> Dragoon Wars; Seven Lords Rising
>  by Crystalis McCloud
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: A Seal Broken *Edited*
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is the place?"

"It certainly is. The resting place of magic so dangerous even the Elements of Harmony alone could not stand against their might. Oh what delightful chaos it will unleash upon the world. It gives me chills just thinking about it."

"Just work on breaking the seal, Discord. I don't want to rely on your assistance any more than I have to."

"Boo. Little Miss Changeling Queen is quite a sour puss, isn't she, Sombra?"

"..."

"Right, you aren't the talkative type. None of you are any fun! Loosen up a little!"

"We are not here for fun, Discord. You promised us a magic that surpasses the Elements. Lord Tirek will be quite displeased if you don't deliver on your claims."

"I'm working on it, Grogar. Seriously, who shoved Parasprites up all of your-"

"Enough of your insufferable banter!"

"Alright, alright, Mister Grumpy-Crystals. My lips are sealed."

"..."

"Finally it is open! The sooner the Draconequus leaves, the-Gah! What is this blinding light?!"

"Too damn bright, but the magic in the air is incredible!"

"These, dear Chrysalis, Sombra, are the lights of eight powerful magical souls, bound to the very forces that make up our world."

"Souls? You said nothing about this!"

"Wait! Where are they going? Discord! What is happening?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention? Silly me, it must have slipped my mind. You see, the original vessels of these magical souls were destroyed eons ago when their power was sealed away. Now that they are free, they shall scatter around the world, seeking new vessels to inhabit."

"This is not what you promised, Discord!"

"On the contrary, Grogar: I promised to unseal a power that you could use to defeat the Elements of Harmony, and any magic of comparable power; I never guaranteed that you would be able to use them."

"What do you mean?! What kind of vessels are they going to take? How do we get the power?!"

"Oh no no no, that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? All I will tell you is this: Seek the vessels as fast as you can, and tame their power whilst the seeds of war spread. Should you bring the power of all eight under hearts filled with malice, then the conquest you seek shall be realized with ease. However, should they find their way to those of righteous heart, then the fate that awaits you will not be so kind. No banishing, imprisoning or seals. The battle for the spirits is one to the death."

"You-"

"I bid you all farewell! I hope you all stir up plenty of chaos!"

"Discord!”
> Chapter 1: The Dragon Awakens *Editted*
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of shuffling books filled the library of Ponyville as its tenant went about her usual routine, the books flying around faster than they ever had, and organizing with an expedience she never had before. Rays of morning sunshine peeked in through the windows as the cacophony continued, defeating the purpose of two flickering candles that stood partly melted on opposite ends of the room. One after another the soft thumps and scuffs of the books coming into place filled her ears. Twilight giggled as she tested the limits of her magic, once more extracting all of the books from their shelves at once. She reveled in the gentle sound of all that wonderful knowledge fluttering through the air, practically able to smell the scent of the parchment pages between their sturdy covers. The entire book-swarmed library space around her felt just ripe with the knowledge of the volumes she still had yet to peruse. 

With a few small flaps of her wings, she rose into the air and cast her gaze across the covers as they spun around her. As each one passed under her view, it would then immediately shoot into place on the shelves, one after another in rapid succession. A feat like this, while certainly possible before, was now almost as second nature as breathing to the young alicorn now.

In just a few short minutes, all of the books were organized alphabetically by title. Pulling them free yet again, she repeated the process again as fast as she could, organizing them by author, then alphabetically by title under the same author’s name. While her magic worked she kept a steady rhythm with her wings. The gentle beat of her feathers against the air kept her bobbing only slightly in midair, keeping as level as she could.

Twilight landed daintily back on the her hooves with a few small clicks against the hardwood floor, and gave her wings a liberating stretch. After tucking in her wings, satisfied with the organization, she concluded her little test with a stifled yawn. Another yawn greeting her own turned her gaze up to the stairwell to see a familiar figure of purple, soft green spines arching over its head.

Twilight smiled up at her assistant, “You’re up early today, Spike.”

“I could say the same for you, ‘Princess',” the little dragon chuckled, heading down the stairs and making his way into the kitchen. 

