance.

“Stand your ground, I think they’re friendly!” the officer ordered, eyes darting from the two large guard sculptures to the enemy troops that had halted their advance for the time being.

The castle’s main doors burst open, and two endless rows of animated statues marched out, spreading themselves in a defensive line in front of the already established rows of elite guards.

“We’re not alone, boys! Prepare yourselves!” the guard commander shouted at his troops, resuming his battle stance. In front of them, the fearsome changeling army started approaching them again, as the light from the spell began to fade away. From the aerial chunk of their armada, a particularly larger-than-average silhouette emerged, hovering in the air near the front lines.

“How much I admire you devotion,” she spoke, her voice instantly recognized by many that had heard it years ago at the Royal Wedding. “This time, however, none will be spared. My swarm shall rule over your northern lands, enslave your precious ponies-”

“Queen Chrysalis!” an unexpected voice echoed through the air saturated with heavy sounds of insect wings and hisses.

A powerful blast of magic hit the changeling Queen, sending her into the ground. As she regained her bearings, an alicorn landed next to her, wearing a battle armor that matched her pink and purple mane.

“How dare you come back here? How dare you harm these ponies again?” Cadence angrily asked the changeling queen, her eyes filled with a fury uncanny for the Princess of Love.

“If it isn’t Princess Cadence. Long time, no see? Your dear husband told me to say hello-”

Another magic blast, much more powerful, sent Chrysalis into one of the castle’s ground floor windows. Cadence looked at the rows of statues and elite guards behind them, and the stallions nodded at her, grinning underneath their helmets.

“Go on, Princess. We can handle her precious swarm!”

With a powerful flap of the wings, Cadence flew into the castle through the broken window. The sounds of magic bolts and explosions resounded shortly from within, with green and pink flashes glowing through the window.

The attack on their queen enraged the changelings, which charged at the rows of statues and ponies. The first wave clashed with the life-infused sculptures and their shields, filling the air with the sound of broken insect bodies and cartilages. The rows of guards behind them picked off the soldiers that managed to sneak through, slaying them with merciless strikes of their long spears. Behind them, a group of unicorn guards combined their powers, as tendrils of various-colored magic swirled near them. A dark cloud formed above the castle, spurred by the unicorns’ spell. Deafening bolts of lightning struck from the summoned cloud, felling hundreds of fliers at a time as the deadly rods jolted from one to another. The two large statues that used to ornate the castle main entrance now wreaked havoc among the groups of enemies, using their gigantic swords to send them flying in heaps of broken bones and cartilage.

“Dash, we need to get to Twilight!” Spike told the pegasus, pointing at a group of gryphons landing onto the higher balconies.

Both friends rushed inside, just in time to avoid a barrage of green bolts coming from the changelings. The attacks chipped and cracked the frontline statues, and the elite guards filled in the voids in the defense. The ground trembled under their hooves. A couple of siege-changelings stomped their massive feet towards the castle, their chitin shells glistering in the dawning sun.

*** *** ***

The alicorn crashed into a large shelf of books, filling the room with torn pages and dust. She quickly recovered, sending several bolts of magic through the dust-filled air.

“You cannot defeat the swarm,” an ominous voice reached Cadence’s ears. “Your precious little crystal kingdom shall be devoured by my hatchlings.”

The alicorn darted her head around, trying to locate the queen in the devastated library wing. An evil laughter echoed around the room, making Cadence shiver in fright as memories of a large, dark crystal cave filled her mind.

“He fought so bravely, so passionately . . .” the voice continued, “and all for naught.”

Tears started falling down Cadence’s face. Her entire resolve snapped, and a bright beam of magic erupted from her horn, tearing through the bookshelves that were still standing.

“Shut up! Just shut up already!” she screamed.

The corner of eye caught a fleeting shadow. It pranced upon her, knocking the alicorn to the ground. Her armor, although battered and damaged from the previous attacks, still protected its wearer from the impact. Chrysalis however managed to pin down Cadence, binding her hooves to the floor with her powerful magic.

