A desperate war, old enemies returning and past mistakes come together to alter Equestria forever.
Equestria is a land of magic and harmony, a peaceful realm ruled by immortal and benevolent monarchs. At what cost is this possible?
Following the discovery of a strange and powerful device, Twilight Sparkle is whisked away to the edges of a land she thought she knew so well. Here, surrounded by ponies whose very existences have been kept secret, she must contend with vicious enemies, hostile allies, and the truth.
"Come along, Spike! I'm sensing more gems over there!"
For Spike, who had been spending all afternoon digging holes and dragging a cartload of gems through the woods, that melodious voice was both a drink of water and a quick break rolled into one. "I'm coming, Rarity!" he answered. He stretched his shoulders, and pulled the cart onward. The clinking of gems bouncing as the wheels rolled over the uneven ground sounded tempting. His mouth watered, but he didn't dare touch a single bauble. Rarity was making a dress for another bigwig pony who wanted to look like dragon bait, and he had the honor of contributing a few hours of mostly unpaid, backbreaking labor towards that goal.
"Right here, Spike," Rarity said, pointing to the clearing before them. "It's a large cluster this time."
"One large cluster of gems coming right up!" Spike replied. He tore through the soft ground with practiced ease. One shallow hole later, a cache of finely cut gems sparkled in the sunlight.
"Excellent!" Rarity said. "This should be more than enough. Thank you again for helping me."
"No problem, Rarity," Spike answered. He beamed as he loaded the gems unto the cart. 'Mostly unpaid' was right. The appreciation of the most beautiful pony in Equestria and a gem from the pile were more than enough payment for all his hard work. "May I add that it is always my pleasure to be able to…Rarity?"
Rarity's horn was glowing, a sign that she had detected another cluster of gems nearby. Instead of running towards her new find, she stood still with a puzzled look on her face. "Rarity, are you alright?" he asked her. When she didn't reply, he reached up and tapped her with a claw. She gasped and looked at him. "What's wrong? Is it another cluster of gems?"
Rarity looked around, dazed. After a moment of silence, she replied. "Yes and…no. I'm sensing something, but…I don't know. I've never picked up anything like this with my magic before. These aren't just some gems." Spike shrugged. "Well, it must be a really special bunch of gems! We should get them. They'd taste real goo-- I mean they might really look good on a dress!"
"You're right," Rarity answered. "This could be the dress to put my star at the center of the fashion world!" She galloped deeper into the woods. "Hurry, Spike, this way!"
"Hey, wait!" Spike called after her. "This cart is heavy, you know!"
They were deep into the woods by the time Spike had caught up with Rarity. She was staring at a small cave entrance by an outcropping of rock. Her horn was still glowing as she looked forlornly at the hole. "Ugh, I hate caves," she said. "And this one looks like a tight fit. I'll be covered in dirt if I crawl through that!"
"Never fear, Spike is here!" he announced. Here was yet another chance for him to show off. The entrance was just the right size for him.
Rarity looked at him with a grateful smile. "Oh, would you, Spike? The gems are just inside that cave. If you could go in and get them, I'd be so grateful!"
Spike hurried inside, lest his swelling ego got him stuck halfway through the opening. Fortunately, the cave was actually much bigger past the entrance. A pile of rocks, likely from a cave-in, had partially covered the entrance. Without them, a pony could easily crawl into this place. The gems should be nearby. They better not be part of another dragon's pile. He wasn't touching another one of those. Ever.
"Spike?" Rarity called. "Are they in there?"
The answer was more and more a no. The cave was nothing more than an empty single chamber big enough to fit maybe four ponies. The uneven stone floor was damp. The only light source in the cave came from the entrance, making it difficult to get a good look at anything.
Spike spotted a single, dimly glowing, turquoise sphere, the size of a large apple lay by one corner. ‘There!’ he thought. From a distance, it looked perfectly smooth and facet-less. He hurried over to get it. That beauty would surely get him a lot of points with Rarity. Maybe even a kiss!
In an instant, he was face-first on the floor. He stood up, rubbed his aching nose, and looked at what had tripped him up. It appeared to be a white piece of wood, maybe some kind of tree root. He took a closer look.
And screamed.
"Spike?" Rarity called. "Are you alright in there?"
Spike edged away from what had tripped him. It wasn't a tree root at all. It was a bone. The foreleg of a pony skeleton splayed across the cave's floor. The bones were clean and dry. They must have been there for ages. The skeleton was still wearing the ragged remains of what clothing it had in life.
What had happened here? Was this a tomb? Spike shook his head. The skeleton didn't look like it was placed neatly here; it looked more like some poor pony crawled into this cave a long time ago, then died.
A chill crawled up Spike's spine. For a moment, he was frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
"Spike?" Rarity called out again.
Spike forced himself to look away from the skeleton. He went over to the gem and grabbed it. At once, he shuddered at the feel of the stone. It was perfectly smooth, as he had expected. Its unusual warmth made his scales tingly. Regardless, he left the cave and presented the gem to Rarity.
"Oh my," Rarity gasped. "That looks absolutely gorgeous! It's going to be the crowning jewel on my masterpiece. Wait, imagine it on a tiara! Or on a scepter!" Upon touching the sphere, however, her excitement changed to puzzled wonder. "It's warm.”
"Weird, huh?" Spike asked.
"Not just warm. It's magical. Can you feel it? It's positively humming! What was in that cave, Spike?"
"Well, there was a skeleton, and--!"
"A skeleton!” Rarity yelped. “Why didn't you tell me? This thing could be cursed!"
"Not with the curses again!" Spike groaned. "I thought you'd like it!"
"And I do," Rarity answered. "But…I know, why don't you have Twilight have examine it first? She might know what it is. If it's safe, you can bring it to me."
"Well, that's true," Spike said. "Twilight would have an idea what this is."
"Spike, I have no idea what this is."
Twilight Sparkle held the sphere up with her telekinesis, staring at it with fascination as it caught the light in her house. The gem was definitely magical. It hummed softly the moment she picked it up with magic. Having it near her made her feel tingly all over, especially around her horn. She set it down on a table before levitating several books from their shelves. "Look up 'Magical Artifacts'," she said. "Maybe we can find a reference."
Spike was already flipping through the pages of the book. He seldom felt enthusiastic about any of Twilight's research, but the sooner he could confirm that the sphere was flashy, but harmless, the sooner he could give it to Rarity. He took note of where the gift wrapping was stored in the house. He was probably going to need some soon. To his disappointment, nothing in the book even remotely resembled the gem. "See anything?" he asked.
"No," Twilight answered. She set down "Arcane Gems" and picked up another book. "What else did you see in that cave?"
"Nothing else. Just the skeleton and that thing."
"No clothes or other items?"
"Just some rags from whatever it was wearing. It looked like it'd been there for a long, long time."
"What did the rags look like?"
"Uh…like rags?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "I mean the color or patterns. Something that might clue us in on who or what that pony was."
"Um…" Spike scratched his head. "I don't remember. Now that you mentioned it, I did leave that cave pretty quickly. I might have missed some stuff."
Twilight tapped her jaw with a hoof for a while before replying. "It's settled then. Tomorrow, we're going to give that cave a thorough search and that poor pony a proper burial."
"I don't know, Twilight. Maybe we should leave it alone. There's something really scary about that place. While I was in there, I felt like…like…"
"Like you shouldn't be there?" Twilight asked.
"No, Like it shouldn't be there, like that pony was some stranger that just decided to wander into our home!"
Twilight's brows furrowed. "That's weird, but also more reason to check it out. If we don't find anything, we should visit the Grand Library in Canterlot. Or we could just ask Princess Celestia about this thing."
"If you say so, Twilight." Spike yawned. "I'm going to bed. Dragging that cart is hard work!"
Twilight patted her assistant on the head. "Good night, Spike." She set another book aside and gave the sphere one last look before heading for bed.
The next day, Spike was wandering the woods once more. He wasn't looking for gems this time, and it wasn't Rarity he was walking with. Both contributed to the lack of spring in his step. He would have gone faster with the cart. He wasn't exactly thrilled to see the skeleton again either.
"Are you sure that it's this way, Spike?" Twilight asked. She walked behind him, carrying a bag with a few reference books.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Spike snapped. It was the third time that Twilight had asked him that question and it had grated on him the first time.
"It's just that we've been walking for a long time now-” Twilight glanced at her surroundings. “-and...I...think we just went in a circle.”
"It's around here somewhere!" Spike said. "I remember going this way! There's that stand of trees, and those bushes, and-!" His eyes narrowed. The landmarks were all there. The cave should be nearby. His eyes finally landed on a particularly rocky spot. "There it is!" he exclaimed.
The two of them hurried to the spot. "I don't see any cave, Spike." Twilight said.
"It should be around here!" Spike said. "A hole doesn't just get up and walk away…here it is! No wonder it was so hard to find, it's gotten smaller!"
"Smaller?" Twilight asked. "How?"
"Looks like some of the rocks fell over and blocked even more of it. It's going to be a tight squeeze, even for me," Spike said.
Twilight raised her snout slightly. "Don't worry about it. You said that the cave is big enough inside, right?"
"Yeah." Spike sized Twilight up. "You should fit in easily."
"Alright. I'll just teleport in while you squeeze through."
Spike gave a thumbs up. "Gotcha."
Twilight's horn glowed as it gathered magical energy. Spike was about to squeeze into the hole, when an unfamiliar buzz made him pause. That wasn't a sound he normally associated with Twilight's teleportations. He looked behind him and saw the crackling aura of blue-white magical energy surrounding her. "Twilight, what are you doing?" he asked in alarm.
"I don't know," Twilight cried out. "I just cast a teleportation spell!"
"The gem!" Spike yelled. "It's the gem! Get rid of it!"
An aura of magic emanated from Twilight's bag. Before she could reach for it, another surge of magical energy exploded. The force hurled Spike against the outcropping of rock, as it enveloped her. There was a loud hum and a flash of light. After that, everything fell silent.
And Twilight Sparkle had disappeared.
"Twilight?" Spike asked as he looked around. He scrambled into the cave, in case she had indeed teleported there. Only the cave's silence greeted him. He climbed up the outcropping to get a better view. He didn't see anypony. "Twilight?" he called out. There was no response from anywhere. "Twilight!" he shouted. Still no response. Alone, he fell on his tail, covered his face, and sobbed.
The moment the flash of light dazzled her vision, Twilight Sparkle found herself falling. It was as if she had been standing on a rug that somepony pulled from beneath her, except she kept on falling instead of hitting the floor. She was in a teleportation spell; a badly-miscast, out-of-control teleportation spell. Her vision was still painfully dazzled when she hit the ground. At least, she hit something. The ground was surprisingly fleshy. It quickly shifted from beneath her as if it were trying to shake her loose.
"Terrato's blood-smeared hooves, get this thing off me!" somepony yelled. The voice sounded like it belonged to a mare. It also sounded like it was coming beneath her. As her vision cleared, she did her best to scramble away. Before she could do so, the thing heaved violently, hurling her to the very hard, very cold ground.
"It's a pony!" somepony else shouted. This one came from above. "Those crazy wolven are chucking ponies around now!"
"The wolven didn't chuck this one anywhere, Scarlet, I saw her materialize above Pyre Valor," a third voice spoke.
Twilight got to her hooves unsteadily. She was flanked by two ponies. To her right was an earth pony; a big, brown stallion with a cropped, corn-yellow mane. He wore some gray-plated barding around his chest, neck, and flanks like the royal guards did. He appraised her coldly with heavy-lidded, light blue eyes.
An angry white unicorn stood to Twilight's left. Her wild, black mess of a mane covered her head and shoulders, spilling across a thickly padded coat that protected most of her neck and torso.
The flapping of wings above meant that there was a pegasus hovering there. Twilight didn't look up, however, the sight of the unicorn was too menacing to ignore. She backed away slightly, unsure of whether to talk or run.
After a moment of silence, the stallion spoke again. "Pyre, look at her flank," he said.
The pegasus laughed. "Well you're quick to look at that direction, Blademane! Didn't take you for a flank-stallion!"
"Quiet!" the unicorn snapped. Her eyebrows furrowed deeper when her brown eyes focused on Twilight's cutie mark. Her nostrils flared when she recognized it. "Chosen!" she snarled. "Blademane!"
"Wait! Wha-!" Twilight cried out. Before she could move, the brown stallion charged and knocked her over. She struck the ground side-first. Before she could recover, he pinned her in place with his heavy, metal-shod front hooves.
"If I see that horn glow, you'll be pulling pieces of it from where the sun doesn't shine, chosen," the stallion said, his baritone voice menacing.
"What is going on?" Twilight groaned weakly. The stallion's weight was slowly crushing her shoulders. "Who are you ponies?"
The unicorn slammed a hoof against Twilight's face. The vision in her left eye went black for a few seconds. Searing pain followed, then a swelling numbness. Tears sprang from her eyes and she tasted something metallic. "You'll speak when spoken to, chosen," the unicorn hissed, "and we'll be the ones to ask the questions!"
"Can I skin her flank before we kill her?" the pegasus asked. "That star symbol thing would look fetching on my barding!"
"Nopony is skinning anypony," said a fourth voice from behind Twilight. "Let her up, Blademane."
The crushing pressure eased. Twilight tried to get up, but only managed to struggle to her knees. Blademane went to stand next to the irate unicorn. She turned her gaze towards the newcomer. Against the unicorn's enraged hostility, the earth pony's cold brutality, and the pegasus's casual threats, the newcomer seemed to offer some refuge.
A pony-shaped mass of black metal walked towards them. Even royal guards were skimpily clothed compared to this pony. Only the eyes, nostrils, and mouth, served as signs that there was something alive under all that metal. A caparison completed the set by hiding his legs. The small, exposed bits of his coat showed that he was a gray earth pony. His tail indicated that he had curly, black hair. He was a little smaller than the brown stallion, but his presence made him tower over all of them.
The unicorn stepped forward, her face a warring mixture of protest and resignation. "Vanguard, she's a chosen! Look at her flank!"
The heavily-armored pony answered in a deep, growling tone. He sounded more like a wolf than a pony. "I can see the big, elaborate star on her flank, vice-captain. The wolven haven't gouged my eyes out."
"The captain's a flank-stallion too!" the pegasus crowed. "Oh, day of revelations!"
The unicorn focused her angry stare above them.
Twilight quivered a little when the black-armored stallion turned his intense stare on her. "You've broken some of Princess Celestia's very important laws to come here, chosen," he said softly. "I hope, for your sake, that you can bear the consequences."
"You've broken some of Princess Celestia's very important laws to come here, chosen."
The black-armored pony's words struck Twilight even harder than the white unicorn's blow. She was Princess Celestia's favored and most trusted protégé. The mere thought of breaking any law, even the smallest one, made her guts twist violently. "But I haven't done anything!" she said. She struggled to her hooves, succeeding after a few shaky tries.
"You've come to this place and you've seen us," the black-armored pony replied. "Your princess has taken great pains to keep either from happening. My squad is not going to kill you, chosen; I can't say if the same will be true for her."
"You're lying," Twilight snapped. "Princess Celestia would never kill anypony. How dare you badmouth her!"
The ground beneath the black-armored pony shook slightly with each step as he walked towards Twilight. As if he wasn't imposing enough, there was something large strapped to his back as well. It looked like a staff tightly wrapped in white cloth. She took a few more steps back as he approached. "If she believed it would protect her realm, do you believe she still wouldn't?" he asked.
"I-I don't understand," Twilight replied. This pony had to be mocking her, but he sounded sincere.
"I don't understand either!" the unicorn behind him snapped. "Why should we bother keeping this chosen alive? I say we use her corpse as wolven-bait!"
"But it's not your say, is it?" The dark-armored pony's patient tone cracked. He glanced back to the rest of the ponies standing behind him. "I ordered you to set up camp, vice-captain. The sun's going down, and I don't see one!" He looked up. "Scarlet, you should be on reconnaissance by now!"
With one last glare at Twilight, the unicorn walked away. The brown stallion was right behind her. The steady flapping of wings also disappeared. With the immediate danger gone, Twilight took in her surroundings.
A rocky plain stretched out as far as the eye could see, with patches of short grass and bushes scattered across it. Obscure mountains lined the horizon. The sky was overcast with gray, shapeless clouds. Though the sun couldn't be seen, the steadily failing light meant that night was approaching. Just how far did that miscast teleportation take her? After that quick look around, she refocused on their leader. "Who are you ponies?" she asked.
"Even out here, it's customary to give your name first before asking for somepony else's," he replied.
"Oh, um…sorry," Twilight said. "Being attacked by strangers in the middle of nowhere made me forget my manners. My name is Twilight Sparkle."
A ghost of a smile creased the stallion's lips. "Captain Vanguard Clash of the Northern Equestrian Legion. The angry unicorn setting up camp is Pyre Valor, the earth pony who stepped on you is Blademane, and the pegasus is Scarlet Rabbit."
"Northern Equestrian Legion?" Twilight asked. "I've never heard of that before."
"Not surprising," Vanguard replied. "You're not supposed to." He gestured for Twilight to follow and walked towards the others. Pyre Valor pointed her glowing horn at a small pile of wood on the ground. A quick flash of magic set it ablaze. Vanguard Clash sat just a few feet away and motioned for Twilight to sit next to him.
With Pyre Valor glaring at her once more, Twilight did as he motioned. "Why shouldn't I know about the Northern Equestrian Legion?" she asked.
Vanguard stared at the fire for a while. Twilight waited patiently. So far, he was her only chance at finding out more on what she had gotten herself into.
"The Legion… does things out here that would only cause disruptions if they became common knowledge," Vanguard finally answered.
"Oh, stop coddling her, Vanguard!" Pyre Valor stomped with a front hoof. She had taken a seat directly across Twilight, the firelight making her scowling visage even more menacing. Just a foot to her right sat Blademane, who was content to quietly watch. "Nopony in the Heartland knows about us because your mighty and wonderful Princess Celestia likes to pretend that her realm of peace and rainbows doesn't need us!"
Twilight stared at Pyre Valor. "What?"
"That's enough, Pyre," Vanguard said sternly.
"She should know," Pyre Valor hissed. "All of the Heartland should know!"
"That's not for us to decide!"
Pyre Valor snapped a twig in two before tossing it to the fire. "If not us, then who?"
"We'll present her to His Highness after the mission."
"She isn't worth a second of our prince's time," Pyre Valor said. "None of them are."
"Prince?" Twilight asked. "His Highness?"
"Our prince," Pyre Valor said. Her angry expression finally gave way to something else, pride. "Prince Terrato: Ruler of the Barrier Lands, Defender of Equestria, and a damn better ruler than your nag of a princess!"
Vanguard glared at Pyre Valor. "He's also a pony who won't appreciate having his eldest sister called a nag."
"Nopony is perfect," Pyre Valor groused. "Not even alicorns."
"Eldest sister?" Twilight asked. "B-but--! Princess Celestia never mentioned she had a brother!"
"You're in luck," Vanguard said. "You're going to meet him as soon as we complete our mission. He'll decide what's to be done with you."
"You're seriously going to bring her along on this mission?" Pyre Valor asked.
"She won't make it to the fort alone," Vanguard replied. "We can't afford to send somepony off to escort her either. Besides, a unicorn with enough magical power to go through Celestia's barrier might be useful."
"Or she could just-!"
"Captaaaaaaaain!"
The distant yell broke through the conversation before Pyre Valor could finish. Scarlet was winging his way towards them. His namesake red coat was a bright spot against the worsening darkness. That view lasted only for an instant, however. Scarlet Rabbit moved from being a distant figure to right in the middle of camp so quickly that Twilight gasped, and backed up. Up close, the shades of red on him showed easily. His mane was a much darker red than his coat, tied off into a long, simple pony tail. Like Blademane, he also wore some barding around his face, chest, and flanks. His barding didn't look metallic, however.
"I found him!" Scarlet Rabbit said. His voice trembled, and he hopped in place. His green eyes, wide in anticipation, gleamed with the firelight. "He's not that far, and he's about to meet with some wolven. A whole pack of them!"
"Wretch," Vanguard growled. "He really has sold us out." The rest of his squad got to their hooves. "Move out! We're intercepting that exchange." He shifted his gaze towards Twilight. "You're coming along." He galloped towards the direction Scarlet Rabbit pointed out while the rest of them followed.
"Wait!" Twilight called out. She jumped to her hooves and followed them. Despite all their armor, they ran swiftly. Scarlet Rabbit had flown off into the distance the moment Vanguard told them to move out. She struggled to keep up as they kept going. She was tired, hungry, and her face was still aching.
Vanguard gestured for his second to take the lead, then slowed his pace to gallop next to Twilight. "Stay close to Pyre Valor," he said. "You'll both be casting spells once a fight breaks out. Follow her lead and you'll be fine."
"But she hates me!" Twilight said between pants.
"True," he replied, "but she hates wolven even more. If you don't get between her and the enemy, you won't end up roasted."
Twilight swallowed and nodded without a word. She had to save her breath for galloping. Her heart was racing, and it wasn't just from exertion. These ponies were heading towards a fight while dragging her along. This didn't seem to be their first one either. If that wasn't troubling enough, her conversation with Captain Vanguard gave her a bunch of questions for a pinch of answers. What were these wolven, and why did they have to be fought? Where was she? What was the Northern Equestrian Legion? Why wouldn't Princess Celestia want her to find out about either?
"Hold!" Vanguard called out after several minutes of hard galloping.
The rest of them stopped quickly, with Scarlet landing next to them. By the time Twilight shoved aside all the things running in her mind, she was about to run right into Pyre Valor. Her hooves skidded against the ground in a desperate attempt to stop, which she managed to do with only a light bump against Pyre's flank. Pyre Valor turned on her so fast that she had to stifle a yelp.
"Vanguard wants you alive to be shown to our prince, chosen," Pyre Valor hissed, "but get in my way, and you'll be discovering all the body parts you can be alive without!"
"Quiet!" Vanguard growled. He hunkered down and signaled them to follow. "I can see their campfire over there. Scarlet, what are we up against?"
Even though Scarlet had hunkered down like the others, his tail twitched in excitement. "Mostly scouts," he replied. "A few skirmishers too."
"What about Cold Hoof?" Pyre Valor asked.
"Oh, he's there," Scarlet Rabbit answered. "He's probably given them his info."
"That settles it then," Vanguard said. "Recover the information first, then deal with Cold Hoof. Clean up the rest once that's accomplished."
Twilight squinted at the distant lights of the wolven's campfires. It was too dark to see what these wolven looked like beyond their silhouettes. The name suggested that they would resemble wolves. Indeed, they were shaped like big dogs, likely the size of a pony. Each one of them had long, wild fur, enormous front paws, and frightening fangs that showed despite the distance. There was something else that Vanguard had mentioned, however...
"Who's Cold Hoof?" Twilight asked. "That's sounds like a pony's name."
"He is a pony," Scarlet Rabbit said. "I shared a couple of rounds with him. Nice pony."
Twilight's eyebrows furrowed. "Are we here to rescue him then?"
"No," Scarlet Rabbit replied cheerily. "He's a traitor who just sold out the layout of our fort. We're here to kill him, and get it back."
"No more talking," Vanguard said. "We're moving in." He pulled out the cloth-wrapped, staff-like object he had been carrying, and undid the string with his teeth. Underneath the cloth was what appeared to be a pair of swords with the ends of their hilts stuck together. He bit into the joined hilts, unsheathed the blades, signaled for his squad to follow, then galloped towards the camp.
"Fighting time!" Scarlet Rabbit cheered. He launched himself into the air, promptly disappearing into the night sky. Twilight galloped next to Pyre Valor, whose horn was already glowing deep orange. Blademane galloped ahead of them, keeping by Vanguard's side.
As they came closer, Twilight finally got a good look at the wolven. She had guessed right: they were enormous, feral wolves with over-sized jaws and front claws. Their eyes glowed bright red in the darkness. They were covered with wiry, grayish-white fur. Enormous spiked collars wrapped around their necks. They were very lean for their size, almost gaunt.
The closest's ears perked at the sound of their hooves. It turned towards their direction, and bared its teeth at the sight of them. With a long howl, it met their charge. The wolven nearby followed suit, infecting the camp with their frenzy. In a second, the entire camp was in an uproar.
Before Vanguard and Blademane could collide with the rush of oncoming wolven, a coruscating ball of white-hot flames flew past them. The spell alighted gently on the snout of the lead wolven…
…and then erupted into a massive sphere of flames that consumed everything several feet around it. The wolven near the blast yelped, and leaped away. Their pelts caught ablaze, forcing them to roll on the ground. The lead wolven and those charging next to it had simply disappeared. The smell of burned flesh and singed fur wafted towards Twilight as she looked at Pyre in horror. Pyre Valor smiled at her hoofwork. Already, her horn was glowing for another spell.
Vanguard galloped into the hole left by the blast. One wolven was still getting up from having put out its burning fur when the left end his two-bladed sword cut through its chest. With a swing of his powerful neck, he dragged his weapon from the dead wolven, and jabbed its other end into a foe to his right. He charged on, plunging deeper into the fight.
Blademane was several feet behind his captain, keeping several of the wolven from surrounding Vanguard. He smashed a hoof into one of them, knocking it down to its side, and reared up. Both of his hooves fell on the wolven's head with a sickening crunch.
"We're not putting a show on for you, chosen, make yourself useful!" Pyre Valor shouted at Twilight. A pair of wolven broke from the fray, and headed for them. Twilight's mind raced through the spells she knew. She needed something to stop a pair of rampaging wolf-like creatures before they knocked her down, and ate her.
"Eeyahooo!"
The shout came from above, followed by a streak of red that landed on one of the charging wolven. Scarlet Rabbit wrapped all four of his legs onto the wolven, then launched himself back up.
There was still one more charging wolven, however. Twilight choked down the panic gurgling in her throat, and concentrated on a spell. Her horn glowed a steady purple light, and the charging wolven soon found its claws no longer touching the ground. A nimbus of purple energy encased it, lifting it high into the air. With one swift motion of her neck, she sent it tumbling across the hard-packed ground for several feet.
"Enjoy the trip!" Scarlet Rabbit shouted. A wolven fell head-first to the ground with a dull crunch, and a loud snap. It didn't move after that. The one that Twilight had thrown to the ground stood up, and shook its head. With a snarl, it made another charge towards her.
"Cute!" Pyre Valor snapped. "Now try something more lethal!" She sent another ball of flames towards a group of wolven.
"Lethal?" Twilight fell back as the wolven came closer. She looked desperately at Pyre Valor, who showed no interest in dealing with her attacker. When the wolven got too close, Twilight held it up again with a telekinetic grip. The wolven snarled and clawed at her viciously, struggling as hard as it could against her magic. Beads of sweat dripped down Twilight's face as she struggled to maintain the spell. The exertion surprised her. She could normally lift much heavier weights than this wolven. Why was she having so much trouble? Did that faulty teleportation spell take that much out of her?
"What are you waiting for?" Pyre Valor asked. "Beat it against the ground until it's dead!"
"But I--!" Twilight hesitated. The savage gleam in the wolven's eyes promised her that it would simply get up and try harder if it survived her next spell. "I've never...I can't--!"
Pyre Valor walked up to Twilight, pressing forward until they were muzzle to muzzle. "You've never killed anything in your life, have you?"
The question jolted Twilight out of her concentration. The wolven dropped to the ground, and leaped, claws and fangs extended.
Only to be incinerated in mid air.
Pyre Valor's horn stayed aglow, the dark red-orange magic casting her face in a lurid light. There was no scowl this time. Twilight could barely recognize the emotion. A moment later, she pinpointed what it was: contempt.
"I am hardly surprised," Pyre Valor said flatly. She turned her back, and walked away, unmindful of another wolven crashing to the ground nearby. Scarlet Rabbit's distant laughter followed the crash.
The battle dwindled quickly under the fierce assault. The still-burning campfire illuminated the grisly scene in an orange glow. Scores of wolven lay across the ground. Most of them had their ribs or the skulls crushed by Blademane's metal-shod hooves. Mixed in with those were wolven killed by falling to their deaths.
Twilight's stomach heaved at the sight. Any trace of hunger from earlier had been completely obliterated. While the sight of the dead wolven made her gag, it was the ones she couldn't see that were the worst. There were scorch marks everywhere, as well as a foul, lingering odor that sent her retching. The others were already walking away.
"Get your guts in control, chosen, let's go!" Pyre Valor called out. Twilight followed silently. She kept her eyes focused directly in front of her, trying to blot out the sight of all the carnage.
They followed a trail of dead wolven slain by enormous slashing wounds across their bodies. Twilight remembered the two-bladed sword that Vanguard carried in his mouth, and his fearless dash into the midst of a pack of snarling, howling wolven. She hadn't seen him after that, and his companions didn't seem concerned about what happened to him.
They caught up with Vanguard soon enough. His two-bladed sword had been plunged into the ground next to him. He was standing over a fallen pony, a dark blue stallion with a long, white braid of a mane who was on his side. The stallion's face was twisted by a mixture of anger, defiance, and fear for his life.
When Vanguard noticed the other ponies behind him, he tossed a bag towards Pyre Valor, who inspected its contents. She paused for a moment, frowned at what she saw, then closed the bag. "It's all here," she said.
"Good," Vanguard said. He looked to the fallen stallion. "You are about to be executed. If you have anything to say, do so now. A reason for this insanity would be appreciated, Cold Hoof."
"Insanity? You're the one who's insane, Vanguard Clash!" Cold Hoof spat. "Mindlessly fighting on against an unending tide of wolven. All for what? A pat on the back from Terrato? The oh-so-sweet knowledge that a land you will never see and will never see you is safe?"
"Is that all?" Vanguard replied. "Goodbye, Cold Hoof." He pulled his weapon from the ground, and readied a killing strike.
"Wait!" Twilight cried out. She ran forward before the other ponies could stop her, and placed herself between Cold Hoof and Vanguard. "He's hurt and beaten, don't kill him!"
Vanguard lowered his weapon, and stared at Twilight. The champron made it impossible to tell what he was feeling.
"Stand aside, chosen,' Pyre Valor snarled. "This is none of your concern!"
"Killing is wrong!" Twilight insisted. "No pony should ever need or want to do it!"
"You filthy, spoiled nag!" Pyre Valor shouted. "Is that the sort of thinking you chosen get when you let others do your killing for you?"
"Pyre!" Vanguard snapped. Cold Hoof's eyes grew wide at the mention of "chosen". Before Twilight or Pyre Valor could say anything else, Vanguard spoke again, turning towards Twilight. "If we bring him back to the fort, he'll be hanged for treason. If we leave him here, he'll starve in a few days, if he doesn't die from exposure, or get eaten by wolven. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, just what do you think we should do then?"
"I…" Twilight swallowed nervously as everypony focused on her.
"Curse you, chosen nag," Cold Hoof suddenly said. "How dare you come here now, and make a show of your high and mighty 'mercy'? I'm not letting you drag me back to your princess so she can watch me get strung up. Wolven gnaw on your bones!" With his forelegs, he pulled out a knife he had hidden beneath him. Before anypony could stop him, he plunged it into his chest.
Twilight scrambled away from the dying pony. Her back legs caught on a loose stone, causing her to land on her tail.
"Well, he had some semblance of honor left," Pyre Valor muttered. "Mission accomplished." She turned away and walked on.
Scarlet Rabbit let out a low whistle while Blademane followed Pyre Valor without a word.
Vanguard walked over to Twilight, and offered her a hoof. She stared at it numbly in response. "By tomorrow, we'll have you meet our prince," he said softly. "He'll send you back to where you belong and away from this place."
Twilight took the hoof, and stood up. She knew that he wasn't sure as to what Prince Terrato would do to her. She also knew that, while she might leave this place, it would probably never leave her. 'Where have I come to?' she asked herself miserably.
The sun slowly rising above the horizon did little to lift Twilight's spirits as she trudged on across the rocky plain behind the others. They had returned to their camp, and slept. At least, she had tried to. She had been exhausted when they came back, but, try as she might, she couldn't fall asleep. The smell of blood and burned flesh lingered in her nostrils. She was sweaty, and covered in soot. The sight of Cold Hoof stabbing himself while looking at her in contempt wouldn't go away. She ended up simply lying on the ground for a few hours.
And a few hours was all she'd been given. The squad was up and moving before dawn. Nopony said a word. Vanguard had ordered Scarlet Rabbit to scout ahead, removing the slightest chance of anypony trying to strike up a conversation. Twilight walked between Pyre Valor, who was behind Vanguard, and Blademane, who brought up the rear. She didn't dare say anything. Pyre Valor still looked ready to pounce on anything she might say. She flinched when somepony nudged her rear.
"Move, chosen," Blademane said. "We should be at the fort by noon unless you delay us."
"I'm sorry," Twilight replied. "But we've been walking for some time, and we didn't even have breakfast." She turned away in embarrassment when her stomach rumbled.
"What's the matter, chosen?" Pyre Valor asked. "Are you scheduled for a cake sampling party by this hour? Do you miss the smell of milk tea in the morning?"
"I don't do those things!" Twilight snapped.
"Pyre, take the lead," Vanguard said before Pyre Valor could reply. With one last backwards glance, she switched places with Vanguard, who slowed his pace to match Twilight's. Despite being completely covered in barding, he didn't even seem to be exerting himself. "Here," he said. He pulled out a small pouch from his harness.
Twilight opened the pouch and found a yellowish, grain-like substance inside. "What's this?" she asked.
"Concentrated feed," Vanguard replied. "You get grouchy when you starve. Next thing I know, you and Pyre Valor will be throwing spells around. That should help."
Twilight poured a small amount into her mouth and started chewing. She grimaced; the feed was coarse and dry. It felt like she was chewing a mouthful of sand. "It tastes like cardboard!" she gagged.
"Kitchen Division's getting better then," Vanguard replied. "It used to taste like burned cardboard."
Twilight forced herself to swallow without any more complaints. She had probably taken Vanguard's only meal. Despite the small amount that she had taken, her belly stopped rumbling. Vanguard's dry humor was also better for her mood than Pyre Valor's scathing remarks.
The fortress they had been talking about stood by the horizon. It was a massive, walled structure atop a steep hill. The sight of a destination, indeed any landmark, in this barren place let her focus on something besides being lost in some strange land.
"So…could you tell me about this "chosen" thing?" she asked Vanguard quietly. She didn't want the others to hear. Pyre had walked far ahead, perhaps just to avoid her. "Maybe I'd be less provoked if I know why she hates me so much."
Vanguard matched her tone. "Not you. I don't think it's hate either. Pyre needs somepony to blame. You're just a convenient target."
"But what do you mean by 'chosen'?" Twilight insisted. "Chosen by who? And why?"
"We call ponies who live within the limits of the Heartland 'chosen'," Vanguard answered. "Princess Celestia chose you. To be exact, she chose your ancestors. They were to be the pony inhabitants of her realm. That symbol on your flank marks you as a chosen."
"My cutie mark? That's not what it means. It symbolizes my special talent, the skill that makes me unique!"
"Really? Then, what is your special skill which makes you so unique, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Well, my special talent is magic," Twilight said. She wanted to add that she was Princess Celestia's protégé, and she also represented the Element of Magic among the Elements of Harmony, but she didn't want to annoy Vanguard with boasting. Besides, all those titles amounted to nothing out here, it seemed.
"So, among millions of ponies, and throughout all the generations for hundreds of years, you can honestly say that you are the only pony ever with the talent for magic?"
"W-well…" Twilight was silent for a while. To say yes was simply too proud to be right.
"Your 'cutie mark' is a symbol of your place," Vanguard said. "It may symbolize where you specialize, but that's so you know where you stand in Princess Celestia's realm. I'm guessing that it makes for good bookkeeping on her part to have all you chosen ponies labeled."
Twilight's nostrils flared. "You're wrong," she retorted. "And that doesn't explain why you hate us!"
"I don't for one thing," Vanguard answered. "Suffice it to say for now that you chosen are a privileged lot, and those privileges that you take as 'normal' do not apply for the ponies that must live out here."
"Why won't you just give me a straight answer?" Twilight asked. "Every time you explain something, you just throw in more questions!"
"It's not my place," Vanguard replied. "Once you meet His Highness, you can throw all your questions at him."
"He's not going to hate me too, is he?" Twilight asked.
"Our prince has no time for sharing in the petty hatreds of his ponies," Vanguard replied. "He'll do what needs to be done, and that's it."
For some time, the only sounds came from their hoofsteps, the bits of loose stones rolling beneath their hooves, and the slight wind whistling through their ears. As they approached the fort, the landscape slowly changed. The plain was grassier, the trees more plentiful.
After what seemed like hours, Vanguard spoke once again. "You fought well last night."
"No, I didn't," Twilight said. "I heard Pyre Valor telling you about it. I was a useless burden. I couldn't lift one of them without tiring myself out."
Vanguard shook his head. "I didn't mean against the wolven. You stood up to four armed ponies. I can respect that."
Twilight’s ears folded. "You would have killed him anyway,” she said softly. “I didn't do anything in the end."
"Whether you succeeded or not isn't what I respect. It's the trying," Vanguard replied. "Don't put yourself down. Pyre said what she said because she expected you to fight as she did. She made an incorrect expectation, and was naturally disappointed."
"I still don't understand why I got tired so quickly," Twilight said. She was glad to move on to something else. "I can lift heavier things without that much effort."
Vanguard mulled it over. "You're out of your element," he said. "You're a chosen, and you've spent your entire life using your magic in Princess Celestia's realm. I'm guessing that your magic is weakened out here."
Before Twilight could reply, Vanguard looked skyward. A distant, flying figure was closing in on them when she looked as well.
Only seconds later, Scarlet Rabbit was hovering in front of Vanguard. "All's clear up ahead, Captain," he said.
"You took your time, Scarlet," Vanguard replied.
"I flew into one of the aerial patrols, so I chatted them up. I just found out something interesting!"
"What is it?"
"The prince is already on his way to the fort! Everypony thinks it's a surprise inspection or something!"
"Well, isn't that an interesting coincidence," Vanguard said. "We find something that needs his attention, he's already there."
"Do you think he knows about me?" Twilight asked.
"Maybe. How important are you in the Heartland? Are you the ruler of some province?"
"W-well…" Twilight hesitated a few seconds more. "I am Princess Celestia's protégé."
Scarlet Rabbit let out a whistle. "Wow," he said. "The princess' most trusted student has betrayed her! What a shocking turn of events!"
"I did no such thing," Twilight snapped. "I would never, ever betray Princess Celestia in any way!" She looked at both Vanguard Clash and Scarlet Rabbit, daring them to say otherwise.
Scarlet merely shrugged. "Well some betraying obviously happened. I mean, you're standing here, right?"
"Regardless, that would explain how his highness knows," Vanguard said. "'Protégé' would be important enough for the princess to search for you. She probably told her brother, and he tracked you down."
Twilight sighed with relief. Princess Celestia was already looking for her. It would only be a matter of time before she was back in Ponyville with her friends. She was especially worried about Spike. He did see her vanish into thin air.
Hours later, Twilight was passing through the enormous gates of the fort. There were three sets of them, each looked as if entire oak trees were felled to make a single beam, each reinforced with metal bands to make them stronger and more imposing. Three tiers of walls encircled the fort, the first one rising well over thirty feet. They were constructed with gray stone and looked as smooth as the surface of an egg. Heavily-barded guards lined each gate. They stood so still that it looked at first that they were metal statues. They presented a sharp contrast to the bustle of activity all around them. Ponies were rushing about the place, some dragging carts behind them, while others carried loads on their backs.
"Welcome to Fangbreaker Fortress," Vanguard said.
Twilight looked around, trying to follow some of the frantic pacing. "Why is everypony in such a hurry? Is this normal?"
Vanguard nodded. "Prince Terrato is arriving on short notice. That might mean a lot of things."
"Like Fenrir showing up for an all-out wolven attack!" Scarlet Rabbit piped in. "Wouldn't that be exciting?"
"Fenrir?" Twilight asked.
Vanguard looked sternly at Scarlet Rabbit before answering. "That's unlikely. This is either an inspection or about you, Twilight Sparkle."
"Who's Fenrir?" Twilight asked again.
"The King of Wolvengard," Vanguard said. "One of Equestria's prime enemies."
"Captain." Pyre Valor approached them as they walked past the third gate. "I'll take the plans and report our success." Vanguard nodded and Pyre Valor went on her way, Blademane wordlessly following her.
"I'm off to get a drink,” Scarlet said. “See you at Storm Brew's later, Captain?"
"Not today, Scarlet," Vanguard replied. "I'm taking Twilight Sparkle to a guest room so she can rest until his highness arrives. Then, I'm off to my quarters." When Scarlet flew off, he turned his attention to Twilight. "Follow me."
Twilight edged a little closer towards Vanguard as they walked through the halls of the fortress. It was nothing like the Royal Palace. Despite the high ceilings, it felt like a tomb. Everything was gray stone and wood. Decorations were scarce, limited to weapons hung on the walls or the flag of Equestria.
The flags themselves were odd. There were the usual figures of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but, rather than form the two halves of a circle, they formed only two-thirds. A third alicorn, a gray one, completed the pattern.
None of the ponies Twilight encountered had any cutie marks. To complete the strangeness, they looked at her cutie mark as if she was the bizarre one. Shuddering, she tapped Vanguard's shoulders with a foreleg to catch his attention.
"What is it?"
"I want to thank you."
"For what?"
"For not agreeing to kill me, for starters. For trying to be helpful, and for trying to cheer me up this morning."
Twilight nearly stumbled into Vanguard when he stopped and turned towards her. She couldn't quite see his eyes under the barding, but she could feel that he was staring at her more intensely than usual. "Do you mean that?" he asked.
"W-Why yes I do," Twilight answered. She steeled herself, matching his gaze with her own. "I mean every word."
Vanguard pulled something out of his harness and offered it to Twilight. "If you're truly grateful, then take this," he said.
It was a silver coin. Embossed on one face was a hoof descending from a cloud. A wolf, a bear, and a snake were crushed beneath it. Even in defeat, the wolf and the snake had bitten the fetlock of the victorious pony. A swipe from the bear had cracked the hoof. On the other side, "Nopony else needs to suffer" was engraved.
Twilight looked back up to Vanguard. "It's beautiful, if a little morbid. What does it mean?"
"It doesn't matter," Vanguard said. "Keep it. Don't show or even mention it to anypony."
He looked so serious that Twilight just nodded. She placed the coin in her bag, between the pages of the book she had brought along.
"Thank you," Vanguard said softly. He opened one of the doors in the hall. Inside was a small room with a single bed, a dresser, a chair, and a desk. "You can stay here and rest up. His highness will summon you once he's ready."
Twilight nodded again before entering. She collapsed on the bed. Her legs ached, and she still had hours to wait before the prince arrived. That reminded her: she was filthy, and she was about to meet a prince. Vanguard had already left, and she didn't risk going out there alone. If even a few ponies in the fort were as willing to kill her as Pyre Valor and Scarlet Rabbit were, going out alone wouldn't be safe. She settled in, cleaned up as best she could with a rag she found in the dresser, and waited for Vanguard to come back.
An hour passed before there was a knock on the door. She opened it, expecting Vanguard, and was mildly disappointed when a pair of guards stood there instead.
"Miss Twilight Sparkle, His Highness, Prince Terrato of Equestria, has requested for your presence," the guard to her left said, his voice muffled and metallic. They walked ahead of her, one at each side. They didn't speak again, leaving only the jingle of metal plates and their heavy hoofsteps to fill the hallway.
The guards brought Twilight to a pair of enormous double doors, each one more than five times her height. The doors opened into a massive chamber, which looked similar to Princess Celestia's throne room, only devoid of any decoration. Guards lined the sides of the room, and a red carpet extended from the doors to the throne. The carpet drew her gaze up to the pony standing atop the stairs.
He was a gray alicorn, much larger than Princess Celestia herself. It wasn't only height that set him apart from her. He was heavily muscled, with powerful wings placed behind his strong neck. His mane was a stream of deep red fire that blazed across the back of his neck. His tail was of a similar color and form. While the princesses wore bejeweled torcs around their necks, he wore a thick chest plate of unadorned, dark gray metal. His neck and legs were similarly covered. He wore no facial covering or any sort of crown.
Twilight knelt on instinct. Any doubt of Prince Terrato being actually related to Princess Celestia was gone.
"I am Terrato, the ruler of this realm you're in, chosen," Terrato said. He looked at her with eyes of a dark, almost black shade of gray, and he spoke with a deep and powerful voice that resounded across the chamber like a distant earthquake. "Tell me your name."
"T-Twilight Sparkle, Your Highness," Twilight replied.
"Something interesting happened to me this morning, T-Twilight Sparkle. Would you care to hear about it?"
Twilight nodded. "As you wish, Your Highness."
Prince Terrato descended the stairs, his features becoming more apparent as he closed the distance between him and Twilight. The tip of his horn appeared to have broken off. When he stretched his wings, a closer look showed that his left wing was a couple of inches shorter than his right. The tip of the wing ended in a rough edge.
"Celestia decided to contact me this morning," Terrato said. "A noteworthy event indeed. My eldest and dearest sister has hardly ever contacted me in the last few centuries. Why, for all her avoidance, I'd say that it's almost as if she doesn't give a crap about this place."
One of the nearby guards stifled a snort. Twilight swallowed a protest and kept on her knees. Prince Terrato didn't sound angry. Indeed, he sounded amused.
"A hysterical little dragon came to her screaming about how somepony called "Twilight Sparkle" disappeared in a flash of magic. Coincidentally, somepony had just broken through her barrier. A bit of logic later, she decided to task me with finding her missing protégé, who had accidentally teleported herself a few thousand miles off target, and ended up in my realm." Terrato stopped in front of Twilight, and gestured for her to rise. "You're fortunate that you happen to be particularly important to Celestia. Otherwise, I would be obligated to execute you, or keep you here forever. Since she insisted, I'm going to send you home."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness," Twilight murmured. Kill her? For just stumbling into this place? All the questions she had been asking silently since she came to this place started rushing back.
"You look like you have a bunch of questions to ask, Twilight Sparkle," Terrato remarked. "Or is that constipation? I haven't interacted with you chosen for a long time. If it's questions, go ahead and ask. Otherwise, the fort's medics might have something for you."
"Your Highness, I would like to know why you must keep this place a secret. Why are there "chosen" ponies who must not know anything about you or what you do?"
Terrato chuckled. "That's quite a thirst for knowledge you've got. No wonder you take to Celestia's teaching with ease!" He was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was level again. "To explain, I'll have to start at the beginning. When the three of us came to rule Equestria, it was in hopes of creating an ideal kingdom of peace and harmony for all ponies. However, we soon realized that such an ideal would remain just that. Equestria is surrounded by other realms: Fenrir's Wolvengard to the north, Arugek's Ursinium to the west, and Sesyth's Ophidus to the south. Each of them wants a piece of our realm, and is more than happy to send armies to invade."
Terrato's voice darkened as he continued.
"When the invasions began, Equestria became an embattled realm. While Celestia and Luna governed, I led the ponies who rose to defend their homes against these invaders. We succeeded in protecting Equestria thanks to everypony's courage. That, and our neighbors were just as happy attacking each other. Time and again, we repulsed waves of invaders. Celestia, however, wasn't happy with mere victory in battle. The presence of war ruined Equestria for her. Fear and hatred of our enemies was understandably commonplace, as was the desire to learn more about fighting and killing. This was not the Equestria she hoped to rule. She brought this up with me and Luna, and we agreed on her plan."
Terrato paced the hall as he talked. It was hard to tell if the memory angered or saddened him, but he looked quite grim as he spoke.
"Celestia took the ponies least influenced by war, and gathered them to the center of Equestria. There, she raised a barrier, separating them from the rest of the world. The vast place enclosed became known as the Heartland. While Luna ruled by her side, Celestia entrusted me with the task of defending the surrounding lands. The Equestrian Legion, led by me, was to keep Wolvengard, Ursinium, and Ophidus from breaking through. I willingly accepted. Here we are now, centuries later, and our duty continues. Do you understand now, Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight's eyebrows furrowed. "Princess Celestia kept all this a secret to keep the influence of war away from the realm she wanted to rule..." She understood. She understood everything, and she shuddered at it all. "I...I can't believe this! All this time we've been living happy and peaceful lives while others did the fighting! And they do so without being recognized!"
"That's the gist of it," Terrato said.
"This…this is wrong!" Twilight shook her head, as if she was trapped in some bad dream she had to shake off. "This can't continue!"
Terrato raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was a reaction I didn't expect. Now, I have a question too: how did you get here?"
Twilight told her story. At the mention of the skeleton and the gem she found, Terrato's eyes narrowed. "Do you still have that gem?" he asked.
"Yes, Your Highness." Twilight pulled out the stone from her bag. She stared hard at the sphere. It's soft turquoise was now dull gray, the warmth within gone.
"Looks like a mana battery," Terrato said. "A big one too. No wonder you botched your teleportation. A unicorn could use something that big to blow up a quarter of this fortress."
"I've never heard of such a thing before," Twilight said.
"It's a tool for war," Prince Terrato said. "Much too dangerous for everyday use. You could have blown yourself up if it wasn't for your high level of magical expertise. I'm going to have to talk to Celestia about this. As for you, it's time to go home."
Twilight fidgeted before asking the next question. "Your Highness, why would you to share all that information with me?"
"Well, you don't look like a blabbermouth." Terrato waved a wing dismissively. "But that's not important. It's fine since you're going to subject yourself to a memory lock spell." Terrato tapped Twilight's head lightly with a hoof. "You won't remember a thing by the time you get back to the Heartland."
Twilight tilted her muzzle to the side. "But...but what was the point of telling me if I'm just going to forget?"
"It feels good to tell a chosen pony my story. Therapeutic, you might say. However, it's either that, I kill you, or you stay here forever. Celestia will not allow any information about the Barrier Lands to leak into her realm. It's only because you're her precious protégé that she's risking this at all."
"Well, what if I--?" Twilight stopped a gasp halfway through.
Terrato leaned forward, eyes stern and curious at once. "What if you?"
She sighed. "Very well, Your Highness."
Smiling, Prince Terrato lowered his head and touched Twilight his horn. The world disappeared with a blinding flash.
Blinking groggily, Twilight found herself sitting in the middle of her living room, surrounded by scattered books and papers.
"T-Twilight?"
That meek, disbelieving voice, stilted by half-sobs, came from one corner of the room. Twilight followed the sound, and found the small huddled figure of a young dragon.
"Twilight! It's really you!" Spike rushed forward, tackling Twilight with a fierce hug. Tears ran down his cheeks as he sobbed. "I was so worried, I thought you were gone for good! I…It's so great to have you back! What happened? Where were you?"
Twilight hugged Spike in return. "I…I don't remember," she said. She remembered casting a spell by a cave and…nothing.
"You've been gone since yesterday noon." Spike wiped away his tears. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened to your eye?"
"I'm not hurt." Twilight put a hoof to her eye. It was swollen and painful, but she was otherwise fine. The stars twinkled outside her window. She had been gone for a day; a day she had no memory of. She took off her bag, and shook out its contents for clues. A few books tumbled out, but it was the metallic ping of something striking the floor, that drew her attention. She picked the object up and inspected it.
With Twilight Sparkle sent safely back to the Heartland, Terrato turned his attention to a fortress of anxious ponies, all waiting for him to issue orders or explain his presence. He knew the worries he stirred up. They feared that he was here because Fenrir was going to lead the next wolven attack. That was untrue. Several centuries had passed since he, Fenrir, Arugek, and Sesyth formed a pact to not involve themselves directly during battles. It was the only thing they've ever agreed on.
The echoes of his last battle here still filled the hallways and rode the winds outside. He had charged into the fray, laughing as he faced Fenrir's gaping maw. They eagerly threw themselves at each other in a frenzy of hooves, horn, fangs, and claws. When the battle rage faded enough to let them gain some awareness of the battle, they were fighting alone.
What a sight that was; a carpet of corpses stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was sickening, an image to last the centuries. Even Fenrir knew that they had gone too far. The pact took place only hours later.
It was that battle unnerved the ponies of Fangbreaker Fortress. Despite the centuries, his presence still meant carnage. "Clear the room," he said. The audience chamber's guards complied. Alone, Terrato concentrated on a spell. An image of his older sister materialized before him. "I've done as you asked, Celestia. I trust that your protégé is now back in her home?"
"She is," Celestia replied. "Thank you for returning her, Terrato."
Nearly a millennium had passed since Terrato had last talked to his sister. Now, he got to speak with her twice in a day. She was still as he remembered her to be: radiantly white, her pastel mane soft and flowing, her chiseled features regal, and her eyes piercing yet calm. Some things had changed, though. There was an air of tension around her. Tension that he recognized with ease after interrogating many law-breakers. There was defensiveness, suspicion, and a slight hint of fear. A lucky swipe from Arugek once managed to tear off a portion of his wing, but seeing these things on his sister's face was a deeper wound.
"You're welcome," Terrato said. "You have an interesting student. She managed to use a pretty big mana battery without blowing herself up."
"She's my protégé," Celestia replied with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Funny things, those mana batteries," Terrato continued. "This whole matter reminds me of an incident around two hundred years ago. A rather high-ranking unicorn in the Legion decided to see what the realm he had been defending looked like. He stole a couple of those mana batteries to sneak past your barrier. After that, he sort of disappeared. You wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?"
Celestia remained perfectly calm when she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about, Terrato, but if that unicorn threatened to bring war to my realm, he brought whatever fate he met upon himself."
Terrato quelled an urge to snort. Ponies he caught lying seldom lived to try again. For Celestia, he could tolerate it. Barely. "That business aside, we didn't really get to chat this morning," he said. "How's our baby sister? I hear she's back from her thousand-year time-out."
"Luna is doing well," Celestia replied. "She's still recovering after all she's been through."
"That's nice." Terrato let himself smile as fonder memories of his younger sister played themselves out. "Perhaps I'll have a little chat with her later."
A disapproving frown creased Celestia's face. "Terrato, she's scared that you'll still want to kill her after all this time."
The pleasant memories faded, replaced by ones involving that day. "Now where did she get that silly idea? Don't tell me you didn't fill in that crater I left from the last time!"
"Terrato." A glare followed the sharp rise in Celestia's tone.
Terrato let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll admit it. I still think I should have just executed her. Better a swift death than a thousand-year shackling to a monster."
The defensiveness in Celestia's tone increased. "She's back and she's fine," she answered. "How can you tell me that I made the wrong decision?"
"Are you sure?" Terrato asked grimly. "Can you honestly tell me that there are no lingering traces of Nightmare Moon?"
"Why must you bring this up, Terrato?" Celestia looked away when she spoke, giving Terrato the answer he suspected.
"Because you're doing it again, Celestia!" Terrato stomped, causing the walls to tremble. "You're hatching another half-baked plan that's going to turn around and bite your rear! You know as well as I do that a memory lock is not perfect. A unicorn as gifted as your student is can break it with enough effort!"
"Twilight Sparkle has no reason to try," Celestia replied. "She would need a trigger. After a few days, she will be glad to dismiss that missing time."
This time, Terrato did snort. "That's a naïve plan."
"Enough!" Celestia's voice cracked. "She is my student and a pony of my realm! I will decide her fate, not you."
Terrato wrinkled his nose. "Is that so? Then, tell me what your decision will be if she does remember. Banishment? Death? Do you think she will submit to another memory lock? If she spreads word before you catch her, how many ponies will pay for that slip?"
"That will never happen," Celestia answered. She looked away, jaws clenched. When she spoke again, she was quieter. "You promised to abide by my decisions, Terrato."
"I promised to defend you," Terrato said, his tone as soft as her's had been. "I have, and I still do."
Celestia didn't answer again. Terrato sighed and dismissed the spell. "See you in a thousand years, dearest sister," he muttered. He made his way to the Fort Commander's office. Recent reports spoke of a large amount of wolven movement. He may as well see to that while he was here.
It wasn't long before Vanguard Clash heard that Twilight Sparkle had been memory locked and sent home. His barding rested on a stand next to his bed, while his weapon hung by a wall. It was going to be some time before he would need them. In his quarters, he had plenty of time to think about what had happened. Part of him was relieved that she had been allowed to go home. Another part questioned why he should even care, the same part that had protested when he gave her his legionnaire emblem.
He had hoped that Princess Celestia valued her precious student enough to want her back. He had also guessed that the only way to accomplish that was to keep Twilight from remembering. He gave her the emblem with the faint hope that it would help her overcome the spell.
It was sheer impulse. Perhaps, even temporary insanity. Only after he left Twilight did he start to question why he would do such a thing. What had he hoped to accomplish by making her remember? He was risking his very life, and he didn't even know why.
Vanguard had never felt the need to be validated like Pyre Valor, and some ponies did. He felt no connection to the Heartland and its ponies, and he didn't care if they knew he existed. The Northern Barrier Land was his home and he would always defend it. Loyalty to his home meant loyalty to its ruler. If Prince Terrato supported Princess Celestia's decision to partition Equestria, then Vanguard did as well. He believed that wholly. Why then did he suddenly want to bring the truth to the Heartland? 'No,' he thought. 'This has nothing to do with the Heartland. I didn't do this for a bunch of ponies that I've never met.'
That train of thought led Vanguard to a conclusion he had suspected but wanted to avoid. It wasn't for ponies he had never met but for a pony that he had met.
"Why won't you give me a straight answer? Every time you explain something, you just throw in more questions!"
To Vanguard's surprise, he had actually felt sheepish. Leading her on then giving almost nothing was wrong. He owed her some answers. Perhaps, it was the way she asked. She was inquisitive, with a sincere desire to learn that shone through, despite being in a strange land and being exposed to a violent encounter. He wanted to reply to that nature, but he also knew that it wasn't his place. Prince Terrato would decide how much she should know. Still, the thought of her returning home with nothing didn't sit well with him. That, he concluded, was what had pushed that emblem from his hoof to hers.
A knock on the door forced Vanguard to put aside his thoughts. "Who is it?" he asked.
"It's Pyre. May I come in?"
Vanguard opened the door and found himself face to face with his vice-captain. She looked away, not quite willing to meet his gaze. "Need something?" he asked.
"I…I wanted to apologize." Pyre Valor spoke quietly, a far cry from the angry tone she used before. "I was acting like a nag during the mission: questioning your orders, letting my temper get the better of me. The chosen had me seeing red. I didn't expect that actually meeting one would rile me up so badly." She exhaled before continuing. "I'm making excuses. No wonder the commander picked you as captain."
"We both know that Dreadstep likely picked between us by flipping a coin," Vanguard said.
"It's clear now that he didn't have to."
Vanguard sighed and put a hoof on Pyre's shoulder. "Apology accepted," he said. "Besides, you more than made up for it during the attack. The entire place stank of roasted wolven once we were through," he said with a grin.
Pyre Valor returned the smile. "So says the pony who cut his way to Cold Hoof before he could find out what the ruckus was about. Nag probably crapped a pile while staring at your blades."
Vanguard nodded and walked over to his bed. "I'm going to catch up on some sleep before our squad gets sent out again," he said. "Need anything else?"
She was silent for a while, but didn't leave. He raised an eyebrow at this.
"Vanguard…do you really think that Cold Hoof was insane?"
"He tried to sell out an entire fortress of his fellow ponies to Wolvengard," Vanguard replied. "I don't care what his reasons were. Anypony who can run off and let hundreds die is mad and has to be put down."
"I see. Enjoy your break, Vanguard."
Pyre Valor left and closed the door. Laying on his back, Vanguard stared at the ceiling. "Catching up on sleep, huh?" he said to himself. Evening was approaching. He wondered if the Heartland experienced night and day at the same time as the Barrier Lands, before shaking his head. 'I'm over thinking things,' he thought. 'That emblem is probably gathering dust at some forgotten corner of her house if she hasn't tossed it into a gutter yet.'
Spike woke to the morning's first rays as usual. He had breakfast to prepare, then bedrooms to tidy up. The tedium of daily chores never did bother him much, but it bothered him even less today. He was only too happy to maintain a house for two occupants once more. 'Gonna have to tidy up the library too,' he thought. 'She was really at it last night.' He decided to delay breakfast and cleaning up Twilight's bedroom and started tidying up the rest of the house instead. Twilight was probably still asleep. Who knew what she went through when she disappeared? Not only that, she started going through her books when the strange coin fell out of her bag. She was still at it when he headed for bed.
Once most of the house was cleaned, Spike headed for the library expecting a gigantic mess.
When he looked downstairs, his jaw dropped.
He was partly right. Books had been strewn everywhere: flung across the floor, stacked in piles on tables, and haphazardly replaced in the shelves. What he didn't expect was Twilight still flipping through pages and tossing books over her shoulder. Several open books floated in front of her, which she scanned swiftly and urgently.
"Twilight!" Spike said. "Don't tell me you've been here all night!"
"Fine, I won't." Twilight closed one book and tossed it aside. Spike looked at the title: 'Arcane Symbols and Associated Meanings'. "Help me go through the rest of these, Spike."
Spike stepped past several scattered books, glancing at their titles as he did so: 'Ancient Equestrian Pictograms', 'Magical Bestiary', 'A Study on Heraldry', 'Giant Ponies: Myth or History?'. "Not until you put those books down and get some sleep," he said. "You look awful!"
"What are you talking about?" Twilight snapped. "It's not that late!"
"You're right. It's not late, it's early. As in early morning!"
Twilight put the book she was reading down. "What?" she asked. "That can't be true."
Spike opened a nearby window, sending sunlight streaming into the room. "Get some sleep, Twilight," he said. "That coin's not going anywhere. What's so important about it?"
Twilight looked at the silver coin and winced. Spike bit his lip. What was that thing? What it did mean? It must be a clue to what happened to her she had disappeared. Whatever it was, it made her uneasy, and incredibly desperate find more about it.
But Twilight's frantic searching had yielded nothing. From the look of the mess she had created, she hadn't found even the smallest reference. Spike looked at the coin. The hoof crushing the creatures beneath it evoked wrath and violence, but he couldn't help but get hints of nobility. It was probably because whoever the hoof belonged to had paid a price for attacking. The wolf, the bear, and the snake, seemed like enemies and their reprisal for being crushed looked painful.
And then there were the engraved words on the back of the coin: 'Nopony else needs to suffer'. What did that mean? He guessed that it was in reference to the hoof.
He couldn't understand why there were no references in the library. Ponyville was a small settlement, but it had an impressive collection of books. Golden Oaks had never failed to identify something important before.
Twilight tried to stifle a yawn and failed. "You're right, Spike," she said. "I'm getting some sleep. Would you tidy things up here?"
Spike was both relieved and horrified by the response. He cringed at the amount of work he was about to do. With a sigh, he started cleaning. He was going to miss taking out Rarity's trash. Ah, the sacrifices he had to make...
Twilight staggered unto bed, staying upright long enough to place the coin on a bedside table. Despite her weariness, she was still thinking about the coin. She'd probably have to go to Canterlot. There had to be something in the Great Library. It was the repository of practically all knowledge in Equestria. She could also ask Princess Celestia.
At that thought, Twilight felt a sharp pain in her head. She winced and brought a hoof up to massage it. It wasn't just pain: the sense of urgency and apprehension she had for answers intensified as well. It had to have been a sign that she was going in the right direction. With a plan in place, she let herself drift off.
For Twilight, going to Canterlot still felt like going home. She had a lot of fond memories of the city: hours upon hours at the Great Library; lessons with Princess Celestia, powdered doughnuts and hot chocolate at Donut Joe's. Those were wonderful days. They also felt like another lifetime, a time when she didn't bother with friends. Her time in Ponyville taught her differently, and she knew that her home would always be the Golden Oaks library in Ponyville.
Today, there was something different about the city. On her back, Spike must be feeling it too. He held on to her neck just a bit too tightly while he scanned their surroundings. Ponies went about their businesses as usual, but there was a strange air about the place. It was in the faces of passing ponies; worry, and fear. There was also a large presence of royal guards out. Normally, most of them would remain at the palace, with a few patrols wandering the streets to maintain order. They were hardly needed. In Equestria, criminals were a rare breed.
Twilight approached one of the guards. "Excuse me, has something happened?" she asked. Spike leaned forward to listen carefully.
The guard bowed slightly before answering. "Oh, Miss Twilight Sparkle! We're on a realm-wide search. Princess Luna has gone missing."
Twilight gasped. "What? When did this happen?"
"Around yesterday evening, as soon as the moon was out," the guard said. "The princess was on a tour of Equestria when her escorts lost sight of her."
Twilight looked towards the Royal Palace. "How is Princess Celestia taking it?"
"Rather badly, it seems. She hasn't left her chambers since it happened. I should be going myself. Ponies might think I'm slacking off. Who knows what it'll do to my paycheck!"
Twilight's eyebrows furrowed as the guard left. After Nightmare Moon's defeat, Princess Luna had toured Equestria often. Had she been kidnapped by grudge-holding ponies? That didn't make much sense. Luna had already been forgiven by Celestia, the pony she had harmed the most with her rebellion. Besides, she was a powerful alicorn who could more than handle an attack by ponies, or anything else for that matter.
"I'm guessing that this isn't a good time to talk to Princess Celestia then," Spike said.
"That's true," Twilight replied. "I hope they find her soon."
"Are we still going to the library?"
She nodded. "It would be a waste to go home without doing anything."
A few minutes later, they entered the Great Library.
"Let's split up," Twilight said. "We'll cover more ground and get more research done that way."
"Okay," Spike grumbled. "I still don't get why that coin matters so much to you though."
"It doesn't matter. Keep it. Don't show or mention it to anyone."
Twilight stopped in her tracks and clutched at her head as she felt a searing pain. 'What is going on?' she thought. 'Why is this coin doing this to me?'
"Twilight?" Spike asked. He put a claw against her foreleg. "Are you alright? Maybe going out wasn't such a good idea."
"I'm fine," Twilight insisted. "We're going to do this, if only so I can stop having these headaches!"
"I hope that you find everything in the fort running to your satisfaction, your highness."
Terrato answered that remark from Fangbreaker's commander with an annoyed grunt. "For the last time, Dreadstep, I'm not here on an inspection. I trust you enough to know you can run this place without anypony looking over your shoulder."
Dreadstep coughed and cleared his throat. "Indeed." He smoothed his mustache as he kept a few steps behind Terrato. "I would still wish that you were pleased by how I run things, your highness, even if that is not why you came here."
"Well, I am," Terrato said. "Things appear to be running quite smoothly. Tell me about the wolven movement these days."
"We are expecting an attack soon," Dreadstep replied grimly. "Our aerial patrols have noticed a great mass of wolven gathering by our borders, including several groups of their berserkers and brachyurii."
"That bad, huh?" Terrato remarked. "I'm sending reinforcements then. We haven't faced Fenrir's elite in a long time. He may have been banking on getting that info on this fort. Triple your security, Dreadstep. I doubt that this Cold Hoof was alone. Fenrir may be a brute, but even he knows better than to just throw his best out there without some sort of advantage. He should know by now that he's not getting his info, but he's still massing his forces."
"Already done, your highness."
"See? Without me directing things," Terrato said with a grin. "Now, about those--"
The grin disappeared. He tilted his head slightly and cocked his ears. Somepony had just passed through Celestia's barrier again.
"Your highness?" Dreadstep asked.
"The air here's getting a little stale for me, Dreadstep," Terrato said. "I think I'll go take a little flight. I may as well get out of your mane."
He cast a quick teleportation spell, reappearing just above the fortress. The presence that broke through the barrier was a familiar one; one that he had not felt in a thousand years. 'Does nopony respect the meaning of the word "barrier" these days?' he thought. He flew to where the presence was.
Far to the south of Fangbreaker Fortress was a small circle of standing stones. They had been erected by ponies as a simple monument to the three alicorns who governed Equestria. It had been abandoned long ago, when the chosen migrated to the Heartland. As Terrato approached, he caught sight of his realm's latest intruder. He had suspected as much.
Standing at the center of the stone circle was a very dark blue alicorn mare, her mane a flowing mass of stars and her flank marked by the night sky. It'd been so long since he'd last seen Luna. Their parting had not been pleasant. When she had been banished, he still tried to remember her as that filly of an alicorn who was always by Celestia's side.
Terrato had envied Luna in a way. She governed alongside their sister while he led the charge. When she entered the room, Celestia would smile and gesture to her side. When he entered the room, Celestia braced for bad news. Luna's duty was to govern the night, but he had always considered her companionship with Celestia to be a far greater duty.
Nightmare Moon's emergence devastated Celestia. Terrato had wanted to destroy her. He was meant to, and he believed it was a better fate than a millennium of imprisonment. Had he succeeded, Celestia wouldn't have had to live with the guilt of knowing that their sister still suffered. Not only that, the blame would have been placed solely on him.
Terrato approached his younger sister slowly. He let the ground rumble slightly with each step as a way to alert her. Sure enough, she caught sight of him, and seemed to hesitate slightly. When he came nearer, she steeled herself, and stood her ground. He had to admit that he was a bit impressed; he dwarfed her in size and she was in his territory, but she made it seem like they were looking each other eye to eye.
"The last time we met, Luna, I'm pretty sure I made a decent effort to stomp you into the bloody dirt," Terrato said casually. "Now, what part of that exercise in family-bonding made you think that it was a good idea to see me by yourself?"
"I missed you too, big brother," Luna replied. "As for how we parted the last time, that's no longer important. I'm here to talk to you about the present."
"Straight to the point," Terrato muttered. "I'll bite. Why have you come here? And why personally? You could have used your magic to contact me."
"Our sister can eavesdrop on any communication spell that goes through her barrier. You know this. I came here to ask you a question without her hearing. When was the last time you visited the Heartland?"
Terrato raised an eyebrow. "That would be last never." He didn't consider the time he was there when Luna was banished. That was no time for sightseeing, and he had left immediately afterwards. "Good times," he added.
"You should have visited it when it was first established at least," Luna said. "Then, you'd understand better what has happened to it now."
"What are you talking about?" Terrato asked.
"I've been traveling around the Heartland and I can tell that a lot has changed," Luna continued. "The dragons have become more violent, as have a lot of other creatures. The griffons are becoming more and more territorial. Everfree's influence is spreading. There are stories of cockatrice and hydra attacks going around. Even among ponies, there's a great deal more strife than before."
Terrato went silent. Celestia's pacifism enchantments on the wilder, more violent inhabitants of the Heartland were weakening. The dragons and griffons had inhabited sections of the Heartland along with the ponies when Celestia decided to raise her barrier. She was loathe to cast them out, so she had agreed to let them stay if they subjected themselves to her enchantments. Had she tried to reinforce them? He dismissed the notion. Making it stronger would break the creatures affected and turn them into perfectly calm, walking statues. And there was the Everfree. That damned primordial forest resisted alicorn magic. It was a patch of untamed wilderness within Celestia's carefully ordered realm. "It figures that the dragons would eventually learn why they have sharp, pointy things at the ends of their tails," he said. "Celestia can manage her realm, Luna. These things are not my concern."
"It's her managing that's making me worry!" Luna insisted. "Big sister won't say it, but I can tell she's considering banishing the creatures that are becoming too unruly for the Heartland. Banishing them here!"
"Good," Terrato said offhandedly. "I could use more legionnaires. A squadron of griffons would be especially nice down south."
"Be serious, big brother! Our sister is slowly losing control of the Heartland! Who is going to be next in line for banishment? Ponies who throw their pies a little too hard?"
"And what do you expect me to do about it, Luna?" Terrato asked harshly. "Go over there, and take her place?"
"Put an end to this division," Luna pleaded. "Come to the Heartland, and show everypony the truth. Big sister won't banish you with so many enemies at our borders."
"That is not my place!" Terrato growled. "Celestia is Equestria and it is my duty to defend her, not to make her decisions for her! And why should I trust you, 'baby sister'?" I can still smell Nightmare Moon on you." He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. "It may have been a thousand years, but there's no forgetting that cheap soy sauce smell."
"If the Heartland turns violent, what do you think this will do to her?" Luna asked. "She needs to let go of this ideal. If she doesn't, its collapse will be too much for her. If you really are Equestria's defender, then this is your duty!"
"I don't need an abomination-infested rebel of a sister to lecture me about duty." Terrato growled. "Go home, Luna. Celestia will know that you came here. I'll tell her that you snuck here to mend things between us and to show me that you're completely free of Nightmare Moon, which I don't think you are. She'll scold you for acting rashly and that's it. Now go. You should be supporting our eldest sister, not plotting behind her back."
"You cannot hide out here forever, big brother," Luna said. Her lips quivered slightly. Terrato had gone too far, and he knew of it only too late. "The changes will force you to act." Her horn flashed a dark blue light. In a blink of an eye, she was gone, on the wings of a powerful teleportation spell.
Terrato looked to the Heartland.
"You are the eldest, and it is your will that must be followed. That's just how things go."
He remembered telling that to Celestia. He was so sure back then, so confident that she would steer them through anything. All he had to do was his duty. She had told him that what she was doing was for the best and he had agreed. It wasn't just him: everypony agreed, even the ones who were to be left in the Barrier Lands. That was the kind of loyalty she inspired, and he admired her for it. He was not going to turn his back on his duty now. He flapped his wings headed for Fangbreaker Fortress. He had an impending attack to deal with.
The wolven-shaped target was a good sixty feet away when Pyre Valor lobbed a fireball at it. The tiny sphere flew unerringly, landed gracefully on where the head should be, and exploded. The blast was controlled, leaving only a small scorch mark on the ground when the flames cleared. She had been practicing her aim all throughout this particularly slow morning. Commander Dreadstep had not sent Third Squad on any mission and the inactivity was making her uneasy. There was a great mass of wolven out there, and she should be burning them by the job lots, not their wooden cut-outs. 'And then what?' she thought to herself. 'I could burn thousands of those misbegotten mongrels and there will be more. There will always be more.'
"Hey, vice-captain!" somepony called out from above.
Pyre Valor looked up. "This better be important, Scarlet," she said.
"It sure is!" Scarlet replied. "You look like you could use a drink. I could use one too, so how about we have a few over at Storm Brew's?"
"Have you been drinking all this time?" Pyre asked.
"Most of it," Scarlet replied with a grin. "It's not as fun if I'm the only one doing it. Blademane won't even say anything to me, and I think the Captain's still trying to recruit that chosen from yesterday!"
"Trying to do what?" Pyre asked incredulously. "What makes you think he's trying to recruit that chosen?"
Scarlet shrugged. "Well, I saw him hand her a legionnaire emblem. I chased after him after he had said that he was going to escort her to a guest room. I was going to ask him if he'd let me have a couple of drinks on his tab since he wasn't using it."
"Focus, Scarlet!" Pyre snapped. "Are you certain that he gave her a legionnaire emblem?"
"Of course I'm sure! I'm really good at spotting things! You're not going to argue with him about that, are you? I mean, that chosen isn't really such a spoiled, filthy nag like you said. I smelled her! She smells like she takes a bath everyday!"
Pyre Valor didn't even hear the rest of what Scarlet had to say. She walked off, leaving the perplexed pegasus to hover there by himself. The implications of what Vanguard had done were all coming to her now. He had taken a great risk all for the sake of bringing the truth to the Heartland. If he was ever discovered, he would be hanging by the fort's courtyard as an example.
It wasn't just the consequences that were shocking. She had known Vanguard before they were even recruits, whacking at straw-stuffed wolven dummies and galloping laps around the fort. She never expected this from him. Vanguard would often dismiss his promotion to captain as a fluke on a coin toss, but she knew the truth of the matter. They were both good at what they did, but Vanguard was chosen for a trait she didn't and vowed never to have. He was Prince Terrato's ideal soldier: a loyal, unflinching pony who defended the Barrier Lands without question. It was as if the Heartland and the injustice that its existence represented didn't exist for him. As far as Vanguard was concerned, the Barrier Lands were all of Equestria.
Pyre Valor couldn't see it that way. The truth was too important to ignore. In everything that she did, it remained at her periphery. She was doing all of these things so the chosen could live in their idyllic kingdom. The truth would have to be shown to the Heartland, no matter what the cost. There were nights when the outrage kept her awake. Once, she considered it a flaw on her part. It was why she apologized to Vanguard the other day.
Now, things were different. Vanguard felt the same way. He was just far better at hiding it than she was. He was naïve though. He put his faith in a worthless nag of a chosen. His emblem was as good as wasted. Worse, if the chosen did remember, she would run to Princess Celestia and inform her of what Vanguard had tried to do. He'd be a dead criminal in a matter of hours. Pyre wasn't going to allow that. He might be an idiot, but he knew what had to be done in the end. If she could force all of the Heartland to see the truth, he may be saved.
"Vice-captain!" Blademane called out. He was approaching her from the front. He saluted before speaking, his voice monotonous as always. "Commander Dreadstep wants to see our squad, vice-captain. May I ask if you know where the others are?"
Pyre gestured behind her shoulder. "You'll find Scarlet back at the training grounds, if he hasn't gone back to Storm Brew's. I'll fetch Vanguard. Thank you, Blademane."
Blademane merely saluted again and walked on. Pyre Valor's eyes narrowed. The timing was perfect. During this mission, she had to confront Vanguard about this.
Fangbreaker Fortress had always been a renowned place throughout the Barrier Lands. Standing proudly on a lone hill far to the north of the Heartland, it was the Northern Equestrian Legion's primary bastion against the armies of Wolvengard. Its walls had witnessed countless waves of vicious wolven soldiers try and fail to take over the Barrier Lands, grand showdowns between King Fenrir and Prince Terrato, and the rise and fall of many pony heroes. To be stationed at Fangbreaker was an honor for any legionnaire. It was to stand at Equestria's northern tip, to stare down the wolven king's gaping maw, and to fight side-by-side with the most stalwart of ponies. There were stories of high-ranking officers willing to be demoted if a low-ranking position within the fortress opened.
The fortress had an austere design, the hallmark of Prince Terrato's aesthetics. Regardless, its defenders looked upon it with a reverent sense of awe. Everything about it was proud and defiant against the forces that continually assaulted it: from its compound walls to its multiple barracks, to the courtyards capable of holding a large army.
Not every area in Fangbreaker Fortress was glorious and awe-inspiring, however. Within the fort's inner courtyards was a row of buildings marked by their multiple, perpetually smoking chimneys. They were the fort's great kitchens, the destination of huge quantities of supplies from the fertile south.
Most of the garrison often avoided the kitchens. It was sweltering inside, the cooks were violently short-tempered, and being splashed by boiling water or oil was an ever-present danger. Culinary experiments also occurred there on a regular basis. The fort's cooks were constantly trying to create the perfect rations for long-range patrols. Long excursions to the far north required food that was easily portable, long-lasting, filling, and nutritious. The smells from the many failed results sometimes knocked unsuspecting passers-by unconscious.
Despite the risks, Vanguard Clash made sure to visit the kitchens at least once a week. This morning, it was time for another. He had arrived while everypony had just cleared up breakfast preparations. After a quick look at him, one of the cooks called out, "Sharpfangs! Your son's here to see you!"
Vanguard's father looked up. Though surrounded by so much bustling activity, Sharpfangs stood out. His name alone puzzled anypony who had never encountered him before. His appearance, however, often left ponies staring in bewilderment. He had the same gray coat as Vanguard, but with noticeably longer hairs which feathered by his hooves. His mane was a wild, feral mess of wiry, black hair, and his eyes were bright red and slit. The most peculiar thing about him was his namesake, a pair of fangs protruding slightly past his upper lip.
"Vanguard!" Sharpfangs exclaimed. "About time you showed up! How did the new concentrate work for you?"
"It tastes like cardboard!"
Vanguard smiled. "A major improvement."
"Excellent," Sharpfangs said. "Looks like commissary managed to get better supplies this month. Are you here for more? Don't tell me the concentrate's so good that you've been snacking on it!"
"Just seeing how you are," Vanguard replied. "I just heard that Flight Dreadwing has flown back in. Have you seen mother yet?"
Sharpfangs snorted and wiped his hooves on his apron. "The big-shot flight captain has too many things to do to be bothered by an old dog."
"So you haven't seen her." Vanguard sighed. "This constant self-deprecation isn't going to help either of you, father."
"Your mother and I will do just fine, colt," Sharpfangs said with a wry smile. "We're not going to fall apart over an argument, no matter how much equipment ends up broken afterwards." He looked past Vanguard. "Besides, you have your own relationships to deal with."
Vanguard followed his father's gaze and saw Pyre Valor from a distance. She was walking towards him, her customary frown already in place. Their squad must be up for another mission. "I'm doing fine with my relationships," he answered.
"Which means you haven't proposed to her, right?" Sharpfangs's smile split into a toothy grin. "Move quickly, colt. You may not have noticed, but neither of us are studs. If you pass up a mare like that, you may as well cut them off and use them for wolven bait!"
"I think I'll keep them awhile longer, father." Vanguard replied. "It looks like I'm needed. I'll see you soon."
Vanguard went over to meet up with Pyre Valor. She saluted as he approached, a sure sign that they had work ahead of them. "Captain, Commander Dreadstep has sent for our squad," she said. "Blademane should be on his way with Scarlet Rabbit as we speak."
"Understood," Vanguard replied. "Let's go then."
A few minutes later, Third Squad stood inside Dreadstep's office. As one, they saluted their commander. Dreadstep had been in charge of Fangbreaker since before they were foals, and he had never led the defense wrong. He weathered his age well. Despite the lines around his face and his salt-and-pepper mustache, he moved with ease, his eyes still bright with vigor.
"Good that you've arrived, Captain Vanguard Clash," Dreadstep said. "Yesterday was a hectic time, what with our prince's sudden arrival and the matter with the chosen. You've yet to be properly congratulated for successfully slaying Cold Hoof and bringing back the information he stole."
"Thank you, Commander," Vanguard replied. "All in service to the Legion."
"Good," Dreadstep said. "I have a new task for your squad. Some of Dreadwing's scouts just reported that the wolven are transporting some kind of large device towards our border. We need a closer look as to what it is and your squad will be our eyes. Sabotage it if you can. Here's its last location." Dreadstep gave Vanguard a rolled up map. "Scarlet, I have a different task for you. We need an important message sent to Bastion City. Our last messenger ran afoul a squad of wolven bolters. You're our fastest flier and this message can't wait."
"Understood, sir!" Scarlet Rabbit replied.
Dreadstep looked to the others. "Take care. This will bring you to our borders. The wolven army is on the march over there."
"So, they're transporting this device ahead of their army?" Vanguard asked.
"Indeed. It's a curious object, small enough to be carried around by wolven, but it can't be good news."
"We're going then." Vanguard saluted and left, his squad right behind him.
It was close to evening when Fangbreaker Fortress faded completely into the distance for Vanguard's squad. They had been walking silently across the plain for hours now. To Vanguard, having Pyre Valor walking behind him felt like he was a second away from an explosion. She was frowning, but that was normal, as was the way she moved. Still, something about her today kept him on edge. He checked the map. They had made good time so far. The wolven detachment's last location was still a good distance away, and it was likely that it had moved on.
"They should be sending a detachment of pegasi for this," Pyre groused. "A storm of bolts and firebombs would be faster and more effective than three quarters of a Special Operations squad."
"You think Dreadstep doesn't know that?" Vanguard asked. "We don't have a detachment of pegasi to spare. Last week's disastrous ambush certainly didn't help."
"Reinforcements should be here already if they weren't skirting around the Heartland." Pyre Valor snorted. To Vanguard, it sounded like steam escaping a boiling kettle.
Vanguard looked southwest. The Western Equestrian Legion had always provided pegasus reinforcements to both the north and the south. Ursan slingers did not devastate pegasi flights as badly as wolven bolters or ophidite snipers. Earth pony infantry on the other hoof..."There's no point in complaining about something that's been going on for a thousand years," he said.
"And that's how it gets to keep happening for another thousand years."
Vanguard didn't bother replying. Pyre Valor had railed against the Heartland for as long as he had known her, and would likely continue forever. "We'll set up camp here. You know the drill, vice-captain," he said.
Despite the difficulty in gathering material for a fire, camp was ready in a matter of minutes. For once, Vanguard wished that they had taken longer to prepare. The silence between him and Pyre Valor was more exhausting than their trek. Blademane had gone off to gather more kindling, leaving the two of them alone. "If you have something to get off your chest, Pyre, now's the time," he finally said. He sat near the fire with Pyre Valor opposite him.
"I was about to say the same thing, Vanguard," Pyre replied. "I've been speaking my mind often enough. I want to hear what you have to say this time."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know the injustice that the Heartland stands for. Even now, it's affecting us: reinforcements taking too long to arrive, an untapped population of pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies that could aid the war not being used while we have our backs driven against the wall, and all the unnecessary secrecy!"
"The Legion has overcome crises like this before, Pyre," Vanguard replied. "We stand strong on our own."
"That we stand on our own is the problem!" Pyre Valor leaned closer, the firelight reflecting brightly in her eyes. "You're right, Vanguard, the Legion has overcome crises like these before. But it has always been at a cost, and the ones paying have always been us. It's time to put an end to how things are going. Even you believe this!"
"I believe in no such thing!" Vanguard growled.
"You don't think that the truth should be brought to the Heartland?" Pyre asked.
"I don't care a mule's bit for the Heartland! It may as well be a myth. I fight for my home, the Barrier Lands. It's about time you did the same!"
Pyre's scowl deepened. The fire crackled, seemingly feeding off her intensity. "Then why did you give your legionnaire emblem to that chosen? Isn't it so that she would remember the truth once she reached the Heartland? Wasn't it so that it would spread from her to the rest of the chosen?"
Vanguard stared silently at Pyre Valor, not daring to breathe lest she take that as some kind of admission of guilt. How she managed to find out, he didn't know. "Is that what this is about?" he asked.
"You've put your faith in that chosen. Do you really think she's going to spread the truth once she's home?" She shook her head and stomped a hoof. "No, she's going to repay your trust by sending you off to die for treason!"
"I don't expect Twilight Sparkle to spread the truth or some such thing," Vanguard replied. "That's not why I gave her my legionnaire emblem. However, I do trust her enough to not try to kill me."
"Then why did you give her the emblem?"
Vanguard hesitated. That was a question that he had asked himself over and over last night. Why indeed? "She wanted to know about this place. I just wanted to give her a chance to keep that knowledge, even if she just kept it to herself."
"You're going to die, Vanguard Clash, and now you're telling me that you're going to die over a triviality?"
"Call it what you will. It's done."
"It doesn't have to be," Pyre Valor said. Vanguard eyed her carefully. She had never calmed down this quickly. "I can still set things right and save you from this insanity."
"What are you talking about, Pyre?" Vanguard asked, his voice low. "What have you planned?"
"I've been thinking about what Cold Hoof had done. You're right: he was mad and needed to be put down, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing to be salvaged from what he was trying to do."
"Get to the point," Vanguard growled. Pyre's most fiery tirades had never made him feel threatened like this one did.
"We're expecting a major attack on Fangbreaker soon," Pyre Valor said. "Cold Hoof was trying to give the wolven the advantage. Imagine what would happen if the fortress does fall."
"Hundreds of ponies will die," Vanguard answered. "Wolvengard will gain a foothold in the Barrier Lands. They'll be able to launch raids all throughout the north while the Legion scrambles to recover. It will be a disaster for all of Equestria."
"True," Pyre Valor continued. "Losses will be staggering. Reinforcements from the Western and Southern Legions will never arrive on time. Unless…" Her eyes brightened, and it was no longer just from the firelight reflecting off them. "Unless, Prince Terrato demands that Princess Celestia allow the Legion to travel through the Heartland. She'll have to, or she's going to have the wolven howling at her very doorstep. Even her barrier won't stave them off forever. The chosen will finally see the ponies that have been defending them for so long! That may not even be enough. Ursinium and Ophidus won't miss this opportunity to launch their own attacks. The Heartland's resources will have to be used. Drafts will be initiated. Legionnaires and chosen will have to fight side-by-side to recover!"
Vanguard couldn't find the voice to speak. He didn't even recognize who he was talking to. This…unicorn talked of a disaster as if it were the best thing that could happen to Equestria! "Hundreds will still die," he answered, his voice rising. "And why are you even contemplating this? Such a thing will never happen!"
"But it can," Pyre Valor said. "You didn't look at Cold Hoof's bag before giving it to me, did you?"
"No, I trusted you to check it." Night had completely fallen upon them. Vanguard felt alone in the middle of a cold plain next to a deranged stranger.
"There was more inside than just the layout of Fangbreaker Fortress. Cold Hoof has been in contact with Wolvengard's High Command. He promised them the plans and he wasn't alone. There are other ponies in Fangbreaker who are willing to give it to Wolvengard."
"You knew this and you did nothing!" Vanguard snarled. He got up to his hooves, glaring at Pyre Valor.
"I didn't want them discovered," Pyre Valor answered, her voice matching Vanguard's. "This has to happen, Vanguard! This is the only way we can force Prince Terrato to act!"
"Have you already forgotten the hundreds that will die?"
"Hundreds of thousands have already died! Died in obscurity while the chosen continue to enjoy their peace and harmony! This is the final push, Vanguard, the final sacrifice that the Legion must make so that all of Equestria can join the fray!"
"You…" Vanguard paused. The words escaped him when he tried to talk. "…you've been planning this for a long time. Even before Cold Hoof."
"I've given it a lot of thought." Pyre Valor glanced towards Fangbreaker Fortress' direction. "I only discovered that a conspiracy was already in place last night. We can take over where Cold Hoof failed. The attack is still coming. The sabotage can still take place."
"What do you mean we?" Vanguard asked, his voice low and dangerous. "You're suggesting treason, Pyre, and you want me to take part in it?"
"You've already committed treason!" Pyre stomped a foreleg. "Whatever you believe the reason was for what you did for that chosen, I believe that you wanted the truth to be known!"
"You believed wrongly. This conspiracy ends here, Pyre Valor." Vanguard reached for his two-bladed sword.
Pyre's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. Her breathing quickened and her legs tensed. "Think this through carefully, Vanguard. We have the chance to change a millennium of injustice!"
"And where will you be when this 'change' takes place?"
"I will stay in Fangbreaker and fight to the death. There is no running away from what I started."
"How very noble," Vanguard growled. "That's not enough!"
"Nothing I do will ever be enough for the sacrifice that must be made!"
"Then you have no right to make it!"
Pyre hesitated. "Don't do this, Vanguard! I believed in you. I trusted you to see what needed to be done!"
Vanguard was done with words. This wasn't his friend. "Don't talk to me about trust, traitor!"
With both of them on their hooves, Vanguard lunged at Pyre Valor, scattering the still-burning kindling as he stepped over the fire. The flames licked at his barding, but night steel protected well against heat. Pyre answered by running. He was about to follow when Blademane slammed into his side. His hooves slid against the rocky ground, but he stayed up. With a grunt, he pushed back. "What are you doing? Don't you know what she's planning?" he asked.
As always, Blademane didn't answer.
Before he could say anything else, Vanguard cried out as he felt a horrible, searing pain on his right side. He glanced back. A portion of his barding was smoking. His coat felt like it was ablaze. Much too far away, he saw the glow of Pyre Valor's horn. He broke off from Blademane and ran for it. He needed to survive to warn Fangbreaker.
Pyre Valor was a good distance away when Vanguard made a break for it. She concentrated on a spell and aimed at the fleeing pony. Vanguard's injury had slowed him down. Despite the darkness, she could see him enough to aim perfectly. The fireball flew unerringly, as it always did. It alighted gently on Vanguard's shoulder, then exploded.
There was no dying cry. To her surprise, Vanguard staggered out of the blast. His smoking body fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. That he had not burned up completely surprised her. Did she weaken her spell unconsciously? Still, there was no surviving that blast. All she had done was leave a reminder of what she was forced to do.
Blademane came up to her and stared at their fallen captain. "Should we make sure?" he asked.
"No," Pyre Valor said softly. She looked away and walked on. "I can barely even look upon him at a distance."
"Won't the body be discovered?"
Pyre shook her head. "The wolven will be here in a day or two. Nopony will know. Let's go. We'll set up camp somewhere else then report back that we were ambushed and had to flee before we saw the structure."
Pyre Valor slammed her front hooves against the ground. A tear escaped her eyes. She wiped it away furiously, leaving a streak of dirt across her face. "You should have just said yes!" she hissed, softly enough to keep Blademane from hearing. "Just once, you should have said it! I..."
Blademane's hoofsteps came closer. She inhaled long and loudly, making sure her eyes were dry when she turned to glance behind her. 'I'm sorry, Vanguard,' she thought. 'I truly am. We'll see each other soon. Take your vengeance then.'
For his entire life, that was the first time Spike ever said those words to Twilight. He had never asked her to give up on anything she wanted to learn about, not even during those times when she locked herself away from the world for books. Whenever Twilight studied, she was serious, focused, even relentless at times. Her dedication to magical knowledge was the best proof of her cutie mark and why the ruler of all Equestria wanted to be her teacher.
But this was too much. They had been in the Great Library all afternoon with nothing to show for it. She hadn't even taken the time to talk with their friends. All of them had been extremely worried when they heard that Twilight was missing. More and more, he feared that she was reverting to that time before she went to Ponyville, when all she could think about was magical study.
"Spike, I need to find out about this," Twilight answered. Minutes had actually passed between his remark and her answer. She was still going through books at a frenetic pace.
"We haven't found anything since we got here," Spike said. "Not even a clue. Some pony must have just engraved a random picture on a coin, which randomly ended up inside your bag."
Twilight looked back at him. "You know I don't accept 'random' as a reason for anything," she said.
"There's no other explanation for something that has absolutely no information about it anywhere! We've tried, Twilight. We've got nothing to go on after all this time."
Twilight put down a book and sighed. "You're right, Spike," she said. "Perhaps it's time to admit defeat on this."
Spike fought down a grin. He should not have looked happy over Twilight's researching ability "losing" to a mystery, but it was a relief to see her move on.
"Let's go home," Twilight said with a smile.
Spike had known Twilight long enough to recognize a forced smile when he saw one. "Sure," he said. “Hey, how about I make you some hayburgers when we get back?”
The sun was already starting to set when they walked out of the library. Despite the day's approaching end, there were still a lot of ponies out, including royal guards. Twilight walked over to one of them. "What's going on now?" she asked.
"Haven't you heard?" the guard replied. "They've found Princess Luna! Good timing too, it's almost night. I heard that she just walked over to her panicking escorts like nothing was wrong."
"Well, that's good news," Spike said.
"That’s great!," Twilight said. "Is everypony here to see her?"
The guard nodded.
True enough, a crowd began to gather around the street. They joined in to get a closer look. They hadn't seen Princess Luna since Shining Armor's wedding, and they were a little curious as to how the younger princess was doing. Spike climbed on Twilight's back while she slipped towards the front of the crowd. She managed to get there in time to see the princess show up.
Princess Luna's appearance was strangely simple. She had walked up to the street quietly with a pair of royal guards at either side. The crowd murmured as she passed by. The atmosphere was a mixture of relief and curiosity, with traces of suspicion. Not every pony was willing to forget Nightmare Moon and the threat of eternal night. Luna bore it all with quiet dignity.
"That's weird," Spike whispered to Twilight. "I thought she'd be the sort to ride around in a carriage. Why is she even walking?"
"She's spent the last thousand years in isolation," Twilight replied. "She may prefer to take in as much of Equestria as possible. Maybe she's just taking her time."
Before Spike could say anything, a pony jostled against Twilight. He grabbed hold of her mane to keep from falling off. She recovered without falling down, but her bag had been knocked about by the bump. He heard the distinct sound of something metallic hitting the pavement and feared the worst. As he thought, the coin that had brought them all the way to Canterlot on a wild goose chase had fallen out of her bag and rolled its way to the princess.
Though she was already walking the streets of Canterlot, Luna's thoughts were still about the Barrier Lands. Her meeting with her brother had gone better than expected, but still badly. Despite a thousand years of confinement outside the realm he was defending, Terrato was still fiercely dedicated to Celestia. 'Blindly so,' she thought. What he was doing only seemed loyal. Her travels across the Heartland gave her a different and unexpected view point. Terrato had to act on it or the damage would be too much.
Just as Terrato had said, Celestia discovered Luna's departure the moment the barrier was broken through. Though Luna wanted to resume her travels as if the Barrier Lands were just a quick, unscheduled detour, it wasn't long until she received a message that her sister wanted to see her. She had to admit that she was scared, even though Terrato had provided an excuse for her to use.
Despite the constant murmurs of the watching crowd, a light metallic ping caught Luna's attention. A small silver coin rolled across the pavement and bumped lightly against her shoe. She picked it up with her magic, and examined one of its faces.
The Equestrian Legion's emblem glinted slightly, catching the dimming rays of the setting sun.
Luna stifled a gasp and looked to the crowd. "Who dropped this?" she asked. The sudden urgency in her voice set everypony nearby aback. Even her escorts looked shocked. Silence swept the crowd as everypony searched for who dropped the coin that was bothering their princess.
"I did, your highness."
Luna recognized the unicorn walking towards her slowly, eyes apologetic and movements hesitant. Her two escorts stepped forward to intercept the pony, but she motioned them back. "Twilight Sparkle," she said. Here was a connection she hadn't expected to happen. One of the ponies who had saved her from Nightmare Moon now possessed an object that all but represented another growing crisis in Equestria.
"I'm so sorry, Princess Luna!" Twilight said. "I was jostled, and it just fell, and--"
"Don't worry," Luna said. She smiled a little to put the unicorn at ease. "I'm not mad, just a little surprised. Where did you get this?"
Twilight looked at the coin and winced, something that Luna took note of. "I-I'm not sure, princess. I've been trying to find out more about it but--"
Luna gave the coin back. When Twilight reached out to take it, she leaned closer and whispered, "meet me by the palace gardens after moonrise. Come alone, and don't tell anypony. Whatever you do, don't show that coin to anypony else."