Twilight rolled her eyes as she heard Spike rummaging in a cupboard, and called after him, “Stop calling me that, Spike!” she exclaimed, the familiar bubble of playful irritation rising in her. Her usual academic tone settled back in as she stated matter-of-factly, “I may have been crowned as a Princess of Equestria, but Celestia said that I won’t be acting as one for several years. I still have much to learn about the history of Equestria and the rest of the world. For now Princess is just a title, and my only responsibility is to learn more so I’m ready to lead ponykind.”

“Heh, I know, I know, I’m just teasing, ‘Your Highness’,” Spike chuckled, coming out of the kitchen with a sizeable ruby and sapphire set on a plate. Of course, food was the first thing on his mind in the morning, and her stomach growled slightly as she recalled her own lack of food this morning. The little dragon took a seat at the table in the center of the library, taking a loud bite out of the ruby. His bright emerald eyes wandered over the bookshelves, noting how even the books she usualy had laying about had been given firm rest among their peers. He idly mused, “So, looks like your magic is a lot stronger since you became an alicorn, huh? Sorting the whole library used to take us an hour, at the minimum... on the best days.”

The alicorn’s eyes went wide with glee as a big grin spread across her face, her tail swishing happily behind her. “Oh my gosh, yes! My magic is so much stronger now! I can do things so much faster than I could before! I’ll have even more time to study and maybe even try making new spells of my own! Just you wait, Spike!" Her chest swelled as she lifted her gaze to some unseen heavens and lifted a hoof in declaration. "Give me enough time, and there will be an entire wing in the Canterlot Archives dedicated to research and spells pioneered by yours truly!”

“Or, you know, we could have more time to spend with our friends,” Spike said, crooking an eyebrow accusingly at her. She was getting ahead of herself, as she so often did. Licking his lips hungrily, he finished the rest of the ruby in another crunchy bite.

“Oh, yes. O-of course,” Twilight stammered, her cheeks flushing at her own gusto. She couldn’t very well forget her friends! Regaining her composure, and taming her thrashing tail, she smiled gently at him. “Of course, we will have a lot more time to spend with the girls,” She chuckled sheepishly. “Speaking of which, didn’t Rarity want you to go over and help her look for more gemstones today?”

“Oh! That’s right!”  Spike’s eyes lit up. Twiight recognized the same adoring enthusiasm that always brightened his adorable features at the mention of the fashionista. With sudden urgency he pushed himself back in his chair and started hurrying about frantically. “I have to get going quick! Rarity wanted me to stop by Sugarcube Corner on my way there. She said she ordered some sweets, and she promised that if I picked them up, she’d let me crumble a few of the gems we find on top of my share.”

“Sounds like you have a fun day ahead of you,” Twilight beamed. Of course he would be so excited, and she was glad that he could have so much fun while helping a friend. Not that she was all that oblivious to his reason anymore, but it had taken her longer than she cared to admit to realise the extent of Spike's feelings.

“Yup!” Spike chuckled. With a swipe of his claw, the little dragon snatched the sapphire from his plate and tossed it into the air. The stone fell gracefully into his mouth after a soft arc back down. Immediately after shutting his maw, Spike coughed hard, and his cheeks bulged. With another cough, followed by a strong belch, a burst of green flame lit up the room. The sapphire - now scorched black - was sent skipping across the floor. However, what captured Twilight's attention was what the flames had brought with them. The space on the table was significantly occupied with their latest delivery; a large tome, easily over six inches thick, and taking up nearly a third of he tabletop. Atop the massive book sat a more familiar sight; the typical rolled-up scroll written by Celestia herself, wrapped in a strip of scarlet ribbon held fast by a waxy golden seal bearing the image of a horseshoe.

Twilight’s eyes widened at the abruptness of the delivery, as well as its size. A childlike glee washed over her face as she examined the aged cover of the book. Wiping the faintest trace of dust left on its worn, leathery surface. She could tell it was a very old book. It must have been kept somewhere that it wasn’t often seen, because even in the Canterlot Archives the books were routinely cleaned and repaired. That meant this was a very restricted book, and Twilight’s excitement boiled higher just at that thought.

Spike seemed more concerned with his interrupted meal. Grumbling to himself, he grabbed the blackened gem from the ground and went into the kitchen again. Soon the sound of water running in the sink could be heard, followed by his voice, “What’s with that crinkly old book?” A huff of frustration could be heard from him as he attempted to remove the layer of char.