“His love for you . . . for your offspring; It’s what made the victory so easy for my swarm back at Tartarus. And that same love you share is what ended you today,” the queen hissed, her forked tongue dancing inches away from Cadence’s face as she spoke.

Cadence’s eyes fell on the changeling’s face, noticing a fresh scar underneath her jaw. She instantly felt the magic residue left in the injury.

“You ran,” the princess spoke, staring Chrysalis in the eyes. The queen’s pupils immediately shrunk, her face turning into an angry frown.

“What did you say?”

“You fell back,” Cadence grunted, struggling from the queen’s grip. “Tartarus didn’t fall into your hooves, that’s why there are no monsters and daemons with your armies. He did that to you.”

“Silence, scum!” she commanded.

The changeling queen’s magic faltered for a moment, the anger brought by the accusations clouding her already dark mind. It was all that Cadence needed.

“My husband is not dead!”

Chrysalis froze and her body tensed up, as the very last breath stuck in her throat. The large, transparent wings on her back twitched a couple of times, as her eyes fell down between her body and Cadence’s.

“And you will never hurt him or me ever again, Chrysalis.”

The green magic holding Cadence’s hooves dissipated away, and the changeling queen fell to the floor near the alicorn. Cadence stared at her, eyes fixed on the small dagger stuck in the insect’s heart. She would have to remind herself to thank Celestia for insisting on her wearing the battle armor and saddlebag.

Outside, the air filled with the cries of thousands of changelings that lost the link with their queen. Their screams brought chills to the very bones of anyone that was still there to hear them. Luckily, the life-infused stone guardians had no such fears.

Each of the two house-sized statues clashed with the enraged siege-bugs, battling for each step forward or backward. Around them, the changeling ground troops swarmed forth, crashing against the last standing guards like violent waves against a rocky coast. The sizeable number of fliers descended from the skies, blanketing entire neighborhoods around the castle.

Overlooking the battlefield from one of the castle’s balcony, Twilight pushed herself and her abilities to the maximum. Around her, the marble floor was eroded in a sphere pattern, as powerful waves of Lifebringer magic swirled around their caster. The shields she was desperately summoning to protect the couple hundred guards were everything that gave them a fighting chance against the tens of thousands of changelings besieging the castle.

“Twilight!” Celestia’s voice came from the balcony’s entrance.

“Sister, no!” Luna shrieked, pulling the white alicorn back just in time.

The tip of Celestia’s ever-floating mane was dissolved by the magic field surging around Twilight, its swirl sucking the very energy from around the caster regardless of the origin.

“It is too dangerous to touch her! She cannot even heed our calls, her focus is too strong.”

The two alicorns couldn’t even hear the pawsteps coming from further down the corridor. “Princess Luna! What an honor to finally meet you. I see your sister has returned from her little self-exile, hasn’t she?”

The leading gryphon general smirked behind his scar-riddled face, several other soldiers standing behind him, weapons pointed at the alicorns.

“I’m afraid this diplomatic meeting of ours will need to be cut short. You see, I have my orders,” he said, unsheathing his sword.

“So we were your goal this entire time?” Luna snarled at the gryphon.

“Well yes,” he admitted with a laugh. “You were the leading figures standing between us and the takeover of the dragon lands. And I’m afraid king Arnost doesn’t like it when someone interferes with his plans.”

“All those deaths, just because of one gryphon’s greed for land?” Luna shouted, taking a step towards them.

“Tis’ war, princess,” the general pouted, mockingly. The gryphon then moved towards the two sisters, his eyes narrowing on them.

Celestia summoned a magical barrier between them with the little power she had left. “Sister, no! We cannot harm them.”

Luna gritted her teeth in frustration, backing away as the gryphons started smashing their weapons against the protection spell.

“What about Twilight?” the younger alicorn asked as they turned onto a corridor, returning into the throne hall.