Twilight was about to ask what was going on, but a look from Luna stopped her short. She nodded quietly and backed into the crowd. With that, Luna went on her way.
From the Royal Palace's gardens, Luna watched her hoof-work with a measure of both pride and gratitude. Moonlight filtered gently through the leaves of the garden's various trees, illuminating everything with a faint silver shimmer. That she could cause something so beautiful lifted her spirits, and that Celestia had returned this duty to her filled her with a sense of gratitude. A lifetime ago, she had been bitter over the seeming lack of appreciation for her task. She was only beginning to discover now that the night was beautiful because of the peace that it covered Equestria with, and the sight of ponies being able to rest at the end of the day was just as much tribute as the sight of them enjoying the sun.
Some of Luna's resolve faltered. Earlier, Celestia believed her when she followed through with her brother's story. It wasn't a complete lie anyway. She did want to show Terrato that she was free of Nightmare Moon, her efforts ended in her being called an abomination-infested rebel who smelled of cheap soy sauce. Celestia had much kinder words to say about the situation. Just as Terrato had predicted, all Luna received was a mild admonition about suddenly going off. That she was secretly trying to bring about something that would inevitably hurt Celestia weighed heavily on her shoulders..
'I'm not doing this because I believe that she's a tyrant who needs to be deposed,' Luna reminded herself. 'I'm doing this because I love her. This needs to be done to help her.' Despite her choice of words, Luna wasn't sure about the entire meeting. She had thought about telling Twilight Sparkle what the emblem on the coin meant, which would reveal the truth about the Legion's existence, but there were a few things that made her hesitate.
Doing this would surely bring a lot of trouble to Twilight. She was Celestia's favored student, and bore the Element of Magic, but even all of that may not save her from being exiled or worse if Celestia believed it was necessary to keep the Heartland "safe". Why was it even necessary for her to know about the Legion? Part of Luna wanted to avoid bringing others into this and just confront Celestia alone. That same part berated her for going through things in a roundabout manner. 'No,' she thought. 'If I speak out, it would just be seen as another rebellion from the envious little sister. If she hears this from one of her subjects, she may listen.'
"Princess Luna?"
The sound of Twilight's tentative call silenced the inner argument. "I'm here," Luna replied. The guards had altered their patrols slightly to keep this part of the garden private, as was her request. As she had also requested, Twilight Sparkle was alone. It was strange how Celestia's protégé had acquired a legionnaire emblem, yet seemed to have no idea of what she had. The faint aura of magic around Twilight's mind was all the answer necessary. She must have somehow come to the Barrier Lands and Terrato had cast a spell to cloud her memory. His use of enchantments had never been subtle. Luna wasn't sure how the legionnaire emblem fit in. Had Terrato planted it there to break his own spell? Was he moving before she even talked to him, or was it somepony else from the Legion?
Twilight bowed, a look of excitement and curiosity lurked just beneath that respectful appearance. "Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. "I haven't thanked you properly for saving me from Nightmare Moon."
"I didn't do it by myself, Princess Luna," Twilight replied. Despite her humble tone, her lips twitched slightly to keep a flattered smile from coming out. "All of my friends helped me in defeating Nightmare Moon."
"True," Luna said. The mention of Twilight's friends made the decision even harder. The truth would bring trouble to Twilight and her friends: ponies who would rush to her side without hesitation. This would be condemning the six ponies who had done so much for her to exile. "I should thank them all as well when we meet. Do you have that coin with you?"
"I do," Twilight said. She reached for her bag and pulled out the coin. The silver glinted in the moonlight. "If it pleases you, could you tell me more about it?" she asked. "I was going to ask Princess Celestia about it but--"
"If you show this to my sister, you will never see or hear about it ever again," Luna whispered sharply. At Twilight's surprised expression, Luna softened her tone. "I understand your curiosity, Twilight Sparkle, but let me warn you now that the knowledge behind this emblem will bring a lot of trouble to you. My sister has done much to keep the knowledge about this emblem hidden. Learning about it goes against her wishes."
"G-goes against her wishes?" Twilight asked. She nearly dropped the coin as if it had caught fire. "I didn't know this was evil! I should just get rid of it then!"
"I never said that," Luna said. Twilight's reaction was more proof of Celestia's influence. 'And I'm dealing with her student too,' she thought. This entire thing might backfire or amount to nothing given Twilight's loyalty. Even if she heard the truth, she could just ignore it or even agree with Celestia's decisions.
"Please listen to me carefully. It's true that my sister does not want anypony to know what this coin means, but that does not make it evil. Far from it; should the knowledge get out, it will be ultimately for her own good."
"How is that possible?" Twilight asked. Her eyes narrowed.
"I'll leave it for you to find out," Luna answered. "You can walk away now. You can get rid of that emblem and forget everything about it. You can go back to Ponyville to enjoy the rest of your life. Or you can let me tell you the truth of it. You'll carry a terrible burden. It won't be just you. Others will be dragged into this chaos. But, please, trust me when I say that it will be for my sister's sake in the end."
Twilight's face twisted in confusion and indecision. Luna kept her gaze intense, defying any accusation of lying. Twilight looked at the coin and winced for the second time. Despite the memory lock, it seemed that Twilight's mind still desperately tried to remember. Her curious nature and thirst for knowledge naturally fought back against a spell designed to obscure memory in an admirable display of mental strength. Even without outside help, Twilight was actually struggling against Terrato's magic. 'Just how much potential does your student have, big sister?' Luna thought.
"H-how do I know that what you're saying is true?" Twilight finally asked.
"I can't offer any proof," Luna said. "All I can promise is that you can hear what I have to say and walk away. Whatever you do with what you've learned is up to you."
The reassurance did little to quell Twilight's uneasiness. Agonizing minutes trudged on with Luna staring intently at Twilight while she struggled against wanting to know and fear of knowing. Eventually, Twilight shook her head and looked at Luna directly. "Please, tell me," she said.
The response was surprising. For a moment, Luna had been so sure that Twilight was going to give the coin back with a determined look. She had not expected Twilight willing to risk going against Celestia just to find out about something and for the possibility of ultimately helping her in the long run.
Still, here she was, about to go against Celestia again, despite being forgiven after her last one. This time, it was going to be different. A thousand years ago, she rebelled out of petty jealousy and selfishness. This time, her rebellion would actually be for Celestia.
"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle" she said. "This is an emblem of the Equestrian Legion. For you to have this-Twilight?" Twilight clutched her head with her front hooves. "Twilight, are you alright?"
The steady buzz inside Twilight's head exploded when she heard the words "Equestrian Legion". A flood of images and words came into her mind.
"Captain Vanguard Clash of the Northern Equestrian Legion."
Twilight focused on the image of a dark-barded pony standing on a vast plain, a plain that was both Equestria, and not.
"The Legion…does things that would only cause disruptions if they became common knowledge."
The image shifted to an angry white unicorn with a fierce glare which froze Twilight in place despite being only a memory.
"Your mighty and wonderful Princess Celestia likes to pretend that her realm of peace and rainbows doesn't need us!"
The image shifted again. Enormous, wolf-like monsters leapt from the darkness, red eyes glowing menacingly and fangs dripping saliva. Several ponies charged against these beasts, the dark-armored pony included. Blasts of fire erupted and blood sprayed everywhere. Somepony was laughing in the distance. Finally, the battle faded. There stood a gray pony, an alicorn even bigger than Princess Celestia, with a fiery mane and a broken horn.
"And here I am now, centuries later, and my duty continues."
Everything made sense now. Something within her mind resisted as she desperately tried to piece together what the images meant. She recognized the presence of magic, and fought back.
"I…I remember…" Twilight gasped. The block within her memories shattered, and everything came flooding back: the Legion, Prince Terrato, the war at Equestria's borders…
Luna looked at Twilight with a mixture of shock and admiration. Twilight couldn't match Princess Luna's gaze just yet. She was exhausted from the great mental exertion. She tried to take a few steps forward, and stumbled.
Luna reached out to steady her. "And what you do with that knowledge is up to you, Twilight Sparkle," she said softly.
Vanguard Clash woke to unbelievable pain, a burning agony that enveloped his entire body. He ran his hooves across his face. He was alive somehow. And awake. He couldn't see anything in the darkness. For a horrible moment, he feared that he had gone completely blind. A sliver of light from a few feet away reassured him. He was in a dark, enclosed place, lying on his side on a makeshift bed of rags. Each attempt at moving brought about waves of pain. As his senses slowly focused, so did his memory: an argument, a quick fight, and the bright flash of an explosion.
"Pyre Valor," Vanguard Clash growled. Even speaking hurt. She dominated his memories. Pyre had asked him to betray the Legion with her, and he had refused. He had known her for years, but he had not expected that she would do such a thing. Not even with all her grousing over the Heartland's injustice. Years of friendship collapsed to worthless rubble during their last conversation, and Pyre Valor ignited the remains with a fireball. He tried to raise his head and groaned as he failed.
How had it come to this? Did he misjudge Pyre completely? Had he been too complacent? He tried to recall memories of Pyre, looking for things that he had taken for granted. She might have shown signs years ago while he remained steadfastly ignorant. Had they drifted apart without him even realizing it? She burned him with no hesitation, and even left him with the indignity of being eventually scavenged. Clearly, her belief in her cause was deep-rooted enough to let her sacrifice others.
Then, there was Blademane. He had sided easily with Pyre Valor. That part of his betrayal wasn't surprising. Blademane had always been by Pyre Valor's side, a silent guardian and ally who did everything she asked without question. Scarlet Rabbit often poked fun at the quiet stallion for being so devoted. Vanguard had underestimated that devotion. He thought it was simple attraction and Blademane's way of courting. Now, the stallion had committed treason along with the object of his affection. He was hurtling headlong to an early demise and he did so without a word of complaint.
It didn't make sense that he survived. Pyre Valor was notorious for her fire spells. She left no burned bodies in her wake, and certainly no survivors. His armor may have saved him, but it would have also melted into red-hot goo that would have fused with his coat. His burns were painful, but the pain meant that the damage was skin-deep. A deeper burn would not have hurt at all. The fireball that struck him was weak. The only answer was one that he despised: Pyre Valor had spared him. Unconsciously or not, she had held back at the last moment.
"Curse you, Pyre," he growled under his breath. He could have handled it better if she had tried her best to kill him. He would have considered her an enemy, and he would have focused on doing his best to kill her with equal fervor. That his friend might still be in there hurt more than it needed to. "Why do you have to complicate things even more? Why couldn't you have hit me with your best shot only for me to survive out of pure luck?" He winced again as he shifted his weight. He made another attempt to stand, but his wobbly legs refused to support him. He touched the sides of the space he was in and felt canvas. He was in a tent.
The tent's front flaps flew open, flooding the inside with ruddy, red-orange light. The brightness forced Vanguard to squint at whoever had opened the flaps. He was greeted by a pair of bright red eyes and a pair of toothy jaws. Survival suddenly seemed an overestimation of his fate. He was in a tent with a wolven.
"So the strange-smelling thunder-foot is awake," the wolven rasped. It's tone suggested that it was female. Her words were thick and a little clumsy, but she spoke his language well. "Keep your head down and stay still, thunder-foot. If we wanted to eat you, you'd be bones by now. Do not undo my remedies with your useless struggling."
Vanguard checked his body. Most of his flanks, his torso, and a portion of his face had been wrapped up in bandages. The light coming into the tent was from a large bonfire, an obvious sign of night time. A strange, slimy concoction oozing through some of his bandages gleamed from the fire light. "Why have you spared me?" he asked.
"Our scouts found you half-dead and burned," the wolven replied. "They brought you here to share the meal, but I smelled you." The wolven licked her lips. "You didn't smell like a true thunder-foot. Now, you stare at me with wolven eyes, and I am sure."
"You're speaking in gibberish," Vanguard said.
"That's because you listen with thunder-foot ears!" the wolven snarled. "It doesn't matter what you think, only what I know!" She moved her face closer to his, and he could smell her reeking breath. He wrinkled his nose at the sound of her sniffing. Her broken, yellowed teeth and rasping voice showed that this was an old wolven he was talking to. "I know your smell, breaker. Under all that thunder-foot stink, I can smell the faint odor of wolven. You can hide under all that metal." She glanced at the pile of barding by one corner of the tent. "You can hide in cursed Terrato's herd, but I can smell you out."
The old wolven cackled and rasped. It was hard to tell where the laughter ended and the hacking cough began. "I know what I am and so does everypony in the Legion," Vanguard said. "If you think that I'm ashamed of it, you're wrong."
"That is good for us, breaker!" the old wolven crowed. "Stand strong! Once your legs match your heart, we will let you go. Go back to cursed Terrato's herd and do what you are meant to! What old Regiskra has seen you are meant to do!" She left the tent, cackling and wheezing all the way.
Regiskra walked out of the thunder-foot's tent and made her way through the camp in high spirits. The moment the thunder-foot had opened his eyes, he confirmed what she had seen. Everything was going according to her vision.
A rasping growl of a shout came from behind her. "Regiskra! Why is that half-cooked thunder-foot still alive? We should have been tearing his entrails out when the scouts dragged him here!"
"The thunder-foot has more important things to do besides fill your belly, Hasrok," Regiskra answered without looking back. "He will walk out of this camp alive."
Hasrok, a massive, gray-furred berserker, bounded ahead of Regiskra and snarled at her face. "I lead this pack!" he spat. "He is a prisoner, and I will decide what we do to him!" He drew himself to full height. Hasrok was bigger and stronger than any of the other wolven in the camp, something that made sure that he was their leader. Vertical and diagonal scrars crisscrossed his face and body; marks of challenges against his authority.
"He is the Breaker in my vision!" Regiskra snarled back. "He is the wolven-eyed thunder-foot fated to break cursed Equestria no matter what he does! If you eat him, I will tell our king that you pushed our victory away from his claws. Then, you can fill his belly!"
Hasrok backed down. He shifted his glare from Regiskra to the tent she had just left. "Your vision," he growled. "Even pups dream, and they wet themselves as they do it. You forced us to carry your altar out here for the sake of dreams! If all of this is a lie, you will fill my belly, old one!"
"This old one will choke you while she goes down your throat, pup," Regiskra muttered. She walked past Hasrok and headed for the altar that he had been railing against. She was not worried by his threats. Her vision was coming true before her eyes. Now, King Fenrir had entrusted her with this important mission to call out Moon-Shadow, who had just been freed from a thousand-year imprisonment.
The wolven altar was a large structure of wood, stone, and bone. It rested on a massive cross-beam meant to be carried by a dozen strong-backed wolven while they were on the move. A simple wooden stair led up to a pedestal of stone that rested before a towering monument to their king's companion. Sharpened bones and sticks were lashed together to resemble a waning moon: Moon-Shadow's favorite image.
A thousand years ago, cunning Moon-Shadow slipped past cursed Terrato, who was distracted by Arugek's blundering invasion. In the heart of Equestria, she formed a bond with the fair Luna, the object of King Fenrir's desire. She attempted to start rebellion among the thunder-foots to cause eternal night, but cursed Celestia had her own sister thrown to the moon, dragging Moon-Shadow along in imprisonment. Only recently had Moon-Shadow managed to return, but she was defeated yet again, forced out of fair Luna's body by the thunder-foots.
Now, King Fenrir wanted her back by his side. The altar was meant to anchor Moon-Shadow's wandering, incorporeal form. It just needed to be close enough to Equestria. With his companion by his side, King Fenrir could begin his invasion in earnest.
"The wolven await your return, blessed Moon-Shadow," Regiskra intoned. "Let our howls guide you back to our pack so you may lend your might to our king." She let out a long, dolorous howl, which was followed by the rest of the camp. The altar glowed an ominous purple light as their howls spread across the plain. They ceased as a deep purple haze streaked across the sky from the south. The wolven around the camp whimpered and cowered with their tails between their legs as the haze descended upon the altar. Regiskra grinned fiercely, and stepped forward. "You honor us with your presence, blessed Moon-Shadow. Our king wishes you to come to his side as he moves against cursed Terrato and his wretched herd."
The purple haze swirled around the altar, its amorphous form creating the image of a pair of eyes. "You have done well, old one." It spoke in an oily and soft voice. "Tell Fenrir that I must stay here for a while longer. I have found a suitable host among Terrato's thunder-foots, a unicorn who may not match Luna in power, but more than exceeds her bitterness and rage. I will return to Fenrir's side with the ruined remains of Fangbreaker Fortress as a gift."
Regiskra bowed low as she answered. "As you wish, blessed Moon-Shadow."
The glowing haze flared briefly, then faded away. The rest of the wolven camp murmured in awe as Regiskra descended the altar. Hasrok was already waiting for her at the base. "Even blessed Moon-Shadow knows that the thunder-foots are about to fall." Regiskra sneered at the bigger wolven. "Do you still bark your scorn at my visions?"
"I see pretty smoke and an old dog talking to herself," Hasrok growled. "I will not believe until I am standing on FangBreaker's rubble and feasting on its defenders!."
"Then sharpen your appetite, Hasrok," Regiskra replied. "You will be feasting soon." She turned towards the rest of the gathered wolven. "Blessed Moon-Shadow has heard our prayer! She goes among Terrato's wretched herd to rend them from the inside!" The camp erupted in cheers. "We will do our part as well. We will release the wolven-eyed thunder-foot and send him back to Fangbreaker." At that, the wolven fell silent and murmured among themselves. "Do not doubt!" Regiskra's rasping voice rose. "We do not do this out of mercy. He is the Breaker from my vision. He fights for the thunder-foots, but he will be their downfall. He will turn cursed Terrato against his sisters and set the thunder-foots against each other! When the blood-haze of their infighting fades, the wolven will feast on the remains!"
The camp burst into cheers and howls when Regiskra finished. Still grinning, she retired to her tent to tend their "prisoner."
Vanguard had not remained idle inside the tent when Regiskra left him alone. He struggled to his hooves. When that failed, he dragged himself closer to the tent flaps. As he suspected, he was in the middle of a large wolven camp. This was no scouting party: it was an advance unit of Wolvengard's army. There were scouts of course, the smallest of the wolven, but there were also their warriors who were much bigger and much more armored. Their collars bristled with spikes. Their flanks and shoulders were covered in layered plates of metal. There were also a couple of their berserkers: enormous wolven twice the size of any pony, with bulging muscles and freakishly huge jaws and claws.
Vanguard knew better than to focus just on the strengths of his enemy. Regiskra and the big wolven were arguing: a sign of a power struggle within this pack between the leader of their warriors and what appeared to be some kind of seer or shaman.
There was also what happened at the strange structure at the center of the camp. It must be the same structure that Commander Dreadstep had mentioned. So it was an altar meant to call something that had been hiding in Equestria. The mysterious entity that Regiskra called forth was worrisome. Whoever and whatever this "Moon-Shadow" was, it was bad news for the fortress. These wolven made no secret that FangBreaker was their target. It was a shame that Vanguard could not hear what the thing and the crone had been talking about.
Then, there was Regiskra's constant referring to him as "the Breaker". Vanguard snorted at the thought that he was a part of some convoluted wolven hallucination. He had no intention of "breaking" the Legion. Far from it, he had to make it back to the fortress now in order to save it from Pyre Valor's betrayal. Still, if it meant that he could escape this wolven camp and make it back, he was willing to go along with their so called prophecies.
When Regiskra walked towards the tent, he dragged himself back to the makeshift bed. The friction from rubbing against the ground made his burns sting horribly, a pain he bore quietly. Regiskra poked her head through the tent flaps and grinned. "Were you watching, wolven-eyed thunder-foot?" she asked. "Look all you want. There is no need to hide it. Play the loyal spy for cursed Terrato. Give him gifts of what you have seen, what you have endured, and who you have killed. You will still be the Breaker."
"You spout overconfident lies, crone," Vanguard growled. "The Legion will not be broken. Not by your king, and certainly not by me."
"So I'm a liar now?" Regiskra laughed. Flecks of her spit landed on his hooves. "We will see, wolven-eyes. Now, rest and gather your strength. You will need it for your return to your precious fort." She settled over the other side of the tent and closed her eyes. After some time, her breathing became steady, and a rasping snore escaped her mouth.
Vanguard settled down. Though these so-called "visions" were ridiculous, he felt a bit of uneasiness. His thoughts shifted to what he had done just days ago. What if the crone's vision meant that? Had he set about events that would cause the downfall that these wolven were talking about? All he wanted was a chance for Twilight to remember what she experienced out here. Perhaps, that was a foolish triviality as Pyre Valor had said. Being executed for it was something he could accept. Watching Equestria break because of it would haunt him beyond death.
'Twilight Sparkle…have I made a mistake?'
Vanguard remained awake. He stared at the top flap of the tent thinking of what Twilight Sparkle was up to. Had she thrown away his emblem? After seeing what was happening here, Vanguard hoped for that. It was such a stupid thing to do. It set Pyre off, and may do even worse. Perhaps Twilight had remembered, and the Heartland was now in turmoil. For the sake of a triviality, he had indeed become "the Breaker".
The loud party music from Sugarcube Corner neither surprised nor disturbed the rest of Ponyville. Passers-by knew that there was another party inside the strange hybrid of house and cake, but that would be as noteworthy as saying that the noon sun at the moment was hot. Inside, five ponies and a dragon enjoyed themselves. There was a sixth pony in the house as well, one who wasn't enjoying the festivities laid out before her. Of all ponies, it was the celebrant.
Try as she might, Twilight could not bring herself to have fun with everypony. The enormous "Welcome back, Twilight!" banner made her feel a little guilty. This party was for her and she' was being a stick in the mud. Applejack's approach showed that it wasn't a subtle act either.
"You okay there, partner?" Applejack asked. "Can't help but notice that you've been under the weather all day."
"I'm fine, Applejack," Twilight answered. "I'm…I'm just not really in a celebrating mood right now."
"I've told that Pinkie that we should give it a few days before throwing anything," Applejack said. "She had to insist that this was what you needed after…whatever it is that happened to you. Can you believe that she threw a "Welcome back" party yesterday? When you didn't show up, she turned it into a "Hope Twilight finds whatever she's looking for in Canterlot" party!"
Twilight giggled. "Oh, I can believe that. Two parties in a row is actually a remarkable show of restraint."
"Well, you're smiling a bit, so that's an improvement,” Applejack put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Cheer up, Twi’. Whatever happened, you've gone past it. That's worth celebrating!"
Twilight nodded. "I guess it is. Thank you, Applejack."
Applejack nodded back, grinning at her, before joining Rainbow Dash at the apple bobbing tub. Twilight shook her head and walked to the buffet table. Applejack was right: she had gone past the experience. Her friends were here: and they were happy. She should be happy too. 'As Princess Luna said, I can just walk away. After a few months, I will forget everything about the Equestrian Legion.'
Twilight wasn't alone by the table. After a quick inspection of the bowl for stray alligators, Rarity was sampling the punch. Upon seeing Twilight, she approached with an apologetic expression. "Twilight, I must apologize most sincerely for the trouble I have brought to you," she said.
"What are you talking about, Rarity?" Twilight asked. "You've never brought me any trouble."
"If I hadn't found that wretched gem, you and Spike wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble!"
"That wasn't your fault at all," Twilight said. "You had no idea what that gem was capable of, and I was the one who was careless with it."
Rarity sighed. "Still, I should have just let it be. I've thought about it, and I realized that I was looting a corpse! A truly horrible thing to do!"
"A corpse, that's right…" Twilight's voice trailed off. There was still that dead pony inside the cave. Prince Terrato called the gem a mana battery; a tool of war that shouldn't exist in the Heartland. For the mana battery to have found its way here would mean that the dead pony was probably a legionnaire. What had happened to him? Why had he come here? Twilight shook her head again. How was she supposed to walk away when she kept digging for answers about the Legion?
Rarity tilted her head. "Are you alright, darling?" she asked. "Is something on your mind?"
"No, I’m not al-I mean yes. And yes, I mean--"
"Spike told me that you don't even remember what happened after you used your magic with that gem. Is that what's bothering you?"
Twilight hesitated. The answer was the opposite. It was remembering that bothered her. "Um…yes," she replied. Should she tell them? Part of her wanted to. It would ease the burden. They were her friends. It was only right that she be honest with them. The stern lecturer side of her disagreed vehemently. It was against Princess Celestia's wishes for one thing. The more ponies in on a secret, the less likely it would remain as such. Would she really involve them when they could be punished for carrying this secret?
Rarity patted Twilight's shoulder. "I'm sure that everything will be alright whether you remember or not," she said. "We're here for you, Twilight, that's what you should always remember."
“Thank you, Rarity.” Twilight forced a half-smile. “Would you mind if I ask you a question?" she asked.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're already asking one, but of course, dear."
"If Equestria was under attack, and you were needed to defend it, would you go?"
"But of course! Far be it from me to avoid doing my part if all of Equestria were in danger!"
"What if the danger never went away? What if you had to keep defending Equestria? You'd have no more time for running a boutique or for any kind of fashion. Would you still go?"
Rarity's eyes widened for a moment as she pictured such a life. She shut her eyes tight and shuddered before answering. "That would be horrible! Absolutely horrible!"
"You wouldn't go?" Twilight asked.
Rarity smiled wistfully. "Even if it would be absolutely, dreadfully horrible. There are more important things than what we want to do, and that is who we love, Twilight."
The answer left Twilight a little stunned. When she recovered, she could only nod. 'That's right,' she thought.
Rarity tilted her head to the side. "Now, why such a serious question, Twilight? This isn't normally like you."
Twilight shook her head. "Um…no, not really. Just doing a little speculating. I'm sorry, it's the skeleton and--"
"Oh, I see. Perhaps you can speculate about something brighter next time? I mean, a life without fashion…ugh! What could possibly be more terrible than that?"
"How about if no one even knew what you were doing? That you'd be out there fighting while life went on normally for everypony?" Twilight asked. She regretted the question immediately. She was still at it, hammering away at a topic she should be trying to forget. Why she even started asking Rarity all these questions eluded her.
"Now, that's just impossible," Rarity replied.
Twilight paused again. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop asking the next question. "Why is that?"
"You said Equestria was being attacked," Rarity said. "I'm sure that everypony would be doing his or her share. There is no way you could do your part and not have anypony notice."
"You're right," Twilight said. "Everypony would be doing their part. This is Equestria we're talking about." Her voice rose. "Everypony's Equestria!"
The sudden resolve threw Rarity into confusion. "You're certainly getting worked up about this hypothetical scenario, aren't you, Twilight?" she asked.
"I am, aren't I?" Twilight said. "Thank you, Rarity." She left Rarity in an even more confused state by the buffet table and made her way towards the party's host. Pinkie Pie was dancing at the center of the room with her pet alligator and Fluttershy. "Pinkie!" she called out.
Pinkie looked over at Twilight's direction and gave an excited wave, all without missing a beat with her dancing. "Having a great time, Twilight?" she asked.
"I am," Twilight answered. She was sincere this time. Despite the strangeness of the past few days, her friends proved to be an unfailing source of support. "Thank you for the party, Pinkie, but I have to leave early."
Pinkie's mood dropped from bubbly to depressed. Before Twilight could even react, however, Pinkie was cheery again. "Sure, Twilight, I understand. Busy as always, huh?"
Twilight could have sworn that she had seen laboratory explosions that were less mercurial than Pinkie Pie. "Yes," she answered. "I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you some time."
Pinkie giggled. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. We're friends! It's not like we have to keep score over everything, right?"
"You're right, Pinkie Pie" Twilight said. She reached out and ruffled Pinkie’s mane. Her friend giggled at the gesture. "Thank you again."
"You're welcome!" Pinkie chirped.
Twilight left Sugarcube Corner with Spike on her back. "What's this all about now, Twilight?" he asked. "I was only halfway through that bucket of gems!"
"I'm going back to Canterlot," Twilight answered. She went back to her house to get some things ready. "Take a letter for me, would you?"
"Fine," Spike said. He pulled a piece of paper from…somewhere. Twilight never quite found out how he did that, and he swore he wouldn't tell her his trade secret. "Whenever you're ready," he said.
"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight said. She paused. This was the same beginning she used with all of her letters. For this one, it felt a little…inappropriate.
"Well?" Spike asked. He tapped the paper with his quill.
"Yesterday, I discovered something a little different from what I learn here in Ponyville," Twilight said. "Today, I've learned something just as valuable. Because of these things, I would like to get a chance to talk to you in person."
Twilight paused again. Images flashed in her mind: a cold, dark dungeon, exile to a vast wilderness, her teacher's furious response...so many terrible ways this could end. Would Princess Celestia even listen to what she had to say? Her teacher had been following this course of action for hundreds of years. Would she still be able to change it?
"Trust me when I say that it will be for my sister's sake in the end."
The rational part of Twilight wanted proof, but she felt that Luna was telling the truth. She shut her eyes tight momentarily. She could feel Spike waiting patiently on her back, with his pen and paper at the ready. "Which is...which is why I'm going to Canterlot to get a private audience with you. I understand that you are very busy, so I will wait there until you find the time to see me. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." The letter vanished in a fiery cloud of dragon breath.
Her fate was sealed. She was now committed to this course.
They reached Golden Oaks by the time the letter was sent. Spike hopped down Twilight's back and looked at her. "Are you okay, Twilight?" he asked. "You're shaking."
"Spike..." Twilight swallowed as she stared at her home. When she first arrived at Ponyville, she had considered its library to be a temporary stay. It was her home now, and the thought of not seeing again left her cold and afraid. The vast tundra surrounding Fangbreaker Fortress was a void that would suck her out there and leave her adrift. "I…I think I might end up being banished at this rate."
Spike jumped off Twilight's back. "What? Banished? To where? Why? What is going on, Twilight?"
"If that happens, you're going to have to stay with another pony." She tried to muster a smile. "Maybe you can be a full time assistant for Rarity."
"No way!" Spike snapped. "If you're banished, I'll still be hauling books for you in wherever you're being banished!" He sighed.
“Spike,” Twilight said sternly. “You don’t even--”
"Tell me what's going on, Twilight. At least, let me know why we're getting banished."
Twilight looked at Spike both fondly and sadly. He had always been around to help her, no matter how small or large the task, and here she was, about to get him exiled. There would be no convincing him to change his mind. With that look on his face, even trying would be an insult. She owed him the truth, especially after what she put him through when she disappeared, and what she was about to put him through now. Would her friends give her this sort of look if they knew what she was up to? Yes, they would. She didn't want to force them into exile for something she did. Better to keep this a secret from them.
"I'll tell you, Spike," she said. "Then, it's off to Canterlot once more."
"What do you mean he's dead?"
Scarlet Rabbit's cry turned several heads from passing legionnaires. Even Pyre Valor was a little startled, despite expecting it. A day had passed since she abandoned Vanguard's body to the wolven. Before a composed and grim Commander Dreadstep, she reported that their squad had run into an ambush by advance wolven troops before they could even reach the location. She was particularly solemn while she reported how Captain Vanguard Clash died a hero by holding the wolven while they escaped, and that the main wolven army would likely attack in a few more days.
Pyre Valor had no problem calling Vanguard a hero. He had died trying to protect Fangbreaker Fortress, and prevent what he believed was a needless waste of pony lives. He was misguided, but noble to the very end. She respected that.
Commander Dreadstep had not betrayed a single hint of emotion when she finished her report. He gave his condolences, and asked that Vanguard's family be informed. Blademane had volunteered to tell Vanguard's mother while she talked to Sharpfangs.
Vanguard's father had also taken the news stoically. "Expecting tears, Captain Pyre Valor?" he had asked, "My son died fighting for the Legion. I'm a little envious at the moment."
Pyre Valor was a little envious too. Still, she knew that she was going to do the same soon, even if nopony would acknowledge her as they now acknowledged Vanguard Clash. She also didn't fail to notice the title that Sharpfangs addressed her with. For the remaining few days of her stay in Fangbreaker Fortress, she would be captain to two ponies. Her first and only act would be to ensure that the fort fell to its wolven attackers. One of her subordinates, however, was reacting to her news much more badly than its previous recipients. With Blademane back at her side, she had delivered the news to Scarlet Rabbit.
"That's impossible!" Scarlet cried out. "He's the Captain! The Captain doesn't die in a random encounter. You've made a mistake, and I'm going to check it out myself!"
Blademane held on to Scarlet before he could fly off.
"The wolven have already overrun that place," Pyre said. "You'll have bolters on your flank the second you got anywhere near it."
"The Captain will keep them off me while I extract him!" Scarlet cried. "Let go, Blademane!"
"Scarlet, Vanguard is dead!" Pyre snapped. She hated having to say that over and over. "There's no mistake!"
Scarlet squirmed to free himself, but Blademane was the bigger and stronger stallion. "I understand your pain," Blademane said. "But deluding yourself will help nopony."
"You understand nothing!" Scarlet snarled as he struggled harder. "The Captain's gone, and you're having about as much a reaction as a bar of soap! Pyre's alive and kicking, so big shock that Blademane doesn't give a crap about anything else!"
Blademane hurled Scarlet to the ground and stepped on him with his front hooves, pinning him in place. "You will discipline yourself," he said. "With or without Vanguard Clash, we are still legionnaires."
Scarlet pushed the hooves aside and stood up. Without meeting their gazes, he walked off to Storm Brew's. "Try to keep him from getting too rowdy," Pyre told Blademane. He nodded and followed Scarlet, leaving her alone to take care of important matters.
First, she had to talk with the other saboteurs. They had to be informed that she was going along with the plan and taking over what Cold Hoof had failed in. That involved convincing them she wasn't there round them all up. Then, there would be the actual work of getting things ready for the wolven attack.
"Sounds like a lot of work to set up a stage where you can martyr yourself."
The voice jolted Pyre Valor out of her thoughts. Its soft and oily tone seemed to settle upon her being. She looked around and saw only the fort's ponies going about their business. The impending attack had everypony on edge.
She shook her head. Was she hearing things? Were the things she had done already taking their toll on her psyche?
"You murdered your oldest and dearest friend because he was going to stop you from killing hundreds of your brethren. Did you really have to ask that question?"
Pyre rounded the corner of one hall. "Who are you?" she whispered. "My conscience?" She smiled wryly at the suggestion. "You're a little late. Vanguard could have used you."
"Conscience is an excuse. A boring, fearful excuse. You'll find me a little more colorful than that."
'Explain yourself or be silent,' Pyre Valor thought. This…'thing' was reading her mind, so she figured that she may as well answer mentally for her own sanity. She closed and locked the door behind her once she got to her quarters.
"Explain myself? That would take forever. How about I just give you a name? I am Lunalux Umbra. The wolven call me "Moon-Shadow", but you ponies use a more elegant name: "Nightmare Moon"."
'I'm talking to an old mare's tale about Celestia's petulant little sister?'
"And I'm talking to an insect who hasn't lived a century, but spouts big words like "justice" and "truth". We can trade barbs all day, or you can listen."
'Then say what you have to say.'
"I'm here to help you--"
"I don't need anypony's help," Pyre spat. "Especially not the help of somepony whose reputation for losing is literally the stuff of legends."
"You're right, I lost. I know the path to defeat quite well, and I'm quite sure you're galloping on it at the moment. I also happen to know that it took Celestia's strongest magics to subdue me, but it will take her a second and an irritated grunt to deal with you."
The mere mention of Princess Celestia blotted out the voice in a haze of rage. Pyre Valor paused and set aside the name of the pony she blamed for everything, including Vanguard's death.
"And so we come to our common enemy. You've made a brave stand here, Pyre Valor, and the sacrifice you're going to make is grand indeed. Nevertheless, do you really think you can reach Celestia and the Heartland with just this? She will overcome this attack, then continue on acting as if you and what you fought for never existed. You and all the ponies of this fortress will die while the rest of the Heartland fusses over the next grand party at the Royal Palace."
'She will hear me!' Pyre Valor thought. 'All of the Heartland will hear the truth, no matter what the cost!'
"Well spoken. Merge with me, Pyre Valor. Together, we can accomplish what we cannot alone."
'At what price?' Pyre Valor asked. 'You're not looking to be martyred.'
"Shrewd and determined. You want to threaten Equestria to force it to acknowledge the truth, I want to tear it apart completely. You place your faith in the Legion's ability to eventually win despite setbacks, I place my faith in being able to destroy it utterly. I'm not asking for a price. I'm asking that we make a bet with the fate of Equestria at stake. We will attack it with all our might until Terrato is forced to take desperate measures. If the Legion overcomes us, then you win. If we destroy the Legion and plunge Equestria into darkness, then I win."
Pyre Valor closed her eyes. She hadn't agreed to anything yet, but she could already feel immense magical power welling up within. The offer was dangerous, and could easily spiral out of control, but it would be enough for the truth to finally reach the Heartland. If the truth had to shine through Nightmare Moon's darkness…
My dearest and most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,
Of course I have time to see you, especially since your letter sounds so urgent. Come to the palace as soon as you are able to and, I will be here to discuss your recent findings.
Princess Celestia's reply was swift, as Twilight had come to expect given Spike's abilities. "Dearest and most faithful student" was a point of pride for her. Now, it felt like a very heavy title. For all of Princess Celestia's faith, here she was carrying knowledge that she shouldn't be. 'And I have just as much faith in her as she does in me,' she thought. 'Which is why I'm going to talk to her, instead of sneaking around.' The threat of punishment loomed again. 'Even…even if I'm afraid of what she might do.'
Once more, Twilight was back in Canterlot. The slowly setting sun cast everything in the city in a red-orange light. The magnificent buildings didn't feel so welcoming now. Today, Canterlot was not the old home where she spent many wonderful years studying under her beloved teacher. Today, Canterlot was the mighty capital of Equestria: the home of their ruler, the most powerful pony in the entire world, and a testament to the unbroken centuries of her dominion. Canterlot had always been big, but this was the first time it made her feel very small.
On her back, Spike shivered slightly. "We're really going through with this, aren't we?" he asked.
"Yes," Twilight said. "Spike, it's not too late for you. You can go back and forget what I told you."
"I won't!" Spike said. "Especially if you won't. I've never met anypony from this 'Equestrian Legion', but if you believe that you have to do this, then I believe in you."
Twilight stopped briefly, nuzzling Spike while he clung to her neck. "Thank you, Spike. That means a lot."
Spike grinned. "Maybe we could stop at Donut Joe's first?" he asked. "They might be the last donuts we'll ever eat in 'the Heartland'."
"Spike!" Twilight replied with a groan.
"I'm just kidding!" Spike held out his claws, then looked around. "I could use a little humor, especially when all these buildings look like they're going to fall on me for going along with you."
Twilight made her way immediately to the Royal Palace. Had she taken Spike's suggestion, she would have vomited the donuts in her out of anxiety. This was the only thing she could do until it was over. She'd consider the doughnuts, or two dozen, if everything miraculously went well with Celestia.
Walking through what should be the familiar halls of the Royal Palace, she noticed details that had escaped her before. The white stone walls looked especially cold today. The halls and chambers looked much bigger and grander. The royal guards posted at the entrances looked especially stern.
Finally, Twilight reached the throne room and faced the long stairs that led to Princess Celestia's seat. Atop the stairs, the princess was as majestic as ever. Her colorful mane flowed around her despite the lack of wind, and her great, white-feathered wings fanned out from both sides of her body. She towered over everypony, and the elevation of her throne only heightened that great difference between her and the rest of her subjects. Here in the Heartland, to look upon the princess was to look up.
"Twilight, you've arrived," Celestia said. She gestured for the guards that flanked her throne to leave. In a moment, the throne room was empty.
The great doors behind Twilight clanged shut, the sound echoing within the empty room with a sense of finality. Hundreds of chances passed her by on her way to the palace to leave, to turn away from what she was about to ask, and she had ignored each one of them. There was no turning back now.
"Your last letter sounded very important," Celestia said. "What did you want to talk about?" Nothing had changed in the way she spoke. For all of Celestia's power and rank, Twilight had always been at ease with her. Their lessons had always been fun and their conversations casual.
She walked forward while Spike dismounted and followed by her side. She was determined to stay honest no matter the cost. "Your highness," Twilight said. "I came here to talk about the Equestrian Legion."
"Tell me again why we decided to come all the way out here to Canterlot."
With a slightly annoyed frown, Rarity directed the question at Pinkie Pie, who was happily leading the rest of her friends through the streets of Canterlot.
"Haven't you noticed how Twilight's been looking really stressed and acting really weird ever since she came back from wherever it was that she disappeared to?" Pinkie asked.
"I have," Rarity said. "I don't see where following her to Canterlot fits in."
"I figured that we can all surprise her and help her out. Maybe if we can help her with whatever she's doing, she won't need to go to Canterlot so often!"
"Or we could just be disturbing her, which will result in less of her work being done, making her have to come here even more." Pinkie's wide, uncomprehending grin was enough for Rarity to abandon the line of conversation.
"Rarity, if you don't think we should be doing this then why'd you come along?" Applejack asked.
"Well, she was acting strangely," Rarity replied. "And the odd questions she asked me in the party…I was curious."
"Um…girls?" Fluttershy looked around the city and edged closer to her friends for comfort. Canterlot was huge and bustling with activity. Much more so if compared to Ponyville. "How do we even find her here?"
Despite their better judgment, all of them turned towards the pony who brought them all here.
"I don't know!" Pinkie replied. "I didn't plan that far ahead!"
Several hooves encountered their respective faces.
"I know!" Rainbow Dash said. "Let's ask one of the guards. They're bound to know where she is!"
"Listen to what you're saying, darling," Rarity replied. "It's not like every royal guard in Canterlot knows who Twilight--"
Before Rarity could finish, Rainbow Dash had already flown towards a nearby pair of guards. When the rest of them came closer, one of the guards was already answering.
"Miss Sparkle? I saw her heading for the Royal Palace earlier. The previous shift said that she requested a private audience, so her highness booted everypony from the throne room. Makes me wonder why she even has-!"
The other guard nudged the talking one hard.
The guard shuffled in place. "Er…like I said, she should be in the Royal Palace." The two moved on after that.
"It's getting a little late, but let's wait for Twilight in the palace!" Pinkie said.
"Do you think that's alright?" Rarity asked. "Is the Royal Palace even open to the public, especially when it's getting close to nighttime?"
"Can't hurt to try," Applejack said. "We'll wait outside if they won't let us in."
The Royal Palace was bustling with activity when they got there, with guards in the middle of changing shifts and preparing for Princess Luna's moon raising. To their relief, they were allowed to enter, so long as they didn't get underhoof.
"Miss Sparkle is still in the throne room," another guard said when they asked him for directions. "Don't cause trouble while you wait. The next shift is getting antsy because they have to stand outside until she finishes. She hasn't caused this much of a commotion with the guards since that Cloud Conjuration incident." The guard shuddered before moving on.
"I take it back," Rarity muttered. "Every royal guard does know who Twilight is."
They reached the hall to the throne room, where a squad of royal guards was indeed waiting.
"Wonder what they could be talking about in there," Rainbow Dash said.
"Rainbow, put a damper on that train of thought," Applejack said. "Next thing you know you'll be--"
"Halt!" one of the guards shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"
The warning had come too late. Rainbow Dash had flown past the guards and put her ear to the double doors.
"How do you know about that?"
Twilight had expected a range of emotions from Princess Celestia: anger, surprise, disappointment. She hadn't expected a withering, despairing look that made her cringe on the spot. For a moment, the princess looked as if she was watching a nightmare come true. The urge to run nearly overpowered Twilight. "I…" She swallowed hard. "I broke the memory lock."
It was as if something had descended upon Princess Celestia and sucked away all her emotions. Twilight blinked and looked closer. Celestia appeared less vibrant. Even that colorful, flowing mane fell still. The silence made the throne room, which had always been a majestic sight, feel like a dungeon.
Finally, Celestia spoke in a subdued monotone. "My brother never liked using his magic. His legionnaires call him names like 'Trampler Terrato' or 'Bloody-hoofed Terrato' because of it." Her lips hardened into a grim line. "But that doesn't mean that his magic is weak. As strong as you are, you would have needed help; a trigger of some sort. What was it? Do you still have it?"
"It was--" Twilight inhaled sharply. Celestia would ask Terrato to find out to whom the emblem belonged, and it wouldn't be long before Captain Vanguard Clash faced punishment. As a legionnaire, he may come out of it worse than her. Celestia continued to stare at her. She had to give some answer. "I can't tell you," she said.
A hint of emotion finally crossed Celestia's face: disappointment. Twilight all but shrank on the spot. "You are protecting somepony," Celestia said. "I understand. Twilight, I cannot allow knowledge of Equestrian Legion to spread here. I won't ask you how you came upon it, but you must give me the trigger and submit to another memory lock. It's for the best."
"Why?"
Celestia tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Why would it be for the best?" Twilight asked. "This is why I came here today. Why must nopony in the Heartland know about the Equestrian Legion?"
"If it will convince you to submit to a memory lock, then I will tell you." Celestia descended the stairs. "When we first took it upon ourselves to rule Equestria, my siblings and I strove to protect all of ponykind. This realm was always been meant to be a safe haven for ponies, a place meant to nurture harmony."
Celestia's eyebrows furrowed deeply as she continued. Twilight shivered. She had never seen such a face, not even during her worst miscasting during their lessons.
"We never provoked anyone, but our neighbors attacked anyway."
"Why would they attack?" Twilight asked.
"Fenrir wanted Luna to be his bride." Celestia spoke as if she had the vilest taste stuck in her mouth. "When she refused, he declared that he would tear into Equestria to take her. Arugek hates anything that isn't an ursan, while Sesyth doesn't want neighbors, he wants a source of slaves and food. Despite their vicious and cruel ways, we kept all of them at bay." The venom in Celestia's tone dissipated, and her gaze fell to the floor. "But we were losing. Terrato led the Legion to one victory after another, but it wasn't enough to stop the loss."
"I don't understand," Twilight said. "You were protecting Equestria."
"I was protecting our territory," Celestia replied. "I was protecting everypony's body, but I also have to protect who we are. The constant fighting was an assault on our very identity. Ponies are creatures of harmony: of honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity, laughter, and magic. The war was destroying that identity and I could do nothing to stop it. You have been to the Barrier Lands. Did you see what the wolven were like?"
Twilight shivered and nodded. For a moment, she could almost hear those long, frightful howls and those savage snarls.
"Terrifying creatures." Celestia said. "Fenrir wants his subjects to be as vicious as possible and they are eager to please him. Yet, they are not what I fear most. The stuff of my nightmares is seeing my subjects become more and more like them. I've walked past a group of ponies while they talked about the best way to crush a wolven. I've listened to captains comparing how many ursans they have killed, then had them look to me for praise. I watched as a pony got shot to death with poison arrows, while the pony next to him shrugged and went on fighting." Celestia fell silent. When she spoke again, her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper. "I watched my own little sister clap excitedly while my brother told her how he stabbed out the eye of the King of Wolvengard. These were the things that we were losing Equestria to. These things kept me up at night. Sometimes, they still do. Something had to be done."
The last rays of the sun filtered through the throne room's great windows, casting them in red-orange hues one last time before darkness settled completely. The pale silver moonlight only served to deepen the already ominous shadows around the three.
"I am not all-powerful," Celestia said. "I had to accept that. I cannot wave a hoof and make all our enemies disappear. The Legion is needed and there must always be ponies to join it. So, I took as many as possible with me and created the Heartland. It was a hard decision, but it had to be made. Even those who were to be left outside believed that it had to be done."
Celestia looked at Twilight pleadingly. "Do you understand now?" she asked. "Sacrifices were made to protect Equestria. If you spread the knowledge of what the Legion is, they will all be for naught. Please, Twilight, give me the trigger and submit to another memory lock."
Twilight froze. It wasn't fear, it was hesitation. Spike reached out and grasped one of her forelegs. He looked up to her, wordlessly reminding her that he would go along with whatever decision she made. She couldn't ignore the part of her that wanted to agree with Princess Celestia. Perhaps she'd be better off trusting her mentor's decisions. But, try as she might, she couldn't listen to that part. "I can't," she said.
Celestia's eyes grew wide and her voice rose. "Twilight!"
"I understand why you did it, but I can't agree with you on this. No matter what kind of fate awaits ponykind, even if war does change us for the worst, we have to face it together. Not by leaving others behind and forgetting them. Please, princess, this division must stop. Your brother and the Legion stand strong in the Barrier Lands, but they will stand stronger with us! Please, take down your barrier and let everypony fight for our Equestria!"
Celestia trembled and stayed silent. Her face twisted and she shut her eyes tightly. When she opened them, fresh resolve restored her stern demeanor. "I won't. This is how things should be. You must understand, Twilight! Understand and go through the memory lock! Otherwise, I will be forced to banish you. I must sacrifice even my faithful student to protect Equestria."
And there it was. She had expected it, but to hear it actually come from Celestia left Twilight breathless. The throne room was silent, save for the hammering of her heart in her ears. Her life in the Heartland flashed before her: her days being with her parents, her days studying in Canterlot, her days in Ponyville…
"I'm going to miss this place," Twilight whispered. She looked at Princess Celestia, her mentor and dear friend, and tried to muster a weak smile. "And I'm going to miss you. But I can't just turn a blind eye and walk away. I just can't."
A trickle of tears flowed from Celestia's face, dropping forlornly unto the cold, white stone floor. Twilight's own tears joined them in a heartbeat. Spike looked away, sniffling as he buried his face in his claws. For some time, they simply wept.
The tears stopped and Celestia raised herself to full height, her face stern in judgment. When she spoke, it was in the traditional way of a princess addressing a subject. "Then so be it." Her words echoed across the throne room. "For Equestria's sake, Twilight Sparkle, you are hereby banished to the Barrier Lands." Her face softened and her voice cracked. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But you've left me no other choice."
"Wait!"
A streak of rainbow colors burst through the doors.
Twilight gasped. "Rainbow Dash!"
"Your highness, please don't do this!" Rainbow Dash cried out. She bowed so low that her forehead touched the floor. "Whatever Twilight did, please forgive her. Please don't banish her!"
A royal guard flew in and pinned Rainbow to the ground. "Stop right there, pegasus pony!" he snarled. "Your spree is at an end!"
"This is bad," Spike said. "If Rainbow's here then--"
Twilight turned around just in time to see the rest of her friends charge in. Princess Celestia gestured at the guard, who let Rainbow Dash get up.
"Is Dash right, Twilight?" Applejack asked as she came running up to them. All of their friends followed soon after. They stood in a protective circle around Twilight. "Are you getting banished?"
"What could you have possibly done to merit such punishment?" Rarity asked. She turned towards Celestia and bowed. "I also respectfully ask for reconsideration, your highness."
"I do not wish to do this," Celestia replied. "It is Twilight who has chosen this fate."
The other ponies looked to Twilight, eyes quietly asking for an explanation.
"I can't tell you," Twilight said. "Or you'll be dragged into this too!"
"I'm not getting dragged anywhere!" Applejack replied. "I'm jumping right in! Spill the beans, Twilight!"
When Twilight refused to answer, Rainbow Dash stepped in. "Who cares what she's done?" she asked. "If Twilight's getting banished then…then I'm going with her!"
Twilight gasped. "Rainbow, no! Don't do this!"
"I'm going too!" Applejack added. “Whatever happens, I’m with Twilight through and through.”
"And I as well," Rarity said. "If this is our fate, so be it!"
"I…I'm going if my friends are," Fluttershy said.
"Count me in!" Pinkie chimed in. "Can we throw a farewell party first? Banishment party?"
Upon seeing Twilight's horrified expression, Celestia spoke again. "Now you have a taste of the kind of decisions I must make. Are you still so willing to stand your ground in this when your friends must share your fate?"
Twilight quailed at the thought of involving all her friends in her banishment. Could she do this? How could she even live in banishment with all the guilt? She looked at each of them. "Don't do this!" she implored. “I can’t have you all be dragged into this!”
"We'll go through this together!" Applejack said. "I ain't leaving ya hanging. Not now, not ever!"
"But you have family! They'll miss you!"
Applejack hesitated for a moment, but her determination returned quickly. "They still have each other. I'm not letting you go on alone."
"But you don't even know why I'm getting banished! Or where I'm being banished to!"
"Doesn't matter!" Rainbow Dash said. "If you believe in it, that's good enough for me. I'm with you, Twilight!"
"And don't you go back on your decision either," Rarity said. "This is a sacrifice we're willing to make. Don't turn it around and give up on what you believe in because we held you back."
"Everyone…" Twilight sniffed and choked. "Everyone please…" One more look at their determined faces and she gave up. Her voice quivering, she stood at their center and faced her mentor. "I won't change my mind. Just as I said, no matter what fate we face, we face it together. This is how ponies should be."
Celestia looked away. Already, her horn glowed a brilliant white light. The royal guards stepped back, fearful of the punishment their princess was about to inflict.
"Is there anywhere in the Barrier Lands you wish to go?" Celestia asked.
Twilight knew her answer right away. "Fangbreaker Fortress."
Princess Celestia waved her horn above them, surrounding them in a nimbus of brilliant white light.
"Well, at least Rarity's coming," Spike muttered. "Barrier Lands, here we come!"
A flash of magic seared away the sight of Celestia's emotionless gaze.
Once more, Twilight found herself on the wings of a powerful teleportation spell. This time, she knew exactly where she was going and why. Celestia's spell was perfectly precise: no falling on anything or anyone. She was standing on a stone floor as soon as she felt the spell recede. It was only a matter of time before the glare gave way.
"Where are we?" Spike asked as he rubbed his eyes.
Twilight was already looked around while her friends were still adjusting. They weren't used to even short teleportations, let alone a long distance one. They were in the same audience chamber where she met Prince Terrato, but it was empty this time. "Fangbreaker Fortress." she answered.
"Fang-breaking what?" Applejack asked. She looked like she was about to throw up.
"I can't believe we actually went through that," Rarity said. "I just hope we're somewhere civilized."
Before Twilight could reply, the doors to the audience chamber burst open. She turned towards the sound, expecting to encounter some guards.
A trio of snarling wolven spotted them and charged.
The wolven were a good thirty feet away when they spotted Twilight's group. She blinked once and they had already closed three quarters of that distance. With the rest still groggy and dazed, only Rarity seemed coherent enough to react. Without a single moment to spare, Twilight cast the first spell that came to mind.
A mass of black hair sprouted all over the lead wolven's snout.
Twilight's heart nearly stopped at the botched spell. Fortunately for her, the sudden growth around its nose startled the lead wolven enough to slow down. The two behind it nearly crashed into their leader, allowing her to get another spell off. This time, the lead wolven levitated, surrounded by a purple nimbus of light. Twilight hurled it towards other two, sending all of them tumbling to the ground. "Run!" she shouted at her friends. Already, the wolven were rising and snarling at them.
The urgency in Twilight's voice snapped the rest of them out of their daze. Rarity took one look at the enormous, lupine creatures coming at them before grabbing a hold of her nearest friend. "You can vomit later, Applejack," she said as she tried to get Applejack onto her hooves. "Right now, we need to run!"
Applejack tried to run, only to lurch to her left. Rarity caught her before she could fall over, proceeding to half-drag and half-carry her to the doors. Behind her, both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had recovered enough to follow suit while supporting Pinkie Pie, who was doing her best to run…in the opposite direction.
With her friends needing more time, Twilight continued to face the trio of wolven. As expected, she was straining to use her magic outside of the Heartland. One of the wolven jumped at her while the two circled around trying to either surround her or get to her vulnerable friends. She caught the charging wolven in her telekinetic grip, and hesitated for a second. She couldn't repeat the same tactic over and over. The wolven were already learning. They had separated to avoid being knocked down as a group, and she was going to tire long before they did.
"What are you waiting for? Beat it against the ground until it's dead!"
Twilight stunned the floating wolven by smashing it against the stone floor head first. She hurled it towards one of the circling wolven, knocking them over. When the third jumped at her from her side, she ducked and hoped for the best. Its leap carried it past her without letting it get a bite in.
A sudden, sharp pain struck Twilight's back as the wolven's shadow crossed the floor beneath her. It jolted her train of thought, and sapped the strength from her knees. Something wet and sticky ran down her side and dripped onto the floor. She didn't need to look to know what it was. Despite the pain, she struggled to her hooves, and looked for her friends. The others had made it to the doors at last. Panic and relief fought within her as she limped towards them as fast as she could.
"Twilight, look out!" Rarity cried out. Letting Applejack go, she rushed towards Twilight. The wolven had recovered, and were in hot pursuit. A faint light blue glow surrounded one of them. The telekinetically gripped wolven merely growled in annoyance, only slowed down a bit from the blue magic. Beads of sweat formed around Rarity's forehead as she struggled to maintain the spell, but she couldn't even lift a single paw.
"Run, Rarity!" Twilight tried to shout, but her warning came out weak and strained. "Our magic is weakened here, just run!"
Rainbow left Pinkie with Fluttershy and flew to Twilight's support. They managed to get to the hallway with the wolven just a few feet away.
"What are you ponies still doing here?" somepony shouted. "Get to the-- Terrato's broken horn, they've made it this far already!"
A pair of heavily-barded ponies charged into the fray. One of them crashed into the mustache-sporting wolven just as it was about to land on Twilight. Fangs and claws scraped against metal plating as the guard slammed the wolven against a wall. The other two wolven switched from the seemingly helpless, fleeing prey to the armored threats. The second guard followed his comrade, positioning his back against the other guard and rearing up to keep the other two at bay. "Move, ponies!" he yelled. "Get to the evacuation area!"
Twilight led the group as they ran for it. Evacuation area? Her friends didn't even know where they were! She had only seen this place once! They were going to get lost if the wolven didn't find them and tear them apart. To make matters worse, she was hurt, and she was slowing the others while drops of blood trickled from her back.
Atop Applejack, Spike watched Twilight with concern. "Twilight!" he called out. "Do you know where we should go?"
"I've only been here once." Twilight answered as they rounded one corner. "I think…" She tried get her bearings, beating back the rising panic. "I think I can get us to the courtyard from here. If the fort is under attack, there will be more wolven there, but we can also find some ponies who'll know!"
The wound on Twilight's shoulder ached whenever she put her weight on her right foreleg, but she gritted her teeth through the pain and limped ahead, passing through one hallway after another. With each turn, she looked around quickly, making snap decisions based on the one time she had been through the place. She also listened closely for the sounds of ongoing battles to determine if she was heading where she needed to go. There were no ponies in the hallways she passed through and, with each corner she turned, she dreaded seeing more wolven. She was panting already when they descended a flight of stairs. That was when Fluttershy started running next to her.
"Twilight," Fluttershy said, "we need to bandage your wound."
"With what?" Twilight asked as she looked around. This hallway looked particularly familiar. They were getting close. The sounds of fighting were also getting louder. "We don't have anything to bandage it with, and we don't have time to stop."
"But-but it's all over the floor!"
Twilight looked behind her to find a thin trail of her blood. She had left an obvious trail for anything to follow her. She was also starting to feel a little lightheaded. Each step she took with her right foreleg sent bolts of pain running through her shoulder. If they didn't find help soon, they would be in even greater danger. "No time," she said. "Now, this way."
Upon finally coming to the entrance hall, they skidded to a stop at the sight.
The main doors had been broken apart. Splinters of wood were scattered across the floor. An enormous battle raged before them. Fearsome snarls and angry neighing mixed with the scraping of claws against metal barding and the cries of the injured, turning into a deafening cacophony that pressed against them. Everywhere they looked, ponies and wolven were locked in fierce combat. One barded pony knocked down a wolven and reared up to bring his hooves down on his opponent's skull. A pair of wolven clamped their enormous jaws on another pony's neck and leg to drag him to the ground.
"Where are we?" Rainbow Dash cried out over the din. "What's going on?" Her voice was barely audible. The others could only stare in wide-eyed terror.
One look told Twilight what was going on. This was a losing battle. More wolven were pouring into the courtyard. It wouldn't be long until the ponies were overwhelmed. To her shock, all three of the fort's mighty gates had been blasted apart. Enormous gouts of flame lit up the night, bathing the scene of carnage in a red-orange glow. Despite the ponies' efforts, groups of wolven managed to break through and run into the fort.
"We can't go through this way..." Twilight said. She didn't know if her friends heard her, she barely had the strength to keep standing. "…there has to be some…some kind of back door."
"Twilight, watch out!" Spike shouted.
Twilight looked ahead in time to see a wolven jump at her. Its claws were a foot away and about to gouge her face off. She shut her eyes, and prepared for the pain.
But the pain didn't come. When Twilight opened her eyes again, she was looking at the black-barded side of a pony. The wolven that had charged at her lay on the ground, its gut sliced open by an enormous blade. She looked at the two-bladed sword clamped between her rescuer's teeth.
"Vanguard Clash!" she said.
Vanguard turned to face her. Something was wrong. His barding looked distorted in some places, as if some of the plates had been partly melted. He was panting heavily, and beads of sweat dripped from between the plates of his armor. "You're hurt," she said. Her vision started blurring as she fought to stay conscious.
"And you're bleeding," Vanguard mumbled through his weapon. To see Twilight Sparkle once more stove off the pain and fatigue for just a little while longer.
Twilight was right: he was hurt. But the pain of his burns meant nothing compared to the sting of his failure. He had left the wolven camp as soon as he could put one hoof in front of the other, donned his barding, and made his way desperately back to Fangbreaker Fortress. His injuries slowed him down, and he had arrived too late. He had to skirt around the gathered wolven, then kill several of them just to get into the fort. Once inside, he had decided that he was going to defend the fortress to the death as penance for failing.
Seeing Twilight changed that. Whatever the reason why, she was back. His priority now was to get her to safety. Without another word, he put his head underneath her and lifted her up to his back. Twilight didn't protest, which only served to make her state even more worrisome. A group of ponies ran up to him. He didn't recognize any of them, but a quick look to their flanks gave enough of a clue.
"Are you her friends?" he asked after replacing his weapon. He didn’t bother waiting for their reply as he turned and galloped. “Follow me!” he called out to them.
A sky blue pegasus with a bizarre, rainbow-colored mane flew up to Vanguard as he ran. "Wait, who are you? How can we trust you?"
"Introductions later," Vanguard said. "Let's get you out of this fort first. It's me or the wolven. Your choice."
He galloped toward one of the designated evacuation areas, Twilight’s friends following behind him. He was lucky that he even remembered where they were. Back in training, he had been inclined to forget about them. As if there was going to be a time when Fangbreaker Fortress had to be abandoned...
A yellow pegasus looked at him in concern. "We need to bandage Twilight's wound," she said.
"What's that creature on the orange one's back?" he asked. "Put him on mine please."
"I'm Spike!" the creature said as the yellow pegasus placed him on Vanguard's back. "And I'm a dragon!"
"Tear off strips of my caparison and use those for bandaging," Vanguard replied.
"Capri-what?"
"The cloth around my legs. Climb down my armor and tear off pieces of it. Go!"
The plan was shoddy at best. Vanguard's caparison was a tattered, badly burned mess. Spike would have to make do to patch Twilight up temporarily while they got her to some medics. The very small dragon also had to be careful not to fall off or risk being accidentally stepped on as they ran.
Finally, they emerged from the back of the fortress. Still atop the hill, they saw a long line of ponies fleeing southward to Bastion City. Squads of pegasi flew above them, with many carrying the wounded in stretchers.
"We made it!" the rainbow-maned pony exclaimed. She let out a long exhale.
"Not yet," Vanguard said. He pointed at the pegasi and looked back at her. "Think you can catch up with them?"
"Is that a challenge?" she replied. "Sure I can!"
"Good. Tell them we have wounded, and see if they have some spare wings to fly Twilight out of here."
The rainbow-maned pony looked a little irked by the orders, but she took a single glance at Twilight, who was draped over Vanguard with her eyes barely open, then nodded. She soared towards her target, leaving behind a prismatic streak. 'She's going to give Scarlet a run for his bits,' he thought. He focused on the rest of the ponies still with him. "Let's go."
About half an hour had passed since Vanguard helped Twilight and her friends escape the fallen fort. By then, the fighting lessened significantly as the wolven began occupying.
The rainbow-maned pony had returned earlier with a pair of pegasi. They put Twilight on a stretcher, and flew her ahead. Spike had asked to come along to accompany Twilight, while his two pegasi friends opted to stay with the group.
With the fortress a good distance behind and no pursuing wolven in sight, Vanguard had slowed from a hard gallop to a trot. The half moon out tonight did not help much with the poor visibility. He followed the lit torches from the distant fleeing ponies and hoped that he didn't run into too many obstacles.
With the excitement gone, exhaustion began to settle. Vanguard's burns were hurting from all the exertion. He was about to drop, but they were coming closer to the main line of Fangbreaker's retreating forces and he needed to protect these ponies. While he kept a calm exterior, he was fighting through each step.
"Excuse me, good sir," somepony said.
Vanguard looked back in time to see one of Twilight’s friends, a white unicorn mare, come up to him. "Yes?" he asked.
"Now that we're a good distance from the danger, perhaps we can introduce ourselves? We would dearly like to know a lot of things."
"My name is Captain Vanguard Clash of the Northern Equestrian Legion," he replied. "You are?"
The white unicorn looked at Vanguard blankly at first. He had expected that. "Northern Equestrian Legion" likely flew past her as surely as one of her pegasi friends. She recovered swiftly, however. "My name is Rarity," she said. "Pleased to meet you, Captain Clash."
Vanguard raised an eyebrow. This pony had just found herself in a strange land and came under attack by strange creatures. Her friend had been badly injured and had to be flown off for treatment, but she spoke to him with an earnest formality. 'This must be a chosen noble,' he thought. The carefully combed curls of her mane reinforced his guess.
"The name's Applejack," the orange pony behind Rarity said. "Could you tell me where in the hay we are? It's bad enough that we've been banished, but banished to the middle of a giant scrap between ponies and…what did you call those monsters again? Wolven?"
"My sympathies for your banishment," Vanguard answered. Applejack just confirmed what he had been fearing since he saw Twilight Sparkle again. "You're in the Barrier Lands, the realm outside the Equestria you know." He studied Applejack a little. Here was a direct contrast to Rarity, a pony who was a little rough at everything from appearance to manners.
The other ponies began to introduce themselves. The rainbow-maned pony was Rainbow Dash, and the pink one with a poofy mane was Pinkie Pie. After a little coaxing, the yellow pegasus introduced herself as Fluttershy. With the introductions out of the way, they resumed trotting in silence.
Several minutes passed when Fluttershy spoke up. Her voice was so weak that Vanguard thought she was just talking to herself. It was only when she approached him and repeated what she was saying did he realize that she was talking to him.
"Those ponies lying on the ground…" she said. "They were just tired right? They got tired of fighting, and had to lie down?"
"They're dead," Vanguard answered. Fluttershy wilted on the spot. Her eyes focused on the ground while her lips quivered. It wasn't just Fluttershy either. The answer weighed down on each of Twilight's friends like a thick shroud. He softened his tone when he replied again, aware that his dog's growl of a voice served him poorly when dealing with ponies. He was a little thankful that Fluttershy had not seen what the wolven did to ponies after killing them. "We will mourn for them later, Fluttershy," he told her as gently as he could. "For now, let us be thankful that we're alive. Then, we will make sure that they didn't die for nothing. When all of that is done, we mourn."
"But why were they fighting anyway?" Pinkie Pie asked. There was something in her voice that seemed incredibly subdued. She was likely far more used to shouting with joy than talking like this.
"We fight to defend Equestria," Vanguard replied. "That fortress has been protecting the north for more than a thousand years."
"But we just lost it!" Pinkie said.
"There's been a betrayal," Vanguard growled. The blazing gates were a clear sign of the culprit. The other ponies quickly noticed his mood and backed away slightly. "Somepony will pay for this."
Vanguard looked on ahead, cutting off any more discussion among them. They had finally caught up with the rest of Fangbreaker's forces. For now, they had to rest up and take stock. He had a report to make to Commander Dreadstep, if the pony was still alive, then he would be off to the medics to have his burns treated and to see how Twilight Sparkle was doing.
The long retreat to Bastion City was the most draining and oppressive journey the survivors of Fangbreaker had ever taken. The distance itself was not great, neither was the speed that they were traversing it as the wolven had not given chase. It was the weight of defeat that hung over them that sapped their strength. It felt like a dark cloud that blotted out even the stars. Eventually, orders to stop for the night were passed. Sentries were quickly posted while several ponies collapsed in sheer exhaustion. Even as tents and campfires began to appear, there were still pegasi flying in with wounded.
Everything had been a flurry of activity when they had been under attack. It started with the horde of wolven gathering in front of Fangbreaker. The tense vigil quickly turned into a confused and desperate battle when a massive explosion shattered the innermost gates. When legionnaires came running to respond, all they saw was a thick bank of black smoke roiling from the courtyard towards the second gates. Another explosion followed, then two pairs of gates had been reduced to blazing wreckage. Everypony flung what they could at the smoke: spells, arrows…a few even charged in. Nothing had worked. Those who had run in never came out. When the outer gates collapsed into a burning ruin, the wolven charged in. What followed soon after was carnage that would haunt those who survived it.
Something worse than fatigue had also caught up with the survivors; they had lost their fortress. The Legion had defended Fangbreaker for more than a thousand years. Generation after generation of their ancestors had proudly kept the wolven at bay through its walls, and it was their generation that had failed. More than a few ponies were beginning to wonder if death in Fangbreaker's defense was a better fate than facing the shame of losing it. Worse, so many died trying to hold it long enough for the others to retreat. With Fangbreaker fallen, the wolven had a foothold into Equestria itself. The northern front could start to split apart at the seams.
With all these things troubling the survivors, it was no surprise that nopony paid much heed to the group of ponies that had just joined them. If they had, it would have been a strange sight indeed. Among the legionnaires walked five chosen ponies led by a Special Operations captain who had just recently been reported dead.
Vanguard Clash led Twilight's friends past the sentries. They trudged on slowly, even Rainbow, who had been the most energetic among them. The way they were constantly glancing around told him what else weighed in their minds. "Let's get to the medics," he told them. "Twilight should be there."
They nodded. More out of necessity than anything else. They had just survived a battle against monsters that they had no idea existed. They were lost, and surrounded by strangers in a land thousands of miles from anywhere they knew. He was the only pony around they could remotely trust.
They were holding up well, however. Perhaps concern for Twilight blotted out their other worries. Vanguard was worried as well. It should be easy enough to spot where the medics had stationed. All he had to look for was where the squads of pegasi were carrying their stretchers to. The makeshift ward turned up to be near the center of the camp.
They stared at a veritable sea of stretchers and makeshift beds. Moans and cries of pain mixed with orders being shouted as a small group of ponies in white coats moved from one injured pony to another. The air smelled strongly of blood, burned flesh, and brandy.
A barrage of swearing and scolding from a furious stallion rose above the pained cries. Vanguard turned towards Twilight's friends. "Looks like Redbrand made it out alive," he said. "Try not to get underhoof, or he'll kick you out of camp."
They searched the ward for Twilight while staying clear of the medics. Finally, they spotted her near the edge of the ward. Spike had also noticed them, and was waving both claws in the air.
"About time you got here!" Spike said. "I thought something bad happened to you on the way!"
"How's Twilight?" Vanguard asked.
"I'll be fine," was the weak reply. Twilight lay on a makeshift bed which was barely more than a thin piece of canvas. Her shoulder had been tightly wrapped in bandages. Her friends quickly surrounded her.
"You sure you're alright?" Applejack asked
"I was so worried!" Pinkie added.
"I'm alright," Twilight replied. "I'm sorry I made you all worry."
"You're darn tootin' right we worried!" Applejack said. "Just what were you thinking jumping in front of those monsters, girl?"
"You gotta admit, it was pretty cool!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Cool and stupid," Applejack retorted. "You better not be thinking of trying it out, Rainbow!"
"She can't," Pinkie said. "She can't make things float!"
"How did things go when you got here?" Vanguard asked Spike. "Did her cutie mark cause some trouble?"
"No," Spike said. "The doctor yelled at Twilight for getting hurt, though. When he found out who bandaged her, he yelled at me. Then he yelled at one of his assistants for using too much bandages when they replaced the ones I put."
"He only yelled at you?" Vanguard asked. "He's in a surprisingly good mood after all this."
Watching her friends brought a smile to Twilight. She looked past her friends and towards Vanguard while he stayed at the edge of the circle they formed. "Looks like I owe you my life again," she said.
"Do you?" Vanguard asked. He approached Twilight, her friends parting to let him see her.
Twilight nodded, and tried to muster a smile. "Yes." Her eyes narrowed. "Are you alright? You look like you're about to collapse."
"Then set my mind at ease so I can rest," Vanguard replied. "Why have you come back to this place?"
The smile disappeared from Twilight's face. She cast her gaze downwards.
"Come back to this place?" Applejack asked. "You mean you've been here before?"
The question came as a surprise. So Twilight's friends didn't even know why she was banished? A small part of Vanguard considered their banishment resulting from her recklessness foolhardy, but, for the most part, he admired their loyalty. As strong as Twilight may be, she would not be able to endure the crushing loneliness of exile by herself.
"When I disappeared the last time, I ended up in this place," Twilight told Applejack. She faced Vanguard as she continued. "I broke Prince Terrato's memory lock. Afterwards, I tried to get Princess Celestia to tell everypony about the Barrier Lands." Her voice lowered. "She refused, and asked me to go through another memory lock. When I refused…she banished me."
"Then we went along with her," Rainbow Dash added. "There was no way we were letting Twilight be banished by herself!"
The answer all but knocked the breath from Vanguard. His legs finally gave way, forcing him to fall to his knees. "You idiot," he said softly, "why would you do such a thing?" Spike tried to support him as he fell, but he was too heavy for the small dragon.
Twilight's eyes widened. "It was the right thing to do! Isn't that why you gave me that emblem?"
"So he gave you that thing," Spike muttered. He undid some of the latches that kept Vanguard's champron in place, and let the piece fall to the ground.
Vanguard's lips settled into a grim line. Twilight and her friends did their best to hide their reactions, but he had gotten pretty good at spotting the discomfort he provoked. His gray coat and curly black mane would not be issues; his eyes were a different matter. They were slit, and so brightly red that they gave the impression of glowing in the dark. The bandages wrapped around his head, a portion of his lower jaw, and his neck were also plain to see.
"You are hurt," Twilight said.
"Princess Celestia has had more than a thousand years to entrench herself in her position," Vanguard said. "Did you really think you could move her by talking?"
Twilight's scowl deepened. "It wasn't a matter of whether I could make her change her mind," she said. "Somepony still had to say something. I thought that you'd appreciate that I still tried!"
"Your life has been ruined, Twilight Sparkle, and I am to blame. I missed the part where I should be jumping with joy."
"Don't martyr yourself!" Twilight snapped. She refused to meet Vanguard's gaze. "I had plenty of chances to walk away, but I didn't. I'm here because I chose to be here."
Both of them became silent. After a few more awkward moments, Rarity cleared her throat. "Well…" she said. "There's really nothing to be done about that. What's done is done. Perhaps we should start thinking about what's going to happen to us now?"
Vanguard turned his attention to Twilight's friends. "The Barrier Lands are your home now," he told them. "You might have noticed that it's under attack. I suggest that you help defend it."
As if on cue, they heard the long, dolorous howls of the wolven coming from the distant fortress.
"Has anyone seen Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked.
All of them looked around in alarm.
Fluttershy was gone.
Seeing that Twilight was fine brought a great deal of much needed relief to Fluttershy. Everything had been going so terribly today: being banished, Twilight getting hurt, seeing ponies…die. It was almost more than she could bear.
"Coming through!" somepony called out.
Fluttershy edged closer to her friends as a pair of stretcher-bearing pegasi flew past her. Another pegasus was lay on the stretcher, moaning while he raised a badly bent foreleg in the air. "Oh my," she said. She flew over to take a closer look. "What happened to him?"
One of the carriers squinted at her before replying. "Bolter clipped one of his wings, ma'am. He crashed just outside the fort. He's lucky we found him."
Fluttershy flew over to the injured pony's side. The bones in his leg had snapped. They would have to be properly set in a splint if he was ever going to use the leg again. She spotted a roll of bandages on the ground nearby. Nopony seemed to have noticed it, just as nopony seemed to have noticed the newly-arrived patient. The ponies running the ward were clearly understaffed and swamped with work. If she didn't help this pony, he would probably have to wait for a while with his broken leg. "Do you have something we can use for a splint?" she asked the two pegasi.
"Uh…you can use this leather sheath," one of them said. "I was going to have it replaced anyway. It's a bit worn." He unfastened a short blade from his harness and unsheathed it, offering the sheath to Fluttershy.
The leather casing was just long and hard enough to be useful. Fluttershy went to work. "This is going to hurt a little, okay?" she told the injured pegasus soothingly. He nodded and grit his teeth as she set the bone in place. Once that was done, she put the splint in place, wrapping the leg carefully.
"We'll just set him over there," one of the pegasus carriers said. They flew the newly-bandaged pony over to the long line of laid out patients.
Pleased with her success, Fluttershy was about to rejoin her friends when she heard somepony shouting.
"You there! Pink-mane! Get over here!"
Fluttershy looked around to see who was yelling. One of the ponies working in the ward was looking at her and shouting. She pointed to herself and looked at him curiously, silently asking if he meant her.
"Yes, you!" the pony shouted. "Get your ridiculously flowery mane over here!"
Fluttershy flew over to him. The pony who had been calling her was a dark brown earth pony with a short very dark blue mane that he kept slick and brushed up so that it stuck to his neck and out of his face. He was standing next to another pegasus who was laid up on the ground. To Fluttershy's horror, a large piece of wood stuck out of the pegasus's flank. Thick gobs of blood oozed from the wound. She tore her eyes away and faced the stallion. "Y-yes?" she asked.
"I'm going to pull that bolt out," the stallion said. "You see that piece of metal I've been heating over there?" He pointed to a small fire nearby. One end of a long, rectangular bar of metal had been placed over it. "Take the heated end and cauterize the wound before he bleeds out."
"C-cauterize?" she asked.
"Yes, cauterize!" he snapped. "Do it while I hold him down. This idiot's a real bucker. He'll go nuts once he feels his flank is on fire. Take the brand and burn the wound shut before it makes a damn puddle in my ward! Are you ready?" He put a hoof over the bolt and looked at her.
"N-no…" Fluttershy squeaked as she tried to slowly back out.
"That brand's going to stick to his flank or it's going up yours, filly," the stallion snarled. "He's going to die while you stutter, so move it!"
Fluttershy nearly bolted. Blinking away tears, she picked up the cold end of the brand with her mouth. As soon as she approached, the stallion pulled the bolt out. Blood spurted from the wound and the injured pony grunted in pain. Fluttershy's stomach violently protested. The brand wobbled in her mouth while she desperately tried to keep it together.
"Do it!" the stallion shouted.
Fluttershy suppressed the urge to close her eyes, and stuck the white-hot end to the wound. The blood around it started to sizzle. The wounded pegasus struggled violently while the stallion held him down.
"Keep it in there until you smell him roasting, pink-mane!" the stallion shouted.
As soon as awful stench of burned flesh hit Fluttershy's nostrils, she let the brand go. The piece of metal fell to the ground with a clatter.
The stallion let go of the pegasus to pick the brand up. "Don't waste a heated brand, pink-mane," he said, "we might have more cauterizing to do. Bandages are almost gone."
"I'm gonna get you for lighting my flank on fire, filly," the wounded pegasus hissed between his teeth.
The stallion smacked the pegasus's head with a hoof. "Shut your prince-damned mouth, Updraft!" he snapped. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't parading your giant flank for the wolven to shoot at!"
"Can I at least get a mouthful from that flask you've got there?" Updraft asked weakly.
"You just threatened one of my assistants, feather-head, I wouldn't give you my piss in a cup."
Still grumbling, Updraft settled down. The stallion turned towards Fluttershy. "Name's Redbrand," he said. "I'm in charge Fangbreaker's medical staff. Or what's left of it anyway. Who are you?"
"M-my name is Fluttershy."
"Speak up, you wallflower! I can't hear you over all the moaning!"
"It's Fluttershy!".
"Take this kit then, Fluttershy," Redbrand said as he handed a small suitcase to her. "We've got a long night ahead of us."
The medical ward eventually settled down. The squads of pegasi stopped flying in and the injured went to sleep.
Among them, two ponies were laid up next to each other. With her bound up shoulder, Twilight stared up at the sky, studying the stars that she had just realized were the same as the ones in the Heartland. Spike was nestled against her, dozing away. A foot away from her was Vanguard Clash. His armor had been removed, revealing the extent of his injuries. His entire torso was wrapped in bandages. How he even managed to stay standing for so long was a mystery. One of the medics had removed the bandages to see what had happened, giving her a view of burned patches all along one side of his coat.
"So what happened to you?" Twilight asked. She avoided looking at Vanguard. She was still a little cross at him for calling her an idiot.
"Pyre and I got into a little disagreement about me giving you my emblem," Vanguard replied. "The burns came with her witty rebuttal."
Twilight looked at Vanguard to see if he was just joking. He wasn't. The image of an angry Pyre Valor hurling a fireball came to her mind. Would even the combative unicorn attack her own captain? "It's my fault then," she said. "I'm sorry."
"Don't martyr yourself," he replied.
They fell silent. Twilight's friends huddled together at a distance. When they saw Fluttershy helping out in the ward, they decided to leave her be. Especially since the pony in charge was constantly yelling and looked like he would kick their faces off if they bothered anypony in the ward.
"Twilight," Vanguard said.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry that you and your friends have been banished and that your return is just in time to see the start of the worst crisis the Northern Legion's faced for hundreds of years."
"I've already told you, that's--"
"-but I am glad to see you again."
Twilight kept a smile from spreading across her muzzle and settled for stargazing once more. "Let's just get some sleep," she said. She realized that the night would be over soon and tomorrow would mark her first day as part of the Barrier Lands.
Fangbreaker's survivors moved out at the first rays of dawn. Dark clouds were gathering and icy winds were blowing from Wolvengard. The Northern Barrier Land's short summer was already over. They needed to get to Bastion City before Fenrir's wintry fangs fell upon them.
Despite his injuries, Vanguard was up with the dawn. Those in the ward strong enough to get moving were already doing so, lest Chief Medical Officer Redbrand catch them wasting time. Twilight Sparkle and Spike still dozed near him. He moved away quietly to let them get a few more minutes of sleep. They had been through a lot in a short amount of time.
Vanguard found the others still asleep together just outside the ward. Most of them anyway. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, had huddled together for warmth and security. Two of Twilight's friends weren't there. Fluttershy was asleep along with four of Redbrand's medics. Redbrand himself was sitting nearby, watching them morosely with an open flask in his hoof. Vanguard couldn't blame the stallion for still being grouchy. Redbrand was staring at his entire medical staff at the moment and one of them was just a volunteer.
One of Twilight's friends was still unaccounted for. A quick inspection of Vanguard's gear revealed that something else was unaccounted for. It didn't take a lot of thinking to conclude that he was going to find the two together. Sure enough, he found Rainbow Dash up in the air nearby with his still-sheathed two-bladed sword clamped between her jaws. She flitted about, swiping away at imaginary foes even as he approached her. It was a miracle that nopony had spotted her so far.
"Out here, it's impolite to take somepony's weapon without permission," he said.
Rainbow Dash nearly dropped the two-bladed sword. She whirled at the sound of Vanguard's voice, then descended in front of him with a sheepish look. She placed the weapon in front of him and backed away. "Oh, sorry," she said with a grin. "I just wanted to try it out. You looked pretty cool with it while you were saving Twilight last night. It's really heavy, though! Don't you find it hard to fight with it?"
"It gets easier with practice," Vanguard said. "Strong jaws also run in my family." Rainbow Dash's strange coloring still left him a little unsettled. She had a small, lean build, but she made up for it with sheer energy. He still remembered her quick flight from last night. "Does fighting interest you, Rainbow Dash?" he asked.
"Yeah," Rainbow answered. "If I wasn't going to join the Wonderbolts, I was thinking of joining the Royal Guard! Although, I've never seen the Royal Guard actually fight. Why'd you ask?"
"The Legion's always recruiting," Vanguard said. "Especially now, given our losses."
"You mean I actually have to sign up?" she asked, eyes wide. "I thought that, since we're going to be living here from now on, we're already a part of the army!"
Vanguard raised an eyebrow. "We do have a civilian sector," he said. "Somepony still has to plant crops, mine ore, and do various other jobs."
"Well, I'm not the planting or mining type!"
"What was your job in the Heartland then?" he asked.
"I was a weather pegasus." Rainbow Dash puffed her chest up. "And the best one at that! I could clear the sky in ten seconds flat!"
Vanguard stared blankly at Rainbow Dash. "Weather pegasus?" he asked. "Clear the skies of what? Birds? I suppose that would be useful around statuary."
"Clouds, duh," Rainbow retorted. "Speaking of clouds, somepony should tell your weather pegasi to lay off the cold winds and overcast skies. I don't think it's good for retreating across this plain."
"We don't have weather pegasi," Vanguard said. "You mean to tell me that the weather in the Heartland is…managed by ponies?"
Rainbow looked to her sides and then above her. "Oh no…don't tell me this is like the Everfree Forest. Clouds moving by themselves…that is so creepy."
"The weather takes care of itself," Vanguard said. "No job opening for weather pegasi here, but I'm sure Reconnaissance could use you."
"Sign me up then, sir!" Rainbow answered with a salute.
Vanguard smiled. "Why don't we see what your friends have planned first?" he asked. He glanced back at the sleeping medics. "It does look like Redbrand's already recruited Fluttershy into Medical."
"Fluttershy taking care of the injured," Rainbow chuckled. "Nothing new there."
"Was she a medic in the Heartland too?"
Rainbow shrugged. "Kinda. She mostly took care of small animals, though."
Vanguard nodded. "Redbrand can work with that. What about your other friends?"
Rainbow tilted her muzzle. "Why do you keep saying my friends? They're also your friends now."
Vanguard paused. "Is that so?" he asked. Rainbow looked at him as if he couldn't see past his own nose.
"Of course! You saved Twilight, and you've been helping us ever since we got here. You can ask them yourself what they used to do."
"Alright then. Let's go see to our friends, shall we?" He picked up his weapon and motioned for Rainbow Dash to follow him.
Fluttershy rubbed her eyes, sitting up with a loud yawn. She looked at her surroundings with bleary eyes, still half-hoping that she just had a horrible dream, and that she was back on her bed in Ponyville. She continued to hope for that, even though the ground felt very hard and cold beneath her.
"You slept like a log there," somepony nearby said. "Is that how all chosen sleep?"
Fluttershy rubbed her eyes again, then brushed aside some of her mane. To her dismay, she was still out in the middle of a plain and surrounded by strange ponies. She turned towards the pony who spoke. It was the angry doctor from last night. "Um…chosen?" she asked.
Redbrand pointed straight at her flank. "I thought you had some bugs biting your flank," he said. "Tried to shoo them off, but they wouldn't budge."
"Oh, you mean my cutie mark," Fluttershy replied. "Why would you--"
Her gaze focused on Redbrand's unmarked flank. "Oh dear, you don't have one? Does that mean you don't know your special skill?"
"I'm really good at patching ponies up, filly," Redbrand answered. "I've a got plenty who can grudgingly vouch for that. I don't need a foal's drawing on my hindquarters to prove it."
Her ears wilted. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. It's just that ponies get their cutie marks once they grow up."
"Maybe that's true where you're from." Redbrand softened his tone. "Look, I don't give a damn about why a chosen is out here. I don't have the time or patience to listen to that harangue going around that a lot of foals get so worked up about. All I know is that I have most of my unit to replace, and getting you is better than getting half a dozen recruits who'd amputate their own legs the minute you turned your back."
Fluttershy remained silent. She wasn't quite sure what Redbrand was trying to tell her.
"Are you listening to me, filly?" Redbrand asked. "I'm trying to recruit you into the Legion! As soon as you sign up, tell your recruiting officer to send your bug-marked flank over to Medical, and that I will saw his muzzle off if he sends you to Reconnaissance. Is that understood?"
Fluttershy nodded. This Redbrand was such a strange pony. He yelled almost all the time, he was mean to his assistants, and he kept talking so coarsely. Still, she still felt that he was a good pony. Last night, he was still working feverishly long after he ordered her to take a rest. While he was harsh with others, he spared himself least of all.
"So what are you waiting for?" Redbrand asked. "Get to Logistics! Talk to some of your friends while you're at it!"
Fluttershy backed away slowly, keeping her attention on Redbrand in case he had something else to yell about. Then, she turned around and headed for her friends.
Everypony had woken up by the time Vanguard and Rainbow had got back to their friends. As soon as they had gotten there, Vanguard began to put on his barding.
"Everypony is on the move already," Twilight told Vanguard. "You should have woken me up!"
"You needed the rest," Vanguard replied as he adjusted his champron. He looked to Spike, who stood next to Twilight. "Don't you think she needed some more rest, Spike?"
Spike nodded and helped with the straps on Vanguard's barding.
"You've only known him for one night, Spike, and you're already taking his side?" Twilight asked.
"What can I say, Twilight?" Spike replied. "He's a really reasonable pony."
"Perhaps," Rarity said. Her carefully coiffed mane was sagging under stress and lack of care. "But there's nothing reasonable about this place, or its weather. Just look at what it's done to my mane already! Surely, we are heading somewhere warmer, safer, and more civilized!"
Applejack shot an annoyed look at Rarity. "Your mane's hardly our biggest concern," she said. "I'm more worried about those nasty, wolven-varmints catching up to us! What should we be doing by now?"
"We're heading for Bastion City," Vanguard said. "It's a two day trek at our pace. They've already sent some pegasi ahead, so the city knows we're coming. Expect a long walk. You should take the time to think about what you're going to do about your exile." With that, he secured the last strap of barding and started moving. The others followed suit.
Everypony was walking along with the rest of the survivors when Fluttershy joined them. "I'm here!" she said. "Did I miss anything?"
"Not much," Applejack replied. "We were just thinking about what we were going to do next."
"This…Bastion City, is it?" Rarity asked. "It's an actual city, correct? As in with buildings, shops, and ponies?"
"Yes, Miss Rarity, that is what the word 'city' implies," Vanguard answered. "It's reasonable to expect it to be rougher than what you're used to in the Heartland, but you can ply your trades there. Except for Rainbow Dash, and that's given that your former jobs don't include things like making sure the water is wet or painting the leaves green."
"Well...that's a start," Rarity said. "I don't know how I'll begin, though. I don't have any money with me, and I don't have any materials."
"This also doesn't look like a good time to be planting apples," Applejack said. "Even if I did have any seeds and a land to plant them in."
"I'm joining the Legion," Twilight said. All eyes shifted towards her.
"Are you serious?" Spike asked. The rest of Twilight's friends mirrored Spike's incredulity.
She nodded. "I am."
"This isn't something you decide just like that," Vanguard said. "Take some time to think about it."
Twilight looked into Vanguard's eyes. "I have. 'Prince Terrato and the Legion stand strong in the Barrier Lands, but they will stand stronger with us.' That is what I said to Princess Celestia. I stand by those words."
"Well, that's it," Spike said. "Sign me up too."
"There are other ways to support the Legion," Vanguard said. “Take up a hoe, or a pick, or a place in a production line; good and safe ways to help.”
"And joining the Legion is as good as any of them," Twilight answered.
"I'm signing up too!" Rainbow Dash added, puffing her chest up proudly. "It sounds like the job for me!"
"Um…"
Everypony looked at Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy!" Rarity gasped "don't tell me you're going to join the Legion too!"
Fluttershy nodded. "Doctor Redbrand said that I'd do very well in Medical. At least, I think that's what he said. There are so many ponies getting hurt here that I think that I should help out as much as I can."
"Sign me up as well," Applejack said. "I can put up a fight, and show those varmints a thing or two. Why, by the time I'm done, they'll be scootin' off to wherever they came from with their tails between their legs!"
"Has everypony gone crazy?" Rarity yelled. She turned towards Pinkie, the last pony anypony expected to turn to for some sense. "And what about you, Pinkie?"
Pinkie was already grinning when she answered. "I'm going where my friends are!" She looked at Vanguard. "Can my barding come with streamers, huh? And pink! It's gotta be pink! Not that black isn't pretty. I mean you look pretty good in your barding."
Everypony turned their attention to Rarity. "I suppose I'm joining as well," she said, sighing. "Twilight already asked me about it at Pinkie's last party."
"There's going to be drafts anyway," Vanguard said. "I just hope that you're joining up because you find our cause to be worthy of a lifetime of service and a violent death." He looked at Twilight. "Not just out of some misplaced sense of guilt or pity."
"We're going to fight for Equestria and keep it safe from invaders," Twilight replied. "What cause would be more worthy of a lifetime?" Her friends nodded.
"Alright," Vanguard said. He let himself show a ghost of a smile. "There's plenty to do for now. I have to make a report to Commander Dreadstep or whoever is currently leading. I'd better present all of you to him as well. Our prince might like to see all of you, if he isn't too busy rearranging the entire Legion to cope with this attack."
"Did he just say 'prince'?" Rarity whispered to Twilight.
"He's Princess Celestia's brother," Twilight replied. "I doubt you'll have a chance with him."
Rarity looked downcast for a few seconds before walking on.
"Then, it's off to Logistics for all of you," Vanguard continued. "The process--"
"Captaaaaaaain!"
After the distant shout, a streak of red crashed into Vanguard, knocking him down.
Scarlet Rabbit had put Vanguard into a tight hug. "I knew you weren't dead!" he exclaimed. "There was just no way you'd die from a random encounter! Pyre and Blademane were just too lazy to search for you!"
"Scarlet, you're making a scene," Vanguard said. He pried Scarlet off and stood up. Several passing ponies were looking at them now. To his dismay, they quickly shifted their attention towards the flanks of the ponies near him. 'This better not be trouble,' he thought. Fortunately, the legionnaires were disciplined enough to keep walking. Whatever they felt for chosen, it would not be shown today.
"Scarlet, where is Pyre Valor?" he asked.
"I dunno," Scarlet replied. "Haven't see her or Blademane after the attack." His voice lowered. "I...think they're dead."
Vanguard remembered Pyre Valor's words during their last meeting. If she had succeeded in giving Fangbreaker to the wolven, then she would have died fighting. Blademane would have refused to leave her side.
"You should see Sharpfangs, Captain," Scarlet said. "He was dead set on making a last stand in the kitchen because he thought you were dead. Flight Captain Tailwind had to drag him out of there. You should have seen him kicking and cursing while they flew all the way to camp!"
"Not surprising," Vanguard said. "She just lost her son at that time. There was no way she was going to lose her husband."
"Before that, Commander Dreadstep's already heard about you coming back. He's passed the word for you to meet him."
"Right," Vanguard said. "I may as well bring you to him," he told the others.
"Hold on!" Scarlet said. He flew slowly towards Rainbow, giving her a long, hard look. The cheery expression disappeared from his face.
"What is it?" Rainbow asked. She flew back a little when Scarlet's face came just a few inches from hers.
"Who are you?" Scarlet said. "And...why are you made of rainbows?"
"What the hay?" Rainbow spluttered. "I'm not made of rainbows!"
"Oh?" The serious expression on his face disappeared. "Did you fall into a tub of mixing dye? Wait! Don't tell me you were hit by one of those weird poisons that the ophidites are always cooking up."
"No and no!" Rainbow answered. "This is my natural mane color!"
"You're a natural rainbow-head huh?" Scarlet said dubiously. "So, what's your name?"
"It's Rainbow Dash."
"Oh, now you're just making fun of me!"
"That's enough you two," Vanguard said. Both he and Applejack stepped in and pulled their respective pony away.
"Save the introductions for later, Scarlet," Vanguard said. "Take us to Dreadstep."
Scarlet Rabbit grinned. "Right this way, Captain!" he said. He flew ahead while Vanguard and his new-found friends trotted behind him.
Several minutes passed until Vanguard and the others were walking with Commander Dreadstep. Vanguard explained his story, choosing to omit what the old wolven had told him.
Commander Dreadstep's expression darkened at the mention of Pyre Valor's betrayal. "This situation with the chosen is getting out of hoof," he said. "So Cold Hoof wasn't alone after all. Now, his conspiracy has succeeded with the help of the ponies involved in stopping him. I am almost too ashamed to tell our prince about this."
"Was the prince in the fortress when the attack began, sir?" Vanguard asked.
"No," Dreadstep answered. "He took off after he sent Twilight Sparkle home and he never came back."
"You mean he didn't help when the wolven attacked?" Twilight asked.
Dreadstep fixed his gaze on Twilight sternly until she blanched. "Our prince honors the pact he made with Fenrir, Arugek, and Sesyth. With that pact, all of them promised to never be directly involved in the battles of their armies. If Prince Terrato had joined the battle, King Fenrir would have charged into the fray. What happened to Fangbreaker is a true tragedy, but trust me when I say that casualties would have easily tripled if our leaders involved themselves."
Dreadstep shifted his gaze from Twilight to the rest of her friends. "I'm not sure if I should be glad or worried that there are now chosen willing to join the Legion," he said. "But things will not be so straightforward. Fangbreaker's fall was the result of a betrayal rooted in the grudge some of our legionnaires feel towards the division. The saboteurs responsible are likely still out there mingling with the rest of the Legion. If I have you chosen join up now, you may well be assassinated before we even reach Bastion City."
Rarity swallowed loudly while Applejack glanced suspiciously behind her.
"Then, there's the matter of Twilight Sparkle," Dreadstep said.
"Me, sir?" Twilight asked.
"You may have been exiled, but you're still Princess Celestia's protégé. If I put you in danger, and you're harmed or killed, she could ask her brother for my head on a platter."
"Princess Celestia would never do such a thing!" Twilight said.