The scroll accompanying the book was quickly swept up by Twilight’s magic, and neatly unfurled before her. Glancing over it’s contents once, she read it aloud for Spike to hear, “My Dearest Twilight, it has only been a month since your coronation, -and also a few weeks since your adventure on the other side of the magical mirror- but I am sure that by now all of the excitement and celebrations in your honor have reached a lull. As such, I believe it is time to point you in the right direction needed for you to prepare. When we spoke last in the Crystal Empire, I assured you that you would not yet be expected to rule any part of Equestria, as you are still quite inexperienced. While you will not undertake all of the duties of a Princess yet, you will still be required to learn all that you can about our world’s history. This book contains details of history lost in the past several millennia. It is of a time before even I was born, and before I became an Alicorn Princess myself. Such history is only known to the Princesses and our chosen confidants, so we can know how to play our parts. Most importantly, this is not just the history of ponykind, but that of all the races and nations that came before us and which surround us to this day.”

The moment she stopped was punctuated by a loud crack of shattering crystal from the kitchen. “Ugh, so Celestia is giving you a boring history assignment?” Spike grunted through a mouthful of blue crumbs, coming out of the kitchen. He paused, reconsidering his statement, and relented, “Sounds like something you’ll have a lot of fun with.”

“It’s not just some boring assignment, Spike,” Twilight softly reprimanded him. He may be a kid, but he should know better than to think so little of an important message from the princess herself, no matter how concerned he was with getting out the door. “Knowing as much about the past as we can is a necessity. Not only do you never know when the past will rear its head, but understanding the origins and meanings behind other cultures can be an important diplomatic tool when interacting with the other races.”

“Yeah, yeah, important knowledge, blah-blah,” Spike said dismissively, swallowing the last of the gem crumbs. “You can go ahead and go nuts with that, but I have to get going right away.”

Spike made tracks for the door, but was stopped abruptly by a pull of Twilight’s magic on his tail, holding him in place. “Not so fast. There’s one last part you should hear,” Twilight said, holding him fast as he struggled for a moment, then gave up with a childish pout. Putting aside her mild irritation at his flippant attitude, she figured he would be interested in this. Clearing her throat, she continued, "While you are free to share the knowledge you gain with any you choose to, I would advise against reckless distribution. I recommend that this knowledge stay only between you, the other Elements of Harmony, and Spike. In particular, I believe Spike will have nearly as great of an interest as you do in the stories this book contains.”

Spike turned his head to look back at Twilight, his eyes perked with a faint bit of interest, “What kind of book is it?”

Setting the scroll aside, Twilight levitated the hefty book in front of her, examining the cover and spine. “It says; The Legend of…. Dragoon? Something related to dragons?”

“Dragoon? What the hay is a Dragoon?” Spike asked. His interest was now solidified.

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard the name before,” Twilight muttered in confusion. Thinking about it, this was all but lost history, so it stood to reason she’d be hearing entirely new words and names in short order once she started reading. Such a delightful prospect! Sweet, sweet knowledge, hidden from the masses, now rested in her hooves, just waiting to be cracked open and discovered! Her tail had quickly resumed its fervent tirade behind her, flagging her excitement for anypony to see.

Shaking her head, Twilight released Spike, who opened the door to leave. Stopping for only a moment, the little dragon called back, "How about you give me a summary tomorrow? I’m gonna be getting home near sunset today, and I’m gonna be exhausted.”

Spike’s words made Twilight smile inwardly. She understood her assistant enough to know that no matter how interested he was in the content of the book, he would never have the patience to sit down and read the whole thing. Especially when he could be spending time with Rarity. She however, was practically chomping at the bit to do just that! It was his loss and her gain.

Twilight’s eyes never left the book as she waved him away, “That sounds fine. I had no plans for today, so if I start reading now, I should know enough to give you the short and sweet of it.” She was so lost in her swell of enthusiasm that she didn’t even register the sound of the door closing and Spike leaving.

Twilight’s excitement was palpable. She knew many things about dragons already. It came hand in hand with the time she spent raising Spike from a hatchling. Still, a lot of details about dragons, both their history, and the extent of their abilities, were a mystery. There was no telling what questions this book would answer! How could anypony not be excited at the prospect of diving into such fresh and all but untapped knowledge? She certainly would never want to be such a mare, now would she?

Cracking open the cover, she examined the first page.