“They won’t be able to touch her even if they wanted. The magic around her is too dangerous,” Celestia said as she closed the massive doors behind them.

“And what are we to do now? Wait here as they tear down the doors?”

Noises of chaos and fights echoed through the throne hall, the room itself resting in an eerie calm. Celestia looked around, her eyes seeing beyond what there was to be seen.

“The castle’s surrounded and the enemy is already inside. There is nowhere else to go, dearest sister.” The doors shook violently, as a series of bashes put the hard wood to test.

“I can probably cast one shield spell, Celly,” the younger alicorn said, hesitantly. “My magic is as low as yours at this point.”

Splinters flew from the wooden doors. The entrance rattled, blasted by several magic attacks. With one last explosion, the doors scattered in pieces, littering the throne hall.

Luna narrowed her eyes at the figure coming out of the smoke. “You . . . how could you do this to your own ponies.”

“They were never my ponies, Princess,” Trixie said, performing a quick, mocking bow in front of the two alicorns.

She wore a combat armor similar to the ones belonging to the gryphons behind her. They were all embroiled with the royal markings of the Razor Claw clan. “All your subjects ever did was to shun and ridicule me and my performances. Especially your little student, Twilight; she’s currently too busy defending this place to even know we’re here. Rest assured, I will pay her a visit right away.”

“Don’t you dare harm her, Trixie Lulamoon!” Celestia boomed, stepping forward.

“I’m afraid that’s not up to you,” the unicorn said sternly. She then turned around, making her way out the throne hall. “I’ll leave you to it, gentlegriffins. I believe my job here is done.”

Without saying anything else, Trixie disappeared around a castle’s corridor, heading towards the place where the Princesses had last seen Twilight. In the meantime, the group of gryphons grew in size, slowly advancing towards the two alicorns. Celestia and Luna backed away slowly, remaining close to each other. Their steps echoed with fear, even if their eyes seemed to inspire bravery.

“It’s alright Lulu . . . we’ll be Ascended by the time this day ends, and our kingdom shall move on, even without us here,” Celestia spoke calmly as they reached the back of the hall, their exits all covered. In her mind, she already came to terms with the fate that awaited them, knowing very well they will be watching over their ponies from omniscience. That last through gave her a hint of closure.

The tension broke however, as a loud roar erupted from the hall’s entrance. Celestia could only see a large green and purple figure tearing through the gryphon soldiers, and instantly recognized it as Spike.

The dragon grabbed at the nearest attacker, breaking his neck with a swift move. A smaller figure jumped from behind him, screaming as she plunged her hoof blade into another gryphon’s chest, cyan feathers flying about. Before they could even turn around to face the mad dragon and pegasus, bright flashes erupted through the throne room.

Spears plunged into the gryphon warriors, a chaotic fight breaking out. Behind those spears, the battered, wounded but relentless elite royal guards were spurred by the knowledge that their Princesses were still safe and that they have made it in time. Cadence appeared as well amidst the hectic skirmish, helping other by shielding them from any projectiles coming from griffin muskets.

The last Equestrian forces in Canterlot danced a bloody tango in the throne room that evening, and the commotion coming from outside the castle only told them that dance could be their very last.

*** *** ***

The last of the two giant statues collapsed into rubble, its granite sword embedded into a siege changeling. It had taken hundreds of magic bolts from the swarm before finally succumbing. The castle’s entrance was now held by only a handful of cracked statues, as the rest littered the courtyard.

Twilight watched in awe from the balcony as the never-ending waves of changelings continued to besiege the castle. Having finally admitted defeat in front of an insurmountable force, she turned to enter the castle, but was met with a pony she would have never thought to see ever again.

“Trixie.”

“Twilight.”

The two mares stared at each other, and as Twilight was just about to try and convince her to not go through with this, the blue unicorn’s horn lit up.

“Draw!”

Bolts started flying, and the two unicorns engaged into a decisive magic duel. The uncontrolled armies of the Changeling Hives ran rampant just outisde as they exchanged spell after spell.