"You'll pardon me if I err on the side of safety. My head and neck happen to enjoy each other's company. We will delay your recruitment until we can root out the worst these insurgents. We also have to consult with the prince before we let you join, Twilight Sparkle. For now, you chosen should stay together. Captain Vanguard, I'm assigning you and Scarlet Rabbit to protect them."
Vanguard saluted. "Understood, sir."
Twilight let out a sigh as soon as Commander Dreadstep had walked ahead. "Here I am trying to fight side-by-side, and I'm getting special treatment," she muttered.
Vanguard didn't answer right away. The corners of his lips were doing a little dance. "What's so funny?" Twilight asked.
"I was just thinking about the things you've been saying," Vanguard answered. "If you had been born in the Barrier Lands, you'd be a high-ranking officer by now, and I'd be taking orders from you." He looked at Twilight. "Either that, or you'd be dead after your first battle."
"What does that even mean?" Twilight asked.
"No need to rush," Vanguard said. "We've got a long walk ahead of us. You can think on the way."
The wolven in Fangbreaker were still feasting when morning came. Some of them picked away at what remained of the defenders. A few snored languidly. Gnawed bones and burned out bonfires covered the main courtyard of the once-hated fortress, while triumphant graffiti, smeared using thunder-foot blood, covered the walls.
Not every wolven was complacent in victory. Small packs patrolled the walls, and sentries watched along the entrances. Squads of wolven stalked the halls of the fortress, hunting for thunder-foots still hiding. Some of the berserkers were attacking each other, still in the throes of their battle rage. The white-furred brachyurii, the biggest and strongest of their kin, were content to watch in amusement.
Hasrok watched all of this from the still-smoking remains of the innermost gate, where some wolven were crudely putting together a barricade. His pack was among the first to charge in when the gates fell. Four new thunder-foot tails adorned his belt as the result of his prowess. Despite their role in the battle, it had fallen to his pack to begin repairs on the fortress while his bigger, stronger kin wallowed in celebration. The wolven army may despise Fangbreaker and everything it stood for, but they certainly were not going to waste it.
"Do you still doubt my visions now, Hasrok?" Regiskra sneered as she walked past him. "Fangbreaker is ours thanks to Moon-Shadow's return, as I predicted."
"You rely on dreams and the thunder-foots," Hasrok snarled. "Cursed Equestria will fall by wolven fang and claw, not through that thing on top of the fort!" He looked at the figure watching them from above. Right now, the strangest sight in Fangbreaker Fortress was one of the hated thunder-foots.
At least, Hasrok believed that it was a thunder-foot. A thick bank of black smoke surrounded the thing. At the center of the haze was the vague figure of a thunder-foot, ablaze with flames so black that they stood out within the cloud. A pair of red eyes stared out of the figure in a fiery glare that no wolven met without quailing. Ally or not, none of them dared to approach the thing.
The wolven knew Moon-Shadow only as Fenrir's enigmatic ally. The few interested in lore also knew that Moon-Shadow had been trapped in the moon by cursed Celestia for a thousand years. Her return heralded what they believed to be their greatest attack upon Equestria.
Not even the most knowledgeable wolven lore-keeper, however, could explain the presence of the brown-coated thunder-foot standing just outside the smoking presence of Moon-Shadow. When they burst through the gates, he was standing by Moon-Shadow's side, completely uncaring while they attacked his fellow thunder-foots. Smoke enveloped the wolven who attacked him and left nothing but ash. They decided that the brown thunder-foot must be Moon-Shadow's personal slave, and thought no more about it. After all, they had a fortress to prepare. King Fenrir himself was coming.
From her perch, Pyre Valor watched the wolven in growing disgust as they continued to defile Fangbreaker with their "decorations". The blackened flames bathing her body burned even fiercer and rose higher into the air. She wanted to dive down upon those filthy wolven, and incinerate everyone and everything.
"My, my, bloodthirsty are we?"
'I would rather drink pony piss than have anything to do with wolven blood,' Pyre retorted mentally. This was not what she had originally planned. She was supposed to be dead by now, slain as a defender of Fangbreaker Fortress as payment for what she had to ask of the Legion. Instead, she had all but allied herself with Wolvengard by merging with one of its strongest allies. Everything was coming to pass as Vanguard predicted. With a foothold into Equestria, the wolven were going spread all across the northern front. Ponies would die by the hundreds-no, by the thousands. Still, she had welcomed the gamble as surely as she had welcomed Nightmare Moon within her. Despite the deaths and the coming desperate battles, the Equestrian Legion would overcome this. As they did, Celestia and the Heartland would have to hear her.
Nevertheless, it seemed that the only thing she could count on was Blademane's constant loyalty. What was he thinking at the moment while he stood next to the monster that she had become? That he went this far for her was surprising, even for him.
"I'm a little surprised myself, Pyre Valor. I knew you were strong, but even I didn't expect this much power from our unity. Look at what we've accomplished! All while I mask my presence from that wretch, Terrato!"
'Is that supposed to be a compliment? We're not friends, Nightmare Moon. We're using each other, and nothing more.'
"That's no reason for me to lie. Princess Luna possesses far more magical power than you, but her hesitation and love for her family outweighed the strength of her envy. I could barely access a fraction of her magic. Our weak unity let us fall victim to Celestia's Elements of Harmony. But you, your rage and determination are a beauty to behold. Our unity will be the tales of legend for pony and wolven alike!"
Pyre Valor snorted. Rage and determination, was it? She remembered Vanguard's smoking body, still whole despite the inferno she unleashed on him. He could be alive. She didn't even have the guts to check, because she knew she wouldn't have had the strength to finish him if he was. Instead, she hoped that the wolven would do the job for her. So much for rage and determination.
"Undermine yourself if you must. You still struck him down. You cast aside even foalhood friendship for this. Now that Vanguard Clash is dead, there is nopony holding you back."
'I will not hear that name from you, Nightmare Moon!' Pyre thought.
"Touching. You're trying to show some semblance of respect for a fallen friend. Why bother? You trusted him, and he spat on your face. He cast aside your friendship first. He chose to put his life on the line for some worthless chosen that he met for a day instead of the cause you so strongly believe in."
'That chosen,' Pyre thought. What was that chosen's name again? Night Sparkle? It didn't matter. She was merely a symbol for everything despicable about the chosen. Even though she faced an enemy about to tear her entrails out, Night Sparkle cringed like a witless foal. That was all chosen were: weak, spoiled foals of Celestia. They didn't deserve protection, they deserved to be pushed into the front lines. Let them be destroyed lest they pass on their cowardice and weakness.
"Is that a touch of bigotry? You're a pony after my own heart, Pyre Valor."
'Enough of this meaningless conversation! We have a war to fail!'
"We'll get to that soon enough. Enjoy the last gasps of the Legion. You'll have an eternity to remember your part in its downfall."
Throughout its long history, few things had ever caused uproar within the Royal Palace. As the home of Equestria's rulers, it was a symbol of harmony for generations of Equestria's inhabitants.
It took but a single announcement from Princess Celestia to cause yet another one. The normally peaceful palace turned into a bustling hub of activity when it was announced that Twilight Sparkle and her friends had been banished to an undisclosed location for committing an unspeakable crime. To make the matter stranger, it was an appointed pony, not Princess Celestia, who made the announcement. Nopony had seen her leave her room since Twilight arrived for a private audience. Only hours later, ponies asking for an audience started to pour in, swamping the already confused Royal Guard.
Luna strode past the confused crowd and through the halls of the Royal Palace with purpose. She cut through the guards so swiftly that many of them failed to bow. She barely noticed them. All of her thoughts were focused on finding her sister.
Celestia's room lay at the top of the Royal Palace's highest tower where she could enjoy a magnificent view of her realm. A pair of guards stood watch outside the door. When they saw Luna approaching, one of them came forward.
"Your highness, Princess Celestia has asked that--"
"Move aside." A stern look from Luna was enough. The guards bowed, and parted to let her through. The doors were locked and reinforced with magic. She smashed them aside with a spell of her own and strode in. After a moment, they slammed shut behind her. "Big sister--"
The sight within the room took even Luna aback. Celestia lay on her bed, eyes empty and staring ahead. Her mane was limp around her. Her crown lay forlornly on the floor.
"Leave me," Celestia said.
"Not until I get some answers," Luna replied.
The room's atmosphere grew heavy and ominous when Celestia's gaze focused on Luna. For a moment, she considered backing off until her sister's mood lightened. Celestia wasn't angry yet. This was merely a warning, a prelude to something none of the Heartland's ponies had ever seen. She remembered why she was here in the first place and matched Celestia's gaze with her own. "Why have you done this, big sister?" she asked. "Twilight Sparkle is your student. She and her friends bear the Elements of Harmony!"
"They left me no choice," Celestia answered. "I didn't want this!"
"You do have a choice! End this division, big sister. Bring them back from the Barrier Lands before it's too late!"
Celestia raised her voice. "I will do no such thing! Without the Heartland, ponykind will collapse upon itself. Both you and Terrato understood that this had to be done."
"I agreed because big brother agreed, and he agreed because he would have agreed to anything you said. I cannot stay silent anymore, big sister. Things have gone too far. Even your student believes that this division is wrong!"
The pained look on Celestia's face nearly made Luna relent, but couldn't. There was a lot of pain in the future, especially if circumstances were allowed to continue as they were.
"Twilight said the things she said because she hasn't seen what I have," Celestia replied. "When she sees for herself what the Legion is subjected to, she will realize that what I have done is necessary." A glimmer of hope flickered within her eyes. "When that time comes, I will ask her and her friends to come back. I know that they will all agree."
"Don't be--"
Before Luna could finish, arcs of magical energy filled the room. There was no mistaking their brother's spell.
Sure enough, Terrato's image materialized in the middle of the room.
"This is not a good time, Terrato," Celestia said.
"Good," Terrato retorted. "I'd hate to ruin a good time. It looks like your mood is appropriately sour."
"Has something happened, big brother?" Luna asked.
"Fangbreaker Fortress has fallen," Terrato replied. His focus was entirely on Celestia. "If something isn't done soon, Bastion City will be next. From there, they will spread across the northern front."
Celestia's eyes widened. "Twilight! Is she safe, Terrato?"
Terrato raised an eyebrow. "Those ponies you sent over the barrier," he asked. "Twilight Sparkle was one of them, and you sent them to Fangbreaker?"
"Is she safe, Terrato?" Celestia asked, more urgently this time. "Are they all safe? I sent six ponies to Fangbreaker Fortress."
"I'll have to check," Terrato said. "Hundreds of legionnaires just died, Celestia, I'll sort through them to see if your six survived or not."
Celestia didn't seem to hear Terrato. Breathing rapidly, she rose from her bed, pacing. "I…I just sent them to their deaths," she whispered. Her pacing stopped as she stood in silence.
"Why did they have to choose this fate?" she cried. "Why didn't they listen to me?"
"We don't know if they're dead yet," Terrato said. "We must discuss other things. I've sent reinforcements to help with the northern crisis, but Fangbreaker's sudden fall was not part of the plan. It may be too late at this rate."
Celestia did not respond. Her thoughts were in another place as she digested her grief. As the silence lengthened, Luna decided to step in.
"What must be done, big brother?" Luna asked.
"Let my legionnaires pass through the Heartland so they can arrive quicker," Terrato replied. He continued to act as if it was Celestia talking. Luna turned towards their sister, who appeared to wither and age on the spot.
"And what will you have me say to my ponies when they see your army?" Celestia said quietly.
"Tell them it's Equestria's first 'Stay at Home and Close Your Eyes Day'." Terrato snapped. "I don't care! The north is in danger, Celestia! If we don't act now, it will take decades to root the wolven out!"
"Big sister, please," Luna said. "We have to do something!"
Celestia's hooves shook as she remained silent for a minute. "Has everything conspired to ruin what I've tried to protect?" she whispered. She turned her gaze on Terrato, her eyes defiant. "No. More than ever, with the sacrifices I have had to make to protect Equestria, I cannot let this war taint all of ponykind. The Heartland will remain unsullied by the presence of war, whether from your legionnaires or the wolven. The north will stand strong no matter the crisis. You are my defender, Terrato; you can do all of this without sacrificing what the Heartland stands for."
Under Celestia's stare, Terrato's face twisted. Unsaid words struggled against hesitant lips. Luna looked pleadingly at him.
'Send your ponies through,' she told him wordlessly. 'You can end this, big brother. For the north's sake, for all of Equestria's sake, this division must end.'
"I am your defender," Terrato finally said. Luna could only look away in disappointment. "I will stop anything that will harm what you cherish, dearest sister, but you have dictated this cost." His image vanished after that.
"You have your answers, Luna," Celestia said. "Now, leave me."
"I will go then," Luna said. "There is nothing more to be done here." She headed for the doors.
"Where are you going?" Celestia asked just as the doors opened.
"To the Barrier Lands," Luna said. "Our brother needs help. Since you won't raise a hoof to help him, I will go instead." Even as she spoke those words, Luna remained unsure of what she could do. Throughout his conversation with their sister, Terrato didn't as much as look at her. He called Celestia "dearest sister", as he always did, and what those words implied was not lost on her.
"The Barrier Lands are no place for a princess of Equestria!" Celestia said, slamming a hoof against the floor. "I forbid you to go!"
"And what will you do if I go anyway, big sister?" Luna retorted. "Will you banish me to the Barrier Lands too? Will you throw everypony who displeases you to our brother's realm? How long will it take, I wonder, before big brother rules all of Equestria because of you? Or will you banish me to the moon once more?"
Luna looked at her sister. "But you can't do that. It took you the Elements of Harmony to do that, and they are no longer here. You've sent them into danger. For their sake, I will defy even you."
With that, Luna left her sister's room. As she made her way through the halls of the Royal Palace again, a group of ponies stopped her.
"Princess Luna!" a red stallion with a green apple half on his flank said. He bowed low, and the rest of his companions followed. "We've heard about what AJ and her friends did. We've all came here to ask for forgiveness. AJ's a good pony; she'd never try hurt anypony. She don't deserve to be banished and all!"
"Please send her home, your highness," a small yellow filly next to the red stallion said. It was hard to make out the words between her sobs. "We all miss AJ. We'll do anything!"
The rest of the ponies came forward, and groveled. One look at a running apple theme in their cutie marks told Luna who they were: the Apple Family. Many of them offered to take AJ's place. It didn't take much to understand that AJ meant Applejack.
A pair guards came flying towards the group. "There they are!" one of them yelled. "You ponies aren't allowed here!" Both of them bowed low before Luna when they got close enough. "We're very sorry, your highness, they broke through, and ran here before we could stop them."
Luna waved off the guard's apologies. "I cannot reverse my sister's edict, but rest assured that I am going to do something about it," she told the Apple Family.
The hope she saw in the ponies' eyes only reinforced Luna's determination. Something had to be done. Until her brother came to, she had to act on her own no matter what the cost.
The trek to Bastion City quickly proved difficult for Fangbreaker's survivors. Many of the injured had to be carried, or put on the few wagons that they had managed to save. The worst had already been flown ahead, leaving the unicorns and earth ponies to move as best as they could across the plain.
The morning cold eased slightly when the overcast sky let a few of the noon sun's rays reach the ponies. It was a small comfort. Commander Dreadstep urged his troops to go at a brisk pace. Bastion City's defenses had to be ready before the wolven so much as approached it.
Despite fatigue, the weight of their failure, and short rations, they were making good time. A trip from Bastion City to Fangbreaker was the first thing most of them had ever done to join the Legion. They had moved on to the road that connected the two places, which served to ease their journey somewhat.
Not everypony endured the trip with ease. Vanguard Clash watched as Twilight and her friends traveled through rough terrain. They held themselves up well, but the pace made things difficult. Twilight winced with each step of her right foreleg. As the day wore on, even the hardy Applejack was showing signs of fatigue.
Rarity trailed behind her friends, panting, and sweating heavily. "Surely, a little rest won't bother anypony?" she muttered. She was about to kneel down for a break when Vanguard walked up from behind her.
"Keep moving," Vanguard said.
"We have been traveling all morning!" Rarity said. "All you gave us for breakfast was a couple of mouthfuls of that disgusting sand you call 'feed' and a small cup of water! It's unreasonable to ask us to keep going like this!"
"Being reasonable has to step aside for necessity, Miss Rarity," Vanguard answered. He bumped against her slightly, urging her to keep moving forward.
"Can I at least ride on those wagons for a short rest?" Rarity looked longingly towards one of the wagons. Spike had been allowed on them. Vanguard had reasoned that the dragon shouldn't tax his friends' strained strength by riding on them and his stubby legs would only cause him to fall far behind.
"Your rest will demand payment from the ponies pulling those wagons," Vanguard said. "Not a good way to endear yourself to them. Let me ask you, have you noticed any sidelong glances being tossed your way?"
Rarity looked around her. "Well, now that you've mentioned it, I do feel like I'm being watched."
"That's because you are." Vanguard pulled Rarity to her hooves. "You've been under scrutiny the moment ponies noticed those diamonds on your flank."
"And what does that have anything to do with resting a bit?" Rarity asked as she dusted herself.
"The common perception out here is that you chosen are weak and spoiled," Vanguard said. "If you confirm those perceptions, you will find yourself surrounded by enemies before we can even make it to Bastion City."
Rarity swallowed, and quickened her pace.
Vanguard's tone softened. "I know it's hard. Keep going for now, and you'll earn respect eventually."
He walked ahead and settled into keeping pace with Twilight. "How's your shoulder?" he asked.
"Painful," Twilight replied, "but I'll be fine. How are your burns?"
Vanguard gave a wry smile. "Annoyingly itchy, but I'll live."
Twilight also smiled. It was a while before she decided to speak again. "So, about your father…"
"What about him?" Vanguard asked. His father had found him earlier that morning. There was no burst of emotion from Sharpfangs like Scarlet Rabbit had shown, only a brief hug and a "glad you're back, son". He also provided Vanguard with enough concentrated feed for several ponies, much to Twilight's horror, and their friends' curiosity.
"Share it with your new-found friends," Sharpfangs had said. "You should see your mother, colt, she'll be glad to see you're alive." 'I'll think about how glad she is while she's kicking my flank for making her think I was dead,' Vanguard thought.
"I've never seen a pony like him before," Twilight said.
"The fangs are odd, I take it?"
She nodded. "Well, there's that."
"He's a quarter wolven," Vanguard said. "Approximately anyway. Bloodlines don't lend themselves to neat fractions, and yes, that would make me around an eighth of a wolven."
Twilight watched him curiously. His remark about his heritage had been casual, as if he was talking about his favorite food. "How did that happen?" she asked. She inhaled sharply, eyes wide for a second. "If-if it's alright for you to tell me, that is."
"It's not some painful family secret, and you wouldn't be the first to hear it," Vanguard replied. He paused, remembering the first time he told this story. From being a controversy, his wolven blood was now nothing more than a curiosity within the Legion. With the wolven however…he put the thought out of his mind. The wolven were deluded, and this "breaker" myth their crone was trying to push on him meant nothing. "It started with my great grandmother. Her patrol was ambushed by wolven one day, and she was captured. Unfortunately, that band of wolven raiders was led by a particularly perverted wolven." His expression darkened slightly. "When a Special Operations squad finally rescued her, her wings had been gnawed off, and that was only one of the monstrosities that this wolven inflicted on her."
"What a monster…" Twilight whispered, her nose wrinkling. "…even among wolven."
"Perhaps," Vanguard said. "Although, I recall that one of the original reasons for the wolven attacking was that King Fenrir wanted to take Princess Luna for his bride. This one may not have been so particular after all."
"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked. "Wait, how did you know about that?"
"We have books here, Twilight Sparkle, and I read," Vanguard replied. "Naturally, my grandfather horrified everypony that saw him. My great grandmother kept him, though. 'Pony blood is stronger that wolven blood.' she said. She meant it too. She raised him by herself, I'm told."
"And what she said was true, right?" Twilight asked. She had brightened at the mention of books. She even looked a little giddy, and moved with a bit more spring in her step. Vanguard hid a smile. The reaction didn't come as a surprise.
"He did his best to prove her completely wrong," Vanguard replied. "He ended up a criminal, got caught, and hung. Not before he repeated his father's despicable deed. Not surprisingly, there was a large outcry for my father to just be killed the moment he was born."
Twilight still looked hopeful. That smile he was hiding crept out just a bit more.
"He would have been too, but the matter somehow reached Prince Terrato," Vanguard said. He took on a reverent tone. "He forbade them from taking his life. 'This pony will be condemned only by his own actions and nopony else's' he said. My father got his chance. He was a decent enough pony to earn his life and, strangely enough, the affections of a young, up and coming flight captain. There you go. That's 'how it happened.'"
They were quiet again. When raucous laughter and high-pitched giggling burst ahead of them, they looked ahead. Scarlet Rabbit was flying low, and chatting up Pinkie Pie. The two were sharing jokes, unmindful of the ponies around them.
"It must have been hard on you," Twilight said softly.
Vanguard snorted. "Hardly, my father's done all the work. He's the one who was nearly killed for being born. All I have to put up with is the occasional 'dog' comment."
"The way you talk about him, you must really admire Prince Terrato," Twilight said. It was easy to notice her attempt to change the subject.
"He's our prince," Vanguard replied. "By his words, I'm alive. By his leadership, the Barrier Lands still stand."
"Have you ever met him?" Twilight asked with a tilt of her head.
Vanguard shook his head. "I don't need to. Serving under him is enough for me. What about you?"
"Me?" Twilight shrugged. "I haven't really gotten to know Prince Terrato to have much of an opinion."
"I mean your opinion about his sister. You're Princess Celestia's student. You must know her better than anypony."
"Was," Twilight answered in a low tone, her eyes downcast.
"I apologize if I'm poking at still fresh wounds," Vanguard said.
"It's fine." Twilight let out a long exhale. "And I do admire her. She's kind, patient and wise…the perfect teacher and princess."
Vanguard raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little surprised."
"Why's that?" Twilight asked.
"You sing her praises even though she banished you here."
A frown creased Twilight's brow. "She banished me because she believed that it was for the good of Equestria. She's always thinking of what's best for Equestria, even if…even if I don't agree with her." Before Vanguard could respond, Twilight went on. "I know what a lot of ponies in the Legion think. They think she's an evil nag who doesn't care about them. That's not true!"
"You don't have to convince me," Vanguard said.
Twilight's eyes narrowed. "What do you think of Princess Celestia then?"
"I think nothing of her. She's the prince's sister who hasn't done anything to make me care one way or another."
"You don't care that she divided Equestria?"
"I defend my home as best I can with what I have because I live here, not because there are ponies a thousand miles away depending on me. Besides, Prince Terrato has worked with this division for centuries. It's never bothered him, so why should I be bothered?"
"I think you should care," Twilight said. "Because those ponies a thousand miles away would if they knew what was going on here."
"Are you going to start preaching about 'the truth'?" Vanguard asked, the smile gave way to a frown. "Pyre Valor did that often. She went about it the loudest just before she hit me with a fireball and betrayed the Legion."
"I'm sorry," Twilight said, her ears going limp. "What she did was wrong. But if she intended--"
"She's a traitor," Vanguard growled. "I don't care what she intended. Her actions condemn her. Hundreds of good ponies are dead because of her and the north is in danger. All of that because of her loyalty to 'the truth'. By the prince's law, I will kill her the next time we meet."
Twilight gasped. "But she was your friend!"
"And she betrayed that friendship too. Pyre has chosen her side, and I've chosen mine."
Twilight fell silent. She looked above her, and Vanguard did the same. It was already afternoon, and it was starting to get cold again. As hard as she tried to look well, Twilight was clearly struggling with her shoulder. Even the soldiers looked tired. Behind her, Rarity looked like she was about to fall face-first onto the ground. Applejack and Fluttershy walked next to her in concern, but they were beginning to struggle as well. Rainbow Dash flew just a little ahead of her, now involved in a loud conversation with Pinkie and Scarlet.
"Twilight," Vanguard said. Some of the edge had gone from his voice.
"What is it?" Twilight answered warily.
"Do you still consider yourself loyal to Princess Celestia?"
The wariness turned into a determined frown. "Of course."
"Yet, you believe that the ponies of the Heartland should know the truth of this place?"
"Yes, I do."
"But that goes against your mentor's wishes."
Twilight focused her gaze on the ground. "Sometimes...sometimes loyalty doesn't mean agreeing with a pony in all things," she said. She laughed wryly. "Listen to me. That sounds like something I should be asking Spike to write down so I can send it to Princess Celestia."
Vanguard let himself smile as well. "You make a good point, though. I just hope my loyalty isn't tested in the same way as yours."
Twilight nodded, and their conversation moved to lighter matters. Talking seemed to help her ignore the pain of her injury, and let the day wear on faster. It wouldn't be long now until they reached Bastion City.
Located close to the Western Barrier Land's center, the Gray Sentinel stood watch over Equestria. Atop the Alicorn's Perch, the tallest peak in all of the Barrier Lands, the massive fortress served as Prince Terrato's home. From this place, he directed the Equestrian Legion whenever he wasn't out among them. From the blade-like spires to the individual rooms, no mortal pony was involved in the construction of this place, only Terrato's mastery over stone and metal. No mortal pony lived in the Gray Sentinel either. Silent, pony-shaped guardians of iron and stone performed all the necessary maintenance. He refused to make use of the Legion's resources for housekeeping.
The Gray Sentinel's size had nothing to do with Terrato's sense of extravagance. Should the Legion be faced with the most desperate of situations, he planned to gather as many as possible into the fortress in a final stand until Equestria's enemies bled to death trying to destroy them, a time that he believed would never come.
It was also a time that now played out at the very edges of his mind. He consulted the map of Equestria laid out before him. The wolven had broken through his northern front, and were bearing down the ponies who lived in his realm. Reinforcements from the western and southern fronts were still on the way.
"You are my defender."
Terrato's eyes narrowed. Celestia asked him to work miracles. Part of him was flattered, even excited, at the chance to assure his sister that Equestria was safe while he stood watch. Most of him, however, could only brood over the unnecessary cost of Celestia's "faith". He was deluding himself if he believed that this situation was a mark of her faith. In truth, this situation was proof of how much his dearest sister wanted nothing to do with him.
To complicate matters, he now had to play foal-sitter to Twilight Sparkle and her merry band of rebels. If they were still alive. 'I told you that it was going to bite your flank, Celestia,' he thought. 'Now I have to worry about whether it's going to take a chunk off.'
"You cannot hide out here forever, big brother. The changes will force you to act."
Then, there was Luna.
Terrato was no longer sure what to make of his younger sister. He had suspected that she was trying to get him on her side in another attempt at taking over their eldest sister's rule, and that she still stank of Nightmare Moon's influence. But, earlier, she was the one concerned for his realm. She even looked like she wanted come over to the Barrier Lands and take up post with him.
That was something he could not allow. He still remembered that moment, even if more than a thousand years had passed. He had just come back from his greatest victory over Fenrir. He was soaked with wolven blood. His horn was broken and still smeared with bits of Fenrir's eyeball. He had triumphantly flown back to his sisters with a glorious tale of what he did to those who wanted to harm them. Luna was happy that her "suitor" had been punished, and the sight of her joy warmed his heart. A withering, disapproving stare from Celestia ruined that moment. From then on, Luna was off-limits. The barrier came to be in that same year.
Something went through Celestia's barrier again. Terrato snorted. Just how often was that barrier going to be breached? He recognized this one too. 'As if on cue,' he thought.
Luna materialized across the table from him. "What did I tell you about coming here?" Terrato asked.
"Our sister doesn't need my support right now, big brother," Luna answered. "You do."
"Am I a crippled old stallion so that my filly of a sister has to help me?"
"You need help and our sister won't aid you. Let me."
Terrato rounded the table and stared Luna in the eye. His face was but an inch from hers when he saw her quiver slightly, but she did not back away. "I will break your wings, and kick you back to the Heartland if you won't go on your own," he growled.
Surprisingly, Luna held his gaze. Was this even the same filly who ran crying under him when she first heard what Fenrir intended? "If you want a fight, big brother, look to the north. I'm not blind. There are three chairs in this meeting hall you designed. You've always meant for the three of us to lead a united Equestria together. We can start here!"
Terrato snorted and turned away. Luna was right: this room was designed as a meeting room that could accommodate him and his sisters. It was an idiotic pipe dream that he kept for some reason. "Do what you want," he said. "Go north. Find Twilight Sparkle if you want to make yourself useful."
Luna brightened at his words. "Does that mean you will let me stay and help?"
"Stay out of the fighting and concern yourself with Celestia's batch of rebels. If I find out that you've been fighting, you're going back to the Heartland with hoof-prints on your face." Terrato exhaled loudly. 'Well, I'm not getting Celestia's approval either way,' he thought. He froze when a pair of forelegs embraced him from the side.
"Thank you," Luna whispered. "For trusting me this much."
A familiar warm feeling enveloped Terrato for a moment. His forelegs moved on their own to hug back, but he quickly stopped himself, and pushed her away. "Get going before I regain my sanity," he said. She smiled in return, then cast her spell. In a flash of dark blue, she was gone. 'I'm sorry, Celestia,' he thought. 'But I have to build miracles out of something.'
As night settled across the northern plains, it did so upon the already set up camp of Fangbreaker's survivors. Commander Dreadstep had called for a rest only when the sun had partly set. The sight of Bastion City's tallest buildings as small shapes over the horizon, heartened many ponies. At their pace, they would probably arrive by tomorrow noon.
Twilight counted herself among the heartened ponies. Her shoulder burned with each step, and her legs were about to give. However, she was more concerned over somepony else. Nearby, Rarity flat on the ground, panting in exhaustion and drenched with sweat, even with the cold. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Utterly exhausted," Rarity replied between pants. "If this is what life in the Legion is always going to be like, I'm afraid I may not last very long."
"Don't say that," Twilight said. "I'm sure you'll get used to it. Here, I've brought you some dinner."
Rarity looked up, her eyes wide. "Please, please, please tell me it's a bowl of tossed salad with some pastries for dessert! Even a loaf of ordinary bread will do!"
"Sorry," Twilight replied with a chuckle. She placed the small pouch in front of Rarity.
The pouch sucked the last remaining strength from Rarity. She opened it, her expectant look already crumbling. "More of that disgusting sandy feed," she muttered. She poured some of the grainy material onto her hoof.
"Cheer up, Rarity. Vanguard says there's lots of decent food at Bastion City, and we're almost there."
Rarity shook her muzzle quietly. "It's not that. Well, it's not only that. This feed is certainly depressing in its own right."
"So what's wrong?" Twilight asked.
"I was…I was just thinking of Sweetie Belle," Rarity said. "I hope she's not too terribly upset about my banishment. And Carousel Boutique! It's only been a few days, but it's most likely in shambles now. I didn't even get to finish that last order too. Spike worked so hard to help me with all those gems, and it was all for naught!"
"I'm sorry," Twilight said softly."This is all my fault." An image of Ponyville came to her mind. How was everypony taking her and her friends' disappearances? Had they even noticed? What had Princess Celestia told them? To make things worse, she and her friends must be considered criminals since they were banished. Then, there were her parents. It must be crushing for them to realize that their daughter was an exile. A hoof touched her own, Rarity looking up to her with a smile.
"Don't you start thinking that I regret joining you here," Rarity said. "That's not true. I just…" The smile lessened slightly. "...I just wish I had been given a chance to set my affairs in order. I'm sure the others feel the same way."
"I understand," Twilight replied. "I wish I could have seen my family too. Princess Celestia must have been afraid that we would spread the knowledge of this place if we weren't banished immediately."
"Well, let's not wallow too much on unfulfilled wishes," Rarity sighed. "Excuse me, I have to choke down dinner."
Rarity gave the feed one more disgusted look, then stuffed all of it into her mouth. Eating soon turned into a mixture of grimacing and chewing. After another apologetic look, Twilight went on her way. She was thinking of seeing Spike by the wagons when a loud, distinct shout that made her curious and worried.
"What did you just tell me, chosen?" a deep-voiced pony shouted.
Twilight didn't recognize the voice, but she knew the tone it took. There were two ways that "chosen" was spoken here in the Barrier Lands. There was Vanguard's way, which was to simply show where a pony was from. There was Pyre's way, which turned it into the worst thing a pony could be. The voice just now sounded more Pyre Valor than Vanguard Clash.
"You heard me loud and clear!"
That voice belong Applejack, and a rather angry Applejack by the sound of it. Twilight had to hurry. She found Applejack staring up at a yellow earth stallion. A few ponies had gathered around the spot to watch.
"I ain't talking in fancy!" Applejack said. "You ran into me on purpose, and I want an apology!"
"If you weren't so slow, I wouldn't bump into you," the stallion growled. "You think you own this plain, chosen?"
The stallion stood a head taller than Applejack, but she didn't back up as much as an inch. "This plain's big enough for the both of us and an army of ponies," she snapped. "You bumped into me on purpose, now pony up and say you're sorry!"
"The only thing that's going to be sorry here is your worthless hide!" the stallion shouted. He pushed Applejack back with a hoof.
Applejack quickly stepped forward and shoved back. "So it's a scrap you want, huh?" she said. "Why didn't you say so?"
"The chosen thinks she knows what a fight is!" one of the spectators hooted. "Rough her up and show her how it's done, Stoneshod!"
Stoneshod raised himself to full height and banged his front hooves together. The metal shoes he wore clanged loudly and glinted as they caught the last rays of the sun. "If you're going to move like a crippled mule, chosen, you may as well be one!" he snarled. Some of the ponies in the background yelled in approval. Applejack held her ground and braced herself.
Enough was enough. Twilight pushed ahead, ready to intervene with magic if she had to.
The yelling stopped before Twilight could move any farther and the gathered ponies let somepony through. "Stand down before I call the Legion Police on you, Stoneshod," Vanguard said.
"Vanguard Clash?" Stoneshod asked. "Why are you defending this chosen? They're a spoiled, cowardly lot! All of them!"
Vanguard stepped between Applejack and Stoneshod. "So you're picking a fight with this smaller, unarmed, and untrained chosen while wearing your tramplers, and with your friends nearby because she's a coward? What a hero you are, Stoneshod."
Stoneshod hesitated for a moment. Vanguard stared him down with about as much movement as a tombstone. With the unrelenting gaze of a black-armored Special Operations Captain to back it, that two-bladed sword looked especially threatening. It took nearly a minute before Stoneshod gathered enough courage to step forward. "They don't deserve any sort of honorable battle," he growled.
"This chosen is here because she defied her princess," Vanguard said. "She's been banished for believing that Equestria's division is wrong. You will show her respect for that."
"I'll show her how we deal justice!" Stoneshod pushed past Vanguard to lunge at Applejack. For his trouble, his face encountered a pair of back hooves. Applejack had aimed well. Her kick struck Stoneshod's chin with a resounding thud and a distinct crack, knocking him on his back a few feet away. He lay there for a while, his eyes wide with surprise and his jaw slung open. A collective gasp of surprise escaped the gathered ponies. With a fierce cry, Stoneshod struggled to his hooves, only to fall flat on his belly when a streak of red landed on him.
"Assaulting an unarmed civilian," Scarlet Rabbit crowed atop Stoneshod. "We're looking at thirty lashes there, Stoneshod. I hope somepony remembered to take a whip from the fort. I only had time to save some booze!"
Stoneshod struggled against Scarlet. "You Special Operations ponies think you're so high and mighty," he growled. He winced and clutched his jaw. His friends dispersed without helping him while a trio of barded ponies made their way towards the commotion. Twilight didn't recognize the barding, but this must be the Legion Police Vanguard was talking about.
"Sounds like loser talk from somepony who didn't make the cut," Scarlet said with a laugh. He flew off Stoneshod as the armored ponies moved in.
Vanguard explained the situation to the Legion Police. With a nod, they escorted Stoneshod away while the other ponies returned to their business. Twilight and the rest of their friends came over once the commotion had dispersed. They settled down around a campfire that Scarlet had set up.
"What was all that commotion about?" Rarity asked. She looked disapprovingly at Applejack. "Roughhousing with the legionnaires already?"
"He started it," Applejack replied.
"He's going to have to see somepony about that jaw," Fluttershy said. "I hope Doctor Redbrand doesn't yell at him too loudly. It looks like it really hurts."
"I heard Scarlet say something about lashing," Pinkie Pie said. "Are they going to pluck his eyelashes for being a bully?"
"Maybe, if they didn't get a whip from the fort before we ran for it," Scarlet replied.
"That's ridiculous!" Rainbow Dash said. "And I hope that this Doctor Redbrand does yell at him for being a jerk!"
"Are you alright, Applejack?" Twilight asked.
"I'll be fine," Applejack answered. She turned towards Vanguard. "Thank you kindly for stepping in. You distracted him long enough at least. I hope I didn't make too many enemies."
"You probably made a few less," Vanguard replied. "That's quite the kick you have there. If you were wearing tramplers, you might have taken his head off."
"Years of apple bucking," Applejack said with an upward tilt of her chin.
"A farm pony?" Vanguard asked. "Have you worn barding before?
"No." Applejack paused for a moment, tapping her jaw with a hoof. "Oh, I tried out Big Macintosh's collar once. Would that count?
"Infantry can work with that." Vanguard patted Applejack's shoulders and back. "Looks strong. You'll do well."
"What about this 'Special Operations' that Stoneshod was talking about?" Applejack asked. "Is that your group?"
"Special Operations is made up of small squads of different ponies," Vanguard answered. "We serve as troubleshooters for the Legion."
Rainbow leaned forward, her eager eyes catching the firelight. "Could any of us end up in Special Operations?"
"I doubt it," Vanguard replied. "My squad itself just lost its unicorn mage and earth pony skirmisher, but we recruit from within the Legion, among experienced legionnaires. It's unlikely that new recruits will head straight to our squad."
While Rainbow deflated a bit and sat back down, it was Rarity who leaned towards Vanguard this time. "What about unicorns?" she asked. "Where would we go?"
"The Northern Legion bundles unicorn magi with strong offensive spells into firing lines. Defensive experts tend to be distributed. There's still the problem of you chosen unicorns having to deal with using magic outside the Heartland."
"Isn't there something that can be done about that?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know," Vanguard replied. He stared at the fire in thoughtful silence for a while. "The prince might have something to help. Maybe you'll just get used to this place."
With the questions out of the way, the group was silent. The only sounds came from Spike, who had started dozing next to Twilight, and the uncomfortable grunts of Applejack and Rainbow Dash trying get a mouthful of concentrated feed down.
Vanguard watched them in amusement, then turned towards Scarlet Rabbit. "Did I hear you right back there?" he asked. "Did you save some booze from the fort?"
Scarlet nodded vigorously. "Storm Brew gave me a free bottle after I saved the last barrel from the brewery! It's Good Stuff too! I hid it under one of the wagons!"
Vanguard glanced over to the others. "Our new friends look like they need help in swallowing my father's feed."
Scarlet Rabbit was gone in a streak of red. A few seconds later, he was back with a bottle clamped in his mouth and several glasses in his forelegs.
"What's that?" Twilight asked as Scarlet poured Vanguard a glass. The liquid was clear and sparkling. Small arcs of blue electricity appeared in it at random intervals.
"Storm Brew's Good Stuff!" Scarlet replied as he poured himself a glass.
"But what is it called?" Twilight insisted.
"I just told you! Good Stuff!"
Vanguard shrugged. "Storm Brew is an excellent brewer," he said before taking a sip. "Not so good with names."
"I'll try some!" Pinkie said. With an approving nod, Scarlet gave her a glass, and poured her a drink. "Here goes!" She emptied the glass in a single pull.
"That's not a good idea," Vanguard said. He backed away slightly.
"A really bad idea," Applejack added. She frowned at Scarlet, who was looking on eagerly.
"That was delicious!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's like punch, but not very sweet, and really smooth! It leaves this tingly feeling in your tongue, then a cool feeling in your throat! Is that barley I'm tasting? What's with the--"
Arcs of electricity surged through Pinkie Pie. Her mane and tail stood on end, the tips letting out a faint wisp of smoke. "Awesome…" she gasped, then fell to her side. A trail of smoke escaped her open mouth. Her friends looked her over while Scarlet held his sides and laughed.
"So who else wants a glass?" Scarlet asked. When nopony took up the offer, he poured himself another drink before watching Pinkie doze off with a smile. "She's good though," he said. "Maybe I should introduce her to Storm Brew."
"What was her job in the Heartland?" Vanguard asked.
"Well, she lived with some bakers," Twilight said.
"A baker, hmm? I'm not sure about her fighting skills," Vanguard said. "Maybe she can be a lot of help to my father. She might even make that sandy feed you all hate so much tastier."
"A worthwhile goal, I assure you!" Rarity added.
"Take a hint from Pinkie Pie," Vanguard said. "Time to turn in. We still have some walking to do tomorrow."
After some time, the entire camp became quiet. Only the sentries along the perimeter remained awake.
Vanguard Clash found himself awake, and he quickly realized that he wasn't alone in that. Applejack sat by the fire while her friends slumbered around her.
He walked over and settled down a few feet away. A respectable distance. "Something wrong?" he asked.
"Not really," Applejack replied. "I was just thinking about things."
Vanguard sidled closer to hear her subdued tone.
"Say, Vanguard?" Applejack asked.
"Yes?"
"What Stoneshod said about us 'chosen' ponies…is that how all of you legion-types feel? Do ya'll think we're cowardly and spoiled?"
"No," Vanguard answered. "If I thought that then I would have joined Stoneshod in beating you. That no one helped him shows how popular his opinion is."
Applejack's eyes widened. "He's just one disgruntled pony?"
Vanguard let out a sigh. "That's not quite true either. The ponies of the Barrier Lands have different opinions on the chosen. Some like to treat you and the Heartland like a fairy tale. Others acknowledge your existence, but put their faith in our prince knowing what's best. There are also ponies who just like a good fight." He glanced at Scarlet Rabbit afterwards. "Then, there's Stoneshod and his ilk, who like to hold on to a centuries-old grudge."
At the mention of "and his ilk", Applejack's hopeful gaze faded. She focused on the ground instead. "So where do you put yourself?" she asked.
"I think I'm a mix of the first two," Vanguard said.
Applejack stared at the ground a while longer before frowning and looking at Vanguard. "But why would anypony want to hold on to a grudge? We've never done anything to them. If we knew what was going on out in these parts, we'd all have done something to help!"
"Don't be so quick to put all your fellow chosen in the same boat," Vanguard said. "As for why hold on to a grudge, who knows? Perhaps it makes them feel superior by playing the victim of injustice. They could genuinely feel that it's the chosens' fault. Or they could just be carrying on their parents' beliefs."
They stared at the fire until Applejack spoke again. "Speaking of folks…I hope your pa's not too upset about us not liking his sandy feed. To be honest, I don't think it's that bad. It'll probably taste better with a little apple sauce."
"I'm sure he's already taken your ability to swallow it with only a little gagging as a compliment," Vanguard replied. He paused. "Is that why you were wandering around when Stoneshod ran into you? You were looking for some apple sauce?"
"Well…yeah," Applejack said, her face reddening slightly. "Just plain apples would have done it. I can make apple sauce in a jiff." She paused. "What about your ma? Is she in the Legion too?"
"I'm avoiding her for now," Vanguard replied. "Until I have access to an actual hospital. I'll be lucky if she doesn't assault me on our way to Bastion City."
Applejack laughed. "Sounds like one of my aunties." She was quiet again. Vanguard noticed the air of melancholy around her. The smile on her face quickly faded. "Must be nice working with your folks in the Legion," she said softly.
"I see," Vanguard replied. He patted Applejack on the shoulder awkwardly, once more wishing that he had the voice for comforting. "Perhaps it will help if you look at it this way." Applejack looked at him curiously. At the sight of her scrutiny, Vanguard coughed slightly. "Though they're far away and you miss them, take comfort in knowing that they're far away from all of this and that they're safe."
"That's a nice thought," Applejack said. To Vanguard's relief, some of her smile managed to come back. "Thank you kindly, Vanguard, that's real nice of you."
Vanguard cleared his throat and looked away. "Now, get some rest," he said. "You'll lose the respect you earned today if you collapse in exhaustion tomorrow."
"Understood, Captain."
Applejack settled in between Rarity and Rainbow and closed her eyes, leaving Vanguard alone to stare at the fire. The flames reminded him of the unicorn mage his squad had lost.
"I don't care what she intended. Her actions condemned her. Hundreds of good ponies are dead, and the north is in danger because of her loyalty to 'the truth'. By the prince's law, I will kill her the next time we meet."
He had sounded so strong and determined back there. He wondered if Twilight Sparkle even believed a word he said. She likely saw right through him. Pyre Valor had been one of his very few friends for a very long time. There was no way he would be able to kill her and feel nothing.
He felt a little pathetic, sitting by himself in front of the fire. He was the captain of only one pony, and his failure to arrive in time still loomed from the north. Helping these chosen gave him some comfort. He had never been one to make a lot of friends. He was lucky to have met Pyre Valor all those years ago, and he knew quite well that Blademane was not really his friend, but Pyre's. Scarlet Rabbit was…an accidental friendship. He remembered being back in that wolven's tent and realizing how little he had when Pyre Valor left him to die. It was a dark and terrible feeling, a feeling that he could put behind him now.
'I've lost two, and found six,' he thought. 'Not a bad trade in the end.' A few more minutes passed and he settled down for some sleep himself. Tomorrow, Bastion City awaited.
Bastion City had always maintained a reputation for being a rough and tumble place, far from anypony's mind when thinking about good places to settle down in. Knowing that it was going to be the first city in the path of an invasion, the city's founders built it for defense. Its high walls were made of massive stone blocks from the mountains of the Western Barrier Land, reinforced with timber, and patrolled daily by the city's garrison. It's rounded towers sported ballistae as well as snipers.
Only the hardiest crops grew on the several farms outside the city. Mosses and lichen served as staple food this far north and the city was famous for them. Southern cities traded for these products, considering some of them to be delicacies in their own right. In return, Bastion City received vegetables, quarry, and lumber. A nearby lake, though partially frozen for half the year, provided a supply of water.
Bastion City was also famous for another product it had in ample supply: wolven fur. A steady stream of them came from Fangbreaker Fortress. The city's tanners were experts in converting them into clothing, having developed a method for softening the normally tough fur. The Northern Barrier Land prized them for their excellent insulation and hardiness.
There would be no deliveries coming in from Fangbreaker any time soon. News of its fall was already widespread throughout the city. Constructions sprung up as walls were reinforced and barricades created. The farmers moved into the city with all the crops they could harvest, and all the fresh water they could collect. Barding and trampler prices tripled practically overnight.
"These ponies don't look very happy," Fluttershy said as she passed through the massive city gates. They arrived by noon, and were greeted with a mixture of relief and grim confirmation by Bastion City's residents.
"They're expecting a wolven attack in less than a week," Vanguard answered from up front. "You'll have to forgive them for not being in a festive mood."
"I'm just glad that we've finally arrived," Rarity said wearily. "I hope they have plenty of food to spare."
"What are we going to do now, Vanguard?" Twilight asked. Before Vanguard could reply, Scarlet Rabbit came into view.
Scarlet Rabbit took his place next to Vanguard. "I just spoke with one of the sentries." he said. "They have several buildings ready for us. Dreadstep just ordered everypony to get there, rest up, then take part in getting our defenses ready."
"Good," Vanguard replied. He turned towards the others. "First, we need to get you some cloaks. We've got a week or so of fall before the first blizzard sweeps in from the north. You won't be much use to the Legion as frozen corpses."
"Good idea," Rarity said. She let out an exhale and rubbed her forelegs against her chest. "It is getting rather chilly."
"But fall was just about start back home!" Applejack said. "Don't tell me that time moves faster out here!"
"It is fall," Vanguard said. "Or it is down south. Here, we get a short spring and summer, followed by winter. I take it that Princess Celestia didn't let you pack before banishing you?"
"No." Twilight looked at the ground.
"Well that answers my old question," Rarity said. "In exile, one packs warm."
"We don't have any bits on us," Twilight said.
"I doubt that Heartland bits would be recognized here even if you had any," Vanguard replied. "Scarlet and I will take care of expenses. You can pay us back with your first salaries."
"Thank you," Twilight said. "I think you've saved us again."
"Don't bother keeping track. Lives are endangered and saved far too often here," Vanguard replied. He turned towards Scarlet. "Spot us a good deal while I get some back pay. Hopefully, somepony remembered to save some of the treasury before the fort fell."
"On it, Captain!" Scarlet replied. He saluted before flying ahead.
About a quarter of an hour passed after both Vanguard and Scarlet went off. When they reconvened, Vanguard had a pouch full of bits while Scarlet was escorting a peddler, a tan-colored pony with a graying, light brown mane and mustache. Behind the peddler was a covered wagon. "Six of your warmest cloaks," Vanguard said.
"Make that seven!" Spike said from atop Applejack.
"Seven then." Vanguard replied. "Six for ponies, and a small one for the dragon."
"I'll give ya a good price since ya legion-types are the ones getting the material anyway," the peddler rasped. The mention of "dragon" didn't seem to bother him. He removed the covering, showing a pile of gray cloaks and boots. Twilight and the others moved in to see the merchandise.
"They look a little plain," Rarity said. "But the feel of it is wonderful. Why, you'd think it was actual fur from the texture!"
"That's 'cause it is actual fur, miss," the peddler said.
Rarity's jaw dropped, as did the cloak she was holding. "A-actual fur?" she asked. "As in this once belonged to an animal, and you peeled it off its body?"
Fluttershy gagged behind them. The others gasped at the revelation.
"Well it's not really peelin'," the peddler answered. "Ya need a good 'n sharp knife and some of that smelly tannin. Don't know much of the process myself, but ya won't find better wolven cloaks outside Bastion City."
"Wolven?" Rainbow Dash asked. She frowned and took a sniff of the material. "As in those monsters coming after us?"
"Yup," the peddler answered. He turned towards Vanguard. "Strange bunch o' folks yer buyin fer. I'm not even talkin about that filly's crazy mane, or those weird pictures on their flanks."
"They're new here," Vanguard said. He started counting out his money. "How much are you selling them for?"
"We can't wear these!" Twilight said.
"They're cheap, durable, and the best insulation you're going to get," Vanguard replied. "Without them, your first Barrier Lands winter will be your last."
"It's bad enough that we have to kill them. Now, we have to skin them and wear their fur for clothes?" Twilight asked.
Vanguard turned and stared at Twilight. "When the wolven kill a pony, they take the mane and tail for trophies, eat every inch of the flesh, then use the bones for tools and ornaments. Not a single body part goes to waste. Each time a pony is killed, the wolven are sustained. We can't match that efficiency, but we do what we can."
Twilight's eyes narrowed. "If we do as the wolven do, then we're no better than them."
"This isn't about showing off how much better we are," Vanguard replied. "It's about surviving. Whether it's against a horde of wolven, or a merciless barrage of snow and wind, we do what we must."
Faced with that hardened, unflinching stare, Twilight looked away. "It's still wrong. Can't we use some other material?"
"Look around you. Does this look like a place where you can grow cotton or raise silk worms?" Vanguard sighed. "Why don't we talk about this some other time? Spend some time in Bastion City. After you go through a winter storm fresh from the frigid valleys of Wolvengard, we can discuss how wrong it is to skin the wolven."
"Uh…are ya buyin' the goods or not?" the peddler asked.
"We'll take seven cloaks and seven sets of those boots," Vanguard said.
"Thanks. I hope they help ya kill more of them wolven."
The peddler moved on while Vanguard distributed the cloaks. The others looked as if they were holding the freshly severed wolven heads instead of clothes. He walked over to Twilight, and grasped her by the shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You said that you would stand with the Legion," he said. "That you would stand by your words. Was that all a lie?"
Twilight returned the hard gaze, her eyebrows furrowing. "I meant every word!" she snapped.
"I don't believe you," Vanguard growled. "All of you wince this much over the fur of a wolven you didn't even kill." He swept his gaze over all of them. "What could possibly be left of any of you when you have to walk over the corpses of the ones you kill? If this is your limit, then go back to the Heartland, and beg for your princess' forgiveness. She'll take you back, and you can forget we exist." He looked to Twilight again. "How do we stand stronger together when you can't even stand strong on your own?" Twilight pushed away Vanguard's hooves so that he had to take a step back. She took the cloak and put it around her while glaring at him. The rest of her friends followed, their eyes downcast. Fluttershy looked like she was draping a sheet of fire over herself. "Let's go. Scarlet, lead the way to our new barracks."
Hours passed after Twilight and the others bought their cloaks and boots. Inside one of the buildings provided for the Legion, they waited restlessly for any news of what they should be doing. They intended to join the Legion, but they had ended up in some vague state of being part of it and, at the same time, not. Vanguard Clash had gone out to check on that matter while Scarlet Rabbit stayed behind.
They had been treated to a meal of fresh moss with lichen tea. Though they were a little suspicious of the food's appearance, they quickly agreed that it was not only far superior to Sharpfangs' sandy feed, but that it was actually quite delicious. The only complaint came from Spike, who wished he had a few gems to go along with with the food. After eating, they had taken to lounging about. Impatience filled the room like a dark cloud.
"Well, I have to admit this much," Rarity said. She was still holding her wolven fur cloak. "Its source might be horribly morbid, but the material is quite good."
"How can you say that?" Fluttershy asked. "It's fur! It belonged to another creature!"
"I know, darling," Rarity said, "but I'm inclined to agree with Captain Clash. In the absence of other materials, we have to make do. "
"Make do," Fluttershy said. She tossed her cloak aside. "I would rather--"
"Die?" Applejack asked. Everypony looked at her. She sighed and set her cloak aside. "Look, I don't like these things. I think they're disgusting, not 'good material'!" She glared at Rarity. "But I ain't freezing to death because I'm scared of some dead varmint's fur. 'specially if that dead varmint is a dead wolven. At the end of the day, useful beats disgusting."
Rainbow Dash turned towards Scarlet Rabbit, who sat by one corner, whistling to himself. "Hey, Scarlet!" she said. "Just how long are we going to sit here doing nothing?"
"Relax," Scarlet replied. "The Captain will take care of it."
"What exactly is 'it'?" Rarity asked.
"I dunno, but the Captain will deal with it anyway. Don't worry your silly flank-pictures off."
"They're called cutie marks!" Rarity called. "Not silly flank--"
The door swung open and Vanguard stepped inside. Rainbow immediately flew over to him. "So?" she asked. "Do we get to do something now?"
"Soon," Vanguard replied. He faced the group as he continued. "We've just received word that Princess Luna is coming to Bastion City. Prince Terrato will arrive afterwards. Commander Dreadstep will present all of you to them once they arrive, so we can decide just how to deal with you."
"More waiting," Rainbow muttered. She collapsed on one of the beds, and put a pillow over her face with a loud groan.
"Wait," Twilight said. "Princess Luna is out here? What is she doing in the Barrier Lands?"
"Nopony knows," Vanguard answered. "But Prince Terrato let her stay in his realm, so he must have some purpose for her. For now, I'd like you to come with me, Twilight."
Twilight was taken aback for a while, then followed.
"Why does Twilight get to do everything?" Rainbow Dash grumbled.
It was already late afternoon, but the city remained bustling with activity. As she walked next to Vanguard, Twilight took the chance to take in the city sights. Bastion City favored stone buildings reinforced with heavy lumber. They tended to be low and flat, with gabled roofs to keep snow from piling. The streets were paved for smoother traffic, but they showed cracks in several places. All around her, carts of supplies moved back and forth.
"So where are we going?" Twilight asked.
"Did Princess Celestia teach you any spell specifically for killing wolven?" Vanguard replied.
"Of course not!"
"Then all you have is your telekinesis to fight them. Maybe some force blasts as well. Telekinesis a strong spell, but the focus you have to maintain to keep it up leaves you open to attack. Force is useful too, but it takes too much to make it lethal. You need an offensive spell that you can cast quickly, and on the move. We're going to get some of those."
Twilight gasped. "Are you taking me to the library then?" she asked hopefully.
"No. Bastion City's library is mostly records. The spell books, especially the ones with combat spells, were placed in Fangbreaker's vaults for training unicorn magi. Unfortunately, we saved only a few of those. They're currently in safe-keeping and they're reserved for legionnaires. I think I might be able to get you something, though. Here we are."
They stopped in front of a small house at a side street. The light by the window indicated somepony was inside. Vanguard knocked on the door, and waited. After a minute, the door opened a crack and somepony's eye peeped through. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Vanguard Clash," Vanguard answered. The door immediately swung open, and they were greeted by an elderly unicorn couple.
"Vanguard!" the blue stallion exclaimed in his raspy voice.
Before he could say anything else, however, the white mare interrupted. "Where's my Pyre?" she asked. "Why isn't Pyre with you? Has something happened?"
Twilight's eyes widened at sight of the white coat, the black mane, even the brown eyes.
Vanguard's expression softened. When he spoke, his voice was heavy. "Pyre Valor fought valiantly when the fortress was attacked," he said. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"No…no…no…" the elderly mare's knees gave way and the stallion quickly supported her. "Not my Pyre!" she wailed.
The elderly stallion's face crumpled with grief, but he held it together when he talked to Vanguard. "Thank you for telling us. You're a good colt, Vanguard. Always were." He looked at his wife and stroked her mane with a hoof. "We knew that this might happen, dear," he said. "We knew."
"Do you still have some of her possessions?" Vanguard asked. "The attack happened so quickly…"
"I understand," Pyre Valor's father said. "We kept her room exactly as it was when she left for the fort. Go on, take something to remember her by."
"We'll be respectful," Vanguard said. He gestured for Twilight to follow as he entered. The house was small and cramped, with only candles and a small fireplace for lighting. Pyre Valor's room was separated from the main room through a hanging piece of fur. Inside was a simple bed, a few shelves by the wall, and a dresser, all made from what looked like wood salvaged from some other construction. Vanguard sorted through the assortment of books on the shelves, then pulled one out. "Pyre wrote down her earliest spells there," he said as he gave it to her. "You should find them useful."
Twilight flipped through the pages. One word quickly stood out: Fireball. It said much of a unicorn when the first few spells she learned involved making a powerful explosion to kill her enemies.
"Let's go," Vanguard said. The two of them left while the elderly couple watched from the door.
"Miss!" Pyre's father called after Twilight. She turned around. "You're the new unicorn mage for Vanguard's squad, aren't you?"
"Um…well…actually…" Twilight stammered.
"Honor your predecessor!" Pyre's mother snarled. Tears were still streaming down her face while she spoke. "For Pyre Valor's sake, burn a hundred of those flea-bitten, murdering mongrels!"
"I will," Twilight said. It was only after the words left her lips, and they had already rounded a corner, did she realize the implications of what she said. She turned towards Vanguard. "Why didn't you tell them the truth?" she asked.
"Tell them what?" Vanguard asked. "That their daughter was a traitor who was willing to get hundreds of ponies, including them, killed? Would that comfort them in their loss?"
Twilight had no answer. "Why did you bring me along?" she asked. "You could have gone on your own. and brought the book back."
"I wanted you to see."
"See what?"
"The things we bear out here. The reason why we do what we must. To try to keep that from happening to everypony in Equestria, even if it's a futile effort, I will kill the wolven by the hundreds and wear their skins."
Twilight stared at the pavement as they made their way back.
"What about you?" Vanguard asked. "Did you mean what you told them?"
"That I'd burn a hundred wolven for Pyre Valor?" Twilight replied. "I'm not even replacing her in your squad. I doubt that I could even if I tried."
"But you will try. Or are you just as much a liar as I am?"
"I…I don't know." They were silent the rest of the way. By the time Vanguard spoke up, they were about to enter the building where their friends were.
"Take care of that book. I may have lied to them about Pyre Valor's intentions, but I didn't lie about wanting something to remember her by."
"Why this book then? I mean, I know it's to give me some spells to use, but is it significant for you as well?"
"I gave Pyre that blank book when I was just a colt," Vanguard answered. "It's a remnant of a time when all she cared about was collecting fire spells." He stared off at a distance. "Good times."
"Are you still going to kill her if you meet her again?" Twilight asked.
"If she's somehow still alive…yes. She's a dangerous traitor who needs to be put down. It'll tear me up inside, but I will kill her."
Twilight stifled what she felt was a self-satisfied snort. Instead, she cleared her throat, trying to make sure her tone was even. "Pardon me for saying so," she said, "but I'm a little glad that it will at least tear you up inside."
Without answering, he opened the door and the two of them went inside.
It was nighttime when Luna arrived in Bastion City. Though she had teleported out of her brother's fortress, she had only traveled three quarters of the distance to this place by magic. Long-range teleportation was exhausting, far more exhausting than flight. She wanted to conserve some of her strength in case she arrived at the city, only to find that the fighting had already begun. Though she didn't relish the thought of having her brother's hoof-prints on her face, she was ready to take part in the fighting if it was necessary. She landed on an outer wall, where several sentries had already spotted her. It took only a minute before a welcoming group had gathered.
"Welcome to Bastion City, your highness," the earth pony guard said.
Luna dipped her head slightly. The guard's face may as well have been chiseled out of rock. It was the same for the others posted along the wall where she had landed, and it was the sort of reaction that she had expected. The ponies of the Barrier Lands were not quite sure how to feel about her. Many of them despised Celestia, and adored Terrato, but she had not done much to place herself in either of those extremes. Her worry had been that these ponies would resent her for being the one who provoked King Fenrir, causing the wolven to avalanche from the north.
"Don't flatter yourself," Terrato told her once. "He could have borrowed a cup of sugar from Celestia, and he would have attacked just as happily if she shorted him one grain."
Luna didn't know how much of what her brother said was true, how much of it was meant to comfort her, and how much was to justify Celestia's refusal to give her over to the rapacious wolven king, even if it meant war. She put those thoughts aside. She didn't come here to gauge whether Terrato's ponies liked her or not. She came here to find the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
"Do you need anything, your highness?" one of the guards asked. "We are here to serve."
"Some rest," Luna replied. She was sweating despite the cold northern air. As she panted, clouds of white escaped her mouth. "Do you have some place I can stay?"
The guards bowed again. "Of course, your highness. A room has already been prepared for you." They led the way from the walls to what was easily the largest building in Bastion City. Passers-by gave Luna a curious look and nothing more as she went through the streets. She had to admire the discipline by which Terrato's ponies conducted themselves. There was much to do to prepare for the wolven. No time could be spared for gawking at anything, not even their prince's younger sister.
The room was comfortable enough. It was spacious, but not enough to waste heat. The walls were built with thick, polished planks of pine while the floor was smooth, gray stone. A large bed dominated the center, and a cozy fire roared by one side. The blankets were fur, something that she quickly decided not to think about. It was nowhere near the opulence of the Royal Palace, but she imagined that it was far better than the average room in this city. She took to the bed and closed her eyes. The plan was simple for now. Get some rest, then search for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony tomorrow.
Twilight's eyebrows furrowed deeper as she concentrated on a page of her new spell book. There were a lot of reasons why she was having trouble with learning these spells, the first of which was the lack of a table of contents, an introduction, and bibliography.
A rustling sound came from one of the beds. That was bad. She had woken up very early, though not enough to catch Vanguard and Scarlet waking up, so she could get a head start at studying this book. That extra time had gone without much progress to show for it. She only grew more determined to study at the sound of a yawn.
"Not this again," Spike muttered. He had enough forethought to keep his voice low.
"Don't worry, Spike," Twilight replied. "I got some sleep. I just woke up earlier to keep studying." He sighed at this. There was more rustling as he searched through the room.
"First it was that coin, now it's that book," Spike said. "Every time Vanguard gives you something, you lose a ton of sleep."
"Both times, they were important enough," Twilight said. "I need to memorize at least one of these spells so I can show that I can be useful to the Legion."
Her eyes narrowed. 'That's a good way to put it,' she thought. Learning spells sounded innocuous enough. She had been doing that all her life. The reality was that she was going to have to kill wolven if she was going to be useful to the Legion. Vanguard's words and doubt stung her. She may have spoken rashly about standing side-by-side with the Legion, but she was determined more than ever to prove her sincerity.
"So how are you doing with those spells?" Spike asked. "You have one or two down pat by now, right?"
"I thought that too," Twilight said with a sigh, "but it's a lot harder than I expected." To her relief, Spike didn't say anything else.
It took only a couple of pages to make it obvious that Pyre Valor never planned to make a spell book or share it. She took the gift and wrote whatever, whenever, and however she wanted. The result was a hodgepodge of notes, references, and spells that proved difficult to navigate. To make matters worse, some of the notes didn't even have anything to do with magic. Twilight started down one thinking she had finally come across something she could do, only to find out that it was a recipe for brewed lichen tea. As an extra insult, the very last page featured a crudely drawn caricature of an alicorn with its wings torn off. Fountains of blood gushed out of the stumps. "Celestia" was helpfully written underneath the drawing with an arrow pointing towards it.
There was also the script. This must have been written when Pyre Valor was younger. A lot younger. Just reading the words was a challenge. Pyre Valor wrote with a lot of passion, which showed in the sharp, bold lines, and wild loops. The quill had pressed down deeply enough to leave indentations on the other page. Splotches of ink and a few page tears were the consequences of such a style. There was even broken quill tip between the pages.
Then, there were the spells themselves. If Twilight had a discussion on magic with Pyre Valor, the two of them would have been at each other's throats. Casting spells meant control. Magic was a force to be carefully shaped, maintained, and applied. Whenever a spell went wild and caused unintended consequences, it was the fault of the spell caster. This was why each spell had to be studied and experimented with before being used.
For Pyre Valor, however, magic was a dangerous and violent force to be unleashed. If a spell harmed unintended targets, it was their fault for getting in the way. There were very little notes on how to aim or how much magic was to be used. The closest were "wing it" and "as much as you want without blowing yourself up". Pyre Valor focused on how to quickly gather magical power, and how to convert it to some other energy: fire as was always the case in this book.
All of those previous observations had come later. The first noticeable thing about Pyre Valor's spells was that she really, really loved fire. The first three spells involved projecting a ray of heat, causing a short jet of flame to burst from one's outstretched hooves, and causing a steady "blade" of concentrated flame to emerge from the caster's horn. There was also Fireball, a devastating spell Twilight had already witnessed. Pyre Valor's name should have been a dead giveaway, but it was the spell choice that really hammered the point in.
"Good morning," Spike said. Twilight turned briefly to see how her friends were. None of them looked very comfortable, and she couldn't blame them. The beds were rather hard, certainly not what they were used to back in the Heartland.
Rarity stretched out her back painfully and yawned. "Speak for yourself," she said. "This morning is officially good once I find a bath, a comb, and a decent breakfast."
Rainbow wiped the crust from her eyes and the dried drool from her lips. "I'm fine with finally getting something to do. I can't stand any more waiting!"
"Speaking of waiting, somepony's decided not to wait for us," Applejack said. "Where's Vanguard?"
"Maybe those two went off to get breakfast," Pinkie said.
Scarlet Rabbit burst through the door with a paper bag full of loaves of bread tucked in one foreleg and a large canteen in the other. "Did somepony mention breakfast?" he asked. "You're in for a treat: day-old bread, C-grade winter moss, and some hot lichen tea to wash it down with!"
Scarlet was wearing a different set of barding from before. Instead of plain, brown material, he was wearing a fine coat of chain with plates of metal distributed around his chest, flanks, and face.
Rarity didn't share in the enthusiasm when she received a loaf of the bread. The crust was already quite tough, although the moss baked into it helped it go down.
Rainbow, on the other hoof, wolfed down her share. "What do we get to do now, Scarlet?" she mumbled through her chewing.
"You're in luck," Scarlet replied. "Vanguard and I got news that Princess Luna arrived last night! After you eat, I'm taking you to the public baths, then it's off to the princess!"
"What is she doing here?" Twilight asked. "Did you find out?"
Scarlet shrugged. "To check up on you chosen, I was told. You can ask her yourself later."
"And how are these baths?" Rarity asked. "Are they clean? Crowded? I certainly hope they provide soap and towels!"
"They've got hot water," Scarlet said. "It'll clean you without giving you frostbite!"
Rarity sighed, and tried to fix her completely bedraggled mane with her hooves. "I suppose we will make do."
"Great! Finish up quickly so we can go," Scarlet said as he tore through a loaf of bread.
"So where's Vanguard?" Applejack asked. "Ain't he eating with us?"
The grin on Scarlet's face drooped a little. "Well…" He scratched his head with a hoof. "We were going back together, but we sort of ran into Flight Captain Tailwind along the way. I had to go ahead since he was going to take some time."
Rainbow finished her share of the tea with a single gulp. "Well, I'm done," she said. "Let's get going!"
Everypony soon followed. They put their newly-bought cloaks and boots on, and made their way to the baths.
The public baths were not bad despite Rarity's worries. Along the way, Scarlet told them more about the place. Keeping water hot in the bitter cold of the north was a serious matter in Bastion City. Public baths were deemed more efficient than getting a constant supply of hot water going through each home so several were built over the course of the centuries. Each bathhouse consisted of two large pools, one for the stallions, another for the mares. Soap and towels were provided, but a small fee, which Scarlet took care of, was charged to fund maintenance.
The soak was a welcome sensation. After days out in the wilderness, they were sticky with sweat, and covered in dust. Twilight was relieved that the dried blood on her coat washed off with no problems. Her injury had healed up well. Enough so that she could soak in hot water without opening it.
"Oh, this is simply divine!" Rarity said with a sigh. "It feels like forever since I last took a bath!"
Applejack nodded. "I gotta admit that this ain't half bad." She glared at Pinkie, who swam past her. "Pinkie, stop that! This ain't a place for swimming!"
"I hope Spike is alright," Twilight said. She glanced at the high wall that separated the two pools.
Rainbow waved away Twilight’s concern with her left wing, sinking into the pool. “He’ll be fine, he’s with Scarlet.”
As if to answer Twilight's question, raucous laughter echoed from the stallion pool. "Do that trick again, Spike!" Scarlet exclaimed.
A jet of green flames shot high into the air from the stallion pool, followed by delighted cheering from the stallions.
Rainbow grinned at Twilight. "See?"
After some time, they left the public bath with the owner seeing them off. "You can come here any time, dragon," the yellow-green pegasus stallion said. "I'll save a fortune on heating with that breath of yours! Let me know if you need a job!"
"I will!" Spike replied. A rather relieved smile crossed his face.
Scarlet led them through the streets of Bastion City. The same as yesterday, everypony was busy rushing about. They were drawing more stares than they had when they had first come to the city.
"I bet those chosen are the reason Princess Luna is here," a passer-by said to his companion.
"Maybe she's here to offer herself to King Fenrir to put a stop to the upcoming attack," the other one replied.
The first one scoffed. "Her nag sister won't allow that."
Twilight stifled an angry remark. 'These ponies are ignorant,' she told herself. 'They've never met Princess Celestia. They're mad over the division. I can understand that.'
They eventually reached the Grand Meeting Hall. The largest building in Bastion City, as Scarlet happily explained. It served several functions. The lower part was the chamber that gave the place its name, big enough to accommodate every pony in Bastion City. The upper parts served as the center of administration. The mayor and most of the officials had their offices and homes built there. As soon as they entered, Scarlet excused himself, and stayed outside.
The Grand Meeting Hall was mostly empty, making it easy to notice the tall, dark-coated pony heading towards them. "Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed.
Luna brightened and rushed over. She was more than happy to give Twilight a hug as soon as they came together. "I am so glad that all of you are safe! I was afraid that none of you survived Fangbreaker's fall!"
"We almost didn't," Twilight replied. "But we made it out thanks to the Legion."
"The Legion's ponies are brave and good," Luna said. "I knew I could rely on them. Now, let us get all of you to safety. The wolven will not stop with Fangbreaker."
Twilight stepped back. "We know that, Princess," she said. "We were planning on staying to help. I'm joining the Legion. We all are."
Luna's eyes widened. "You want to…join the Legion? Do you really mean that?"
"I do," Twilight answered. "Even if the cost is great, I want to do this."
"You are very brave, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. "But I already knew that when I heard that you confronted my sister. I was so sure that you would submit to another memory lock."
"This division must end," Twilight said. "I couldn't turn away."
A smile spread across Luna's muzzle. "At least one pony shares my beliefs."
"Make that six, Princess," Twilight said. She smiled and looked to her friends. "Six ponies and a dragon."
"I won't stop you," Luna said. "I have also come here to help. But you must prepare yourselves carefully. The wolven are ruthless and depraved. Surely, you've seen this for yourselves when they took the fort?"
"We have," Twilight replied. "About that, your highness…"
Luna raised an eyebrow.
Twilight tapped her horn with a hoof. "Our magic has been weakened here. Do you know how we can adjust to Prince Terrato's realm?"
Luna nodded. "I've noticed that. My sister's barrier has caused a division in Equestria's magic as well. The magical drift here is enough to affect unicorns originating from the Heartland."
"Can something be done about it?" Twilight asked.
"My brother would know. I can contact him right now. You will need his permission if you're going to join the Legion anyway."
Luna concentrated, and her horn began to glow. Twilight assumed that alicorn magic lay beyond that of mortal ponies, and was not hampered by magical drift. As magic coalesced in the room, the image of Prince Terrato appeared at the center of the hall. At once, Twilight and her friends fell to their knees. Even as a mere magical projection, Prince Terrato was an imposing sight. His fiery mane blazed even fiercer than the last time.
"Well, well," Terrato said. "My little sister was true to her word. She was quite quick about it too. Good work there, Luna."
"Thank you, big brother," Luna replied.
Terrato turned his attention on Twilight. The entire hall darkened, and his voice was accompanied by a distant rumble. "I've spent centuries trying to prevent that face you left on my sister back in the Heartland, Twilight Sparkle," he boomed. "I've got a good mind squeeze your head until it pops like the blueberry you resemble!"
Twilight shook uncontrollably. Behind her, her friends were experiencing the same terror. She looked to Princess Luna, who was already standing between her and Prince Terrato's image.
"Surely, you can't blame that on Twilight Sparkle!" Luna said.
"Of course I can," Terrato said. "I'm not going to, because that would only make Celestia feel worse. Go with my little sister. Bring your friends too. You can stay here in the Gray Sentinel until you go back to the Heartland, no longer matter to Celestia, or die of old age."
Twilight forced her legs to stop shaking, and raised her head. What she had feared was happening: she was being given preferential treatment instead of being allowed to defend Equestria. "Your highness, wait!" she said. "I don't want to spend my time here hiding somewhere safe!"
Terrato glared at Twilight. "Is that defiance I'm hearing? You thwarted Luna's rebellion, refused to go along with Celestia's division, and now, you're defying me? Do you have a problem with alicorns, Twilight Sparkle?"
"N-no, your highness," Twilight said. "All I want is to stand with the Legion against Equestria's enemies. We're here to join up."
"The Legion?" Terrato looked perplexed. "You mean the Equestrian Legion? You want to risk your lives by fighting against Equestria's enemies, and you want to do it in the place where the fighting will be at its thickest?"
Twilight allowed herself to smile. "Y-yes, your highness."
"And what will I tell Celestia if you're killed? Should I shrug and say 'I tried'?"
"Big brother, Twilight Sparkle and her friends are not big sister's property," Luna said. "In the end, they should be allowed to decide for themselves where to go."
Terrato didn't speak for some time. The ominous silence that filled the room was suffocating. "I suppose shrugging and saying 'I tried' isn't such a bad plan," he finally said. "You have brought this upon yourselves. My sisters and I have given you every way out, and you've persisted. I will respect that decision, and Celestia will have to do the same. Stay there if you want, Twilight Sparkle. Do try to be useful legionnaires."
Twilight let out a sigh, an expression that her friends echoed behind her.
"Big brother, their magic is still suppressed by the magical drift." Luna said. "Isn't there something you can do?"
"Yes, there is a ritual for it. You can perform it yourself, Luna, just extend your front hooves over them, and repeat after me."
With a nod, Luna did as her brother asked.
"Toora," Terrato said.
"Toora," Luna repeated.
"Loora."
"Loora."
"Lay."
"Lay."
"Now, turn around with your front hooves extended," Terrato said.
Luna did as she was told.
"By moving your rump, spell out the names of the unicorns who have to adjust."
Luna raised an eyebrow and eyed her brother dubiously. "What?"
Terrato answered with a glare. "Do it now, or you'll have to start over!"
With a confused look on her face, Luna did as instructed. "Twilight Sparkle" was first, followed by "Rarity".
Twilight's lips twitched at the sight. She furrowed her eyebrows, and massaged her cheeks to get the giggles out. The princess was doing this for her. It was beyond disrespectful to laugh now. She waited for some time, expecting some kind of great magical effect. There was no flash of light, or an aura of crackling energy, only a tense silence. A great booming laugh from Terrato shattered that silence. The rest of Twilight's friends could only look at each other awkwardly.
"I can't believe you actually did that!" Terrato said between guffaws.
Luna put her hooves down. "Big brother!" she exclaimed. "I'm serious!"
"Oh, you just wish there was some magic ritual you could perform!" Terrato said once he settled down. "Unfortunately, there isn't. Their magic will adjust by themselves as they spend more time in my realm." His turned his attention towards Twilight. "Good luck with recruitment, all of you. I will be there soon." With that, his image dissipated.
"Honestly!" Luna huffed. "Joking around in the middle of a crisis!"
Twilight smiled. "I'm glad he let us stay."
Luna smiled in return. "I'm glad too. Let us see this to the end, Twilight Sparkle."
The rest of them looked at each other. It was official now, they were joining the Equestrian Legion.
"Let's hurry back," Vanguard said. "They should be awake and hungry by now. Do you have enough for them, Scarlet?"
"Sure thing, Captain," Scarlet replied. "I even brought some for that dragon. I don't know if dragons like bread and moss, though."
"Vanguard Clash!"
They looked up, towards the sound, a second before something heavy crashed on Vanguard, knocking him on his belly with his legs spread apart. His breath blew out of his lungs on impact. From the voice, the entrance, and the feel of the hooves, it was easy to tell who this was.
"Good morning, Scarlet," Tailwind answered. "Move along, I have some talking to do with my stupid son."
Vanguard nodded at Scarlet, who was gone in a blink. Before he could say anything to his mother, she lifted him up by the shoulders, and banged his snout against the pavement. The impact did no damage, but his head rang.
"You came back from the dead days ago, and you couldn't even be bothered to tell me?"
"I was assigned a mission as soon as I--"
Vanguard's snout hit the pavement again.
"You owe me twelve dead wolven, you rotten colt! I went on a rampage, and your father nearly got himself killed because we thought you were dead!"
Vanguard was still rubbing his snout when he walked towards where the chosen were staying. Tailwind accompanied him on this trip after finding out that two of the chosen were pegasi.
It turned out that they didn't even have to get that far. Twilight and the others had lined up along with the city's newest recruits towards a Logistics station while Scarlet Rabbit hovered nearby. A call to arms had been issued across Bastion City and citizens were quick to join Equestria's defense.
For once, Twilight Sparkle was glad to be made to wait in line. It meant that there would be no more separation from the rest of the Legion because she was Princess Celestia's student. Now, she could really show that she meant what she said about standing together with Equestria's defenders.
From a distance, Vanguard Clash walked towards them. He was walking with somepony this time; a pegasus mare an inch shorter than he was, with a light-blue, almost white coat. Her mane was gray, like the underside of a storm cloud, cut short and swept to one side. A long, thin scar ran along the right side of her jaw. Like Scarlet Rabbit, she wore a coat of chain reinforced with metal plates around her chest, flanks, and neck. Unlike Scarlet's gray plates, however, this pony's barding carried a distinct silvery sheen. She also wore no champron. A stylized wing was embossed in gold on the left part of her chest plate.
"You took your time," Twilight said to Vanguard.
Vanguard glanced towards the pegasus next to him as an answer. "Everypony, this is Flight Captain Tailwind. Flight Captain, these are the chosen I was talking to you about."
Tailwind carefully inspected them with bright blue eyes. She was immediately drawn to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "I never imagined that I would actually meet Celestia's chosen in my lifetime," she said. "I heard that you plan to join the Legion. That's commendable." She gave Rainbow Dash a good, hard look. "Is this the one you mentioned?" Vanguard nodded. Tailwind stretched out one of Rainbow's wings with her hooves. "Looks promising," she said. "Is she fast?"
"Almost as fast as Scarlet," Vanguard answered. Tailwind nodded approvingly. Rainbow was about the raise her chin when she stopped midway. Her eyes widened, then her gaze fell on Scarlet Rabbit.
The sight of this put a small smile on Tailwind's lips. She looked towards Fluttershy. "And what about this one?" she asked.
Vanguard shook his head. "Redbrand has that one pegged for Medical."
"That foal of a nag!" Tailwind muttered. "When did he get to reserve recruits for himself? Fine." She looked at Rainbow, who was taken a little aback by the intense stare. "I'll see you in Reconnaissance. Now, I have to go. The other flight captains will have started arguing over recruit placement. I don't intend on finishing this day with less than a full flight." She patted Vanguard on the shoulder as she passed him. "Stay safe, son, I might not survive the next time I hear you're dead."
"She seems…interesting," Twilight said once Tailwind had left.
"I heard her call you 'son'," Applejack said. "Was that your ma?"
"Yes," Vanguard answered. His lips twisted a little. "She wasn't very happy that I put off seeing her until we got here, but she was more reasonable about it than I expected."
Applejack grinned. "She sounds like a nice lady!"
Vanguard snorted. "Try telling that to her flight. Move along, the line's adjusting."
The line dwindled until it was their turn to face the recruiting officer. The olive-coated stallion was taking a sip from a cup of tea when he saw Twilight's group. "What's this?" he spluttered. He coughed a bit and cleared his throat. "When did we start drafting chosen?"
"They're recruits," Vanguard said. "Ignore the marks on their flanks. They'll serve just like everypony else."
The recruiting officer glanced skeptically at Vanguard, then shrugged. He offered the quill to Twilight, and pointed to a piece of parchment on the table. "Names and signatures here," he said. He stared intently at Twilight when she held the quill. "By signing on, you hereby pledge your complete loyalty to the Equestrian Legion. You will obey its officers and acknowledge their authority as extensions of the authority of Prince Terrato, rightful ruler of the Barrier Lands. Know that there is no leaving the Legion. Even after retirement from active duty, you will be expected to serve if called upon. If you attempt to leave, you will be tried for treason. Do you understand?"
The words only served to highlight the finality of the path Twilight had chosen. Her eyes narrowed, she kept her grip on the quill steady. It was only after she had signed her name on the parchment did she realize that her heart was pounding. She stepped back to steady herself while her friends followed suit.
"Unicorns go to Magical, pegasi to Reconnaissance, earth ponies to Infantry," the officer said. "Check in with your respective officers behind me once you're done here." His gaze fell on Rainbow Dash. His eyes widened, and he checked his cup. "Terrato's torn wing, what's in this tea?"
"Um…excuse me," Fluttershy said after signing her name.
The recruiting officer raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter, filly?" he asked. "You've barely got a hoof past the door and you've got something to complain about already?"
"Oh no," Fluttershy replied. "I wouldn't do that. It's just that Doctor Redbrand said that if you put me in Reconnaissance instead of Medical, he would saw your muzzle off. That sounds pretty painful."
"What?" the recruiting officer asked. "But I just sent him a squad's worth of recruits! What did you do to catch his eye? Show him a little flank?"
Fluttershy looked at her flank. "Well, he did notice my cutie mark."
The recruiting officer put a hoof to his face. "That stallion's old enough to be your father! Alright, I'll have you go to Medical instead. Let Redbrand duke it out with the Wing Commander."
With that out of the way, they proceeded to the crowded area behind the recruiting officer. Recruitment was taking place on an enormous plaza at the center of the city: a parading ground now converted for training. It was there that they had to separate.
The unicorns of Magical formed the smallest group in the plaza. This didn't come as a surprise to Twilight. There didn't seem to be a lot of unicorns in Bastion City in general.
They were given mage-coats: thick layers of cloth padded with leather inside to help against enemy fangs, claws, and bolts. Although it horrified them that the leather was taken from actual animal hide instead of being magically synthesized, they stayed silent about it. Once they had their coats on, they were ordered to line up: three rows with seven ponies each, tallest to shortest from left to right, and each pony a leg's length from each other. When the new recruits, most of who were about as old as or even younger than Twilight, took some time to get into the required position, the unicorn officer shouted at them.
"What's the matter with you drill-heads? We haven't even gotten to spell casting, and you're already fumbling about! Three rows, seven ponies! Move! Move! Move!" The recruits scrambled: comparing heights, and stretching out legs to make sure they were properly spaced. The unicorn officer walked out in front of them. He was a strange sight for a pony; a grayish-white unicorn with a completely shaved mane. His tail was nothing more than tuft of green hair just a few inches long. Like them, he wore a thick, leather-padded coat. Unlike them, his was trimmed with gold thread, and a stylized horn marked the left side of his chest. "Twenty-one," he said. "We're faced with the greatest wolven attack in centuries, and my beloved Bastion City comes up with twenty-one drill-heads. Nineteen seeing as two of you are chosen."
Twilight and Rarity winced when the eyes of their fellow recruits fell on them.
"Eyes forward, you sacks of manure!" the officer shouted. "Nopony told you to ogle them! Don't make me be the first to send recruits to the whipping post!"
Every unicorn in the group flinched, and looked straight ahead.
"Now, let's get down to business. I am Mage Captain Owlsight, not that it would matter to you drill-heads as I will beat your horns in with your hind legs if you address me with anything but "sir". Before we do anything, we will test you for two things: magical sustaining and magical burst. These will help us determine if you belong to the spell fire line or with the arcane shields. Bring out the target dummies, Vice-captain!"
A unicorn behind the group trotted forward carrying several dummies made from two intersecting poles and a sack stuffed with straw. He went to the patch of earth by one side of the plaza, and stood them up.
"First, we'll test you for magical burst," Owlsight said. "Each of you will step forward, and cast an attack spell you know. If you don't know any, a telekinetic bolt will suffice. Let's get started!"
The first recruit stepped forward, and cast his spell. A bolt of telekinesis struck the dummy hard hard. The wood shook as if it had been kicked. He smiled at the result before returning to his place. Mage Captain Owlsight nodded, then scribbled on a notebook he carried.
Several recruits followed, most using the same telekinetic bolt to give the dummy a good shake with each hit. One recruit managed to snap the dummy's support. He grinned at this and was about to rear triumphantly when a glare from Owlsight sent him slinking back to his position. "Not bad," Owlsight said. "It's your turn, purple chosen, show us what you've got."
Twilight swallowed a large lump in her throat as she stepped up. A telekinetic bolt should be easy and sufficient, but she did know an attack spell, and that was what the mage captain was looking for. She was confident that she had learned one from Pyre's notes; Burning Hooves. She stood about ten feet away from the dummy, and made sure she faced away from anypony. She had never worked with fire beyond lighting candles. It wasn't just because there had never been a situation that could only be solved with a generous dose of burning. Fire was a difficult element to control. It harmed others far too easily, and spread quickly at the slightest mistake. The tips of her hooves grow hot as she gathered the magic. The urge to regulate the energy sprang up and had to be squashed. The usual methods of control would cause this spell to fizzle. Direction was the proper way of controlling Pyre Valor's spells; direction and an instinctive use of the right amount of magic. She aimed her hooves at the dummy and let go.
Twin jets of flame burst from Twilight's hooves. They traveled only for a short distance, barely licking the dummy. That was enough to light it on fire, sending thick clouds of smoke rising for the other recruits to gawk at.
"Good," Owlsight said as Twilight walked back to her place. "So the first drill-head to show a spell we can use against the wolven is not even from here. Even I'm embarrassed. Next!"
Rarity stepped forward. "I suppose a spell that gives one a fabulous hairdo won't suffice?" she asked.
The very bald Owlsight didn't even look up from his notes. "One more wisecrack, recruit, and I'll saw your horn off, and chuck you over to Infantry," he said. "They're always in need of fabulous hairdos."
Twilight looked on worriedly. Rarity wasn't a complete failure at magic, but she used her spells mostly for dress-making and gem-finding. She certainly hadn't studied and developed it as Twilight had. There was also the magical drift to consider. It showed through the exertion on Rarity's face who had opted for a telekinetic bolt.
The target dummy vibrated slightly, shaking a single strand of straw out of the stuffing.
Owlsight continued scribbling his notes down as Rarity slinked back to her position with her head down. Some of the recruits looked ready to laugh. One of them went so far as to let out a snicker. Owlsight raised his head. "So you think that's funny, recruit?" he shouted. "You think it's hilarious that we're short-hoofed with the wolven on the way? Vice-captain, give that joker a couple of stripes!"
The vice-captain pulled the horrified stallion out of the line, and led him off. The rest of the group was completely stone-faced by the time he was out of sight.
"Let's get on with the Magical Sustainability test," Owlsight said.
The second test involved only their telekinesis this time. Several weights were brought out. They were asked to pick one they could lift without struggling, then told to hold it until ordered to stop.
Twilight did well with a weight slightly heavier the average, but Burning Hooves had taken more magic than she anticipated. She was sweating by the time she was ordered to put it down.
Rarity could only lift the lightest weight, but she held it reasonably well before being told to put it down. Nopony made a fuss about it this time. For the rest of the day, they were drilled in formations and simultaneous spell casting. They were also taught the order by which wolven were to be killed starting from high-ranking ones to the lowest grunts.
The sun was setting when they were dismissed. Twilight could barely squeeze out enough telekinesis to lift a pebble by that time. Rarity dragged herself towards the building they were staying in while Twilight walked by her side.
"Come over here, recruits!" Owlsight called after them,
Twilight and Rarity did so. The sight of the pony who had laughed limping back to his position had burned a simple rule into their minds: do not anger Mage Captain Owlsight. "Yes, sir?" Rarity asked.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Recruit Rarity." Owlsight said. "You're like a giant water tank with only a pinhole for an opening. Your burst is completely useless, but you have decent sustainability. Normally, we'd work on that until we made something out of you, but these aren't normal times. If I put you out there in time for the wolven attack, you'll get yourself killed. Worse, you'll probably drag somepony to the grave with you. A spell fire line is only as good as its weakest caster."
Rarity stared at the ground. Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but she closed it just as quickly. As disloyal as it seemed not to stand up for her friend, she couldn't find the nerve to go against Mage Captain Owlsight on this.
"What was your profession before signing up?" Owlsight asked.
"I…I was a dressmaker," Rarity said.
"Useful enough profession. I'm going to arrange for you to transfer to Maintenance Division over at Logistics. Use your sewing skill to patch up ripped clothes, leather armor, and tents. Report to Logistics Officer Frostmane tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir," Rarity said.
After that, the two headed back for the day.
Applejack tapped the pavement with her hoof as she inspected her new gear. She was wearing a heavy suit of chain, with thick plates of metal covering most of her face, neck, chest, and flanks. It was similar to Scarlet Rabbit's, but with more solid plates. She was a little disappointed when she didn't get some cloth to cover her legs like the one that Vanguard wore: Capricorn…capris…whatever that long-tailed word was. None of the officers seemed to mind when she wore her hat on top of the headpiece. She had also been given a set of tramplers: metal shoes that made her legs feel a little stiff.
"You could have taken his head off if you were wearing tramplers."
Vanguard's words made more sense now. These things were heavy and hard. Having one fall on you would hurt. Having one smashed into you by a strong pony…bones would shatter for sure. "Tramplers" indeed. She almost felt sorry for any wolven caught underneath these. The weight around her body was going to take some getting used to. She was going to be stiff in the morning for sure.
It had to be worse for Pinkie Pie. True enough, she was having trouble just taking a few steps forward. Pinkie had been enthusiastic about getting a set of barding and tramplers. Even though she was a little disappointed that she couldn't choose the color, she was still all smiles when she put them on. The weight crushed that enthusiasm as surely as it was slowly crushing her.
"That's enough admiring yourselves, fillies!" one of the Infantry officers called out. "Fall in!"
Infantry's recruits made up the largest group of ponies at the plaza at the end of recruitment, big enough to be divided into three different groups. The first day of training's objective was simple: get used to your barding. They were taught basic formations, then made to walk, trot, turn, and stop, without breaking them.
It was only a matter of time before Pinkie collapsed into a panting and sweating heap while trotting.
"Get up, filly," their officer said. He didn't shout like the other officers, but he had a stern tone and a frighteningly uncaring way of talking. "How can you possibly defeat a wolven if an inanimate suit of metal gets the better of you? Get up!"
Pinkie tried to get to her hooves, but her knees wouldn't follow through. After a second attempt failed, the officer motioned for Applejack and another recruit. They helped her to the side and took off the barding.
"Get back to your positions, you two," the officer said.
The day finished with Pinkie remaining sidelined. Although completely exhausted herself, Applejack walked over to her. One of the other recruits, a young stallion with a light brown coat and a short, spiky mane of a darker brown, walked with her. Twocolt was the other recruit who had been called to help Pinkie earlier, and he was also the pony immediately to Applejack's left while in formation. Earlier, Applejack had asked about his name to which he replied "My parents have no imagination. I was their second colt."
Pinkie completely deflated when she heard that they were to report back in the next morning.
"Maybe Infantry ain't the place for you, Pinkie," Applejack said. "There has to be a group that doesn't need to wear all this metal."
"They'd find a use for her in Logistics," Twocolt said.
"Logis-what?" Applejack asked. "What do they do?"
"Lots of stuff. If it's got something to do with food, equipment, transportation, and recruitment, Logistics deals with it."
"There you go!" Applejack said. "Sounds like something you can do, Pinkie!"
Pinkie brightened up. "Yeah!" she said. "I'm pretty good with food! Especially if they don't make me wear this suit while making it!"
"Are you sure?" Twocolt asked. "The Legion can't run without Logistics, but it's not a glory role. Your brothers and sisters set out to win the day while you hang by the rear lines peeling potatoes."
"It takes all kinds to make the Legion," Applejack said. "You said it yourself." She looked back at Pinkie. "Let's get some rest. Let's see if we can talk our officer to putting you there."
"He's probably considering it already," Twocolt said.
Medical didn't have a place in Bastion City's plaza. They were too few in number and didn't need that large a space anyway. Instead, Fluttershy was ushered into one of the nearby buildings.
Inside, Doctor Redbrand and two assistants were standing over several recruits. Even at a distance, the scowl on Redbrand's face, and the veins pulsing on his forehead were unmistakable. "Fluttershy!" he shouted. "About time you showed up! Get your bug-marked flank over here, and help out!" He looked towards the recruits, who were clearly cowed by his yelling. "These idiots can't even do a proper sling! I've got half a mind to break their forelegs, and let them figure it out!"
Fluttershy rushed over to make sure of two things: that Redbrand didn't shout himself hoarse, and he didn't really break the forelegs of his new recruits. Despite being a new recruit herself, she was soon playing more the role of teacher, helping the other recruits master different medical techniques before Redbrand lost his patience. He meant well and he taught clearly and precisely. He also expected great results, and resorted to violent threats when his students fumbled.
She remembered Angel. The rabbit was also often grumpy, but he always meant well. How was Angel doing now? Was he still living in her home? Had he moved on? Perhaps he had started living with another pony. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Did he resent her for disappearing, or was he glad he didn't have to fuss over somepony anymore?
"Stop staring into space, and help that recruit over there, Fluttershy," Redbrand growled. "He's about to strangle himself with those bandages!"
Fluttershy flew over to the poor recruit, and helped him untangle himself. She smiled a little. The thought of comparing little Angel to the tall and gruff Redbrand did seem kind of silly.
It didn't take long for the day to wear down. With the recruits all heading out for the day, Fluttershy stayed a little longer to help clean up.
"Fluttershy," Redbrand said. She turned towards him, already fearing another reprimand. "Good job for today." He opened the flask he carried with him at all times, and took a short pull. "Here. Welcome to Medical." She took the offered flask gingerly, and sniffed at its contents. The flask's inside smelled quite strong. Refusing would have been rude, so she took a quick sip. That was a mistake, she gagged at once. The liquid ran down her throat like molten metal after she forced herself to swallow. Coughing, she handed the flask back to Redbrand. "Filly." His tone took on a mock scorn. He put the flask away. "See you in the morning, Fluttershy."
Still choking, and her head spinning slightly, Fluttershy did her best to nod and smile before heading back.
While the other pony recruits trained on the plaza, the pegasi of Reconnaissance trained high above it. Up in the air, Rainbow tried out her new leather outfit. Flying with the added weight was certainly a new experience. She had flown while carrying heavy objects before, even other ponies, but having the weight distributed all around her was different. It took her a few minutes to make sure that the new barding didn't chafe around her wings.
In addition to her new barding, Rainbow had also been provided with a few more things: a map of the Barrier Lands in general, a map of the Northern Barrier Land, and one of Bastion City and its surrounding areas. "Familiarize yourself with these areas, chosen," her officer had told her. "The rest of your fellows know them by heart for having lived here, but you don't. You're excused from target practice today so you can explore before the wolven arrive."
Then, there was the crossbow.
Rainbow held the weapon as if she were holding a sleeping snake. This was the first time she would own a weapon. In addition to the crossbow, she also had a case of bolts strapped to her left side. She took aim, bringing the sight to her eye like the officer had shown her, and scanned her surroundings. She imagined a wolven lurking down below, stalking one of her friends with its cruel fangs bared and ready to kill. She would swoop in at the nick of time, take aim, and fire in a split second. Just as the wolven would jump in for the kill…
…the bolt would catch it right between the ribs, and plunge into a lung. The impact would knock it the ground, where it would lay feebly on its side while gurgling its life away.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, cursing her ridiculously vivid imagination, and for reminding herself of what she would have to do. 'I had to shoot!' she argued mentally. To herself, she realized in dismay. This was hardly any better than arguing with a pile of rocks with a birthday hat. 'It was going after my friend!'