In the beginning, there were the Seven Lords, and the Sleeping King.
Wild and feral, the dragons held great sway over the forces of nature.
Each with their own dominion, they are the pillars of our very world.
To those who would tame their wild souls…
Be wary of the bloody path this shall entail.
For when the clash of swords echo…
The path chasing the past and the journey to know today shall become one.

Twilight’s stomach churned a little as she read the small set of lines centered on the page. From the sounds of this, the book’s tales were far from peaceful and happy. Still, Celestia said that this was important knowledge, and as a Princess – even if for now it was only in name – it was her responsibility to shoulder the bad and the good to serve Equestria rightfully. Besides, it wasn’t as though she was going to seek the power of ancient dragons and “tame their souls”.

BOOM! BOOM!

Twilight keeled forward, pressing her hooves to her throbbing head in the same moment as two distant blasts assaulted her ears. The floor under her hooves shook softly from some distant impact, but felt like an earthquake to her suddenly dislodged sense of vertigo. Pain like she had never felt before exploded in the front of her skull. Her horn felt as though it was being driven into her brain, and the ringing in her ears only pushed the pain deeper. Spots swam before her eyes and blurred together until all she could see was white. A few moments later she succumbed to the pain, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fell over. Her magic failed in that same moment and the heavy book hit the floor with a loud bang.

Before she slipped into the darkness beyond the white, blinding pain; Twilight heard a bellowing, distant roar.

> Chapter 2: Catching Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dull throb of a headache slowly brought Twilight back to consciousness. Eyes flickering open, she tried to pin down her pain-addled brain and get her bearings. She was laying flat on her back, and could feel her wings pressing against a soft bed. Her eyes squinted shut as a bright white light overhead beamed down on here. She was quick to recognize the sterile white light, and as her mind foggy mind began to clear, she identified that she was lying in a hospital ward.

Clean white curtains encircled the bed she laid on, obscuring her view of the room around her. Twilight just lay there like that for several minutes, the pain in her head throbbing in and out weaker and weaker over time. She tried to recall what had happened. The last thing she could remember, she had been reading the tome Princess Celestia had sent her. She hadn’t even gotten past the first page before that freak migraine had knocked her out.

When she felt the pain in her head had receded enough, Twilight tentatively pushed a spell through her horn. The curtains glowed with her familiar aura, and were slowly drawn open. At that same moment, four heads lifted along the wall to her left, all wearing relieved smiles on their faces. The warmth they expressed seemed to wash over her as she smiled back at them, the pain in her head fading away even faster.

Let me go!

“Huh?” Twilight blinked but had no time to focus on the strange sound as her friends stepped away from the wall and joined her at her bedside. 

The first to speak was Rarity, her voice a little shaken, “We’re so glad to see you’re awake, Twilight. How are you feeling, dear?”

“Alright, I guess,” Twilight answered with a small nod. “I don’t even know what happened. I was just reading a book that the Princess sent me, when suddenly I felt enormous pain in my head. It felt just like it does when a really big spell suddenly rebounds back into my head, only about ten times worse. The pain was so bad that I passed out, but I wasn’t even casting a spell at all.”

The mares at her bedside shared glances. Fluttershy was next to speak, her voice soft, but audible, “We were hoping you knew what happened so you could tell us. Oh, but if you don’t know then tha-“

“Yeah! Princess Celestia seems to know something, but she’s refused to say anything about it until you woke up!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, obviously frustrated with the situation. “Since everything happened, we’ve been waiting over a day with no word from anypony about what the hay is going on!!”

“I’ve been out for over a day?” Twilight questioned.

“Rainbow, we must be more understanding!” Rarity scolded, the inquiry falling on deaf ears. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen the Princess look so distressed and uneasy. I’m as worried as you are, but we just have to trust that she will take good care of Spike and tell us everything when she is ready to.

Twilight’s eyes snapped wide open and she pushed herself up in the bed. “What happened to Spike?!” She demanded, her voice cracking a little.

It was then that Pinkie Pie, who had been strangely silent up until that point, started hoping up and down in place. She spoke rapidly, and with the same infectious enthusiasm that she was always associated with. “Oh, you should have seen it, Twilight! When Spike came in, I felt a big doozey on the way! Biggest one I’ve ever felt! But the Doozey came way faster than I thought! There was this big flash of white light, and then it was all: BOOM! RAWR! BOOM! Thankfully the Cakes were out for the morning with their foals, but the bakery is one big mess now! I’m gonna be cleaning up for days!”