Twilight raised a thick shield to block a barrage of pink projectiles that each exploded into sparks on contact. “Why did you do this, Trixie? Just because of a failed performance in Ponyville all those years ago?”

“Just a performance? Hah! Neigh, Twilight Sparkle, not just because of a performance. I’ve done it because they were the ones to truly value my talent! The gryphons accepted me, took me among their elite society and appreciated my work!” she said, launching a more powerful blast that shattered Twilight’s shields into pieces.

In turn, she responded by absorbing the entire attack with a magic buffer and returning it back tenfold, sending Trixie flying through a balcony’s glass. As the fight moved inside, the betraying mare made walls’ bricks come off as she sent them one by one flying towards Twilight. She managed to evade or deflect all of them as an energy wave erupted from her horn.

After the purple flash, the entire world turned upside down for the two duelers. Twilight landed safely on the ceiling, while Trixie fell into a messy heap. She quickly scrambled up her hooves, visibly disoriented by the gravity shift spell. Her attacks became weaker and weaker from that point, and she was stepping back on the ceiling’s surface, unable to stop Twilight’s advance.

Just as Trixie caught hold of a chandelier with her magic, another purple flash filled the hallway, reverting the previously cast spell. Both mares landed on their hooves that time with the help of their magic, and the duel carried on.

“Was it all worth it, Trixie? All the lives lost because of your selfishness?” Twilight shouted, her entire magic reserve almost depleted.

“Yes it was! You have absolutely no idea.”

Trixie tugged at the long hallway carpet underneath her opponent’s hooves, and combined with a powerful magic air blast, she sent Twilight flying further down the hallway. The attack was followed by several bolts that erupted into deafening firework explosions, the resulting sparks lighting up everything flammable around them.

Twilight clutched at her hoof. It radiated with agonizing pain, keeping her on the floor. “Trixie, don’t do this,” she pleaded, slowly crawling back as the blue mare approached.

“Too late for that, Twilight Sparkle.”

Her horn glowed, readying another attack. Twilight closed her eyes, wincing in painful regret. An electrifying sound echoed along the hallway, after which a morbid silence settled in swiftly. Twilight stifled a sob as she opened her eyes, her horn smoking from her last spell. In front of her Trixie stood motionless, completely petrified head to hoof. Her defiant grin remained plastered for eternity on her now gray face, and Twilight couldn’t take her eyes off her as a tear fell down her face.

The unicorn simply stood on the floor next to the statue that Trixie had become. Her lone tears fell on the floor. She couldn’t feel any signs of life nearby. Trixie was dead, her body trapped in a stone coffin of itself.

The air around became colder, drowning the flames that started engulfing the castle corridor. Twilight immediately felt something was terribly wrong.

The cries and hisses of the swarm outside were bone-chilling. The last of the animated statues were defeated, and the changelings were flooding the castle’s main gates, a ghostly last order from their queen embedded in their minds.

As the cold wave of air swept the entire area around the castle, the insects paid no attention to it. Dark, whispering smoke trails started rising from the ground, and only then the mindless creatures felt something was not good.

A loud, sharp cry filled the air, as a dark phantom shot out from the center of the castle yard. The mist jutted violently around, eventually rolling up into the shape of a terrifying stallion. He raised his head, eyes filled with nothing but shadow. His entire black armor was bleeding trails of ever darker smoke. Cold air expelled from his nostrils, capturing the water in the air and turning it into ice crystals all around him. The Deathbearer had returned from the Afterlife’s doorstep.

He let out a guttural cry fueled by nothing but blind rage. The changelings nearest to him turned to dust as a wave of magic erupted from the tip of his horn. The rest of the insects didn’t take too kindly of the unexpected guest, charging him from all possible sides.

The air went out and the ground started trembling beneath their hooves.

An axe jutted from the ground somewhere in the court, held tightly in a cold hand. Dirt flew about as a minotaur crawled his way out from the ground. Nearby, a pair of sharp claws grabbed at a changeling’s hoof, pulling it under as the gryphon lifted himself up from the earth beneath. His eyes were empty and the soul was unwilling; but the Deathbearer had his orders.