"Nice!" somepony from behind said. "They gave you a Quarrelmark Two light crossbow. Enjoying the feel of it?"
Rainbow turned towards the voice. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty or something, Scarlet?" she asked.
Scarlet grinned. "I am on duty. Special Operations, remember? Standing around doing nothing is not the weirdest thing we've had to do."
"Sounds like an easy job."
"Only if you make the cut. Shouldn't you be at the firing range?"
"I was told to explore some of these places." Rainbow pointed to her maps. "I was just about to go."
"I'll come along. Gotta make sure you don't get lost."
Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she observed Scarlet.
"Almost as fast as Scarlet."
Vanguard wasn't an idiot. He certainly wasn't blind either. He knew what he was saying, and who he was saying it in front of. "Almost." That was a bald-faced challenge, and she certainly wasn't going to take it lying down. "Alright, how about we go to this place?" Rainbow pointed at her map of Bastion City's surroundings.
"Frostrock Needle?" Scarlet asked.
The Needle, as the other recruits called it, was a formation of rocks a couple of miles to the north of Bastion City that resembled a needle jutting upwards. The story went that the needle rose up when Prince Terrato stomped his hoof on the ground to stab King Fenrir from beneath.
"Good choice," Scarlet said. "Check out the northern areas first since that's where the wolven will be coming from."
"How about we race there?" Rainbow asked.
"Whoa there," Scarlet replied. "Why race?"
Rainbow crossed her forelegs in front of her. "Why not? I heard you're fast."
"You heard right," Scarlet said with an upward tilt of his chin. He shook his head before speaking again. "But the Captain doesn't like me racing. He says it's bad for morale."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. That sounded like excuses. Maybe she was wrong about Scarlet. "And why's that?"
Scarlet shrugged. "Well, the ponies I beat tend to think they're slow when I leave them behind. I even drove one to drink. Next thing I knew, she was getting twenty lashes for showing up for duty while drunk."
"You're making me want to race you even more!" Rainbow said with a snort.
"Oh, alright," Scarlet said. "Just promise me you won't start crying if you lose."
"Oh, you'll be the one crying once I leave you behind!" Rainbow said. "Let's start!"
From where they were hovering, they could already see the silhouette of Frostrock Needle. Scarlet readied himself for a quick flying start. "Alright, on three," he said. "One…two…three!"
They sped off at the same time, leaving behind twin trails: one of prismatic colors, and the other of bright red. To her surprise, Rainbow found herself neck and neck against Scarlet. 'He is fast,' she thought. She was flapping her wings as hard as she could, yet the distance between them didn't change. On his part, Scarlet wasn't even looking at her.
As the needle came closer, Rainbow's wing muscles started to burn. She grit her teeth, and flapped even harder. The onrushing wind sent her lips flapping. Scarlet remained at her side, his face split into a wide grin. He was enjoying this. She was straining herself just to lose him, and he looked like he was having the time of his life. The needle was a mile away when Rainbow gave it everything she had in one final burst. Finally, she started pulling away from Scarlet. She looked ahead in time to realize that she had to slow down, or slam into the rocks.
Rainbow forced herself to decelerate. Her hooves flailed wildly, and her wings flapped backward. She slowed down enough to strike the rocks with her hooves without shattering her legs. Scarlet touched the rocks just a split second after her.
"Hah!" she cried out between pants. "I won! I beat you!"
Scarlet Rabbit was panting too. "Yeah, you did!" he said. "I can't believe somepony could actually beat me!"
Rainbow did a little victory dance in the air. She did it! She showed that Vanguard and his mother! Her wings were on fire, and she was gulping down great lungfuls of air, but she did it!
Scarlet flew over, and offered a hoof in congratulations. Smirking, she took it, and shook vigorously. Scarlet's barding jingled slightly from the motion.
The sound immediately wiped the smirk off Rainbow's face. "Hey, Scarlet, how heavy is that barding you're wearing?" she asked, her tone low.
"Oh, this?" Scarlet asked. "It's called light barding, so it's light."
"Let me try it on!"
"I'm not switching barding with you out here!" Scarlet protested.
Rainbow hovered up close, and lifted up the metal plate that protected Scarlet's chest. Light her tail, the plate alone weighed half as much as her leathers. Scarlet just raced her wearing a plate-reinforced suit of chain barding. "Who told you to turn this into some handicap match?" she asked.
"What are you talking about?" Scarlet asked. "Did you think I was going to take off my barding, and leave it somewhere while we raced?"
Rainbow ground her teeth. She hated losing, and this was much worse than losing. "Well…yeah!"
Scarlet laughed briefly. "That's crazy! This thing cost a lot, you know. I leave it somewhere for a few minutes, and I'll end up flying naked for the rest of my missions!"
"This race doesn't count," Rainbow snapped. "Someday, we'll race on even terms!"
Scarlet raised his hooves in front of him. "Okay, okay. We'll race some other time and--" He stared at what was behind Rainbow. Curious, she looked towards that direction as well. "Time to head back!" he said.
To the north, just at the edge of the horizon, was a steadily advancing mass of dark colors. The wolven were on the move once more. They would be by the city's gates soon. Ignoring the burning in her wings, she followed Scarlet back to the city.
"We've just gotten reports that the wolven are already closing in on the city!"
"Preparations are still underway. Terrato's bloody hooves, we won't be ready on time!"
"The draft turned out only half of expected numbers. We need those reinforcements soon!"
From his seat, Commander Dreadstep listened as his subordinates piled one problem after another. He had his eyes closed, and his forelegs crossed, but everypony in the room knew that he was listening to every detail. He had been beset with problems the moment he stepped foot into Bastion City. That wasn't even counting the problems he was already carrying with him.
The city had become complacent during the past few years. He should have recognized it when the number of enlistments began to dwindle, and when supply quotas missed an item or two. To his shame, he admitted that it had been possible for the city to be complacent because he was too. They had depended too much on Fangbreaker's centuries of impregnability, as if history could protect them instead of vigilance. They had underestimated Wolvengard, thinking that the wolven would be satisfied with raising an army once in a while to inflict casualties. Worst of all, they had underestimated the dissension within the Legion itself.
"Commander, what of this group of saboteurs mentioned in some of the reports?" Logistics Officer Frostmane asked. "In addition to our gates falling from the inside, we've discovered that a lot of the supplies in Fangbreaker had been ruined!"
Dreadstep nodded. "I've had Special Operations working on it since we started retreating. Results should be forthcoming." He didn't add that the pony likely responsible for destroying the gates, Pyre Valor, was a member of Special Operations. There was no need to play up everypony's paranoia before the wolven even got here. He looked out the window of his office. Vanguard Clash had slipped in his vigilance as well. How else could he not have noticed his vice-captain's building betrayal? 'At a time when we were all slipping, disaster struck,' he thought. 'The Legion will be made to pay for this dishonor, especially me.' His eyes narrowed. There will be time for punishments once the crisis has passed. Right now, it was time to make up for the lack of vigilance. They were starting with the ponies who dared to side against their kin.
The end of their first day as legionnaires brought both a sense of relief, accomplishment, and apprehension for Twilight and her friends. They had done well so far. Most of them anyway. Twilight had immediately returned to studying Pyre Valor's old spells. It was a little disheartening that she was improving by learning spells discarded as basic material. Still, she had to start somewhere.
Spike had spent the day roaming Bastion City while trying to keep from being caught underhoof. He happily told of how the city found a use for him wherever he went. It had started with the public baths, but he was just as welcome in the foundries, the kitchens, and the smithies. Twilight was initially surprised, but she remembered that she was in the northernmost city in all of Equestria. Here, fire was a valuable commodity.
Rarity had gone to bed early. Twilight wished that she hadn't used that Burning Hooves spell. Her attempt to please Mage Captain Owlsight made Rarity look twice as bad. It wasn't even within Rarity's control that the tests went badly for her. It wasn't fair for Mage Captain Owlsight to judge Rarity's magical aptitude when her powers were hobbled by magical drift.
Still, Owlsight's reasoning was sound, even with the magical drift factored in. They didn't have time to adjust to the drift. It was for the best that Rarity be transferred to a part of the Legion that didn't put her in direct combat.
Rarity wasn't the only one who went to bed early. Next to her, Pinkie Pie was snoring away. Applejack told them of how training in barding had sapped even Pinkie's boundless energy. It had to be more than just the weight that wore on Pinkie. Marching in orderly lines, moving, stopping, and turning when told to, and having orders barked at you were things far outside Pinkie's element.
As for Applejack, she had the best day out of the lot of them. That wasn't much of a surprise either. She was used to manual labor so spending the entire day doing it was nothing new. While the barding had been torture to Pinkie, she looked quite proud of the metal plated suit, and made no secret of wanting to try out the "fancier ones" she had seen officers wear. She had also made a friend among the recruits: a stallion named Twocolt.
Twilight had expected the same from Rainbow Dash. After all, Rainbow was just as athletic as Applejack, and even more enthusiastic. But Rainbow Dash had flown in earlier in an irritable mood, muttering something about making Scarlet regret underestimating her.
Fluttershy came in last. Twilight had asked her how she had done, but didn't quite hear the reply. It wasn't just because of Fluttershy's soft voice either. As soon as Fluttershy had opened her mouth, Twilight was assaulted by a frightful smell. When asked what she had been eating, Fluttershy blushed and said that it must have been the drink that Doctor Redbrand had shared with her.
Then, there were the ponies who were not around.
Twilight wondered if she should even be concerned with what Vanguard Clash and Scarlet Rabbit were up to. Now that she was part of the Legion, she had to consider them as higher-ranked soldiers with their own duties to attend to. They shouldn't be bothered to look after a bunch of recruits. She dearly wanted to consider them friends: life-long, reliable friends she would be writing friendship reports to Princess Celestia about if they were back in the Heartland. But part of her was afraid that they were simply doing what they had been ordered to do. When they were done with those orders, she would walk past Vanguard without him even looking at her.
Twilight shook her head, and concentrated on the notes. Burning Hooves looked impressive, but the range was far too short. She didn't want a wolven to be ten feet away from her before she could hit it with a spell. Fireball, the most difficult spell in Pyre Valor's book, was the best option.
Some time had gone by when the door opened. Vanguard Clash peered into the room without stepping in. "Applejack," he called out.
Applejack looked up. She had taken to spit shining her barding. "Need something, Vanguard?" she asked.
"Fancy a little evening stroll?" Vanguard asked. The question snapped Twilight out of her reading. She looked at Vanguard. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike mirrored her shock.
"Well, I was thinking that, after this, I should hit the--" Applejack stopped when she saw Vanguard's face. "Sure, why not? Lemme get my coat. Looks a mite cold out."
"What was that all about?" Twilight asked after they had left.
Spike shrugged. "Maybe Vanguard just wanted some company."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "He sure was quick to pick Applejack in that case."
"Why not?" Spike asked. "You looked busy, Rainbow was sulking, and he probably won't have much to say to Fluttershy, or me."
"That's not the reason." Rainbow said. Her mood had lightened at the subject. She motioned for all of them to come closer. "I know what's really going on!"
Twilight closed the book and listened along with Fluttershy and Spike.
"Remember that last night we spent out there in the plain?" Rainbow began. "Well, I woke up after everypony had gone to sleep. I saw those two being all cozy by the fire, and chatting!"
Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked. "Does that mean--"
Twilight held a hoof in front of Fluttershy, "What were they talking about?" she asked.
"I couldn't hear," Rainbow said, "but I saw him pat her on the shoulder. When she went to sleep, she had a smile on her face!"
Twilight snorted. "Is that it? They could have just had a friendly chat."
"So why did he ask her out now?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm sure there's a good explanation," Twilight said. She forced some of the self-assurance. "We're in the middle of a crisis. Vanguard Clash isn't so frivolous as to…well...do those things while he's busy with his duties."
"He's Special Operations," Rainbow said with a knowing look. "They do a lot of crazy stuff as part of their duties. That includes hanging around doing nothing, and asking mares out."
"Well, we'll just have to see then, won't we?" Twilight said. She returned to her studying. What a waste of time.
Spike yawned, and headed for his bed. "No need to be snappish. I'm turning in. All of you should too. You're the ones with new, busy schedules."
The night air was even colder than Applejack expected. She was thankful that Vanguard had insisted that they get these wolven-fur coats. It wasn't just the air that made her chilly, however. Vanguard had motioned for her to follow, then walked ahead. This was no casual walk.
Bastion City looked different at night: scarier, and much more grim. The taller buildings rose ominously, partly obscuring tonight's waxing gibbous moon.
"So what's this all about?" she asked.
"Work," Vanguard answered without looking back.
After rounding several corners, Applejack soon realized that she was lost. Before she could even think about her predicament, a group of ponies emerged from the shadows, each one of them garbed in mottled gray cloths. Applejack suppressed a gasp. She didn't see or hear them coming. Scarlet Rabbit hovered above them in a similar outfit. When she looked back to Vanguard, he was also covering his barding in similar cloths.
"Okay, can somepony tell me what in tarnation is going on?" she asked. "I don't like being led around like this."
One of the ponies placed a sack on the ground with a metallic clank. Vanguard pulled out a piece of barding from it, and gave it to her. "Congratulations, Applejack," he said. "For tonight, you've just been promoted to Infantry Captain."
"Infantry Captain?" Applejack asked. "I just joined up today! And what in tarnation do you mean by 'for tonight'?"
"Talk less, and put it on," one of the other ponies growled.
Applejack glared at the pony, but she started putting on the barding.
"We need your help for this mission, Applejack," Vanguard said. "Do you see that tavern over there?" He pointed towards a nearby building with a pair of free-swinging doors for an entrance. The lights were still open. Loud talking, and the occasional clink of glasses striking together came from the place. "All you have to do is to walk by the entrance, peer inside, then walk back here."
"I may still be a greenhorn legionnaire, Vanguard Clash, but I know when I'm walking into trouble," Applejack said. "I'd appreciate some honesty before I do anything."
One of the nearby ponies snorted, but Vanguard glared at them for silence. He held Applejack by the shoulders with both front hooves. "I'll honestly tell you three things," he said. "This is important, you will be in danger, and I will protect you."
Applejack was taken aback for a moment. His nearness, and the shadows around him highlighted just how disconcerting Vanguard's eyes were. They looked so fierce, as if they were constantly glaring ahead of them without him even trying. They also glowed slightly in this dark place, like the eyes of the wolven did. "There's no need to be so dramatic about it," she said with a grin. "Count me in!"
"I appreciate it," Vanguard said. He looked over to the other ponies. "All of us do."
"We'd also appreciate it if you told nopony about what we're about to do," one of them said.
"Let's do this," Applejack said. The barding they gave her chafed a little, but felt fine otherwise. 'Well, I was just thinking about how wearing these capri-things would feel,' she thought. She watched her step. If she tripped on the cloth now, she'd probably die of embarrassment.
"Listen carefully," Vanguard said. "This is what we need you to do…"
The Boozelicker did not enjoy a particularly stellar reputation among Bastion City's taverns. Located in the seedier portion of the city, it was frequented only by ponies who didn't mind finding a winged insect or two in their drinks once in a while. It made only enough business to keep itself open. Its proprietor, an earth pony named Bottle Spin, didn't mind keeping it that way.
For tonight, the Boozelicker entertained an unusually large group of patrons. In addition to the regulars, five legionnaires huddled together by one side of the tavern. Bottle Spin was normally wary of legionnaires, but these ones looked too busy talking among themselves to bother anypony. Besides, he needed every customer he could get. With Fangbreaker fallen, news was already out that the notorious Storm Brew was in Bastion City. It wouldn't be long before the local taverns would be struggling to stay afloat.
"We're going to have to act soon," Stoneshod said. Each word was agony to his bound up jaws. "The wolven will be here in a day or two."
"We're halfway through," Halftail replied. "We should be ready when the time comes."
The other ponies around them nodded. They sipped their drinks, and looked around. If anypony from the Legion caught wind of their discussion, they would all end up hanging. Somepony came by the entrance. "Hush!" Stoneshod said. "Infantry captain coming inside."
They looked down, pretending to enjoy their drinks. Stoneshod eyed the pony by the doors. The Boozelicker was certainly no place for somepony of that rank unless…the orange coat and yellow mane were dead giveaways. The barding covered her flanks, but there had to be a picture of three apples there. She peered into the tavern, giving a clear view of her green eyes before leaving. "Impossible!" he growled. He stood up and immediately went after her.
"Stoneshod, you idiot!" Halftail hissed. He followed, prompting the rest of their group to do the same.
Her heart pounding, Applejack walked towards the alley at a steady pace. She swallowed, and glanced behind her. Several ponies were tailing her. This part of the city was so dark, lonesome, and terrifying, like a stone version of the Everfree. As she approached the alley, she dearly hoped that Vanguard Clash was ready and waiting. The ponies behind her didn't look like they were going to congratulate her for making Infantry Captain.
To Applejack's horror, the alley was empty. Had she entered the wrong one? Or was this some kind of set up? "That's enough walking, chosen," a familiar voice said from behind.
"Who's there?" Applejack asked. "What do you want?"
"Infantry Captain!" Stoneshod snarled. "It's a disgrace that they even allowed you to sign up. Now, they make you Infantry Captain in a day? I'm not standing for this!"
"Enough talking, Stoneshod," another pony beside him said. "Let's just kill her, and get out of here before somepony sees us."
"Why'd ya'll want to kill me?" Applejack asked. "We're all legionnaires now!"
Stoneshod spat on the ground, and pulled a knife from his harness. "We've endured enough without having to watch chosen play at being legionnaires."
"If you kill me, ponies will notice I'm gone," Applejack said. "Ya'll be criminals!"
"I've done worse things for the Legion," Stoneshod said. "You won't be the first pony to pay for it!"
"Sounds like a confession," Vanguard said.
A bolt whizzed past Applejack. Stoneshod cried out, and dropped his knife. A wooden shaft stuck out of his right foreleg. The shadows came alive as several ponies surrounded the group, each one aiming a crossbow at Stoneshod and his ponies. Above them, Scarlet chuckled, and reloaded.
"Special Operations!" Halftail quailed. The name was followed by weapons being dropped to the ground. One pony tried to make a run for it. He took two steps before finding Vanguard's two-bladed sword inches from his face.
Vanguard and his group herded Stoneshod and his ponies to a corner, and began binding them. They pushed Stoneshod up the wall, and began talking. When Applejack tried to listen in, Scarlet Rabbit flew in front of her.
"Woah there!" Scarlet said. "Rough night, eh? How about we take off that barding, and head back to our friends?"
"What are they talking about over there?" Applejack asked. She removed the champron, and gave it to Scarlet.
"Special Operations stuff," Scarlet replied as he stuffed the barding into a sack. After he collected all the pieces, he gently pushed Applejack out of the alley, and hovered by her side. "Thanks again for your help. It made things a lot easier for us!"
"If you're really grateful, how's about letting me in on what just happened?" Applejack asked. "Why all this hiding in the dark, and why do I need to be involved?"
"I suppose I could fill you in on some details. We've been watching Stoneshod since his tussle with you from before. We got a good feeling he was part of a more dangerous group, but we couldn't just walk in, and arrest him in front of others. Ponies would start asking around about what he did,and we'd have to make stuff up. So we thought 'what if they went to a dark alley on their own, and we just happened to be waiting for them?' That's when you volunteered."
"I didn't volunteer for anything!" Applejack said.
"You voluntarily kicked his face," Scarlet replied. "He hated your guts, which we found useful. Thanks to you, nopony suspects anything while we question them. If somepony still asks, we'll say they tried to kill you. Of course, you'll say it's true if they ask you, since that was what they were about to do."
Applejack swallowed. That wasn't a suggestion. She recalled the bolt that had gone through Stoneshod's leg, and looked at hers. "Special Operations" sounded more and more ominous. "What's this 'dangerous group' you were talking about?" she asked.
Scarlet was quiet for a time. "You were there when we made that report to Commander Dreadstep, so I'll tell you," he said. "Don't go blabbing it to everypony you meet." Scarlet eyed Applejack carefully until she nodded. Once she did, his grin was back. "Right, they're part of the traitors who helped the wolven take Fangbreaker. Who knows what they've been up to in the city? We still have to check things out. You chosen have been really useful, though. We've been keeping an eye on reactions to you girls, and you've been turning out a lot of suspects!"
Scarlet talked casually, but there was a glint in his eye that sent a chill down Applejack's spine. Something lurked under all those smiles and cheery banter. She wasn't sure if she wanted to meet that something.
"I hope you don't take it against us," Scarlet said.
"Take what against you?"
"That we're keeping an eye on you too."
Applejack stopped momentarily, prompting Scarlet to do the same. "Are you saying that you've been watching me?"
"Well, not me," Scarlet said. "I'm tasked to watch Rainbow He- I mean, Rainbow Dash. But, yeah, somepony's watching you to see if more of these traitors show up."
"What about Vanguard?" Applejack asked.
"The Captain? What about him?"
"Is he watching one of us too?"
"Of course!"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Well, which one?"
"Which one what?"
"Who's he watching? It's Twilight, isn't it? He sure does spend a lot of time with Twilight."
Scarlet's smile split into a wide grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said.
Before Applejack could reply, they were already standing in front of the building they were staying.
Scarlet winked at Applejack. "Let's keep this to ourselves, alright?"
Applejack could only nod before the two of them entered.
It didn't take long for Stoneshod's captors to throw him inside a small, windowless room with a lone chair. It had only been a few minutes, but the bare walls of pitiless gray stone were already pressing down on him.
He was not tied up, but he was led through one corridor after another, past multiple groups of guards. His captors had taken the long way around to remind him that there was no escaping this place.
The door swung open, and two ponies stepped in. Stoneshod easily recognized Captain Vanguard Clash. The other pony was not so familiar: a blue-eyed, dark blue unicorn mare with her deep purple mane in ringlets. The two of them glanced at each other, and approached him from different sides. Stoneshod sneered. "What's going on? Are you going to play good cop, bad cop with me?"
"We would, Stoneshod," Vanguard replied, "but traitors like you don't deserve good cops."
"So you get two bad ones instead," the unicorn said in a surprisingly soft tone. She stood right next to Stoneshod, and leaned on the table with her forelegs. "We'll give you this one chance to tell us what we want to know on your own volition. If you cooperate, then we'll lock you up for the rest of your worthless life."
"What if I don't?" Stoneshod asked.
"Then we'll use this," Vanguard answered. He pulled out a small syringe filled with glowing, green liquid from his harness. "The ophidites call it Liar's Bane. They originally made it, but the Legion's happy to appropriate. If you won't tell us the truth, we'll use this to force it out of you."
The unicorn smiled. "That stuff will slither through your brain, and dig out what we need. You can imagine how difficult it is to keep secrets from the ophidites."
"Unfortunately for you, our slithering friends down south don't care for the health of their prisoners once interrogation is over," Vanguard added. "Side-effects include partial paralysis, loss of memory, seizures, migraines, uncontrollable muscle twitching..."
"If you're weak, your brain just dribbles out of your ears," the unicorn said. "Either way, we're going to get what we can out of you. It's your choice how it's going to come out."
Stoneshod snorted. Torture, and the use of the enemy's vile tools? Nothing unexpected from Special Operations. "I'll talk," he said. "I'm not going to make it hard for myself."
The unicorn looked downcast. "Wise choice," she said. She put a hoof on top of Stoneshod's head, and ruffled his mane. "For you anyway. I was hoping you'd make us melt parts of your brain, then hang you. Don't lie though. I'm pretty good at noticing lies, and pretty bad at controlling myself when I notice them."
"Captain Nightcanter, work first," Vanguard said. Nightcanter stepped away from Stoneshod. "First question. How many of you were involved in the Fangbreaker Fortress sabotage?"
"Eight cells with five ponies each," Stoneshod replied.
"Including yours, how many made it here?"
"Seven. One cell got trapped, and killed."
"What about Bastion City?" Nightcanter asked. "How many ponies did you have here before you came along?"
"Ten."
Both ponies' eyes narrowed.
Stoneshod smirked. "What's the matter? Surprised by our numbers? You didn't think we were some small ragtag group now, did you?"
Nightcanter's horn glowed deep blue. A bruising telekinetic grip held Stoneshod by his head, and slammed his face into the table three times before letting go. Blood streamed from his nostrils as he steadied himself.
"Can you give us the names of these ponies?" Vanguard asked.
"I can't," Stoneshod said, wiping some of the blood from his nose.
Vanguard grabbed Stoneshod by the mane, and pressed the syringe against his neck without quite penetrating.
"Wait! Wait!" Stoneshod exclaimed. He winced and put a hoof to his mending jaw at his outburst. "I can't give you their names even if I wanted to! Individual cells don't know the members of other cells in case something like this happened!"
Vanguard let go, but he kept the syringe on hoof. "Then how do you work together?" he asked.
"We get our orders from drop zones," Stoneshod said. "When cells meet, we put masks on. The meetings are always at night."
"You don't even know who you're working for!" Nightcanter hissed. "You'll betray Equestria at a stranger's whim?"
"I haven't betrayed Equestria!" Stoneshod snarled. His face twisted in pain, and spit leaked out of his mouth with each word. "We're the ones who have to make the hard decisions while lackeys like you mindlessly plod on, scarfing down every pile of crap that the alicorns leave for you!"
Nightcanter's telekinesis slammed Stoneshod's face into the table three more times before Vanguard stopped her. "He won't be able to talk if his jaw falls off," he said. He looked towards Stoneshod. "How do you identify each other in the dark then? How can you tell if a bunch of masked ponies are working with you, or not?"
"We use an identifying phrase."
"Which is?"
Stoneshod hesitated until both ponies fix hard stares on him. "Black Rose will bloom once again," he said.
For a fleeting moment, a look of horror overcame Nightcanter. That proved worrisome. Here was a Special Operations Captain who had seen horrors on and off the battlefield, but the mention of a name scared her. Was he in over his head? Who was this Black Rose? Then, the moment was gone.
"I'll tear your jaw off myself!" Nightcanter hissed. She leaned forward, and grabbed a hold of Stoneshod's lower jaw. "A whining malcontent of a grunt like you has no right to invoke that name!"
"I don't even know who Black Rose is!" Stoneshod said. "It's just the phrase we were told to use!"
Nightcanter shoved Stoneshod away. "What were your last orders?" she asked.
"We were going to complete a tunnel under the walls. That was our standing order the moment we arrived in Bastion City."
"Tell us where it is."
"I will. Give me a map, and I'll point it out. I've told you all I know."
Vanguard's eyes narrowed. "Not yet," he said. "What happened to Pyre Valor?"
When Stoneshod looked away. Vanguard stepped closer. Stoneshod felt a chill when the other stallion's shadow fell across him. "White unicorn mare: long, wild, and black mane, about as tall as I am, brown eyes, and a naturally fierce expression on her face," he said.
"I know who she is," Stoneshod mumbled, still unwilling to meet Vanguard's gaze.
"Then answer my question."
"She was a newcomer," Stoneshod said. "She came to us at the very last moment. We thought we were done for, but she explained that she was joining up. 'To a degree' she said. She also said that she was going to blow up the gates to let the wolven in." Stoneshod paused. "She was also smoking and hot."
"I'm not interested in your juvenile attractions," Vanguard growled.
"No, foal!" Stoneshod replied. "I meant literally! There were wisps of smoke rising out of her body that creeped us all out! She was also projecting enough heat to make us sweat even with the cold night air!" He clutched his jaw again.
Vanguard turned away fuming. "I'll get a map," he finally said.
Vanguard Clash and Nightcanter left the interrogation room at the same time. They were certain that they had gotten everything they could from Stoneshod, but Nightcanter had suggested using the Liar's Bane anyway. Vanguard disagreed. It was more than apparent that Stoneshod was a bottom-rung grunt in the traitorous organization. They had gotten plenty of information regardless. It wouldn't be long until Special Operations gave them another mission.
"Tell me about this Black Rose," Vanguard said as they walked down a hall.
"Are you telling me you don't know the most infamous unicorn in Barrier Land history?" Nightcanter asked.
"I've encountered a few fleeting mentions of the name time and again. Pyre also mentioned her once. I'd like some clearer details."
"She's a legend," Nightcanter said. "Black Rose the Ascendant. Black Rose the Prince's Consort. Black Rose the Arcane Terror. She was a unicorn mage, and a relentless commander. If you read enough stories, you'd think there was nothing she couldn't do. It's impossible to separate fact from myth."
"Interesting titles," Vanguard remarked. They turned at one corner, passing a pair of legionnaires escorting one of Stoneshod's cronies to a cell. "Why was she called "Ascendant"?"
"The stories have it that she was a few steps away from transforming into an alicorn," Nightcanter said. "She was the greatest magic user of her time. Likely the greatest of all time. She had discovered a way to stop aging. She had also accumulated so much power that she was feared as a monster in Equestria, Ursinium, Ophidus, and Wolvengard, giving her the title "Arcane Terror". Under her command, the Legion advanced to conquer a large number of territories from all sides."
"What about "The Prince's Consort"?"
"That's where the stories really vary. One way or another, Black Rose caught Prince Terrato's attention. The romanticists insist that the two of them had a love affair. Some even go as far as to suggest that they had a foal that the prince spirited away to the Heartland. The pragmatists insist that he simply kept her in his favor because she was so reliable. Regardless, the great amount of time she spent with the prince gave her that title."
"She sounds more like a heroine made up to inspire fillies rather than an actual mare," Vanguard said. "What happened?"
"No happy ending for the fillies here," Nightcanter said. "Black Rose strongly believed that the division was a hindrance to Equestria's rise in power. The popular theory is that she secretly developed a plan to assassinate Princess Celestia, making Prince Terrato the sole ruler of a united Equestria with dominion over Sun, Moon, and Earth. The prince found out, and confronted her in her tower in the Western Barrier Land."
"That couldn't have ended well," Vanguard said.
"Apparently that theory is true, or it was pretty close. The prince laid waste to her tower, and killed her," Nightcanter added. "That's where the historical account ends."
"Then, this shouldn't be a problem. She's dead."
Nightcanter snorted. "You should brush up on your history, Vanguard. You'd think it'd be that easy, but no. The Legion's dealt with three separate Black Rose rebellions since she died. Malcontents like Stoneshod like to throw the name around to gather like-minded ponies. I hope this time's just like one of those times, but..."
Vanguard nodded. "These are different circumstances: the wolven attacking in force, chosen breaking through the barrier, Princess Luna showing up…I'm guessing this is the biggest Black Rose rebellion the Legion has had to deal with."
Nightcanter's eyes narrowed. "Right you are. We've got our hooves full with the wolven. We don't need a unicorn sorceress who's been dead for seven hundred years to add to the mix."
"The Legion will overcome," Vanguard said. "We'll root these traitors out, drive back the wolven, and find places for the chosen."
"Sounds like a plan," Nightcanter said with a grin. They stood by the prison's exit. "Turning in for the night?"
Vanguard looked at the night sky. It was already very late. He was going to get two or three hours of rest at best. "Yes."
"Your place is a long way off," Nightcanter said. She brushed against him deliberately. "My quarters are closer, and I've got an extra bunk."
"They assigned one legionnaire to a room with two bunks?" Vanguard asked.
"Fine, you nitpicker, it's just one bunk," Nightcanter groused. "It's a really big one, though."
"I'll pass."
Nightcanter stomped a front hoof. "That's the eighth time, Vanguard Clash! I'm starting to think you prefer colts!"
"You should stop counting," Vanguard said. "You'll be annoyed less. And the choice isn't between you and colts."
"So is there somepony?" NIghtcanter asked, her eyes wide.
Vanguard snorted."None of your business, Captain Nightcanter."
"Touchy." Nightcanter smiled. "Fine, I'll go with my third choice then. See you tomorrow, Vanguard."
Vanguard waved a hoof, and went on his way.
Deep within the Western Barrier Land was a small lake surrounded by steep, forbidding mountains. It was called "Heavenly Basin" and was inaccessible other than by flight, very powerful magic, or somehow traversing the underground rivers that fed it. At the center of that lake was a small island covered with the obsidian wreckage of what was the tower of the infamous Black Rose.
Rumors abounded throughout all of the Barrier Lands that the site still contained valuable treasures, and powerful spell books, but nopony had ever managed to confirm them. The entire site contained lingering traces of Black Rose's magic in the form of an unnatural aura that permeated everything. In the years immediately after Black Rose's demise, Legion-sent salvagers, and independent adventurers alike braved the difficult journey to try their luck. Most came away with nothing, but the unnatural aura pervading the place haunted their nightmares for the rest of their lives. A few simply vanished. As centuries went by, nopony worked up the courage to venture into the ruins.
"Nopony", however, tended not to include Equestria's alicorn rulers. Prince Terrato descended from the skies, and landed gently on the island. Almost nothing had changed since he had last visited this place centuries ago. Heavenly Basin seemed frozen in time. The crystalline waters were perfectly still, as was the air. The sky was permanently shrouded with dark clouds that never caused any precipitation to fall on the place. Chunks of obsidian were strewn about: the remains of Black Rose's mighty tower. At the center of the wreckage was a pillar of white stone, driven into the ground like a gigantic spear.
Terrato walked to the pillar, and read the inscription near its base; the same inscription he had put there when he drove the thing down on Black Rose's head.
This is the end of Black Rose. The same hard, and barren fate awaits all of Celestia's enemies.
With his magic, Terrato lifted the pillar without ruining it, or the hole it had created. He inspected the hole, and found it empty. There were no bones or clothing. He scoured the spot with magic, looking for even the smallest trace of what used to be Black Rose. He came out with nothing. He sighed, and replaced the pillar. Seven hundred years ago, he had made sure with his own eyes that she was dead. Though it pained him greatly, he had lifted this same pillar to check, forcing himself to look at her bloody, crushed remains, before leaving them to remain under the pillar forever. To find not even a trace, even though centuries had passed, did not bode well with the growing crisis in his realm.
Terrato closed his eyes for a moment.
"Would you slay me, my prince? The one pony who holds you dearest without condition?"
Terrato had believed those words once. Seven hundred years ago felt like another lifetime. He was another pony back then, and that pony, that foalish, brash soldier desperate for affection, had found solace in Black Rose's unflinching devotion. She was such a beautiful unicorn mare: sleek and graceful, but strong and athletic. She had a silky smooth black coat, a crimson mane that nearly cascaded to the ground, and a tail to match. She had eyes of the softest gray that could hold anypony's gaze with confidence. He had stupidly showered her with his favor, and given her free rein over his realm.
When he discovered the dark side of that devotion he prized so much, the rage threatened to drive him mad. Black Rose may have loved him, but she loved power more. She consumed ponies to fight off age and death. She had plans to infiltrate the Heartland, and assassinate his sister. Worst of all, she proclaimed that she was doing it for him and a united Equestria. He had only one answer for that.
"Heed me well, beloved. When your younger sister returns from her imprisonment, Wolvengard will start its greatest attack. With her defender pressed on all sides, and the Elements of Harmony out of reach, Celestia will be at her weakest. When that time comes, Black Rose will bloom once again."
Those were her last words. It wasn't even a fight. Black Rose offered no resistance while he stripped her of every single one of her protective spells before dropping a pillar of rock on her head. She was smiling at that time; a serene smile that left him uneasy. It was as if he was still playing into her hooves, right up until the moment her body was crushed.
'The time is right, Black Rose,' Terrato thought as he inspected the rest of the ruins. Though nothing was physically different, there was a different charge in the lingering magical aura. A disturbance had occurred here recently, a disturbance that somepony took to great lengths to hide. 'Luna is back, Celestia has passed on the Elements of Harmony to her rebellious student, and the wolven are attacking. All that's left is…'
A fleeting shadow caught the corner of Terrato's eye. He looked behind him, but found nopony there. Still, he could have sworn that he saw somepony. He felt like he was being watched. With a snort, he flapped his wings, and made his way north.
Vanguard entered the building where his friends were staying, taking great pains to make sure that he didn't wake anypony up. He removed his tramplers before walking on the wooden floor, and set them aside by one corner of the room.
His eyes lingered on a nearby desk. Twilight Sparkle was slumped over it, dozing away. On the desk were Pyre Valor's still open book, and a small puddle of melted wax. Shaking his head, he took a nearby blanket with his mouth, and gently draped it over her. To his chagrin, that was enough to cause her to stir. She opened her eyes weakly, and turned to look at him.
"Fenrir's hide, Twilight Sparkle," Vanguard whispered. "Don't you know the meaning of restraint?"
Twilight Sparkle looked at the open book in front of her, and closed it. "I was waiting for you to come back," she said with a yawn. "When Applejack came back with Scarlet…" She stood up, and headed for an empty bed. She leaned groggily over to one side, forcing Vanguard to hold her up.
"It's not like you'll never see me again," Vanguard said. He helped her onto a bed, and draped a blanket over her. She closed her eyes, and fell back to sleep.
Vanguard removed the rest of his barding before lying down on the bed next to Scarlet's. After Stoneshod's interrogation, Bastion City felt a lot more hostile than it used to when he walked its streets as a colt. Were there bands of ponies out there this very moment? Digging away at the defenses, ruining their supplies…
'And now this Black Rose business,' he thought. The Legion faced enemies outside and within, while the Heartland itself was becoming restless.
The following morning, Rainbow made good time towards the plaza. She had explored all of the places she had been instructed to yesterday. She even got in an hour of target practice, getting a good feel of shooting with her crossbow. She thought she did pretty good. She was no crack shot, but not bad for her first day. "Don't pat yourself on the back yet, recruit," the reconnaissance officer had told her. "Your real targets won't be made of wood."
For today, Rainbow was hoping to improve her aim. Surprisingly, her fellow recruits were not lined up by the firing range. Instead, they were clustered over the side of one building. She flew over to check what was the commotion about. They were looking at several papers that had been posted on the wall. "What's going on?" she asked a nearby recruit.
"They've finished assigning us to the different flights," the recruit answered.
"What does that mean?"
"Yesterday was an assessment period. Didn't you see the flight captains watching us while we were practicing flying and shooting?"
Rainbow shook her head. "I was out scouting places," she said. "Wait a minute…does that mean that everypony has been scouted out, and I didn't get to show my stuff?"
The recruit shrugged his shoulders. "Looks that way. You may as well check the posts for your name."
Rainbow squeezed through the throng of gathered pegasi until she got close enough to the lists. Each paper had the name of a flight with a list of names of those who were assigned to it. Rainbow Dash scanned the papers, her heart racing faster as she went from one flight to the next. Each flight had a cool name: Flight Bladefeather, Flight Frostshear, Flight Stormdawn. Finally, after being jostled about a bit, she found it.
Flight Dreadwing: Rainbow Dash
There were other names in the list, but Rainbow didn't bother. Dreadwing…that sounded cool. She hoped that they had cool outfits as well. She squeezed her way out of the gathered crowd with barely contained excitement. As soon as she was free, however, she found herself face-to-face with Scarlet Rabbit.
"Did you find out which flight you were assigned to?" Scarlet asked.
"Yeah," Rainbow muttered. She hadn't forgotten Scarlet's self-hobbling. "Flight Dreadwing."
The grin disappeared from Scarlet's face. "Dreadwing, huh?" he replied. "That's Tailwind's flight."
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "Tailwind? As in Vanguard's mom Tailwind?"
Before Scarlet could answer, a familiar voice came from behind him. "That's Flight Captain Tailwind to you, recruit." Rainbow looked past Scarlet and, sure enough, found Flight Captain Tailwind walking towards them. She had a smile on her face as she approached her flight's newest member, a smile that conveyed more anticipation than any actual joy. "Come along, Rainbow Dash, the rest of my flight's already waiting," Tailwind said. She flew off to the northern end of the city, leaving Rainbow to follow behind. "I traded that foal of a nag, Wingslice, three recruits to get you. You better prove me smart!"
"Why would you do that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I didn't even get to show my stuff during the assessment day!"
Tailwind glanced back at her with a knowing look. "Oh, but you did. I watched your little race with Scarlet. Impressive, I must say."
Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "I lost that race," she muttered.
"It's assessment," Tailwind said. "It's not a matter of winning or losing. You did well. As well as Scarlet when he was starting off."
"Really?" Rainbow asked.
"I would know," Tailwind grinned, and looked back at Rainbow again. "He was Flight Dreadwing before he was transferred to Special Operations."
Rainbow's confidence returned. "Then it's only a matter of time!"
"It's going to take more than time, you foal," Tailwind said. She stopped mid-flight so abruptly that Rainbow Dash flew past her, and had to double back. "You're fast, Rainbow Dash, but you're arrogant, and you lack discipline."
Tailwind hovered, and looked Rainbow in the eye. "You swallowed my stupid son's bait like it was Grade A Winter Moss, then proceeded to challenge the fastest pegasus in the Northern Legion before you could even get used to your new equipment's weight, and without even observing him to gauge his abilities. There's brave, and there's reckless. The Legion honors the brave, and turns the reckless into cautionary tales." Tailwind's lips curved into a slight smile. Rainbow swallowed a lump in her throat and backed away. "But that works for me," she continued." I can't make natural talent grow where there's none, but I'm confident in my ability to beat discipline into a promising recruit. Literally, if I have to."
With that, Tailwind flew ahead, leaving Rainbow Dash wondering what she had just gotten herself into.
For Sharpfangs, feeding the Legion had always been among the most under-appreciated jobs to have. Legionnaires were not picky with their food. They may complain and joke, but they ate what was provided. They needed a lot, however, and they needed it quickly. Empty bellies were a disaster in a battle, and it fell to Kitchen Division to prevent that. Supplies had to be regulated, and the commissary stocked.
And that was during the best circumstances, which they certainly weren't experiencing at the moment. It was only when they were evacuating the fort did they notice that a large amount of their supplies had been ruined. Not only that, Kitchen Division itself didn't escape without casualties. Sharpfangs himself should have been killed in action if his wife hadn't shown up, and dragged him out of the fortress. When they made it to Bastion City, they were short-hoofed, and under-supplied.
Today's breakfast was a small taste of things to come. The Legion's ranks had recovered a bit with the latest draft, and the addition of the city's defenders, but Logistics was the last to benefit from new troops. Infantry got most of the earth ponies, Reconnaissance all but monopolized pegasi recruits, and Magical took all the unicorns. Logistics had to work with leftovers: recruits deemed unfit for front-line combat, and were better off with, what most legionnaires believed, were menial tasks. By the end of recruitment day, Logistics was supporting almost the same number of legionnaires it was when the fort was functioning, but with barely half its casualties replaced.
Sharpfangs didn't mind. Rare was the pony who looked forward to a time when this wolven attack was repulsed so that he could boast of how he cooked for the triumphant soldiers, or repaired their tools, and transported their luggage. Especially not if that same pony could join those who did the fighting. Besides, it wasn't like Logistics came out completely empty hoofed. As his fellow cook, Grassmane, was quick to remind him.
"So what do you think of the chosen recruit, Sharpfangs?" Grassmane asked. He dipped a ladle into a cauldron of bubbling vegetable soup, and gave it a sip. Frowning, he turned around, and grabbed some pepper from a nearby cupboard.
"She looks like a hard worker," Sharpfangs replied while slicing up some fruits. The fresh fruits were the first to go. Winter would soon force them to rely on preserved goods. He eyed the recruit that Grassmane mentioned: a pink-coated pony who had just been assigned to their kitchen this morning. The balloons that marked her flank were a curious sight, curious enough to make him almost forget that it was rude to stare at a mare's flank, and that Tailwind would kick his if she saw him.
Recruit Pinkie Pie, as she had enthusiastically introduced herself, handled a mound of dough with practiced ease. She presented a stark contrast to the other cooks around her who moved mechanically in their duties. Having been informed that she used to live with bakers back in the Heartland, Head Chef Fullblanch had assigned her to baking duty. While Sharpfangs agreed with the decision, especially seeing how well she did, there was another concern.
Most of the time, recruits assigned here worked glumly, as if their transfer was a punishment instead of an assessment of how they could best serve the Legion. Not so Recruit Pinkie Pie. She didn't walk to her station, she bounced towards it. The gusto by which she went about her new duties was a little cute and refreshing, a small reminder that what everypony here did was just as important as routing a wolven attack. She also hummed a lively tune that Sharpfangs found himself tapping a hoof to. In there lay a brewing problem.
Pinkie's fellow worker at the bread station was a burly earth pony stallion almost twice her size called Graveleaf. He was a transfer from the Western Legion who served in Infantry until he lost one of his hind legs to frostbite. Graveleaf had no intention of retiring, and worked with Kitchen Division, relying on a wooden leg to help him hobble about. He was a hard worker although his bread tended to be on the tough side. Sharpfangs and the senior members got along well with him, but his silent demeanor, and his battle-hardened, scar-covered visage proved intimidating. Three Kitchen Division recruits had asked for a transfer to other Logistics divisions after a few days of having to work next to him. Pinkie didn't seem to mind one bit. She bounced around their workplace and all around him while humming.
Sharpfangs kept an eye on the two while he prepared the meals assigned to him. The chosen were friends with his son. He had to step in should Graveleaf turn on Pinkie Pie, and pound her out like one of his dough mounds for being so lively.
After some time, the normally stoic Graveleaf was looking a little distracted. He glanced at Pinkie as he worked on some more dough. Sharpfangs edged a little closer to their station. Next to him, Grassmane seemed to have noticed as well. Graveleaf approached Pinkie while she was watching a batch of bread loaves begin to rise.
"Recruit…" Graveleaf's gravelly voice quickly caught Pinkie's attention. She turned around and looked up at him, all smiles and curiosity.
"Yes?" Pinkie asked.
"What is that ridiculously catchy tune you keep humming?" Graveleaf asked. "Is that some kind of ritual humming you chosen do?"
"Ritual?" Pinkie asked. "Oh, no! It's my Legion Bread Baking song! It's a work in progress though."
"Does it have words to go along with it?"
"Sure!"
Fullblanch raised his head from the main station. "Well, don't short us with the watered down version, recruit!" Fullblanch called out. "Let's hear the entire thing!"
The other cooks voiced out their agreement. Pinkie Pie saluted, then burst into song as she pulled out the latest batch of bread from the oven. Sharpfangs listened intently to her lyrics. True enough, it was a song about…baking bread. Barely a day spent in her new environment, and she already had this. He quickly found himself tapping a hoof to the song. He stopped, and looked guiltily at Grassmane, only to find his fellow cook bobbing his head in tune.
As work progressed in the kitchen, Pinkie Pie's cheer added an extra spring to even the most menial chore, even Graveleaf flung down some dough with a bit more enthusiasm.
From his station, Head Chef Fullblanch gave a hearty laugh. "Welcome to Kitchen Division, Pinkie Pie!" he called out.
At the southern section of Bastion City, Hammer Chain had just started up his forge for another day of work. His new workplace was a bit smaller than his old one in Fangbreaker, but he was glad to have something to work with. While he was inclined to take a place at the front lines to bash a few of the filthy dogs that were likely using his old forge himself, he had a much more important job.
Armory Division had its work cut out for it. Weapons and barding had to be repaired, new recruits had to be armed and armored, and ammunition had to be replenished. Hammer Chain himself had spent all day yesterday re-forging barding for the rest of Fangbreaker's survivors. Wolven jaws clamped down with the force of a smith's vice, and their teeth were hard and sharp. Even the best barding suffered damage while protecting their owners.
It was late morning, and Hammer Chain had just finished a piece when a knock on his door told him that his next order of business had just arrived. He opened the door for a tall, gray earth pony with bright red eyes. "Captain Vanguard Clash," Hammer Chain said. "I didn't expect to see you any time soon. Don't tell me that my masterpiece has finally been damaged!"
Vanguard smiled wryly, and set a sack on the floor. Hammer Chain's bushy eyebrows furrowed as he pulled out a piece. For some strange reason, the black plates had been damaged by heat. He had crafted Vanguard Clash's barding out of nightsteel, a more expensive variant of regular steel that was stronger and insulated better, on commission by Commander Dreadstep, and out of gratitude for that time Vanguard rescued him from a wolven ambush. It required quite a flame to do this much damage. He searched the sack further, and found the tattered, burned wreck of a caparison.
"This is quite a mess," Hammer Chain said. "What did you do, Vanguard? Jump into a furnace?"
"Close enough," Vanguard said. "Can it be repaired?"
"It can," Hammer Chain answered. "It should be ready before the day ends."
"Thank you. How much will it cost?"
"Don't even think about payment. I'd have hunted you down if you went to another smith."
"Thank you again," With a smile and a nod, Vanguard went on his way. Hammer Chain laid out the barding and inspected each piece. The damage wasn't serious. The caparison may be better off being replaced. Not only was it badly burned, it looked like a wolven had clawed off pieces of it. Seeing no available materials for the cloth, he cursed under his breath and made sure that the forge was well supplied while he was gone. It was times like these that made him wish that his last apprentice hadn't been eaten.
While most of her friends had enthusiastically headed off to their new respective posts, Rarity had gone to hers with a much slower step. Vanguard Clash had directed her towards Officer Frostmane, who assigned her to Logistics's Maintenance Division. She was then tasked with repairing miscellaneous damaged items such as tents, blankets, and fur coats. A small pile of such things lay to her left while another pile of the same things that had been repaired lay to her right.
Some good had come out of the transfer. It had given Rarity access to a needle and thread. She was even given a pair of scissors. She sighed inwardly when she levitated the familiar tools with ease. Even with the magical drift hobbling her magic, she could still manage this. One of the first things she turned her sewing skills on was none other than her new mage-coat. She had been allowed to keep the one given to all Magical recruits. Actually wearing it was a pretty painful experience to her fashion sense, however.
The coat was a thick cloth padded with leather. Its shape was basically a blanket draped over her. It felt like she was wearing a blanket as well: a thick, heavy blanket that slowed her down far more than necessary.
There was nothing to be done about the color or material, but how the fabric fell, and weight distribution could be adjusted. Every scrap of free time she got went to modifying her coat to suit her taste. She snipped off parts she didn't think were necessary, and reinforced the padding where she believed needed more protection. Adjusting how the coat fell was a bit of a challenge, but manageable. She was holding up the finished product, and inspecting it lovingly when somepony spoke from behind.
"That's an interesting mage-coat you have there, chosen, where did you acquire it?"
Rarity floated the mage-coat close and whirled. Behind her was a unicorn stallion with red-orange coat, and a cropped mane of ashen blue. His face was covered with a thick blue beard, long enough to form a few inches of goatee. "Um…nowhere really," she said. "Just a mage-coat from the pile."
The unicorn extended a hoof. "Let me see that."
Rarity was quickly becoming familiar with that tone. It was no request. She floated the coat over to him for inspection.
"These are quite the changes you've made," the unicorn said. He turned the mage-coat over with his telekinesis, eyeing each modification without showing any sign of approval or disapproval. "I see you've taken off some of the padding by the rear. Any explanation why?"
"Well, um…sir," Rarity replied. He looked like a senior legionnaire, so she decided to stay respectful. "When I saw the wolven attack in Fangbreaker, I noticed that they prefer to lunge at the throat or jump on the back instead of going for a pony's heels. So I took away most of the padding in that area to reinforce those areas. It also gives the wearer more mobility, and leaves the hind legs free to buck in case of an emergency."
"True," the unicorn said. He returned the mage-coat, and eyed her instead. "What do you do here, recruit?"
"I've been tasked with mending these things." Rarity gestured to the piles to her sides. "Am…am I in trouble, sir?"
"I was thinking of having you whipped for tampering with barding design," the unicorn said. "But I've changed my mind. Come with me, recruit." He walked off, leaving Rarity to follow behind.
Rarity quickly noticed that they were heading for the maintenance officer's office. Once they got there, the unicorn flung the door open, grabbed Rarity by a foreleg, and dragged her to his side. "Halfstitch, this recruit tells me that she patches up tents and coats for your division, is this true?" he asked.
Halfstitch, a lean, grizzled earth pony with a purple coat, and a deeper purple mane, frowned at the sight of Rarity. She shrank a little at this. "It's true," he said. "What's the matter? Was she lying about somewhere? These spoiled chosen…it's the whipping post if that's--"
"You mule-headed foal, this mare's too valuable to be patching random holes in a corner. I want her transferred to Armory Division under me."
Halfstitch leaned forward from his desk, and looked shrewdly at the unicorn. "I don't know, Hammer Chain, this recruit's pretty valuable. It's not like we got a bunch of them from yesterday's draft."
Hammer Chain snorted. "How about I give you that harness you've been eyeing in my shop yesterday?"
Halfstitch grinned, and stood up. "I'll get the paperwork ready."
Hammer Chain grinned as well, and looked at Rarity. "Good. Come with me, recruit."
The bright flames of the small smithy she now stood in quickly drew sweat from Rarity. It was a rather disorganized place, with several tools scattered around piles of metal ingots. She didn't dare point this out, however. The way Hammer Chain stepped past the mess showed that it was organized chaos. He could probably pick out the smallest hammer he needed from this mess if he wanted to.
Hammer Chain flung the rolls of fabric that he had just acquired towards one corner. "What's your name, recruit?" he asked.
"My name is Rarity, Sir Hammer Chain, is it?"
"Actually, it's just Hammer Chain. I don't know where you got that 'sir' part. What did you use to do in the Heartland?"
Rarity pawed the floor a bit. She was proud of her occupation, but the Legion didn't seem to think much of it. "I was a dressmaker."
"Ever work with barding? Pounded metal plates into shape? How about weapons?"
"Certainly not," Rarity said with a sharp inhale. "I made formal-wear for balls. I've certainly never had to work with metal!"
Hammer Chain snorted. "Bah! What's barding but a different dress you wear for a livelier sort of party? And what's metal but a tougher, harder to shape fabric?"
Rarity wasn't quite sure how to respond to that sort of logic.
"Tell you what, Rarity, you've just been transferred to Armory Division as my apprentice. I'll let you deal with mage-coats and leathers, then we'll scrape every bit of time we get out of this war to teach you how to work with metal. Does that sound good to you?"
Rarity's eyes widened. "Um…yes. Yes, it certainly does!" Her new workplace was a cramped, stiflingly hot, and smelled of iron and ashes, but she was not here out of convenience this time. Here, her talents could shine.
"Good," Hammer Chain said. "You can start with Vanguard Clash's caparison while I start on his barding. Let's get to work!"
By the end of the day, Bastion City's ponies returned to their homes with fearful anticipation. Reports of the wolven army being spotted by pegasus scouts were now widespread. It was only a matter of time before the city was surrounded. The last few supply wagons made their way through the city's southern gates. There would be no more trade from the southern cities until the wolven were repulsed to make sure that wagons were not ambushed. Supplies would have to come by air soon.
It was then that the collective fears of an entire city manifested in the form of a horn sounding off. Everypony knew what the sound meant even though most of the citizens had just heard it for the first time. The first wolven had just appeared over the horizon. Panicked citizens rushed to their homes, dragging their children inside with them. Cries of fear filled the air while legionnaires rushed to occupy their posts.
Reports quickly flooded Dreadstep's office. The same issues resurfaced: some preparations were still underway, some units were under-equipped, the recruits were far from battle-ready. "The wolven won't attack immediately after a long march," he told his officers. "Squeeze every second for all of its worth. Expect them to begin siege preparations as soon as they come close enough."
Every officer saluted, and headed off. Dreadstep leaned on his desk and folded his forelegs in front of him. 'This is the second time,' he thought. 'The wolven won't catch me slacking off this time.'
From his aerial vantage point, Scarlet Rabbit watched the wolven forces arrayed before Bastion City. They showed during yesterday's dusk. They marched, and prepared throughout the night. By the time morning had arrived, they had the entire city surrounded.
The chaos and darkness of Fangbreaker's fall had made it impossible to gauge the enemy's strength before. Now, with the rays of the morning sun breaking through the usually cloudy sky helping him, he could make his estimations.
Just a crossbow shot away from the walls was a veritable sea of fur, fangs, and claws. The wolven stalked the grassy plain: eyeing the city hungrily, pacing through the short grass, and snarling at each other. At the rear section of the army, more wolven dragged a few dozen catapults forward along with battering rams, siege ladders, and mobile towers. It was only a matter of time until the first boulder struck the walls.
Against the massive wolven army, the Northern Equestrian Legion had the survivors of Fangbreaker Fortress, Bastion City's garrison, and a contingent of new recruits. Scarlet grinned at the odds. This was going to be the battle of the century. Several centuries, in fact. When had been the last time things were this desperate? All his time in the Legion had been spent fighting in skirmishes. This would be his first time being involved in a clash between armies. He was almost too giddy to land, doing so only when he noticed Vanguard looking up at him.
A streak of prismatic colors came from one side. Rainbow was hovering nearby by the time he landed next to Vanguard. Scarlet's grin spread a little wider. Here was something else that got him excited. He was still reeling from the other day's race; a race that she had refused to acknowledge. The same race that he felt like a winner, but not in a way she understood it. He had never thought he would ever encounter another pony who still appeared to be moving when he sped up, and put his mind into it. Finally, a pony who just might catch Scarlet Rabbit. All she needed was a little time under Tailwind's wing, just as he had done.
"Those are a lot of wolven," Rainbow said. She tried to sound confident, but there was no hiding that quiver in her legs, or that tremble in her voice.
"Steady yourself," Vanguard told Rainbow sternly. "You should be awaiting orders with the rest of your flight." He turned towards Scarlet. "Scarlet, we also have our orders."
Still grinning, Scarlet saluted, and flew off while Vanguard ran in the same direction. After running a short distance however, Vanguard turned around. "Rainbow Dash!" he called out. "We'll win this, and you can see for yourself how "cool" the Legion can be!"
Rainbow made her way towards the northern section of Bastion City. The assurance from Vanguard steadied her nerves a bit though her heart was still beating quickly. She passed through street after street of ponies scrambling to get ready. Civilians had run into their homes. Carts of supplies were being pulled away into safe storage while weapons were being distributed. Rainbow touched the crossbow strapped to her harness. How long would it be until she started using it on actual enemies? An hour from now? A few minutes?
"Get over here, recruit!" Tailwind shouted at Rainbow from the top of Bastion City's crenelated northern walls. The rest of Flight Dreadwing lined the walls with her, taking cover behind the ramparts with their crossbows already drawn. Following what she had been taught yesterday, Rainbow landed in front of her flight captain and saluted. "Take your post," Tailwind ordered.
While all sides of the city were facing a great mass of wolven, it was by the northern walls where they were concentrated. If the northern gates could be forced open, the wolven could easily swarm the city. Rainbow looked around her. In addition to Flight Dreadwing's thirty pegasi, they also had another thirty from Flight Frostshear.
"Listen up!" Tailwind barked. "The commander expects the wolven to go for an initial rush to see if they can take the city in a single battle before settling in for a siege. It worked at Fangbreaker and they have the mutts to spare. Our orders are as follows: settle in, and make them pay when they come forward. You all know who to shoot first, and how to work your way down their chain of command. Once they bring their engines closer, Flight Frostshear will provide covering fire while Flight Dreadwing will swoop in with these."
Tailwind motioned towards several sacks of small, ceramic spheres. Each sphere had a small pictogram for fire etched into it that glowed a dim orange.
"What are those?" Rainbow asked. Several members looked at her as if she was an idiot.
"Firebombs," Tailwind said. "The unicorn enchantments will light them up once the containers shatter, and the chemicals inside burn long and hot. Don't use them on the wolven troops, even if they're clustered. Aim for their siege engines, or supply wagons. Is that understood?"
Flight Dreadwing saluted, and distributed the spheres among themselves. Rainbow was just tying a small pouch of the firebombs to her harness when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Hey, RD, looks like you got stationed here too."
Rainbow Dash squinted at the pony who was talking to her. She recognized the voice, but the sight of this barded pony, no taller than she was, was a little confusing. She looked a little closer and saw the yellow mane, and the green eyes, underneath the metal champron. "Applejack?" she asked.
"What the-- It took you that long to recognize me?" Applejack asked. "I spotted you a mile away, even in your barding!"
"The rainbow mane and tail were dead giveaways," a stallion standing next to Applejack said.
"Don't be such a fuss-budget, Twocolt, I swear you sound like Rarity sometimes," Applejack said.
"Must be a pony with an unbelievable amount of common sense," Twocolt replied.
"So what are you doing way up here?" Rainbow asked. "You don't even have crossbows!"
"Those wolven are going to bring along those giant ladders they've got over there, and latch it to our wall here," Applejack said. "Our platoon got assigned to make sure they don't climb over and get'cha."
"So is Twilight here too?" Rainbow asked.
"I haven't seen her around," Applejack said with a shrug. "Maybe she got assigned somewhere else."
"We better get back to our posts before Iron Jaw throws the both of us off this wall," Twocolt said.
Applejack nodded. "I'll see you later, Rainbow," she said. "Stay safe and alive."
Rainbow cleared her throat and grinned. "You too, Applejack."
"If you had a cutie mark, Twocolt, it would be a wet blanket," Applejack said as they walked off.
Rainbow turned her attention back to the enemy. The wolven were getting agitated. They massed in front of the gates, snarling, and barking themselves into a frenzy while their siege engines rolled into place. Tense hours seemed to fly by. Tailwind made the signal to take aim. As she had been taught just yesterday, Rainbow looked for one of the bigger wolven. Size and strength often decided how officers were chosen among the wolven. It was a more difficult task than she had anticipated. Each time she spotted a big wolven, an even bigger one caught her eye. Then, there were the enormous, white-furred wolven at the rear sections. Even from a distance, their monstrous fangs and claws gleamed in the sunlight.
Rainbow's forelegs started to shake again, causing her aim to go all over the place. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated harder, forcing the fear down like a mouthful of bad feed.
A lone howl burst from behind the wolven lines.
The wolven surged forward. They crossed the distance between them and the walls so quickly that Rainbow lost the one she had been aiming at.
"Fire!" Tailwind shouted.
Rainbow picked the nearest wolven, and fired.
A barrage of bolts struck the wolven, knocking down those who were hit. Rainbow couldn't tell if she had hit anything. Some of the smaller wolven lined up, and aimed their crossbows at her direction. Unlike hers, their crossbows were huge, about as tall as she was when stood up.
"Bolters!" Tailwind shouted. "Cover!"
Rainbow was already ahead on the cover part. She put her back against a rampart, and waited for the telltale sound of metal striking stone. An enormous bolt flew past just inches from her cover.
"Reload!" Tailwind shouted.
Rainbow pulled out another bolt from her case, and loaded it, pulling the crossbow's crank with a foreleg.
"Fire!" Tailwind shouted again.
Rainbow came out of her cover, and aimed for the first wolven she saw. There was no time to be picky, and the lecture from yesterday flew out of her mind. The wolven bolters were reloading, and she didn't want a single inch of her body exposed when they fired. On instinct, she went for one of the bolters. It was winding up its weapon, using some kind of pulley to draw the massive string back, when her shot connected. The bolt plunged deep into its ribs, and sent it tumbling towards its fellows.
Rainbow quickly went back to her cover, took a deep breath, and waited. She wasn't just waiting for the sound of enemy bolts striking the stone, and flying past her. She was also waiting for…something. The wolven she had hit was surely dead. She even hit it at the same spot she had imagined she would hit her first wolven. The exhilaration was still ringing in her ears while her heart hammered wildly in her chest. 'That wolven is dead.' she repeated to herself. She had killed something. The wolven were vicious, monstrous creatures, but she had still killed. Once the exhilaration settled down, she braced herself for guilt, horror, something that would protest violently over what she had just done.
"Stop staring off, recruit!"
Rainbow looked to her side to find her flight captain right next to her. "They've got their catapults in place!" Tailwind barked. "Get ready to take off!"
The rest of Flight Dreadwing were securing their firebombs and crossbows. All of them except one. One of the new recruits was lying on his side just behind Tailwind. Rainbow swallowed, and wiped the sweat from her forehead when she saw the wolven bolt sticking out of the poor stallion's neck.
The first flight of pegasi took off. They dodged and weaved through a barrage of bolts, and fired back furiously.
"Frostshear is up!" Tailwind called out. "Get a move on!"
Rainbow followed directly behind Tailwind as they took off. Flight Dreadwing flew past Flight Frostshear, then swooped in on their targets. Tailwind led the way, dropping a couple of firebombs on a nearby catapult. The spheres struck true, spilling liquid flame all over the wooden engine.
Rainbow Dash tried to do the same on the next catapult when a wolven bolt whistled past her face. She forgot the target, and dashed upward in an erratic pattern, desperately making herself impossible to hit.
"Rainbow!" Tailwind shouted. "Get back in formation!"
Her flight captain's angry shout broke through the panic ringing inside Rainbow's ears. She swooped back down with a couple of firebombs in her hoof. Once she was close enough to one catapult, she hurled them with all her strength. The spheres shattered, and another siege engine burst into flames. The wolven crew operating it snarled and barked while trying to put the flames out. Elated over her success, she flew back along with the rest of Flight Dreadwing.
A sharp pain to Rainbow's left hind leg brought her up short. For a single, horrifying moment, she thought that she had just been shot. She looked at the hurting leg, and found blood trickling down from a gash. A wolven bolt must have grazed it.
"Don't stop in midair, foal!" Tailwind shouted. She grabbed Rainbow by the barding. "It's just a scratch, now move!"
Rainbow nodded, and followed Tailwind back to the walls. Behind them were several flaming catapults, and a supply wagon. She was still waiting for the revulsion and despair to kick in, but all she was feeling was a mixture of fear and elation that made everything seem so vivid.
While the two flights made their sortie, it was up to Applejack's platoon to defend the walls. The wolven latched their hooked ladders on to the ledges. Snarling eagerly, they rushed to climb once a ladder was secured. By the gate, a battering ram wheeled into place. The wolven found it difficult to actually use it, however. Bolts from the walls, and rocks from the gatehouse's towers killed any wolven crew that tried to get in place. A firebomb landed directly on the battering ram, lighting its protective roof ablaze.
The first wolven that reached the top of the wall swiftly encountered the armored hooves of its defenders. Applejack smashed her metal-shod back hooves into the face of one wolven, knocking it senseless and down on the rest of its brethren. A tangled mass of flailing claws crashed to the wall's base. Applejack rushed towards the ladder, and unhooked it before the wolven could start climbing again. She pushed the ladder off, and watched it fall on the frustrated wolven beneath.
"And don't you try that again!" Applejack crowed. A bolt struck the rampart just a foot from her face. She ducked as a couple more bolts followed.
"Oh sure, present your face for target practice why don't you?"
Twocolt stood next to Applejack with his back against a rampart. A trickle of blood dripped from his right shoulder where a gap between the plates of barding was. "You're bleeding!" she said.
"Lucky wolven slipped in a swipe before I knocked him off his ladder," Twocolt grunted.
Before Applejack could reply, another ladder latched onto the wall just a few feet away from them. They both sprang into action. Around them, the rest of their platoon was fighting off even more wolven. A few ladders had been secured, and the wolven continued to climb up through them.
"Watch out!" Twocolt shouted. A wolven jumped off a ladder, and charged Applejack. She jumped aside, then slammed her shoulder against it. Twocolt was already by the its other side. He reared up as soon as it fell, and brought both front tramplers on its skull.
Applejack flinched and look away at the sickening crunch of bone breaking. When she looked, Twocolt had kicked the dead wolven off the wall, and was scraping some of the blood from his tramplers on the stone.
"Damn, I hear it takes forever to get the smell out," Twocolt said. Applejack's stomach heaved. Twocolt was a recruit just like she was, but the only emotion he seemed to feel about killing his first wolven was annoyance. "Want to start a--"
A second wolven slammed against Twocolt's side, its claws scraping against his barding. His head banged hard against the ground. The wolven immediately went for the throat. "Help!" he cried out.
Applejack smashed her head against the wolven's side before it could bite. It fell heavily to the ground, and struggled to get back to its feet. She smashed a trampler against its face, stunning it, and making it squeal. The wolven continued to struggle, however. Applejack smashed another hoof against it. When its claws scraped against the plate protecting her chest, she continued bringing her hooves down, stomping over and over until it stopped struggling. She nearly fell on her tail when she slipped on some of slick liquid on the ground. The wolven was dead, and its blood was all over her front hooves, chest, and face. Vomit rose to the back of her throat.
"Thanks." Twocolt groaned as he stood up. "I thought I was done for there. That makes one actual kill for each of us."
Applejack turned on Twocolt. One kill each? Was he keeping score? Was this some sort of game? "Look here--"
Twocolt's eyes widened. He jumped towards Applejack, and dragged her to the ground. Several bolts whizzed past them. When one pony failed to duck, a couple of bolts quickly found their marks, and plunged deep into his right flank. The impact hurled the pony to the ground where he lay crying out hoarsely for help. A pair of ponies dragged him off the wall. A second pony dropped to the ground. There was nopony coming to her aid, however. A bolt had found a home in her skull.
The hail of bolts continued. Strangely enough, they were flying towards them at an even level instead of upwards. She pushed Twocolt off, and looked towards the bolts' source.
A massive, mobile tower had rolled against the walls. Inside, a squad of bolters shot at them.
"Darn it!" Applejack shouted. "What are we going to do with that?"
"Stay down!"
Applejack recognized the voice. Sure enough, Twilight crawled towards them. Behind her, was a squad of unicorns, firing blasts of magical energy down at the wolven. Their mage captain, easily recognizable with his coat, telekinetically lifted one scaling ladder, even with a couple of wolven still climbing it, then hurled it away from the wall.
"We got to do something about that tower!" Applejack said.
"I have an idea," Twilight replied. She started to concentrate on a spell.
When heat gathered around Twilight, Applejack backed away slowly. A sphere of coruscating, red-orange energy formed just above Twilight's horn. "What is that?" she whispered.
"Fireball." Twocolt's voice was also tinged with awe. "You sure you came from the same place as this one?"
For a moment, Applejack herself wasn't sure. But this was still Twilight Sparkle, the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria, they were talking about. "I'm sure," she replied.
"Recruit Sparkle!" the mage captain called out. "Add more heat! Make it white hot before you throw it!"
Deep in her concentration, Twilight only vaguely heard the warning from Owlsight. White hot? Wasn't that just an excessive use of magical energy? Fire was fire. All she needed to do was deal with the mobile tower, not test the limits of her spellcasting.
"White hot!" Owlsight called out again.
Another bolt flew above Twilight. There was no time to ponder what the point of more heat was. She had to deal with that tower quickly. She waited for a pause from the barrage of bolts coming from the tower, aimed the spell, and released.
The red-orange ball streaked unsteadily towards the tower. She held her breath when it veered off slightly, but it managed to steady itself, and land gently on the tower's top section, just before the feet of the wolven bolters.
The tiny sphere blossomed into a silent, and powerful explosion, sending bits of burning wood flying in all directions. The bolters howled as they fell to the ground below. One of them dropped on the wall.
The wolven whimpered and flailed, rolling on the ground in a futile attempt to smother the flames. Twilight tried to tear her eyes away from the sight, but couldn't. She gagged, and retched when the smell of burned flesh and fur wafted towards her. A few seconds more, and the wolven flopped to the ground, and lay still. Twilight fell to her knees. The screams were still ringing in her ears. Some of the fat on the smoking corpse still sizzled. She heaved to the side, and vomited violently. The back of her throat burned with leftover vomit. Owlsight stood before her, but she didn't have the strength to look up.
"And that's why you make it white hot, recruit," Owlsight said. "Don't give them time to scream. Don't leave any remains."
Flights Dreadwing and Frostshear had flown back. Behind them were smoking patches within the wolven army.
The battle continued to rage even with the mobile tower now smoking and useless. The wolven persisted in battering the gates down head on, but it was to no avail. The Legion made their foes pay dearly for each attempt.
After what seemed like hours, another lone howl rose from the wolven army's rear lines. As quickly as they had rushed in, the wolven began to retreat.
It was time to settle down for a true siege.
Rainbow walked towards her friends proudly. Despite a few hiccups, she had successfully completed her first battle. She was responsible for two burning catapults, and she knew she had done her part in shooting down wolven attackers. Though there was much more fighting to be done, they had won this day. Seeing her friends alive, and mostly unharmed, put a smile on her face; a smile tempered with concern.
Applejack was doing her best to wipe off the blood on her barding with a rag. Her lips were settled into a grim line. Twilight looked sick. She was lying on her belly, her face almost green with nausea. She didn't look up when Rainbow approached. Instead, she just stared blankly ahead of her. A trickle of vomit escaped her lips.
Rainbow wondered why she wasn't sick or upset. In fact, she felt exhilarated. They won. The wolven would come again. They burned down a bunch of siege engines, but there were plenty more at the rear lines. They didn't even seem to put much of a dent on the wolven numbers. They also didn't win this battle without casualties. Several pegasi got shot from the air around her. The wolven swarmed them as soon as they hit the ground. Yet, she was somehow able to put all those bad things to the corner of her thoughts, and concentrate on fighting, and winning. 'Is something wrong with me?' she thought.
A hoof touched Rainbow's shoulder.
"Not bad for your first battle, Rainbow Dash." Tailwind grinned as she walked past. "Next time, less panicking, and more shooting, alright?"
Rainbow grinned back, and saluted. She set aside her worries, and focused on the tasks ahead: cleaning up, patching up the scratch on her hind leg, and sharpening her skills. Then, on to more fighting.
Canterlot had stood as Equestria's heart for centuries. A bustling hub of commerce and culture, its white stone buildings, and its carefully paved streets served as a model for other cities to follow. It was the home of Equestria's rulers. Their beautiful palace, carved into the side of a magnificent cliff, saw to hundreds of visitors daily. Canterlot did not just serve as the heart of Equestria's economy, and government. It also housed the Great College of Magical Arts, and the Grand Library, making it the heart of Equestria's magic and learning as well.
And the ponies of Canterlot were proud of their city. Some ponies, especially those who lived in the rural areas, would say that it was a pride bordering arrogance. Indeed, some Canterlot's nobility did their best to serve as testaments to those beliefs.
For the past few days, the proud city found itself under a very dark cloud. Now, it was the center of a slowly simmering unrest.
It had all started with announcement of the banishment of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Twilight Sparkle was Princess Celestia's student and confidant, the closest pony to Equestria's ruler for centuries, if not for all time. There were whispers that she was even closer to Princess Celestia than Princess Luna herself. There was also the mere idea of the punishment that befell her. Like tales of Nightmare Moon, banishment was more a method to scare foals, and sometimes adults, into behaving than an actual threat. No pony has been actually banished since Princess Luna. Now, six banishments occurred in a single day. What kind of despicable crime merited such a punishment? How could a pony so close to the princess be the one to commit such a thing?
Five days had passed since the news of banishment. On the streets, rumors were everywhere. "It was a crime of arrogance, I tell you!" a light blue pony with a white and blue mane told a few listeners. "Twilight Sparkle was so proud of her magical power that she challenged Princess Celestia to become Equestria's new ruler!" She reared up for effect, showing her wand-and-wisp-of-magic cutie mark.
A few ponies nodded. In the absence of any actual news, they resorted to theories and hearsay. An attempted dethroning would be plausible. Twilight Sparkle's crime had to be as despicable as what Princess Luna had done a thousand years ago to merit a similar punishment.
This was but one small incident in Canterlot. Indeed, throughout Equestria. Other theories circulated: the ever-studious Twilight Sparkle had delved into forbidden knowledge, Twilight Sparkle had transformed into a new Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia was in a very bad mood and ran into an ill-timed prank by her faithful student. The stories differed with each pony and with each telling.
Regardless of what story was heard or believed, the effect was telling on Equestria's population: fear. In a few days, banishment went from an old mare's tale to a very real threat. The Royal Guard had always been a little intimidating with their golden barding, and their stern demeanor. Now, they were a fearful sight: ponies who might drag you to their princess, and watch you be banished.
Within the Royal Palace, the dark cloud that hung over Canterlot manifested at its strongest. Princess Celestia was holding audiences again, but the change in her demeanor was painfully obvious. No longer were petitioners greeted by a warm smile, and a kind word that could make even the most frightened commoner tell his tale. Instead, they were faced with a princess who was only physically present. Her distracted gaze saw things that nopony else could see, and her voice came from someplace other than where she was standing; some dark lonely place.
Despite everything, Pegasus Guard Captain Bright Shield served as if nothing had changed. He was glad that the princess was up and about now. Just a few days ago, she didn't even leave her room, leaving the Royal Guard to turn away petitioner after petitioner. Now that news had spread that she had resumed her royal duties, the ponies that had been waiting restlessly outside were allowed to come to the throne room.
Bright Shield had taken it upon himself to keep the strain on the princess to a minimum. He kept ponies with problems he deemed small outside. The guards had to deal with more than one petty noble who took umbrage over being passed over. When two nobles insisted on seeing the princess, Bright Shield had them hurled outside for their trouble. There was a particular sort of petitioner that he allowed in without any trouble, and these were the ones that had come regarding the six banished ponies.
The six's immediate families came first. Then, almost the entire population of Ponyville. There was also horde of small animals led by a particularly angry rabbit, and a cat, some well-known clothes designers, and a couple of pegasi from the famed Wonderbolts.
Then, there were the Apples: Apple Fritter, Apple Pie, Apple Tart…by the time Bright Shield reached the end of that line, his stomach felt stuffed, and he didn't even touch a single piece of food. All these ponies came for the same reason; to ask why the six had been banished, and to request that they be forgiven and allowed to return home. The response was the same each time: their crime cannot be spoken of and it was up to them to return home. They tried everything to change Princess Celestia's judgment: they recited litanies of praise, they cried, some actually volunteered to take their place, or join them. Nothing worked, and today wasn't the first time they tried. They had been coming over almost immediately after the announcement had been made. Their efforts wore on Princess Celestia's fragile state to the point that Bright Shield wanted to chase them out. He did no such thing, however. It was not his place to decide where, and when the princess's benevolence ended for these aggrieved ponies.
There was only one time among those who petitioned for the new exiles that Bright Shield felt that he had to take action. Some of the Apples who had arrived were dragging a cartload of pastries behind them while they made their way to the throne room. Bright Shield and his guards stopped them halfway through.
"What is the meaning of this?" he had asked. "Do you actually think you can bribe the princess with food? Is she some pet you can lure to the bath with treats? Make your pleas, but put those away!" He had expected the ponies to be a little intimidated, and contrite. He hadn't counted on them cringing at his reproaches.
The oncoming sunset was a reminder of another situation: Princess Luna was missing again. The moon still rose in time, but the Princess of the Night was nowhere to be seen. Princess Celestia recalled the guards dispatched to search for Princess Luna. She knew where her younger sister was, and there was no need to waste the Royal Guard's time.
One by one, the petitioners were forced to return home empty-hoofed. Here was another unprecedented occurrence in Equestria. Never before had any pony come before Princess Celestia, and returned home dejected.
"Hold it right there!" A couple of guards restrained a tall unicorn stallion intent on forcing his way to the throne room.
"What's going on here?" Bright Shield asked.
Before the guards could reply, the unicorn cried out. "My name is Sun Gazer! It is extremely important that I see Princess Celestia!"
"I'll be the judge of that," Bright Shield muttered. "What is your business here?" This Sun Gazer had a bright yellow coat with a long, flowing, almost mare-like mane of orange. The oddest feature quickly became obvious.
This pony had no cutie mark.
"What I have to say is for the princess only!" Sun Gazer said between pants. He sweated profusely, and took deep, ragged breaths. "Let me through. Her life is in danger as we speak!"
The bewilderment upon seeing a full-grown unicorn stallion without a cutie mark melted away. Here was something Bright Shield had never expected to hear. Since the day he was promoted to the job, he never held the illusion that he would one day stand between Princess Celestia and mortal danger. Protecting the princess was officially in the job description, but one that was never expected to be something that a guard would do. Anything that could even remotely threaten Equestria's immortal ruler would plow through any squad of guards. His job was mostly ceremonial, and administrative: giving the appearance that the princess was heavily guarded, and dealing with lesser problems not worth the princess's time. That a matter that could threaten the princess's life would actually appear was hard to swallow. That somepony who wasn't even part of the Guard would be the one to deal with it was as difficult to accept.
Still, Bright Shield wasn't the one to take chances. Woe to this Sun Gazer if his "urgent message" turned out to be a waste of time. "Let him through," he said. Sun Gazer broke past him as soon as the guards let go. The doors to the throne room opened, and Princess Celestia, who looked even worse than she did that morning, looked up.
"Bright Shield, did I not say that audiences were over for today?" Celestia asked. There was no displeasure in her tone, but Bright Shield knelt penitently anyway.
"Forgive me, your highness," Bright Shield said. "This is Sun Gazer, and he says that he has something urgent to tell you; something that would endanger your life."
Celestia leaned forward, and quickly noticed what was strange about Sun Gazer. "Where is your cutie mark, Sun Gazer?" she asked.
"Your highness, I come from a place where such things do not appear," Sun Gazer replied after bowing.
Celestia's eyes widened. "Leave us, Captain Bright Shield," she said. "I will deal with this. Make sure that nopony so much as approaches this room while we talk."
"Understood, your highness," Bright Shield said. He left, and closed the doors behind him. He had his guards line the hallway just out of earshot of the throne room while he put himself in the middle of the hallway to make sure.
Celestia stared at the pony before her. It was only a few minutes ago that she felt that somepony had broken through her barrier. Surprisingly, this one had arrived in the palace. "You are from the Barrier Lands," she said. "Why, and how have you come here? My brother will execute you for this."
"Your highness," Sun Gazer replied. "For Equestria, I will risk even Prince Terrato's wrath. I came here through this." He placed a large, spent mana battery on the floor. Celestia scowled at the contemptible thing. At the root of each terrible incident, these things were always there. "I stole this mana battery so I can warn you."
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked. She struggled to keep her breathing steady, and her legs still. A prickling sensation ran up the back of her neck. "Warn me of what?" She already had an ominous feeling that she already knew.
"Of your brother's plans! Your highness, even as I speak, your brother's plan to overthrow you goes on! He has conspired with Princess Luna to acquire the Elements of Harmony so that he can storm your realm, and banish you to the moon!"
For a moment, Celestia simply stared at Sun Gazer as if his message was a bolt of lightning. The words had flashed before her, but their meaning was still rolling in. "You're lying," she whispered.
Sun Gazer looked up, and quailed. Celestia's legs trembled uncontrollably now. Her face at the moment was not the sort she would show any petitioner. "Your highness…" he said.
"You're lying!" Celestia's voice thundered across the room and reverberated through the walls. "Take back your lies, or I will punish you myself!"
"I do not lie, your highness!" Sun Gazer said. He raised his forelegs in supplication. "Prince Terrato has allowed the wolven to penetrate the north so you would allow him to send troops through the Heartland. Once his ponies have entered your realm, he plans to attack you with the Elements of Harmony by his side, and rule all of Equestria!"
Celestia pressed a hoof against her head in a futile attempt to stem the tide of unwanted thoughts. "Terrato and Luna are my beloved siblings," she said. "They would not turn on me like this!"
"Your highness, I beg your forgiveness for saying this, but…" Sun Gazer hesitated. "Your sister has just recently returned from a millennium of exile. Your brother has been ruling the outskirts of Equestria for even longer than that. A thousand years is a long time…even for immortals."
"You know nothing of how my siblings, and I perceive the centuries!" Celestia snarled. "The love between us is outside time; a constant that sustains us throughout our rule!"
"I cannot explain to you your siblings' motives, your highness, only what I have learned. Prince Terrato has planned this for a long time. He has convinced your sister to aid him, tricked her perhaps, and he has done the same with the Elements of Harmony. If his ruthless ambition is not stopped, he will bring all of Equestria under his hoof."
Celestia glared at Sun Gazer. "Why do you tell me this?" she asked suspiciously. "Do you not serve my brother as well?"
"I belong to a small group of loyalists in the Barrier Lands, your highness," Sun Gazer said. He puffed his chest up. "We, the Order of True Equestrians, consider ourselves ponies of Equestria, not just the Barrier Lands. Thus, we are loyal to Equestria's ruler above all else, not just the commander of its army."
"What proof do you have of this treachery?" Celestia asked. "I will not suspect my siblings on the word of a few ponies."
"I carry no physical proof with me, your highness," Sun Gazer said. "Look upon recent events, and see your brother's hoof in them. All my group has are the notes of what our spies have seen and heard. Nearly all of the Barrier Lands support your brother. If we had done more, we would have revealed ourselves, and we would all have been hanged for treason."
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "You want me to believe that my brother and my sister have turned upon me without any proof?"
"Yes. This is all we can offer, your highness. For your sake, for Equestria's sake, we have risked so much just so I can be sent here. Please! You must believe our warning!"
"I will confront Terrato about this," Celestia said. "If you are lying, I will give you to his judgment. If you are telling the truth then…" Her voice quivered. "…then I will take steps."
Celestia's horn glowed briefly, and the throne room's double doors swung open. "Captain Bright Shield!" she called out.
The Pegasus Guard Captain trotted forward, and knelt. "Yes, your highness?" he asked.
"Take Sun Gazer to one the guest rooms," Celestia said. "Make sure that he is comfortable. He is not to leave his room, or talk to anypony about anything. Not even to you and your guards."
"Understood, your highness," Bright Shield replied. The two of them left at once.
Celestia closed her eyes tightly. She refused to believe a word of what Sun Gazer said, but scattered events began to piece together regardless of what she wanted to believe.
There was the nameless unicorn who had succeeded in entering her realm centuries ago. She had sent out the Royal Guard to intercept him, but he had managed to escape. The guards reported that the unicorn had been severely wounded when they saw him, and had used one final spell to disappear somewhere. Word of the Barrier Lands had not spread since that time, and she assumed that this poor pony had died of his wounds somewhere.
This event would have been a mere isolated incident if Twilight Sparkle had not acquired a mana battery from what was presumably that unicorn's remains. Now, suspicions began to arise. Was that unicorn really a fugitive, or had Terrato sent him on a suicide mission to bury a seed within the Heartland? A method for somepony within her realm to discover the Barrier Lands accidentally? The idea was far-fetched. The mana battery could have been consumed by some other spell. It could have destroyed an unskilled unicorn who triggered it, or it could have never been discovered. But Terrato had ages to wait. He could have sent more triggers as time passed. Perhaps he already did.
There was Twilight's failed memory block. She had received a trigger from somepony. Now, that somepony could well have been Terrato himself, secretly sabotaging his own spells to "accidentally" spread information about the Barrier Lands. There was also Luna's secret meeting with him. Luna's reasons were now suspect. Even now, Luna had gone over to the Barrier Lands to aid their brother. Was that orchestrated as well? Was everything going according to Terrato's wishes? The wolven's recent success, Luna's departure, Twilight Sparkle's defiance…there were so many things happening at the same time. So many things that conspired to bring down everything she tried to build. Were they all mere coincidences?
'I'm becoming paranoid,' Celestia thought. 'Terrato is violent and ruthless, a source of concern for a long time, but he is still my brother, and he has sworn to defend Equestria. What happened to Luna was a thousand years ago. We've put that behind us. The three of us are…the three of us…'
"I am your defender."
Terrato said those words often in the past. He sounded so confident each time, dramatic even. He loved being dramatic, and he loved showing off. All that time, it could have been all for show. How long could he have held a grudge? Did he seethe within his realm? Did he even feel worse than Luna?
"I don't see why we have to watch over these short-lived, mortal ponies, dearest sister. Their bodies are soft, their minds are weak, and their hearts are frail. What is the purpose of caring so much for them anyway?"
That was so long ago, around the time they decided to rule Equestria. Terrato's expression softened when he shifted his gaze from the ponies that had been placed under their care to Celestia.
"Personally, I'm not jumping for joy over it, but, if it makes you happy, I will defend them."
And he did. Terrato hurled himself at their enemies with a reckless abandon that Celestia could barely understand. It wasn't long before the influence of all those battles on him concerned her. Not only that, he was sharing that influence with Luna. She had to make a decision.
"I agreed because big brother agreed, and he agreed because he'll agree to anything you say."
Through one sentence, Luna took away support that Celestia had thought she had throughout the centuries. Sun Gazer's words began to make sense. Perhaps a thousand years were long enough even for her siblings. Worse, perhaps she never even knew them as well as she thought she did from the start.
The Royal Palace felt large and empty. Not just the palace as well. All of Equestria felt empty. What if it was true? What if her dear siblings, and her faithful student had all turned on her? She laid her head down on the cold, stone floor. She was all alone here in the Heartland, reigning over her little ponies by herself.
Celestia raised her head, and hardened her gaze. She was going to hear this from Terrato himself. If he had indeed decided to betray her, she would face him head on instead of closing her eyes, and waiting for the end. It was time for her to see what has been happening in the Barrier Lands herself.
But what if Terrato had been waiting for such a move from her? Had he prepared a trap? Was she caged within her realm without even realizing it? Terrato could be watching her realm this very instant. He had all the weapons he needed and he could attack at his leisure. Celestia stood up. She was going to have to confront her siblings, but steps had to be taken first.
While the battle raged fiercely by the walls of Bastion City, a battle of a different sort began for the ponies further in. Civilians locked themselves in their houses. Reserves stood at the ready. Patrols watched for infiltrating wolven. Though there was yet any combat within Bastion City, its citizens still considered it part of the battlefield.
Among the busiest places was the medical ward close to the northern walls, where Doctor Redbrand and his subordinates tended to the steady stream of injured.
Work began almost immediately after the wolven howl signaled the attack. One unfortunate pony was carried into the ward with a wolven bolt through his right foreleg. Others soon followed: a unicorn with a gash across one eye, a pegasus with a crumpled wing, and bolt wound after bolt wound.
Fluttershy was quick to notice the disturbing trend among the injuries. More than a dozen barbed, wolven-crafted bolts lay in a pile next to her. Enough blood had dripped from their points to pool beneath them. "This is going to hurt, alright?" she would tell an injured pony. They would nod while biting down on a piece of rope. She would pull as quickly as possible. Each time, she closed her eyes involuntarily to avoid seeing the spurt of blood, but she could still feel the warm, sticky liquid on her hooves. The heavy, metallic scent made her dizzy as well. The others didn't seem to mind though, and she wouldn't be able to take it if she added to their problems now by fainting.
This time, they had proper disinfectants, and plenty of bandages so there was no need for burning, red-hot brands. Still, cleaning, and bandaging had to be done swiftly. Patients were arriving at an increasing rate, and the ward struggled to keep up. Redbrand's temper flared as the pace exposed the inexperience of his new recruits. He shouted at them when they fumbled with bandages, or forgot a step in a procedure, all the while working on patients of his own.
Fluttershy felt sorry for the new recruits. They were newly brought into an understaffed, overworked division, and thrust into emergency after emergency. All that yelling wasn't fair, and only panicked them. Even she felt the bite of a sharp reprimand from Redbrand when she took too long with a patient.
The senior medics didn't mind. On the rare occasion that Redbrand yelled at them, they corrected themselves without even a flinch. Fluttershy wondered if she would eventually reach that kind of state. As for now, she almost jumped each time Redbrand called her out.
Each time a patient was brought in, Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat. This time, it might be one of her friends. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, were at the thick of the fighting. Her friends were brave and strong: Twilight was the smartest, and most magical pony ever, Rainbow Dash was Equestria's best flier, and Applejack could take on anything with her hard work, and determination. The increasing number of injured brought only more doubts.
"We've got a bad one incoming!" one of the senior medics called out.
Fluttershy braced herself. The ward had treated a lot of ponies who had been shot by bolters, or badly torn up by claws and fangs. The senior medics had never made such a comment. Just how badly injured was this one?
A pair of pegasi brought in somepony on a stretcher. The darkening expressions from all the nearby senior medics, and the horrified expressions on the recruits nearly froze Fluttershy's heart. The injured pony's coat was sky blue. A hundred protests reared up in Fluttershy's head while she pushed her way past some of the recruits to see who it was.
A better look brought her up short. It wasn't Rainbow Dash, but a pegasus stallion. The laid up pony was covered in enormous gashes and tears. One of his wings was crumpled while the other one was a bloody stump. Blood soaked the stretcher, and the pieces of cloth that the pegasus carriers were futilely using to stanch the massive bleeding. The injured pegasus's breathing was quick and shallow. His eyelids fluttered, and his eyes were glassy and vacant.
Fluttershy's knees started to give at the sight. Where should she start? The bleeding was horrendous, she should stanch them properly before this poor pony's life gushed out of him. But which wound should be first? The giant gashes? His missing wing? She looked to the others for guidance. This was far beyond her. She needed experts. She needed--
"Move over!" Redbrand snarled.
"Bolter clipped him on his way back from a sortie," one of the pegasus carriers told a senior medic. "He flew into the wall, and fell into the middle of the wolven. They were tearing him up before Dreadwing managed to chase them off long enough to get him out of there."
"Leave it to Dreadwing to never give up on anypony," the senior medic replied. "But I don't think there's anything that can be done for this one."
Fluttershy frowned. This pony needed help more than anypony else, and here was a medic who was giving up after just looking! She looked towards Redbrand. If there was a pony he should be yelling at, it should be this one.
Redbrand, however, didn't pay attention to onlookers. He inspected the injuries, then went for something in his harness. Fluttershy expected bandages or some disinfectant. Instead, he pulled out his flask.
"Here," Redbrand said. He put the open flask against the injured pony's lips. The stallion winced, and drank several mouthfuls before laying back.
"It's medicine," Fluttershy said. "I see. That's why it tastes so awful. It has to be very strong medicine."
"It's brandy," A senior medic replied. "For the pain."
"But even if he doesn't feel any pain--"
The injured pony's breathing steadied, then stopped. Fluttershy rushed forward to try something, anything, but the senior medic held her back.
"King welcome you to the Eternal Herd, colt," Redbrand said to dead pegasus. He looked to the ponies watching. "What's the matter with you ponies?" he shouted. "Get back to work!"
The other medics scrambled to tend to new incoming patients. Fluttershy remained even as the dead pony was carried away. She tried to move, but found herself rooted to the spot. This couldn't be. Not Redbrand. He was always angry, and shouting, but that was because he was so dedicated. She trusted him to pull through, even with the most terrible injuries, and he betrayed that trust. He gave up without even trying. He wasn't a dedicated perfectionist, he was just a grouchy old stallion, and a bully.
She hadn't noticed that she was staring for a long time until Redbrand looked up. "I'm not your patient, Fluttershy!" he snarled. "Keep spacing out, and I'll have you whipped!"
A dark cloud hanging over her, Fluttershy returned to treating the next wave of injured. For the rest of the battle, some of the spring in her step was gone, and patients had to go through slightly rougher treatment.
The initial wolven rush ended just as quickly as it started. It wasn't so for Medical. Injured had kept coming after the horns that signaled the battle's end. It was already afternoon by the time Fluttershy finished with the last patient. The recruits, and some of the senior medics collapsed where they stood. Redbrand watched them for a while, a frown still on his face. He opened his flask, and took a pull from it before heading out. Still frowning, Fluttershy followed him.
They were walking along an empty street when Redbrand turned around. "What do you want from me, Fluttershy?" he asked. "You should be resting up in case of an emergency."
"I can't believe you did that!" Fluttershy said with a stomp of her hoof. "How could you just give up on that dying pony without trying anything?"
Redbrand snorted. "Easy. I assessed his wounds, determined what treatment could help, then decided that he was too far gone."
Fluttershy gasped. Her eyes bulged as she stared at Redbrand. "That was his life you were dealing with!" she cried.
"His life was gone!" Redbrand retorted. "The best that could be done was to ease his pain a bit! What did you want me to do, Fluttershy? Patch him up desperately, then cry when he's dead? It would have been a waste of supplies, and a waste of time to do so. We don't have a lot of those in case you haven't noticed!"
"So you let him die to save on bandages?" Fluttershy asked. She wiped several tears away furiously. "I thought you were a good pony, but I was wrong. You're a cold-hearted pony who only cares about procedures and supplies!"
Redbrand glared at Fluttershy, and strode over. "And who's a good pony?" he asked. His face was but a foot from hers. "You? You think weeping, and getting angry over a lost cause makes you so much better?" His voice rose to a roar. "Well, you're wrong! You have a lot of compassion to go with your skills, Fluttershy, but you're arrogant! Arrogant at a level that is staggering if you think you can pull everypony from the brink every time! It's about time you learned some humility, and if watching somepony die is what will do it, then so be it! Be humbled! Be humbled by how fragile life is, and how harsh the world is!"
Redbrand turned his back so abruptly that something fell from his harness. It was a tuft of lavender hair tied up with a piece of yellow ribbon. His hard scowl softened when he picked it up. "Be humbled," he said in a more subdued voice, "by how painfully imperfect you will always be."
"The stallion's old enough to be your father!"
Right now, Doctor Redbrand did look much older. There were lines on his face, especially his forehead. There was stubble on his cheeks, and chin. He looked very tired, and she was intruding on time he could be resting.
Redbrand tucked the ribbon-tied bit of hair back into his harness, and walked away. He took another pull from his flask, a longer one this time. Fluttershy stayed behind, and stared at his back. What did she feel about him now?
In the southern section of the city, Hammer Chain's smithy operated even with the fighting by the walls.
"Put those molds out faster, Rarity!" Hammer Chain called out. "I've got a few more uses for them so they better not burn out because you're slow!"
With her telekinesis, Rarity dumped a bucket of water on the burning bolt-head molds. "Honestly," she said. "We've been making bolts all morning. Just how many of these things does the Legion need?"
"As many as we can make," Hammer Chain said. "You won't find any tale about some hero known for his legendary bolt, but the Legion goes through these so quickly, you'd think they were rocks that they just picked from the ground!"
With the molds put out, Rarity dumped the cooled bolt-heads into a small pile, and began filing edges and serrations on them as she had been taught just yesterday. "I suppose there are no stories of legendary bolt makers either?" she asked. She had no problem with engaging in small talk with Hammer Chain. She had been afraid the other day that he was going to be gruff and no-nonsense like Mage Captain Owlsight. However, he enjoyed small talk even if it was over the loud ringing of his hammer. He showed an interest in what Ponyville was like, and she was happy to oblige him with stories while she learned more of his trade.
"Bah!" Hammer Chain snorted. "Maybe a footnote or two about a smith, that's about it!"
Making bolts made up their first lesson out of necessity. The Legion needed a lot of them, and the sooner she could start helping, the better. Rarity didn't mind. She sharpened each head to a fine point, and added the serrations neatly and precisely, paying attention even to the distance between each one. Hammer Chain didn't dissuade her from such a practice, saying that was fine so long as she didn't lose much time.
With another pile of bolt-heads ready, Rarity magically lifted the pile into a crate that was full of them. A lone bolt-head escaped her grasp, falling and skipping into a dark section of the smithy. With a grunt, she put the pile inside the crate, then headed over to the fallen bolt-head.
As she approached the section of the smithy, however, her horn lit up with magic. She followed its pull to a nearby crate. "Hammer Chain, what's in these crates over here?" she called out.
"Those? Just some old projects," Hammer Chain replied. "What's the matter?"
Rarity opened the crate and discovered the cause of her magic's agitation. Inside were four six-inch long objects bundled together with a piece of cloth. She pulled out the bundle, and removed the covering to find four delicately tapering blades. Along the flat of each was a small blue gem. No wonder she detected them. She lifted each blade with her magic, marveling at how light they were for their size. "Hammer Chain, what are these?" she asked.
Hammer Chain stopped pounding long enough to look. When he saw the floating blades, his eyes widened. "You idiot, watch--" He stopped, alarm turning to curiosity. "Well, that's interesting."
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.
"Those are the mage-blades I helped Magical design. They're supposed to give unicorn magi a set of blades they can use to slice up wolven even at a distance. That way, even if all a unicorn knew was telekinesis, he'd still have a powerful weapon. The mana crystals embedded on them makes them easy to magically maneuver so a unicorn can move them swiftly while remaining mobile and alert. The idea was scrapped, however. A shame too. It was a viable, but rare skill a long, long time ago."
"Scrapped!" Rarity said. "Why would such beautiful things be scrapped?" She smiled, and watched as she spun them in a slow, graceful circle.
Hammer Chain stared at the formation with undisguised interest. "For one thing, the mana crystals work too well. Our testers flung them out of reach, or sliced themselves up when they tried to use them. They were also unstable. One moment easy to move, the next moment hard. The amount of precision needed to keep them in control was too much for your average unicorn mage. When we tried them out without the crystals, the amount of telekinesis needed to maintain hold of a blade, and maneuver it at a distance took too much focus. The same reason why telekinesis isn't so useful in combat. Unicorns were better off learning on-the-fly spells like fireballs and lightning bolts."
"But they're not difficult to maneuver at all," Rarity said. She spun the blades above her quickly, making them dance about.
"I've noticed," Hammer Chain said. "Maybe it's because of those gems on your flank. Why don't you keep them, Rarity? You never know when you need to slice a wolven up."
Rarity gasped. "May I? They looked expensive, and well-crafted!" She didn't relish the idea of attacking wolven, let alone slicing them up, but having something to defend herself with would be reassuring. Especially since she lacked Twilight's magical power.
Hammer Chain shrugged. "Why not? They were just gathering dust anyway."
"Thank you so much! I'll practice with them when I have time."
"Good. I'd hate to lose a good apprentice because she skewered herself with my old failures. Now, back to work, you've got more bolt-heads to make."
With a smile, Rarity put the blades away, and returned to the molds.
While his friends fought by the walls, or worked in their specific stations, Spike wandered the streets of Bastion City. He wanted to stay by Twilight's side while she was off fighting the wolven, but Mage Captain Owlsight would have none of it. "The front lines are no place for babies, hmph!" he muttered. He walked towards the southern part of the city. Maybe he could help Rarity. However, the streets were unfamiliar, and he was soon second guessing the paths he took. 'Great, now I'm lost.'
Spike continued to wander about, hoping he'd chance upon the smithy Rarity was working in. He stopped when he heard loud scuffling sounds come from one alley followed by screams and howls. That wasn't right, the thick of the fighting was supposed to be in the northern part of the city. What was that all about?
A familiar voice suddenly came from a nearby alley. "Oh! Hey, Spike, what are you doing here?"
Spike nearly jumped. "Scarlet Rabbit?" he asked. "What am I doing here? What are you doing lurking in an alley? Shouldn't you be helping with the fight?"
Scarlet grinned, and wiped some blood from his hooves to his barding. "Special Operations, remember?"
It soon became apparent that Scarlet wasn't alone. There were more legionnaires in the alley, including Vanguard Clash. They stood over the dead bodies of several wolven, and twice as many ponies. Next to Vanguard was what appeared to be an uncovered sewer opening. "What happened here?" he asked.
"Just a little cleaning up," Vanguard said. As he spoke, another pony emerged from the opening, a dark blue unicorn mare who dusted herself off after being helped out by Scarlet. "Did you collapse it?" Vanguard asked her.
"Right on top of another group of them," the unicorn said with a smile. "The wolven won't be using that tunnel again."
"Just in time too," Vanguard said. "Let's hope Blaze Trotter's squad got to their target in time."
"Don't be such a worry wart," the unicorn said. "He'll be fine." She caught sight of Spike, and inspected him curiously. "What's this?"
"His name is Spike." Vanguard replied. "He's a dragon who came along with the chosen."
"Dragon, hmm? I've read that they preferred Western Barrier Land, not this frozen paradise." The unicorn lifted Spike up with her magic, and held him up to only a few inches from her face. "Aren't you a cute one?" she said. Spike swallowed, and tried to back away despite being helplessly caught in the unicorn's magic. He'd been called cute before, but not by a unicorn with such a cat-like playfulness on her face.
"Captain Nightcanter," Vanguard said sternly.
"Oh, relax," Nightcanter said. "I know we're working." Spike immediately scampered near Vanguard when she put him down.
"I can't be too careful with you," Vanguard replied. He turned his attention to Spike. "No mentioning this to anypony, alright?" he said.
Spike nodded. He looked at the dead ponies. These weren't killed by wolven. Instead of bite and claw marks, they had sword cuts, the sort that Vanguard's enormous weapon would leave. "You killed them," he said.
"Yes," Vanguard replied. He glanced coldly over the dead ponies. "Equestria has a lot of enemies, Spike. Not all of them will come with claws and fangs."
The lack of emotion sent a chill down Spike's spine. He hadn't known Vanguard Clash for long, but he had already believed that the grim, silent stallion was a good pony who saved Twilight from being mauled by a wolven. Right now, Vanguard was more coldblooded killer than kindhearted rescuer. The other ponies with Vanguard began to wrap the bodies up in cloth, and drag them away. It was less than week since he found out that Equestria had enemies. Now he had to worry about some of them being ponies? "Now, I'm starting to wonder how we've survived for so long," he muttered.
The night following the initial wolven attack on Bastion City was far from a quiet one. Outside the walls, the wolven howled at the moonless night sky. Tonight was an expected full moon, a period which they revered. Instead, only stars lit up the night sky.
Within the walls, the city remained as alive as it was during the day. Families and friends grieved over the first casualties of what may well be a long siege. Mixing with the mourning were the small celebrations of those who made it through the battle; raw recruits marking a milestone in their path to becoming veterans of the Legion. Among them was Captain Iron Jaw's platoon of earth pony infantry.
With the battle over by noon, Applejack and the others had resumed training for the rest of the day. She was immensely relieved now that Pinkie had been transferred to Logistics. A small part of her wished that she had followed suit, especially when she saw the bodies of a few fellow recruits being carted off. Even with the washing, she couldn't get the smell of blood out of her tramplers, or her forelegs.
The streetlamps were already lit, and the smells of various dinners being cooked and served wafted from windows all around them to fill the air. Colts and fillies looked out of windows to stare and wave at the passing legionnaires until their parents called them in.
As she followed up behind them, Applejack glared silently at the rest of of her platoon. One legionnaire boasted of taking down two wolven at the same time. Another one was talking about how he narrowly dodged a wolven bolter. She mostly ignored the small talk. She didn't have much of a story to share herself, and she didn't like the idea of taking so much pride in killing. A thread of conversation, however, caught her attention.
"Did you see that purple chosen unicorn during that fight?" Slimblade asked. Nearly half her face was bandaged after being clawed by a wolven, but she was still grinning widely. "A few days in the Legion, and she's throwing fireballs!"
"Yup, I saw it alright," Mossneck replied. A quarter of his left ear had not made it through the battle, but he didn't seem to have problems hearing. "She took out a squad of wolven, and burned down one of their siege towers. I heard that Special Operations is already eyeing her for recruitment."
Slimblade looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Applejack! That purple chosen is your friend, right? Are all chosen unicorns that amazing with magic?"
"Naw," Mossneck said. "I heard that the white chosen unicorn did horribly during her tests, and got sent to Logistics."
"Applejack?" Slimblade persisted.
"Chosen unicorns can be just as good as any unicorn out here," Applejack said. "But Twilight's extra special with magic. Why, she took lessons from Princess Celestia herself!"
Mossneck snorted. "That explains it. She's the nag princess's pet!"
Applejack gasped, then trotted up to Mossneck. "That what princess's pet?" she asked. "Did you just call Princess Celestia a nag?"
Mossneck raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I did. What's the matter? It's a common expression!"
"It's a wrong expression!" Applejack snapped. "You don't call a princess of Equestria a nag!"
"Oh really?" Mossneck asked. "Then, how about this?" His voice turned into a mocking sing-song. "All hail the Nag of the Sun!"
"Mule-faced monarch of Equestria!" Slimblade joined in with a grin.
"Out here we fight, then we poke fun!"
"Of the candy-coated despot, Celestia!"
Half the platoon chortled with glee while the others frowned, Applejack among them. She was about to rush the two when somepony grabbed her barding, and pulled her back. She turned around, and found herself glaring at Twocolt.
"Unless you can make Princess Celestia appear to prove them wrong, you're wasting your time, and causing an unnecessary fight," Twocolt said.
"It ain't right that they make fun of the princess!" Applejack said.
"You're right," Twocolt answered. "They're ignorant. Let them have their sing-song fun. We know better."
Applejack shrugged Twocolt's hoof off. He was right. It wasn't a good time to be starting fights. Still, she remembered the faces of those two recruits. She was going to confront them at some time. She and Twocolt broke off from the platoon, taking a smaller side-street with fewer ponies walking it. She was off to her quarters although she wasn't sure why Twocolt continued to walk with her.
"So what you were saying about that purple chosen…" Twocolt said.
"Her name's Twilight Sparkle, not 'purple chosen'," Applejack said.
"Right. Twilight Sparkle it is. Was what you said about her true?"
"Course it was!" Applejack snapped. "When have I started lying?"
Twocolt frowned. "Then, why is she out here? Why are all of you out here? The most popular story is that you're criminals, and didn't belong in the Heartland, but that's not true now, is it?"
Applejack took her hat off, and dusted it while looking for bloodstains. "I'm not exactly the best pony to ask that," she said. "All I know is that Twilight was getting banished, and I wasn't going to let her go alone."
Twocolt paused for a moment to stare incredulously at Applejack. "You let yourself be uprooted from your home even though you didn't know why she was being banished?"
"Yup," Applejack replied with a shrug.
Twocolt put a hoof to his head, and exhaled loudly. "Amazing," he said. "And I thought you couldn't get more reckless."
"So why are you asking all these things now, Twocolt?" Applejack asked. She jammed her hat back on, and straightened it.
"I wanted to make sure of something. To be honest, I'm still not that sure, but I'm going to take a chance with you."
"Only Vanguard can get away with that murky, dramatic talk. If you have something to say, say it plainly!"
"Tell me straight out then, Applejack," Twocolt said, his voice dropped, and his eyes hardened. "How loyal do you consider yourself to Princess Celestia?"
Applejack frowned. "How loyal? Pretty darn loyal! As loyal as any pony can be!"
"Even though she banished you?"
Applejack hesitated. "I'm sure the princess had her reasons. I ain't gonna pretend I can completely understand somepony as old and as powerful as she is, but I can believe in her."
"Good answer," Twocolt said. He started walking again, leaving Applejack behind. "I'll see you around tomorrow, Applejack."
"What's this all about, Twocolt?" Applejack called out.
"I'll tell you some other time. I'm pretty tired right now."
Applejack didn't buy the excuse, but she shrugged her shoulders, and went on her way.
After Applejack had gone, Twocolt looked around, and ducked into a side street. From there, he moved through one tight passage to another, expertly navigating the twisting back alleys of Bastion City's darker sections.
Finally, he found the place he was looking for: a small one-roomed house with a sturdy, locked door. He knocked twice and waited. A single knock came from the other side. That was his cue to put his head close to the door, and whisper "for the one and true Equestria."
The door opened, and a yellow earth pony mare with a braided, bright green mane ushered him inside. "You're late," Verdant whispered.
"Sorry," Twocolt answered. "I had something else to do."
Verdant unlocked the trapdoor at the center of the small room, the house's sole feature when viewed by somepony who didn't know what it was for. Twocolt knew better. This unassuming house served as a meeting place for the Order of True Equestrians, an order dedicated to staying true to the oaths sworn by all ponies of Equestria since the founding of the realm. Twocolt had once believed that Prince Terrato and the Equestrian Legion as a whole remained dutiful to those oaths until just a year ago. His eyes had been opened since then, and he saw the movements that the prince made underneath his show of loyalty. The Legion was about to rise up, and seize power over all Equestria. It was up to the order to put a stop to it.
He descended a narrow tunnel into a large, stone-walled chamber where several ponies were gathered. The order itself was a small group, especially when compared to the Legion. Several candles by the walls cast everything in the chamber in a flickering orange light.
"It's good to see that you made it through your first battle, Twocolt."
Twocolt's eyes widened at the sight of the pony who had just spoken to him. He swiftly recovered. "Thank you, Lady Bright Flame," he said. He bowed low. Standing before him was a beauteous unicorn mare with a white coat tinged with gold, and a flowing, golden mane to complement it. He was surprised to find Lady Bright Flame, leader and founder of the Order of True Equestrians, in Bastion City. She was the one who had laid out their purpose to remain faithful ponies of a one true Equestria, not just the Barrier Lands, and to continue to recognize Princess Celestia as their true monarch. Prince Terrato was commander of the army and Princess Luna was Celestia's second. It was Lady Bright Flame who had also discovered the correspondence between Prince Terrato and the Northern Legion Commander that detailed a plan to allow the wolven to break through and set into motion a coup that had been centuries in planning. Now that Lady Bright Flame was here, Twocolt found grew worried. With the wolven at their doorstep, to have their leader here was dangerous.
"Do you have anything to report, Twocolt?" another pony asked.
"I do," Twocolt replied. "After spending time with one of them, I've come to believe that the chosen remain faithful to Princess Celestia. One of them is even her student! I've contemplated bringing one here, but I decided to let the order make the decision."
The ponies murmured among themselves. The chosen had been a subject of discussion for some time. They were worried that these chosen were criminals that Prince Terrato would easily convert to his cause. For Twocolt to make such a bold statement…
"Your prudence is to be commended," Bright Flame said. "We will arrange a meeting with them as soon as possible. Gaining the support of these ponies will be beneficial for the order." Twocolt remained bowed even though he was beaming inside. "Return to watching the chosen. Make sure that they are safe from Prince Terrato's so-called traitors."
"Yes, my lady," Twocolt said. He stood up, and left, Bright Flame's compliment lending some spring to his tired legs.
"My lady, is it wise that we trust Twocolt's judgment on the chosen so readily?" one of the remaining gathered ponies asked.
"Twocolt has ingratiated himself well with the one called Applejack," Bright Flame said. "Given some more time, he can be used to move them about in some ways, especially if they are as loyal to Princess Celestia as he said."
The other ponies murmured among themselves again. How Bright Flame knew the chosen by name went ignored. After all, she must have ways to gather information with ease.
"That is all well and good, my lady," the pony continued. "But, perhaps, you can tell us why you have come to this dangerous place?"
Bright Flame smiled. "I came here for three reasons: the first is to personally thank all of you for the work you have done for the Order of True Equestrians. Your vigilance, and your reports on all of the Legion's movements will ensure that Prince Terrato's rebellion will not succeed."
The murmurs took on a pleased tone.
"The second is to tell you that we have successfully sent one of our own to the Heartland. By now, Sun Gazer has made it to Princess Celestia's palace to warn her of her brother's intentions."
"Praise be!" one of the gathered ponies exclaimed. "Now, Princess Celestia can take steps to put a stop to her brother!"
"Things won't be so easy," another pony said. "The princess will be loathe to believe that her own brother is planning on attacking her."
"I believe in Sun Gazer's ability to convince her!" a third pony exclaimed. "Lady Bright Flame wouldn't pick any pony to undertake such an important mission!"
"That's true," Bright Flame said. "Sun Gazer's task will be fulfilled regardless of whether the princess believes him immediately, or simply begins to harbor suspicions. Now, for the third reason…" The doors to the chamber glowed, then slammed shut. One pony tried to open it only to find it held fast. "Unfortunately, while Twocolt can still be used, the rest of you have become rather detrimental towards Equestria's unification. The Order of True Equestrians' Bastion City group will only serve to hinder the remainder of my plans here, and must therefore be liquidated."
The murmurs turned to confused and alarmed cries.
"Liquidated? What do you mean, Lady Bright Flame?"
"Is this a joke?"
"The door won't open!"
"I'm afraid it's not joke," Bright Flame answered. The chamber's floor started to glow and hum, arcane symbols, unfamiliar even to the unicorns in the group, flared. "The best way to get a pony to lie for me was to convince him he was telling the truth. Bringing up Sun Gazer was your last task. Thank you again for all your hard work."
All it took was a single flash of black magic bursting from Bright Flame's horn to silence all the cries. The circle of symbols burst into a glare, then dimmed. There were no death screams or agonized moaning. When the magical light faded, the chamber was empty, and a mana battery was floating before her.
"L-lady Bright Flame?"
The door had opened to reveal one more pony still alive. Verdant stared in horror as Bright Flame's yellow-tinged coat slowly turned a lustrous black, as if ink was being poured all over her. There was another flash of black magic and Bright Flame was completely alone.
While the rest of her friends were heading to bed, Twilight Sparkle walked towards a different location. The streets leading to the Grand Meeting Hall encountered frequent traffic so it was among the well-lit places of Bastion City. She had decided to pay Princess Luna a visit before turning in. She had to admit to herself that she was avoiding turning in. She didn't know how much sleep she would be getting tonight, especially with the image of those burning wolven still in her mind.
Two pairs of heavily-barded guards stood by the entrance. As she approached, the doors opened, and a familiar pony stepped out. "Vanguard!" she called out.
Vanguard seemed surprised to see her. "Here to talk to Princess Luna?" he asked.
Twilight nodded. "Just going to see how she is. I also wanted to ask her about this moonless night. It's supposed to be a full moon."
"I wouldn't recommend disturbing her at the moment," Vanguard replied with a shake of his head. "She's in the main hall, focusing on some spell. My guess is that she's blotting the moon out with her magic, and it's taking a lot of concentration."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Why would she want to blot out the moon?"
"The wolven are especially crazy during the full moon. Even I feel a little different during these times. Blotting the moon out will lower the chances of them trying something tonight."
"I'd better not bother her then," Twilight walked next to Vanguard as they headed for their quarters. "So what were you doing there?"
"I made my report to Commander Dreadstep," Vanguard answered. "Special Operations has been pretty busy."
Twilight wasn't sure what to say to that. Applejack didn't want to talk about what had happened when Vanguard asked her out. She tried to talk about something else. "S-say Vanguard…" she mumbled.
Vanguard looked at her, concern already on his face. "Something on your mind?"
Twilight could barely match that look. "When you first killed a wolven, what was it like?"
Vanguard looked to the sky. With a moonless night and only a few streetlights for illumination, his red eyes did seem intimidating. Especially when she thought of the hundreds of hungry wolven eyes staring at the city this moment. "Frightening," he answered. "And it's not just because I was fighting for my life."
"Frightening?" Twilight asked. "Why?" She had imagined Vanguard's first kill to be a matter of course for him. She couldn't imagine him afraid, or horrified after killing a wolven. The ponies of the Barrier Lands certainly made it seem as if doing so was just another task to them. Indeed, it was hard to imagine Vanguard being afraid or horrified at anything. He projected such a stoic and unflinching image that it seemed that nothing could possibly shake him.
"You killed your first wolven today," Vanguard replied. "I imagine that it must be the vilest thing you've had to do."
Twilight looked away. The scene with the burning wolven kept playing in her mind. She could smell the horrid stench that wafted towards her and hear the last whimpering sound the wolven made before falling still.
"I envy that revulsion," Vanguard said. "It means you're a good pony, and acts of violence take you out of your element so your body protests."
It was Twilight's turn to stare at Vanguard. As always, he sounded sincere, but how could anyone feel envious of what she was feeling right now?
"When I first killed a wolven, I felt invigorated," Vanguard went on. "My first instinct was to find another one, and kill it too."
"Then it wasn't a problem to you," Twilight said. She had somewhat expected such an answer. Vanguard was, after all, a high-ranking legionnaire. He must be used to killing, and was prepared for it since he was a colt. He must think of her as pathetic for being so weak-kneed over this.
"It was," Vanguard said. He paused for a moment, and his gaze went far away. He snorted, and looked back at Twilight before speaking again. "I was terrified for feeling that way. I wanted to feel guilty and sick. Instead, I enjoyed it. You were reminded that you were a pony when you had to kill those wolven, Twilight Sparkle. Take solace in knowing that you won't turn into a savage beast so long as you feel that way."
"Is it because you're part wolven?" Twilight asked.
"I would love to blame it on blood," Vanguard said. "But I'm responsible for my actions. That's why I have to control myself at all times. Right now, I'm thankful that Princess Luna is blotting out the moon. I wouldn't want to have to deal with it while doing what I have to do right now."
"And what's that?"
"Killing other ponies."
Twilight remembered Cold Hoof lying on the hard, rocky ground with a knife he put in his own chest. "Are there more ponies like Cold Hoof out there?" she asked. "I thought that only a few ponies bore that kind of grudge."
"I was naïve," Vanguard said. He let out a sigh. "I wish you could have seen the Legion during some other time. Back when we all seemed to stand together. Right now, you're seeing it at its worst. I'm starting to agree with you about this division."
"Is it that bad?"
"The Legion cannot stand like this forever," Vanguard replied. Though his gaze was still on Twilight, it was as if he was looking at something else, recalling some other event. "I've been thinking about it, and I've realized that this couldn't have happened overnight. The Legion has been in danger ever since the division was created. We've been complacent for too long by thinking that this is the way it should be."
"It shouldn't be how things should be," Twilight said.
"And now we're paying for it."
"What do you think will happen now, Vanguard?"
"I haven't cared much for anything save doing my duty, but that's not going to be enough to pull the Legion through this. The prince will be arriving soon. I hope he has a plan."
Twilight looked up at the moonless sky. She had seen new moons before, but Equestria's sky seemed even darker than usual tonight. "I hope so too."
The next morning greeted Bastion City with a biting cold wind. Twilight Sparkle shivered, and drew her blanket tighter around her. When sunlight fell on her face, she sat up with a start. Her friends were already up and clothed. Spike sat by one corner, breathing a steady stream of green flame on his claws. "Morning, Twilight," he said.
A quick look out a window showed snow falling on the streets. "I thought winter was a week or two away," Twilight said.
"It was," Vanguard Clash answered from the doorway. As always, he was already wearing his barding. Scarlet Rabbit was hovering next to him. "Prepare yourselves quickly. This snow is a very bad omen." He went ahead with Scarlet.
"A bad omen?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What's he talking about?"
"Dunno," Applejack said. "They're expecting us by the walls anyway."
Like Vanguard, Applejack was already in her barding and tramplers. Her gear was clean, and carefully polished with spit, much to Rarity's disgust. Though the gray plates of metal made her difficult to recognize, even with the hat on, it did seem that Applejack was proud of her barding with all the care she put into it. Twilight guessed that there was more to it than that. Yesterday, Applejack was desperately wiping off the blood that covered her barding. There was more to this cleanliness than pride and necessity.
"It's too cold for flying into a fight!" Rainbow Dash said. She flapped her wings a few times to get some blood circulating.
"Tell me about it!" Rarity added. "It's going to be a pain starting up Hammer Chain's forge like this!"
Applejack stretched out her forelegs, and moved her neck from side to side, savoring the little pops and cracks. "I hear a lot of complaining but you look rarin' to go, RD!"
Rainbow grinned. "Of course! I still have to make a name for myself!" She looked over to Twilight. "Twilight's the talk of the recruits. Everypony's impressed by how she blew up that siege tower. I can't fall behind that!"
Everpony fell silent.
"I didn't cast that spell to impress anypony, Rainbow," Twilight said. She pressed her lips together tightly. The reminder alone brought a whiff of burned flesh to her nose and the echo of a dying howl to her ears.
There were no words said, but Rainbow Dash took a few wary steps back. She looked around for allies until her eyes settled on Applejack. "Hey, Applejack, you know what I'm talking about! I'm sure the ponies in your platoon are still all over how awesome Twilight was!"
Applejack didn't meet Rainbow's gaze. "This ain't a contest, RD," she said. "And if it was, I ain't hankerin' to be called 'Best Wolven Killer' any time soon."
Rainbow Dash looked around again. Nopony met her gaze. She cringed for a moment, then straightened herself. Her eyes went from guilty and nervous to hard and proud. "Well, I am," she said. "'Best Wolven Killer' sounds like an awesome title to have!"
Twilight's eyes widened. "Rainbow--"
"It's you girls I don't understand!" Rainbow snapped. She pointed an accusing hoof at all of them. "Why are all of you moping over having to kill wolven? They're trying to kill and eat all of us!"
"It's not that simple!" Twilight said.
"Oh yeah?" Rainbow retorted. "Yesterday, one of the recruits I was flying with got shot down. The wolven jumped on her as soon as she hit the ground. One of them ran off with her wing in its mouth. Another one carried off a leg, so it didn't have to share!" Her voice lowered. "They're monsters, and I don't feel bad about killing them at all. I'm glad to be able to fight these things." She walked to the door with her chest puffed up. "Now, I'm going to get some more practice, so I can kill even more of them! You can all sit here, and feel sorry for monsters!"
Before anypony else could respond, Rainbow had already flown off. Twilight could only look worriedly towards Rainbow's direction.
"…seeing my subjects become more like them…"
Twilight drew her cloak around her tighter. The cold of the Barrier Lands was aggressively chilling, as if the air itself took delight in stealing warmth from others. She had been through many winters, but this one filled her with foreboding.
"What in tarnation's wrong with that mare?" Applejack snapped. "She didn't need to blow up like that!"
Twilight let out a sigh. "I hope we can talk about it later. I have to go too. They're expecting me by the walls."
"Same here," Applejack huffed. She took one more angry glance towards Rainbow's direction before moving on.
"And I as well," Rarity said. "Well, not by the walls, but you understand." She joined the two by the door.
"That's it?" Pinkie Pie asked, her lips quivering. "We haven't been spending a lot of time together these days!"
"It can't be helped, Pinkie," Twilight said. "All of us now have duties to attend to. I'm sure even you're expected to be at the kitchens first thing in the morning."
"That's true," Pinkie mumbled. She looked at the floor for a moment before brightening up. "I know! We should plan some kind of party when all of us don't have any duty!"
"How about after we drive the wolven away from the city?" Twilight suggested.
"Victory celebration." Applejack smiled a bit. "I like the sound of that!"
"Then, it's settled!" Pinkie said. "I'll tell the others in the kitchens! They'll love it!" She ran out of the door.
With Pinkie gone, that left…just Spike. "Where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"She was out of here before you even woke up," Applejack said. "She looked pretty determined to get back to work. Makes me wonder what happened yesterday."
"I suppose Fluttershy being determined should count as good news," Twilight said. "Are you going to be alright, Spike?"
"I'll be fine," Spike answered. "This time, I'm going to make it to Hammer Chain's smithy!"
"Come along then, Spike," Rarity said. "Your breath should be handy when it comes to lighting that forge." Spike didn't bother hiding his excitement when he hopped on her back.
"So Twilight…" Applejack said.
"Hmm?"
"No offense," Applejack pawed the floor briefly, "but you have been pretty awesome lately. Is it true that you got Special Operations ponies talking to you?"
Twilight's jaw dropped. "What? Of course not! I wasn't that good. A lot of ponies fought hard during yesterday's battle!"
"Really?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "No invitations? You walked in with Vanguard last night. Didn't he say he needed a unicorn mage in his squad?"
"He didn't bring that up at all!" Twilight said.
Applejack shrugged in response. "Oh well. See you later then, Twilight."
Snow continued to fall steadily as the two left for their posts, adding more and more layers to the thickening blanket of snow draped upon Bastion City. On the streets, other ponies stared at the snow with foreboding looks and worried glances to the north. Some of them looked outright frightened.
"Sparkle!" a unicorn from Twilight's unit yelled from the walls. "We're on boulder catching duty for this morning, remember? Get to your position!"
Twilight headed over to her partners. Mage Captain Owlsight had instructed them yesterday about boulder catching. Unicorn magi were positioned all along the walls to "catch" the boulders hurled by the wolven catapults with their telekinesis. They were not required to stop the boulders from hitting the walls, but they should be able to slow each boulder down with their combined efforts, weakening its impact, and saving the walls from too much structural damage. It was a dangerous task, as Owlsight was quick to warn them. The danger of being squashed by an errant boulder was a real one, as was getting sniped by a bolter.
Twilight gradually grew accustomed to watching out for boulders and snipers. How easily she was able to slip into a rhythm, however, was a bit disturbing. The wolven did not seem particularly devoted into their catapult firing. A steady beating of drums came from their camp, as well as a constant howling. What was going on?
"I don't like this one bit!" Owlsight groused as he walked past. "What are those mutts up to? This snow is making me think that--"
The steady drums and howling erupted into a frenzied pace. A chilling wind picked up, and rose to a howl of its own. Twilight drew her cloak around her even tighter.
"Terrato's blazing mane, it's true!" one of the nearby unicorns whimpered. "He's here!"
Before Twilight could even ponder that, a wave of fear washed over her like a torrent of ice-cold water. She fell to her knees, her teeth chattering, and her heart racing. There was…something out there. Some feral, primal thing beyond the walls and the gathered wolven, and it was coming closer. She forced her knees to straighten. Each inch was a desperate uphill battle. Most of the recruits cowered. The older veterans held up a little better, but remained rooted to the spot. She looked over the ramparts. The wind had worked itself up into a blizzard. It was almost impossible to see anything on the plain. The only visible things were the dark shapes where the wolven had gathered. They parted to let something from their rear lines, something huge from its silhouette.
Rainbow had fallen flat on her belly while the wind howled all around her. An unnatural fear was crushing her heart with cold, unrelenting fingers. Around her, many ponies had also fallen to the ground in a shivering panic.
"Get up, Rainbow Dash," Tailwind said. Even her voice was subdued and difficult to make out from the fierce wind. "At least, catch a glimpse of the enemy."
Rainbow picked herself up, and used the rampart's ledge to keep herself standing. She was so terrified that she hardly felt the physical cold of the snowstorm.
Out on the plains, an enormous figure walked past the wolven front lines. The shape and outline was that of a wolven. From the size and distance, it had to be at least twenty feet tall. It stopped within crossbow range, but nopony from the walls was taking a shot. The wind would have made it impossible, but there was nopony among them even willing to try.
Then, the giant wolven looked up.
Rainbow's heart stopped for an instant when she caught the giant wolven's gaze. A lone, red-glowing eye looked at her, looked straight through her. She gasped for air. The cold raked her lungs with each short gasp she could manage. Less than an hour ago, she was talking about killing wolven, now she seemed so insignificant to the might of their army. What was that monster? All it needed to do was look at her, and she was half-dead from fear. There was no fighting that thing. Walls or weapons were not going to slow it down, The city was doomed, and everypony within was going to be torn to pieces and eaten!
"W….w-what is that?" Rainbow croaked out.
"The King of Wolvengard," Tailwind answered. She was shivering, and barely able to stand, but she had grit her teeth and refused to back down. "Fenrir, the Ravening Fangs of Winter."
As if to punctuate Tailwind's answer, the monster let out a long, dolorous howl that put even the ferocious wind to shame. Rainbow's leg's gave out. The world grew dim, and the howling faded.
A clarion neigh drove away the wolven's howl, and silenced the wind. Rainbow's eyes flickered wide open, and her ears perked up. What was that melodious, uplifting neigh? The strength returned to her legs. Amazed cries around her made it clear that the other ponies felt the same way. From where the sound had come from was a mighty gray alicorn hovering just past the inner side of the walls. The blazing mane and tail, the muscular shoulders and neck, and the thick armor plating made it plain enough. This was Prince Terrato. To actually see him was…she couldn't find the words. Even the wind seemed at awe before the Prince of Equestria, dying down to a steady breeze.
"Our prince is here!" one of the pegasi cheered. "All hail our prince!"
"Hail Prince Terrato!"
"Hail the Grand Prince of the Earth!"
Prince Terrato answered the cheers with a grim smile and a nod before flying past the walls to land in front of Fenrir. Princess Luna flew up, and accompanied him.
Now that the snowstorm had stopped, Rainbow finally caught a good view of Fenrir.
Fenrir dwarfed even Terrato, and that was without having to raise himself on his haunches. His fur was very dark gray, almost black, and it did little to hide the powerful muscles along his neck, shoulders, and flanks. His enormous, scything claws dug deep into the ground in anticipation. His jaws were closed until Terrato and Luna approached. Afterwards, he let them hang open. Wicked, curving fangs lined his mouth, each one white and razor sharp. Thick gobs of saliva dripped to the ground. Whenever he let out a breath, a great cloud of whiteness escaped from his nostrils. What held Rainbow's gaze was his eye. King Fenrir glared at the world through a single, bright red eye. His left eye was missing, and the blackness of the empty socket seemed to go on forever.
Rainbow held her breath as Terrato and Luna approached Fenrir. Was there going to be a fight? Was the fate of this siege going to be decided by combat between their rulers?
Standing so close to his ancient foe, Terrato felt a little nostalgic. It had been so long since he had confronted Fenrir like this. The thought of missing the giant wolven was amusing. "Why are you here, Fenrir?" he asked.
Fenrir's gaze quickly turned from Terrato to Luna. He lowered his face, and sniffed at her direction, eliciting a shudder of disgust from her. "It's been so long since I've caught fair Luna's scent," he said. His voice was a deep, rasping tone followed by the distant howl of a frigid winter storm. "A year without it is painful enough, but cursed Celestia tortures me with a thousand! After so long, I had to see for myself when I caught the scent once more."
"You came all the way here and frightened my ponies for a smell?" Terrato asked. He took a sniff towards Luna's direction. "It's not that fantastic."
"Big brother…" Luna said.
"You understand nothing!" Fenrir snarled.
"Watch your slobber," Terrato growled in return. "And stop boring me with your infatuation! Why come here yourself? Do you plan on breaking our pact?"
"Let us make a new pact," Fenrir said. "Your Legion falters and my army is on the rise. Surely, you will listen! Let us make a new pact while your eldest sister is not here to impose her will!"
"Make your case," Terrato replied. "What kind of pact are you proposing?"
Fenrir focused on Terrato shrewdly."Give me fair Luna as my bride, and all of us will leave."
"Luna isn't mine to give!" Terrato answered. "If that's all your 'new pact' is--"
"Wait!" Luna said. Both Terrato and Fenrir looked towards her. She swallowed, and stepped forward. "If I go with you, do you promise to never attack Equestria?"
"No wolven will so much as take a single step into this land so long as you remain with me," Fenrir replied. His growling voice could barely contain his eagerness.
Terrato tensed. It looked like Fenrir might go so far as to rush her any second. He drew Luna aside, and whispered to her harshly. "What are you doing? Are you seriously considering marrying him?"
"If it means putting a stop to centuries of war, yes."
"Celestia will not allow this, and that means I can't allow it either."
"I am a princess of equal standing to both of you. I'll decide for myself what I can and can't do. My only regret will be if it turns out that I could have done this at the start."
Terrato let out a sigh. Once more he had mixed feelings about Luna's new-found assertiveness. "You used to be terrified of being so much as a hundred miles of him."
"That was a long time ago. I can do this, big brother."
"What is this whispering about?" Fenrir growled. "Are the two of you going to plot right before me?"
Luna took another step forward. The smell of Fenrir's breath, and the sight of his gaping maw sent a shudder through her, but she held firm. "I will be your bride, King Fenrir, if you promise that Wolvengard will never again be a threat to Equestria."
"I will," Fenrir said. He looked ready to pounce on her, but Terrato took a step forward as a warning. "It will be part of our wedding vows in Wolvengard."
"Then--"
Fenrir's ears perked. With a snarl, he jumped to the side as a massive beam of white light struck the ground where he was. The fallen snow vaporized on contact, and the ground charred and melted into red hot goo.
Aghast, both Terrato and Luna looked to where the beam had come from. Their gazes went directly towards one of Bastion City's taller buildings. Terrato recognized the spell as a simple light beam magnified to suit the power of only one caster he knew who favored it. Luna recognized it as well. To their misfortune, so did Fenrir. Indeed, it was Celestia standing on the roof. He recognized the mane and the wings, but something was wrong…
"Treachery!" Fenrir snarled. "Cursed Celestia hides her scent, then hides behind her younger sister to assassinate me! Coward!"
"That's not true!" Terrato shouted. "Calm down, Fenrir!"
The entire wolven army was in an uproar, and the ponies along the wall followed suit.
"Your sister is full of guile and filth, Terrato!" Fenrir snarled. "I will honor our pact for the shred of honor that you have, but there will be no more negotiations! I will kill you and Celestia! It is the only way I can be sure that Luna is not a trap!"
"Wait!" Terrato shouted. "This is a mistake!" It was too late. Fenrir had rejoined his army, dodging, and weaving to avoid anymore light blasts.
"Moon-Shadow!" Fenrir bellowed.
"Damn!" Terrato struck the ground with a hoof, sending shockwaves in all directions. He started to fly back to the city. When Luna delayed in following him, he shouted after her. "Come on!"
Twilight Sparkle caught a good look at the powerful blast of light as it streaked past her and towards King Fenrir. As confusion exploded within the ranks, her first reaction was to trace the spell's source. Her jaw fell open at the sight. That was Princess Celestia! But that blast just-- Twilight concentrated on a teleportation spell. The distance from the top of the walls to the building was great, but she had to reach that spot before the princess left. In a second, she was standing on the building's rooftop.
"I had to do it, Twilight," Celestia's voice said. "Luna was going to marry that monster, and Terrato was going to go along with it!"
Twilight grit her teeth, and tried to steady both her breathing and her legs. The teleportation and the magical drift had all but drained her completely. "Drop the act!" she snapped. "I've known the princess far too long to be fooled by it. Who are you? Why did you do this?"
"Clever. As expected of Celestia's favored pupil." Celestia's voice changed in the middle of the sentence into a softer, slightly deeper pitch. The image of a regal, white alicorn with a flowing, multicolored mane dissolved into mist. Twilight squinted to get a good look, but to no avail. "That was an impressive teleportation, Twilight Sparkle," somepony said. A chill ran down Twilight's spine. "But you've overexerted yourself, and underestimated the potential enemy that awaited you at your destination. If I attack you right now, I can kill you with ease, then drink your life at my leisure."
Twilight tried to wave the mist away with a hoof. "Who are you?" she asked again. There was a glimpse of black within the mist as well as a hint of a shape. She was talking to a pony. A black-coated pony. The voice belonged to a mare, and the magic made it a unicorn.
"I'd hate to pluck such impressive talent before it has had a chance to bloom. I'll see you again," the black-coated unicorn mare said. The mist dissipated, but there was nopony on the roof besides Twilight.
"Twilight Sparkle!" Luna called out. Both she and Prince Terrato landed on the roof.
"Where is she?" Terrato demanded. "I know an impostor when I see one!"
"She's gone, your highness," Twilight said.
"Who could have done this?" Luna asked. "And why?"
Terrato walked over to the spot where Twilight had last seen the mysterious unicorn. He suddenly bent over to pick something up. It appeared to be a long strand of crimson. The sight of it plunged him into a shadow.
As any settlement of the Barrier Lands would be, Bastion City was honored to receive Prince Terrato. Especially since his timely arrival drove back the menacing presence of the King of Wolvengard. At the same time, they were terrified of the implications. The last time Terrato and Fenrir fought still lived in infamy throughout the north. Ponies of the Barrier Lands often referred to "the Unyielding Gray Sentinel" when referring to their prince. "Harbinger of War", however, was just as accurate.
The Grand Meeting Hall was easily converted to Terrato's audience hall after the morning's incident. Inside, he and Luna held a meeting. Among the participants were Commander Dreadstep, Mayor Snowsteam, and Commander Galefeather of the Bastion City garrison. As if an afterthought, Recruit Twilight Sparkle was also among them.
"Our supplies will hold us well into spring, your highness," Snowsteam said. "Even with the additional ponies from Fangbreaker."
"That may be because we are lacking in defenders," Galefeather added. "Even with the drafts, we are sorely pressed to deal with a wolven army this size."
"I had expected that the city closest to Wolvengard to have more reserves," Terrato said.
Galefeather all but pressed his forehead against the floor. "Forgive me, your highness. Yearly recruitment has been on a decline for the past few years."
"Convenient timing," Terrato muttered. "I'll leave the city's maintenance to the two of you. Keep those supplies guarded, and the city safe. I don't want to hear about some 'accidental' fires or contamination. "
"Yes, your highness."
Terrato waved a hoof to dismiss the two. With them gone, he turned his attention to Dreadstep. "And there I was just days ago telling you how I don't need to be constantly breathing down your neck," he said. "Sorry about that, Dreadstep, that was about as idiotic as asking 'what could possibly go wrong?'."
Dreadstep knelt, and bowed his head. "I accept full responsibility for Fangbreaker's loss, your highness. I am ready to pay with my life."
"And what could I possibly do with your dead body?" Terrato asked. "You wouldn't even make good catapult ammunition." He snorted when Dreadstep didn't reply. "Enough theatrics. I'm not going to kill you, Dreadstep. Now, what's this I hear about saboteurs?"
"Special Operations has already started cracking down," Dreadstep said. "We've killed several of their cells and captured some of them."
"What have you learned?" Terrato asked.
"The traitors still have more cells within the city. From what we've gathered, this is another Black Rose rebellion."
Terrato still held the strand of hair in his hoof. He put it close to his nose, and breathed in. He could smell perfume, a light scent of wildflowers growing on the peaks of the Western Barrier Land's verdant mountains. It was his favorite scent. Of course, she knew that. "Not just another Black Rose rebellion," he said. "We're dealing with Black Rose herself."
Dreadstep raised his head out of turn. Terrato didn't mind given the surprise. "Black Rose? As in the same Black Rose you killed centuries ago?"
"Yes, that same Black Rose," Terrato replied. "It's not exactly a popular name."
"I beg your pardon, your highness, but isn't she dead?"
"She was," Terrato said. "But the signs are here, and I know her work. Keep your eyes open, Dreadstep. Ensure the loyalty of every pony investigating these traitors. I want them rooted out, and hung before they get out of control. Treat this matter as urgently as you would those dogs outside our gates."
"I will, your highness," Dreadstep said. Terrato smiled. There was still some fight left in this old earth pony. He had little room for failure, but he had followed Dreadstep's career through victories and defeats, and he knew that the commander would find a way to earn redemption from this loss. Even if it meant wading through the wolven as a final expiation.
"Big brother, who is this Black Rose?" Luna asked.
From her spot, Twilight's ears perked at the name. Terrato snorted, and the smile was gone. Ever-curious Twilight Sparkle now wished to delve into Black Rose's story. He wouldn't have allowed her in here if he didn't have some business with her. He let out a sigh. "To put it simply, Black Rose was my Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight Sparkle raised her gaze. She looked in disbelief at Terrato, likely wondering if he was joking. Even Dreadstep leaned forward to hear well. Terrato decided to treat their eagerness as being honored to hear the prince's own account of an important event, not because they were annoying busybodies.
"What do you mean, big brother?" Luna asked.
Terrato was silent for a while, surveying every pony in the room. They couldn't quite meet his gaze as he did so. He had never spoken to anypony about Black Rose for the hundreds of years that passed since she died. Nopony dared to ask, and he was fine with that. Now that there was no more avoiding it, he had to address this.
With one more deep breath, Terrato finally spoke. "A long time ago, I discovered a unicorn mare with a ridiculous amount of potential. I was impressed, and she became my protégé. Does that story sound familiar, Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight nodded.
"Potential wasn't good enough a word. Everything that she did, she did perfectly: every battle was a victory, every campaign was a success. She had the ursans on the retreat, the wolven too scared to attack, and the ophidites slithering into hiding. I was happy to delegate authority to her. At her prime, she ruled almost all of the Barrier Lands in my name."
Luna pressed her lips tightly against each other for a while. She dragged a silver-shoed hoof against the floor briefly before speaking. "That sounds too good to be true," she said.
"And it was," Terrato said with a sigh. "Black Rose eventually decided that she didn't like Celestia's division. She expressed her disagreement, and I punished her. Just like Twilight Sparkle, am I correct?"
Twilight nodded again, the need to know more all over her face. He didn't want to say more. To go into details would be painful. Even hearing Black Rose's name stirred up an old ache inside him.
"If things were that simple, we wouldn't be dealing with her now," Luna said. She shared the same look as Twilight Sparkle.
"Things got...complicated," Terrato said. He dropped the casual tone. Telling this was hard enough without pretending that it was nothing. "I allowed Black Rose to get too close. She gained knowledge that she shouldn't have. I had to put a stop to it. There was only one way to put an end to the matter."
"You killed her," Luna said. "But she survived that somehow."
"And now she's back," Terrato said. "If she plans to push through with her old plans, then her objective will be Celestia."
"What did she want with the princess?" Twilight asked.
Terrato shot her a stern look. It was becoming more and more obvious that Celestia spoiled this mare. She had no sense of when to speak up, and when to sit down and shut her mouth. "Black Rose wants Equestria not just united, but united under her. To accomplish that, she planned to slay Celestia, and absorb the power of sunlight."
"That's impossible!" Luna said. "No mortal pony can hope to take on big sister! Just even thinking it--" She stomped a front hoof hard enough to leave cracks.
Twilight quivered with suppressed anger as well. For once, Terrato approved. Despite being banished, Twilight Sparkle still cared deeply for her mentor and likely wished for the impending demise of any pony who dared to try to kill Celestia.
"What will you do now?" Luna asked. "You can't allow this Black Rose to even try!"
"Don't tell me things I already know!" Terrato said. "I will deal with Black Rose just as I have dealt with her in the past. Before that, I'm going to settle two matters right now."
Terrato's horn glowed with gray light. All Twilight managed was a short gasp before she was helplessly floating in the air.
"Big brother, what are you doing?" Luna asked. She stepped forward to intervene, but a look from him brought her up short.
"What's the matter?" Terrato asked Twilight. "Celestia's gifted protégé should easily break my magic, right? You certainly had no problems with my memory lock!" Twilight flailed helplessly in the air for half a minute before he dumped her on the ground. "Apparently, my analysis isn't entirely true. You can't break my magic, Twilight Sparkle. At least, not without help. You had a trigger that let you break my memory lock. What was it, and who gave it to you?"
Twilight froze, then looked around. She stank of desperation. Terrato had half a mind to start beating her against the floor to set her straight. "I…I can't tell you, your highness," she said.
"Why not? " Terrato asked. "You have a working mouth, don't you? So much for ponies being creatures of honesty!"
"I was the one who told her, big brother!" Luna said.
"And how did you know what Twilight Sparkle had been up to? Celestia wouldn't have gone around blabbing about it! Obviously, it was because she showed you something she found!" Terrato turned towards Dreadstep. "Bring me the ponies who came in contact with Twilight Sparkle the first time she came here!" he ordered. "The ones still alive that is."
Commander Dreadstep bowed before hurriedly leaving. From her spot, Twilight quivered, and closed her eyes. It was getting harder by the second for Terrato to keep from hurting this foal. Dreadstep eventually returned with two stallions: a red pegasus, and a black-barded earth pony. The two stepped forward, and knelt. "Let me get to the point," he told them. "Which one of you gave Twilight Sparkle the trigger to break my memory lock?"
The pegasus looked confused. The earth pony, on the other hoof, had no such problems. "It was me, your highness," he replied. "I gave her my legionnaire emblem."
The upper corners of Terrato's lips curved slightly. "Lies from the chosen, honesty from a Barrier Lands pony. How about that? Take off the champron, and give me your name and rank, legionnaire."
The champron fell to the floor with a clang. The bright red eyes of a wolven looked up at Terrato; respectful, but unafraid. The stallion had the coat of a wolven too: gray, and rougher than a pony's. His curly, black mane looked a little coltish, but the somber, and worn look on his face more than made up for it. "Captain Vanguard Clash of the Northern Equestrian Legion, Special Operations, Third Squad." Even the voice had a wolfish growl to it.
Terrato's eyes narrowed. "I recognize you. You're Sharpfangs's colt. I spared your grandfather's life, and he repaid me with rape and murder. Now, you've added betrayal to that sordid mix. A pity. I would have thought that the rank, and the nightsteel full plate meant that you were a good soldier."
Twilight stood up, and stepped forward. "Your highness--"
"Quiet!" Terrato boomed. The floor and the walls to reverberated. "You may be Celestia's favored student in the Heartland, Twilight Sparkle, but you're a bottom-rung legionnaire here! Now, sit still, and let me lay down my laws!"
Twilight fell on her tail, stunned and shaking. The entire hall fell silent at Terrato's thunderous outburst. "Tell me, Vanguard Clash," he said, "how is spreading information about the Barrier Lands to the Heartland classified as a crime and what is the appropriate punishment?"
"Spreading information about the Barrier Lands to the Heartland is considered treason, your highness," Vanguard replied. "Punishable by hanging."
"Smart boy," Terrato remarked. He turned towards Dreadstep. "What are you waiting for? Hang him."
"Hanging?" the red pegasus exclaimed. He flew up, but Vanguard caught him, and forced him to a kneeling position. "Hanging? Then you'd better hang me too if the Captain's hanging!"
"Your highness," Dreadstep said. "Vanguard Clash is one of our most reliable legionnaires!"
"Couldn't rely on him to keep a secret, could you?" Terrato asked.
Dreadstep hesitated for a moment. He frowned, the lines on his face crinkling as he did so, before venturing to speak again. "Perhaps--"
"He made a clear confession, and the law is even clearer," Terrato snapped. "I didn't open this matter for debate, Dreadstep."
"Big brother, let us hear him out, at least!" Luna said.
"Fine," Terrato muttered. He turned towards Vanguard Clash, and raised his voice. Explain yourself, then. Why did you give her a trigger to break my spell?"
"I have no excuses, your highness," Vanguard said. "I gave her the trigger, so she may remember everything that happened to her."
Terrato shrugged. "At least somepony is trying to make this easy."
"Your highness, please!" Twilight cried out. She stood in front of Vanguard, her forelegs outstretched in a futile attempt to defend him. "There's nopony more loyal to you than Vanguard! He doesn't deserve to die for what he did!"
"Did you do it to break my sister's barrier because you opposed the division?" Luna asked.
"No," Vanguard replied. "I did it for Twilight Sparkle's sake. That's all."
"This pony is loyal to you," Luna said. "The battle will be hard enough without us hobbling ourselves like this."
Terrato looked Vanguard over. Here was the one pony in the room that had any semblance of unflinching duty. He didn't not so much as blink from the scrutiny. Terrato was beginning to like how this developed. "I will accept that what you did was a horribly stupid mistake, Vanguard Clash," he said. "Temporary insanity. I can relate to that." He glanced at Luna. "I will consider that the damage did not spread beyond Twilight Sparkle and her friends, that you intended the damage not to spread, that my little sister has some interest in keeping you alive, and that we do need every loyal pony alive. In light of all these things, I am compelled to change your sentence from a traitor's death to a slap-on-the-fetlock public flogging."
A collective sigh of relief escaped Luna, Twilight, and Dreadstep.
"Sixty lashes will do."
The collective sigh caught in their throats like a poorly swallowed bit of grass.
"Your highness, that is still a death sentence," Dreadstep said. "A much more painful death sentence if I may add!"
Terrato shrugged. "True. Forty is the limit so we don't kill them." He looked slyly over to Twilight. "I will allow Twilight Sparkle to take as many as she wants and apply them to herself."
Terrato raised an eyebrow as his gaze swept his audience. There was no reason to punish Twilight Sparkle for her part in this whole mess. Celestia had already banished her. That should be punishment enough. But Twilight Sparkle also left Celestia in despair. He should take some measure of vengeance just for that. More importantly, Twilight Sparkle was currently showing something that he could admire. He was willing to bend the law to see just how far she would go to protect the things she cared about. "Is that satisfactory?" he asked.
"I will take half," Twilight replied, her face calm and resolved.
Finally, this annoying mare did something that didn't give Terrato the urge to smear her on his hooves. "There you go," he said. "Thirty each. A slap on the fetlock for treason. Now, get out there, and enforce my will!"
With one more bow, almost everypony left the meeting hall. Only Luna remained.
"Is there no mercy at all in you, big brother?" Luna asked.
"That was mercy," Terrato replied. "They're alive aren't they? You have to temper your mercy with some sort of justice, or you'll never get any laws respected. Now, it's time I settle the other matter. You've done plenty in my realm: you secured Twilight Sparkle and her friends, you've attempted to negotiate with Fenrir, and you blotted out the full moon to suppress the enemy. There can only be more fighting at this point, and I can't have you involved. It's time you went back to the Heartland."
"What?" Luna asked, her eyes wide. "No! I can still do much here! I can fight!"
Terrato shook his head. "If you so much as kill a single wolven, Celestia will never forgive me."
Luna brought both her front hooves down on the floor hard. "Why does she get to decide what I can and can't do?"
Terrato glared at his sister. "You are in my realm, Luna! Here, you will respect my decisions. If you want to help, blot out the full moon from the Heartland. I need you to stay by Celestia's side in case Black Rose tries anything."
"No!"
"Don't argue!" Terrato roared. He quickly checked himself when Luna flinched. "I need to be assured that Celestia has a sibling by her side. I can't do my duty while constantly having to worry about her!"
"Then go to her side!" Luna said pleadingly. "Or better yet, have her come here, and stay by yours!"
"You already know why I can't do that," Terrato said softly.
"You say that big sister won't forgive you if you let me fight, but the truth is that she's never forgiven you for going out to fight yourself. She's afraid of what you've become. Isn't that why you never visit her in the Heartland?"
Terrato didn't reply.
Luna's eyes widened further. "Is that why you let Black Rose get so close?" she asked softly.
"Not another word, Luna," Terrato growled. "Or I will show you what exactly I've become."
Luna walked out of the hall. Before she made it past the doors, however, she turned around one last time.
'How can we mend the rift between the Heartland and the Barrier Lands, if we can't mend the rift between you two?'
For Vanguard and Twilight, the walk from the Grand Meeting Hall to the main plaza was a humiliating and endless parade.
"Thirty lashes!" Vanguard said. "Thirty lashes for something you had no part in!"
Twilight frowned. "No part in? What was that 'for Twilight Sparkle's sake' you were talking about? The last time I checked, that's me!"
Vanguard shook his head. He had been stripped of his barding which Scarlet had taken for safekeeping. Around him, the accompanying guards made no reaction towards the bickering. A group of curious citizens followed the odd procession down the street. "At least, change it to twenty for you and forty for me," he said. "I've been under the whip before, while your back is as fresh as a newborn's."
"It's thirty for the both of us," Twilight insisted. She put on a brave front, but the thought of what was going to happen made her quail inside. Vanguard was right. She had never been whipped. She had never even thought that such a thing could happen. Now, she was going to take thirty lashes in a single day. Part of her wanted to back out, and just pray that Vanguard could take sixty lashes. Another wanted to take his offers. Between the two, a third one remained steadfast. 'Thirty,' she thought. 'Thirty is fair.'
By the time they got to main plaza, they were already being followed by a crowd. "Twenty five, thirty five," Vanguard said.
"Stop haggling like you're buying vegetables!" Twilight whispered harshly. "It's thirty-thirty, and that's final!" She searched the crowd for her friends, unsure if she wanted them there for support, or not so they didn't have to see.
They were led to a spot with several wooden posts, then prodded to take their positions. Both of them were given coiled bits of rope. Taking her cue from Vanguard, Twilight placed hers between her jaws, trying to ignore the thought of other ponies having done the same to the unwashed piece of rope. She reared up, hugged the pole, and swallowed when a pair of earth pony stallions stood behind her while holding coiled whips. Two more ponies came up, and bound their forelegs securely to the posts.
The time between her biting into the rope and the first lash stretched out to breathless eternity. Just as Twilight was starting to think that there was something wrong, the first lash struck between her shoulders.
She nearly dropped the rope. Searing, white-hot pain lanced through her back, and buckled her legs. Tears sprang from her eyes. She nearly fell to the ground, but she remembered it was only the first one. There were twenty-nine to go. She glanced over at Vanguard just as he took his first. He clamped hard on his rope, but his face didn't even change expression.
Twilight braced herself just in time for the second strike. 'Two,' she thought. A third one struck in rapid succession. Something trickle down her back. The fourth one struck low, where her cutie mark would be. Were the star symbols going to be forever marred by a scar? The fifth and sixth strikes burned the thought out her mind, along with anything else she could think of. By the tenth, or at least she thought it was the tenth, she was no longer sure if she was counting right, she cried out between her teeth. Her jaws were clenched so tightly that she feared that the bones would shatter. The pain sapped the strength from her forelegs, each strike stabbed into her hide, tore at her insides, and came out through the other side. There was a fire raging on her back, an unrelenting blaze that tore off shreds of her skin, and flung them away with smoking, hooked claws. Her forelegs hung slack, but the ropes held her securely. Her vision dimmed as she gazed at Vanguard weakly, her mind still making futile attempts to recall just how many she had received, and how many more were coming.
It took some time before the garble of concerned voices untangled themselves for Twilight to recognize. She was lying belly-first on something soft. What had just happened? There was agonizing pain and waiting for the next lash, then…nothing. She opened her eyes weakly and tried to stand. She winced and stayed down when her back protested.
"Do not move so much, Twilight Sparkle, you're not fully healed yet."
That was Princess Luna. The haze of pain cleared up enough to let her see some blurry colors: Princess Luna's dark coat against gray, stone walls, Rainbow's mane, Pinkie's tail...
Fluttershy gasped. "She's up! Does she need anything? Doctor Redbrand gave me something for the pain."
"I don't think sipping brandy's gonna do Twilight much good, Fluttershy," Applejack said. "She's been out a long time. No need to knock her out some more."
"Stay still, Twilight," Spike said. He was standing on the bed, close to Twilight's face. He placed a claw on her shoulder. "Just keep resting until your injury's gone."
A minute passed before the haze lifted completely. Twilight was back in their shared quarters with all of her friends surrounding her. She tried to get a feel of her back, bracing for the rough feel of scars, or even the moist, painful feel of still-fresh wounds. Surprisingly, there was only a bit of roughness. Touching them still hurt, but not as much as she had expected.
"How are you feeling?" Luna asked.
"Awful," Twilight groaned. She tried to rise again, and winced at the second attempt. "Not as awful as I thought I'd feel though." She raised a hoof to her face, and squinted. She seemed to be...glowing with dark blue magic. Luna's horn was doing the same thing. "Princess?"
Luna smiled. "Surprised at your recovery? Give me a little credit, Twilight Sparkle. I am Princess of the Night. Most ponies only think of shadows and monsters when I'm mentioned. They tend to forget that night is also the time of rest and regeneration."
"It's really amazing," Fluttershy said. "Your back looked horrible when they first carried you here, but it's only been a couple of hours, and it's looking much better!"
"Yeah," Rainbow added. "From the look of it, you wouldn't believe that you just got lashed eighteen times!"
"There will still be a few marks," Luna said. "Healing magic works with the body, and the body isn't perfect."
Twilight stretched her back, still marveling at her quick recovery. She should be crippled by now. "Healing," she said breathlessly. "I found a few obscure references when I was studying the school of Conjuration, but that was about it and-- Wait a minute…eighteen? I was only lashed eighteen times?"
"Woah there, partner," Applejack said. "Only? You're making it sound like a bad thing."
"You fainted after the eighteenth," Luna said. "My brother put a stop to it after that. The rest of the lashes went to Vanguard Clash."
"That leaves forty-two," Twilight exclaimed. She looked around in a panic. "Where's Vanguard?"
"He's fine, darling," Rarity said. She pointed towards one corner of the room. "He's over there."
Vanguard was sleeping nearby. His breathing was steady, and the lines around his face from his frequent dour looks weren't there. Like her, he was also surrounded by Luna's magic. Twilight smiled. For once since she had known him, Vanguard Clash looked vulnerable. A half-full bottle lay by his bedside table. "They lashed him forty-two times?" she asked. Prince Terrato had called what he had done treason. She knew that he was going to get into trouble for what he had done, but it was only now that she understood just how much.
"They stopped at forty," Luna replied. She let out a sigh. "I suppose even my brother is capable of small mercies, if he exerts himself."
"Actually, it was thirty-nine. I counted," Rainbow said.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Thank you for keeping careful count then," she said flatly. To Twilight she spoke in a gentler tone. "Don't worry about numbers. Even my brother's stubborn sense of justice will be satisfied with what happened today."
"Eighteen…" Twilight said softly, her smile fading. "So much for half and half." She stared at her front hooves. She had demeaned herself before Vanguard. She had been talking about taking on thirty, and she had fallen short of the bare minimum.
"You had noble intentions, and it was a valiant effort," Luna said. "But your time here hasn't been that long. The Barrier Lands haven't hardened you for thirty lashes, Twilight Sparkle. At least, not yet."
"She shouldn't have taken eighteen to begin with," Applejack snapped. "Twilight and Vanguard have been nothing but good legionnaires. Why'd Terrato have to punish them? Why, he should be rewarding them for their hard work!"
Luna opened her mouth to answer, but it was Twilight who spoke. "He had his reasons. Princess Celestia's law was broken and, as prince, it was his duty to make sure somepony was punished."
"Haven't you been punished enough for finding out about this place when you got banished?" Spike asked. He jumped down from his perch on Twilight's bed, and kicked up a bit of dust. "It's not fair that you're punished again. And you came here to help out too. I say that prince is just being a jerk!"
"Spike!" Twilight motioned towards Luna. "He's her brother!"
Spike glanced worriedly at Luna, then crossed his arms. "Not changing my mind," he said. "I saw what you looked like when they carried you here. He may be a prince and Princess Luna's brother, but he's still a jerk!"
Luna let out a sigh. "I apologize on my brother's behalf." The downcast look on her face made even Spike hesitate. "He does have a gentler side. It's just that…he's very devoted to my sister. The only way he really knows how to express that is by lashing out at anything he thinks is a threat to her."
"Hasn't he ever heard of hugs?" Spike asked.
Luna smiled slightly. "He'd try it if my sister would come close enough for one." She focused on Twilight. "I must apologize for her as well. This banishment is wrong, and it's only going to hurt all of us as it continues."
Twilight made her third attempt to rise. This time, she managed enough so she could put a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "There's no need," she said. "None of us here bear any grudges. Not towards Prince Terrato, and certainly not Princess Celestia."
Spike raised a claw. "Well--" Twilight gave him a stern look. "Fine," he said. "No grudges. But he better not get anypony else whipped!"
Luna's smile widened. "Why is it so much easier to get along with you ponies than my own siblings?" she asked. "I wish I could stay with all of you, but I must return to the Heartland. Is there something you want me to tell my sister?"
"Tell her we said hi!" Pinkie said.
Applejack frowned at Pinkie, and stepped forward. "I don't really know what to tell Princess Celestia, your highness, but we'd be much obliged if you could tell our folks and friends that we're all safe."
Luna nodded, then looked at Twilight. "What about you?"
Twilight was quiet for some time. The pain on her back faded to the corner of her mind as she contended with a more painful matter. "Tell her we're all doing well and…" Her lips quivered. For a moment, it seemed like a bad idea to even say this. Still, she gathered her resolve. "…and I haven't changed my mind despite the difficulties."
Luna nodded, and concentrated on a spell.
"Princess Luna!" Twilight called out. "Thank you for everything! And don't tell her about this whole whipping matter. From what you said, your brother and sister aren't getting along very well. I don't want things between them to get worse."
"Don't worry, I won't," Luna replied. "Stay safe, Twilight Sparkle." Her horn glowed, and arcs of magical energy surrounded her. There was a flash of light, and she was gone from the Barrier Lands.
Luna's destination was a carefully planned one. She had left the Heartland in a huff, and despite Celestia's admonishments. Appearing in the throne room as if nothing had happened wasn't a good idea. Better to appear just outside the Royal Palace's main gates. From there, she would approach slowly, and respectfully. Fortunately, she had some good news to share: Twilight Sparkle and her friends were alive and well. The wolven were pushing hard, negotiations with King Fenrir had failed, and Terrato's once-dead apprentice was leading a rebellion that would end in Celestia's assassination, but Twilight Sparkle was safe at least.
Luna emerged from her transportation spell already exhausted. Breaking through the barrier was a difficult task, and she had just finished healing Twilight and Vanguard Clash. The moon also had to rise just a few hours from now, and she was going to blot out the moon for tonight as well.
"Your highness!"
Luna recognized the surprised voice. "Captain Bright Shield," she said to the first royal guard of the squad heading towards her. "Wait...what are you doing all the way out here?"
Bright Shield bowed once he came closer. "Welcome back to Canterlot, your highness. We have all been worried about you." He glanced at the Royal Palace worriedly. "Strange things have happened since you were last here."
Luna followed his gaze. There was something wrong here. The very feel of the magic in the air had changed. There was a presence here she hadn't felt for more than a thousand years. "Where is my sister?" she asked.
"She is in the throne room, your highness," Bright Shield answered. "Nopony has been allowed in there for some time. Not even the Royal Guard."
"I'm going in," Luna said. She rushed towards the palace.
"Your highness, wait!" Bright Shield called out. "Those things guarding the--"
Luna didn't have to hear the rest. She pushed the doors to the palace aside with magic, and froze.
There wasn't a single pony within the palace halls. Had the palace developed such a fearsome reputation in such a short time that nopony dared to even come near it? Then, she saw the reason for that.
At the end of the first hall was a pair of beings that she hadn't seen for centuries, and hadn't expected to see for centuries more. They appeared as pony-shaped blazes of white flame. Each was about Celestia's size, and encased in burnished golden barding. Gouts of fire emerged from their backs to form wing-like shapes. Two bright red spots of light burned from where their eyes should be.
"Your highness, please be careful!" Bright Shield called out as he galloped towards her. "There are--"
"Equi Ignei," Luna breathed. "Enforcers under Celestia's command. What have you done, big sister?"
"Keep your guards back, Captain Bright Shield," Luna ordered. "I have to speak with my sister."
She ran towards the throne room's direction. As she approached, the fiery ponies moved to block her path. The heat they radiated was intense. They were bigger than her already, and they raised their "wings" to make themselves even more intimidating. Luna hesitated, a bead of sweat dripping from her brow to the floor. The Equi Ignei were creatures outside of this world. Defeating them would require a vast amount of power. Even she would be hard pressed against them. Yet...was she even going to try?
Luna steeled herself and stood tall. The Equi Ignei were extensions of Celestia's will, and Celestia still owed her respect. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked. "Stand aside!"
One of them opened its mouth to answer. The first thing that Luna heard, however, was Bright Shield crying out, and falling to the ground. She glanced back to find him flat on his belly, clutching his ears, and shaking. The Equi Ignei did not seem bothered by the effect they had.
"Very well," she said. "I will see her no matter what. 'Escort' me to her if you wish."
The inner hall's doors opened, and two more of the fiery beings appeared. Luna motioned for Bright Shield to leave before moving on. Two of the Equi Ignei flanked her. Another one led the way while a fourth brought up the rear. To their credit, they maintained a respectable distance, and didn't watch her like hawks. They had also dismissed the heat that they emanated. She was worried that they would attempt to roast her with their formation before she even made it to the throne room. The only hoof-falls resounding within the hall belonged to her. For all their grand appearance, her escorts were perfectly silent.
Four more Equi Ignei guarded throne room. Two stood at the foot of the stairs that led to the throne, and two more flanked Celestia.
"Welcome back, Luna," Celestia said. She spoke softly, and respectfully. The mere lack of warmth still put Luna on the defensive. What had happened while she was away? Perhaps her brother was right about sending her back.
"Explain yourself, big sister," Luna said. She gestured towards the blazing pony-shaped flames all around her. "Why are they here? What could possibly drive you to risk a gate to the Eternal Herd?"
"Precaution," Celestia answered.
Luna stared hard at her sister. All enforcers were forbidden to interfere with the affairs of this world. They could not be sent against the wolven, or any of Equestria's enemies. In this world, the only creatures they could be sent against would be…
"Are you also afraid that I'd allow Nightmare Moon to possess me again?" Luna asked. To her, even that didn't make sense. Even during that time, Celestia had not dared to summon the Equi Ignei. Then again, the Elements of Harmony were still there to be used. 'Elements of Harmony…' she thought.
"Nightmare Moon is gone," Celestia replied.
"Who else will you need them for if not me?" Luna eyes widened at the only option. "Terrato…" she whispered.
The lack of immediate response was more than enough confirmation. "You actually think that big brother will come here, and attack you?" she asked. "That it would reach the point where you will have to send the Equi Ignei against him?
"They are here as a precaution," Celestia said firmly. "Now, will you answer my questions, Luna?"
"Is that an order?" Luna asked. "Am I being interrogated?"
"What have you been doing in the Barrier Lands?" Celestia asked.
"I went there to find out what happened to Twilight Sparkle and her friends," Luna answered. "Something you should have done yourself, big sister!"
A look of concern crossed Celestia's face. She looked tired and worn, something that she had never appeared to be for centuries. Celestia's coat lacked luster, and her mane was disheveled. Her legs trembled, and her eyes were dull and lifeless. Merely opening a gate to the Eternal Herd strained even an alicorn's magic. To actually call things out of it demanded a great deal even from a master summoning conjurations like her sister.
"What did you find out?" Celestia asked. "How are they? Where are they?"
"She's safe," Luna replied. "All of them are." Seeing Celestia overcome with joy and relief took her aback. Another question marred that joy, however.
"Why aren't they with you?" Celestia asked. "Haven't they seen enough?"
"They've seen enough, big sister, enough so that they've decided to help in Equestria's defense. They're with big brother at the moment, and they've joined the Equestrian Legion. Twilight Sparkle wants you to know that they're doing well, and that she hasn't changed her mind."
The relief turned to shock. "They…they've joined the Legion?" Celestia asked.
Luna frowned. "I just said that they wanted to help, big sister, joining the Legion seems the natural result of that."
"The Legion belongs to Terrato," Celestia cried out. "If Twilight has joined it, he will claim that she belongs to him as well! He will think of the Elements of Harmony as weapons he now has at his disposal!"
"The Legion belongs to Equestria!" Luna replied. "As does big brother's loyalty!" She had more than her fill of this rift between her siblings. How could she have let so much time go to waste while that rift grew? One thousand years…even if with the most modest opinion of herself, she could have done something during such a length of time. Instead, she wasted it over a petty grudge that appeared more foalish with each passing moment. One thousand years seemed so long. She had once thought that it was because she had spent it in isolation. As it turned out, her siblings had also spent those years in isolation.
"Is that right?" Celestia asked. Her voice dropped to an unnatural evenness.
"What ideas have you been entertaining, big sister?" Luna asked suspiciously. "Better yet, who have you been listening to?"
A stern look came upon Celestia. "There is a pony here by the name of Sun Gazer. He claims that Terrato plans to take over all of Equestria, and banish me to the moon with the Elements of Harmony that have now fallen into his hooves. He says that Terrato is conspiring with you."
"Bring him out," Luna said, her voice shaking. "I will confront this liar myself!"
"No."
"Why not?" Luna stomped a front hoof. "If he is going accuse two thirds of Equestria's royalty, he had better be able to do it face to face!"
"If I bring him out, you might strike him down to silence him."
Luna stared at the alicorn sitting on the throne. Was she even talking to Celestia? "You think that I will outright murder a pony before your eyes?"
Celestia sighed, and shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore, Luna. So many things have turned out differently from what I had expected. It seems only yesterday that I believed Twilight would believe in what I had to do, that the Legion would always stand strong, and you will always stay by my side. I can't rely on beliefs anymore."
"Twilight Sparkle still believes in you," Luna said quietly. Her sister may as well have said yes. Her voice rose with each assertion. "The Legion still stands strong. And I am still by your side!"
Celestia did not seem to hear any of those words. "I will look into these matters myself."
Luna gasped. "You would give weight to these lies against big brother?"
"Yes."
Something snapped within Luna, something that had wound up each time Terrato said "dearest sister", and each time Celestia had that worried look on her face whenever he was mentioned. "He is our brother!"
"He used to be our brother!"
Celestia's voice cracked like a thunder strike. It wasn't intimidation that took away Luna's words. She stared at her sister, her silence demanding an explanation.
Celestia looked away. "Terrato knew of the dangers when he volunteered to lead Equestria's defenders. He knew that war would change him, as it always changes alicorns, which was why he insisted that he lead the Legion alone while we governed. He has been out there for so long, Luna! An ocean of blood has soaked him, and the corpses of millions weigh down on his shoulders. You would know of what he has become. When Nightmare Moon possessed you, his first reaction was to kill you. Even when the Elements of Harmony freed you, he still insists that you were better off dead! How am I supposed to see his actions of late? Insisting that the barrier be breached…turning Twilight into a legionnaire…"
"I had a feeling that you were hiding this," Luna said. "I just had to hear it for myself. A thousand years has been too long, big sister, for all three of us."
"It has," Celestia said. The two of them were silent. It was the first thing they had agreed on all day. "I will see to this matter, Luna. In the meantime, please stay here in the palace."
Luna glanced at the Equi Ignei. "You're confining me," she said. "Again."
Three days had passed since the meeting between Fenrir and Terrato. With no quick victory in sight, the wolven settled down to a proper siege: bolter squads moved into strategic positions, ready to shoot down any pegasus attempting to fly in or out of the city. catapults fired upon the walls, miners dug tunnels to collapse them from beneath. Earlier, they had discovered tunnels already made, and tried to use those.
In response, the defenders of Bastion City dug in, and fought back. Unicorn magi guarded the walls in shifts to weaken catapult attacks. When wolven miners began to move in, the Legion counter-mined. They discovered the ready-made tunnels, and sent ponies to collapse them on top of the wolven.
The resulting clash of tactics brought a temporary stalemate that greatly displeased the King of Wolvengard.
At the heart of his army, Fenrir pawed the snow-covered ground, gouging deep lines into the soil. As far as he was concerned, "stalemate" meant that Terrato was winning. To make things worse, fair Luna's scent had moved far, far away. He did not put it beyond Terrato to have Luna nearby to tantalize him, then send her away as an insult. He had to strike a blow. It did not need to be the spectacular shattering of the city's walls, but it had to be a blow against cursed Terrato's Legion, to remind all of them, wolven and thunder-foot alike, that he had the upper paw.
A savage frontal assault, where proud wolven warriors could test themselves in the whirlwind crucible of carnage, would be the perfect way to take this city, but subtlety had its time and place. The defenses were still too strong. While he could overwhelm this city if he threw his entire army at it, he decided against the idea. This was a prolonged campaign, a march for cursed Celestia's capital, and the greatest prize of all. "Moon-Shadow!" he growled. The other wolven, even the mighty brachyurii that surrounded him, quailed at his voice.
At his command, his trusted ally appeared. Moon-Shadow's most recent mission had been a success, and Fenrir counted on that trend to continue. She appeared as a white, horned thunder-foot ablaze in black flame. Moon-Shadow always did have a preference for taking on the guise of their enemies, and this time was no different.
"I am here, Fenrir," Moon-Shadow replied. She addressed him as an equal rather than a servant, a privilege given to no one else.
"Does cursed Terrato know that you've returned?" Fenrir asked.
Moon-Shadow shook her head. "I've hidden my presence well."
"Good." Fenrir rumbled deep in his throat. "I want you to hurt his Legion. Sneak into their city, and hurt them. Remind the thunder-foots that they are not safe. Leave before Terrato catches your scent."
"I will."
As Moon-Shadow left Fenrir's presence, the other wolven backed away from her warily. They could still smell the scent of thunder-foot around her, but it was an odor tainted by something so unnatural that none of them dared to even stand close.
'You think that you can just dance your way into Bastion City?' Pyre Valor asked. She had allowed Nightmare Moon more control while they remained among the wolven. She didn't know how her hated enemies behaved, and she didn't want to do something stupid such as provoke their king.
"Of course not," Nightmare Moon replied. "But you can. You lived there before becoming a legionnaire, didn't you? You know a great deal about your city's mighty defenses."
'You've been peering into my memories.'
"No, but thank you for confirming what I thought."
They were a good distance from the sentries when Nightmare Moon spoke again.
"Angry again? You have the temper of a newborn volcano, Pyre Valor. I wonder how you managed to not incinerate your 'friends' for such a long time."
"You know nothing of friendship," Pyre growled. Out here in the open plain, Nightmare Moon allowed her to control. The mere term was not something she quite grasped even now. Being possessed was more than just carrying a passenger. Nightmare Moon didn't sit inside a room within her, fiddling away with metaphysical controls, and moving her body about like a puppet. They were…fused together, two wills sharing a single body. Even establishing, and maintaining control was a complicated affair. They didn't take turns. Pyre Valor felt as if she had complete control over her body at all times. Things became tricky when she decided to exercise that control. If Nightmare Moon had other plans for a hoof she wanted to move, she would experience some resistance. She guessed that it must be the same for Nightmare Moon. Moving at all required a degree of harmony. If they couldn't agree on what to do, then their body would be stuck. An unspoken system had developed over time. Nightmare Moon seemed content to allow Pyre to move most of the time, making suggestions on occasion. So long as Pyre behaved in a manner that aided the wolven, this would be the case. The sharing wasn't complete, however. Nightmare Moon heard her thoughts, and could use her magic, but the opposite wasn't true. Clearly, equality wasn't part of their bargain.
Pyre pushed out those thoughts for now. Fenrir had given them orders, and she was willing to do as he asked. She didn't have to do it alone either. Far away from the city and the wolven camp was a small tent. When the wolven made their way to Bastion City, Pyre had asked Blademane to run ahead and make camp away from the wolven army. He had complied without a single protest, as he had done since she decided to do this.
Blademane was tending a small fire in front of his tent. As soon as he spotted her, he stood at attention. Pyre felt a twinge in her chest whenever she saw that. Blademane continued to act that she was his captain even though it was clear that they were caught in circumstances where that title meant nothing. She had asked him already why he stayed. All he answered was "I am on your side."
"I'm going to infiltrate Bastion City through an old entrance I know," Pyre said. "From there, I'm going to launch a quick raid to shake them up a bit."
"Do you need assistance?" Blademane asked.
Pyre nodded. "It's a small passage where Vanguard and I played in as foals. It's well hidden, so it should still be there. I can't bring a large group, so you'll do as backup."
"Understood," Blademane said with a salute. "When do we leave?"
"Nightfall."
The past three days had been relatively easy for Twilight. She was starting to get the hang of boulder catching, and she didn't get into any new trouble. The Legion also gave her access to its surviving spell books, a chance she happily jumped at. Finally, she was going to read actual spell books from the Barrier Lands. The first one should be an eye-opener to the Barrier Lands approach to magic.
And it was.
There were no mustache-growing spells here. The variety of ways the unicorns of the Barrier Lands had developed to hurt and kill was outright frightening. Fireball, with all its heat and intensity, was just the beginning. Just by flipping through pages, she found a spell that sucked all the water out of its victim, a spell that boiled the blood within its victim's veins, and a spell that filled its victim's lungs with poisonous gas. Was it really necessary to be so creative in order to kill an enemy?
However, Mage Captain Owlsight had her put away the advanced combat spells. "You have a reliable offensive spell, Recruit Sparkle, I suggest you pick up some defenses first. 'Shield' is a good starting point." he had said.
It was good advice. She knew a shield spell already, but having some options would be good. She started on some basic defensive spells, and worked on them whenever she had some free time. At the end of another day of routine, she made her way back for more studying.
"Hey, Sparkle!"
Some of the recruits in Twilight's group were waving at her. "We're off to get drinks over at Storm Brew's new place!" one of them called out. "Want to come along?"
Twilight smiled, and shook her head. "I'll pass!" she replied. "I've got some more studying to do!"
The recruit grinned. "Bookworm!" They talked among themselves and moved on. Twilight rounded the corner of one street with a little hurry in her step. It was close to evening and she didn't want to waste any time before getting to sleep.
She was still a few more corners from her new home when she stopped. By the next corner stood Vanguard Clash and Scarlet Rabbit. "Vanguard!" she called out. The two saw her, and waved. "Are the two of you still on duty?"
"No," Scarlet said. "But the Captain here had a hunch, and wanted to check something out!"
Twilight looked to Vanguard. "There are ways into this city besides the main gates," Vanguard said. "I remember an old passageway by the western walls. I want to check it out in case it might turn into a problem later."
"Wanna join us?" Scarlet asked. Though it was Twilight he asked, he had flitted over to hover next to her, and looked to Vanguard.
"Scarlet, this isn't some outing," Vanguard said sternly.
Scarlet's shoulder's drooped. "Why not? We brought Applejack with us the last time!"
"That has nothing to do with this," Vanguard turned towards Twilight. "You should be resting. Your back hasn't fully recovered."
"You're the one with forty lashes still on you," Twilight replied. "Besides, I don't mind coming along."
"Great!" Scarlet crowed. "The more the merrier!"
"There is nothing merry about this," Vanguard said. "We're just going to check if that passage is still there. I'm not even sure if I'm remembering it right."
It was already dark by the time they made it to the western portion of the walls. Underneath the shadow of the larger buildings was a veritable maze of smaller, wooden, ramshackle houses bunched together in rows. Many looked abandoned, but there were still plenty with lights in them. Twilight stuck closely to Vanguard while he navigated the side-streets with ease. If she got separated from him now, she'd probably wander this maze for days. "So how do you know about this passage?" she asked.
"I used to play a lot around these parts when I was a colt," Vanguard said. "Pyre and I found that passage, and used it to sneak out of the city at times."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to sneak out of the city?"
"Survival camping when we were younger, dueling tournaments when we were a bit older." Vanguard snorted. "We were so convinced we were ready for the Legion back then."
"Dueling is illegal within city limits," Scarlet added with a grin.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Duels...as in you fought other ponies?"
"I thought it was a good way to test ourselves before we joined the Legion," Vanguard replied. "Pyre wanted to throw herself at every aspiring unicorn as soon as she learned her first combat spell."
"Did you ever get caught?" Twilight asked.
"The other participants had their routes discovered. Ours never was. Maybe somepony had already found it and closed it up. Or we could have a potential entry point to the city."
Twilight looked over the many ramshackle houses."There's a lot of--" Vanguard raised a hoof, interrupting her. They were in front of a deserted alleyway. It seemed that this place was used to store old construction equipment. Bits of wood were scattered about along with old pieces of scaffolding, and sacks of broken stones. These weren't why Vanguard and Scarlet had stopped, however.
At the end of the alley stood two ponies. One of them was a white unicorn with a long, wild, black mane. The other was a large, brown earth pony.
"Pyre," Vanguard growled. His hoof went to his two-bladed sword.
Twilight steeled herself for a fight. Pyre looked shocked at the mere sight of Vanguard, but the shock was replaced by an angry glare when Pyre's eyes focused on her. Blademane stepped forward protectively.
"Go for backup, Scarlet," Vanguard said before he clamped down on the hilt of his weapon.
Scarlet hesitated for a second before nodding, and flying off.
Blademane and Vanguard charged at the same time, and crashed into each other with a loud, metallic bang. Blademane had slammed his head against Vanguard's, and kept it in place to prevent the two-bladed sword from slicing him up. Pyre's horn flashed dark red before she disappeared. Twilight saw the same flash on top of a nearby building.
"Twilight, don't let her run around loose!" Vanguard shouted. "Be careful!"
Twilight nodded, and cast her own teleportation spell. She reappeared on top of the same building as Pyre.
When Twilight left, Vanguard pushed Blademane away, and swiped. His blade cut between the plates of Blademane's barding, leaving a deep gash just between the right shoulder and foreleg.
Blademane jumped back, and hesitated. The narrow space would make it difficult for Vanguard to swing his massive weapon about, but Vanguard had fought in similar situations before. His best bet was to keep at the center of the two blades, and beat down Vanguard with his tramplers. The narrow alley should keep Vanguard's swings to short ones.
They charged at each other again. Blademane encountered another problem as he butted heads with Vanguard. Nightsteel fullplate was much stronger than regular barding. His champron dented on impact, and stars burst in his vision. He ignored the pain, and reared up to strike with his front tramplers.
Vanguard mimicked the move, locking them in a shoving match with their forelegs against each other's. The blades stuck out just above their forelegs. Blademane was bigger than Vanguard, but, no matter how hard he pushed, Vanguard refused to budge. As Blademane continued to push, Vanguard suddenly fell backwards.
The lack of resistance sent Blademane falling forward. Beneath him, Vanguard put both hind legs against his belly, and kicked, knocking him into the air. Vanguard then turned his head to one side so that Blademane's unprotected belly would land on the weapon's edge.
Blademane twisted in mid-air to avoid being gutted. He collapsed clumsily on his back, just a foot from Vanguard, who had already rolled to his hooves. He rolled in time as the two-bladed sword thrust into the ground just where his exposed belly was. Panting, he got to his hooves. Blood continued to pour from his injured foreleg.
"You said that the only pony who knew of that passage was dead."
'That was him. We came upon the same idea at the same time.'
"We're going to have a discussion on how you see the word "dead"."
Pyre looked around. She didn't have much time to cause some damage. A few fire spells at a food storage building should give the Legion a wake-up call. Blowing the main gates up required a lot of empowerment from Nightmare Moon. With Prince Terrato so close, Nightmare Moon didn't want to risk it. And that was with the unprepared gates of Fangbreaker. Bastion City's gates were now heavily guarded, and magically reinforced. The Legion learned quickly from past mistakes, and Fangbreaker's fall was a very stark lesson indeed.
"Stop!"
Pyre's temper flared at the sight of the legion mage-coat on the miserable mare that followed her. She wasn't the only one to recognize this Night Sparkle, however.
"This wretched unicorn will be the first to--"
'Stand down.'
"What? You do not command me, Pyre Valor!"
'I said stand down!'
Surprisingly, Nightmare Moon's presence did recede. Whether because of her fierce resistance or Nightmare Moon had some other agenda, her body was now under control. She took a step towards the nag in the mage-coat, her horn already glowing. She had a score to settle. "Take off that mage-coat!" she snarled. "I've never seen a bigger insult to the Legion! You're going to pay for this, Night Sparkle!"
"This coat is standard issue to every unicorn legionnaire," Night Sparkle replied, her horn glowing as well. "That includes me. By the way, it's Twilight Sparkle."
Pyre's snarl turned into a low, dangerous growl. "Take it off, or I will melt it until every inch fuses to your disgusting purple hide."
"You threatened a scared unicorn who stumbled into this land without knowing anything, Pyre Valor," Twilight replied. "I am not that same unicorn."
The two of them faced off on a wide, flat rooftop, a couple of stories from the ground. A thin layer of snow covered the place, making it a bit slippery.
"Is that so?" A sphere of white-hot flames flew from Pyre's horn.
Twilight answered with a fireball of her own. The two spheres collided between them, and exploded, bathing the rooftop in searing heat. Twilight stepped back, and raised a portion of her mage-coat to protect her.
Pyre Valor concentrated on another spell. "You think you've seen fire?" she shouted. "You haven't seen anything!" Before the last explosion dissipated, she unleashed a barrage of meteors, each the size of a pony, and covered with glowing cracks. She wasn't done yet. As a precaution, she cast another spell, and hurled it behind her.
Half the roof top erupted in flames, scattering bits of stone and wood on the streets below. One of the boulders had missed its mark, and struck the building on the other side of the alley where Vanguard was. Smoke and flames began to spread from that building. When the explosion settled, Twilight had disappeared. Pyre already knew where to find her. She wasn't worried. The foal nag had yet to notice the trap.
On the ground, likely just beneath Twilight, would be a small, pulsing red gem: a delayed blast fireball. A couple more seconds passed before it erupted, all but destroying the other side of the roof, and leaving only the middle section intact. To Pyre's annoyance, Twilight reappeared by one side, her body smoking from several burns. Her teleportation had saved her life, but not without some of the flames actually reaching her.
Pyre quickly rushed Twilight, and knocked her down with a front hoof to the face. Twilight was still casting a spell even as Pyre closed in. Out of desperation, her foe engulfed her in a telekinetic grip.
Pyre's horn flashed, breaking the telekinesis. She slammed another hoof onto her prone opponent's face, rubbing it against the rooftop. "That was pathetic!" she snarled. She pounded Twilight's face repeatedly. Instead of satisfying, each blow only made her angrier. "Weakling! Chosen filth! They may as well let rats into the Legion!"
Pyre grabbed a hank of Twilight's mane with her teeth, and hurled the worthless nag to her opposite side. "Faced with an overwhelming attack, you so predictably teleported towards the opposite direction it was heading towards. Did you think I wouldn't expect that? And using telekinesis? The first spell any unicorn thinks of a counter spell to when facing another unicorn? Imbecile!"
Twilight covered her face with her forelegs as another assault of hooves rained down on her. Her horn flashed briefly, and her body was covered with an almost invisible screen of protective magic. Nevertheless, Pyre trampled her relentlessly, uncaring of what was happening to Vanguard and Blademane. "Armor" was a weak, basic spell. Yet more proof of how pathetic this nag was. "You stand against me as if you had a chance!" she snarled. "I've fought unicorns worth ten of you! When was the last time you looked at a unicorn, and thought to yourself 'How can I beat her?' Miserable--"
Pyre Valor's left foreleg refused to move.
"That's enough!" Nightmare Moon hissed. "We've wasted too much time on this pony! Kill her, and let's go! We can't harm the Legion much as it is, and Terrato will be upon us soon!"
Pyre tried to lift her other hoof, only to encounter the same resistance.
"Enough trampling! She's helpless! Burn her to a crisp!"
Pyre's horn flared with dark red light. Before she could fire, she caught the distant sound of wing beats. On impulse, she jumped to one side. A crossbow bolt clinked against the stone next to her.
"Hold still while I skewer you, Pyre!" Scarlet Rabbit shouted. Behind him, several pegasi aimed their crossbows. Before they could fire, however, their target burst into black flames. A thick bank of black smoke quickly filled the burning remains of the rooftop. The pegasi fired their weapons at the smoke only to hit nothing. The smoke shifted towards the alley near the building, moving as if it were a living creature.
In the alley, the winner of the fight was becoming clearer and clearer. Blademane sported several cuts to his chest and forelegs. His barding was dented in several places, and he was panting heavily. Vanguard bled from one nostril, and had a several bruises just beneath the barding of his forelegs.
Vanguard was about to charge again when smoke filled the alley. Gagging, he stumbled out of the cloud. As quickly as it had appeared, the smoke flowed into the passageway, and disappeared. Blademane was gone as well. Above him, Scarlet hovered near the building Twilight teleported to. "Scarlet!" he called out. "How's Twilight?"
"Pyre beat the crap out of her pretty badly!" Scarlet replied. "But she'll be fine! Just some burns and bruises!"
Vanguard shook his head. That can't bode well. He was thankful that he had intercepted Pyre Valor and Blademane before they could cause anything beyond a minor fire and some injuries. Now, he was torn with feeling stupid that he had gotten Twilight hurt...again, and feeling relieved that Twilight was there to delay Pyre until reinforcements came along. He sighed, and stepped out of the alley.
The following morning, Vanguard found Twilight by her desk with several open spell books. Her burns proved to be minor, but she was still bound in bandages. Her face was also badly swollen. Though it looked as if she had a hard time looking through her right eye, she continued to read. The look of determination on her face made him loathe to bother her. Around them, the rest of their friends were still asleep. The sun had yet to rise after all. "Have you slept an hour at least?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she replied.
Vanguard snorted. "Those spells are useless if you're too tired to cast them."
Twilight paused, and looked at Vanguard. "Then tell me what else I can do," she said, her eyes fierce. "You know her best. Tell me. How do I beat Pyre Valor?"
"Learning more spells is just part of the solution," Vanguard said. "You're a very book-smart pony. You need to translate that to fighting knowledge. Sharpen your reflexes, and learn all the little tricks that will help you win."
Twilight leaned closer, much to Vanguard's discomfort. "How do I do that?"
"The quickest way is to pit yourself against other unicorns. Throw yourself into combat often enough, and you'll get better."
Vanguard expected hesitation from Twilight, maybe even some revulsion. He didn't expect grim determination. This could be bad. Pyre lit more fires than just the ones he helped put out yesterday. "A word of caution, Twilight," he added.
"What is it?"
"If you walk Pyre's path, you'll end up where Pyre is."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Take it to heart. Keeping things in mind is why your face is a swollen mess."
Twilight didn't answer. She looked back to her spell books, and buried herself in her studies.
Terrato had seen a lot in the time he had spent in this world. He had seen the monsters that lurked Equestria and beyond. He had seen incredible acts of might and magic, and he had seen the best and the worst that ponies were capable of. He was young by alicorn standards, but he had gotten familiar enough with this world to be comfortable in it.
How odd it was that it was a sight from the world he had come from that left him disconcerted. It was still early morning when he received word that a brief fire had broken out by the western side of the city. As soon as the messengers left, two Equi Ignei materialized before him. Defensive spells flickered in his mind as he dropped to a fighting stance. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He did not merely mean his realm, but the very world he was in.
One of them answered in its own tongue, and Terrato was glad that these two had waited until he was alone. He didn't want to lose legionnaires to either deafness, or insanity. They were here as messengers and escorts: Celestia was calling for him.
"How many of you did she call up?" he asked. "For what purpose would she need her enforcers?" The two didn't speak right away. "Answer me!"
One of them did answer. It was respectful, but far from cowed. Celestia's enforcers were beholden to no pony besides her.
Precaution…Terrato sneered at the idea. Precaution against what? He was Celestia's defender. What threat could possibly make her think that she needed something besides--
He stared at the Equi Ignei. His sister wanted to meet with him alone, in her realm, while surrounded by her enforcers. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that she was trying to assassinate him. He knew what the summons was for. She wanted to test his loyalty, to question him while he was stripped of his protections, and outside his realm. "It's me…" he whispered. "I'm the threat she's summoned them for."
The Equi Ignei waited silently, uncaring towards the increasing anger of the pony they faced. "No," Terrato said. "Tell her I'm busy. In case she's forgotten, remind her that I'm in the middle of defending her realm."
The magic around the area distorted when the Equi Ignei spoke again. Celestia wanted Twilight Sparkle and her friends back in the Heartland. 'So another plan turns around and bites your flank,' Terrato thought. It was unlikely that any of the banished chosen would submit to a memory lock. That would leave Celestia two options: she could imprison them somewhere, or she was willing to spread the word about the barrier.
Terrato scoffed at the latter. If Celestia had been willing to do that, they wouldn't be in this mess. He also couldn't imagine Celestia locking up her chosen either. Not that summoning her enforcers was high in his list of things she was likely to do. Why would she be so desperate to get them back anyway? Did she miss Twilight Sparkle that horribly? An unbearable onset of guilt? No...the Elements of Harmony. He had sensed the power within them when he met them face to face. Celestia was trying to get the Elements of Harmony away from him in some deluded attempt to prevent his imaginary attack. Did a thousand years of devoted protection mean nothing at all?
Terrato maintained an outward calm when he replied. "Twilight Sparkle is neither her property, nor mine. I'd ask you to talk to her yourselves to get her answer, but I'm not willing to risk blowing her brains up, so I'll clue you in. Luna tried to get them to a safe place, they refused. I asked them to stay in my fortress, they refused. Regardless of how they got here, they're staying on their own volition. I'm not going to insult them by asking a third time."
The Equi Ignei's formality belied a persistence when they spoke again.
"I don't care if you won't take no for an answer!" Terrato roared. The entire building shook, and bits of dust fell to the floor. "You glorified cinders can't touch them anyway. If you have a problem with how I run things in my realm, I'll be happy to face you in battle right here and now." His voice lowered to a growl. "Go back to your summoner before I actually lose my temper!"
The Equi Ignei lingered for a few moments more before simply fading out like dying bonfires.
"Hold," Terrato said. The flickering flames remained. In between leaving and staying, they looked like a small collection of guttering candle flames. He softened his tone. "If my words mean anything at all to her, tell Celestia that I have been, and always will be, devoted to her."
The flames completely faded out. Terrato rubbed his temples with his hooves. Who was he kidding? Of course his words meant nothing to her. If they did, she'd be talking to him through a magical image instead of sending messages through summoned beings. He wished he could have gone with them. He didn't care if he had to face Celestia alone while surrounded by her enforcers. He would have risked it just to actually stand in her physical presence.