In the middle of it all, Blink continued to fight the changelings with uncanny strength and power. His horn erupted in waves of energy as he dropped the enemies one by one. No one could even get close to him without losing its soul. More and more living dead raised from the ground to fight under his command. The gryphons and minotaurs did exactly as they were bid, slashing and smashing the changelings with their weapons or bare claws.

Green bolts flew everywhere, most of them striking the dead. All for naught. With their wills bent by the dark powers of the Deathbearer, they stopped at nothing as they tore apart the invaders with ruthless efficiency. It was the only purpose they still had in that world, as they would not know rest otherwise.

A changeling flew straight at Blink, its teeth sinking deep into his neck piece. The thick hydra leather kept him protected, and he levitated the attacker off of him, snapping his fangs off. Holding him in the air, Blink cast his most morbid of spells again. The changeling shrieked with all its might as its body was turned to nothing but mere dust.

Blink calmly gazed upon the castle, while the battle raged on around him. He pointed his hoof at two gryphons nearby, and all three of them disappeared in a heap of smoke.

*** *** ***

Blood stained the throne hall’s floor, its potent and defiling smell filling the nostrils of those that still had a beating heart. Fallen royal guards and gryphons stood testimony to the fearsome clash that eventually came to an unresolved state.

On one side, several gryphons, including their general. On the other, three Princesses surrounded by several heavily armored guards. A dragon laid injured on the floor next to a bleeding pegasus. He had dragged the unconscious mare to the edge of the room, protecting her with his last strength.

“Give it up already. Your brethren lie dead around you, while your immortal leaders scour away behind your shields,” the general addressed the last standing guard. ”Leave this room now, and you will get amnesty . . . at least from my gryphons.”

The guards spoke no words. Their shields stood up and their spears remained lowered at the enemy in front of them. A gryphon rushed into the hall and went straight to the general himself, relaying a message into his ear. “You saw what?! That’s impossible.”

From the shadows of the pillars nearby stepped out two gryphons and a stallion. Spike stared at the shadowy pony, recognizing him instantly. Luna felt the dark magic she too once bared flowing through the stallion’s veins. The one bringing news to the general turned to flee as soon as he saw the three figures. A blue aura surrounded him, then pinned his body against the wall.

The two undead gryphons moved towards their still-living comrades. Before they could react, the cursed souls had slashed the necks of two of them with their sharp claws. “What is the meaning of this?” the general yelled while backing off, the rest of the griffin behind him. “Stand down right this moment!”

The dead ones had no ears for him. When they got closer to the group, a few gryphons stuck their blades and spears into one of them, while another discharged his musket at the second gryphon. Their faces were immediately filled with dread, as the two pale soldiers remained on their paws.

One of them worked his jaw, his pierced beak opening up and spitting the bullet on the floor. The other one wrapped a claw around a spear and broke it off, pulling the end from his shoulder. With the other claw, he held onto the blade stuck in his chest and slowly took it out from his cold corpse.

“You made a big mistake coming here,” Blink spoke as he calmly approached them. Inside however, his rage and thirst for death was hardly contained. Using the storm of dark magic that flowed through him, he lifted all the remaining gryphons near the general in the air.

Their gruesome cries filled the throne room, but lasted only a few moments, as their bodies were swiftly torn apart molecule by molecule. In their wake they left behind only a fine red dust.

“You won’t be so lucky,” he said, grabbing the general in his telekinetic grip.

“You wretched daemon!” the gryphon muttered, struggling against his magic.

Blink’s magic aura enveloped the general for a second, then dissipated completely. The gryphon started shaking violently, and the stallion dropped him on the floor. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as the convulsions continued. His skin darkened and his feathers started falling off, as Blink continued to stare at the agonized gryphon, no trace of mercy on his face.