But he couldn't go. Not after last night's incident. That crafty, flea-bitten mongrel, Fenrir, had been hiding some trick up his sleeve. Bastion City was raided by a familiar presence. Nightmare Moon was around, and Fenrir managed to keep her presence hidden. He couldn't risk abandoning Bastion City.
Fenrir possessed some modicum of honor, but he was not above manipulating the pact. Nightmare Moon was not involved in their agreement, giving her free rein to attack the Legion using her new unicorn host. It was fortunate that the Elements of Harmony had come to the Barrier Lands. He would have to rely on them.
Celestia wasn't going to approve of using Twilight Sparkle and her friends like weapons, but he had done a lot of things recently that she didn't approve of.
"But the truth is, she's never forgiven you for going out to fight yourself."
Terrato let out a sigh. Luna was right: he was deluding himself. He had been out of Celestia's favor the first day he led the Legion into battle, and he had been fighting the impossible battle of trying to get back into her good graces ever since. He struck the floor with a hoof, giving the walls of the Grand Meeting Hall a good shaking. Curse these Equi Ignei. In addition to showing him how much Celestia distrusted him, they reminded him of the Herd.
He closed his eyes, and tried to look back past centuries of fighting and killing: to remember galloping through the endless rolling plains of Elys, where the golden grass tasted sweeter than any mortal food, flying through the marble, cloud-covered mountains of Bytos, where springs of crystalline water flowed forth. And Empyrea...the Eternal City. Empyrea, the house of the Throne, where their parents ruled.
Most of all, he tried to remember Celestia standing right next to him and smiling, unconcerned for things like mortals and ideals, her bright pink mane flowing out behind her like sea foam, gently caressing her lustrous white coat.
"Perhaps it is time to go home," Terrato muttered. Their stay here was tearing them apart. No, it had already torn them apart. The damage may well be permanent. He dreaded the prospect of standing before the King and Queen, explaining how it all came about.
Rainbow Dash zigzagged swiftly through the row of poles. As she did so, she aimed with her crossbow, fired at the targets lined up at the sides of the training ground, then reloaded without slowing down. By the time she reached the end of the training ground, five wolven cut outs had been shot at. She wiped the sweat off her brow, and looked back at her hoof-work: two out of five targets had been struck, two of her shots were close, and one was wide. Far from a perfect, but it was certainly an improvement. Ever since the initial attack, she hadn't flown into battle at all. She didn't like how she had performed that last time: panicking, spacing out, getting grazed…first time or not, it was embarrassing. The lack of opportunities to put that dismal performance behind made her giddy. She focused all her pent up aggression on training, and it showed in the mess of practice bolts scattered across her section of the training grounds.
A distant boom came from somewhere in the city. It sounded like the rumble of thunder. She was about to investigate when she heard her flight captain.
"Two out of five, Rainbow Dash?" Tailwind called out from the ground. "Those three you missed just shot you dead!"
Rainbow saluted, then landed in front of Tailwind. "Did you hear that loud noise, Flight Captain?" she asked. "It sounded like an explosion."
"Sounds more like our prince being a bit upset," Tailwind replied. "Never mind that. Come along, we've got work to do."
Rainbow followed as Tailwind walked towards the center of the training grounds. "Flight Dreadwing, fall in!" Tailwind shouted. After a brief scramble, every pegasus in area lined up. "Last night, the wolven tried to launch a raid on our city. Thanks to that stupid son of mine, and Twilight Sparkle, they didn't get much done. We''re going to pay them back with a raid of our own along with Flight Storm Dawn. I want everypony to be ready. We'll be hitting one of their exposed supplies by sundown. Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the flight answered in unison.
Rainbow went back to training once they were dismissed. Twilight had done it again. For all her squeamishness about what they had to do, she had been the one making a name for herself. How many wolven did Twilight incinerate this time? And that was assuming she was still using the same spell. Knowing her, she probably had ten more combat spells down. It seemed impossible to catch up, let alone to overtake.
'Well, here's my chance to shine!' Rainbow thought.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Scarlet Rabbit called out. It took less than a second for him to go from distant to hovering nearby.
Rainbow snorted, and put away her crossbow. "Are you following me?"
The question, along with the attached annoyance, bounced off Scarlet Rabbit as if she had been throwing pieces of crumpled paper at him. He reminded her a bit of Pinkie Pie, if Pinkie was a hardened killer of a soldier. "It's going to be your first raid tonight!" he said. "Excited?"
"Well…" Rainbow hesitated. She imagined her friends facing her. Applejack and Twilight Sparkle were looking away. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, looked on in concern. They didn't say a word. They didn't have to. Their silence reeked of disapproval, disgust, and fear. How dare they judge her! It wasn't her fault that she couldn't feel the same guilt as they did during the last fight! They were the ones who were wrong. They were ponies of the Barrier Lands now. Time to stop crying over the Heartland. "Yeah," she said. "I am excited."
Scarlet looked a little confused at first, then matched her enthusiasm with a grin. "Great," he said. "We're going to have a blast. Literally! I might even show you some of my tricks."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, why are you coming? You're not Flight Dreadwing or Storm Dawn."
"Didn't Tailwind tell you?" Scarlet asked. "I'm coming along to help out with raids. Besides, I used to be Flight Dreadwing."
"That doesn't count!"
"Oh yeah? I may be in Special Operations now, but I'm more Flight Dreadwing than you!" Scarlet pulled out some small metallic object from his harness, and showed it proudly. It was gold, and shaped into a stylized wing with a pony skull embossed at its base: Flight Dreadwing's symbol. "You're not really a member of the flight until you get one of these!" he said.
Rainbow's eyes widened. She could just imagine the insignia on her harness. "How do I get one then?" She didn't even bother disguising the desire in her tone.
Scarlet tilted his chin up. "Tailwind gives them to anypony in the flight who fulfills one of her three tasks."
"What are those?" Rainbow suddenly wished she had a piece of paper and a quill with her.
"A thirty wolven kill count. Don't ask how she knows, she just does. There's also having a fifteen wolven kill count in a single mission. Or you could do what I did."
"What's that?"
Scarlet's lips split into a grin. "Take down a brachyurus."
Rainbow Dash swallowed. "Brachyurus? As in those really big white ones that hang around their rear lines?"
"Yup. They're not just big. They can jump really high, and catch you when you think you're flying out of reach. They're tough enough to take an entire case of bolts without slowing down, and they can rip you apart as if you were made of paper, if they don't just swallow you in one gulp!"
"How did you kill one then?" Rainbow's eyes narrowed, as ideas went through her mind as to how to kill something so big and strong.
"By being really awesome," Scarlet opened his front hooves wide as if presenting himself to an admiring audience. "I timed my shot just as it was about to bite me, and put a bolt right down its gullet."
Rainbow studied Scarlet carefully. Brachyurii were the strongest of the wolven. They didn't even belong to the list that pegasi worked down on when picking targets. They were just too big, and too strong. Taking one down required coordinated efforts from different ponies. Scarlet was always so cheery that it was impossible to tell if he was lying. He talked about killing thirty wolven as if he was talking about collecting stamps. He was certainly the opposite of Twilight and the others, who blanched at the thought of killing even one wolven. "Say Scarlet…" she said.
"Hmm?"
Rainbow looked away. "Do you ever feel bad about killing wolven?"
"Of course not!" Scarlet scoffed. "Nothing gets me more pumped than flying into a furious fight, putting bolts through wolven skulls, dropping a few to their deaths, then reporting how awesome I was to the Captain!" He flew about in place, barely able to contain his own excitement.
Rainbow hovered backwards. She expected that from Scarlet somehow. What she didn't expect was being…reassured by the response. "But they're still living creatures, right?" she asked.
"Of course they are. You can't kill something that isn't alive." He paused, and stared at Rainbow, his eyes narrowing. "You have to stop getting little details like feeling sorry for wolven get you down, Rainbow. They'll only slow you down. The slow don't last long in the Barrier Lands' skies."
"I am not slow!" Rainbow snapped. "I'll show you! Thirty wolven, fifty wolven…even a brachyurus! I'll kill them and get that insignia. And it'll look more awesome on me than you."
Scarlet's grin widened. "Sounds like a plan, but you should lighten up. Take some joy out of these things." He put on a mock sagely face. "You're going to be doing this for a long time. If you can't take joy in doing in it, you'll go crazy. Being a legionnaire's only a drag if you let it!"
Rainbow returned the grin, and glanced at her crossbow. "I think I will," she said. Perhaps she had misjudged Scarlet. At first, he did seem a little crazy for being so cheery despite all the carnage around him. Now that she thought about it, perhaps he made a lot more sense than her friends. He'd been living his entire life fighting the wolven. He was the fastest flyer of the Northern Equestrian Legion…for now. He was obviously doing successfully in the Legion. His feelings on the matter were closer to hers than her friends' were. He must be right. He had to be right. It was Twilight and the others who had to understand.
"Tell you what," Scarlet said. "If you can kill even five wolven on tonight's raid, I'll treat you to a drink over at Storm Brew's. The only thing as exciting as a bloody fight is a round of celebratory drinks over at Storm Brew's!"
"Deal," Rainbow replied. "You'd better get your bits ready!"
The two of them continued chatting while Rainbow resumed her training drills. More than ever, she was determined to sharpen her skills, and catch up to Scarlet. No, not just catch up. She was going to overtake him. She was going to be a faster, more awesome, and a better legionnaire than he was. She flapped her wings quickly, relishing the sudden lightness. If she threw away even trying to feel guilty over killing, she just might be able to do it. Maybe that was the secret to Scarlet's speed.
Infantry Captain Iron Jaw's sharp reprimand caught Applejack like a whip lash. She nearly jumped, and turned towards him, only to remember that Twocolt was trying to leave some hoof-prints on her face. She jumped away from couple of hoof strikes, one of them narrowly missing her nose.
"What's the matter?" Twocolt asked. "That's the third time you've been distracted." He swung his forelegs again. "If you won't take this seriously, I'm really going to break your face!"
"Sorry," Applejack said. "I'm serious this time!"
The two of them clashed heads, then tried to push the other back. Twocolt was slightly bigger than Applejack, but she didn't give a single inch. The sounds of fighting filled the air around them. When they fell in that morning, Iron Jaw had split them into pairs, and ordered them to spar. He stood at the center, calling out glaring mistakes, and giving tips. Several older members were also roaming about, making sure that nopony got seriously injured, as well as making corrections.
"Alright, that's enough!" Iron Jaw barked. "Fall in!" The noon sun was already shining when he gave the order. "Get to the mess hall, and quiet those guts! The rest of the afternoon will be for marching drills!"
Applejack groaned inwardly as the platoon made its way to mess hall. She didn't like marching drills. She didn't even understand why it was so important to know so many formations, and how to stay in them.
Lunch wasn't much to look ahead to either: a bowl of plains grass, and a clump D Grade Winter Moss. Applejack munched away stoically, trying to remember when the last time she had an apple, or any fruit for that matter. When she set her glass down, she bumped against a small cupcake next to her bowl. She looked around to see if the others had one. They didn't. She gave the piece of pastry a tentative sniff, and took a bite. It was quite sweet and still a little warm. The small bits of apple in it almost brought tears to her eyes. The cupcake felt like an apology for the rather bland meal, an apology that she was more than willing to accept. She looked around again. Why was she the only one who had it? She found her answer by the far end of the mess hall. Pinkie Pie peered from the kitchen's entrance, and waved excitedly. With a smile, Applejack waved back.
"Guess it pays to have friends over at Kitchen Division," Twocolt said.
Applejack put her hoof down, and looked around. Fortunately, only Twocolt seemed to have noticed. "You can have a bite if you like," she said. She offered the half-eaten cupcake to him.
"No, thanks." Twocolt shook his head, and waved a hoof dismissively. "It's already too small for you."
With a shrug, Applejack finished the cupcake off, and washed it down with water.
"So what's wrong?" Twocolt asked. "You've been out of it all morning."
Applejack nearly choked on the water. "Huh?"
"And there it is again."
Applejack wiped off some of the water and crumbs from her muzzle. "Sorry," she said. "I was just thinking."
"Thanks for telling me that much." Twocolt snorted. "Mind telling me more? Maybe if you get it off your chest, Iron Jaw will stop calling you out."
Applejack hesitated. Twocolt had been a good friend to her ever since she joined Infantry. Surely, there was no harm in telling him? Besides, he was probably right. She needed to talk to somepony. The problem was that she didn't know just how to talk about it. She remembered this morning's incident.
Applejack had awoken to find Twilight reading one of her books by the desk. Normally, this wouldn't be anything special. Finding Twilight with her face buried in a book was about as strange as looking up, and finding the sky. Finding Twilight reading a book while bound in fresh bandages, and her face swollen and bruised, on the other hoof, was another story. It didn't stop there. There was no disturbing Twilight: not good mornings, not questions about what happened, nothing. She looked so focused that Applejack was afraid of going over to nudge her.
Then, there was Rainbow. Something had come over her ever since her earlier outburst. The change wasn't spectacular, or even physical. Rainbow just seemed more distant, and more eager to get back to training. Their exchange that morning made it clear that something was wrong.
"Hey, RD, got a minute?"
"Not really. I have to go, Applejack. The flight captain's gonna kick my flank if I'm late!"
"Let's talk about what happened the other day!" Applejack reached out towards Rainbow's shoulder.
Rainbow snorted. "Look, the past is the past alright? Stop getting all touchy feely over every little thing!"
"I'm worrying about some of my friends," Applejack answered.
"What happened?" Twocolt asked. He set down his empty bowl. "Are they hurt?"
"Well, Twilight's looking pretty hurt. Crazy filly's making a habit of it too."
"I heard she took on some raiding wolven infiltrators yesterday." The admiration in Twocolt's voice was unmistakable. "That fire over the west section of the city could have been worse if it wasn't for her and Vanguard Clash."
"Darn it, Twocolt! How are you getting all these stories?" Applejack eyed him suspiciously. "Do you go around every morning picking up gossip?"
Twocolt shrugged. "I've got a good ear for these things. Looks like Twilight Sparkle is racking up the heroics."
Applejack set her glass on the table a little too forcefully. "Yup, I'd be happy for her, if I could be happy about what it takes to do some heroics out here."
"So what's this about?" Twocolt asked. The last of his Wintermoss disappeared into his mouth. "You don't like that she's doing so well?"
"No! It's just…darn it, I'm no good at this! It's just that…she's changing! So's Rainbow. The scary part is that I think I'm changing too."
"You can't have possibly expected to stay the same as the pony you were in the Heartland when you ended up here."
Applejack gulped down the rest of her water. "I know that! But…all of us came here so we could stay together! What's the point if we just fall apart now?"
"Maybe it's not as bad as you make it out to be," Twocolt said. "How long have you been here anyway? Give yourselves time to settle down."
Applejack exhaled loudly, and stood up. Lunch was finished, and the rest of the platoon was heading out. "I hope you're right, Twocolt," she said.
Something besides more training waited outside the mess hall, however. A large group of ponies had surrounded something at a distance. Applejack nudged Twocolt, and pointed towards them. "What's going on over there?" she asked.
"That's the unicorn mage training area," Twocolt said. "They're doing sparring too. Somepony must be putting on a show."
Applejack galloped over. "Let's take a look!" she called behind her.
"We're going to get in trouble for this!" Twocolt huffed as he galloped after her.
The unicorn mage training ground was similar to the one that Applejack's platoon used: large, wide open spaces, and dummies for target practice. The scorch marks on the ground was a unique marker, however.
Applejack and Twocolt forced themselves through the crowd of unicorns. While Twocolt tried to squeeze into every available opening, and apologized to anypony he accidentally shoved, Applejack rammed her way in. Twilight wasn't in the crowd. That meant that she was the center of attention again. She swore that if she saw Twilight tied to a post again, she was rushing to stop it, Prince Terrato's orders or not.
Two unicorns squared off at the center of the gathered ponies. One of them was a red-coated unicorn mare with a fluffy, bright pink mane. The other one was Twilight. Applejack had to look closer to make sure. The mage-coat hid the pony's flanks. The purple coat was definitely Twilight's, as was the straight, dark purple mane with the stripe, but something else made her hesitate in identifying her friend.
It was the eyes. This pony's face was swollen, and beaten up just like Twilight's face this morning. Some of the swelling had gone down enough to let her eyes work. This pony's eyes focused on her target with an intensity that Applejack had never seen in any pony. These were eyes that didn't see the gathered crowd, only her opponent, and every opportunity to win. Her lips were pressed in a thin, grim line as her horn flashed with magic again and again.
The other unicorn was dodging for her life while bolts of purple energy flew towards her. Two of the bolts struck the ground heavily. A third one pounded her back with the force of a pony's kick. Before she collapsed, the unicorn fired several bolts of pink energy from her horn. They flew true only to fizzle when an enormous purple wall flashed in front of their target.
"Even Cloudfree," one of the unicorns next to Applejack said. "Damn, that Twilight Sparkle's kicking a lot of flank."
"I don't know what happened yesterday, but she's really on a tear now," another nearby unicorn replied. "She's already proven that she's the strongest recruit. Now, she's just beaten her first senior mage."
The name the unicorns used confirmed it; this was Twilight. There was somepony else in this mess who was familiar. Applejack waved a hoof at the black-barded pony nearby. "Vanguard!" she called out.
Vanguard motioned for her to come closer. She did so with Twocolt behind her. "What are you two doing here?" he asked. "Don't you have training of your own?"
"We saw the commotion, and we just thought we'd check," Applejack replied.
"Oh, so it's 'we' now," Twocolt muttered.
Applejack glared at Twocolt. "You're being a fuss-budget again, Twocolt. You're here too, aren't you?"
"Yes. I'm here too," Twocolt sighed.
Applejack turned towards Vanguard. "So what in tarnation is going on here, Vanguard?"
"Owlsight said that it started out as your typical sparring training," Vanguard replied. "Twilight trounced her sparring partner in less than a minute, then repeated that result for the next two. One of the senior mages thought that the chosen recruit was acting too high and mighty, and challenged her. You just saw how that ended."
Twilight let out a long exhale, and dusted her hooves. Some of the recruits were cheering while the others simply watched her warily. She didn't look happy with her victory. She paced around, clearly waiting for the next one to step up. Nopony did. Mage Captain Owlsight looked ready to take that challenge.
"That looks fun!" somepony yelled from the crowd. "May I go next?"
The crowd of unicorns parted to reveal the speaker. It was another unicorn mare. This one had a dark blue coat, and a deep purple mane in ringlets. "Nightcanter," Vanguard said. "Of all the times--"
"Who's Nightcanter?" Applejack asked.
"That's Special Operations Captain Nightcanter to us," Twocolt said.
Mage Captain Owlsight walked over to Nightcanter. The two of them started talking, but Applejack couldn't hear what their conversation was about. Eventually, Owlsight allowed Nightcanter to step into the sparring ground against Twilight, who looked shocked for a couple of seconds before composing herself. Nightcanter looked over to Vanguard, and winked.
"You gotta stop this!" Applejack told Vanguard. "Twilight's awesome and all, but she's not ready to take on a captain! Especially not with her face still like that!"
"I'd stop her," Vanguard said. "Then, I'd have two angry unicorn mares to deal with." He turned his attention back to Twilight. Applejack did the same. Vanguard was right, of course. Twilight looked ready and eager. She wanted this.
The two unicorns squared off. While Twilight had a serious look on her face, Nightcanter had a confident smile. Their horns flashed at the same time followed by cheers from the gathered unicorns.
A bolt of purple lightning erupted from Twilight's horn. Applejack nearly jumped at the sight. That was fast and that bolt looked dangerous.
Nightcanter had not been caught off-guard, however. She jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the bolt, then cast her spell. A globe of darkness enveloped Twilight. As quickly as it had appeared, the globe dispersed like fog. Twilight's horn shone with bright light as she emerged from the darkness.
"Did you see that?" Vanguard asked.
"See what?" Applejack asked in return. "Twilight being amazing?"
"Nightcanter casting another spell after Twilight's Daylight dispersed her darkness. She timed it so that the bright light hid the flash from her horn."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "I didn't see her cast anything. Besides, I don't see anything else happening."
"Neither does Twilight." Vanguard snorted. "That means she just lost."
Applejack frowned. "What are you talking about? They look evenly matched to me!"
"It looks that way to Twilight too," Vanguard replied. "But 'looking' doesn't get you far against Nightcanter."
A barrage of tiny energy bolts, each one the size of a small apple, flew from Twilight, forcing Nightcanter to gallop about dodging them. They struck the ground with the force of hurled rocks, and kept on coming. After a while, Nightcanter was no longer smiling as she continued to dodge. The bolts continued to fly from Twilight's horn. It was a panting Nightcanter who stood in the middle of the sparring ground with bolts of energy flying at her from all directions.
All of them passed through her, and struck the ground. Nightcanter grinned sheepishly. Gasps of surprise came from the crowd. Mage Captain Owlsight shook his head.
"Nightcanter" simply faded away. Applejack blinked several times to check if her eyes were playing tricks, then looked around. Twilight ran forward to look around as well. After a moment, Nightcanter appeared out of thin air next to her. She draped a foreleg over Twilight's neck, and said something before patting her on the shoulder, and walking away.
"What did she just say?" Applejack asked.
"She said 'checkmate'," Vanguard said. "If this was to the death, Twilight's neck would be spurting blood by now. Twilight lost when she failed to notice that last spell."
The gathered unicorns began to disperse. From the way they talked, they hadn't had lunch yet. Nightcanter walked over to Vanguard, and brushed against him. "Like what you saw?" she asked.
"You went too far, Captain Nightcanter," Vanguard answered.
"Oh, don't be a foal!" Nightcanter snapped. "These drill-heads thought that she was just showing off. Your whipping partner was looking to improve herself through experience. She'll be better prepared for that trick the next time, and she'll thank me for it as soon as she stops gaping over there."
Nightcanter shifted her attention towards Applejack. "And another one," she said. "Have you turned these chosen into your harem, Vanguard?"
Vanguard didn't grace the question with an answer. "So what do you think of Twilight Sparkle?" he asked.
"Dangerous," Nightcanter replied, her face serious now. "She's accumulating too much power too quickly." Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Vanguard. "Apparently, somepony pulled a few strings to give her access to a bunch of advanced spell books."
"She has the talent for it," Vanguard said.
"I'm not doubting the talent, but you're being far too trusting of your new whipping partner, Vanguard. If she burns out, the flames will take out more than just her."
"Her heart's in the right place, and I am watching out for her."
Nightcanter shrugged. "You'll forgive me if I'm not very assured. Pyre Valor's still out there, remember?"
Vanguard didn't answer, and Nightcanter went on her way.
"What was she talking about?" Applejack asked once Nightcanter was a good distance away. "What did she mean by Twilight burning herself out?"
"You two should get back to your platoon," Vanguard said. "If you stay here much longer, it'll be the whipping post for you both."
Applejack still waited for a proper answer from Vanguard. Twocolt grabbed her by the harness. "He's right," he said. "We're in trouble enough as it is."
As she let Twocolt drag her away, Applejack glanced back one last time towards Twilight, who was smiling. It was a smile of triumph despite losing and, try as she might, Applejack couldn't bring herself to be happy for her friend.
Night had fallen upon the Barrier Lands once again. While most of the legionnaires active during the day had turned in for some rest, the ponies of Medical remained wide awake, and alert. The Bastion City's pegasi were on their first raid. There would be injured once the mission was over, and every available hoof was needed to tend to them.
Unlike some of her fellow recruits, who grumbled over lost sleep, and extra work, Fluttershy needed no incentive to stay up. Rainbow's flight had a major part in the raid. Fluttershy had been there just as the two flights were taking off so she could wish Rainbow good luck. She even tried cheering, but worry turned her already feeble voice into a half-dead mouse's squeak.
In response, Rainbow had looked at her with mostly indifference, and a slight hint of embarrassment.
Tense hours passed as Fluttershy waited for Flight Dreadwing. Even from where she was, distant howls, and the sounds of battle blew in with the night breeze. Eventually, those sounds died down. Fire light filled the sky from where Flight Dreadwing and Flight Storm Dawn had headed to. Throughout the waiting, a scene kept replaying in Fluttershy's mind: two pegasi flying a nearly-dead Rainbow to the ward, her trying everything to save her friend, and Redbrand offering his flask to Rainbow before closing her eyes.
Finally, wing beats filled the air. Several pegasi landed nearby.
"Don't just stand there!" Redbrand barked. "Get over there, and help!"
The medics swung into action. One pegasus had lost an eye, while another had a crumpled wing. Fluttershy took care of every injured pony that came her way while keeping an eye out for Rainbow.
"Hey, Fluttershy!" Rainbow called. "Over here!"
Fluttershy squeaked, and tightened her current patient's bandages a little too hard. Ignoring the angry yelp from her patient, she went over to check on her friend. Rainbow had a large gash that ran from the left side of her snout to her upper lip. Her leather champron had been torn around the area. Her right foreleg sported a vicious, still-bleeding claw mark. She also had several abrasions around her body. With a gasp, Fluttershy fumbled with her kit. Despite her wounds, Rainbow was grinning from ear to ear.
"Rainbow," Fluttershy cried. "You're hurt! What happened?"
"This idiot took a tumble after getting clipped in the wing!" Scarlet said between laughs. "You should have seen her jumping around like a madpony while the wolven ran after her rainbow-marked flank!"
Fluttershy glared at Scarlet, but he was so busy laughing that he didn't notice. She forced the sight of this insane pony to her periphery. "How about your wing?" she asked Rainbow as she grabbed the disinfectant. "Can you still fly?"
"I'm fine!" Rainbow replied. She raised the wing in question, revealing a small wound just around the tip. "It's just a bunch of scratches. You should have seen me, Fluttershy! I was awesome! No panicky random flying like the other day! I was a lean, mean, wolven-shooting machine!" She poked Scarlet with a hoof. "I got seven! You owe me a drink, Scarlet!"
"I gotcha!" Scarlet said. "You better hold your liquor because I'm not paying to watch you puke! On second thought...I might if it comes out rainbow-colored."
Rainbow laughed while Fluttershy gazed at her warily. She had seen Rainbow laugh plenty of times, but the sounds coming out of her friend's mouth sounded so...different. The sound reminded her of a bear's angry growl, or a snake's warning hiss. An ominous, and dangerous sound. Something was terribly wrong here. Their merriment took away any relief over Rainbow coming back safe. She focused on Scarlet. It was him. He was doing something to Rainbow. "You should get some rest," she said.
"Are you kidding?" Rainbow asked. "Scarlet's buying me drinks! I'm not resting yet!"
Fluttershy gasped. "But you've never drank a drop in your life!"
"Well, tonight sounds like a good time to start!" Rainbow tilted her head. "You okay, Fluttershy?"
"I-! I'll be fine..." Fluttershy finished the last of the bandaging.
"Okay then. Thanks for patching me up!" Rainbow clapped Scarlet on the back. "Let's get those drinks, Scarlet!"
The two pegasi trotted out of the ward merrily, laughing as they passed by another group of injured.
"I have to attend the General Logistics Meeting," Hammer Chain told Rarity. "Just watch the smithy, and do what you can for the day. I'll take care of any orders meant for me as soon as I get back."
With that, Rarity found herself in charge of the smithy, a prospect that filled her with both a sense of achievement, and nervousness. It was flattering that she had only been Hammer Chain's apprentice for a few days, but was entrusted with this much already. That made disappointing him even more nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, she didn't have to do it alone. Spike stoked the green-lit forge nearby. Hammer Chain was a little suspicious of using dragon breath for forging at first, but he eventually decided that there were no side-effects and that it was a quick way to start up the forge.
With Hammer Chain gone, however, Rarity didn't have much use for the forge. She asked Spike to keep it going in case he came back early, or if she needed to make bolt-heads and buckles. She had to admit that metalwork did give her as much of a sense of satisfaction as piecing together a dress. The ridiculous amount of heat from working at a smithy, and the sweat that accompanied it, on the other hoof, left much to be desired.
"I hope he comes back soon," Rarity said. She had been looking forward to a lesson, sweltering forge heat and all. She pulled out a tattered piece of leather; the first order of the day. Last night, the pegasi of Reconnaissance completed a successful raid. However, success came with a price. When morning rolled in, there was plenty of damaged leather barding making their way to Hammer Chain's smithy.
"I don't," Spike grumbled. "My back's still sore from all that stuff he had me lift yesterday."
"You did say you wanted to help, Spike," Rarity replied. "Hammer Chain was just being prudent, that's all."
Spike stretched his back out, and groaned. "I didn't know prudence was so painful," he muttered.
"Oh, come now," Rarity scoffed. "You should be glad that the Legion has a place for you." Rarity lifted a chest piece with her magic. The straps that held it together had all but rotten off. "Goodness, just look at this! You'd think that legionnaires would know better than to leave leather to soak in water. This one simply has to go. Spike, be a dear, and fetch me those scissors, will you?"
Spike was quick to jump at the request. "Here you go," he said.
The scissors had just been enveloped by Rarity's magic when the door opened. Both of them looked towards the smithy's first visitor. "Our sincerest apologies," Rarity said. "Master Hammer Chain isn't available at the moment and-- oh, my stars!"
It took all of Rarity's willpower to keep her jaw from dropping, but she was still reduced to silently staring at the visitor. Beside her, Spike didn't even get to say a thing before being reduced to a wide-eyed statue.
Standing by the doorway was a beautiful unicorn mare. Her coat was a lustrous golden-tinged white. Her flowing, golden mane, and tail were mere inches from the floor. Her soft gray eyes looked past sweeping eyelashes. She was wearing a wolven fur coat, but the fur was pristine white rather than gray. "A pity," she said. "Fortunately, I'm not looking for Hammer Chain at the moment. I was hoping to find his new apprentice."
"New apprentice?" Rarity asked. She looked around. She had never heard of-- "Wait. I'm the new apprentice. Y-you're looking for me?"
The unicorn laughed briefly. "Yes, I am." Her silky, deep tone sent tingles down Rarity's spine. With her magic, she lifted a mage-coat that had been draped over her back. "I saw you the other day wearing splendidly designed mage-coat. Would you modify mine in the same manner? I will pay a fee for your trouble of course."
"I-I certainly would!" Rarity answered. "It's an honor that you would find my design splendid, Miss, um…"
"You may call me Bright Flame. I am but a minor noble from Hearthstone City."
'Nobility!' Rarity thought. 'No wonder! This is a good chance to impress!'
The prospect of encountering nobility in Prince Terrato's realm had been in the back of Rarity's mind since they had arrived. The Northern Barrier Land was a hard and savage place; a wilderness uninfluenced by ponies, and besieged by both freezing weather, and monstrous creatures. She had held out a hope that there was a place for elegance and sophistication. It had started out as a small hope when she had first arrived from the Heartland. It had become resolve, a full-blown principle even, when she first held up the mage-blades crafted by Hammer Chain. Just because something was dangerous didn't mean that it couldn't be beautiful as well. The Barrier Lands, with all the violence and savagery within them, still had plenty of room for class and nobility. Lady Bright Flame just proved her right.
"It is my pleasure to meet you, Lady Bright Flame," Rarity said. She was beaming inside, but she took care to maintain a composed exterior. She had already embarrassed herself enough. "My name is Rarity."
"The pleasure is mine, Rarity," Bright Flame replied. "I never imagined that I would meet one of Princess Celestia's chosen one day."
The word "chosen" brought Rarity up short. It was often said with derision. At best, it was said in indifference. This was the first time she had heard it spoken as something praiseworthy. "Thank you," she replied. "I'll get to work on it right away." She put aside the leather barding she had been cutting up. This was nobility she was talking about. Of course it was going to take top priority. "It should be ready in a couple of hours."
"I will wait then," Bright Flame said. She sat by one corner of the forge. "I hope you don't mind observers. I would love to see how you work."
Rarity coughed nervously. "I don't mind," she said, "but it is rather warm in here with the forge and everything. Are you sure you'll be fine?"
"Staying in Bastion City has accustomed me to small discomforts," Bright Flame replied. She focused on Spike, who hadn't stopped staring during the entire conversation. "I dare say it has been worth being trapped within this city by a wolven attack to encounter both a chosen and a dragon. What is your name, little one?"
Spike wiped his mouth with the back of his claw before answering. "I-It's Spike," he said. "It's really wonderful to meet you, Lady Bright Flame. It's almost worth getting banish-- ow!" He clutched his tail, and looked behind him. Rarity was walking off to begin her modifications when she had trod on his tail. By accident of course.
"Oops. Sorry about that, Spike."
"A young dragon together with a chosen." Bright Flame said. "You must have a fascinating tale, Spike." Her horn flashed a dark aura.
'That's odd,' Rarity thought. 'Did she just cast a spell? I don't see anything happening.'
"Oh, I can tell you all about it!" Spike said. Despite his throbbing tail, he was eager to impress.
Bright Flame leaned over with interest, a slight smile curving her lips. "Please do," she said. "I wouldn't mind starting at the beginning."
Spike started to grin a little foolishly at Bright Flame's staring. "R-right," he replied. "From the beginning it is!"
An hour passed since Rarity started on the mage-coat. She could be working faster, but her attention kept going to Bright Flame, who sat there listening intently while Spike told stories about the Heartland. At first, she was worried that Spike would quickly bore Bright Flame, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Spike had not been joking when he said that he was starting at the very beginning. His first story was his first meeting with Twilight, which was just after he had hatched. From there, he launched into anecdote after anecdote. It was a marvel just how in depth Spike's stories were. For one so young, Spike had an incredible ability to remember events. He had an encyclopedic mind, and an eye for details, both likely honed by years of being Twilight's unofficial secretary, and housekeeper. He told stories of Twilight's foalhood, and her studies likely better than even Twilight could.
When Spike's stories dipped into his time in Ponyville, however, things began to get a little embarrassing. Every time his narrative wandered a little too close for comfort, Rarity would clear her throat to warn him away. As the morning wore on, she was hoarse from clearing her throat too much.
Through it all, Bright Flame smiled, and nodded, chuckling at every bit of attempted humor on Spike's part. It was hard to tell if it was genuine mirth, or sheer politeness. Bright Flame also asked questions, mostly about Twilight's relationship with Princess Celestia, and the Elements of Harmony, but she was also interested in Spike's ability to send out his friendship reports.
"Amazing," Bright Flame said. "Not only can your breath behave like any flame, but you can transport physical objects before Princess Celestia herself?"
"That's right!" Spike answered, his chest puffing up.
"Truly a remarkable race."
Something was stifling Rarity. She wondered if it was the heat from the forge, or Spike's ego slowly filling up the shop.
"It's true!" Spike said. His voice lowered afterwards. "But I can't do it anymore. Not since we ended up here."
Bright Flame tilted her muzzle. "Why not?"
"I dunno. I tried it with a blank piece of paper, and it just reappeared a few feet away. I guess Princess Celestia doesn't want to receive anything from us anymore."
The atmosphere within the smithy darkened. Without missing a beat, Bright Flame smiled, and shook her head. "Nonsense. The distance and the barrier may simply be interfering. If Princess Celestia didn't want to receive anything from you, you would have burned that piece of paper up. Take heart, Spike, you and your friends will figure out a way to overcome this obstacle."
True to her namesake, Bright Flame dispersed the gloomy atmosphere with ease. She glanced briefly at the forge, which continued to blaze with green flames, before refocusing on Spike.
"You're right," Spike replied. He returned her smile, and continued talking.
It was almost noon when Rarity was finally done. She looked over every detail carefully. This was her first piece for Barrier Lands nobility. She couldn't afford to mess up.
"And that's everything that's happened until this very day," Spike said.
"You've certainly led a wondrous life, Spike," Bright Flame remarked. "Thank you for sharing your story with me." She looked at Rarity. "I am more honored than ever to meet the bearer of the Element of Generosity itself as well as the bearer of the Element of Magic's close companion."
"It was my pleasure," Spike said. He looked a little disappointed that he had reached the end of his story.
Rarity found herself blushing slightly as well. "Your mage-coat is ready," she said. She held it up with her magic for Bright Flame to inspect.
Bright Flame clapped her front hooves together. "Splendid! Shall we discuss your fee?"
Rarity smiled, and shook her head. "Free of charge," she said. "Having nobility wear something of my design for the first time in the Barrier Lands is more than enough."
Bright Flame looked a little surprised at first, but quickly matched Rarity's smile with her own. "As befitting of the Element of Generosity," she said. "If you will not take any payment then let me bequeath you a gift instead." She magically lifted a single, golden coin from one of her coat's pockets, and gave it to Rarity.
Rarity enveloped the trinket with her own telekinesis, and turned it around for inspection. The coin was three times larger than a bit, and engraved with an eight-rayed sun at its center. At the center of the sun an eye with a small, brilliant ruby for an iris.
"Keep it as proof that you are always welcome in my estate at Hearthstone City," Bright Flame said. "Show it to other nobility so they will know that you have a friend among them.
"Thank you!" Rarity replied. The coin was more than enough payment for ten of those modified mage-coats. She had connections now! She could already imagined herself in this Hearthstone City, surrounded by nobles enjoying her beautiful designs.
"I have one for you too, Spike, for being good company," Bright Flame said. She leaned over, and nudged him with her nose. Spike nearly fainted from the gesture. "For a dragon depended on so much by his friends, I have something more practical." A small black sphere floated out of her coat's pocket.
Spike's eyes widened. "Is that…is that a mana battery like the one Twilight used to get here?"
Rarity remembered the gem that started all of this, then looked at the one Bright Flame offered Spike. She had her misgivings, but such a kind mare like Bright Flame must have a good reason to offer such a gift.
"Yes…and no," Bright Flame said. "This is a replenishment mana battery. It can boost a spell like a normal one, but it can also be used to restore the magic of a unicorn who has burned herself out. From what you've told me, Twilight Sparkle is in danger of that."
"Yes, that's right," Spike said. He held on to the sphere with new-found admiration. "This would definitely come in useful!"
"I suggest that you keep it as a secret resource, to be used by your discretion alone," Bright Flame said. "If Twilight Sparkle were to find out about it, she may just use it to boost one of her spells in her drive to master this realm's magic."
Spike nodded. "That's also true. But why give it to me?"
"Because you are the wisest out of all your friends, Spike. In so many of your stories, your friends would have come out much better if they only listened to you. You would know best when to make use of it. If the worst comes to pass, and Twilight Sparkle has depleted most of her magic, hold the sphere above her, and will its power to flow into her. She will be glad to have someone like you watching out for her all along."
Spike stared at the sphere as if it had already done all the things that Bright Flame promised it would. "I'll keep it just as you say," he said. "Thanks a lot!"
"Think nothing of it," Bright Flame said. She headed towards the door with her new mage-coat. "I must take my leave now. Thank you again for this mage-coat, Rarity."
Both of them waved fondly as Bright Flame walked away. They were still staring long after she was gone.
As Rarity closed the door, however, she put a hoof to her head, and stumbled forward slightly. "Oh my! My head feels a little heavy all of a sudden."
"Me too," Spike said as he massaged his temples. "Where did this come from?"
"I'm sure it's nothing," Rarity said. She looked over Bright Flame's gift once more, and put it inside one of her pockets. Despite Hammer Chain's absence, today had been very profitable indeed.
As Twocolt had expected, his sudden disappearance during yesterday's afternoon training resulted in punishment. He was fortunate that they had not been whipped. However, he was stuck with the particularly tedious job of training dummy making. The Legion went through the wooden cut outs of wolven quite quickly. Reconnaissance eventually destroyed them with crossbow practice, while Magical burned through them even faster. "This is the last time I let you drag me into your shenanigans, Applejack," he muttered.
"This ain't so bad," Applejack replied while she whittled away at her own piece of wood. It was an hour past noon already, and they were just about done. "We're still helping the Legion aren't we? It's better than getting whipped!"
"Oh, so that's your standard now, is it? I swe--" A familiar pony showed up out of the corner of Twocolt's eye. "Cover for me will you?" he said. He dashed towards a nearby alley.
As he had guessed, it was none other than Lady Bright Flame standing before him. "My lady!" He knelt. "It's dangerous to be out here. There are--"
"I know, Twocolt," Bright Flame replied. "I would not come out here if this wasn't important. I have terrible news. Most of the order stationed here have been discovered by the Legion, and killed."
Twocolt was grateful that he was already kneeling as he now doubted his legs ability to keep him standing. "Most of the order" Lady Bright Flame had said. For all he knew, he was the only pony who hadn't been caught. How had this happened? Was there a spy among them? Had somepony committed such a terrible error that the order was found out? "What…what should be done now, my lady?" he asked.
"This will be the last time I will meet with you, Twocolt," Bright Flame answered. "There are Special Operations agents all around, and we will be discovered if we're not careful. I will contact you through missives after this."
Twocolt nodded. "Understood. What are my orders?"
"You have done well in befriending Applejack. It's time to put that bond to good use. Here is what I want you to do…"
Twocolt listened intently. With the order gone, he was the only pony left that still served Equestria's true ruler. More than ever, he couldn't fail.
"Twocolt!" Applejack called out.
"Go now," Bright Flame said. "Be careful, Twocolt." She hurried away, and disappeared after turning a corner.
Twocolt looked at her until she was gone before concentrating on getting back. "I'm here!" he answered. He emerged from the alley, and walked towards Applejack. "Are we done?" he asked.
"Yup," Applejack said. "No thanks to you! Where'd you run off to anyway?"
Twocolt shrugged. "I saw an old acquaintance of mine. I had to go talk to her."
"You could have introduced us, you know!"
"She's the shy type. Besides, one of us had to keep on working."
"Uh huh. You owe me now, Twocolt."
"You mean we're even."
The two headed back to their platoon while carrying the load of training dummies on their backs.
Within the Equestrian Legion, no other division was the subject of more speculation than Special Operations. Whether it was their method of recruitment, the nature of the tasks given to them, the things they did to accomplish those tasks, or even the way they were organized, stories continued to promulgate. There were the centuries-old, persistent ones such as the one about Special Operations assassinating ponies who went against Prince Terrato's wishes, or those about horrifying rituals that each aspiring member had to go through.
There were also more recent stories. The general opinion was that the blame for losing Fangbreaker Fortress lay mostly upon their shoulders, and that they had spies among the populace "removing" anypony spreading defeatist talk. It didn't help that a lot of ponies had disappeared recently.
For Vanguard, Special Operations was a far from shrouded in the sinister mystique that the rest of the Legion often accorded to it. They were ponies like the rest of Prince Terrato's subjects. They had their role in the Legion, and they were subject to both success and failure like any division. They also shared other things with fellow divisions: like paperwork.
In his small office within one of the many buildings appropriated by the Legion, Vanguard sifted through the pile of papers before him before setting them in a neat pile on his desk. He had just finished sending a report about his sweep of the city as well as the chosen he had been monitoring. For this morning, two days after Pyre's attempt on Bastion City, he was going through recommendations.
Third Squad still needed replacements. For this, both Magical, and Infantry had sent Vanguard their recommendations. Special Operations was flexible enough to let him decide on who went to his squad, but the sooner he got it back at full strength, the better it would serve the Legion. He looked through the list of unicorn candidates, and frowned. He respected the abilities of these legionnaires, but he also knew that Pyre would have plowed through them in single combat.
'I have to stop comparing them to Pyre, or the position will never be filled,' Vanguard thought. His former vice captain was both a gifted genius, and a very driven pony. The ones recommended by Magical were one or the other, but not both. He did know of such a unicorn however...he shook his head. He couldn't involve that pony.
The thought reminded him of another thing. As of the present, Scarlet was his acting vice captain by virtue of being the only member of his squad. Scarlet was a reliable pony: fast, strong, and utterly fearless, but he didn't belong in any sort of leadership position. That left the position to one of his two new members. As he continued to study the candidates, the door to his office opened. He looked up to find his mother walking up to his desk. "Do you need something, Flight Captain?" he asked.
"Yes, I do," Tailwind replied. "I need to know how long you plan on keeping Scarlet hanging around my flight."
"I've already explained his purpose there," Vanguard said.
"It's not his mission that's problematic, it's the manner he's going about it." Tailwind thumped Vanguard's desk. "Tell him to watch subtly from afar, instead of constantly fraternizing with Rainbow Dash!"
Vanguard frowned. "What's wrong? Did he get her in trouble?"
"He introduced her to the fine art of boozing the other day," Tailwind said. "He was smart enough to make sure that she could show up for duty without falling over herself. Otherwise, I would have had to introduce her to the whipping post."
"Scarlet's is showing some restraint for once," Vanguard said. "And some camaraderie. Shouldn't that be a good thing for a chosen?"
"It would be coming from any pony besides Scarlet," Tailwind retorted. "You should see for yourself how those two look at each other. Rainbow sees a target: a pony she can chase in order to be the best. Scarlet…her potential's got him interested. You know that's bad news."
Vanguard sighed. "You're the one who insisted that I bait Rainbow into racing against him."
Tailwind's face twisted slightly. "I underestimated her speed. I knew she was fast from what you said, but I didn't expect her to be fast enough to catch his eye. What's worse, I've underestimated that pride of hers."
"Alright, I'll tell him to keep his distance," Vanguard said. "I can't reassign him. You've seen her speed. He's the only pegasus for the job."
"You'd better." Tailwind's expression darkened. "I'm not excited about covering up another mess like the one with Overcast."
"Noted," Vanguard replied. He looked over the recommendations again. When Tailwind didn't leave his office, he looked up at her.
Tailwind raised an eyebrow. "You still haven't picked replacements for your squad?"
"I've given it plenty of thought."
Tailwind looked over the papers from her side of the desk. "These are some good candidates, but I suggest you get Twilight Sparkle. I saw her spar yesterday. It's ridiculous how quickly she's improving."
"No," Vanguard answered so quickly, and vehemently that Tailwind looked at him with concern.
"Why not?" Tailwind asked. "So she's only been in the Legion for less than a month. You can work with that. A month or two of action, and she'll either be dead, or one of our best legionnaires yet."
"She's out here because I listened to a stupid impulse. She's had to kill wolven, get whipped on my account, and get beaten up by Pyre for a grudge she doesn't deserve. I'm not going to subject her to the things Special Operations gets up to." Vanguard remembered that night after Twilight's first battle, and the way she looked. That was just for killing wolven. For killing wolven, Twilight had lost something irreplaceable. Special Operations dealt with ponies, and wolven. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself if he let her lose more by joining Special Operations, whether his squad, or somepony else's.
Tailwind snorted. "Yet you took the time and effort to convince Owlsight to skip protocol, and give her some of the advanced spell books. You can't have it both ways, Vanguard. You can't give her the tools for the job, then tell her she can't do the job." She raised an eyebrow. "Now that I've mentioned it, why did you go out of your way to help her out like that?"
Vanguard looked away. "She could use all the help when it comes to fighting wolven."
"So does every unicorn mage in the Legion," Tailwind retorted. "I don't see you tripping over yourself to help them."
"It sounds like you have the entire story plotted out in your head." Vanguard set aside the papers. "Why don't you just tell me what you think?"
Tailwind smiled. "You want to protect her from the worst of the fighting, but she bats her eyelashes at you, and asks for more spells. What do you do? You hurry over and give her what she wants. You've fallen for this mare, Vanguard, and she's got you running in two directions at once."
Vanguard sighed. Not this again. "You think I've fallen in love with her, or you want me to fall in love with her?"
"Both," Tailwind said. "Nothing wrong with me wanting my stupid son to settle down with a mare, is there?"
"Your stupid son is settled down, mother," Vanguard retorted. "I have a lot to do, and little enough time to do them without wasting any on chasing tails, and grabbing flanks."
"Marrying your work isn't going to pop out any grandchildren for me. I'll be fine with any mare." Tailwind paused, and frowned. "Except Nightcanter. I don't want that grimy nag for a daughter-in-law."
Vanguard shook his head. "Equestria will do just fine without more wolven-blooded foals running about."
"As if one-sixteenth would even mean anything!" Tailwind walked towards the door, and looked back one last time. "Whether it's love, or recruitment, you'd better move fast with that one, Vanguard Clash. She's not going to be available forever."
"Good day, Flight Captain," Vanguard replied. Another pony was just about to enter when Tailwind opened the door.
Nightcanter slid past Tailwind, ignoring the disapproving look. "Vanguard, we've got them!" she said. She lowered her tone as she continued. "Three rebel cells are meeting up tonight, and we've managed to get the time, and location."
"That's an unusually good bit of news," Vanguard said with a frown.
Nightcanter's smile widened. "About time, I say. Time to hit these malcontents hard."
Vanguard looked over the candidates one more time. Ever since his squad had been reduced to two, he had been working closely with Nightcanter's Sixth Squad. "So when is it and what's the plan?"
"Tonight," Nightcanter answered. "We're working with Blaze Trotter's squad for an ambush."
"Good," Vanguard said. He wasn't a thrill seeker like Scarlet Rabbit, but, after a couple of uneventful days, he was restless. They had threats outside the city, and threats within. Even a few hours of not dealing with either felt like wasting time. "We'll be ready by then."
Twilight made her way to her quarters at a steady, satisfied pace. Today had been routine: boulder catching, target practice, several sparring sessions with the senior unicorn mages, then a few hours of study. It seemed so strange that she could find some routine when the city was under attack. It was a siege, as Mage Captain Owlsight had reminded her, and the wolven were here for the long run.
Despite that routine, today had been beneficial. Casting spells was becoming easier and easier. She had added a few more spells to her repertoire. Her fellow unicorn magi were quick to point out that the wolven shrugged off most frost spells, and didn't like being lit on fire. It had been tempting to stockpile fire spells, especially after witnessing the raw devastating power of Pyre Valor's meteor swarm. Mage Captain Owlsight was quick to offer a different perspective.
Don't fall in love with your destructive power, Recruit Sparkle. You're good, I'll give you that. Nightcanter taught you a valuable lesson, however. Don't wait until your throat's been actually slit before you let that lesson sink in.
The lesson had sunk in. Twilight already had some lightning spells; quick casting, and quick flying offensive moves. She had chosen to expand on utility. She didn't like illusions and trickery, but she saw the value in them.
"Hey, Twilight!" Spike called out from a distance.
That was odd. While Mage Captain Owlsight didn't want Spike around, Hammer Chain was glad to let him help out. "What are you doing out here, Spike?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be with Rarity?" She stopped briefly to allow Spike on to her back.
"I thought I'd watch how you trained from afar," Spike answered. "I saw the sparring, and stuff."
Twilight raised her chin slightly. Even the senior unicorn magi were impressed with her skill. Mage Captain Owlsight himself remarked on her mastery of multiple schools of magic, something few unicorns were capable of. "So how was it?" she asked.
"You were pretty scary back there, Twilight," Spike said quietly. "Scary, and violent. I thought that third pony you fought had died."
"I did push a little too hard with him," Twilight said. She lowered her head a bit, the sense of accomplishment whooshing away with her next exhale. "But he was fine! He said so himself. And there's no need to be scared of me, Spike. I'd never hurt you, or any of my friends."
"You're right," Spike replied.
Although Spike's mouth had agreed with Twilight, the rest of him didn't follow suit. Though he said nothing else, she felt the need to defend herself further.
"The sparring is necessary," Twilight said. "It lets us sharpen our skills without being thrown into actual combat, and all its risks. It looks dangerous, but it's all controlled."
"It may be 'necessary', Twilight," Spike replied. "But necessary doesn't mean you have to be so into it. I heard the other unicorns say that you've been sparring almost non-stop ever since you came back that day with your face all swollen up. It's like all you've been thinking about these days is how to beat up ponies, and wolven!"
Frowning, Twilight looked back to the last couple of days. Everything was a blur of activity. When Nightcanter defeated her with a simple illusion, she delved into methods of countering that: noticing when a pony had turned invisible, telling a false image from the real thing, and purging invisibility. Each time she thought she had her bases covered, another method of attack came to mind. Each spar brought more insights, and more means to improve herself. It wasn't just a wide range of spells she needed. There were so many little things she had learned to be mindful of: noticing spell casting in the heat of battle, dodging, timing, feinting, noticing feints…it was all so much to take in.
Her ability to master different schools of magic proved both a benefit, and a difficulty. Limits would have provided direction. It felt as if each school of magic tugged at her, each one promising a way to defeat Pyre. She didn't want to commit just yet. Instead, she learned a few spells from each, spells she figured that might be useful at some point. Even then, she had a long way to go before being able to hold her own against the strongest spell casters of the Barrier Lands. She refused to believe that Spike was right about her obsessing about this.
"I've been thinking of other stuff too," Twilight muttered.
"Like what?" Spike asked. A few ponies walked past them in a hurry. With evening settling in, the streets were quickly becoming deserted. Ever since the incident with Pyre Valor, civilian ponies were afraid to come out at night.
"Well…I have been meaning to write a friendship report of sorts," Twilight said. That wasn't quite true. It had been simmering in the back of her mind for some time, but she never really managed to focus on it. Still, it would mollify Spike for now.
"A friendship report?" Spike asked. "Why? I mean, how would you even send it? And what for? We're not exactly learning about friendship out here."
"That's where you're wrong, Spike. We're always learning about friendship, whether in the Barrier Lands, or the Heartland."
Spike's eyes widened. "And what's this friendship report about?"
Twilight cleared her throat. "It's not really a report. More of a…a friendship thesis, if you will. I want to show Princess Celestia that ponies can still be ponies even out here in the Barrier Lands. I'll worry about how to send it later. If I can prove that harmony is stronger than any violence, or bitterness that fighting fosters, she'll see that there's no need to keep up this division."
A small measure of relief crossed Spike's face. Just a small one. "I hope it is," he muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight snapped.
"N-nothing!" Spike said. "S-so...uh, how are you going to go about this friendship thesis? Can I help?"
Twilight was silent. The idea had been sitting in the back of her mind, but it was half-baked at best. Maybe not even that. Discussing it with Spike, however, did seem a good idea. "I'll start with observation." she replied. "I'll gather as much proof as I can, then present the best of them with my arguments in an agreeable manner, just like Celestia taught me."
"I can help with the observing part," Spike said. He brightened at the idea. "So who have you been watching so far?"
Twilight stopped. This was bad. She had to come up with an answer before Spike found out that she hadn't even started anything. She latched on to the first Barrier Lands pony that came to mind. "Vanguard Clash," she answered.
A few moments of silence passed between the two of them. "Vanguard Clash, huh?" Spike asked. His tone was more than enough to put Twilight on the defensive, albeit for a different reason.
"What?" Twilight asked. "What's wrong with Vanguard?"
"So you've been spending your time between beating up ponies, and staring at Vanguard?"
Twiight gasped. "I don't stare at him! Besides, this is for research!" The wheels began to turn in her head. Though she had answered out of impulse, ideas came naturally when her mind grasped the concept. "I mean, he's perfect as an example! Princess Celestia is afraid that the ponies of the Legion are becoming more and more like wolven. Vanguard is part wolven, but I can honestly say that he is as true a pony as any of our friends back in the Heartland. If a pony with an actual wolven lineage can be a true pony by Princess Celestia's standards, any pony from the Barrier Lands can be too!"
Spike scratched his head. "How'd you figure that?"
"Well, he's honest even if it means he's going get hanged, he's loyal to Prince Terrato, the Legion, and as his friends, he showed all of us kindness when we all arrived in this place for the first time, and he's generous enough so that he shared his food with me, and paid for our stuff."
"You missed Joy."
"What?"
"You've got Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, and Generosity. You're missing Joy and Magic."
"Oh, uh…he smiles often? It's not exactly fits of laughter, but he knows how to take joy in things whenever he can. He's just not the sort of pony who bursts into fits. The magic of friendship is what binds these things together, and he's able to befriend others."
"That joy part comes off a little weak, Twilight," Spike said. He dismounted when they reached their destination. "So does that mean you're going to observe other ponies now, or are you going to continue 'observing' Vanguard? Maybe try to get him to smile some more?"
The snicker that followed the question put a slight frown on Twilight's face. "Spike," she chided him.
Spike raised his hands in mock surrender before opening the door. It seemed that they were the first to make it back. "I'm glad that you're doing other things besides getting better at fighting, Twilight," he said. "Now, I'm really hoping there's something that can be done with my dragon fire so it can send messages again and--"
Fire. The word burned out the pleasant mood. Twilight remembered the burns that still hurt around her underside, and the mild pain still all over her face. Pyre's enraged face loomed in her mind. Not every pony was going to be a good example. Some ponies out here were just cruel, prejudiced, violent, treacherous, hateful…
"Uh…Twilight?" Spike stepped back. Fear marred his expression. Twilight found it a little disturbing. Why was Spike acting as if she was an angry word away from attacking him? Had he forgotten that they were practically family?
Twilight forced a smile, and headed over to her desk. "Sorry about that, Spike. I think I'll hit the books some more before resting." She opened one book on a spell that had grabbed her attention earlier. She had her attack spells, she had her shields, and she had her teleportations. A spell to improve one's physical abilities sounded like a nice way to round off her repertoire.
Spike nodded silently, then sat as far away as possible from Twilight. She barely noticed this, however, so engrossed was she in learning even more.
It was late night when Vanguard noticed some movement from his hiding place. Even the more populated areas of Bastion City's southern section had gone quiet. More-so the abandoned warehouse he was watching. All around him were crates full of construction equipment, piles of bricks, and scattered wooden planks. Next to him were Nightcanter, and the earth ponies in her squad. Scarlet Rabbit, and the other pegasi lurked the shadowy beams that supported the roof. To the other side of the meeting spot was Blaze Trotter's squad. In addition to Fifth and Sixth Squad, they were also working with Eighth Squad under Captain Hoofbreak, who was hiding next to Blaze Trotter. With three and a half Special Operations squads, they should have numbers, and surprise on their side.
Only a few thinly distributed lanterns from the streets to provide light, leaving the warehouse dark and shadowy. The time should be about right, but there wasn't a Black Rose rebel around. Nightcanter glared at Blaze Trotter's direction. It was his information after all. Vanguard himself was disappointed, but part of him was suspicious of the whole scenario. Three cells did seem too good a catch to be true.
Just as Vanguard was about ready to consider the mission a failure, five ponies entered the warehouse. 'That's one cell,' he thought.
"This is crazy," one of the ponies said. "Three cells meeting in one place is a recipe for disaster."
"We don't disobey dead-drop orders," another pony, this one with a husky voice, replied.
"I'll bet that those ponies still hanging inside the dungeons did exactly that," the first one said. "Four cells have been caught, and executed since we started operations here."
"Quiet!" the other pony whispered harshly. "Somepony's coming!"
A second group of ponies showed up. As Stoneshod had mentioned, individual cells wore featureless, white masks. The two cells that Special Operations had successfully captured had little information to share because of this. These Black Rose rebels were being led by somepony capable of moving multiple isolated groups in concert, something that would take a great deal of tactical mastery, and an incredibly efficient method of communication. It did seem more and more like the hoof-work of the true Black Rose.
"Why is there only one cell here?" one of the new arrivals asked. "Where's the rest?"
"We just arrived here ourselves. What did you receive in your dead-drop orders?"
"Just this location and a mention of an important meeting. Same as you?"
Vanguard frowned. Even these ponies had no idea why they were here. Unless Special Operations captured whoever had set this meeting up, they would be hard-pressed to pump any useful information out of these ponies.
The third cell finally showed up. Like the first two, they didn't know what the meeting was for either. Vanguard tensed. That meant that their leader or, at least, a pony high up in their hierarchy was going to explain.
"Thank you for coming."
Vanguard went for his blade, but stopped midway. Next to him, Nightcanter inhaled sharply. There was a pony now standing in the middle of the three cells. From the voice, it was a mare. But how did she get there? Teleportation? There hadn't seen any telltale flashes of magic. This could very well be the leader of the Black Rose Rebellion.
"You have all been doing well despite the Legion's attempts at rooting you out," the leader continued. "Thanks to your efforts, the movement is at the precipice of getting to Princess Celestia."
Some of the rebels spoke among themselves in pleased tones.
"The next part of the movement's plan is about to commence, and it will require a great deal of magic. In short, we will need mana batteries."
"We lost several in Fangbreaker Fortress," one of the rebels said. "But I know that Bastion City has a few in stock for emergencies. How much do we need?"
"A fifty carat one will suffice."
"Fifty carats!"
The gathered cells argued among themselves. Even Vanguard raised an eyebrow. It took great amounts of discharged magical power, and the blood of magically gifted creatures soaking into the soil to form mana crystals, which were refined into mana batteries. They were more common to the south, where battles between unicorn magi and ophidite shamans were vicious and deadly, but even here, and to the west, they could be found. Even a mana battery half that size was extremely rare.
"We could scour the entire north, and not find one that's even near that size!" one of the rebels said.
"You're asking for the impossible!" another one added.
The leader threw back her hood, revealing a black coat, a long, flowing, crimson mane, and an already glowing horn. "Have faith," she said with a smile. "All we need are fifteen volunteers to give their lives for the cause. You should be honored."
A circle of strange markings surrounding the rebels burst with brilliant, white light. Before anypony could react, arcs of black electricity erupted from the leader's horn, and surrounded each of them. They cried out, and stumbled back, but magic lifted each of them into the air. Several masks dropped to the ground, revealing a lot of horns, and a few faces. Vanguard clenched his jaw. Some of these traitors were legionnaires he knew! "Let's go!" he whispered harshly to Nightcanter. Both of them burst from their hiding places with blades out, and a spell ready to fire. Sixth squad was right behind them.
Before they could close in, the helpless ponies cried out. Their eyes glowed, and luminous, white smoke escaped from their mouths. The smoke coalesced by the leader's horn's tip, forming a large sphere that glowed a soft blue. When the spell dissipated, fifteen dead bodies dropped to the ground.
"Hold it right there!" Nightcanter shouted. "We're taking you in, Black Rose!" There was no confirmation, but Vanguard could only agree with the name's use.
Black Rose smiled as three squads of Special Operations ponies surrounded her. "I must say I'm impressed. I only allowed a single small clue to escape about this meeting, but Special Operations latched on to it as if I had been sending out singing telegrams."
"Oh, shut up!" Scarlet yelled. He aimed his crossbow at Black Rose's head, and fired.
The bolt whizzed unerringly towards its target, then winked out of existence. Scarlet let out a pained yell, and winced in pain. He flapped his wings hard to right himself, and stay aloft. The shaft of a crossbow bolt was buried in his flank.
"I'm so sorry," Black Rose said. "I hope it's not too deep."
Vanguard refocused on Black Rose, expecting a mocking smile, or a cruel sneer on her face. The dissonance between the serene look on her face, and the sight of the dead bodies all around her left him hesitant. Did he even had a chance in this situation? The others drew their circle tighter around Black Rose.
"Please reconsider any more hostilities," Black Rose said. "You are a squad and a half more than I expected, but you are confronting me in a place I set up, and at a time of my choosing. If I feel even the slightest bit threatened, I have a hundred escape routes ready, and that's because I am inclined to be merciful to such brave ponies of the Legion. You may attack, and I will simply escape, or you can settle down for a talk, and end this night on a more productive note. What do you say?"
Vanguard looked to Nightcanter, then to Blaze Trotter, and Hoofbreak. They nodded at him. They were in over their heads. It took Black Rose a single spell to kill fifteen ponies. Though she was unarmored, she was likely surrounded by several powerful defensive spells. Scarlet had just paid the price for attacking recklessly. With a brief signal from their captains, the rest of the ambush backed up, and lowered their weapons.
"Thank you," Black Rose said. "As a reward for this small kindness, I am willing to answer some of your questions before we part ways."
"You killed them," Nightcanter said. "These ponies were on your side, and you killed them because you needed a mana battery?"
"Oh, that's where you're wrong," Black Rose replied. "Thank you for bringing me to an important point I need to make. I didn't start this 'Black Rose Rebellion', and I certainly found it offensive that they went about using my name. All I did was chance upon a group of ponies planning to betray the Legion, then decided to put their foalish cause to good use."
"That doesn't explain why you killed them," Nightcanter said.
"Unfortunately, they were getting a little out of hoof, and needed some trimming. I also wasn't lying when I said I needed a mana battery. You should be glad that I made your job a little easier. Please take this as a sign that I still have, not just the Legion's, but Equestria's best interests in mind."
"You've allowed the wolven to break past our defenses, and you've caused chaos by letting these rebels run about," Vanguard said. "How can you say that you are on the Legion's side?"
"We all have our parts to play, breaker," Black Rose said. "You already know a thing or two about going against something out of loyalty to it, and your part is far from done."
Before Vanguard could say anything else, Black Rose glanced towards a nearby window. "My, it's certainly quite late. I must take my leave now."
"Wait!" Nightcanter called out.
"Tell my beloved that he only has to wait for a little while longer," Black Rose said. "Oh, and tell him not to worry, I'll return your fellows eventually." Black arcs of magic crackled around her horn, then exploded. The flash engulfed the entire warehouse. Vanguard tried to jump aside, but a bolt of lightning struck him on the chest, and flung him several feet into a group of crates. Several crashes followed his. He struggled to stand up, and choked as clouds of dust filled the place. Ponies swore, and groaned around him.
"Celestia drill my backside!" Nightcanter hissed. "She played us for foals!"
Vanguard got to his hooves. "Why did she attack us?" he asked. "If she wanted to escape, she could have done so easily."
"I don't know," Nightcanter said. "Showing off? She didn't need to prove that she had us outclassed. Just refining a mana battery from unwilling sacrifices did it for me."
"I'm fine!" Scarlet answered. "My flank's still bleeding, but I'm fine!"
The rest of Nightcanter's squad sounded off. Frowning, she called out. "Blaze Trotter! Hoofbreak! What's wrong?"
There was no reply. The dust cloud settled down, giving them a better view. Scarlet and the rest of Sixth Squad ran up to them. Nightcanter couldn't see a single pony from the Fifth and Eighth Squad. "There's your answer," she said.
Vanguard cursed under his breath.
"We just lost two squads," Nightcanter said. "I hope you're about to get yours back up to full strength soon, Vanguard. We'll need it."
Vanguard looked at the dead ponies. Nightcanter was right. More than that, the Legion needed a unicorn mage capable of matching Black Rose, or she would continue to do as she pleased. His thoughts went towards a particular pony once again. He shook his head. "No," he whispered firmly.
It was close to midnight by the time Rainbow made it back to her quarters. A few of her flight mates had invited her to share a few drinks with them after training, and she had obliged. Following Scarlet's advice, she had kept the boozing to a few glasses. The memory of Twilight being lashed was more sobering than any of the quick-acting cures that her flight proposed. Still, even a few glasses could be made to last an entire evening with the right ponies around.
Being called names like "kid", "newbie", and "wet-wing", was annoying at first, but it did have some upside to it. Rainbow's flight mates were happy to show her around, and tell her how the flight did things. They were also inclined to be a little lenient at times.
Outside duty hours, Dreadwing knew how to loosen up. Ever since the last raid, she was often invited to a little drink after duty. "You showed potential during the first rush, Rainbow, but the last raid was where we could say you were really blooded!" Spring Breeze, one of the senior pegasi, had said. Being praised, and accepted for excelling at something felt...amazing. When she had boasted that she was going to get a Dreadwing insignia soon, they had laughed heartily, and clapped her on the back. No disapproving stares here. No judgmental lectures about how bad she should feel.
It wasn't all just boasting, and praise. In Storm Brew's pub, she was treated to not just the occasional free drink, but also stories of past battles, and incidents. She didn't care much one way, or another about killing. It simply didn't trigger any emotion, so what was the point in lingering over it? The thrill of battle, however: of flying through desperate, nigh-impossible odds, of dodging death by the skin of your teeth, that made her feel...and it felt good. Even just hearing of past battles got her pumped.
Rainbow didn't expect anypony to still be up in the shared quarters as she winged her way lazily towards it. She was wrong. A pony stood in front of the door.
"'bout time you showed up!" Applejack said.
Rainbow landed hesitantly. She didn't like the tone Applejack used, but she didn't want to start anything. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "My flight went out for a little drink, and I sort of didn't notice the time."
Applejack took a sniff of the air around Rainbow, and wrinkled her nose. "You sure it was little?" she asked. "That's a powerful smell for 'little'. You should be careful with that new drinking habit of yours."
Rainbow's lips twitched as she looked at Applejack. A second later, she burst out laughing.
"What is so darn funny?" Applejack asked. "I'm trying to be serious here!"
"I can't help it!" Rainbow said. "I'm being lectured about drinking by a pony named after a drink!" Still snickering, she tried to sidle past Applejack.
Applejack didn't budge, and there was no getting past her. "Not so fast! I'm not done yet!"
"What do you want from me, Applejack?" Rainbow snapped. "You're ruining my good mood!"
"I want to talk about you avoiding us." Applejack tapped Rainbow's chest with a hoof. "Don't say you're not. You're always in a hurry to leave in the morning, and you're always the last to arrive in the evening. What's going on, RD?"
Rainbow slapped the hoof aside. "I don't know how Infantry does things, but my flight starts its day early, and ends it late. And if I want to go out with my flight mates to relax, that's my business!"
"And what about those things you told us a few days ago? About feeling sorry for monsters, and enjoying fighting?"
Rainbow snorted. "There is nothing to talk about, Applejack," she scoffed. "I'm in the right here. Sooner or later, all of you are going to come around, and stop feeling sorry over a bunch of monsters."
Applejack stared incredulously at Rainbow, before scowling. "Now see here, Rainbow, that's the sort of thinking that's got all of us worried! It's one thing to have to fight, and another to enjoy it. Fluttershy says you've been acting weird since you've been hanging out with Scarlet."
"I have not been acting weird." Rainbow ground her teeth. "It's all of you that have been acting weird. At least Twilight's starting to get it, but you, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, aren't!" Rainbow stepped back, and gestured towards her surroundings. "Look around you, Applejack. We're not on some vacation. This is our new home! Like it or not, we're stuck here forever. You can't afford to keep acting like a…like a spoiled, candy-hoofed chosen!"
Applejack stared at Rainbow quietly, her scowl only getting deeper. "Your flank has a cutie mark just like the rest of us, Rainbow," she said in a low tone. "Toughening up because of this place is all well and good, but that doesn't mean you should forget the things we learned in the Heartland. Sticking by your friends for one thing. Have you forgotten why we all came here in the first place?"
Rainbow flapped her wings and hovered above Applejack. "I may still look the part, but I'm done being a chosen. Scarlet's right, you have to be crazy if you can't take joy in something you'll be doing for the rest of your life. If you can't deal with that, Applejack, you can run over to Prince Terrato, and beg him to take you somewhere safe." Her lips curled into a sneer. "Like a wuss."
"That's it!" Applejack roared. She jumped Rainbow, grabbing a hold of her neck, and dragging her to the ground. Rainbow's breath whooshed out of her lungs when her back struck the stone pavement. With a snarl, she smashed a hoof to the side of Applejack's head.
They hurled themselves at each other in a rage. Applejack remained on top, pinning Rainbow's wings with her hind legs. She raised a front hoof, and brought it down. Rainbow's vision burst with colors when her snout met hard, earth pony hoof. The back of her head struck the pavement, and blood burst from her nose. Had Applejack always hit this hard, or was it all the practice with those heavy tramplers?
Rainbow clamped her teeth down on Applejack's right foreleg, and tried to shake her off. They remained locked in that position for a while. Rainbow wrung the leg between her teeth until she could taste blood. Applejack desperately held on, and struck the sides of her head with a free leg.
"That's enough you two!"
Twilight's voice broke through the haze of violence. A nimbus of purple magic surrounded, and separated them.
"What in Equestria are you two doing?" Twilight asked. Rainbow wondered if Twilight was angry over the fighting, or because they disturbed her studies. The others were there as well, rubbing the sleep from their eyes, and gasping at the sight. Rarity looked on with disapproval. Pinkie Pie scratched her head, while Fluttershy looked like she just saw a pile of dead bodies at her doorstep.
"You've gone into a very dark place, Rainbow," Applejack growled. She wiped the blood from a cut on her lip, and nursed the bite on her foreleg. "Sooner or later, you're going to pay for it. All of us will."
"Look who's talking," Rainbow said as she wiped the blood from her nose. "You're the one who jumped me. For all your talk about lessons we've learned in the Heartland, you're the one who resorted to violence first. You're adapting too, Applejack. Stop pretending!"
Rainbow turned her nose up and went inside, shrugging off any attempt by Fluttershy to see to her injuries. She heard Applejack strike the pavement hard with a hoof, but she didn't care if that orange nag jumped down Fenrir's gullet. She flung her coat on the floor, and jumped into bed. She pulled the blanket over her roughly, and slept with her back turned on the rest of the room.
A day of dealing the other Logistics officers left Hammer Chain itching for some smithing. He returned to his work with a vengeance, and, in his enthusiasm, he dragged along a sleepy Rarity and Spike to start at the crack of dawn. With leather and cloth repairs not yet coming in, he had seized the opportunity to teach his apprentice how to forge her first knife. Thus, the clanging that came from his smithy did not come from his practiced strikes, but from Rarity's first awkward attempt at crafting a blade.
"Put some more spirit into it, Rarity!" Hammer Chain said. "That's not how I showed you, unless you're trying to make a comment on my forging!"
"I'm sorry, Hammer Chain," Rarity answered with a barely-suppressed yawn. Though the lack of sleep left her sluggish, and partly inattentive, she was surprised by the ease by which she maneuvered the heavy hammer. True to what Prince Terrato had said, all she needed was to stay in the Barrier Lands to eventually attune herself to its magic. She wasn't growing by leaps and bounds like Twilight was doing, but her telekinesis had returned to its normal strength. If Applejack and Rainbow's fighting hadn't woken her up last night, she would be impressing Hammer Chain by now. "I would not quite describe myself as 'spirited' this morning, if I may say so."
"Half-dead, is what I say so!" Hammer Chain remarked. "What's the matter? Did you spend the entire night drinking like that rainbow-maned friend of yours?"
"Certainly not!" Rarity huffed. "I knew I had work in the morning and-- wait, how did you know about Rainbow Dash?"
"Passed by Storm Brew's on my way home yesterday. Rainbow Dash, hmm? She was the loudest pony in the barroom. Haven't seen that sort of bragging since Overcast." Hammer Chain paused, his expression darkening. "Tell your friend to be cautious. Dreadwing doesn't take too kindly to a pegasus who can't back her talk up."
Rarity stopped hammering on the glowing piece of metal, and turned towards Hammer Chain.
"Don't let that piece grow cold, Rarity!" Hammer Chain warned her.
"Oh, sorry!" Rarity replied. She focused on her work, her hammer strikes now getting more vigorous as each blow shook some of her torpor out of her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Do you know a lot about Flight Dreadwing?" Spike asked.
"Been working with them even before Tailwind took the captaincy," Hammer Chain said. "A lot of our bolts go to Dreadwing, and most of their officers are wearing my work."
"What did you mean by what you said earlier?" Rarity asked. "Is Rainbow in trouble?"
Hammer Chain stroked his beard with a hoof. "Depends on how seriously Dreadwing's taking her. How good a flyer is she?"
Rarity fell into in deep thought.
"She's the best flyer in all of Equestria!" Spike said. He nearly yelped when he noticed Rarity's disapproving frown. "Well, best in the Heartland anyway," he added sheepishly.
"Sounds bad," Hammer Chain said. "She'd better impress then. Otherwise, it's Overcast all over again."
"Might I know who this Overcast is, and what happened to him or her?" Rarity asked.
Hammer Chain raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?" he asked. "I thought that you'd be familiar with the story since you're with Vanguard Clash and Scarlet Rabbit."
Rarity shook her head. "If it's going to be a concern for Rainbow, I'd like to hear about it."
"Me too!" Spike added. He leaned forward from the crate he was sitting on.
Hammer Chain motioned for Rarity to keep working, and stayed silent for a while. Eventually, he shrugged. "Overcast used to be a Dreadwing flyer several years back. He joined up about the same time as Scarlet. He was a pretty fast colt, and he knew it. Talked up a storm whenever the flight gathered, and he did prove it by beating most of his flight mates in races."
Hammer Chain gestured for Rarity to stop hammering, then inspected the blade. After eyeing it critically, he let her continue. "You can't blame him entirely. Reconnaissance flights encourage this sort of behavior: trophies, insignias, bragging sessions in barrooms, and so on. Overcast shot himself in the hoof, but his flight gave him the crossbow."
"So that's what happened?" Spike asked. "Flight Dreadwing gave Overcast a crossbow, and he shot himself?"
"He meant that figuratively, Spike," Rarity said. She looked to Hammer Chain, silently asking her teacher to continue.
"As I was saying…" Hammer Chain said. "Overcast had potential. He and Scarlet were easily the best flyers in their flight. Inseparable too. Couldn't count the number of times I passed by those two over at Storm Brew's. To nopony's surprise, Overcast eventually challenged Scarlet to a race."
Rarity dipped the blade into a bucket of oil to cool. After an approving nod from Hammer Chain, she went over to the grindstone to sharpen it. "How did the race go?" she asked.
Hammer Chain shrugged. "I wasn't there when they went at it. From what I heard, it was pretty close for the first half. By the second half, Scarlet pulled away, and won by a wide margin."
"I guess Overcast got taken down a peg, and had to learn a lesson on humility," Spike said. He nodded sagely. "I've seen it happen before."
When Hammer Chain didn't respond, Rarity looked worriedly at him. "That's not what happened, is it?" she asked.
"I'm sure it was a humbling experience," Hammer Chain said grimly. "Official story is that Overcast was so shamed that he couldn't show his face in Fangbreaker anymore, so he asked for a transfer to the Western Legion."
"So what really happened?" Spike asked. Rarity had been about to ask the same. If "official" meant the same as "truth" Hammer Chain wouldn't have used the word.
"Everypony did find the transfer strange," Hammer Chain said. "There was no sending off party, or even a goodbye from Overcast. Nopony even saw him after the race. The popular story was that Scarlet was so livid over his easy win that he threatened to kill Overcast and Dreadwing, rather than lose their best flyer over murder charges, decided to transfer Overcast."
"But he won!" Rarity said. "Why would a pony be so angry over winning?"
"Because he wanted to lose," Hammer Chain answered. "I saw his face whenever he won a race with his weights still on, and whenever he was listening to Overcast. Scarlet wanted to lose at his best, and he really believed that Overcast was the one to do it. When Overcast failed…I doubt that it was a pretty sight."
Spike swallowed hard. "S-so…what happened to Overcast after that?"
"From what Tailwind told me, he ended up at the wrong end of a wrath dragon's sneeze. Maybe that's true. Maybe Tailwind just says that to keep Scarlet from hunting him down."
Rarity wordlessly put a fine edge on her first blade. This was bad news indeed. She didn't know Scarlet very well compared to Rainbow, or Vanguard, but she couldn't have expected something like Hammer Chain's story from a pony who was constantly laid back, and smiling. She could talk to Rainbow about it, but after what happened with Applejack...
"Let's see how it's turned out," Hammer Chain said. He held up the blade to his face with magic. "Not bad for a first try. Let's continue with the hilting and--" Tailwind flung the door open, and entered. Hammer Chain put the blade down. "What a coincidence."
Tailwind set an enormous crossbow on the floor. The weapon was about as tall as a pony when stood up, and had a metal prod. "I need your help with this, Hammer Chain," she said. "The stock feels a bit flimsy."
"That's not exactly standard issue, Flight Captain," Hammer Chain said. "Off on a hunting trip?"
Tailwind nodded, and smiled. "You could say that. I need it ready for tomorrow's sortie."
"A sortie?" Hammer Chain asked. "What for? Is the siege breaking already?"
"I wish," Tailwind muttered. "We've got the first wave of reinforcements approaching from the south, and we need to give them a path to the city. I've been tasked with assassinating the brachyurus leading the wolven forces by the southern gates."
Hammer Chain frowned. "Sounds like a Special Operations pegasus' job." He levitated the enormous weapon, and inspected it. "Here's your problem. The stock's cracked. At least the prow's still useful. So, how'd you end up with the job?"
"Who knows what's going on with Special Operations?" Tailwind snorted. "I know that Scarlet's laid out in the infirmary. I guess none of the other squads could spare their pegasus for the job, or I'm the best candidate after Scarlet."
"I'll get on it then," Hammer Chain said.
Tailwind nodded, and left. Once she was gone, Hammer Chain let the weapon hover in front of Rarity, and Spike.
"Wow," Spike said. He hopped off the crate for a closer look. "That thing's huge!"
"This is a Quarrel Mark Two Windlass-Operated Arbalest," Hammer Chain said proudly. He pointed to the engraved symbol of a hammer with its handle wrapped in chain on the prod. "One of mine at that."
"Its string is so tough!" Spike remarked as he tugged on the bowstring. "I can't even bend it!"
"Its dragongut," Hammer Chain said. "Best bowstring material in all of Equestria."
Rarity put the strips of leather down, and stared at Hammer Chain. "Did you say "dragongut"?" she asked.
Hammer Chain raised an eyebrow. "That's right. You've never heard of it?"
"As in the guts of an actual dragon?" Spike asked aghast. "You kill dragons here too?"
"Not here," Hammer Chain said. His tone softened. "And only the ones we can't negotiate with. The lesser dragons like greed, gluttony and lust ones provide this material. We have to kill them when they rampage through a settlement anyway. Might as well make use of the bodies."
"But I haven't seen any other dragons around," Rarity said. "And the ponies here don't seem to recognize Spike."
"You won't find any this far north. You'll find plenty down the Western Barrier Land. Came from there myself." Hammer Chain shrugged. "The dragons don't mind us killing their lesser kin. Those mindless beasts are an embarrassment to them apparently."
Seeing Spike relax a little, Hammer Chain went over to Rarity. "Now, let me show you how to hilt that before I work on this thing, alright?" he said.
Rarity nodded, and pushed aside her worries for now. In the back of her mind, fear for her friend continued to nag at her.
Forced to lie on his belly and with his flank bound up, Scarlet stared at the infirmary's walls as if they were cage bars. He had been brought here after apparently shooting himself. If he wasn't so embarrassed by the incident, he would have protested having to spend the night in this place. All it took was a glare from Vanguard to get him to comply.
"Redbrand could at least get me some brandy," Scarlet muttered. He flapped his wings impatiently. A while ago, he had heard that there was a sortie being planned for tomorrow. It was all that he could do not to burst out of the infirmary, and tell Commander Dreadstep that he was ready for action. "Hey!" he called out when one of the medics entered. "Tell Redbrand…uh…my flank's hurting really badly, and I need a drink!"
Instead of hurrying away like the last one, this medic approached him slowly. As he got a better look, he recognized the long, pink mane, and the yellow coat. "Fluttershy!" he said. "Am I glad to see you! Say, do you have a drink on you?"
The lack of an immediate response didn't bother Scarlet. Fluttershy was but a foot away when he decided that she wasn't as glad as he was for this meeting, and that there was no drink coming.
"I want you to stop," Fluttershy said in a low voice. There was no hesitation when she spoke. No stuttering, and no backing away as well.
Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Stop?" he asked. "Stop what? Shooting myself? I'd love to, but--"
Fluttershy leaned on Scarlet's bed, her face just a few inches away from his.
Scarlet froze when he stared directly into those green eyes. A chill ran up his spine. He tried to speak, but no words came out. All the world blurred except for those eyes.
"Whatever you're doing to Rainbow, I want you to stop it!" Fluttershy said. Her normally soft voice had steel underneath.
A low chuckle escaped Scarlet's lips, and his hooves dug into his bed. Oh, at long last he'd found it! This terror had to come from only one source! He lunged from his bed, knocking her to the ground, and pinning her in place with his hooves. His lips split into a grin as he took quick, and heavy breaths. "Found you…" he said, his voice shuddering.
Scarlet was already raising a hoof for a strike when Fluttershy realized that she was in danger. Just as suddenly, he flew to the right, crashing into a nearby table of medical supplies. Somepony offered Fluttershy a hoof. After a few shaky, and failed attempts, she took it. The hoof belonged to one of the senior medics. A couple of them had arrived with Redbrand.
Redbrand himself was turning around after kicking Scarlet. He gestured for the other medics to help him. Scarlet still had a bizzare, eager grin on his face when he got up. The bandages on his flank seeped blood. When he tried to make another lunge, the medics caught him. "Tie him down!" Redbrand snarled. "Use chains if you have to!" He looked to Fluttershy. "Let's go." With one last confused, and frightened look at Scarlet Rabbit's trashing form, Fluttershy followed Redbrand out.
"Come back!" Scarlet shouted. "Hassyth!"
"What were you doing in there?" Redbrand demanded once they had walked out of the infirmary. "Some kind of twisted chosen magic?"
"I was…I was trying to talk to him…" Fluttershy said. That was what she had planned when she saw Scarlet being brought into the ward. What she had seen last night was too much. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had argued before. They had even fought before. That would not have been a surprise as they were both headstrong, and stubborn ponies. But what had happened last night was no simple fight between friends. It was a strain on their friendship itself. For the first time in her life, she was afraid that the damage could be permanent. Rainbow was flying off somewhere she, or any of her friends, couldn't follow, and all she knew was that Scarlet had something to do with it.
Just as Scarlet had looked into her eyes, she had looked into his. He had recoiled when "the stare" suddenly came on, just as any other creature did. But, instead of staying recoiled, he had snapped loose like a metal spring wound up too tightly.
Redbrand stopped, and grabbed hold of Fluttershy, forcing her to look at one of his hooves. He was trembling too. "This is just from catching a glimpse of your eyes, filly," he said. "You better hope that I'm not doing any surgery today."
Fluttershy looked downwards. "I'm sorry."
"Forget apologies," Redbrand snapped. "Why were you trying to terrify him into talking anyway? Terrato grind me, they could use you in Special Operations with that stare. It'd do wonders for interrogations."
"Well…I didn't know it was going to happen," Fluttershy said meekly. "I just wanted him to stop what he was doing to my friend. But…it didn't work on him…"
"It worked alright," Redbrand muttered. "It just didn't have the sort of effect you're used to."
Fluttershy's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"That thing you do shakes ponies up. You don't get to control what you shake out when you do. "
Fluttershy stayed silent and stared at Redbrand in confusion.
"There are more monsters in this world than the ones out there, Fluttershy," Redbrand said. "Ponies hide plenty inside them. You never know what's going to tumble out when you shake a pony around. Scarlet's given you a taste of just how bad it can be."
Fluttershy swallowed. It was a foalish thing she did: confronting Scarlet by herself, and cornering him like that. She was fortunate that the other medics had stepped in when they did. More than ever, she was sure that Scarlet was bad for Rainbow. "I've never seen such a pony before," she whispered.
"You'll get used to it," Redbrand replied. "Spend a few years in Medical, and you'll see how the carnage of battle damages a pony. And it's not just their bodies too."
"Could it happen to me and my friends too?" Fluttershy asked.
"What kind of question is that? You're ponies too. Those ridiculous pictures on your flanks won't protect you from this place. Isn't that why Celestia stuffed you all in the Heartland?"
Fluttershy's heart sank. So it wasn't just Rainbow she had to worry about. Her other friends might start changing because of this place. Even she might start changing. She closed her eyes, and quivered slightly at the thought. She opened her eyes in surprise, however, when a hoof patted her on the shoulder. She looked towards Redbrand, who didn't match her gaze.
Redbrand cleared his throat before speaking. "Don't mope," he said, his gruffness sounded forced this time. "Not everypony ends up partly deranged. Others are strong enough to stay themselves. You and your friends might be among them."
A slight smile creased Fluttershy's face. He scowled, and looked away. "You have friends out in the front lines right?" he asked. "Tomorrow will be a test for them. You better be ready too, Fluttershy."
Years in the Legion's kitchens taught Sharpfangs enough to know what the Legion's plans were without having to be told. All he needed to do was observe the mess hall. The chatter was nervous all around, more so than usual. They were about to put their lives on the line soon. The new recruits were were always the loudest talkers: boasting, asking questions, or just hinting for support. While most of the kitchen staff was already taking a break. Sharpfangs stayed around for a while, just in case something was needed.
"Don't those things hurt?" Pinkie asked. Sharpfangs turned, and found her already moving in to stare at his muzzle. Ever since her arrival, Pinkie had demonstrated an infectious, bubbly joy in everything she did, and an absolute lack of perception for personal space.
"Don't what hurt?" Sharpfangs asked.
"Those pointy things coming out of your mouth," Pinkie replied. "They're fangs right? They look pretty sharp. I guess that's why you're called 'Sharpfangs'. It must be pretty awful if you bite your tongue with them. I bite my tongue sometimes when I talk, or eat really fast, but my teeth are all flat, not sharp and pointy like those."
Throughout the verbal barrage, Sharpfangs could only recall sheltereding from calmer blizzards than this. Before she could even slow down, she put her front hooves against his back, and started rubbing. He stepped back with a start. "What are you doing?"
"Grassmane was right! You coat does feel weird! It's so rough…like sandpaper!"
"Please stop," Sharpfangs said. He looked around for signs of Tailwind. His wife had caught a mare rubbing her hooves against his tough, long-haired coat before. The Legion Police still talked about that incident with a shudder. Fortunately, Pinkie did have some concept of discomfort. Still all smiles, she backed away. "You're looking happier this morning, Pinkie. Yesterday, you were under the weather."
Pinkie paused. "I was pretty glum wasn't I?" she said. "I figured that it wasn't helping anypony anyway. I'd rather help my friends by cheering them up! Besides, everypony in the mess hall just seems so happy, and excited!"
Sharpfangs snorted. "They do, don't they? There's going to be a major battle later, and it's got them worked up."
"Do they enjoy fighting that much?" Pinkie asked. Her lower lip stuck out slightly.
Sharpfangs shook his head. "They're scared. They think if they laughed, and talked loud enough, the fear would lessen."
Pinkie grinned. "That's a great attitude to have. Just laugh at whatever you're scared of!"
Sharpfangs looked at Pinkie a sadly. There was no mockery in her tone, that made his heart ache a little. What an enviable life she must have lived behind the barrier, and how sad that the Barrier Lands would steal the belief infused within her words as surely as a blizzard would steal the warmth from anypony.
"Are you okay, Sharpfangs?" Pinkie asked. "Did you bite your tongue?"
"I'm fine," Sharpfangs replied. He sniffed, then cleared his mind. Pinkie decided to come to this place, and he respected that, but she should face the consequences of doing so. "Why don't we join the others and--"
Pinkie shivered violently, her eyes vacant, and staring.
"Pinkie!" Sharpfangs said. "Are you alright?"
Pinkie's eyes refocused, and she hugged herself to stop from shivering. "W-w-whoah," she said. "It's gotten really c-c-cold in here!"
"You're in a kitchen with several cook fires still up." Sharpfangs said. "What's wrong? Do you have a fever?"
Pinkie shivered for a few more moments. She let out a loud exhale of relief before speaking again. "Wow, that was weird. I suddenly felt really cold inside. It's like…like having your heart replaced with ice cubes for a minute! It's like a…a doozy! A really cold doozy!"
Sharpfangs frowned. "No offense, but is this a chosen thing?" he asked. "I've heard of heartburn, but not heart-freeze."
"Oh, it's not the same for all of us 'chosen'," Pinkie replied. "I think it's my Pinkie Sense acting up. But I've never had that kind of reaction."
"Pinkie Sense?" Sharpfangs asked. "What in the frozen valleys of Wolvengard is a Pinkie Sense?"
"It's when I get twitches on my body that means that something is going to happen." Pinkie's smile was back. "I don't think you'll find it in the frozen valleys of Wolvengard."
Seeing Pinkie still being earnest made it difficult for Sharpfangs to scoff. That such a silly pony being able to predict the future would be a good joke for a nightly drinking session, but he wasn't going to laugh at her face. "So what does this really cold doozy say about the future?"
"I don't know," Pinkie replied. Her smile faded again. "It's the first time that's happened to me. I think…I think it's something really bad, and it's going to happen during the battle you were talking about."
"It's a battle," Sharpfangs said. "Bad things always happen in battles. Battles are bad things. Anything specific?"
"No," Pinkie Pie chewed on her foreleg. "Can we stop the battle?" she pleaded. "Just for today!"
The ponies in mess hall were already leaving. "There is no stopping this battle, Pinkie," Sharpfangs said. "Let's just hope that your Pinkie Sense is wrong this time."
"But it's never wrong…" Pinkie mumbled.
Reactions from Bastion City's residents were mixed as they watched the Legion gather by the southern gates. More than a few lauded the upcoming attack as brave, and dynamic: a sign that the Legion was still a force to be reckoned with. Just as many quietly hoped that their troops would make it back alive. Nearly every family in the city had a son or daughter in the Legion.
Among those closest to the gates was Applejack's platoon. She adjusted her barding straps for the eighth time. Or was it the ninth?
"Nervous?" Twocolt asked. Underneath his champron, his eyes betrayed his own fears.
"Maybe a little," Applejack answered. Her voice trembled slightly. It was one thing to stand on top of a wall, and knock down every wolven that tried to climb up, and another to charge into a pack of them.
Reinforcements were arriving, and it would be Infantry's job to clear a path for them. Several squads of unicorns had gathered behind her, while pegasi occupied the walls, and gates. A whole flight hovered above her platoon, out of sight of bolters. The lead pegasus was Vanguard''s mother.
"There goes Flight Dreadwing," Twocolt said. "They always seem to be the ones heading the pegasi in any major operation. Your friend's lucky they picked her."
Rainbow hovered with the rest of Dreadwing, her head raised proudly, while a confident, eager smile curved her lips. When she caught sight of Applejack, she snorted and tilted her head up, refusing to lock gazes.
"Yeah," Applejack muttered. "Real lucky." A day had passed since their scuffle, and they still weren't talking to each other. She shouldn't have lost her temper that night. All it did was make things worse. She had made up her mind. After this battle, she was going to pony it up, and apologize, even if it meant that Rainbow was going rub her nose in it. After that, she was going to try again.
It wasn't just Rainbow that Applejack was planning on talking to. A platoon of unicorn magi stood behind her. Twilight wasn't going on about how they had to go out there, and kill wolven like Rainbow was. That was because, for the past few days, she barely said anything to them. She was constantly reading, and the slightest interruption irritated her. Spike once told stories about Twilight's nigh friendless days in Canterlot. These days were starting to resemble those. Only with more wolven.
"Is that Captain Vanguard Clash?" Twocolt asked. "Looks like Special Operations is involved in this attack too."
True enough, Vanguard stood by one side of the gate. In his distinct barding, he looked like statue of black metal. While legionnaires around him paced, and fidgeted, he was perfectly still. Applejack smiled wryly at the contrast he presented with Rainbow. One was as colorful as her name suggested, easily among the loudest of her friends, and filled Applejack with apprehension. The other one was about as colorful as a tombstone, and just as talkative. There was a strength, and steadiness to him that washed her nervousness away. She reminded herself to talk to Vanguard later. He was born into all of this fighting. He would know how to deal with all the violence without falling apart.
For now, Applejack concentrated on the task ahead. The attack was about to start soon.
Rainbow was practically swelling with pride. Dreadwing was tasked with leading the pegasi in this attack. Not only that, Flight Captain Tailwind was given the vital role of assassinating the enemy commander. There was no doubt now that Dreadwing was the best flight in the Legion. Three recruits were traded away so she could be included in it. During their raid, she had proven herself capable of fighting alongside them. This time, she was going to show them that she was the best thing to happen to the flight.
Finally, the horn that sounded the attack blew, and the gates swung open.
"That's the signal!" Tailwind barked. "Move out! For Equestria!"
Dreadwing echoed Tailwind's battle cry, and took off. They winged past the southern walls followed by Storm Dawn and Frost Shear. Below them, several infantry platoons charged into the waiting wolven forces.
Rainbow had little time to watch how the ground troops were doing. As soon as she flew past the walls, a barrage of bolts greeted her flight. There was no panicked flying from her this time. She stayed in formation, and weaved to the side with the others.
"Take down their bolters!" Tailwind shouted over the clamor of battle. She pulled out the enormous crossbow strapped to her back. "Night Breeze! Spring Rain! Cover me while I move in!"
As two of Flight Dreadwing's officers joined Tailwind in flying deeper into enemy lines, the rest of the flight fired their first barrage into the gathered bolter squads. Rainbow picked one bolter who was just about to finish loading, and pulled the firing lever. The bolt struck the wolven's ribs, and flung it back.
'Good,' Rainbow thought. 'I'm still in perfect form!' She started loading on the fly while picking out her next target. The wolven had finished reloading when she let another bolt loose. Another wolven bolter dropped to its side, its neck bleeding copiously. A second barrage of bolts flew from below, and the entire flight flew up to avoid it. Somepony beneath Rainbow screamed briefly. She didn't have time to look, however. An enormous wolven stalked from the rear lines. It was smaller than King Fenrir, but was easily five times the size of a pony. Its white fur stood out among its gray-coated brethren. "Brachyurus…" she whispered.
Naralrak chuckled as the thunder-foots galloped into the fangs of his wolven. A few days ago, the western forces had been attacked by flying thunder-foots, and their commander, Gelrok, embarrassed himself by letting several supply wagons burn. This was a chance for him to prove himself to the king as the most competent among the brachyurii. "Forward!" he roared. "Tear these thunder-foots apart!"
"Commander, there are thunder-foots also coming from the south!" one wolven howled.
"Then kill them too!" Naralrak snarled. Scouts had already warned him of the approaching thunder-foots from the south. Nakiskra, his former scouting leader, had suggested that he call upon the other commanders to reinforce his troops. For such an impertinent suggestion, she later provided him with dinner that same night. Call for help? How humiliating would that be? This march will be the greatest battle in Wolvengard's history, and there was no way he was going to let himself be overshadowed by any wolven by asking for help.
A large flock of flying thunder-foots descended on Naralrak's bolters, shooting them while they were still reloading. A trio of them separated from the main flock, and headed towards him. Snarling at this brazen challenge, he advanced upon the three. One of them aimed a large bolter at him. "Think you can kill me, thunder-foot?" he roared. "Come then!" With one swift motion, he grabbed a nearby rock, and hurled it at the flying thunder-foot.