While the general’s soul continued the gruesome struggle to leave his already dead body, the unicorn turned to the last gryphon in the room, the messenger pinned to the wall by his magic.

“I want king Arnost to know everything that happened here today.”

The soldier’s heart was racing with fear, his eyes darting from the dark-shrouded stallion to his tormented general. Eventually, he shook his head, speaking no other words. The magic grip gave way and he flew out the throne room through one of the broken windows.

“That was that,” Blink muttered, finally letting go of the dark powers that he’d summoned earlier in the Antechamber. With all the Deathbearer magic leaving his body, he fell down against the floor, unable to keep himself up. The two undead gryphons shriveled up, their skin eroding off until there were only bones left. They too eventually turned to dust, their souls now free to resume their last walk.

Blink’s mind was clouded and everything felt fuzzy and painful. He began to feel the burns on his body from the hydra armor, as well as the broken ribs and other injuries. The effects of the drugs he received earlier that day did not survive through the recent surge of magic. He was welcomed back to the crude reality of his mortal shell, but his mind was not ready for it yet.

He slipped away out of consciousness and fell into a deep, troubled dream. Between closing eyelids, he saw a familiar face standing in the throne hall’s entrance, wearing a white armor, her purple mane flowing freely over it.

End of Chapter 28

Author's Note:

The battle is not entirely over yet.

Also, a small spoiler: there are 2 more chapters left in the story. After over 2 years, this monstrosity of a fanfic is almost over!

Comments

[AlexUk]

Many thanks to Cosmic and I brained my damage for their help with this chapter! As mentioned in the footnote, there are 2 chapters left of the story so stay tuned. I know it's been a long journey, mostly filled with waiting as the chapters slowly dribbled, but we're getting there. Also, a reminder that a prize contest is still ongoing (and will end after the last chapter is published). More details here: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/172200/announcing-prize-contest-stairway-to-equestria-update-misc

[The A I]

AWSOME! I realy want to know what happens after he wakes and the battle is won. Will he end up dead or will it end with the marraige?

[Old Diggy]

A changeling flew straight at Blink, its teeth sinking deep into his neck piece. The thick hydra leather kept him protected, and he levitated the attacker off of him, snapping his fangs off. Holding him in the air, Blink cast his most morbid of spells again. The changeling shrieked with all its might as its body was turned to nothing but mere dust, pulled <--- I think you forgot to finish this paragraph

Blink calmly gazed upon the castle, while the battle raged on around him. He pointed his hoof at two gryphons nearby, and all three of them disappeared in a heap of smoke.

This has been a pretty amazing fanfic, I normally lose interest in a fanfic with a Dark Tag(I'm actually surprised there isn't a Dark Tag on here) when they start adding guns, but this story kept me captivated even over the entire time it took for the story to be put up thus far, not sure what it was other than partially because of the whole LifeBringer and DeathBearer shtick(Is that the right way to use that word?) and partially because I've always been fascinated by armies clashing and using ancient statues as warriors.(Probably got that interest in that from Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows). The history of ancient wars always caught my attention. (Probably because fighting up close and personal takes more skill than shooting a gun. No offense to any soldiers, I hunt and have nothing against guns. I just like the time back before gunpowder.) So... yeah, sorry about going off on a tangent

[JBL]

“Such actions would-”

“Shut the fuck up,” Blink cut off Death, his magic erupting around him as he stared at the minotaur.

justlols.com/img/b9be7479-d7fe-40c5-8d20-e05efda285ac.jpg

This chapter was pretty awesome. I want a happy ending dammit!

[Booster Spice]

The only thng saving those Changelings, Griffons and other army swarms from instant mega death, is that the only entities with the power and capability were brought up to be maximally restrained.

Imagine the fun you could have with a heavy trebuchet, a very large barrel of boiling oil, a keg of water, and a flaming arrow. Or a Voodoo, Sympathetic spell.

Or a project Thor, Pluto, Trinity.

Or even a Bolo.

Can I play with MADness.

So, two more chapters? One last Griffon with the poisened knife in the princess back from the shadows?

[Powerdrainer]

quickmeme.com/img/9a/9af65904b77ade8f878cd304529884b8dfcde76d51c5c787c68ac330ac74ff1e.jpg

[Lab]

You spelled "hatches" as "hatchets" a few times, and you once spelled "Pearl" as "Pear."

[AlexUk]

4336365 Apologies for that, fixed!
4333952 Also fixed, thanks for letting me know, guys !

[AlexUk]

4337759 I am genuinely happy that you enjoyed the ending of part II. Among other passages, those at the end of chapter 20 are the ones I'm most proud of, even if people had some problems with how part II ended.

Alas, I hope you enjoy what's to come next (part 3) and please feel free to comment if you like/dislike something else along the way!

[ArcaneVisions]

Good stuff, I'm gonna be surprised if you can finish everything that needs to be done in two chapters. I usually find that stories like this need some slice of life to finish it off.

[Topranger96]

Holy shit. Blink is now officially a badass. Twilight too. Good old Pearl, A captain always goes down with his ship!

[CelestialMoon11]

Twilight and Blink Now the most BADASS PONIES IN EQUESTRIA but poor rainbow But ALEXAROTH Very good job

[Haviocwolf]

Im not sure of this but isn't Trixie's last name Lulamoon and not Lunamoon other than that good story

[Tomi]

Awesome chapter.

“I want king Arnost to know everything that happened here today.”

Just before that you could have had Blink raise the dead in front of the last gryphon solder and tell him "I hope your king is happy now since he will spend the rest of his life running from the death he caused " Or something like that, you could have made that moment so scary for the last solder that Blinks Power story's frighten the enemy's of Equestria for generation to come.

A bit sad to hear that there are only 2 chapters left, as you said this has been updating for 2 years it will be strange to not see it update again.

[Cold Spike]

So, I still love this story and you are describing things I could only dream of doing in my writing... but these last two chapters made this story insanely

DARK

If you know what I'm saying? Hint hint...

[AlexUk]

4480168 It ill be a long read, but I hope you'll enjoy it

[AlexUk]

4480508 There are a lot of "hand" usages throughout the show as well, thought I might let it slip when phrases like "hooffull" sound pretty bad

[PersonalGamer]

pegasus searched his quill using a wing tip

I think that's supposed to be quiver.

[AlexUk]

5181516 Cheers for that, fixed it :)

[DarkStarz]

The scene with the zepplin crashing reminded me of this

[unknowncape7377]

7436229
Change it to embed..

[DerpTape]

“What did you give me? Everything is so . . . clear now.”

“Cortisone and morphine,” one of them shouted back as the two medics galloped down the street.

“Morphine? Ohh boy.”

That takes me back. When I was 11, I broke my femur and was in the hospital just after surgery. I noticed I had an I.V. and asked my folks what was in it, "Saline," they said (it was morphine).
My response? "Why can't we have this at hooooooooooooooooooommmmmme???"

Last time pain Rx worked like they should on me. Take care of your knees and back kids, they never really heal.

[coopda]

A powerful earth shake was followed by an avalanche of debris as a large changeling monstrosity smashed its way through the makeshift barrier formed by the collapsed remains of the street house. Green bolts began erupting again through the smoke, as waves of changelings poured alongside the slow moving giant bug.

Saying earth shake instead of earthquake freaking unlocked memories of watching The Land before Time, the whole series uses that sort of semi crude terminology, like instead of the "Sun" it's the "Bright Circle"

[coopda]

“That was that,” Blink muttered, finally letting go of the dark powers that he’d summoned earlier in the Antechamber. With all the Deathbearer magic leaving his body, he fell down against the floor, unable to keep himself up. The two undead gryphons shriveled up, their skin eroding off until there were only bones left. They too eventually turned to dust, their souls now free to resume their last walk.

"Thou have served me well, your mission is complete. Go now, and claim your eternal rest."