"Foal of a nag!"
An enormous rock flew towards Tailwind. She had to abandon the shot to dodge it in time. Night Breeze and Spring Rain flew ahead, and fired at her charging target. The brachyurus dodged Night Breeze's shot, but Spring Rain's struck true, embedding a bolt just above the its left shoulder. It didn't even slow down at this. "Flight Captain watch out!" Night Breeze yelled.
A squad of bolters had detached from their main firing line, and were now taking aim at Tailwind. Cursing at the lost chance, she dodged, and weaved as a barrage of bolts came her way. Her escorts reloaded, and turned their aims toward the bolters. They fired, and a pair of wolven dropped to the snow-covered ground. It was now a race of reloading. The two would finish first while the wolven struggled with their heavy weapons. However, even if they killed two more, they would still have to avoid another barrage. Tailwind righted herself, and took aim once again, but the target was no longer where it was standing.
With a vicious roar, the brachyurus jumped from beneath, its claws, and jaws outstretched. Tailwind twisted her body in time to avoid being ripped in half. The brachyurus's hot breath blew past her coat as its jaws snapped shut just a few inches away. As the wolven fell, one of its claw swipes struck the arbalest, knocking it to the ground.
"Damn!" Tailwind hissed. She pulled out her regular crossbow, and fired while the brachyurus was still falling. The bolt struck true, burying itself into her target's side. She didn't believe that it was going to slow down. Its armor-like fur, its tough hide, and its thick muscles, would make sure of that. Before she could make a dash towards her fallen weapon, a barrage of bolts forced her back. Something else headed towards her though, some streak of rainbow colors making its way through the battlefield at amazing speed.
Though the battle raged on all around her, Rainbow looked at how Tailwind dealt with the enemy leader. The brachyurus was enormous. Even from afar she knew that they were big. Seeing one this close left her breathless. Its size, its speed...everything about it was completely monstrous. Her heart skipped when it jumped so high that it nearly bit Tailwind. No wonder all it took was to kill one of these monsters to earn an insignia.
When Tailwind's arbalest fell to the ground, Rainbow saw her chance. Normal crossbows hurt the monster, but they weren't enough to kill it. It needed one clean shot with the arbalest to bring it down. She made a dash for the weapon, flying low, and zigzagging through the swirling battle. Infantry was pushing hard, forcing the wolven lines to break up, or be trampled into the blood-soaked snow. There were also ponies attacking from the opposite side, and making their way into the city. The pegasus reinforcements spread out, firing on the scattered wolven to keep them confused, and unable to regroup.
Casualties were also all over the place. A pegasus crashed just a few feet away, his body riddled with bolts. Two more followed him with the same injuries. She flew past several dead earth ponies, and had to duck a swipe from one of the wolven savaging their remains.
Finally, Rainbow made it to the arbalest. Fortunately, the weapon had not fired despite the impact. It didn't look like it was damaged either. The thing was heavy, however, and slowed her down when she flew up.
"Rainbow!" Tailwind shouted from above. "Good work! Now, give it to me!" Another barrage of bolts forced her to fly up.
Unfortunately, the brachyurus had also followed. Its fearsome, red eyes locked onto Rainbow as it charged. In the few seconds it took for the monster to reach her, Rainbow had to make a snap decision. The balance threw her off, but she aimed the arbalest, and fired into those gaping jaws.
At the sound of the horn, and the swing of the gates, the sudden rush of legionnaires carried Applejack away. "For Equestria!" everypony shouted. Instinctively, she echoed the battle cry. There was little conscious thought involved in the charge. The pent up energy of waiting followed by the sudden burst of sound, and movement sent every pony in Infantry galloping headlong towards the wolven. It was like being carried away on a river's current.
The foremost ponies crashed into the wolven with the loud bang of colliding metal and flesh. The wolven at the front were struck down while the charging ponies reared up to trample them. Blood spattered across barding as tramplers crushed bones. The wolven responded by jumping on the lead ponies, latching on to their barding with powerful jaws, and dragging them down. When one pony proved too strong to be taken down alone, two or three more easily followed through, and a fallen pony was practically helpless as the wolven tore bits of his barding off from the straps, then clamped into the exposed flesh.
From behind Applejack came a barrage of magic. Bolts of flame, and arcs of lightning charred wolven hides, leaving them stunned, confused, and on fire, while Infantry trampled them. Applejack ducked on instinct when a crack of thunder came from behind. An enormous bolt of lightning, much bigger than the previous ones, flashed above her, striking one of the wolven, and knocking it flying back to the enemy rear lines. Instead of a badly singed, twitching wolven, there was only a charred corpse. The spell scattered into several smaller bolts that struck the wolven unfortunate enough to be nearby, singeing their bodies, and leaving them howling in pain.
Unsurprisingly, Twilight stood at that massive bolt's source. Her horn still crackled with purple energy, and it looked like she was already intoning another spell. Nearby unicorn magi looked at her in surprise, but she ignored them. She didn't even seem to look at the carnage that resulted from her last one. 'Is that what you've been studying so much for, Twi?' Applejack thought.
She didn't have time to contemplate. A wolven saw easy prey in her, and charged, flecks of spit flying from its mouth. Applejack was ready though. She reared up, and smashed a trampler against the wolven's nose, cracking its snout, and knocking it on its back. Her heart pounding, she rushed forward, and brought both front hooves down on her stunned enemy. She closed her eyes upon hearing the crunch from beneath. The wolven's struggling ceased quickly. Another howl came from the right. Applejack opened her eyes, and found Twocolt trampling another wolven just a foot away.
"Stop doing that!" Twocolt yelled.
"Doing what?"
"Closing your eyes in the middle of a fight! Are you crazy?"
"Sorry," Applejack said. "I'm still not used to this." She remembered Twilight's expressionless face after that bolt of lightning. Perhaps she was the only one left who wasn't. She had to put more into this battle. Perhaps it was her weakness that pushed her friends even harder.
An enormous wolven was moving from the enemy's rear lines. Applejack had already been taught what this creature was: a brachyurus, the biggest and nastiest of the wolven. Several pegasi flew after the thing. She watched in awed horror as the massive creature jumped high, and swiped at one of them. Something fell from the dodging pegasus. It looked like a crossbow, a really big one.
A streak of rainbow colors sped towards where the weapon. 'Rainbow!' Applejack thought. Rainbow streaked past the enemy lines. Several wolven tried to give chase, but the speed made them quickly abandon the idea. Rainbow managed to get to the weapon, but the brachyurus was closing in.
'What are you doing?' Applejack thought desperately. 'Fly up! Get out of there!'
Rainbow hesitated for a second, took aim, then fired.
At the very last moment, the brachyurus closed its jaws, and ducked. Rainbow's shot tore through its left ear, causing blood to run down its face. Applejack's heart went cold as the monstrous wolven brought a paw down on Rainbow, slamming her viciously to the ground. Clumps of snow flew up from where she struck. Her weapon went flying towards another direction. "Rainbow!" Applejack cried out. Twocolt called out a warning, but Applejack galloped ahead, dodging past pursuing wolven.
Rainbow opened her eyes. What happened? One second she saw her shot miss, and the next second she was flat on her back. Her head spinning, she tried to remember what had happened in the past few seconds. The brachyurus had struck her. She remembered the impact of the pads of its paw hitting her, and counted herself lucky that it hadn't raked her with its claws. She tried to stand, but her legs were still wobbly, and her vision was all over the place.
A deep, cavernous growl brought her up short. A trickle of cold sweat dripped from her brow. The brachyurus stood before her, licking its lips in anticipation. Rainbow tried to get to her hooves again, but her knees refused to do what she asked them to do. She flapped her wings desperately, but all she did was hover for a few seconds before falling back into the snow. The brachyurus's hot breath wafted around her, choking her with the stink of rotting gore between its fangs. She closed her eyes, and waited for the end.
Seconds passed without anything happening. Rainbow opened her eyes again. An earth pony legionnaire stood in front of her. The yellow tail, and the orange coat gave her a good idea of who it was. 'Applejack?' she thought. Her eyes widened. It was indeed Applejack in front of her, rearing up to hold back those nightmarish jaws.
"What are you waiting for?" Applejack grunted. "Fly, you foal!" She shook from the effort to keep the brachyurus from shoving her aside. Rainbow got to her hooves, and flapped her wings. This time, she managed to hover properly.
Before Applejack could so much as breathe as sigh of relief, the brachyurus shifted, shaking her loose, and swiping at her with a claw.
Something hot, and wet spattered across Rainbow's face as the brachyurus's claw whipped past her. Applejack flew several feet before tumbling into the snow, and lying still. A bright red trail, along with bits of shredded barding, marked where she had tumbled. "Applejack?" Rainbow mumbled. Her voice rose to a cry. "Applejack!" She flew hurriedly towards her fallen friend.
The brachyurus had focused on Rainbow again. Before it could strike, a pair of bolts struck its side. With a roar, it fell back, and switched its attention to the pegasi circling above.
"Rainbow!" Tailwind shouted. "Get your friend out of there!"
Tears streaming down her face, Rainbow tried to get Applejack to her hooves, but Applejack was limp in her forelegs. Blood soaked through her leather barding as she lifted Applejack to her back before taking off.
The brachyurus prepared to jump again when another pony slammed against its chest. This one was clad in heavy, black plates, and had struck directly below its neck, knocking it flat on its back.
With a swing of his neck, Vanguard brought his blade against the brachyurus, slicing open a large wound on its side just as it was getting up. He jumped back in time as a claw swiped at him, keeping his head low, and waiting for another opportunity to attack.
No attack came. Before the brachyurus could charge, a torrent of flame washed over its face. It fell back, howling in agony. Vanguard glanced back in time to see Twilight galloping forward, her face twisted in a rage.
The brachyurus was not done despite its horrific injury. Half its face was charred, and partly melted, and another bolt had struck its side. Still, it roared, and leaped towards Vanguard with its claws extended. Vanguard saw his opening. He matched the leap with a charge of his own, and immediately ducked towards the monster's blind side. He galloped past the claws, then plunged his two-bladed sword deep between the brachyurus' ribs.
A weak howl escaped the brachyurus' jaws, and it raised a paw to knock Vanguard back. Before it could do so, it found Tailwind hovering in front of its face, the re-loaded arbalest now in her forelegs. The bolt flew from her weapon, and plunged into the brachyurus' remaining eye. The impact knocked the monster over, leaving it dead on its back. Before Tailwind could take a closer look, another wave of flame crashed into the brachyurus. She flew back, and watched the flames consume her target with a sigh of frustration.
Vanguard managed to pull his weapon out, and jump back before Twilight burned the dead brachyurus to a crisp. The white-hot flames died down as quickly as they had flared up, leaving behind a large, blackened corpse. For a moment, he was reminded of Pyre's hoof-work. The flames were the same, as was the ferocity of the spell. The horn sounded from the walls again. The reinforcements had made it back, and it was time to retreat. As he was leaving, the wind blew something against his legs: a hat, Applejack's hat, blew against him. He picked it up, and started running back, signaling to Twilight to do the same. Wolven from the eastern and western sides of the city were running over.
Rainbow barely heard the horn as she winged her way to the city. Bolts zipped past her dangerously, and she was flying out of formation, but she didn't care. She had to get Applejack to Medical. That was her only thought. Then, she had to do whatever it took to make sure her friend lived.
"My…"
Applejack shifted. A measure of relief escaped Rainbow as a sigh. "Applejack!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"
"My hat…" Applejack's voice was so weak that it was almost impossible to hear her. Her hooves moved slightly in some futile search. "Where's my…my hat…"
Rainbow could only choke back a sob as she beat her wings harder. Bastion City seemed so far away…
The noise was starting to irk Applejack. What was going on? Can't a pony get some sleep without all this bawling and screaming? She had half a mind to get up, and give them a piece of her mind. The other half just wanted to turn over, and go back to sleep. She was so tired. More tired than she had ever been in all her life. Why did Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash pick this time for sobbing, and wailing? Even Twilight was going at it.
"Don't just stand there crying, filly! Get me my sutures!"
That was the grouchy doctor that Fluttershy served under. Redbrand was it? What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be in a medical ward helping injured ponies?
"Everypony, we need to stand aside, and let the medics work."
Vanguard Clash. There was no mistaking that growl of a voice. Hearing him use it so softly felt...ticklish. It was clearly a voice made for shouting battle cries, not singing lullabies. For all its roughness, he did use it quite well when he tried to comfort her while they were out in the plains, and when he was trying to assure her in that alley. Right now, she was just glad that somepony was going to clear the place, and give her some peace and quiet.
"Stay with us, Applejack," Vanguard said quietly. "Remember the ones you still have back home."
The thought of her family jerked Applejack awake. The harvest should be over by now. How were they doing? It was so hard to open her eyes. The voices around her muffled, then faded out. 'Okay, now this is getting weird.' She was sure that she had opened her eyes, but why was everything so dark?
When all the voices had completely faded away, the darkness finally receded. From being surrounded by blackness, Applejack was now surrounded by…gray. With a snort of frustration, she walked forward. Wait...when did she stand up? Was she even lying down in the first place? What was going on? She extended her forelegs just to make sure that they were there and doing what she wanted them to do.
'This must be a dream,' she thought. She didn't remember going to bed, though. Why was she asleep? What was the last thing she was doing? There was a battle: wolven coming at her from all sides, her dodging claws and fangs while trying desperately to get somewhere. There was giant white wolven, its jaws looming in front of her. She was holding back those frightful jaws, then looking to her side in time to see a claw come at her. Beyond that moment, there was nothing. She looked around her carefully. The grayness felt like some sort of fog. She could barely see her hoof in front of her face. Wherever she was, she was definitely lost.
"Tatatataratata…taratatataratata…"
Was that somepony singing? Finally, something focus on. Applejack stumbled through the thick fog to follow it. The ground was soft yet firm under her hooves, but it certainly didn't feel like earth, and her steps made no sounds.
The faint figure of…something appeared at a distance. It looked like some sort of large, serpentine creature with oddly-mismatched arms and legs. As she approached, the mismatched horns, the goat-like head, and the large buck tooth, came to view. "Discord!" she exclaimed. She stood low, and at the ready, already trying to gauge her chances against the Spirit of Chaos.
Discord, on the other hoof, didn't even seem to notice her. He was walking around, arching his back so low that his head was almost parallel to his ankles. "How low can you go? How low can you go?" he was chanting to himself. When he noticed Applejack, he straightened up with a wry smile. "You know, this would be so much more fun if there was actually a stick I can go under. You don't have a stick with you, do you?"
"What are you doing here?" Applejack asked. She pointed an accusing hoof at him. "Did you do this? Where am I?"
Discord waved an eagle claw, and a paw in front of him."I haven't done anything!" he replied. "In case you haven't noticed, stone statues don't get to do anything except sit pretty in somepony's garden."
Applejack paused, then frowned at the bad joke. "What are you talking about? You're not a stone statue!"
"My body is-- Wait, you have no idea what's happened to you, do you?"
"No," Applejack replied. Something was wrong here. Discord seemed too…grounded. She recognized him, but she couldn't feel any sort of threat coming from him.
"Well then," Discord said. He did a mock bow, and gestured to the vast grayness behind him. "Welcome to Vestibulum! The space between worlds, and the most boring place in all of…well, the most boring place ever. Honestly, if Dominus would just grant me authority over this place, I'd turn it into something wonderful for you almost-dead ponies. But no! He's fine with this eternity of grayness."
"Almost dead?" Applejack asked. She reared up, and felt around her body. "What are you talking about? I'm fine!"
"You're not fine if you're here," Discord replied. He floated towards Applejack, and encircled her. "How did you end up here anyway? Bucking accident? Sheep rebellion? A really bad apple for lunch?"
"I was…I was fighting. There were wolven, and--"
Discord laughed, and floated back. "Fighting? Wolven? Oh my, a lot of changes have happened, and I wasn't there to see it! I would love to see how Celestia's taking it if you know all about the wolven!"
Applejack stomped a hoof, and snorted when she couldn't even make a sound with that. "I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense, Discord! Show me out of this place!"
"Oh, lighten up. We're both stuck here. At least you'll have somepony coming to fetch you soon. I'm stuck here until Celestia decides to either kill, or free me." Discord let out a long sigh. "I guess I'll have to wait until Oceanus stops sulking before things get interesting again."
"Now, see here, I've had just about--"
A warm breeze blew through Applejack: a summer breeze that reminded her of working back in her farm. The constantly cold and biting winds of the Northern Barrier Land had almost made her forget what this was like. A burst of dazzling white light emanated from behind her, illuminating Discord, who squinted, and grunted. The grey mist receded.
"Well, aren't you a special little snowflake," Discord muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Applejack asked breathlessly. The sudden, familiar warmth left her giddy. She turned to face the source of both the light, and the breeze.
Discord crossed his arms in front of him. "I'm flattered. The Queen's coming to fetch you, and you're still talking to me."
The light intensified, leaving Applejack speechless. Something was coming towards them. The light's warmth seeped into her body, flooding her with a sense of contented joy, and leaving her on her knees. She squinted, but the light was too intense for her to make anything distinct out.
Out of the radiance, a voice came forth. Applejack expected a thunderous boom, or a powerful rumbling like Prince Terrato's. Instead, the words came out soft, and melodious. "Leave us, Lexarius. Our meeting does not require your presence."
"It's Discord!" Discord shouted. He shook a clenched eagle claw at the light. "Discord! I haven't been that boring lout, Lexarius, in centuries!"
Applejack cringed. It wasn't because she was frightened. Compared to the voice from the light, Discord's railing sounded especially unpleasant, like rusted metal plates grinding against each other. It seemed a crime to sound like that after that voice.
The light flared briefly, and it was Discord's turn to cringe. "Okay, okay," he said in a subdued tone. "You don't need to pull the smiting out. I'm going." He slithered away into the grayness like a beaten colt, leaving Applejack alone with the radiant presence.
"Forgive our former steward," the voice said. "He hasn't been himself for so long."
Applejack bowed her head. Discord called this…being "the Queen". Queen of what, she wasn't sure, but she instinctively knew that she should show respect. "Um…beg your pardon, your majesty, but what is going on?"
"Despite his madness, Lexarius has answered your questions honestly, Applejack. You are in Vestibulum, where the dead of Equestria are drawn to before they are accepted into the Eternal Herd."
Applejack remembered. The brachyurus had struck her. Was she dead? Was everything over?
"Let us greet you properly first, Applejack, bearer of the Element of Honesty. Not since the last stand of Apple Slice has a pony of your clan fallen so valiantly in battle. Rest assured that a place has been set aside for you within the Eternal Herd. In the blessed fields of Elys, your ancestors await you eagerly."
Applejack's spirit sank a bit. So this was it. She was dead. What the Queen said was a little flattering, and the thought of meeting the Apples of long ago was certainly exciting. However, she wished that she could have done more to help her friends.
"But they must wait a little longer," the voice said. "For our children's sake, we must interfere. How fitting that it is the Bearer of Honesty who has come before us when we need a pony to speak in our stead. Will you bear our message, honest Applejack?"
"Of-Of course, your majesty!" Applejack said. She hoped that she was using the right address.
"Thank you. We are aware of the growing turmoil in Equestria, and the rifts between our children: Celestia, Terrato, and Luna."
Applejack listened intently. So she as talking to mother of Equestria's rulers…no wonder Discord referred to this being as "the Queen".
"'Loquor propter reginam'. Speak these words to Terrato, and he will believe that you speak in our stead. Tell him that, if he continues to refuse to act, Celestia will fall from grace completely. Tell him that home is not lost to him, as he may believe. Lastly, remind him of his parent's love, and his mother's words: nine rebellions shall the King endure before he is roused to anger. Firstborn Oceanus committed the first, and it will be he who will commit the last. The seventh is coming soon. Let our warning allow him to prepare."
Applejack nodded. That was a lot of things to take in. She barely understood what the Queen was talking about, but she hoped that Prince Terrato would make more sense out of them. "I'll tell him, your majesty," she said. "I promise."
"Thank you. We will not send you back without gifts for your efforts, truth bearer."
The light swirled around Applejack as if it were liquid gold. A wave of heat burst from within. It started off as a spark of warmth in her chest, steadily growing into a fiercely burning flame.
"Heed our words, Applejack. Jewelry is but symbolism. Remember Harmonia Intus. No shield protects as truth does."
"I-I don't understand," Applejack said. The heat inside her started to hurt.
"Not yet. You are still gripped with doubts and lies. Stand strong, Applejack, and see Honesty as a purifying flame. Those purged by it will see clearly. Now, go back to your friends. They are in desperate need of you."
The light stopped swirling, and lessened in intensity as the presence withdrew.
"Hello?" somepony called out."Is anypony there?" From the voice it sounded like a stallion, a strangely familiar stallion. A white unicorn stumbled out of the mist.
Applejack gasped at the sight of the wavy, blue mane, the mustache, and the monocle. "I remember you! You're that rich feller Rarity met in Canterlot! What was it again? Something to do with pants…"
The unicorn's eyes widened upon noticing Applejack. "And I recognize you! You're one of Rarity's rustic friends…that gardening pony. Finally, a familiar sight! Could you…could you tell me where I am?"
"Uh…maybe you could tell me how you ended up here first," Applejack said. From Discord's words, things were not looking good for this stallion.
"I remember walking home from a party when I ran into a group of these strange-looking ponies in barding. They looked like they were heading for the palace urgently. One of them pointed some kind of device at me, then I woke up here."
The Queen's voice came from a distance. There was still a glimmer of light coming from afar despite the mist. "Come with me, Fancypants. The Eternal Herd will always have a place for a noble unicorn soul."
Though he was startled a bit, Fancypants brightened at the call. "Excuse me then, miss," he said. "I'll be going now." He galloped off, and disappeared into the grayness.
Applejack tried to walk on as well. She might have to go somewhere to get out of this place. A sharp pain to her side brought her up short. "What in tarnation?" She looked to her side. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, but it was starting to hurt. Her vision was also dimming, and the grayness was darkening.
Applejack opened her eyes, and found herself lying on a bed in a large room. The place was quiet save for the gentle snoozing of several ponies. She felt around her bed, and reveled in the solidity of everything. For a moment, she wondered if she had just dreamed the entire thing. No. She was sure it had happened. Everything had been too vivid, and too important to be a dream.
"You're awake at last," somepony said. Vanguard sat next to her bed. He had spoken gently, his growl of a voice almost breaking. Fluttershy was resting next to him with her head against his shoulder. At the foot of the bed was Rainbow, with her face buried in the sheets. The spot near her eyes still felt damp. Rarity was sitting by the door asleep, while Twilight had fallen on the floor nearby, with Spike resting on her back. There were other injured ponies laid up nearby as well.
"How come you're still up?" Applejack asked Vanguard softly. She tried to rise only to be brought up short by a sharp pain to her side. Vanguard put a hoof against her shoulder gently to keep her down.
"I'm just good at pacing myself," Vanguard replied. "Stay down, and rest. We almost lost you, you know."
"Lost me?"
Vanguard was silent for a while. "There was a moment when you lay so still that I could have sworn you were dead." His voice trembled slightly. "There's fear when you know that something might happen. Then, there's that moment when you're so certain that it has."
"Sorry," Applejack said. She pressed a cheek slightly against his hoof. "I made all of you worry." To her surprise, Vanguard chuckled. It was the first time she had seen him do more than smile. "What's so darn funny?" she asked, unable to keep herself from smiling.
"Do you remember that night I first brought all of you to the Legion?" Vanguard asked. "Rainbow was talking about how 'cool' it was when Twilight was injured trying to protect all of you, and you scolded her about trying it out for herself."
"I remember that night! I was-- Oh…" Blood rushed to Applejack's face. "Heh…heh…I did say that, didn't I?"
Vanguard chuckled again. "I'm just glad you're back with us, Applejack."
"Stay with us, Applejack. Remember the ones you still have back home."
"Glad to be back," Applejack said. "Not looking forward to being confined to a bed though." She put a hoof against the one Vanguard still had on her shoulder to gently nudge it away.
Vanguard looked embarrassed for a moment, then settled onto his seat. He reached for something afterwards. With a slight flourish, he placed Applejack's hat back on her head. "You almost lost this," he said.
Applejack gasped. "My hat! No wonder I was feeling extra chilly! Thanks, Vanguard."
Somepony nearby moaned groggily. Twilight stood up slowly, letting Spike slide to the floor as she did so. As she focused on Applejack and Vanguard, a peculiar look crossed her face for less than a second before she brightened. "Applejack!" she exclaimed. She put a hoof to her mouth, and looked around, before lowering her voice. "Thank goodness you're awake. We were so worried!"
"Sorry," Applejack said.
"No," Twilight answered softly. "I'm the one who should apologize. I had a spell on that brachyurus before you even got there, but the words slipped my mind at the last moment. I'm so sorry."
"Nonsense, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Don't you use this to punish yourself even more. I know how hard you work on your magic."
Twilight sniffed, and held back her tears as she smiled.
With a final nod at Applejack, Vanguard stood up, and looked ready to leave. Applejack reached out at the last moment, however. Almost dying was not going to solve all the problems she saw developing among her friends before the battle. The Queen's words convinced her that the Elements of Harmony would be needed soon, but she and her friends were far from being harmonious right now. She needed help, and Vanguard was her best hope. At the very least, there was something she needed him to do for now.
"Need something?" Vanguard asked.
Applejack nodded. "I need to talk to the prince. Can you do something to let me meet him?"
Vanguard mulled it over. "I'll see what I can do," he said. "Any reason why?"
"I got a message from his ma. A real important one."
A day had passed since the first wave of reinforcements. With more ponies lining the walls, and patrolling the streets, the city felt a little safer, and the siege seemed a little less bleak. The reinforcements also brought supplies with them: food, materials, and ammunition. They also brought medical supplies, and, much to the delight of some legionnaires, liquor.
As far as Redbrand was concerned, it was only the last two that mattered. He was starting to feel a pinch on his brandy supply, and dreaded having to decide whether he should stop taking nips from his flask, or operate on ponies without trying to numb the pain. As if to highlight the situation, he had just refilled his flask. There were a lot of injured in the last battle. In the last several hours, he waded through a couple of amputations, a sweater's worth of stitching, and around a crate's worth of brandy.
Then, there was Applejack: the "highlight" of last night's emergencies.
"We've got a bad one incoming!" one of the senior medics called out.
Redbrand braced himself. Whenever his subordinates called that out, it meant that he was going to have to deal with the next patient. "Fluttershy!" he called out. Where was that filly? It was about time he exposed her to more serious cases. She was already trotting towards the patient when she suddenly froze. "What's the matter?" he asked. A quick look at the emergency answered him.
One of Fluttershy's chosen friends stood by the door. Redbrand could tell from the freakishly-colored mane. More than that, the blood that stained her coat and mane caught his attention. On the pegasus's back was a badly torn earth pony.
"Applejack!" Fluttershy cried out. "Applejack!" She rushed over to the fallen earth pony's side. Redbrand signaled for the other medics to place Applejack on the nearest bed, and remove what remained of her barding.
"Don't just stand there crying, filly!" he roared. "Get me my sutures!"
Another pony entered the ward. This time, it was Fluttershy's purple unicorn friend, the one that a lot of legionnaires were talking about. She rushed to Applejack's side, her eyes already welling up. Behind her, Vanguard Clash also entered the ward. At least he had enough sense not to barge into the place.
"Please stand back," Kneescrape, one of the senior medics, said. None of them heard him. Headwrap removed the barding from Applejack, and was stemming the bleeding as best he could. Kneescrape went on to wash out the wounds.
The sky blue pegasus was the worst of the lot. She grasped the side of the bed, and buried her face into the covers. "This is my fault...this is my fault!" she wailed.
Redbrand lifted the pegasus by the mane, and smashed a hoof into her face. She tumbled towards the door, and landed on her belly. "She's not dead yet, you idiot!" he snarled.
The purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, Redbrand finally remembered, gasped, and looked at him. Fluttershy, who had just arrived with his sutures, also gasped, but had enough sense to keep moving. He ignored the stares, and looked to Vanguard. "Get these bothersome fillies out of my ward, Captain," he said.
With a nod, Vanguard motioned towards Twilight, and the pegasus. "Everypony, we need to stand aside, and let the medics work." Twilight looked a little angry, but she left without a fuss. She had to help drag away the pegasus, who was reduced to cries of rage between her sobs. Vanguard stood over the bed for a few moments, and said something. Redbrand didn't bother listening.
With the distractions gone, Redbrand was finally able to focus on his work. Applejack had taken an enormous claw wound to the side. The tears were deep, and jagged. In another minute, she'd be dead without help. He went to work swiftly. Just a foot away was the growing mass of anxiety that was his assistant. It was going to take a lot to save this mare even without feeling as if somepony was going to rip his head off if he failed.
Applejack almost didn't make it. The trauma had been so severe, and the blood loss so great that her life was slipping away from his hooves. He didn't know how. Perhaps it was due to that indomitable earth pony sturdiness, or it could be some kind of aspect of chosen anatomy. It could even be just sheer luck, or something as utterly preposterous as divine intervention. Regardless of the reason, Fluttershy didn't have to go through the loss of a dear friend for now. He shoved the thought aside gruffly. That was ridiculously naïve. Sooner or later it was going to happen, so why try to coddle her now?
"I'll see you later, Applejack!" Legionnaire Twocolt said. He saluted Redbrand on the way out. It was almost noon, and Twocolt was only one of Applejack's many visitors.
Before Twocolt, a pink, earth pony chosen had come. She had rushed into ward so quickly that Redbrand thought that it was another emergency. She was also so loud, and extremely distraught. She cried bout being so late, and how her "Pinkie Sense" had warned her about this, until he was about to throw her out of the ward. Fortunately for her, Fluttershy and Applejack managed to calm her down.
Pinkie Pie, as her name was, had brought a cake as a get well present. At least, Redbrand assumed that there was a cake under that cataclysm of frosting and candy. Kitchen Division must have worked wonders just procuring all the ingredients for it. A slice of that cake had somehow found its way to his desk, "as thanks for your part in Applejack's recovery" Pinkie explained. He was polite enough to accept, but he wasn't going to touch the damn thing until he had some stomach medication on hoof.
"See you later, Twocolt!" Applejack said as she waved at the leaving stallion. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh, and fell back on her bed. It had only been a few hours since she woke up, and she was already restless. She raised her legs in the air, and slowly stretched them to her sides.
"Applejack!"
The swiftness of Fluttershy's disapproving call nearly made Applejack jump. She could have sworn that Fluttershy was still by the other end of the room.
Fluttershy was next to Applejack in an instant. "Just how many times do I have to warn you about exerting yourself?"
"I was just stretching my legs," Applejack said. "Isn't a little exercise a good thing for an injured pony?"
For a moment, Fluttershy looked like she had a fly crawling around her nose, and was about to sneeze. Applejack soon realized that she was trying to put on a vicious scowl. "If you pull those stitches, I'm going to nail you to that bed," Fluttershy said.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Looks like that grouchy doctor's been teaching you more than just medical stuff," she said. "It'll work better if you made a real angry face to go along with it, and if your voice didn't sound like you were singing me a lullaby."
Fluttershy glanced nervously at Redbrand, who was sitting by his desk at the far end of the ward. "Please don't tell him I tried that," she whispered.
With a chuckle, Applejack nodded. "So why are you over here again? Don't you have other patients to care for?"
"It's time to change your dressings," Fluttershy replied. "We don't want your wounds to become infected now."
"Okay, okay." Applejack lay on her side to let Fluttershy take the bandages off. She shuddered at the sight of the bloodstained strips. The white cloth had turned almost completely brown.
"Pretty bad, huh?" Fluttershy remarked. She paused, and stared hard at the wounds. She shook her head, and went back to changing the bandages.
"I sure did make a real mess of things here," Applejack said wistfully.
"You should have seen Rainbow when she flew you in here," Fluttershy said. "She was so covered in so much blood that I thought she was horribly injured too."
Applejack's ears perked up. "So, have you seen Rainbow after she left here?" she asked. She shifted slightly to look at Fluttershy.
"Applejack, please settle down," Fluttershy said. She put a hoof on Applejack's side. "And I haven't seen her after she left. It looks like she went straight to her flight. I hope she cleaned up first."
"Oh, I am so relieved to see you alive, Applejack!"
Rarity almost ran over to Applejack's bed to give her a hug only to be restrained by Twilight. Inside the medical ward, joyous tears and smiles were all around. All the attention left her awkward and sheepish, but she was glad too. These were the ponies she almost left behind. Even imagining them so distraught left her with an ache in her chest.
The last one to wake was Rainbow. All of them watched her slowly stir, and smiled when she opened her eyes.
Applejack grinned at the sleepy pegasus. "Howdy, pardner."
"Applejack?" Rainbow's voice was husky, and her eyes still red, and bleary. One of her eyes was swollen, as if it had been struck hard. "Applejack!"
Still grinning, Applejack extended a hoof towards Rainbow…who shrank from it as if Applejack was handing her a poisonous snake. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I…" Rainbow Dash quivered, and looked away. She tried to look at Applejack, but some invisible force seemed to have grabbed her by the head, and was turning it away each time she tried. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!"
Applejack's grin dissolved into a look of concern. "Hey. Hey now, it's alright."
Rainbow didn't hear a word. Fresh tears poured from her eyes, and she started to shake hard. All of them were looking at her in concern now. When Applejack tried to reach in with her hoof, Rainbow bolted, zooming out of the ward so fast that blankets and bandages went flying in her wake. In the background, Redbrand swore violently.
"I hope she's okay," Applejack muttered. "And I hope that she doesn't think this is all her fault."
"I'm worried about her too," Fluttershy said. "She was so broken up about what happened to you yesterday. Not that I…well…"
Applejack looked at Fluttershy carefully. "Well what?"
Fluttershy fell silent, and put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Applejack, promise me that this won't happen again!" she suddenly cried out. She buried her face into Applejack's shoulder, and started sniffling. "I don't want to see you or any of our friends in here like this again!"
Applejack stroked Fluttershy's mane gently. Rainbow's reaction appeared the most severe, but that didn't mean that the rest of her friends hadn't gone through a lot.
"Promise me!" Fluttershy sobbed.
"Sugarcube, I can't," Applejack answered softly. "Not without lying."
Fluttershy drew back, sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "I hate this," she said with a quivering tone. "I hate all this fighting you have to do."
"You're fighting too," It was Applejack's turn to put her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulders. "You fought and won last night, right?"
Fluttershy choked back a sob. "Just…just be careful. You can promise that much right?"
"I will," Applejack replied with a grin.
Both of them looked up when they heard the door to the ward open. Twilight entered, and went over to them. "How are you feeling, Applejack?" she asked.
"Doing much better!" Applejack replied. She glanced slyly over to Fluttershy. "As long as Fluttershy here doesn't nail me to the bed."
Twilight looked curiously at Fluttershy, who coughed nervously. "I'd…um…I'd better go check on the other patients," Fluttershy said.
With Fluttershy gone, Twilight focused her attention on Applejack. "I wanted to talk to you some more about the Queen," she said.
"I already told you everything, Twi," Applejack answered. "Besides, shouldn't you be training, or something?"
"Mage Captain Owlsight told me to take a break." Twilight frowned. "Ordered me to actually. And I was only on my second spar. Tell me again about what the Queen told you."
With a sigh, Applejack narrated her encounter with the Queen again while Twilight listened intently, a small notepad floating in front of her.
"Nine rebellions…and we're already expecting the seventh." Twilight tapped her chin with the quill. "I wonder what the first six were. Then, there's this Oceanus, and Discord being called Lexarius." She tried to suppress an excited smile, and failed. "So much research!"
"Well, I'm glad you're happy about it," Applejack muttered. Giving Twilight another reason to bury herself in books was not exactly something she was excited about.
"And those words that the Queen told you," Twilight said. "Clearly a different tongue used by royalty! I wonder if Princess Celestia and her siblings speak it often among themselves. Are you sure you got the pronunciation right?"
"No, I'm not," Applejack said flatly. "I can barely say those slippery words. I just hope Prince Terrato will listen to me even if I can't say them right!"
"Maybe there are some books in this city's libraries that might help. Want me to--"
Applejack didn't catch the tail end of that offer. The door had opened again, and the sight of the stallion who walked in lifted her mood just a bit more. With a nod of a greeting towards Redbrand, Vanguard walked towards her, returning her smile with one of his own. "Feeling better?" he asked.
"Much better!" Applejack replied. "How'd it go?"
"'He has a message from the Queen' isn't exactly an easy pitch, Applejack." Vanguard replied. "It's done though. As soon as you can walk straight, I'll escort you to talk to the prince. Your barding's also being repaired. It should be finished once you've recovered enough, so just pick it up at Hammer Chain's once you're able to."
Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you kindly, Vanguard."
Vanguard waved a hoof dismissively. "It's nothing. If this message is important, it's our duty to make sure it does reach his highness."
"Can I come along?" Twilight asked. "I'd like to see how he'll react to all of this."
"We'll see," Vanguard replied. "You're not exactly his favorite pony, Twilight."
"He's still mad at me for what I did to the princess," Twilight said glumly. A look of determination crossed her face. "But I still want to be there. Who knows what he'll decide to do when he hears that the Queen wants him to act."
"If he decides to bring down the barrier, even if it means fighting Princess Celestia, what would you do?" Vanguard asked.
Twilight shook her head. "He won't do that. Prince Terrato is violent, and has a cruel sense of humor, but he would never attack Princess Celestia. That's why he's still mad at me."
"Isn't that why the Queen has decided to interfere?"
Twilight didn't reply to that. Sensing the mood darken, Applejack decided to intervene. "Hey now, why don't we leave that to when I can walk straight?" Vanguard, and Twilight glanced at each other, and nodded, letting her steer the conversation to lighter things.
Redbrand watched from his desk as Applejack dealt with even more visitors. "Terrato grind me, that filly has a ridiculous amount of worry-wart friends!" he groused. He took a small bite of the cake on his desk, and grimaced. Sweet. Too sweet. This wasn't a cake, this was an enormous lump of pure sugar carefully sculpted into a cake shape.
"Um…Doctor Redbrand?"
Fluttershy stood in front of his desk. "What is it?" he asked. He pushed his plate towards her. "Want some more cake? You can take this."
Fluttershy shook her head. "Um…actually, I wanted to apologize."
"Apologize?" Redbrand snorted. "For what?"
"When they carried Applejack here. I was so worried that you were just going to give up without trying. Instead, you worked so hard to keep her alive."
Redbrand's eyes narrowed. "I'm not surprised about how little credit you give me, Flutteshy. I've been doing this for thirty years, and I know when a pony's life can be saved, or not. Stick around, and you might learn something!"
"I'm sorry."
Redbrand made sure that he wasn't looking at Fluttershy when she said that. He had enough of feeling bad for things he shouldn't be. "Stop apologizing already," he groused. He opened his flask, and was about to take another pull to take the edge off the sweetness when a hoof stopped him. He quickly glared at Fluttershy, but she didn't back away. "You should know better than get between a stallion and his drink," he growled.
"Please stop," Fluttershy replied. Redbrand didn't say anything. His silence was more than enough to demand an answer. "I'm not as experienced as you, but I can tell that whatever pain you're trying to numb with that drink isn't going away."
Redbrand put his flask's stopper back. "I've been at this for ten years," he said. "What makes you think you can stop me?"
Fluttershy answered with a smile that took Redbrand aback. "I'll try my best."
Tailwind sorted through the papers on her desk as reports came in on her flight's condition. The last battle had not been a good one for Dreadwing. She was down three pegasi, and she was disappointed over her own performance. For the very first time, she started considering that she might be getting old. She even needed her stupid son's help to finish off a brachyurus, something that never happened before. She looked up as the door to her office opened, and frowned. Here was another issue to be settled.
"You sent for me, Flight Captain?" Rainbow asked. Tailwind looked her over. Rainbow looked haggard despite her desperate attempts to hide it. Her swollen, black-and-blue eye was the most glaring sight.
"That's quite a shiner," Tailwind said. "How'd you get it?"
"The angry doctor over at Medical gave it to me, ma'am," Rainbow answered.
"Foal of a nag, Redbrand," Tailwind muttered to herself. "Can't you even make exemptions for ponies who almost lose their friends?" To Rainbow, she spoke grimly. It wasn't that she was going to be any different. "That, and your lateness aside, I think you know why I called you here."
Rainbow remained silent. The luster in her eyes was gone. She barely seemed to be in the room at all.
"You disobeyed my orders, Rainbow Dash. I told you before that there's being brave, and being reckless. You're lucky, lucky, that your friend managed to make it out alive. It should come as no surprise that some discipline is in order. Report to the whipping post once you leave this office. A few stripes should remind you that, while we encourage initiative, it's not at the cost of discipline."
Rainbow looked at Tailwind dully. Tailwind saw the signs. The whipping didn't frighten this filly. The punishment would be a welcome sensation to all the misery. In fact, the mention of a whipping seemed to bring a small hint of determination back in Rainbow's eyes. "How many times?" she asked.
Tailwind leaned on her desk with her hooves, and looked at Rainbow shrewdly. "You tell me," she answered.
More fire returned. Tailwind smiled. It was going to take some work, but she might salvage a good flyer out of this wreck yet.
"Look at them, Terrato. They're lost, and helpless. Even with Discord gone, they will suffer for centuries before they recover."
"Our father has ordered us to return, dearest sister. That begins and ends this matter. Let's go."
"I won't go. Not yet."
"Have you gone mad? You just saw for yourself what happens to those who go against his majesty!"
"Lexarius's rebellion stemmed from his madness, and selfishness. I go against our father for the sake of others. He will understand."
"And you will risk his wrath for what? These…these spawn of Oceanus?"
"Their parentage is not their fault, Terrato."
"Nor is their existence here our concern! We were sent to punish Lexarius, and our mission is done. Why make things harder?"
"I cannot go back to the Herd having seen this, and done nothing. I just can't."
"Then, I'm staying as well."
"Terrato…"
"Don't misunderstand me. I don't care for these ponies. I care about staying by your side."
The groan of doors opening jarred Terrato out of a reverie he shouldn't have indulged in the first place. He had been thinking far too often of Celestia these days. This was unacceptable. He had made it through centuries of isolated duty because of his ability to throw the memory of his sisters to the dark recesses of his mind. That didn't seem possible anymore if Black Rose, and Luna had anything say about it. He frowned at the latest petitioners. It was Twilight Sparkle again. Of course, she was with her partner-in-crime, Vanguard Clash, and one more chosen.
"So who's next on the list, Rough Cut?" he asked. Besides his recently appointed chamberlain, there was nopony else in the hall. Having guards for himself was a waste of legionnaires.
"Legionnaire Applejack is here, your highness," Rough Cut replied. "She asked for an audience with you three days ago."
"Oh, yes. The chosen who somehow has a message for me after almost getting shredded." Terrato gestured for the ponies to come closer. "Three days is a rather short time period to recover from a life-threatening injury. Should she really be walking about?"
"Medical apparently cleared her, your highness," Rough Cut replied. "It is quite unusual however."
Terrato shrugged. He might see into this recovery later. Celestia may have done more than just put pictures on her ponies' flanks. It might be something related to the Elements of Harmony. "I hear you have something important to tell me, Legionnaire Applejack," he said. "Let's hear it." He frowned when she quivered, and looked at him nervously. Not even a minute into the audience, and this chosen was already displeasing him.
"I-I'm here to give you a message from the Queen," Applejack said.
"Is that so?" Terrato rumbled. "Can you prove it?"
"Y-yes, your highness."
"Good. You won't leave this hall alive if you can't. Not even being Celestia's chosen will save you if I find out that you've falsely invoked my mother."
Applejack quivered some more. Terrato quashed an urge to violently shake her in hopes of causing all her nervousness to tumble out of her ears. Vanguard gently pressed a hoof against Applejack's side, and whispered something. Terrato listened carefully, picking up the words despite his distance.
"Steady yourself," Vanguard whispered. "He'll only kill you if you're lying, and I know you're telling the truth."
Terrato nodded at that. The words of encouragement had a telling effect. Applejack stopped shaking, and swallowed hard, drawing strength from her companion's steadiness. "L-lokwoor prop-pter r-reginahm," she said.
Terrato raised an eyebrow. "Loquor propter reginam," he said. "I speak for the Queen. I'm not going to practice the Herd's tongue with you any time soon, Applejack, but I will believe what you have to say."
Applejack let out a sigh of relief.
"Tell me what the Queen said. Don't leave a word of it out."
Applejack stared incredulously at Terrato, and he nearly laughed. This one was a little more fun than Twilight. She concentrated for some time, while he tapped a hoof on the floor.
At the end of Applejack's story, Terrato frowned, and leaned back against his seat. He closed his eyes in deep thought, leaving all of them to sweat, and wait for his response. "First Luna, now her majesty is telling me to act," he said. He opened his eyes, and turned towards Twilight. "You know my dearest sister well, Twilight Sparkle. You probably know her better than I do. Tell me, if I flew to the Heartland, and smashed her barrier to pieces, how would she react?"
When Prince Terrato turned his attention towards her, Twilight's heart skipped a beat. She had been hoping to stay in the background, and just observe him. 'Important enough to banish even me just to keep it,' she thought. "She would fight you," she said. Princess Celestia fought her own sister to protect Equestria from eternal night, and fought Queen Chrysalis to stop the changeling invasion. To protect Equestria from the influence of war, she would fight her own brother.
"She would, wouldn't she?" Terrato said. "We would end up fighting, and that would be the seventh rebellion. The Queen may as well have predicted that Celestia will be kicked in the face, then ordered me to kick her in the face."
"Your highness…"
The moment Twilight ventured to speak again, Terrato's glower returned. "Need something again, Twilight Sparkle? I've sent you home once, let you into the Legion, and spared your partner-in-crime. What else can I do for you?"
Twilight held her ground this time. Prince Terrato resorted to threats of violence quickly, and casually. He thundered, and rumbled whenever he pleased and he glared daggers in a heartbeat. Yet, underneath all that intimidation, he seemed to admire ponies who are able to keep their composure. He resorted to joking around as easily, and he was a reasonable prince. "I just want to know more about these nine rebellions that the Queen mentioned," she said.
"Twilight Sparkle wants to know about something. I'm shocked," Terrato said flatly. There was a moment of silence, but Twilight remained composed. If he wanted to refuse, he would have said no already. "Consider the nine rebellions a countdown to a great upheaval. I'd say the end of Equestria, but who am I to say what the King will do when 'roused to anger'? He could just scold us for being so disobedient."
Twilight swallowed. "T-the end of Equestria? Why? Why would the King destroy something his children protected for so long?"
"Ask your father," Terrato replied quietly.
Twilight tilted her head. "My father? But he's back in the Heartland! What does this have to do with him?"
Terrato snorted. "Not him," he growled. "The father you share with him. Before Equestria, before even me and my siblings, The King and Queen had only one child: Oceanus. He is the father I'm talking about."
"I didn't know that Princess Celestia had another brother," Twilight said.
"Don't you call him our brother!" Terrato's voice cracked across the room, sending everypony to their knees. "He cast aside all of his family relationships when he started all of this!" He lowered his voice before continuing. "I don't know what motivated Oceanus. Maybe he grew tired of being just beneath the King and Queen. Maybe he was bored. I wasn't there, and I'm not going to be presumptuous enough to think I can understand him solely on the aftermath of his actions. What I do know is that he rebelled against the Herd one day, and a great many supported him." His eyes narrowed. "This was the first rebellion. His majesty defeated him and his supporters, and hurled them out. Their battered forms crashed into this world. From the lingering traces of the King's power, Oceanus's own leaking power, and his blood, the first ponies of this world came forth."
Twilight stood in rapt attention. She had never read anything like this in any book. It was an account of creation! The first arrival of ponies into this world!
"Oceanus didn't care for his new 'children' it seemed. He and his followers crawled their way into the depths of the Eastern Waters, where they remain up to this day to recover their strength."
Vanguard's eyes widened. "The Eastern Waters," he said quietly. "Nopony has ever crossed that ocean. Those who venture too far simply disappear. To think that it holds a rebellious prince in its depths…"
"These ponies lived, multiplied, and died," Terrato went on. "When the first of them arrived before the Eternal Herd's borders, they naturally caused a stir. When it was clear that you would only continue to multiply and grow, the concern was that the blood of Oceanus within all of you would allow him to exert his influence, and gain himself even more supporters. One of the royal stewards, Lexarius, volunteered to go to this world, and ensure that its ponies embodied harmony, rather than Oceanus's rebellion."
Terrato's expression darkened. "He did well for over a thousand years. It was during his time that other…beings followed in Oceanus's hoof-steps, and formed their progeny in this world. There wasn't any war at that point as you were all still developing. Those times didn't last, however."
Terrato stared hard at Twilight. She continued to hold his gaze. She had done nothing wrong this time, and he wasn't going to punish her without cause no matter how annoyed he looked. "You were a frail lot to Lexarius," he said. "As time went on, he grew to delight less in maintaining harmony, and more in toying with his 'subjects'."
"That's why he turned into Discord." Applejack said. Twilight recalled Applejack's story about her meeting with Discord in the plane of Vestibulum. It was difficult to accept that a pony of such high stature could turn into a bizarre creature of chaos.
"Discord was given plenty of chances to cease what he was doing, and he ignored them all," Terrato said. "This was the second rebellion. When messengers couldn't get the job done, the King and Queen sent their children to put an end to his reign."
Terrato smiled, and stayed silent for a for a minute. He looked far away, reliving some experience. "I'm sure Celestia already gave you details of that encounter minus my involvement," he said. "That would have been a sight for you to see, Twilight Sparkle, it was the only time I ever saw my dearest sister actually angry. She was so angry, in fact, that it wasn't enough for her to destroy Discord outright, and send him to the Eternal Herd for punishment. She had to turn him to stone, and keep him floating helplessly in Vestibulum forever."
Whatever cheer that Terrato showed disappeared. "With Discord's rebellion dealt with, we were ordered to return to the Eternal Herd. Another steward was to be given the task of maintaining harmony. Celestia would have none of it. She insisted on doing the task herself. When she was told to come home, she refused. Luna and I joined her. This was the third rebellion."
Twilight's jaw fell open. She could never have imagined that Princess Celestia herself had rebelled against her parents. Applejack had a similar reaction. Vanguard listened stoically.
"Under Celestia's reign, Equestria recovered from Discord's madness, and grew prosperous. By this time, however, the other races started invading their neighbors. I've told you this already, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight nodded. Celestia had elaborated on that as well.
"After the division, Luna broke a sacred rule placed upon us siblings: never raise a hoof against each other. She allowed Nightmare Moon to possess her, and attacked Celestia. This assault was the fourth rebellion." Terrato shook his head. "I brought our parents into the matter, and I was ordered to kill Luna to send her back to the Herd. Celestia refused to take that solution. By banishing Luna to the moon instead of killing her, she committed the fifth rebellion. Again, old news to you chosen."
With that, Terrato stopped. Twilight continued to stand, and listen. When a minute of silence passed, she ventured to speak up. "Um…what about the sixth rebellion? The Queen said that the seventh was on the way so--"
"I know how to count, Twilight Sparkle," was the sharp reply. Another minute of silence passed. "I committed the sixth rebellion," Terrato said so quietly that Twilight could barely hear him. "There."
"That's not fair!" Twilight blurted out. "You had no problem talking about Princess Celestia's--" Terrato leaped from his seat, and landed in front of her.
"You're going to age and die, Twilight Sparkle!" Terrato rumbled. "But I'm not. Neither are my sisters. Tell me how that's fair, and I'll indulge you!" He turned, and walked back. "Wayward children of Oceanus! We weren't supposed to be here, and I wasn't supposed to care beyond making my dearest sister happy. Somewhere along the line, that changed. Now, I have to consider attacking Celestia for your sakes! I'd lay the blame of the sixth rebellion on your hooves, if I didn't know that it wouldn't matter!"
"Your highness…" Twilight said. She had fallen on her tail at his lunge, but there was something in his tone that made her feel…sorry for him.
Terrato looked to the side, his ears perking. "Somepony's broken through the barrier. Just what is going on in there?"
The air at the center of the audience hall came alive with magical energy. A blast of dark purple light erupted above them, followed by something falling to the ground heavily. Everypony in the room walked over to investigate.
"Luna!"
Terrato ran ahead, and nuzzled his little sister in concern. Luna had materialized in midair following a powerful teleportation spell. There were small burns around her body, including some singed feathers on her wings, and she was barely conscious. "Get some medics in here!" Terrato roared. He gently lifted his sister with his magic, and placed her on his back. "What happened?" he asked her, gentleness and urgency warring in his tone.
"Big brother…" Luna wheezed. "The Heartland is…the Heartland--" Her legs fell limp against Terrato's sides.
"Princess Luna!" Twilight cried out. She ran up to the two alicorns with Applejack right behind her. Even Vanguard came forward. Even at a distance, she could see the wisps of smoke rising from the princess.
Terrato stomped a hoof against the floor, cracking the stone, and sending tremors throughout the building. Twilight looked on, but she still couldn't make sense of the sudden events. What had just happened? Did Celestia attack Luna? "Must everything push me into this confrontation?" Terrato growled. "Is the entire world going to rejoice when I raise my hoof against Celestia?" He looked to the south, then towards the ponies entering the chamber. Several ponies from Medical were already running forward to help. "I'm going to see to what happened myself."
"Your highness, what of King Fenrir?" Vanguard asked.
"He'll honor the pact," Terrato replied. "As for Nightmare Moon, I will leave her to the Elements of Harmony until I return. I cannot ignore this matter any longer!" With that, his horn flared with gray light, and he disappeared.
Twilight looked worriedly towards the south. "Princess Celestia…" A hoof touched her shoulder.
"Our rulers will settle things by themselves," Vanguard said. He tried to sound reassuring, but there was worry in his voice. "Our job is to make sure that the duties they left us remain fulfilled."
Twilight rested her head against the hoof. All she could do now was hope that Celestia and her siblings make it out of this safely.
For Breeze Wing, and Gale Heart, patrolling the inner halls of the Royal Palace had always been an onerous task. While it was an honor to guard the home of Equestria's princesses, patrolling the places where the public didn't go seemed…trivial. For hundreds of years, there hasn't been a single case of trespassing, robbery, or anything that would require the attention of guards.
"What's with the sweating?" Gale Heart asked. "This boring route making you tense?"
"No," Breeze Wing replied. "I accidentally passed too close to one of those flaming…things on our way here. You saw it."
"I was too busy covering my ears," Gale Heart said. "The last time I checked up on him, Bronze Mane was still complaining of headaches."
"Still don't see why Princess Celestia needs a bunch of flaming creatures. Or why they're sticking to Princess Luna like glue."
"I'm more worried about Princess Celestia herself. Captain Bright Shield says she's been real skittish these past two days."
They rounded a corner when Breeze Wing stopped. A dark shape darted at the end of the corridor out of the corner of his eye. "Hey!" he called out. "Did you see that?"
"See what? I didn't se--"
Something struck Gale Heart's head so hard that he flew back for a few feet. Breeze Wing ran over to help him up only to discover his partner's head pierced by a shaft of wood. Gale Heart's eyes stared out vacantly as Breeze Wing backed up. "What's going on?" Breeze Wing cried out. Dark-garbed ponies had suddenly surrounded him. He could only cry out as a final attempt to warn the others before the ponies closed in.
As the day came to an end, Luna concentrated on one of the few things she was still allowed to do in Equestria. She had no pony guards, just the Equi Ignei. The presence of enforcers meant that she couldn't interact with other ponies just to keep them safe. Celestia was almost impossible to talk to. It had been worse for the past two days. Something had happened that had Celestia incredibly distracted, and worried. The barrier must have been breached, or it had something to do with Terrato.
None of the Equi Ignei said anything about it to her, as if she was some traitorous mare who would relay any information she got to her brother. More and more, she felt like a prisoner in the Heartland. To fulfill her promise to Applejack, she resorted to sending letters.
Luna focused her magic, and willed the very moon to a steady rise. It was a delicate, and important task, one that she had taken for granted over a thousand years ago. Raising the moon required not just a great deal of raw magic, but patience, and a sense of timing, carefully coinciding with the sun's setting, and gently making the transition required--
A long drawn out scream came from outside.
Luna winced, and redoubled her efforts. Ever since the Royal Guard moved back into the palace, screaming across the halls had become an occasional annoyance. Some guard would make the mistake of wondering if it was alright to touch the Equi Ignei, or to stand around when they spoke to one another. Despite admonitions from the captains, incidents still occurred.
The moon was properly in place when Luna heard a second cry. Now, that was strange. Two in quick succession? Surely the guards weren't that foalish? She stepped out of her chambers, and looked around. The Equi Ignei guarding her door remained perfectly still. "What is going on out here?" she asked.
One of her jail keepers responded in its language.
Luna frowned. "Intruders? Who would dare to enter the castle at these times?"
The Equi Ignei didn't speak again, but the lack of reaction told Luna something already. The intruders were of this world. Otherwise, they would be rushing about already. While she pitied the poor ponies who accidentally heard the Equi Ignei speak, Celestia's "precautions" were forbidden from attacking, or even interacting with ponies of this world. She had to see what had happened for herself. The two Equi Ignei followed like clockwork. They maintained perfect formation, and remained exactly ten steps behind her. It didn't matter if she decided back up abruptly, or stop, there was no shaking them out of place.
A nearby explosion reverberated across the halls, spurring Luna to an urgent gallop. The palace was indeed under attack. From the sound of things, there were intruders within the Chamber of Harmony itself. As she turned a corner, her hooves slid across something thick, and slippery. She skidded several feet before righting herself, glad to keep some form of dignity. She turned to look at the Equi Ignei irritably. They were still exactly ten steps behind her. She then looked at what exactly she had slipped at. The palace's maids were still adjusting, but that was no excuse to leave puddles of slick liquid around. Her indignation turned into horror. She left behind a red trail, having slipped on a puddle of blood. The limp bodies of a couple of royal guards were crumpled by the darkened corner of the hall.
'What happened here?' Despite her revulsion, Luna walked over to inspect the dead guards. Both of them had taken a crossbow bolt to the neck. These were the same ones used by the Legion. 'Big brother, when I said you had to act soon, I didn't mean this…'
She looked ahead almost gagged. More dead guards were strewn across the hall, each one dispatched with a bolt to the neck or head. One of them had large gash across the neck. She shook her head. Celestia's royal guards were brave and strong, each one hoof-picked from hundreds of candidates. They were well-trained and well-equipped, each one was motivated to serve Equestria as best he could. But Terrato's legionnaires were battle-hardened warriors, exposed at a very young age to a world of violence with years of experience fighting the monsters that threatened Equestria. Even during times of respite, they were pitted against each other, always honing their fighting skills. The difference was far too great.
The double doors that led to the Chamber of Harmony were wide open when Luna approached them. Inside stood her elder sister. Celestia was visibly shaking. Her horn was still glowing and her face was a mixture of rage and disbelief. "Big sister…" Luna said. She took a step into the chamber.
"Stay where you are, Luna!" Celestia said. The chamber was empty and the doors that led to the Elements of Harmony were closed. Smudges of gray were scattered throughout the floor. It was ash. The floor was covered with fine ash, as were the stained glass designs all around the chamber. At one part of the chamber were the charred -but still whole- remains of a pony.
"Big sister, what have you done?"
Celestia looked at Luna, guilt spreading across her face. "They forced my hoof, Luna," she cried. "They stormed in to steal the Elements of Harmony, and they slaughtered every guard that got in their way! You should have seen them. Even when I faced them, they uttered no sound, and moved with no hesitation!"
Luna raised a hoof to her face. The remains of a dead pony were clinging to her silver shoes. Celestia's white coat was covered with a fine layer of gray. "You burned them, big sister," she said. "There's nothing left of those ponies but ash!"
"They were not ponies," Celestia replied, her voice dropping low. "I don't know what they are. I tried to stop murderous, unfeeling creatures that wore the faces of ponies from stealing the Elements of Harmony. These are…these are what Terrato has let his legionnaires become!"
The answer struck Luna like a physical blow. She gaped Celestia for a moment before saying anything. "We're not even sure if these ponies were working for him!"
"Who else has the power to send so many through the barrier? Who else can scramble my spells so that I couldn't tell where in the Heartland they were sent?"
"I've been trying to tell you all this time! It's not our brother! Black Rose--" Luna stopped. Celestia looked at her so suspiciously that there was no point in explaining anything.
"Why won't he answer my summons?" Celestia asked. "Why won't he return Twilight and her friends to my realm?"
Luna held herself tall and looked Celestia in the eye. "If I answered your questions, big sister, are you going to believe me?" she asked.
"There is only one question I would like you to answer to my face, Luna," Celestia said, her voice hard. "I am going to confront Terrato about his actions. If the worst comes to pass, will you side by me, or him?"
Luna's eyes widened. "Side by…have you gone mad? I was foalish enough to break that rule, big sister! Surely, you won't follow in my hoof-steps!"
"I have rebelled twice against the King and Queen's edicts," Celestia replied. She looked away. "For the sake of my little ponies, I will not hesitate to do so a third time."
It was Luna's turn to start shaking. "You foal…" she whispered. "You stubborn foal. All you had to do was visit our brother once, and you could have seen for yourself what sort of ponies served with him to protect Equestria. You could have seen how he ran the Legion, and how faithful he has been to the laws you laid down. You had more than a thousand years to spare a day to see him, and you didn't. This must be so easy for Black Rose."
Celestia stomped a front hoof. "That is enough, Luna!" she cried.
"You're right for once, big sister," Luna replied with the same intensity. "This is enough, My answer is no. I will not help you start the sixth rebellion!"
"Then it is just as Sun Gazer said!" The walls of the Chamber of Elements shook at Celestia's cry. "You two have turned against me!"
Sun Gazer: the pony who was spouting all those lies. He must surely be an agent of Black Rose. If Luna could capture him, and bring him to Terrato…she backed away. Celestia stepped forward, and looked to the Equi Ignei still standing behind her. The pony-shaped flames surrounded Luna, their wings outstretched. She tried a teleportation spell, and failed. 'Dimensional Lock,' she thought. It had likely been put throughout the palace the moment she arrived.
Luna threw up a defensive spell, then flapped her wings hard. She flew through the Equi Ignei blocking her path before anypony could react. Her shield broke almost immediately as she burst through the otherworldly fire. Searing pain washed over her from head to tail. She nearly fainted, and slammed into a wall, but she managed to turn at the last moment. The enforcer she burst through had temporarily discorporated as she made a dash for it. "Stop her!" Celestia cried out.
There was little time to think extensively. The dimensional lock spell that extended to who knew how far would prevent anypony from using teleportation spells, leaving Celestia, and the Equi Ignei as magically "grounded" as Luna was, so it all came down to flight speed. She beat her wings fiercely, making her way to Sun Gazer's quarters. She hoped to capture the pony, then escape to the Barrier Lands to find out more from him. She gasped upon noticing that the door to Sun Gazer's room was open, and the guards stationed by there were dead. All she could do was fly by swiftly. The bloodstains on the bed told the story. The pony intruders had made a stop here. How long had they been in the Heartland, and what sort of activities had Black Rose made them do?
A furious, otherworldly neigh from behind told Luna that the Equi Ignei were catching up. She shattered the glass of a nearby window with a force blast, and flew out as fast as she could. The cool night breeze was soothing against her burns. The only thing she could hope to do now was fly out of the dimensional lock's range, then teleport to the Barrier Lands. That was going to be very difficult. She was slowing down despite her best efforts. The Royal Palace was a good distance behind her already, but Celestia and the Equi Ignei were coming even closer.
"Luna!" Celestia called out. The genuine concern in her tone hurt. "You're injured! Cease this running, for both our sakes!"
Trying to reply would only take from Luna's fleeting strength, so she kept on flying. Her horn was aglow with constant effort for a teleportation spell, searching for the edges of Celestia's dimensional lock. She was flying towards the edges of Canterlot already, but the lock was still there: a testament to Celestia's magical might.
She stopped at a sudden spark of blackness just ahead. It was as if shadows were gathering, forming the shape of a pony. "Need help, dear sister?" the shape said in a soft, silky tone.
"Who are you?" Luna asked. The shadow form materialized into a unicorn mare with a long flowing mane of crimson that billowed in the breeze. She had a coat of lustrous black darker than the night sky itself. A pair of pegasi wearing the Legion's barding also appeared next to her. 'No,' Luna thought. This unicorn had wings. An alicorn like her? That was impossible. She would know if somepony from the Eternal Herd made their way into this world. She concentrated on the pony. The wings seemed so real, but she still noticed the faint aura of magic. The wings were partly magical constructs, and partly real. Here was a unicorn on the verge of transforming into one of her kind.
"I trusted her too much and allowed her access to knowledge she shouldn't have."
Terrato's words struck Luna. 'Big brother…you didn't," She clenched her teeth. Her brother was a foal as well. All he needed to do was speak out, and confront Celestia. Instead, he had resorted to something like this. Things were worse than she had imagined. It was likely now that it wasn't the sixth rebellion she had to stop, but the seventh.
"My apologies," the unicorn said. "We haven't been introduced yet. My name is Black Rose, and I'm here to help you." Before Luna could reply, a swirling aura of blackness surrounded Black Rose's horn. A wave of shadows, like a thick bank of smoke, billowed towards Celestia, and the Equi Ignei. The smoke engulfed as they flew into it. "This is the end of her dimensional lock," Black Rose said. "Please use my distraction to escape, and return to my beloved."
Luna hesitated. She did need help. She was about to pass out. But this was Black Rose! This was her brother's former student, the rebel who wanted her Celestia dead. How else could she interpret this aid other than one more step in Black Rose's dark plans? "What are you planning?" she asked. She winced. Even talking took much from her.
"I plan on helping you," Black Rose answered. "Then, I plan on helping all of Equestria. Even Princess Celestia. Please escape, Princess Luna. I don't want you to get hurt any further."
The sheer sincerity of Black Rose's tone frightened Luna. Could there be such a pony who could lie so well that even she felt convinced? Or was it possible that Black Rose really was acting on behalf of Equestria? Which was worse? That was not even counting the power that Black Rose had at her command. It was no small feat to penetrate Celestia's barrier, and Black Rose managed to do so for herself and several other ponies.
"I understand that you may not have enough strength to make such a long teleportation," Black Rose said. "Let me take care of the rest then."
"Wait!" Luna cried out. Black Rose's swirling black magic surrounded her as well. The teleportation spell was already taking hold. She tried desperately to break the spell, but the pain of her injuries slowed her casting. In a blink, she was gone from the Heartland.
When magical darkness surrounded Celestia, it took her but a few seconds to break the spell with a burst of dazzling white light. "Who are you and what have you done with Luna?" she demanded. To see this...unicorn was unnerving. It felt as if she was in the presence of a fellow alicorn...that wasn't. What had her brother been up to? Had he been trying to create alicorns?
"It's a shame that the Elements of Harmony could not be taken by stealth," the unicorn said, "but we have rescued Princess Luna, and Sun Gazer has been punished. Enjoy the last gasps of your reign, Celestia. My prince will take his rightful place soon enough!"
"Your prince…rightful place…" Celestia's eyes narrowed. "More of Terrato's agents! Can't he face me himself? Why does he send his subjects to murder my ponies, and steal from me in the dark?"
"You will get your wish soon enough, 'your highness'," the unicorn replied with a sneer. "Since we cannot take the Elements of Harmony in secret, the Legion will have to burn its way to Canterlot, and take it by force. Farewell until then."
Celestia's eyes widened. Her worst fears had come to pass at last. Terrato, the same Terrato who proudly called himself her most loyal defender, was attacking her. Luna, for all her remorse over becoming Nightmare Moon, had turned against her once more. She had precious little time to prepare against an invasion of these unfeeling monsters that her brother had made an army out of. If Terrato shattered her barrier, and the Legion entered the Heartland, war would consume all of Equestria. Her only option was to reinforce the barrier, then meet Terrato with the Equi Ignei by her side. If she drove him away, the sight of their prince on the retreat would demoralize the Legion. She looked to the north, and steeled herself.
Another spell was cast. Celestia turned her gaze back towards the unicorn, only to find herself flying alone with the Equi Ignei.
At the end of Black Rose's teleportation spell, Luna crashed in the middle of a stone chamber. "Luna!" Terrato cried out. So she had made it to the Barrier Lands after all. She crashed on the floor, the jarring impact hurting her even more. She had to tell him. Black Rose and her agents were in Celestia's realm. The Heartland was under attack.
In his office above the Grand Meeting Hall, Dreadstep was beginning to feel all his years of service catching up with him. Captain Vanguard Clash stood in front of his desk. It seemed that a lot of the major events during these days involved Third Squad's captain. From the look of things, that trend was going to continue. "Whatever these 'Elements of Harmony' are supposed to be, it is necessary to keep these chosen together," Dreadstep said. "They will be temporarily formed into their own squad. Given your history with them, I am assigning them to your command."
"Yes, sir," Vanguard replied.
Dreadstep nodded. "Good. Dismissed."
For a pony so young, Vanguard took things in stride easily. He didn't even flinch when he left the office. Dreadstep rested his head on a hoof. How long ago was it when the precipice of a major battle excited him? These days, he was always fretting. Like somepony's grandfather fussing over trivial things, he was in his office worrying instead of waiting impatiently for some action.
He had served under the Legion's ageless leader ever since he was still a colt. Three times he had been stationed in a place which Prince Terrato commanded personally. Equestria's "Unyielding Gray Sentinel" seemed capricious at times, but he had always done what was best for Equestria's defense. If Prince Terrato decided to leave Bastion City to take care of an important matter, as Captain Vanguard Clash had reported earlier, then it must surely be for the best.
"The best", however, was a rather precarious situation at the moment. First, there was the sudden trade of royalty that Bastion City now harbored. Instead of fighting under Prince Terrato, the city now had to play refuge to a badly injured Princess Luna. Dreadstep seldom felt anything for the wolven save for disgust and contempt, but he now marveled at wolven honor.
All wolven possessed a heightened sense of smell. More so their king who had managed to pick up Princess Luna's scent from miles away. Given Fenrir's unabashed lust for Luna, it was nothing short of a miracle that he had not stormed the city in a whirlwind of frost and fangs. Restraint and honor were not things Dreadstep would have associated with a giant, one-eyed monster.
Wolven honor only got them so far, however. Wolven cunning meant that Fenrir would use every available loophole to his favor. That led to the strangest weapon in the wolven's arsenal: this so-called Nightmare Moon, and her host: Pyre Valor. Against her, Prince Terrato had left instructions that the Elements of Harmony be prepared to fight as a group. The Elements of Harmony happened to be the six chosen that Vanguard Clash had been tending to.
It all didn't sit in well with Dreadstep. "The Elements of Harmony" didn't quite give him the assurance that a few hundred reinforcing legionnaires did. What could six chosen ponies with less than a month of being in the Legion possibly do against a unicorn mage empowered by some spirit that the wolven practically worshiped?
A look into the records also proved far from reassuring. Out of all of them, Legionnaire Twilight Sparkle seemed the most promising. She was the constant talk among the unicorn mage captains for her quick rise in personal power, as well as her very frequent spars with her seniors. She was also known for not being very social, and for transforming from being a quiet, meek pony to a veritable spell-casting monster during spars. Dreadstep would have thought that Vanguard had found Pyre's twin: another very driven, very powerful pony who neither made, nor wanted any more friends beyond a small circle.
Mage Captain Owlsight had recommended that Twilight be transferred to a Special Operations squad. Twilight Sparkle was too powerful to be shooting energy bolts in spell-fire lines, or participating in evocation arrays . She needed to be placed strategically. Vanguard insisted that Twilight needed more time. Dreadstep had agreed, but he wasn't quite convinced by Vanguard's assessment. He knew delaying tactics when he heard them.
Legionnaire Rainbow Dash was also another fast learner. Flight Captain Tailwind seldom saw potential among the Legion's pegasi recruits. The last time she did was with Scarlet Rabbit, who was still the Northern Legion's best flyer. He was inclined to believe that Rainbow would match that potential, perhaps even exceed it. She was currently out of action, however, having been whipped for disobeying orders in battle. He shook his head at that, but Scarlet was no stranger to the whip either.
There was also Legionnaire Applejack, the third of the chosen out in the front lines. Not as spectacular as her friends, but she was doing well. She was also out of action, having been gravely injured recently. It was for a good thing, though: saving her friend, as opposed to recklessness, and insubordination. How she was already moving about would remain a mystery. She may not show a great deal of potential like the other two, but she was more stable. Some stability should be a good thing for both the Legion, and these "Elements of Harmony".
Then, there were the other three. Legionnaire Fluttershy was a medic, albeit one who had survived Redbrand's scrutiny, and temper so far. That should mean something. Legionnaire Pinkie Pie was a cook, and Legionnaire Rarity was a smith's apprentice. Vital roles, but not exactly front line material. How did they all fit into fighting the monster that destroyed Fangbreaker's gates with impunity?
Spike had been overjoyed when he heard that his friends were going to be gathered together as a unit. It had felt like a lifetime since they were together as a group. He could only imagine the sort of conversations that would fly about with so many experiences being thrown at them left and right: how everypony was getting along with the Legion, Applejack's strange encounter, Princess Luna's sudden arrival...so many things.
The reality did not even come close to living up to his expectations. Instead of a fond reunion, he got an awkward gathering of ponies. Everypony had their gear on, from Twilight and Rarity's mage-coats to Applejack's metal barding. Rarity even had a set of crystal-embedded blades circling lazily above her. Twilight had asked to try and hold one earlier. The blade shot out the moment the magic surrounding it went from white to purple, burying itself deeply into a wall just a few inches from Fluttershy's face. Spike sighed. They were told to stay together in their quarters, and expect an imminent attack. That seemed to be the only reason they were together, as opposed to being friends, and missing one another.
Twilight had her nose buried in yet another spell book when Spike approached her.
"Not now, Spike!" Twilight snapped when he tapped her shoulder. "I'm trying to get these spells down before Pyre Valor attacks!"
"Pyre who?" Spike asked.
"Pyre Valor! She--" Twilight lowered her voice. "I mean Nightmare Moon. Prince Terrato expects us to deal with Nightmare Moon if she tries to attack the city again." She looked around. "I don't know how we're going to do that. We don't even have the Elements of Harmony with us. The only thing we can do is improve on what we can use, and hope for the best."
"Twilight, who's this Pyre Valor?" Spike asked.
"She's--" Twilight shook her head. She massaged her face briefly, as if that could stop the vicious scowl that kept showing up whenever she mentioned that name. "She's the pony that Nightmare Moon is possessing."
"Then we should try to free her," Spike said. "Just like you freed Princess Luna, right?"
"No!" Twilight snapped. When Spike fell back, she let out a long exhale. "She's different. Pyre Valor wants to do this. Nightmare Moon's just helping her. I mean, she tried to burn Vanguard up, then betrayed Fangbreaker Fortress. How many ponies are dead because of her?"
"Then what are you planning to do once you meet her again?" Spike asked. "Kill her?"
"I…well…I will," she said. Spike took an involuntary step back. "We'll drive out Nightmare Moon somehow. If Pyre Valor won't surrender then…I'll do it." She didn't even meet his gaze as she said so. For a moment, Spike thought about burning up those books she was reading. All these combat spells were affecting Twilight. It was just a couple of weeks ago when she would have angrily refused to kill anypony.
Twilight went back to reading. Spike didn't dare to interrupt her again, so went over to Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity. At least these four were glad to be together. Spike glanced towards another pony sitting by herself.
Rainbow sat as far away from Applejack as possible. She hadn't come back to their shared quarters ever since that horrible incident. Vanguard said earlier that she was staying in Flight Dreadwing's barracks. Her back was wrapped in bandages, and she refused to say anything when questioned about them. Whenever anypony approached to talk, she looked away, and mumbled her answers. After each giving it a try, everypony let her be. Perhaps, when her physical wounds healed, so would whatever was troubling her.
After a few minutes, Applejack suddenly turned towards Rainbow. "Darn it, Rainbow!" she yelled. "What in the hay is wrong with you?" Her barding jingled as she slammed her hooves against the wall by either side of Rainbow's head. "Look at me, darn it!"
Despite Applejack's face just a few inches away from hers, Rainbow looked down without so much as a shadow of resistance. "What do you want from me, Applejack?" she mumbled.
"I want you to talk to me! What happened to you?"
"Applejack, calm down!" Rarity said. Fluttershy, and Pinkie looked on worriedly.
Applejack's face twisted with emotion. She clearly didn't want this. Even Spike didn't want this. He would have preferred an angry, confrontational Rainbow than this husk of a pony. Applejack's outburst only served to completely shut Rainbow down. With a snort, she turned around. Spike could only look on helplessly. Just what would it take to get things right?
"I don't know how we're supposed to beat Nightmare Moon if she shows up," Applejack said once rejoined the others. "Even if we did have the Elements of Harmony with us, we're not in harmony at all!" She paused, as if hearing words that nopony else could.
"Applejack, are you alright?" Rarity asked.
Applejack snapped to attention, like a student caught napping by her teacher. "What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking."
Rarity frowned. Next to her, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were having their own conversation. "Like I was saying, I'm quite surprised at how flexible metal can be. I just wish it didn't take so much heat, and pounding to shape it. Hammer Chain said I'm improving quickly and, if I keep up with my pace, he'd let me work with nightsteel soon!"
Applejack was only half listening. Her attention occasionally strayed towards Rainbow, and Twilight. "Nightsteel?" she asked absentmindedly. "What's that? Some hoity-toity version of normal steel?"
"Certainly not!" Rarity answered. "Nightsteel is a much stronger metal, superior to normal steel in every way. Naturally, it's much rarer, thus only used for exceptional sets of barding. You should be familiar with it, Applejack, Captain Clash wears his nightsteel full plate at all times."
"Oh, you mean that black metal barding!" Applejack said. "So that's what it's called. I'm gonna wear a set of my own one day! It's gotta be expensive, but how much are we talking about here?"
"It's not just a matter of bits, Applejack," Rarity replied. "The Equestrian Legion controls the production of nightsteel. You need to have done something truly heroic if you want one."
"So that means Vanguard did something heroic before," Applejack mused. "Not surprising there…"
Applejack's eyes glazed over. Some kind of a dazed smile curved her lips, and a touch of color showed around her cheeks.
"What was that?" Rarity asked suspiciously.
The glaze vanished quickly. "What was what?" Applejack asked.
"You had a funny look a moment ago, and...oh dear."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "A funny look? What in tarnation are you talking about?"
Rarity glanced at Twilight. "Applejack, there are a lot of...complications among us, if you've noticed."
Applejack followed Rarity's glance. "Is that what you call it?" she asked in a low tone. "Problems is more like it."
Rarity nodded. "That being said, I don't think creating more is a good idea."
"Of course not!" Applejack scoffed. "Why would anypony think that making more problems is a good idea? I'm not dense, Rarity!"
Rarity stared blankly at Applejack for a second. "Nevermind," she said. "Perhaps, this one will go away on its own. I hope."
All the talking stopped when horns blew at a distance. Twilight slammed her book shut, and stood up. "We're under attack," she said.
For the first time since she came to this room, Rainbow perked up. There was no excited grin on her face, just a grim, determined look. This should be an improvement. It seemed that Rainbow was no longer delighted by the prospect of fighting and killing. Instead, she seemed worse off. Spike wondered if she would be the next one being dragged to the medical ward.
Vanguard and Scarlet entered the room. They were partly covered in snow. Past the doors, a blizzard was howling in force. "Let's move out," Vanguard said.
"Welcome to Special Operations, everypony!" Scarlet said. "This definitely calls for a party after this fight!"
"For the last time, Scarlet, they are not joining Special Operations!" Vanguard said.
Scarlet hovered next to Rainbow. "Speaking of celebrations, ready for another round tonight?" he asked. "We have to get some of the stronger stuff this time. That bottle of Storm Brew's Average Stuff barely made a dent on you!"
"Scarlet!" Rainbow hissed. "Not here!"
Applejack's scowl was back. "Is that what you've been doing these past three days? Drinking? Why--"
Vanguard put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder, and turned her towards the door. "Not now," he growled. "Get to the northern gates as a group. Scarlet, one more word, and I'm clapping you in irons."
Applejack shot Rainbow a look, silently telling her that they'll deal with this later.
As they made their way through the blizzard, Twilight ran at the forefront, a mixture of concern, and anticipation granting her speed that surprised her. This blizzard was strangely familiar, she had experienced this before. This was…
A paralyzing fear halted her in her tracks . Behind her, Fluttershy collapsed while the others stood frozen. "King Fenrir!" she managed to gasp. "He's…he's spreading that fear again!"
Vanguard took a labored step forward. "Damn!" he snarled. "We can't fight like this! We need the prince!" He took another step forward. "He's not even attacking directly! Cunning dog, he's beating our defense by just standing there!"
Panicked cries from up ahead told them that the rest of the Legion was experiencing the same problem. To make things worse, the howls of thousands of wolven joined the blizzard as the attack commenced.
'We've lost!' Twilight thought. 'The wolven will break through, and we won't even be able to put up a fight!' She tried desperately to push back the wrenching fear. Her heart pounded wildly, her insides wrestled with each other, and her legs trembled violently. Still, she managed to take another step. The effort alone was draining.
A melodious neigh broke through the cacophony of howls. The blizzard weakened, and the crushing fear receded. The others stood up, looked at each other in amazement, then searched for the source of that neigh.
Princess Luna limped defiantly against the winds. Loose bandages flapped around her, and she was breathing heavily. None of those things detracted from the awe that she inspired. A crackling aura of dark magical energy surrounded her. "Fight on, Legion!" she cried out. "I will not let you fall while my brother is away!"
The nearby legionnaires shouted in unison, and pressed onward. The blizzard had not completely subsided, and a twinge of fear still remained. The legionnaires shouted not just to cheer on Princess Luna, but also to gather their own courage. She and her friends gave a shout of their own, and pressed on.
For Applejack, seeing and hearing Princess Luna's defiant neigh only hammered home the point. 'We can't lose now,' she thought. 'Everypony's been fighting so hard. There's just too much counting on us!' Their friendship itself was in danger, and they were about to be thrust into a fight that they were definitely not prepared for. Rainbow was injured, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie, had yet to get into a fight, while Twilight was acting very strangely. Somehow, she had to protect all of them. Even without the Elements of Harmony.
"Harmonia Intus."
'I know, your majesty!' Applejack thought. 'How's that going to help? She said she was going to give me a gift, but what was it? What should I do?'
They came to the northern gates at last. Bolts and spells flew from the walls while the air was filled with both snarls and neighs.
A wave of flames engulfed a section of the ramparts to the left of the gates . Applejack winced at the agonized cries that followed. A blazing pony teetered from the edge, and fell into a smoldering heap at the bottom of the wall. The figure of a pony emerge from the blast.
"She's here," Twilight said. She was also looking at the figure. Applejack strained to hear the words.
"Pyre Valor."
Nightmare Moon laughed while bolts flew at her. She incinerated them before they even got close. "Thank you for making things easy, Princess Luna! But Fenrir insists that we destroy everything, before we drag you to him!"
A torrent of white hot flame sped towards Nightmare Moon. Though a little surprised at the boldness of the attack, she remained on guard, and matched it with her flame. She snarled at the sight of the caster. "Twilight Sparkle again. What a pest that mare is!" Pyre Valor's presence rose up within her. Not this again. What was it with Twilight Sparkle that infuriated her host so much? 'You will stay out of this one, Pyre Valor. I will deal with Twilight Sparkle myself!'
'You can try, Nightmare Moon,' Pyre Valor replied. 'Kill the rest, but I know that I will have to be the one to crush that arrogant mare myself!'
"We shall see."
Nightmare Moon adorned herself with a wreath of black flames, and jumped towards her foes.
The farther he flew southward, the stronger Terrato felt Celestia's presence. This would be a first since she established the Heartland. "And me without a welcoming feast," he muttered. How often had he entertained the idea of her coming to the Barrier Lands? How often had he thought of what he would do on such an occasion? He would hold a grand feast, a parade, and certainly a tour to assure her that everything was fine.
Except that everything was not fine. This was not the Barrier Lands he wanted to show Celestia. Not this Barrier Lands with enemies invading, or legionnaires turning traitor. The presence grew even stronger. He didn't have to travel that far from Bastion City. She hadn't come by teleportation spell meaning that she was conserving her strength. He was doing the same. At the rate they were going, they were going to meet by the ruins of the Temple of the Three. 'Strangely fitting.' he thought. He did have a lot of fond memories of his sisters in that place.
Celestia, Celestia
Grand Princess of the Sun
Light of Equestria
Blazing Noble Flame
Under your reign we prosper
By your vision we set forth
Radiant Celestia, your subjects pray
For your guidance
The fervent chants filled the Temple of the Three as they always did every month. It was a custom that produced some rather mixed reactions with Terrato, and his siblings. Celestia stood at the center of a raised platform, surrounded by well over a thousand ponies, and that was only counting the ones inside the building. The Temple of the Three was a massive open building of white marble and gold. Its domed roof allowed sunlight to illuminate the central platform through an enormous opening at its center that could be closed if necessary. Outside the temple were even more ponies coming from various settlements.
"They always start with big sister's part," Luna said. Standing behind, and to the right of Celestia, she watched the gathered mass of ponies with a hint of disappointment.
Terrato grinned. "As they should." He stood parallel to his younger sister. He pointed his horn at the foremost pony who knelt before Celestia. The unicorn stallion was clothed in white robes trimmed with gold. With his golden mane, and his white coat to match, and the enormous golden headdress with long ray-like spikes coming from it, he looked like a small shrine to Celestia all on his own. "I like that one over there. Solar was it? He's Celestia's biggest worshipper that one."
"Second biggest," Luna muttered.
Teratto, Teratto
Grand Prince of the Earth
Defender of Equestria
Unyielding Gray Sentinel
At your charge we rise
At your neigh we rally
Mighty Teratto, your subjects pray
For your protection
Terrato didn't care much for his section. These ponies didn't need sing to him, just Celestia. He came with the set, so to speak.
Luna, Luna
Grand Princess of the Moon
Watcher of Equestria
Gentle Comforting Darkness
Under your stars we rest
In your shadow we shelter
Sublime Luna, your subjects pray
For your compassion
Terrato nudged Luna with a wing. "Your section's rhythm is a little off," he said. "Maybe we should add a syllable to your name. How about Lunalis?"
"Your section's rhythm is off too, big brother," Luna retorted. "Maybe you should be called Grand Princess of the Earth to fix it."
"Hush, you two," Celestia whispered. "You're making them nervous with all your small talk."
Celestia raised her horn as a blessing for all the ponies that had gathered. She still looked uncomfortable with all the adulation she was receiving. Perhaps Solar had been a little too zealous with this ceremony. The construction of the temple was his grand plan, one that Terrato wholeheartedly supported by furnishing all the necessary materials. He could have built it too, but these ponies should have a great part in it. The fancy white and gold robes, the elaborate rituals, the ceremonial tools, the various holidays...Celestia deserved all of it for choosing to help these ponies over returning to the Eternal Herd, but even he had to think that it was all too much.
Solar stood on his hind legs. With his forelegs outstretched, he cried "Praise the sun!". Two ponies joined him, yelling "Praise the earth!" and "Praise the moon!". Terrato snorted, then smiled just to avoid laughing. Luna had to put a hoof to her mouth, and turn away while her shoulders quivered.
The memory receded as Terrato approached the Temple of the Three. Nothing was left of the place, save for a few broken columns: gravestones for the prospect of ruling Equestria side-by-side with his sisters. There used to be vast settlements all around at the height of its use. They were gone as well. Nopony wanted to live next to something that reminded them that Celestia and Luna lived in the Heartland, while they remained out here. Instead of prosperous towns, and a majestic temple, there was only a vast field of whiteness. Luna still believed in what the Temple of the Three signified. He sometimes wished that he was that naïve.
Just as he expected, Celestia was approaching. She was a single white dot against the dark gray skies, surrounded by the brightly glowing dots of her "protectors". He snorted, and flew towards them. The Equi Ignei didn't frighten him. They didn't even worry him. 'These are things she relies on to protect her now?' He sneered inwardly. It was an insult. Celestia was insulting him to his face by having these things by her side.
They were about thirty feet apart when they stopped. For a moment, Terrato was breathless. He hadn't seen his sister in the flesh for more than a thousand years. She still had that regal air, and that piercing stare. But those were things he could observe through a magical image. Up close, he could still feel that radiant presence that no image could duplicate.
This was no time to think fondly of Celestia, however. The Equi Ignei quickly surrounded him. There was nothing calm or friendly from the presence Celestia radiated. She glared at him. During any other time, he would have been hurt, but this was an improvement compared to the dejected mess he talked to earlier. He didn't mind being in danger just to see that improvement.
"Terrato," Celestia said.
Terrato smiled wryly. "I'm glad you still remember who I am, dearest sister. Here I was thinking that you've forgotten even that."
"How can I forget after what you've done?" Celestia asked. She quivered, from her voice, to her legs.
Terrato's voice lowered. "I sent Luna back, and I did everything I could to protect your rebellious little student. Why do you sound like I--"
Celestia glared daggers, and gestured towards the Heartland's direction. "You sent your…your creatures to murder my ponies, and steal the Elements of Harmony!"
Celestia's accusing tone cut through Terrato more deeply than Arugek's claws. "What? I've done no such thing!" He paused. Two of his Special Operations squads disappeared when-- "Black Rose…" he whispered.
Celestia wasn't done yet. "You've turned Luna against me! You've forced Twilight and her friends into your Legion! Now, you've come to attack me!"
"You entered my realm!" Terrato retorted. "Twilight Sparkle and her friends joined the Legion, the Equestrian Legion, of their own free will. And Luna…" He almost smiled. Just some weeks ago, he would have never imagined himself saying this. "…Luna has done nothing but try to help both of us. What did you do to her? Did you hurt her?"
Some of the outrage dissipated from Celestia's face as she shook her head. "She hurt herself trying to run." Fresh suspicion marred her features. "Are you also going to tell me that somepony called Black Rose sent those creatures?"
"Stop calling them creatures!" Terrato roared. "They're ponies! Use their damn proper name!" The Equi Ignei flared, and tightened their circle. Celestia's ears flattened. He lowered his voice. "Celestia, I didn't come here to attack you. I came here to ask you to bring down that barrier."
Celestia's eyes widened. "You know why I can't do that!"
"No," Terrato said softly. "I don't. I used to think that I do. When you proposed to create the barrier, you told me that we needed to preserve the 'identity' of our subjects. They were creatures of harmony: of honesty, loyalty, generosity, joy, kindness, and magic, but fighting wars would destroy all of that."
Terrato glanced towards Bastion City, where legionnaires, "his" ponies, were fighting to defend their homes. A thousand years was too long a time to remain aloof. To see them take in the chosen, to fight side-by-side with ponies of Celestia's realm…he had been thinking so much of the division lately. "But you're wrong. Yes, I've seen ponies ruined by the carnage they've had to endure, but, far more often, I've seen harmony arise from their struggles. Every day, they face the harsh truth of their existence bravely. Thrown into battle, they draw strength from their loyalty to each other. Faced with cruelty, and the prospect of death at every turn, they value moments of joy, and acts of kindness more. When they are tested to their limits, their friendship only grows stronger. I'll say it again, Celestia. You were wrong, and I was wrong for believing you. There is no repairing the damage that our mistake has caused, but we can end this. Bring down the barrier. Fight by my side, and let our little ponies work together."
After that, there was only the steady wind around them and the gentle flapping of their wings. Celestia stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Then, she looked away, her face twisting. She looked so tired, and ragged. He wanted to fly closer, and offer his support, but the Equi Ignei would attack if he moved even an inch towards her.
"I don't believe you," Celestia answered.
Terrato could barely hear the words. "Celestia--"
"How can you say such lies to my face when I've seen the sort of murderers that you reign over in these lands?" Celestia shook her head. "I will not listen to another word of this. Surrender, Terrato! Let Twilight and her friends return with me to the Heartland, and accept your punishment!"
Terrato recoiled. The imperious tone cut at him more than anything. They sounded like orders. They made everything that she ever said to him since the division sound like orders. "Who will you expect to fight off Fenrir's wolven, Celestia?" he asked. "Luna? You?" He backed away slightly as the Equi Ignei tightened the ring of living fire around him.
"I will find a way," Celestia said.
"You'll find a way to push everything you hold dear even farther!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Terrato winced. He desperately wished he could pluck them from the air, and take them back before they reached Celestia. He may as well have hurled spears at her. They would have bitten less deeply. Celestia froze, her mouth open for a few moments. Then, she shook violently. He opened his mouth to apologize. To beg for forgiveness if he had to.
"Terrato!"
Celestia slammed into Terrato, nearly impaling him with her horn if he hadn't twisted at the last moment. She drove him from the sky, and knocked the air out of his lungs. Before he could draw in another breath, the snow-covered ground hurriedly rose to meet him. Celestia flapped her wings harder to speed up his fall.
'Why? All I wanted was to make you happy. Why do I drive you away with each attempt?'
They struck the ruins of the temple. With a thunderous boom that sent snow, stone, and soil flying everywhere, the last remains of the temple shattered. As soon as they struck the ground, Celestia realized her mistake. She rose to her hooves quickly, and beat her wings to regain some altitude, but it was too late. Terrato held on to her with his forelegs. Now, he was also quivering. "You foal," he growled. "You've committed the seventh rebellion, and you've brought this fight to my element." His horn glowed. The ground beneath them went from icy, hard-packed earth into a morass of mud, and loose stones. Celestia tried to push Terrato away, but he held on tightly as they sank. Once they were completely submerged, Terrato struck his sister with a dimensional anchor before letting go. He swam through the earth as easily as if he were flying through open air, leaving her to flail about furiously. He emerged from the ground a good distance away, and cast another spell. The mud transformed into solid stone.
'That should hold her for a bit of time.' Terrato shifted his attention to the twelve flaming shapes streaking towards him. He continued to fly close to the ground, where he could manipulate his element with ease. He doubted that a mere entrapping spell would hold Celestia for long, but she was tired before she even started the fight, and she was far too angry. He was the one whose fighting style worked well with bursts of rage. An excess of emotion only ruined Celestia's graceful, insightful technique.
The first of the Equi Ignei flew towards him in a torrent of white-hot flames. His horn glowed once more, and the ground opened up beneath it. Enormous, jagged shards of various gemstones flew from the opening and struck it repeatedly. A pony of flesh and blood would have been sliced to ribbons, but his foe simply discorporated, buying Terrato just about a minute before it reformed. Two more came from behind the first one, only to fly into a wall of stone. When they tried to fly over the obstacle, he raised it faster, then encased them in a dome of stone. With a flourish, he transformed the stone into diamond. Even otherworldly flames would struggle against that.
Before Terrato could cast another spell, another of the Equi Ignei blazed towards him from the side. He only had enough time to dodge. The flames barely touched his body, but the heat was intense. His coat, and the skin beneath it, began to char. Furious, he slammed it with a wave of raw telekinesis, pushing it to the ground, and crushing it.
The other Equus Ignis flew after Terrato, forcing him to keep flying, and raising obstacles from the ground. His mind worked on three levels now: the first was to keep the Equi Ignei from burning him to a crisp, while trapping and slowing them down. The second was to keep track of discorporated Equi Ignei, as well as his estimated time for Celestia to break out of her stone prison. A third one simply wondered what he was supposed to accomplish in this situation. He was simply defending himself. Was he going to defeat Celestia, knock her out, then go on to destroy her barrier? That was unlikely, he was barely keeping the Equi Ignei from overwhelming him, then he would have to contend with his enraged sister once she broke free.
'Which should be any time now,' Terrato thought. Cracks formed by the spot he had trapped Celestia, and brilliant rays of light escaped from them. With a mighty explosion, Celestia flew out of the stone prison. The time she spent trapped worried Terrato more than seeing her escape. She took far too long, and it looked like the effort sapped more strength than he anticipated.
Two of the Equi Ignei took advantage of his temporary distraction, and flew towards him. He cursed at the persistent concern he felt towards his opponent, and beat his wings furiously. One of them brushed against a foreleg. Despite the horrendous pain, he glanced at the injury with an annoyed grunt and refocused his attention on Celestia. She had raised a foreleg. A glorious nimbus made her appear like a small sun. A shaft of pure, golden sunlight materialized by her raised hoof, growing in size until it was around ten feet long. With a cry, she hurled it at him like a spear, an enormous, blazing spear of light and heat. He tore great chunks of earth from around him, and formed a gigantic shield.
There was no impact, however. There was another flash of light, then hundreds of smaller bolts of sunlight flew around his shield, and homed in on him. 'Brilliantly controlled,' he thought. He shattered his shield into smaller, equally many pieces, then surrounded himself, blocking bolt after bolt with precise placement. There was no time for relief, a second enormous bolt of sunlight was already flying towards him. He plunged into the ground as if he had dived into a lake.
Celestia looked around and increased her altitude. Terrato watched her from beneath, his sight able to penetrate the soil with ease. She shattered the cages he had formed around some of the Equi Ignei, and gathered them around her. With her guardians by her side, she unleashed her magic. Her horn burst with hundreds of motes of sunlight that streamed down. Sunlight outlined Terrato's body. With a grunt, he unleashed his next spell while Celestia aimed a blast of sunlight at his outline.
The ground beneath Celestia burst open, and a myriad of chains flew out. With a gasp, she cancelled the spell, and tried to fly out of the way, but one chain wrapped itself around a hind leg, and dragged her down. Several more followed until she was completely entangled in metal. With Celestia restrained, Terrato emerged from the ground. "I know the spells you rely on," he said. "You can see where I am, but not necessarily where I lay out my attacks. If you spent more time fighting, you'd depend less on detection spells, and more on an instinctive sense of danger."
"I am not surprised that you've planned how to fight me," Celestia grunted. "How often did you envision this fight while you planned all of this?"
Terrato had to dodge and weave once again as the Equi Ignei descended on him. From how Celestia looked, his plan now was to survive, and defend until attrition put the fight more to his favor. As she was the eldest, he naturally assumed that Celestia possessed more raw power than him. But he had centuries of experience compared to her, and he started this fight at a fresher state. Once he bought himself more room to breathe, and fatigue cooled her temper down a bit, he may be able to talk to her again. There was another explosion, and the glowing fragments of his chains flew past him. He braced himself for another fierce attack.
The attack didn't come, however. Black magic erupted between them. Terrato's eyes narrowed. Black Rose. His former student materialized. He recoiled from the sight of her nearly complete wings. Even the Equi Ignei paused at the sight. They could not harm mortals, but they could attack alicorns. This new arrival seemed…stuck in between.
"So you've called out your allies," Celestia said.
Black Rose ignored Celestia, and flew over to Terrato. "My prince, you must postpone this fight for now," she said. She raised a horn, conjuring an image of Bastion City. "Bastion City has been breached; the Legion needs your direction." To Terrato's horror, the buildings were on fire, and his legionnaires were on the run. What's more, the chosen he had relied on had all collapsed.
The most heart-wrenching sight of all was Fenrir walking triumphantly within the city. Between his jaws was Luna's unconscious form, his teeth holding her firmly, but gently enough so that they did not pierce her coat. Terrato's nostrils flared. "I'm not going to--"
An anguished cry came from Celestia. "Luna! Twilight!" With a burst of raw abjuration power, she broke Terrato's lock, and cast a powerful teleportation spell. The Equi Ignei quickly followed suit.
Terrato turned towards Black Rose. "You planned this!" he snarled. "Celestia doesn't know you, and her fear and anger are clouding her judgment. Otherwise, she would recognize your lies!"
"My prince, all I wanted was to protect you," Black Rose replied. With a look of concern, she approached him, and extended her hooves towards his injured foreleg. "You're hurt--"
Terrato lashed out, smashing his injured foreleg into Black Rose's face. There was a violent bang, and a flare of black magic. She flew across the plain, and bounced several times against the ground before landing still. Despite the force of the blow, and the distance she traveled, she stood up with only a trickle of blood flowing from her lower lip. "You're still angry with me," she said in a hurt tone. "Once I have accomplished my goals, that will change. Please be patient for a little while longer, beloved." She disappeared, carried away by the wings of a teleportation spell.
With a snort of rage and frustration, Terrato cast his own teleportation spell. He could only hope that this trip to Bastion City would settle things.
Applejack opened her eyes, and found herself propped against the wall of a nearby house. 'What in the-- How'd I get here?' She was upside down, and her sides were aching badly. She righted herself, but her legs were unsteady. Her vision was still blurry, and the distortions caused by the heat and smoke were not helping. 'What happened? How'd I--' She looked ahead of her, and got a good idea.
Nightmare Moon stood at the center of the very same street that they had been gathered. The smoke stung Applejack's eyes, but the figure of a pony underneath the flames was there. The memory of the last few seconds came rushing back. Nightmare Moon had landed before them in a terrific, fiery explosion that knocked them flying. She rolled on the hard, broken pavement. The bitter cold of King Fenrir's blizzard, and the fierce heat of Nightmare Moon's tainted flames took turns in hurting her. Then, she hit her head on something, and got knocked out. She looked for her friends. The first attack alone could have incinerated them.
Twilight was still standing before Nightmare Moon, a small globe of crackling purple energy surrounding her. Pinkie, and Fluttershy huddled inside the globe. The others were still missing. Once her legs were stable enough, Applejack rushed back into the fray.
"Isn't this a fine sight?" Nightmare Moon said. "Without the Elements of Harmony, you are mere fillies playing soldier! I'm going to enjoy roasting you until the flesh falls off your bones!"
"You're a coward," Twilight replied. Her words were almost lost to the howl of the wind, and clangor the fighting.
"Oh, am I? Big talk from the unicorn who can't even protect all of her friends."
"Shut up!" Twilight snarled. "I'm not talking to you!"
Applejack hesitated. Likewise, Pinkie, and Fluttershy also looked to Twilight in confusion. Twilight, on the other hoof, focused entirely on her enemy. "I thought you were a fighter, Pyre Valor," she shouted. "We're not done yet! Why are you hiding behind Nightmare Moon?"
Nightmare Moon's flames wavered. The tainted flames that burned brightly despite the howling windstorm briefly wavered at Twilight's challenge.
'Dunno what she's trying, but it looks like it's working!' Applejack thought.
Although Nightmare Moon's distraction only lasted a few seconds, it was enough for them to regroup. Scarlet flew up, and fired a bolt at Nightmare Moon. Rainbow burst out of a small pile of rubble, and fired one as well. The bolts were still a good distance away when enormous "claws" of flame grabbed them. When the flames receded, the bolts were gone.
As soon as Nightmare Moon shifted her attention to her aerial attackers, Vanguard galloped from one side with his two-bladed sword in his mouth. With a swing of his neck, he slashed at Nightmare Moon's exposed side. Applejack galloped from the other side. As she neared, she leaped towards Nightmare Moon, her front tramplers outstretched.
The mass of smoke and flame wavered again as Vanguard struck. Nightmare Moon jumped back in time to avoid the two-bladed sword. She spun to dodge Applejack as well, but could not do so completely. A trampler-fitted hoof glanced heavily off her coat.
Applejack recoiled as soon as her hoof struck Nightmare Moon. She should have struck flesh, but her trampler had glanced off something hard. The heat was so intense that, for a moment, she thought her hoof had burst into flame, or that her trampler had melted. Nightmare Moon, on the other hoof, looked barely hurt. Applejack instinctively brought the burned hoof to her chest to nurse it as soon as she landed. 'Okay, hitting a flaming pony with my legs is a bad idea.' Nightmare Moon's horn crackled with magic. Applejack twisted her body, but there was no way she was going to be able to jump back. Desperately, she threw her forelegs in front of her.
"Applejack!" Vanguard shouted. He slammed into her in time. They fell to one side as a torrent of flame passed through Vanguard's back. Fortunately, his armor held. From the wince on Vanguard's face, he'd probably be a little red around that spot later.
"Thanks Vanguard," Applejack said from underneath him.
"Save it until we're out of danger." Vanguard grunted. He got to his hooves, and faced Nightmare Moon. Applejack followed suit. They did so in time to see the enormous bolt of lightning fly from Twilight's horn.
Nightmare Moon countered with her own arc of electricity. The spells collided with a thunderous explosion, spending sparks flying in all directions. Applejack winced at the deafening boom. When the blast cleared, there was already a wave of flame about to crash where Twilight was. Pinkie screeched, fell to the ground, and covered her face. Fluttershy simply froze.
The wave crashed and parted against Twilight's shield. The magical globe fizzled, and disappeared, but it had done its job. Twilight's focus was so intense that she didn't even blink as the torrent of flames parted mere inches from her face. "Stay behind me," she told the two next to her.
Nightmare Moon glared back at the intense stare from Twilight. This was a different pony from the one who had so recklessly charged at her back in Everfree. This wasn't a scared little filly who reached out to others just to be strong. This was a driven, and powerful mare, one willing to stand, and trade spells with her.
This fight was not what she expected. These were the Elements of Harmony, the same ponies that united to drive her out of Luna. She had expected them to have become more resilient after joining the Legion, as well as having learned a few new tricks. She had not expected them to be so…scattered. The light they had emanated during that humiliating day was not there. This was beyond not merely having the physical devices. These ponies were simply not in harmony. The two pegasi were mere distractions and they knew it. The two standing behind Twilight were negligible.
The two earth ponies were dangerous in their own way. The stallion was Vanguard Clash, her host's foalhood friend. Pyre had previously "killed" him, but was now having problems just facing him. This dissonance between her and Nightmare Moon, combined with her ridiculously excessive hatred of Twilight was a problem. As for the mare, she emanated a different sort of light, one that only Nightmare Moon noticed. Though it was faint, that light was familiar: a hateful light from a place she had abandoned a long time ago. If these ponies had so much as a sliver of a chance against her, that chance would be anchored in that light. Finally, there was the other unicorn and the young dragon who have yet to--
Nightmare Moon cried out as a sharp pain pierced both her train of thought, and her flank. At that moment, Twilight unleashed a swarm of purple energy bolts, each one no bigger than a hoof-held rock. The bolts wheeled about and surrounded her, pausing for a moment as if they were a living cloud of creatures, then diving in altogether.
At that one pause before the energy bolts descended, Pyre's fighting instincts kicked in. Twilight had fired a thin ray of light from her horn: a dimensional anchor. She had purposely picked a spectacularly flashy spell as a distraction. The dimensional anchor would have connected, and there would have been no dodging that swarm. Nightmare Moon easily deflected the spell, and teleported with the energy bolts mere inches from connecting. A terrific explosion rocked the area where she was previously standing. Twilight's stomp of frustration put a smile on Nightmare Moon's face as she reappeared behind her. Even Pyre felt a brief satisfaction at foiling the offense. The two cowering ponies yelped, and moved to keep Twilight between them and Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon focused on what had struck her. She pulled out a piece of metal with her telekinesis, and tossed it aside. A dagger? How could something so mundane have struck her? Three more flew at her in rapid succession. With the element of surprise gone, she dodged them with ease. A white glow of magical energy surrounded the blades, and pulled them through the air. Following their path, she found their source. The white unicorn, the one that she had dismissed earlier, had somehow made a successful attack. She focused on this new threat. This was the bearer of the Element of Generosity, still dangerous after all. The amount of magical energy from this one was laughably weak, yet the blade had somehow pierced her defensive magic.
It was the strange twinkling by the white unicorn that gave Nightmare Moon pause. A point of light, no bigger than a coin, was shining through her mage-coat. The same light thinly covered the blades. It was not like the one that emanated from the earth pony mare. Far from it. This light had an ominous glow. It had the aura of alicorn magic, but this was not from an alicorn she recognized.
Nightmare Moon was in more danger than she had first anticipated. These ponies had no chance in driving her out of Pyre's body. However, there were individual sources of danger she hadn't expected. Toying with them out of the question. She stomped with both her forelegs, sending a great torrent of blackened flame towards the white unicorn. Those blades, combined with that strange light, were dangerous weapons, but they were useless as defenses. The white unicorn gasped, and simply stared at her looming destruction.
"Rarity!"
A young dragon had somehow found its way to the north, and was helping what its kind considered barely-passable snacks. It jumped in front of the flames, and exhaled a gout of green dragonfire. The blast was impressive for one so small. The dragonflame momentarily pushed back Nightmare Moon's flames. In that moment, the sky blue pegasus swooped in, and knocked Rarity out of the way. That space quickly passed, and the power of nightmare completely overwhelmed this foolish dragon. The dragon cried out as the flames engulfed it. When they died down, it was flat on its back, and unconscious. To Nightmare Moon's irritation, but not surprise, it was still alive.
"Spike!" Rarity galloped towards her fallen ally. The yellow pegasus cowering behind Twilight flew towards the dragon, ignoring the flames that she was shrinking from just a moment ago. After seeing that the dragon was still alive, both ponies breathed a sigh of relief. That relief turned into fury for Rarity, and the blades above her spun swiftly. Nightmare Moon focused on wrenching telekinetic control over the blades. With Rarity's low magical presence, it shouldn't be a problem. Instead, she could not even slow the spinning. The blades arced up, and spread out, flying towards her from different directions. With the blades unstoppable, Nightmare Moon focused on taking down their controller. Nearby, the two earth ponies charged at her again. Twilight was also intoning another spell.
"Enough! Your attacks are an insult!"
A mass of shadow burst from Nightmare Moon, spreading out in all directions like a gigantic web. It wasn't fire this time. The shadows engulfed everypony nearby, lifting them off their hooves, and trapping them in place. They even caught, and brought down the pegasi. Twilight's spell casting halted, and Rarity's blades snagged.
"Time to burn!" Nightmare Moon's horn crackled as she prepared to ignite the spell.
The shadow strands did ignite, not with Nightmare Moon's tainted flame, but a brilliant, silvery one. The others fell to the ground, and began to get the last of the shadow-stuff off their bodies. More alicorn magic. This time, Nightmare Moon was all too familiar with the source. Princess Luna was nearby, barely able to even stand.
"You can barely keep away Fenrir's presence away, and you're finding strength to attack me? You've come far from the whining filly who agreed so easily to a merging."
"Be quiet!" Luna retorted. When Nightmare Moon focused on her, she smiled wryly. "Are you going to burn me, Nightmare Moon?" she asked. "'Your king won't appreciate finding his bride a little crispy!"
"I don't have to. You'll keel over without any help from me." Nightmare Moon concentrated on another spell. The mighty Princess of the Night who once matched Princess Celestia spell for spell in a grand duel for Equestria's throne was reduced to a crumbling figurehead in a backwater city at Equestria's fringes. Luna was a failure on all fronts, and a failure didn't deserve any attention. As she expected, Luna fell to one knee.
The other ponies had just recovered from her last spell, and Nightmare Moon needed to keep them off-balance. Strands of shadow poured out of her horn like a hundred slender tentacles wreathed in dark flame. They writhed, and snaked their way towards their targets, cutting off escape routes, and threatening to ensnare each one in burning coils.
Spells continued to race through Twilight's mind as she desperately dodged the tentacles. She tried to dispel them as they came at her, but only one strand faded with each casting. She was going to tire herself just stopping this attack.
"Twilight, help!" Pinkie cried out as she ducked one tentacle, then jumped over another one that tried to entangle her legs. Twilight concentrated, and both tentacles faded away. She needed a spell to subdue these things in one fell swoop. Failing that, she needed to bring down Nightmare Moon before they all burned to a crisp. A frost spell came to mind. A big enough cone of pure cold might freeze all these tentacles, and snap them like twigs. She was about to concentrate on the spell when a trio of the tentacles reached out for her.
"Twilight!" Vanguard jumped on the tentacles, crushing them with his hooves. He swung his neck about, slicing up more that threatened to grab him. One of them reared up, and struck his back like a whip, but his barding held true.
"Just in time, Vanguard," Twilight said. "Keep those things off me while I freeze them!"
"Nevermind that," Vanguard replied. He crushed more of the writhing things. "The rest of us will manage. Did you learn some spells that enhance physical prowess?"
"A few," Twilight said. She didn't want to admit that she didn't think they were of as much use as the others. Wading into a melee was not something she planned on doing.
Vanguard nodded. "Good. Stack every one you know on Rarity over there."
"Rarity?" Twilight's eyes widened. "Why Rarity?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Vanguard ducked another whipping attack. "She's the only one whose attack has gotten through!"
Twilight glanced towards Rarity. Applejack was already over there for support. Sure enough, there were a lot of tentacles concentrated on Rarity. Nightmare Moon was going after the one pony who had cut through her defenses. "Boost her with some magical support while the rest of us find a way to get her an opening," Vanguard said. "Until something else comes up, she's our best chance!"
Twilight watched as four glowing blades whirled around Rarity, slicing up tentacles with ease. With Applejack guarding her back, even a swarm of the things could not get at her. Past them, Fluttershy was tending to Spike's injuries. Twilight snorted. Despite so many hours of study and training on her part, it was Rarity who had successfully made an attack. Rarity, who had failed Owlsight's aptitude test, was their best chance at the moment. "I'm on it," she answered. She galloped past the tentacles with Vanguard clearing the way, and Pinkie right behind her.
With Twilight on her way, Vanguard concentrated on working with the rest of his new squad to create an opening. Rarity's mage blades were difficult to keep track of, and she maneuvered them with graceful ease. She could also project them from a good distance so there was no need to get her that close. What he needed was for Nightmare Moon to waver again. To do that, he fell back to what Twilight had accomplished earlier. He gestured towards the pegasi, urging them to keep firing. Despite having to fly about frantically just to keep from being tangled up, Scarlet, and Rainbow did their best to comply.
Vanguard charged towards Nightmare Moon, wading into a morass of tentacles. Several struck him while more wrapped around his torso. Nevertheless, he charged on. "Is this all you've been reduced to, Pyre?" he shouted. "Hiding behind a cloud of smoke while chosen do your fighting for you?"
That struck a nerve. Vanguard didn't need to see if the flames bathing Nightmare Moon wavered. He didn't need to hear the Nightmare Moon struggle against a personality far more fiery than anything a spell could conjure. In all the time he had spent with Pyre, he had developed an instinctive awareness of whether something would set her off or not. He leaped forward, gathering as much of the fiery tentacles in his forelegs before crashing to the ground. The flames hurt, but he ignored the pain. He was getting used to the fire at this point. "Now, Rarity!" he shouted.
Nightmare Moon had aimed a blast of flame at Vanguard, but she changed her target at the last moment. With Pyre acting up again, her aim faltered, as did her control over the tentacles. The flames engulfed Rarity. To everypony's surprise, she leaped through without so much as a singed coat. An aura of purple magic surrounded her while her blades spun towards Nightmare Moon like an enormous disc. Nightmare Moon was about to cast a teleportation spell, but another spell hit her, enveloping her in green light. "No!" she shouted. With the dimensional anchor in place, she was reduced to simply jumping aside. The disc cut against her side deeply, and Pyre's blood splattered against the snowy pavement. "Miserable wretch!"
The number of shadowy strands doubled, turning into a forest of madly whipping blackness. A mass of them wrapped around Vanguard, lifting him off his hooves. More chased after Rarity, but she sprinted past them with ease while her blades flew back to her. Vanguard inhaled sharply when his hooves lost traction, and could only brace for impact as the hard stone quickly filled his vision.
"Vanguard!" Twilight cried out. She rushed towards him, wincing when she heard the violent bang of metal striking pavement. It wasn't just her. Applejack also galloped hard.
Nightmare Moon slammed Vanguard into the pavement again. His head struck stone on the third, and his legs went limp. His two-bladed sword clattered on the ground.
Something snapped inside Twilight. She pointed her horn at the tentacles, and a blast of wind, even colder than the blizzard, struck the writhing mass. The flaming strands went out, then shattered. She, and Applejack got Vanguard just as more tentacles snaked towards them, cutting off any escape route.
"Some really flashy magic's good right about now, Twi," Applejack said. She stomped on one tentacle that got too close. Portions of her coat were already charred, and she was panting heavily.
Twilight thought so too. However, she had already expended a lot of her strength just fending off Nightmare Moon's attacks, and protecting Rarity. Not only that, the dimensional anchor wasn't going to last long unless she maintained it. The cold was beginning to pick up, and more of Fenrir's aura was returning. Luna was kneeling, and looked ready to faint. Without the princess' presence, Fenrir's blizzard would overwhelm the entire city. 'There must be something we can do,' she thought. 'At this rate, the city will fall!'
Twilight cast about her mind. The tentacles were all over the place now, and they were closing in fast. There was only room for one more spell, one that she was going to have to put all her strength into. An enormous shadow fell across her in the middle of her spell casting. A great mass of the shadowy strands had coiled together to form a single massive tentacle, as thick and as tall as a great oak, about to crash into them.
"Twilight!" Applejack shouted.
There was no time to cast a spell, Twilight shut her eyes tightly.
"Darn it, not again!" Applejack cried out. "I'm not letting my friends get hurt again!"
Twilight braced herself for a crushing impact, followed by death. Seconds passed, and she was still waiting. There was a loud thud of something blunt striking the ground. She opened her eyes and, to her surprise, the three of them were unhurt. Vanguard was beginning to stir, but it was Applejack that held Twilight's attention. Applejack had reared up with her forelegs extended in some desperate attempt to catch the massive tentacle. Now, she was looking above her incredulously.
"Applejack, what happened?" Twilight asked. "What did you do?"
"I…I dunno! " Applejack replied. "I thought we were about to be squished, but it just…it just bounced off something!" She paused. "Is…is this what the Queen was talking about?"
Twilight squinted. Was it just her, or was Applejack…glowing? She rubbed her eyes. The glow was not only actually there, but it took the shape of an enormous golden disc centered on Applejack, and floating above them. "Applejack! How did you do that?" Twilight asked. She pointed at the disc.
"Me?" Applejack's eyes widened. "I thought you did that!"
The massive tentacle rose again for another strike. This time, several smaller ones followed it. They lashed at the disc, but each one recoiled. The massive one fell only to bounce off, and crash just a few feet away.
"What's going on?" Vanguard groaned as he rose unsteadily to his feet.
Twilight ignored Vanguard for now. She had only one more shot at Pyre. The city's continued survival was still unsure even if they drove Nightmare Moon back. The blizzard was getting worse, and her heart was hammering in her chest. Past the howling of the wind, and the crackle of flames, were the sounds of battle. The wolven were getting their scaling ladders up, and they were starting to battle the defenders for occupation of the wall. "One more spell for you, Pyre Valor…" she muttered. Her horn glowed bright. Whatever miracle that Applejack managed had given her this one uninterrupted shot. She aimed the spell towards the burning, smoking pony at the center of all the tentacles.
In the time she had spent studying combat spells, Twilight had discovered a strange thing when it came to fighting. More powerful sometimes didn't equal more complicated. Magical energy built up around her, coalescing into a glowing mass. Her knees started to give way before she could complete the spell. Summoning the last bit of her strength, she released the energy. A brilliant blast of light: raw magic compressed into a beam with only enough control to tell it where to go, burst from her horn.
In response, Nightmare Moon weaved her shadow strands into a single, massive wall of blackness. The beam struck the wall, shaking it violently.
Cracks quickly appeared on the wall and light started to seep through them. Even though she couldn't see Nightmare Moon, Twilight could feel her opponent's fear. For the first time since this fight started, Nightmare Moon feared for her life. Small as the chance may be, Nightmare Moon was in danger of being destroyed. Another crack raced through the wall. Nightmare Moon redoubled her efforts in desperation, and Twilight did the same. This was her final attack. If this failed, it would all be over.
A sudden cry from above broke through the tense humming of magical energy. Rainbow tossed her light crossbow aside, and charged head-first into the wall.
The motion was that simple, but the speed was such that Twilight almost thought that Rainbow had cast a teleportation spell. For half a second, she was hovering in the air. By the second half, she was gone, leaving only a streak of prismatic colors. A powerful boom followed in Rainbow's wake. An explosive riot of bright colors flooded Twilight's vision as the mass of blackness protecting Nightmare Moon shattered like glass.
"Beautiful!" Scarlet shouted as he laughed hysterically. "That was beautiful!"
The beam went through, and met Nightmare Moon head on. Another explosion followed and a great portion of the pavement tore apart. Most of them dodged left and right as bits of rubble accompanied the falling snow. Vanguard, and Twilight simply stood next to Applejack as large fragments of stone bounced off the golden disc.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Twilight collapsed on her belly. She opened her eyes weakly only to find that she couldn't move a single muscle. Vanguard, and Applejack looked her over. She wasn't concerned about her own well-being for now, however. She fought for consciousness, and squinted ahead of her, trying to see how her attack had worked.
A figure walked out of the titanic blast. It was a unicorn mare, her wild, black mane billowing in the blizzard. Her white coat was covered with soot, dust, and several charred patches. She was bleeding from a deep cut to her side. Despite her obviously horrific pain, the unicorn kept her intense stare. "I will admit this, Twilight Sparkle," she said. Her voice was ragged, and came out in pants.
Twilight strained to hear the words. This was Pyre Valor: the unicorn mage she met when she first arrived in the Barrier Lands, not some possessed traitor.
"I will admit that you are strong," Pyre said. "Stronger than I would have ever expected. Strong enough for the right to wear that coat." She reared up, and struck the ruined pavement with her front hooves. "And it pisses me off even more! How unjust that the Heartland would have such strength, but it's us who have to fight out here!"
Twilight ground her teeth. Was there no pleasing this mare? Pyre hated her for being weak, and now hated her even more for being strong. It wasn't just that. It that kernel of truth in Pyre's words. How much more could she have done if she knew of this place all along? So much time lost. So much strength left unused.
"I want to kill you more than ever, Twilight Sparkle," Pyre growled. A creeping shadow covered her legs, and slowly went up to taint the rest of her. "For daring to show me this truth, I will kill you." The shadow overtook her completely.
"Time to end this!"
Twilight raised her horn, concentrated...and wilted. She had given it her best shot and failed. Rainbow was face-first in a pile of rubble. Rarity was panting, and the spells that reinforced her were fading. Vanguard, Applejack, and Scarlet, were still game, but they were also tired, and didn't have much means to hurt Nightmare Moon. More so Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Spike was beginning to wake up, but it was unlikely that he had anything more to contribute. Princess Luna was flat on her belly, and barely conscious. She still kept her magic up desperately, putting in every single ounce of her strength to give the Legion a fighting chance. 'We've lost.' Twilight thought. 'There's nothing stopping Nightmare Moon now.'
"Twilight!" Spike cried out. He broke free from Fluttershy. He clutched the same bag that he had been carrying around for some time now, and fiddled with something inside it. "Twilight, are you okay?" he asked.
"Steady now," Vanguard said. He eyed the approaching Nightmare Moon grimly.
"I'm all out, Spike," Twilight said weakly. "Sorry."
"Don't worry, Twilight," Spike said. He pulled out an orb from his bag. "I knew this would be helpful!" He held it out over Twilight, and gazed intently at it.
"Spike what are you-- Aaah!" Dark electricity crackled around the orb, and surged through Twilight. Arcs of purple bolts joined with them, surging back and forth between her and the orb.
Applejack gasped. "Spike! what did you just do?"
"It's a mana battery!" Spike said. He couldn't take his eyes off Twilight, even as his claws went to his mouth. "It should help her!"
"That cry of pain didn't sound very helped!" Vanguard growled.
As quickly as it had acted up, the orb became dormant. Now, it was slightly glowing purple.
Twilight stood up with ease, then put a hoof on Spike's head. "I feel great! Thank you so much, Spike! That was perfect timing!" she said. Spike breathed a sigh of relief.
Applejack's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong here. Maybe it was that sudden serene smile on Twilight's face, or the ominous color of the orb's magic. She just didn't feel as relieved as Spike. One look at the frown on Vanguard's face told her that he felt the same.
"Something's coming!"
All of them turned towards the source of the high-pitched yell. Pinkie was jumping up and down, her entire body twitching.
"What's she talking about?" Vanguard asked.
"It's her Pinkie Sense!" Applejack replied. "Something's going to happen!"
"Good," Vanguard muttered. He picked up his two-bladed sword, stretched out his neck. "I could have sworn we were all just going to stand still."
A beacon of blazing brilliance erupted above Bastion City, warming their bodies, and driving away the blizzard's winds.
"Enough!"
Princess Celestia descended in the middle of all the fighting. She looked a little surprised at the sight, but she quickly recovered, and brought her regal bearing upon their foe. Impressive as her entrance was, however, there was no hiding how tired she looked.
"Begone, Nightmare Moon!" Celestia said. "Stay, and it's me you will face in battle!"
Merely looking at the light emanating from Celestia seemed to pain Nightmare Moon. She faded into smoke, and flew away. There was a renewed cry from the walls' defenders, and the sounds of battle increased.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried out. She ran towards the princess, her face ecstatic.
The look of exhaustion faded from Celestia's face. "Twilight!" she cried. They met each other with a joyful embrace. Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike, looked just as happy. Vanguard, and Scarlet were already focusing on other matters.
"Listen closely, Twocolt. You are the only one I can rely on to carry out the order's goals. Can I trust you to do so despite the risk and can you trust me to have Equestria's best interest at heart no matter what?"
"Of course, my lady! I can't back down or fail after coming so far! Tell me what to do and it's done!"
Twocolt's answer, so confident when he gave it to Lady Bright Flame, weighed heavily upon him as he galloped the streets. He had abandoned his post in order to do this. That proved more difficult than how he had expected it to be. There was the threat of punishment of course. Dereliction of duty was a serious offense in the Legion. But he feared the thought of what would happen to the others more. His fellow legionnaires could very well die because he wasn't there to do his part.
"Applejack will soon be called to join her friends. Once this happens, you must make sure that you are nearby to observe them. Be brave, Twocolt, you will witness frightening things. Keep a close eye on Twilight Sparkle, and whoever tries to aid her when she falls. One of her friends will produce a black orb, and use it. It is of the utmost importance that you get that orb. They will be distracted by this time. When you see it glow purple, knock out whoever has it, and get it. After that, escape."
"I don't understand, my lady. What is so important about this black orb?"
"It is a tool of assassination that Terrato has planted among the chosen. I do not know which, but I know that he has convinced one of them that it is a harmless mana battery. Will you do this, Twocolt?"
"I will, my lady."
Twocolt didn't understand how his mission could possibly affect anything regarding the plot against Princess Celestia, but he was only a low-ranking stallion within the order. Of course, he didn't have the knowledge, or vision of Lady Bright Flame. He was no leader. He was never going to see what ponies like her saw. But he had his faith, and he had his loyalty. He could put these things to good use by trusting in her.
It wasn't easy looking for a single group of ponies in a city under attack. A blizzard had whipped up from out of nowhere earlier, leaving him paralyzed with fear. It was only later that the blizzard abated slightly so he could move again, albeit with some difficulty. He had heard that the chosen were formed into a squad of their own, and stationed by the northern gates. That was his destination.
Several explosions rocked the nearby streets. 'From within the city?' he thought in horror. Despite the danger, he headed for the source. Twilight Sparkle's power was obvious enough during her sparring sessions. It could be one of her spells going off as it was quite close to the northern walls.
"Once you have the orb, retreat to our meeting place."
"But, my lady! The rest of the order was caught there!"
"The Legion believes that the order has been eradicated completely. With an attack in progress there will be nopony there. I will be waiting anxiously for you in that place. Please, don't let me down."
Those words spurred Twocolt on despite the horrible cold and the danger. Lady Bright Flame was waiting for him. If he failed, or ran away now, she would be waiting there until dreadful feeling that nopony was coming crept up on her. He would never be able to face her or himself again.
He froze when he finally approached the northern walls. "You will witness frightening things" was correct. Past the northern walls, within the city itself, was a forest. The trees had trunks made out of shadow, and dark flames for leaves. Battling this field of monstrosities were several ponies. There was Applejack, and Twilight. They were fighting to protect a collapsed pony from the writhing mass. He fought back the urge to jump in, and help out, especially when Applejack was doing her part despite being recently injured. But he couldn't show himself now, he had a job to do. He could only hope that his friend would come out of this battle much better than she did the last one.
Then, came that great clash.
In one moment, Twocolt was watching the group slowly be overwhelmed by the mass of tentacles, especially a big one that somehow kept bouncing off something rather than crushing them. Twilight suddenly fired off a massive spell so bright that he had to close his eyes. Somepony cried out, followed by another explosion. After that was silence.
"Enough!"
A brilliant sunburst dazzled Twocolt further. With a grunt of pain, he shut his eyes. When the glare faded, he shook his head, and blinked.
After that, he simply stared.
Princess Celestia herself hovered above the chaos. Confronted by the sight of the alicorn he had been secretly serving despite the dangers, he momentarily forgot what he was supposed to do. This was a day of reckoning for the traitorous leader of the Equestrian Legion. Princess Celestia wasn't alone as well. Enormous gouts of white flame, each shaped like a winged pony, materialized near her. Finally, things were going to be set right. Sun Gazer had succeeded. Despite the losses, Lady Bright Flame's cause was about to be won.
'Wait. The assassination device! Where is it? I have to get it!' Twocolt searched frantically. As Lady Bright Flame had predicted, the other ponies were distracted. There was the black orb, in the claws of their dragon friend. With everypony looking at the princess, he snuck up on his target. A swift, and measured blow to the head, and the dragon was down. Before it could roll from the dragon's limp fingers, he grabbed the orb with his teeth, and ran. Just as he thought he was about to make a clean get away, an all too familiar voice call out for him.
"Twocolt! What are you doing?"
Applejack's confused call sent a pang of guilt through Twocolt's chest. He didn't look back lest he catch sight of her face. He had to do this. The cause was far more important than any friendship. For Equestria, and for Lady Bright Flame, he would cast aside everything else.
The mere sight of the reunion between Princess Celestia and Twilight was warmth seeping into Applejack's body. The cold winds of the Northern Barrier Lands gave way. However, it was difficult to fully enjoy the sight. She was still worried about that black orb. The others, save for Vanguard, hadn't noticed. She couldn't blame them. Princess Celestia reminded them of home. Seeing that tender hug between teacher and student made it seem that everything was about to become better. Surely, this was the turning point of their fates.
Applejack looked back in time to see Spike fall face-first to the ground. Behind him was an earth pony. Despite the armor, she easily recognized who it was. "Twocolt, what are you doing?" she asked. Her friend simply grabbed the black orb and ran. The others didn't even seem to notice. She moved to chase after him, to make him explain, but she could only take a few half-hearted steps, then look back to Princess Celestia. She couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness in this situation. She walked over to Spike, who was waking up…again. "You okay, sport?" she asked.
"Ow…" Spike rubbed his head painfully. "What happened?"
"Uh…somepony hit you from behind, and made off with that thing you were holding." Applejack pressed her lips together. She wasn't lying, but even omitting details made her feel uncomfortable. Still, she didn't want to mention Twocolt to the others until she got to the bottom of this.
"Of all the--"
Applejack didn't hear the rest of Spike's words. In the next moment, she didn't hear anything else. A cry of pain from a voice she never expected to hear it from was all she could pay attention to. Her head snapped towards the sound while her heart hammered against her chest. "Princess Celestia?" she murmured. Celestia didn't hear her. It didn't seem that Celestia heard, or saw anything past Twilight.
Celestia's face twisted in pain as she looked down towards her chest. Twilight's hoof was black, and had touched where her heart was. Magic, like a barbed blade of ice, pierced her coat, and flesh until her very heart felt cold. "Twilight…" The words caught in her throat. When she tried harder to speak, all that came out was a weak, gasping whisper. "Twilight, why…?"
Twilight withdrew her hoof, and stepped back. The hoof she had pressed against Celestia's chest was coursing with dark-colored magic, which extended from it like an immaterial dagger. White light, the color of Celestia's magic, flowed through the thing like blood. Without her support, Celestia fell forward, and collapsed on her knees. "Please rest assured, Princess Celestia, that your student is as faithful to you as she has always been." It was Twilight's lips that moved, and her voice that made the sound, but somepony else was speaking. Celestia's eyes widened. "I would even say that her faith is even stronger. She has witnessed your folly, but she has not wavered."
"Who are you?" Celestia asked. She said the words between shallow gasps. Her colorful, flowing mane was slowly transforming into a soft pink. Without the magic that summoned them, the Equi Ignei quickly dissipated. The others galloped towards her.
The black-armored pony with them advanced with a two-bladed sword in his mouth, "Twilight Sparkle" shook a hoof at him. "I'm just a guest in this house, Vanguard Clash," she said. "The owner won't appreciate finding it in ruins when she comes back." Vanguard stopped, and glared at her. She turned towards Celestia, and gave a slight bow. "I believe we've met already, your highness. My name is Black Rose. Well, a temporary fragment of Black Rose to be precise. A simulacrum, if you recognize the term. No need to panic. In a few minutes, Twilight Sparkle's body will reject me, and we will exchange places once more. I will return to the soul jar I gave Spike, and she will have her body back. Of course, I will keep this power I've just taken."
Applejack glanced behind her.
"Wishing you had chased after him, Applejack? No need to feel guilty. You would have run into the rest of me, and I would have had to kill you. You chose wisely by staying here."
"Celestia!" A thunderous roar caused everypony to flinch as Terrato came flying towards them. He raised a hoof to strike down "Twilight Sparkle", but Celestia raised a hoof to stop him.
"Terrato, you mustn't! Twilight is…" Celestia winced as she tried to get up. Her legs wobbled and refused to support her.
Terrato's rage gave way to a tender concern. "Celestia, are you hurt? What did she do to you?"
"She will live," Black Rose said. As she spoke, the white light that had enveloped her hoof spread to envelop the rest of her. "I've taken everything else, but I left behind enough to let her keep her immortality."
"This was your plan all along." Terrato growled.
"Yes," Black Rose said. "I never wanted to kill Princess Celestia. When you came upon my plans, it was true that they required that I kill her, but I was still refining my methods to avoid that. You always have been so passionate, beloved. I love that, even if it translates to murderous rage at times." Her expression brightened. "From now on, I will be Equestria's sun. It will be a united Equestria that I will shine upon, not this fragmented mess." She turned her gaze upon Celestia. "Why so shocked and sad? I have relieved you of a burden you should have never carried. When I have accomplished all of my plans, I hope that we can all put these terrible proceedings behind us, and move on together."
"Why have you done this?" Fluttershy asked. "What did Princess Celestia ever do to you?"
"This is not revenge, Fluttershy. As its bearer, you should recognize kindness when you see it." Black Rose turned towards Spike. "Speaking of kindness, you have my utmost gratitude for yours, Spike. This would have failed if you had used it with while Twilight possessed so much as a modicum of power to guard against me, but your timing was simply impeccable. I will remember this day, I assure you." Arcs of black electricity coursed through Black Rose. She smiled, and looked at her hoof. "Right on schedule. Now, excuse me, I have a few more things to take care of before this day is done."
There was a flash magical energy, and the arcs of black electricity mixed with the white glow. Twilight's body fell like a marionette with its strings cut as the energy flew off. Twilight's friends surrounded her while Terrato followed the streak of black and white magic with his gaze. He looked as if he was about to follow. Instead, he flew over to Luna, and lifted her gently to his back with his magic. 'So you've been wearing yourself out while your two siblings made foals of themselves, hmm?' he said softly. 'You're starting to make me think that you should have been eldest, Luna.'
"Uh…" Twilight, the real one, groaned.
"What happened?" Twilight asked. She quickly noticed Celestia. "Princess!" she exclaimed. When she got to Celestia's side, she turned her attention towards her friends. "What happened? Why is she here?" Her eyes narrowed even as the first tears started to drop from her face. "Who did this to her?"
"Twilight, it was…" Applejack hesitated. She looked behind her again, then towards Spike, who had fallen to his knees in shock. She opened her mouth to try again, but she shut it without saying a single word, and looked away.
"Are you hurt anywhere, your highness?" Fluttershy asked. She tried to look over Celestia, but couldn't see any sort of wound. Celestia clutched at her chest. She tried one more time to stand, but her vision dimmed, and blackened completely.
"There's nothing the medic can do," Terrato said. "Celestia will live, so calm down. In case everypony's forgotten, there's still a battle to deal with."
Twilight turned towards Terrato. "She's your sister! How can you stand there as if she just slipped, and fell?"
The others cringed, but Terrato's face was a stony mask, and he didn't even look at Twilight when he placed Celestia on his back with his magic. "No more standing around, legionnaire," he said. "There's more fighting to be done."
A burst of light filled the sky above them. It was coming from a great pillar of sunlight emerging from somewhere in the city.
"Black Rose blooms once again," Vanguard said softly.
Twilight stomped at the cracked pavement repeatedly with her front hooves. "Why?" she sobbed. "We've been fighting so hard, but we can't seem to protect anypony!"
Twocolt galloped through the streets, thankful that Applejack had not decided to give chase. The orb felt warm, and the magical power within it made him uneasy. He made it to the order's old meeting place. The lack of greeting from Verdant made his chest ache briefly. When he reached the secret chamber, he found Lady Bright Flame waiting there as she had promised. He dropped to his knees and transferred the orb from his mouth to his front hooves to offer it. "My lady, I have it. Just as you asked!" he said proudly.
Bright Flame responded with an utterly radiant smile. She took the orb, and gazed at it lovingly before returning her attention to him. "Thank you so much, Twocolt. You have done more than your part in saving Equestria for doing this." She closed her eyes after that.
Blood rushed to Twocolt's face. He couldn't find anything to say to that. Even the questions he had thought of asking dribbled away. To his surprise, the purple light surrounding the orb rose up, then flew away in a bright streak. A second later, a streak of black electricity mixed with white light struck the orb. Whatever the light was, the orb couldn't contain it. It shattered like glass, sending shards flying everywhere. Twocolt raised his forelegs, gritting his teeth when a couple of shards bit into his flesh. "Lady Bright Flame!" he called out.
Bright Flame was completely unharmed. Not only that, she was suffused by the white light. When she opened her eyes, the same white light shone forth from them. "I will not forget this, Twocolt," she said. Her voice reverberated within the chamber, and the walls began to crack. The aura of light around her intensified, and shot upward, burning through the ceiling completely. His heart pounding, Twocolt looked up, and saw the sky from where he was. "You have done me a great favor, and I always remember my debts. I must go for now. There are a few more details for me to take care of."
Twocolt looked on breathlessly as Lady Bright Flame's coat changed from yellow-tinged white to completely black. Graceful, feathered wings sprouted from her back, and her mane went from golden to a deep crimson. Had Lady Bright Flame transformed into an alicorn? How was that even possible? He said nothing as she took off, leaving him to stare at the sky as the pillar of light that had illuminated her gently dissipated.
With the blizzard completely gone, the city's defenders now pushed against the wolven. Scaling ladders were unhooked, and thrown down. The wolven that had managed to climb up were slowly surrounded, then slain.
This battle proved to be Bastion City's costliest yet. Dead ponies were scattered along the walls, and nopony could keep count of the legionnaires who had fallen towards the wolven, who tore through them almost instantly. Blood and feathers rained upon pony and wolven alike as pegasi struggled for control of the skies while bolters shot many of them down. Spells rippled through the air followed by explosions, and the howls of wolven. Ugly, red splotches covered the fresh fallen snow.
From her vantage point, Black Rose surveyed the battle with a smile. This was the Legion she still loved. No matter how desperate the battle, nopony ran away screaming, or cowered in a corner. It was time she rewarded their courage. She didn't miss the sight of the giant wolven standing among the rear lines of the enemy. Fenrir had spotted her. He knew what was going to happen next. "You sent Nightmare Moon against the city thinking that her being outside the pact was to your advantage. I admire both your honor, and your cunning!" she called to the King of Wolvengard. Her voice, soft as it may be, was carried by the power of the sun. It cut through the clamor of battle as easily as sunlight cut through morning mist. Several legionnaires look towards her in surprise, and awe. "I too am not part of the pact. Fitting that what you believed was your greatest advantage has become the downfall of your army."
Black Rose raised her hoof. Sunlight gathered around it, transforming into a dazzling orb of golden radiance. With a flash of magic from her horn, the orb exploded so brilliantly that it was as if the gray clouds that covered the sky had parted to let the sun shine through. The spell was more than light. Hundreds of golden beams arced from the burst, and streaked towards the wolven. Wherever one struck, a silent explosion flared up, consuming everything around it in flame. Howls and panicked shouts went up as chaos broke out within the wolven army. Siege equipment, and supply wagons burst into flames. The wolven hit directly simply disappeared, leaving not even traces of ash. Those caught at the periphery fell to the snowy ground, howling in agony while their fur caught fire. "Long live the Legion," she whispered. She flapped her -now true- wings once, and let a teleportation spell carry her away. Despite his losses, Fenrir would not break the pact. That much she was sure of.
'Tomorrow will be my first sunrise, beloved. My dawn will herald a new age for Equestria.'
"Sally forth!" Dreadstep shouted. He didn't need to. Everypony still capable of putting one hoof in front of the other was rushing to bring the fight to the wolven. The gates swung open, and the Legion stormed out with fearsome battle cries, and neighs.
"Long live the Legion!"
"Equestria!"
"For our prince!"
Dreadstep glanced at the sky. The pony responsible for this miraculous turn of events was gone. A single spell from the black alicorn decimated Fenrir's forces as if the very sun itself had attacked. The wolven were scattered, and disoriented. Many of them had been blinded by the light, and the others were so confused that they were lunging at allies. The ponies broke through their ranks as easily as one could crush a few twigs.
With a dolorous chorus of howls, the wolven began to retreat. Enraged ponies pursued them while bolts rained upon them with impunity. Everypony understood that each wolven slain meant more time for them to recover. It could very well be centuries before the wolven ever dared to cross their borders again. Victorious cries followed as the ponies eventually broke off pursuit. Even Dreadstep, who always looked to the future with a degree of pessimism, had a grin on his face as he turned towards his officers. The city was saved. This was victory. The others grinned back at him, and raised their hooves in exultation.
"We crushed those wolven mongrels!" one pony yelled, tears streaming from his eyes.
"The Legion is invincible!" cried another.
The sight of the prince approaching him brought Dreadstep up short. On Terrato's back were two unconscious ponies, and he was accompanied by Vanguard Clash's temporary squad. The grim look on his face said it all.
Two days had passed since the wolven retreat. Supply wagons rolled out as fast as they could be loaded. Repairs on the walls, and equipment were constant. It was the Legion's turn to pursue the wolven, and make them pay dearly for this invasion. The first step was to retake Fangbreaker Fortress, a prospect that those who survived its fall relished. The smithies rang loud, while medics hustled in the wards. The sky was full of pegasus squads returning, or heading out to harass their retreating enemies.
From his stone throne within the Grand Meeting Hall, Terrato stared at the morning sun for a while. Even though it was Black Rose's first attempts at raising the sun, the cycle of day had not missed a single beat. He had expected some kind of signature to remind all of Equestria that the sun was under a new pony's control. This show of humility was unusual. The lack of mistakes was clearly due to her natural skill and flair. Black Rose took to anything with ease. It also sounded better than Celestia's former duty being ridiculously easy. The double doors to the hall closed, a signal to begin this meeting.
The effects of the last battle, from the wolven retreat, to the inability of the Elements of Harmony to deal with an enemy they had beaten before, to Black Rose's ascension, were still settling in. It showed on the faces of everypony that had gathered. He surveyed them slowly, gathering his thoughts before this audience began.
First, there were his two sisters. Luna was still in bandages, and trembled with each step she took. The physical injuries won't be much of a problem. Healing was Luna's specialty. Once she recovered some of her magical strength, the burns would be trivial. Celestia, on the other hoof, was a different matter. There wasn't even a mark where Black Rose had stabbed her. Celestia had slept through the past two days with her student remaining by her side the entire time. He made sure that there was food waiting for her when she woke up, but he hadn't so much as visited her room. This morning, both his sisters stood to his right with Luna being the closer one. Celestia looked dazed, and lost, her -now pink- mane limp around her neck. Luna leaned in close to offer support while the other ponies in the hall watched her in concern.
Then, there were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony along with Vanguard Clash, Scarlet Rabbit, and Spike. Terrato focused first on "the guilty ones" as he thought of them. Spike was busy groveling before Celestia. No one, pony or otherwise, should bear that much guilt at so young an age. Even though Spike was instrumental for Celestia's loss, punishment was out of the question. A hundred lashes wouldn't come close to what Spike was going through anyway.
Next to Spike was Legionnaire Rarity. After the discovery of Spike's "mana battery", she gave up the coin she received from this so-called "Bright Flame": an obvious scrying device. No wonder Black Rose was able to easily coordinate her movements with the chosen. The device had also been magically modified to allow Black Rose to channel some of her power to protect her unwitting spy, and make sure that Nightmare Moon didn't get too out of hoof. Like Spike, punishment was unnecessary.
The next two were Legionnaires Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. There wasn't much to say about them except that they looked completely out of their element, much more so than the other chosen. They would have been sent them home if they weren't needed to complete the Elements of Harmony, and if they wouldn't wilt faster without their friends.
Next were Legionnaires Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Now, here were two ponies made of sterner stuff. Rainbow's back and head were covered in bandages, but she bore her injuries with a pleasing, soldierly indifference. Applejack, on the other hoof, was likely his favorite out of the chosen: not as much a stand out like Rainbow, and Twilight, yet brave, and reliable. That she was an earth pony helped. It was doubtful that he was her favorite royalty though. Twocolt was still languishing in a dungeon after being interrogated. She had spent the past two days trying to make sure that he didn't hang. That was going to be decided today. Her sides were no longer bandaged. It took a mere five days for her to recover from a life-threatening wound. She was either incredibly tenacious, another admirable trait, or her majesty had gifted her with this favor.
Captain Vanguard Clash, and Scarlet Rabbit looked like the only ponies who were comfortable in the hall, odd given that Vanguard nearly hanged and Scarlet looked far more at home flying about and killing things.
Also in the hall was Commander Dreadstep, who carried himself with slightly more dignity now. He hadn't lost Bastion City to the wolven after all. There were no guards present. It was important not let the city know that their princess was among them, and had lost most of her power.
Then, there was Twilight Sparkle. She hadn't stopped looking worriedly at Celestia. Terrato moved on. What else was there to think or say about Twilight Sparkle?
"Looks like everypony's here," Terrato said. Spike shuffled back to his friends, and stood quietly among them. He summoned a large container that should be familiar to the chosen present. Without any preamble, he opened it, and sent the physical manifestations of the Elements of Harmony to their bearers. He didn't remember these things as gaudy jewelry, but, after a thousand years, he shouldn't count on anything he remembered about Celestia, and the Heartland. "Now that you have these, you might actually be useful as the Elements of Harmony."
The bearers received their Elements graciously enough. From their worried faces, they were going to need more than just these trinkets for the coming battles. The jewelry looked even gaudier now that it was on them. Especially the crown. The thing looked too big, and it marked Twilight out as surely as painting a sign on her that said "kill me".
"When did you get them, big brother?" Luna asked.
"I made quick trip to Canterlot yesterday," Terrato said. "I fetched them, then decided to have a look around the city in secret." His voice lowered. "I didn't like what I saw." He looked at Applejack. "Now, some of you are here on a particular agenda. Now's the time to speak up."
Applejack stepped forward. "Your highness, what's going to happen to Twocolt? Are you going to hang him? He doesn't deserve to be hung!"
Terrato looked to Dreadstep. "Tell me how deep the colt is in," he said. Yesterday, the Legion caught Twocolt hiding out in the cellar of his family home. They had him for dereliction of duty, but interrogation revealed a more grievous crime.
"He claims that he is part of 'the Order of True Equestrians', your highness," Dreadstep replied. "They're apparently a group dedicated to preserving Princess Celestia's reign, and stopping your 'conspiracy' to rule all of Equestria."
Terrato frowned. Dreadstep normally kept his feelings out of work, but the derision was obvious in his tone. "So where is the rest of this oh-so-noble order?" he asked.
"He also claims that Special Operations arrested, and executed most of them," Dreadstep replied. "We have no records of making such arrests."
"Black Rose used them, and killed them," Terrato said flatly. "Just like the so-called "Black Rose Rebellion". She's not going to leave loose ends. That she spared this one means she still has plans for him."
"True, your highness," Dreadstep replied, "but wouldn't she have taken steps to protect him instead of leaving him in our clutches?"
"Maybe she's banking on our mercy," Terrato said. He shifted his gaze back to Applejack. "Maybe that's why she made sure he was friends with somepony willing to speak for him."
"I still think he should be spared," Applejack said. "He ain't done enough to be hung."
Terrato turned towards Luna. "What do you think of this?" he asked. "Should I play it safe, and kill this colt?"
Luna gasped a little at the sudden attention. Terrato surprised himself as well. She recovered swiftly, and looked glad for this chance. "The colt was deluded, big brother. Black Rose used him as she had many of us, but he meant well and she knew it. He should not die for this."
"I'm not going to have him killed then," Terrato said. "But I'm not giving Black Rose any opportunities to use him any further." He turned towards Dreadstep. "Have him transferred somewhere he'll be harmless. He can continue to serve Celestia in some small remote outpost. It only follows that he's not to be given any important position."
"Yes, your highness," Dreadstep replied. Applejack's face was downcast. Natural, as she was likely never going to see her new friend again, but there were traces of relief in there as well.
"Let's move on to what will be happening from now on," Terrato said. "The Northern Equestrian Legion will continue to pursue the wolven, and reclaim Fangbreaker Fortress. I want you chosen to stay together, and take part in this advance in case Nightmare Moon is still at it. We will operate under the assumption that, while she seems inclined to help the Legion, Black Rose won't be doing any more direct attacks. Reinforcements are still on the way from the Western and Southern Legion. Once Fangbreaker has been retaken, we will begin our march into Wolvengard."
Dreadstep looked at Terrato incredulously. "Are you saying that we're launching an offensive against Wolvengard, your highness?"
"Not saying," Terrato replied. "Ordering. You've seen the bodies still smoking outside the city. This is the worst defeat that the wolven have taken in centuries. The Legion will capitalize on this." His voice lowered, and his eyes narrowed. "I will inflict a loss on Fenrir so great that he will be forced to surrender on my terms. The wolven will never be a threat to Equestria once I extract a promise from him."
As Terrato expected, while Dreadstep and Vanguard took to his orders with ease, the rest of the ponies present could not hide their shock.
"But what about Black Rose?" Twilight asked. "We have to bring her down, and take back Princess Celestia's power!"
Terrato glared at Twilight. "Is that so? Sounds like you have a plan, Twilight Sparkle! Do you know where Black Rose is, what her plans are, and how she's going to go about them? Do share!" Twilight fell silent, but she didn't stop her indignant gaze. "Make no mistake," Terrato went on. "I will kill Black Rose, and the power of sunlight will be restored, but I am not wasting this opportunity to lessen the number of fronts we are fighting in. The Legion will not sit on its tail while we wait for a chance to find Black Rose." He turned his gaze towards Dreadstep. "The barrier has been down since yesterday. We will begin a realm-wide draft. Relay my orders to the other Legion commanders. I want an army of chosen reserves ready in six months. They will occupy our walls in the less threatened areas so some veterans can be freed up for the offensive."
Dreadstep saluted. "Yes, your highness."
Celestia finally snapped out of her miserable state. "What is the meaning of this, Terrato?" she asked. "You are going to force my little ponies into your army?"
"It is a draft, but I hardly think we'll be doing any forcing." Terrato replied. "Once the chosen see that their nation is at war, they'll be clamoring to take up arms. We'll be lucky if we find enough gear to outfit all of them. Wouldn't that be the case, Legionnaire Twilight Sparkle?"
Celestia looked to her student. "Legionnaire Twilight" struck her like a blow. Her mentor realizing that she had joined the Legion did the same for Twilight, who wilted under that pained gaze. "I…" Twilight replied. "It's true that the ponies of the Heartland should be given a chance to fight for their homes. But forcing them..."
"Celestia will issue a decree regarding our situation," Terrato said. He looked to Celestia. "I will leave it to you as to how you will break the news." He returned his focus to all of them. "Black Rose may have stolen Celestia's power, but not her authority. The chosen should have no problem fighting for their princess, as opposed to fighting for a prince they've never met."
"And what if I refuse to make that decree?" Celestia asked. Her jaw clenched tightly as she leveled a hard stare at Terrato.
"You can make this transition as easy as possible for the Heartland," Terrato replied. "Or you can force me to resort to cruder methods. I'm going to get that army ready with or without your help."
The defiant stare fell apart. "So this is how it is," Celestia said. "You give me orders like one of your legionnaires, Terrato. Am I only a princess in name now?"
"You tell me, dearest sister," Terrato said through gritted teeth. "You say the Legion is 'my army' when it's called "the Equestrian Legion". You tell me just what you're princess of now."
"Big sister, please," Luna said. She looked at Celestia imploringly. "The Legion needs all the help it can get."
Celestia looked to Luna, then to Twilight, then to the other chosen. Whatever stubborn stance she still had crumbled. "I will issue the decree," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "All I ask is that you use them in defense of Equestria, not the invasion of Wolvengard."
Terrato nodded. "Good. You all have your tasks to accomplish. Leave this hall, and get to them." He closed his eyes, and let out a sigh over the hoof-steps leaving the hall. When he opened his eyes, however, Twilight was still there. "Did all those explosions yesterday leave you a little hard of hearing, legionnaire?" he asked. "I told you to leave this hall."
"I still have something to say," Twilight said. She still shook when he loomed, but she no longer looked as if she was going to bolt any second. Replacing that emotion was a sense of resignation that if he was going to be so petty as to kill her for speaking her mind then so be it.
"Don't you always?" Terrato snapped. "Gamble with your life too often, Twilight Sparkle, and the odds are going to catch up with you." Terrato looked towards the now shut double doors to the hall. Somepony else was listening. Two of them. "Why not?" he muttered. His lapse of attention didn't stop Twilight.
"What do you have against me, your highness?" Twilight asked. "Every time I try to talk, you're always angry. Vanguard said that you don't share in the petty hatreds of your ponies."
Terrato shrugged. "He's right, I don't. I happen to have my own petty hatreds."
Twilight stomped with a front hoof. On another day, she'd be spitting teeth out for that. Not today. Not with Celestia so close. "I can't believe you! The princess has just lost her power! The barrier that she's been trying to protect for so long has been brought down! Instead of trying to comfort her, you're ordering her around, and putting aside her concerns! How can you care so little for your sister? You're just a bully who cares for nothing other than fighting, and killing!"
Twilight spoke loud enough for her words to echo in the empty hall. For a few moments, the two of them didn't say anything while the sound bounced off the walls. She tensed, ready to stand against a roar from him. When he remained silent, she relaxed a little.
"So tell me, Twilight Sparkle, how was your first century?" Terrato asked.
"My first what? I haven't--"
"That's right. You haven't. You don't even have half a century to your name do you? You've been Celestia's student for what? A couple of decades? Less than that?" Terrato's voice rose. "I have fulfilled Celestia's wishes for more than a thousand years. Don't you dare tell me that you have even an inkling of what it means to care for another!"
Terrato stomped with both front hooves. A section of the stone floor rose just beneath Twilight, knocking her on her back. Before she could get up, he was standing over her and staring down. "Do you want to know why you piss me off so much? It's because you stand there with your blink of a lifetime, spouting your little principles at me as if you had an idea as to what they could mean. You've seen, and lived through nothing, Twilight Sparkle. I should beat you within an inch of your life. Maybe, while you're three-quarters dead, you'll be able to get a view of the Eternal Herd. You'd have a glimpse of what I gave up to stay by Celestia's side. You've spent less than a month in the Legion. What could you have possibly sacrificed for her sake?"
He walked back to the throne. "You want me to explain how I can care so little? You should be the one explaining, scholar. Explain how somepony can spend a blink of a life with Celestia, and become so important to her that she would risk what she's protected for so long. Explain how that same pony could betray her, yet still be so close to her that she would stupidly let this pony close enough to stab her with a knife-shaped void."
Twilight took a step back. She would have lost her hind legs for that. "I…I don't--"
"While you're at it, maybe you can explain how my lifetime of unquestioning loyalty can be shoved aside by the accusations of the first random unicorn who stumbles into her court." Terrato's frown deepened into a scowl when Twilight didn't answer. "What's the matter, faithful student?" he roared. "Haven't Celestia's lessons prepared you for this test? Give me an answer, or I'll break every bone in your body!"
Still only silence. Terrato pointed his horn at the double doors. A wave of force struck them so violently that they shattered into splinters. Their stone frames cracked, and a cloud of dust rose from the blast. "Since you don't have an answer, maybe your mentor can help you out," he growled.
The cloud of dust settled revealing both Celestia, and Luna. Luna had raised a shield in time to stop the blast.
"Standing on stone is not a good way to hide from me, dearest sister," Terrato said. He sat back on his throne. "I am not surprised that you've forgotten some aspects of my power.
It was Luna who stepped forward to speak up. Finally, a move that didn't merit being repeatedly bludgeoned. "Big brother, I know you're upset--"
"Of course you do. You've consistently showed that perceptiveness ever since your timeout." Terrato exhaled loudly, and rested his head on a hoof. "Get out of my sight, all of you."
The three left the hall quietly, leaving him to his thoughts.
Applejack walked out of the Grand Meeting Hall, as uncertain of the future as she was when she walked in. Like Twilight, she had expected Prince Terrato to immediately lay out plans to get Princess Celestia's power back. When that wasn't the case, she was at a loss as to how to feel about him. Princess Celestia was his family. Family should come first. For him to set aside getting his sister's power back was difficult to swallow.
Yet, when Twilight openly protested against the prince's priorities, Applejack couldn't bring herself to join in. She was loyal to the princess. Twilight was even more so, but that didn't make her disloyal. Nevertheless, some part of her held back when Twilight spoke out. Was the difference in their loyalty really that much? None of her other friends had spoken out either. Perhaps, it was simply Terrato's intimidating presence, or none of them could match Twilight's devotion.
They were already splitting up to go back to their duties: Rarity was walking off with Spike on her back, Pinkie was hopping off to the kitchens, and Fluttershy looked about to leave as well. The only exception seemed to be Twilight, and that was because she wasn't around. 'Must have gone off to stay with the princess,' Applejack thought. She had to admire that about Twilight. Banishment, signing up for the Legion, and the loss of her teacher's power, didn't faze her loyalty one bit.
Speaking of loyalty, Applejack's gaze focused on the pony associated with that Element of Harmony. For the past two days, Rainbow had avoided her entirely. Rainbow's ability to fly gave her a distinct advantage, but it was a rare occasion indeed to be so frustrated by it. This was one such time. Trying to pin down one of Equestria's finest flyers in a busy city was nigh impossible. While all of them were still walking was a good chance. At the sight of her walking over, Rainbow was already about to take off. "Hey, RD!" Applejack called out. "You were uh…you were pretty awesome during that last fight!"
Rainbow hesitated: a good sign. Better than absolutely nothing. "You think so?" she asked cautiously.
The still-healing gashes around Rainbow's head made it difficult for Applejack to agree, but she forced down her concern like a one-too-many slice of apple pie. "Yup, without that Sonic Rainboom, we would have never beaten Nightmare Moon."
The corners of Rainbow's lips twitched briefly.
"Hey, Rainbow!" Scarlet called. "You up for tonight? Today's payday, and we can go for the really good stuff!"
Applejack ground her teeth as Rainbow started to pull away. "Wait just a golldarn--"
"No drinking for you tonight, Scarlet, I've got orders for you. Let's go."
Vanguard's voice was music to Applejack's ears. Deep, husky, ear-tickling music.
In contrast to that, Scarlet's voice was whiny, and grating. "But, Captain, it's payday! We're not under siege anymore, and Storm Brew's got a fresh batch of 'Good Stuff' lined up!"
"I said 'orders', Scarlet," Vanguard growled, "not 'polite requests'. Let's go."
Vanguard gave Applejack a quick glance, and a nod: his way for apologizing for Scarlet, she guessed. She replied with a smile, and a nod of her own, then turned her attention back to Rainbow. "Right, like I was-- Why are you looking at me like that, Rainbow?"
Rainbow smiled slyly. "I saw that."
It was the first smile that Applejack had seen from her friend in days, and it was the sort that she didn't really like. While the two of them were talking again, Rainbow was trying steer the conversation into other things. "Saw what?" she asked.
"You know what I'm talking about!"
When Applejack stared at her blankly, Rainbow's amusement turned into puzzlement. "You like Vanguard, don't you?" she asked.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Of course I like Vanguard. What kind of a silly question is that?"
Rainbow's jaw dropped for a second. "I mean...you really, really like him!"
Another blank response had Rainbow putting a hoof to her face. "Forget it. There's no point poking you if you won't squirm."
"You keep your poking to yourself, RD."
They walked on in silence. It wasn't long until they came upon the corner which would lead to Flight Dreadwing's barracks. Applejack had to say something now or waste this chance. "About the last fight--"
"It wasn't enough," Rainbow said quietly.
Applejack frowned. "What wasn't enough? Your Sonic Rainboom? But you broke through that wall!"
"I mean breaking the wall wasn't enough."
"Enough for what?" Applejack asked.
"Enough to…to…" Rainbow looked away. Her wings twitched with pent up energy. The temptation was understandable. It seemed so much easier to fly off. Rainbow pressed her lips tightly, and shut her eyes. "Enough to make up for what happened to you!" she blurted out.
Applejack's frown deepened. "Now listen here, you. Nopony ever blamed you for what happened to me. Especially not me!"
"I blame me," Rainbow retorted. "I messed up badly! I have to do something to make up for it, and the last battle wasn't enough!"
"And when will it be enough?" Applejack asked gently. "There ain't some dip stick you can use to tell if you've done enough."
"I'll…I'll just know," Rainbow insisted. "I have to go, Applejack. The Flight Captain's going to get angry if I'm late."
Applejack nodded. "Rainbow!" she called out at the last moment. Rainbow hovered in mid air for a second. "Stay with us tonight!"
Rainbow hesitated again, her eyes looking everywhere except at Applejack. "I'll try," she mumbled.
Applejack let herself smile. "I'll be waiting for you," she said. And Rainbow was gone. That was all she was going to get today, but she was glad that there was at least something accomplished besides a hoof to the face for either of them.
With Terrato's roar still ringing in her ears, Twilight walked next to the two princesses as they followed a pair of guards to their quarters. Prince Terrato had assigned them to the best room in all of Bastion City. Like all of Bastion City, even "the best room" was modest at best.
By the time Celestia was heading towards the bed, she was already having trouble staying on her hooves. Twilight and Luna stood by either side, ready to help when needed.
"The prince requests that you stay in this room until he gives the word otherwise, your highness," one of the guards told Celestia. His words were polite, but his tone underneath was flinty.
"What?" Twilight asked. "Is he going to keep her prisoner here?"
"We do as the prince commands, Legionnaire Sparkle," the guard replied. "You better remember that if you don't want another go at the whipping post."
"Twilight," Luna said sternly. She nodded at the guards. "Thank you. We'll do just that."
The guards bowed at Luna, then left. "We will remain outside your door in case you need anything," one of them added before closing the door.
Twilight was about to help Celestia lie down when Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder. "Twilight, what did that guard mean by 'another go'?" Celestia asked.
Twilight cursed silently at the guard's poor choice of words. "W-well, what he meant was--" She caught a passing glance at Luna. It only took that for Luna to remind her that the truth was the best option here. "That's because…that's because I've been whipped before, princess."
"Big brother was going to execute the pony who gave her the trigger, big sister," Luna hastened to add. "Twilight agreed to be whipped alongside him to save his life."
It was as if the few remaining marks of the whip along Twilight's back lit up for Celestia to see, glowing past even her mage-coat. She closed her eyes, expecting an angry outburst.
"I'm sorry," Celestia whispered.
Twilight opened her eyes, and looked up to Celestia's face. No outraged expression waited for her, only a pained look that made her chest ache. "Princess, you don't--"
"I ordered the division. Terrato did nothing more than enforce a law that I had set. I'm so sorry, Twilight."
Choking back a sob, Twilight stepped forward to hug Celestia, who returned the gesture tenderly. "Aren't you angry that I'm a legionnaire now?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
"No."
"But I...I did things that were expected of legionnaires. The things you feared would only turn ponies into monsters like the wolven!"
Celestia didn't answer right away. For a moment, both Twilight feared that she was angry now that she was reminded. Instead, Celestia stared ahead of her sadly. "A few days ago, some ponies attacked the Royal Palace," she said. "They killed some of my guards while they were trying to steal the Elements of Harmony. When I got to the Chamber of Harmony, and saw what they had done…" She paused and closed her eyes tightly for a second. "I was so angry that I…that I lashed out."
Celestia trembled slightly. Twilight could feel it in their embrace.
"I have never killed a pony of this world before. It happened so quickly that I couldn't help but be frightened."
"Princess…" Twilight said.
"But now I have done such a thing," Celestia said. She mustered a weak smile. "I've realized that I'm just as prone to anger and violence as any of my little ponies. Now that I've spent a little time talking to Luna, and Terrato, I see that I've been too hasty to judge." She pushed Twilight back gently to look in her eyes .
Twilight glanced away, afraid of what her mentor would find upon looking too deeply. She also didn't want to see the reaction. If Celestia were to turn away in disgust, or disappointment, she would crumble on the spot. When she finally forced herself to glance briefly, however, she found neither.
"I want to see for myself what happens out here, and to the ponies who live here," Celestia said. "I want to know if there is a truth to what Terrato had been telling me. I want to see everything first before making a judgment again."
"Oh, princess," Twilight said joyously. "I knew you'd understand!"
Even Luna smiled. "You should get some rest, big sister."
Celestia nodded, and lay on the bed. The furs disconcerted her a little, but she quickly settled down. With one more fond glance at Celestia, Twilight went over to Luna, who was sitting by a desk with a book. "You should be resting too, your highness," she said. "You really exerted yourself in that last fight."
"I'll be fine, Twilight," Luna replied as she turned a page. "You should be going. You have other duties as a legionnaire, and playing nursemaid to two princesses is not one of them."
"I will," Twilight replied. She looked over Luna's shoulder. "Doing some reading, your highness?" she asked. "Where'd you get those?" She looked at the title on the cover: Barrier Lands Law.
"I had some of the guards get them during my last visit," Luna answered. "This wasn't how I wanted it to do so, but I knew this was going to happen eventually. Now that the division is over, I want to be prepared to rule over a united Equestria with my siblings. Understanding the laws that Terrato laid down should help."
"Sounds like a good plan," Twilight said. "I'll be going then, princess." She didn't hide her admiration. She hadn't thought of things like that. The three siblings ruling together in a single Equestria…she had almost forgotten that the division's end should be a good thing. Her smile lessened when her thoughts turned towards Prince Terrato. Even now, he confined his sisters to a room and planned things without them. If there was going to be a chance to unite Equestria, he was needed.
The medical ward was quiet by the time Fluttershy made it back. After the initial rush of injured, the activity had slowed down to a peaceful crawl. She was thankful for that much. Doctor Redbrand had given her an earful which the other medics thought was too light after what they had gone through. For today, she hoped that he was in a better mood. He was sitting quietly by his desk from afar. There was that morose expression on his face again. It might actually be better if he was angrily shouting at ponies. Whenever he quieted down, he had that depressed expression which only served to highlight every line on his face. She was about to see if there was something she could do for him when she passed by Headwrap and Kneescrape, two of the senior medics.
"Mail's finally here!" Headwrap said with a grin. He held up a bundle of letters. "First, its payday. Now, we get all our mail in one go!"
"Good thing the damn siege didn't last long, or we'd have a mountain of them to sort out," Kneescrape muttered.
Headwrap looked at Fluttershy, and smiled. "You expecting mail, Fluttershy?"
"She's from the Heartland, idiot," Kneescrape said. "How is she supposed to get any mail?"
"I would love to get some mail, though," Fluttershy said. "Did you two get any?"
"Looks like I got one from my sister," Headwrap said. He held out the envelope triumphantly.
"Doubt I'd get any from my family," Kneescrape muttered. "Probably one from that mule, Goldtouch, hounding me over my debt."
"Here's one for Redbrand," Headwrap said.
"Throw it away!" Kneescrape grumbled. "It's probably his nag wife bleeding him dry again. Tell him that it must have gotten lost during delivery. You'd be doing him a favor."
Headwrap shook his head. "No way. If he finds out he'll saw my legs off."
"Doctor Redbrand has a wife?" Fluttershy asked.
"Not exactly something he likes to bring up," Headwrap replied. He shot an annoyed glance at Kneescrape before turning towards Fluttershy. "You're always on his good side, you can give this to him."
Fluttershy nodded, then took the envelope in her mouth. While the two continued to sort through the mail, she headed for Redbrand's desk.
"About time you came back!" Redbrand snapped at her as soon as she came closer. "Your pay's here." He gestured towards the pouch of bits on his desk. "What's that letter you've got there?"
Fluttershy placed the envelope on the desk. "It's from your wife!" she said with some enthusiasm. Despite what Headwrap and Kneescrape were talking about earlier, receiving letters from loved ones should be a good thing.
"Bah! The money's on the way as it always is!" Redbrand groused. He opened the envelope, glanced at the letter, then tossed it into a nearby waste bin. "I don't know why she has to waste time and paper reminding me every month."
"Aren't you happy that your wife sent you a letter?" Fluttershy asked.
"Ever been married, Fluttershy?" Redbrand asked. When Fluttershy shook her head, he snorted. "Thank your Princess Celestia or whoever. Nothing sours things between ponies like marriage." He waved a hoof dismissively, and looked away. When Fluttershy didn't leave, he frowned. "What do you want now? A raise?"
"Is that why you drink so much and look sad so often?" Fluttershy asked.
"Terrato grind me, you're a stubborn filly!" Redbrand pulled out his flask, and opened it only to catch a disapproving look from Fluttershy. He lowered the flask, and scowled. "You're cruel for keeping an old pony from the few comforts he can afford."
"You know that it doesn't work."
"And do you have an alternative?" Redbrand snorted again. Before he could take a drink, Fluttershy moved closer, and around his desk. A moment later, she had her forelegs around him.
"I'm sorry about your wife." Fluttershy said softly.
A moment of silence passed. Redbrand put the flask aside. "I don't see what you're trying to do besides ending up smelling like a brewery on fire."
Hearing no protest, Fluttershy stayed that way for some time.
"Don't they have some other pegasus for this?" Scarlet protested. "Why am I always getting tagged for special deliveries?"
"Because you're the best pony for the job," Vanguard replied. "These orders need to get to our agents down south as soon as possible, and you're our fastest."
Scarlet grinned. "Not for long!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vanguard frowned. He already knew the answer.
"You saw it, Captain: that sparkly, flashy exploding thing that Rainbow Dash did!"
"I believe it's called 'Sonic Rainboom'." Vanguard replied. He had asked Twilight about the move a day ago. He was certainly impressed, but it also made him worry for this very reason.
"She could beat me in a race," Scarlet said, his face now serious. "A fair race. If she did that Sonic Rainboom, she'd blow past me!"
Vanguard matched the serious tone with his own. "And if she fails like Overcast, are you going to go into a rage, and beat her half to death?" he asked. "I'm not letting that happen again. If it does, mark my words there will be no cover up this time."
"There won't be a next time," Scarlet replied. "I know she can do it. Even Tailwind knows she can do it!"
"Take your weights off," Vanguard ordered. "We need you at your fastest."
With a shrug, Scarlet undid the straps on some of his barding, revealing a large strip of padded cloth wrapped around his torso. A few more straps, and the cloth fell to the ground with a heavy, metallic clank.
Vanguard eyed the heavy metal bars grimly. The pavement had vibrated on impact. "Do not goad her into racing you, Scarlet," he said. He gripped Scarlet by the harness. "I don't care if she stands a good chance at beating you. I'm asking as your friend, and ordering you as an officer. If you race and, she gets hurt, I will tie that noose around your neck myself."
"Okay, Captain. If you're that serious about it, I won't."
Vanguard let go. "Good. One more thing, no more heavy drinking with her."
Scarlet stomped a front hoof. "That's just unfair! We're just having good times! It's got nothing to do with racing!"
Vanguard let out a sigh, and patted Scarlet on the shoulder. "I know. I know you mean well by being friendly, Scarlet, but your friendship is…well, like Storm Brew's 'Strong Stuff'. Not everypony is capable of dealing with it."
"No. She can't. She's like that filly who goes into a bar, and pretends like she can hold her liquor while the rest of us laugh. Keep some distance from now on, alright?"
Scarlet deflated when he replied. "Alright, Captain. I'm taking off now."
"Right, be on your way."
Vanguard blinked once, and Scarlet was already gone. He tried to scan the sky, but he didn't even catch a silhouette. 'Of all the pegasi in Equestria to be gifted with that speed, why did it have to be you, Scarlet?'
With Scarlet dealt with for now, Vanguard went on with the rest of his duties.
The sun was setting, and Applejack was heading back to her shared quarters when she heard a familiar, deep-voiced growl of a voice call out her name. She turned around, a smile already on her lips. "Howdy, Vanguard," she said as he walked up to her. "You done for the day?"
"Almost." Vanguard said. "I was thinking of getting a drink. Would you like to join me?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "That's not Special Operations talk for catching more criminals is it?" she asked.
"No." Vanguard chuckled. "There's going to be actual drinking involved this time. Scarlet did mention that Storm Brew has a new batch of 'Good Stuff'."
"I reckon I can stay for a spell, and be back to wait for Rainbow in time," Applejack said. They turned at one corner. "By the way, thank you kindly for dealing with Scarlet earlier."
"Did you get to talk with Rainbow?" Vanguard asked.
Applejack let out a sigh. "A little. It's going to take more than a talk or two to patch things up, but I'm just glad we took a step forward today."
"Good. I hope you don't take this against Scarlet. He means well. He just...perceives things differently."
Applejack nodded. They finally reached Storm Brew's new brewery. They had just walked through the free-swinging double doors when a white unicorn mare with a bright purple mane that look like she had just been struck by lightning leaped over the counter. "Vanguard!" she called out. "I knew you'd come for this batch! Where's Scarlet, and that new drinking buddy of his?"
"They're not coming, Storm Brew, we'll have some of that 'Good Stuff' though," Vanguard replied.
Applejack looked at Vanguard. "That's Storm Brew?" she asked. "I thought he-- I mean she--"
"Was some crusty, old, bearded stallion?" Storm Brew asked. "I get that often." She showed them over to the counter just as some more ponies stepped into the building. It wasn't long until both of them had a glass of the clear, crackling liquid.
"Is this going to shock me like it did Pinkie if I drink it?" Applejack asked. She looked at her drink as if it might explode.
"Only if you gulp it down," Vanguard replied before taking a sip. "This is a drink made for moderation."
Applejack took a sip, and grimaced, expecting an electric shock anyway. When none came, she licked her lips, pleasantly surprised at the tingly feeling in her mouth. "She wasn't kidding with the name," she said. "This is good stuff!"
"And another convert joins up!" Storm Brew laughed. "I don't know about all the things I keep hearing about the chosen, but I know for sure that you have good taste." She looked over to Vanguard. "Figures you'd go for an earth pony!"
"I get enough of that from my mother, Storm Brew," Vanguard replied.
With another laugh, Storm Brew left them to tend to the other customers. Vanguard unfastened his champron, and set it on the bar. Applejack found herself staring. Vanguard wore his barding almost all the time so the sight of his face left her feeling…odd. His black, curly mane remained carefully arranged despite being trapped in metal for long periods of time. A few locks proved rebellious, and peeked down his eyes. Her hoof moved on its own to brush them away. With a frown she consciously set it on the bar. 'What in tarnation…what was that all about?'
They quietly sipped their drinks for a while. "So how are you holding up?" Vanguard asked.
"Holding up? What do you mean? My injury? It's fine. It doesn't hurt at all."
"I mean about Twocolt. You were friends right?"
Applejack stared at her drink for a moment. "I should just be happy that his highness decided not to hang him," she said with a wistful smile. "That's good enough, right?"
"True," Vanguard said with his own wistful smile.
They were quiet again. This time, it was Applejack who broke that. "So you need something?" she asked.
Vanguard raised an eyebrow. "A relaxing drink not enough?"
It was Applejack's turn to chuckle. "Not for you!"
"Alright, I'll get to it. I spoke with Commander Dreadstep today. You and the others are going to stay grouped as a squad to make use of the Elements of Harmony whenever they're needed. I'm to lead this squad whenever it's deployed in battle."
"So...does that mean you got promoted?" Applejack asked. She didn't like the idea of the Elements of Harmony being "deployed". It just didn't seem like what ponies should think about doing with them.
"More like a re-assignment," Vanguard replied. He took a sip from his glass, and set it down. "I assume that this squad is only needed for Nightmare Moon and possibly Black Rose."
"So why'd you need to talk to me about this?"
Vanguard looked at Applejack carefully. For some reason, she couldn't match his stare. It was the eyes. His wolven-eyes seemed too intense today.
"I need a vice-captain for this squad, at least. I was thinking that you should take that position."
"Me?" Applejack asked. "But...but why not Twilight? Her magic's a lot more useful and stuff!"
"It's not power or utility I'm looking for. It's restraint. That's why I want you."
Blood rushed to Applejack's face. "Couldn't you have said that some other way?" she muttered.
"Well?" Vanguard asked.
"I…uh…well, okay, Vanguard Clash. I'll do it."
Vanguard smiled. "Thank you. That puts me at ease a bit."
Applejack emptied her glass hastily. The tingling sensation turned into a jolt that almost made her jump from her chair. Some of the liquid got caught in her throat, making her splutter. "Heh…all your dramatic talk's getting me flustered," she said. To make things worse, Vanguard put a hoof on her back, forcing her to hide her face.
"Take it easy, vice-captain," Vanguard said. "We've got work tomorrow."
"Our nearest contingent is about a week from the Heartland, your Highness," Commander Moon Haze of the Southern Equestrian Legion said. Her remaining blue eye gleamed with intensity. The rest of her face showed no emotion.
"Our nearest contingent will take longer, ten days at best," Commander Stonewall of the Western Equestrian Legion added. He frowned as he said that, clearly frustrated that his projections were not as good as the previous one.The lines of age around his face, combined his myriad of scars, made it look like his hide had turned into crumpled parchment.
"We're five days to the barrier from SummerSteel City, your Highness," Commander Frostbite of the Northern Equestrian Legion said. There was no mistaking the grin of confidence that split his lips. Several gold teeth shone from his mouth, almost as if they were carefully polished just for this moment. "I guarantee a batch of chosen recruits in a week once you give an order!"
Terrato acknowledged the reports coming from the magical images his Legion Commanders with a nod. It took less than half an hour after the meeting with his sisters and the Elements of Harmony for his commanders to respond. "Let me be perfectly clear on this," he said. "The Legion is going to the Heartland to acquire resources. 'Reprisals' of any sort from legionnaires who had a problem with the barrier will be punished severely. Do you understand?"
"Yes, your Highness," all three replied.
Terrato dismissed the communication spell, and stared at the fireplace. Dreadstep was going to vacate the commander's quarters to give to him, but he refused. He took a bit of pleasure in reminding his subjects what his title actually meant. Shaping stone came easily, even when he was tired. With a single spell, the Grand Meeting Hall had another room, complete with a fireplace. It was modest in size and amenities to suit his tastes, and because he refused to stay in a better room than Celestia.
With the Legion moving smoothly for now, Terrato relaxed a little. Great tasks loomed ahead. The transition was going to be a complicated process. Ideally, the chosen should move on their own once Celestia's decree started spreading. There would be volunteers, and they should have plenty of useable resources. Of course "ideal" wasn't expected, especially after his Canterlot visit.
Judging the Heartland's capital by Terrato's standards and tastes would be unfair. Still, the glaring colors, the excessive luxuries…he wrinkled his nose. A sudden earthquake was tempting, just to see if this hive of fops could pull it together in a crisis. That the other settlements in the Heartland might be the same was troubling.
Recruitment was only one concern, not even the first. He gave the Legion six months to produce an army of reserves. In those six months, Fangbreaker should be operational in time for a spring invasion. Six months was optimistic. If the chosen proved uncooperative, more legionnaires would have to go. Equestria couldn't afford a civil war, even if it was a well-trained army against a horde of pie-throwing foals. Converting the Heartland's resources would be a problem even if the chosen were completely cooperative. The Legion was likely going to take away their hardest workers, then make them supply the Legion on top of supporting themselves. They couldn't be expected to start producing weapons, and other materials at top-notch quality when they've never had to for centuries. Experts from the Barrier Lands would have to set up the proper industries.
And that was merely the problems within Equestria. Arugek and Sesyth have been silent for too long. Perhaps they were still lucky on those fronts: Ophidus did have the Crocodilian rebellions to worry about, and Ursinium was still recovering from its disastrous extermination campaign against Sesyth's empire.
He cast aside the worries for now. Tomorrow morning, reports would be coming in. That would be the time to be bothered by all of this. He concentrated on a spell, and pulled a bundle of letters from his personal, extra-dimensional space. He sorted them out with his telekinesis, letting them float in front of him while he read.
Dearest Prince Terrato,
The situation in Stoneguard is rather dire at the moment: resources are scarce, morale is low, and the ursans are firmly entrenched in the area. I sincerely apologize for fearing that you would send me someplace "safe" for my first assignment. Thank you for this opportunity. As a start, I thoroughly investigated the situation, and found Commander Rich Soil guilty of willful negligence, and mismanagement. He's still hanging by the courtyard as I write this letter. Most of the fort's troops have taken well to my decision, but his family appears the vengeful type. I have eyes and ears on them already. They'll prove a good source of amusement while I reorder this place.
Your faithful student,
Black Rose
Stoneguard Fortress. It was once a problem spot, referred to as "the ursan meat locker" for its high casualty rate. It was her first step, the beginning of her rise. Though faced with a daunting task on her first mission, her elegant, curving script spoke only of supreme confidence.
Dearest Prince Terrato,
Today I had the opportunity to apply your doomed spies lecture. We caught a couple of deserters this morning. I offered them a pardon, and a transfer to a less dangerous post if they would deliver a secret message while posing as food delivery to a nearby outpost. I filled them with false information, and sent them through a route we knew that the ursans were watching. My scouts told me that the ursans hadn't even mentioned torture when they started talking. Of course, the ursans caught hold of my "secret plans", and placed their troops accordingly. An entire company of them walked into our ambush resulting in a glorious victory for the day. I can only hope I have more opportunities to apply your teachings.
Your faithful student,
Black Rose
She received just that. The pride of seeing his protégé excel using the skills he taught her was one of the most wonderful things he had ever felt. When he learned that Celestia herself had a student, he could understand the reason, even if he knew where that path would eventually lead.
Dearest Prince Terrato,
Things have become rather interesting these past few days. My scouts report of a growing rift between the ursan commander, Gro-bor-haf, and one of his more popular warriors, Dro-reg-rob. It seems our recent victories have resulted in a questioning of their commander's leadership. This is the time to finish them off. I'm about to launch a two-pronged attack on their main camp during which I will personally lead a force to inflict heavy casualties on Gro-bor-haf's forces while having the ponies engaging Dro-reg-rob retreat. The effects should be telling.
Your faithful student,
Black Rose
Dearest Prince Terrato,
I am writing this in the ursan camp. When the dust settled from our two-pronged assault, I had my scouts check up on the ursans. Their in-fighting was so loud that I was already preparing troops before the scouts even returned. The final attack was rather disappointing. The remaining ursans were either too injured from all the fighting, or drunk from their celebration of their new leader. For a none-too-bright brute, Dro-reg-rob has surprisingly soft fur. He'll make a fine rug and I shall have a wonderful present for you upon my return. I look forward to my next assignment.
Your faithful student,
Black Rose
A knock brought a frown to Terrato. With a wave of his hoof, he sent the letters back to his extra-dimensional space. "You should be resting by now," he said sternly when the door opened.
Luna entered the room despite the harsh welcome. "And your temper should have cooled by now."
Terrato turned around. He quietly swore that, if Luna looked bedraggled enough, he was going to wrap her in chains, and put her back in her quarters. He relented when he saw her. She did look a little better. Again, he was underestimating her. "How is Celestia?" he asked.
Luna let out a sigh. "She's fine. If you're so worried, you should visit her."
Terrato returned to staring at the fire place. "After threatening to force the truth on her chosen if she didn't tell them, followed by shouting her student down, and smashing a door in front of her?"
"I don't understand you, big brother. There is nopony in this world who cares more for big sister, but you keep ending up like this."
Terrato smiled morosely. "Clearly I've been going about things wrongly. You're still on a roll, little sister, advise me."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "You can start by not picking on her student from now on," she said. "For both their sakes."
"I never picked on that grape of a pony." Terrato snorted.
"You had her whipped, and you just shouted her down a while ago."
"First of all, I didn't have her whipped. I was going to hang her friend as the laws dictated. She should consider it a favor that I let her be whipped."
"And the shouting her down part?"
Terrato frowned slightly. That was just an hour or so ago, and thinking about it was still irritating. "What about it? She knows that I'm not going to kill her because Celestia values her greatly, so she's flaunting that fact by tempting fate repeatedly."
"Twilight is a good pony, big brother. She came to this place by her own will to help out. At a great cost, I might add. You make her sound like a smug, spoiled filly hiding behind our sister when you can see how hard she's fighting."
Terrato snorted. "Well, both can be true, can't they?"
"Please, try to get along better with her," Luna said with a sigh. "I'm sure big sister would be able to relax more if you treated her student well."
Terrato rolled his eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not going lose my temper with Celestia's precious little student again." His voice hardened. "I will still enforce my laws strictly, though. The next time she's slated for thirty lashes, she gets thirty."
"I suppose that's good enough for now," Luna said.
"Now that the small matters are out of the way, tell me what you really came here for."
As Terrato expected, his sister fell silent. This should be the time he would assure her that she could tell him anything, that he would listen calmly and reasonably. However, he already had an idea of what this might be about, and having her overcome with nervousness, and deciding not to go through with it after all wasn't a bad prospect. Luna did speak again, however. For the first time, Terrato was less than pleased by his little sister's new-found courage.
"I want to talk about your student this time."
Luna approached the subject nervously. Black Rose. Of course she wanted to talk about Black Rose. Saying nothing until Luna went away was tempting. Let the others see Black Rose as simply a deranged and rebellious student of his, and leave it at that. "Go on," he said, consigning himself to the painful recollection that followed. He deserved this after all.
"How did she do that, big brother? No matter how gifted she is, she shouldn't have the knowledge to transform herself like that! The only way to even put together such magic would be to--"
"Glean it from the Eternal Herd," Terrato said. "You already have your suspicions, Luna. Out with them."
"Then, it's true," Luna said sadly. "You taught her the means. I didn't even think it was possible. But why? And how?"
"Why would it matter now?" Terrato snapped. He rounded on Luna so quickly that she hastily took a couple of steps back. "It was a stupid, and reckless mistake from a long time ago, and it doesn't change what we have to deal with right now!"
"It's not about changing our situation now," Luna said softly. "I just thought it would put you more at ease if you told somepony."
Terrato caught himself. He was lashing out again when he should be coming clean. 'So this is for me, is it?' He snorted, and went back to staring at the fireplace. "I've already told you how important Black Rose was to me, remember?"
"Yes," Luna replied. "She was your greatest legionnaire and companion."
"She was also mortal," Terrato added. "And that never left my mind. It didn't matter how many victories she won, or how many favors I showered her with. I knew that she was closer to death with each passing day."
Terrato recalled those days. Such a strange time it was when looked back to them: days of fierce pride, nights of fiercer passion, and those waking hours when it was just him, an ache in his chest, and a growing sense of dread inevitability. Faced with Luna's questioning eyes, he forced himself to talk past the melancholy.
"I didn't care for these mortals," he said. "They were just tools to fulfill Celestia's wishes, statistics, and resources. Black Rose was different, and she made everything different. Oh, I tried reminding myself that they were all meant to die, and that they were going to be happy in the Eternal Herd. I just--" He raised a hoof to stomp, but he lowered it at the last moment. "I just couldn't bear facing the future without her."
Terrato's face hardened. He never thought that what he did next it was a good idea. He knew what the consequences were. The stupidity lay in that he wholly believed in its necessity. "So I decided to do something about it," he said. "Each mortal pony, no matter how far removed from their ancestors, has a spark of Oceanus within. A spark of alicornhood. If I could somehow enhance that, I could make Black Rose into one of us, and have her rule by my side."
Luna pressed her lips tightly. She had already pieced it together. Here was the sixth rebellion at last. It was a law given to all of the Eternal Herd when the children of Oceanus crawled forth from his blood: do not tamper with their fates. Lexarius broke that law by trapping the souls of ponies in this world in a vain attempt to keep what he was doing from the Eternal Herd. "I went as far as to contact the Eternal Herd," Terrato said. "I created the Ascendancy Ritual, a spell that would grant Black Rose the power of an alicorn. But, to enhance that spark, it had to be fed the sparks of others. If I wanted to extend Black Rose's life, I needed to sacrifice other ponies."
Luna's eyes widened. "You didn't…" she whispered. "Did you do exactly that?"
"I was determined to," Terrato replied. "Everything was ready. I had a village to the south about to be "overrun" by ophidite raiders." He closed his eyes. "But I decided against it at the last moment. I destroyed my research, and consigned myself to watching Black Rose eventually fade away." His voice grew harsh. That was the turning point. It was at that moment that he had realized that his faithful student was gone, and a monster of his own making had taken her place. "Black Rose discovered my work anyway. She recreated the Ascendancy Ritual, and secretly began to use it."
Terrato thrust a hoof towards the fire. Despite being so close, he could barely feel any warmth from the flames. How many ponies had Black Rose fed on before he killed her? He didn't know. What he knew was that they would have been fewer if he wasn't so blind. Memory was a strange thing. When had he really found out about the truth? How long did it take for him acknowledge it enough to act? How many years did he spend trying to convince himself that Black Rose was merely aging very, very slowly?
Silence, thick and distancing, fell across the room.
"Say it," Terrato said. He could barely look at Luna. He didn't want to see the judgment, or the horror.
"What?" was all Luna said. The genuine curiosity shocked him.
"Say what's on your mind," Terrato spat. "Say that this is all my fault. I gave Black Rose the means to become what she is today. My selfish desires, and blind infatuation caused all of this."
Luna shook her head. "You're looking at the wrong pony if you're looking for blame, big brother. You're forgetting that I've made my mistakes too. So has big sister."
"So you have." Terrato replied. "So much for being the best choice as stewards of this world."
Luna walked to his side. "Black Rose was not just the start of something bad, big brother. You've come to care about Equestria afterwards didn't you? That's a good thing."
Terrato put a foreleg around Luna, and pulled her closer. "The moon is at its most beautiful during the winter, little sister," he said with a smile. "Is that why you're on such a roll?"
Luna smiled at the compliment. They stared quietly at the fire for some time, wishing that the future would share even the slightest bit of its brightness.
Standing by the ruins of her old tower, Black Rose watched with a smile as the sun descended into the horizon, and the heat of day gave way to comforting shadow. The transition between day and night quickly became her favorite part of her new responsibility. It required a certain degree of cooperation between her and Princess Luna, who raised the moon as she lowered the sun. She liked to think that despite the tragic, but necessary, harm she had to do to Celestia, the Princess of the Night would be impressed, even slightly, by how quickly she took to her new role.
She made her way through the rubble, daintily picking through the pieces of obsidian, and indulging in feelings of nostalgia. Terrato had raised this tower for her, fashioning it from her favorite material. During the height of her command, the tower was the most beautiful structure in all of the Barrier Lands: an elegant tapering structure of gleaming blackness where she spent many a day crafting plan after plan to bring more glory to her prince's realm. And the nights…she closed her eyes, and let the familiar feelings flow through her. These past days had been one thrilling improvisation after another. Now that she was at this stage, she had some time to relax before starting the next part of her plans.
She stood before the great pillar of rock that her beloved had used to crush her. It was a rather crude, and brutal end for somepony like her. When she had found out that he was already heading for her home, she had imagined that scenario to have a bit more intimacy...more passion: a knife to the heart up close, a strangling with his bare hooves…having a giant rock drop on her head was rather impersonal. Perhaps, should another opportunity present itself, Terrato would choose more to her taste.
A second one would have to be placed in the far future. Preparing for the first one required immense resources, and careful planning in the form of hundreds of stasis clones scattered all throughout the Barrier Lands, a few even being carefully hidden in enemy territory. Most of them were eventually rooted out and destroyed by Terrato, but all she needed was one to survive to anchor herself to this world. She had placed them in a dormant state to make detection more difficult, even at the cost of leaving her in stasis for several centuries. And it did just that. Seven hundred years passed before she awoke to continue her plans. It was just in time as well. She had predicted that Nightmare Moon's return would move King Fenrir to make a major assault, and she had awakened before that required time.
Black Rose's thoughts went fondly towards a certain unicorn mare. Twilight Sparkle, even the name was music to her ears. She had braced herself for watching more of her beloved Equestria being ravaged by a horde of wolven before the opportunity to act arrived. Instead, she witnessed the miracle that was Twilight Sparkle's rebellion. The change that mare brought with her was exhilarating. It was as if the entire world accelerated upon the arrival of Twilight Sparkle. The rebels that she had resigned herself to keeping alive for a long time were rendered obsolete after merely aiding the fall of Fangbreaker Fortress. The wolven had barely penetrated the north when Celestia was ready to be brought to the Barrier Lands. There was no need to wait for Sun Gazer to educate his children about "the conspiracy", and there was certainly no more need to keep the Order of True Equestrians around. All the tools she had carefully procured, and maintained over the years since she awakened had all been thrown out the window by a Twilight and her band of loyal friends.
It wasn't just the acceleration that excited her. The Elements of Harmony presented the crux of her plans: a challenge that she was more than glad to accept. She already had plans laid out for each one of them thanks to the extensive profiling that Spike had provided her. To implement each of them would be a wonderful gamble.
At a small, untended corner of Black Rose's island were several unmarked graves. Throughout the centuries they had remained untouched. She was glad that the Legion respected her enough to leave her home alone despite her "death". Here, she sacrificed her most loyal servants in preparation for her demise, and transition into the future. She concentrated on her new power, and channeled it through spells she had long researched from the ancient library of Lexarius. The dormant spirits of her agents were close by. They were trapped by enchantments that a powerful pony from the Eternal Herd itself had developed, then they were kept dormant to keep them from being noticed. Arcs of powerful magic coursed through the ground, and crackled all around her as they awakened.
The shadows coalesced, and her former officers materialized one by one. There was no need for words. With a sound like the quick passing of a gentle breeze, they recognized her and what her presence meant. All they needed now were physical bodies which she would have to craft or procure some time soon. Of the six she had preserved, only four had arisen. A troubling development. The spells around the remaining two must have deteriorated.
'Such a shame,' she thought. 'And I wanted to pit my six against Celestia's. I'll just have to acquire two new ones from the Legion…perhaps even the Heartland.' She let out a brief laugh, then turned her gaze towards the beautiful winter moon. How bright the future looked. How clear and sublime like Princess Luna's moon!
"Just a little more, beloved," she whispered. "I promise."