The energetic pink mare’s explanation was far from illuminating. In fact, Twilight now felt even more confused. The lack of assurances from her friends was making her even more nervous, frazzled even. She wouldn’t know what to do if her little dragon was hurt or worse. Shaking her head, she simply implored to them again, “What happened to Spike? Is he okay? Please tell me he’s not hurt!” 

Please!

“Ah don’t think he’s hurt none too badly, Twi,” a familiar country voice groaned from the corner of Twilight’s vision, off to her right side. “Still, ah don’t think ah’d call the state he’s in ‘alright’.”

Looking to her right, Twilight gasped at the sight beside her. Applejack was lying in the bed next to her, face twisted in a small bit of pain as she shifted herself on the bed. Her signature hat hung from one of the posts of her bed, and her entire side was wrapped tight in bandages. The reason for these bandages was quickly apparent, as Twilight spied four thick red lines seeping through the bandages. Her side was gashed, likely pretty badly, given that the blood had stained through what looked to be a significant amount of bandaging. Slowly a hint of realization dawned on Twilight.

“Oh, Celestia above! Applejack, what happened to you?! Those look like dragon claw marks!” she gasped. “Did Spike do that to you? Why would he do such a thing?”

“Ah’m okay Twi, calm down,” Applejack said through clenched teeth, “The Princess has already sent for a strong healer from Canterlot, he should be here in not too long. And to answer your question, yes and no. Pinkie Pie said it was Spike, but I get the feeling he wasn’t really himself when he did this.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked incredulously. 

Looking at the gashes on Applejack’s side, the claws were spaced pretty far apart, much bigger than Spike’s little claws should be able to spread. Could he have suddenly started hoarding again and hit another growth spurt? No, that didn’t make sense. There’s no way he’d grow that fast just from hoarding, especially in such a short time.

“Well, we all heard some sort of big booming noise. I was out pedaling mah apples in the market, so I was closest ta Sugarcube Corner, and I saw that there bright light fall from the sky and cause the blast.” Applejack started to explain.

“A light from the sky?” Twilight crooked her head at the explanation.

“Yeah. Was the strangest thing. It fell right into Sugarcube Corner and after two big booms, a strange looking dragon broke down the wall of the bakery, roaring and kicking up a huge panic across town,” Applejack continued with a small nod. “Pinkie told me later that it was Spike, but he didn’t look like himself at all. Not even like when he was hoarding. She said all of the sudden, when the light burst in, it wrapped around him and transformed him into that weird form. Ah’ve never seen a dragon like it before in mah life.”

“So ah ran out to stop Spike when he started to destroy a few carts and stands along the side of the road,” Applejack continued, “It wasn’t an enormous dragon, so ah thought ah could handle it until more help came, but ah only managed to knock him back once with a hard buck. That sucker was tough, he came right back at me and gave me these pretty claw marks on my side, then wacked me upside the head with his tail. Ah was out like a light.”

“I showed up after that,” Rarity picked up the story, “I came running to see what all the noise was about and why everypony was panicking. I saw the dragon knock out poor AJ here, and then he looked straight at me. Spike seemed to come to his senses after a moment, but the Princess came only moments later with a whole bunch of the royal guards. They took Spike out to the edge of town, and Applejack to the hospital. Princess Celestia told us she’d take care of everything. Wasn’t long after that we got together and found you passed out in the library.”

Twilight sat in silence, taking in their story. It didn’t really make any sense though. She didn’t know of anything that could change Spike in an instance and make him go wild. What in Equestria was going on? What was happening to Spike? And why did she pass out in exactly the same moment? She could vaguely recall hearing the blasts just as the pain started, and a distant roar before she blacked out.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy mumbled softly.

Please let me see Twilight! I have to make sure she’s okay!

“Did any of you hear that?” Twilight’s ears perked up.

“Hear what, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, lifting her ears to listen close. “I only heard Fluttershy talking.” 

Twilight shook her head, trying to catch the sound again. “It sounded like a stallion, and he called my name. He sounded panicked.”

“That’s very interesting. I didn’t expect this sort of development. It seems there’s much that even I don’t yet know about dragons,” a familiar, regal voice spoke.

All heads in the room whipped on a swivel, seeing the grand figure of the tall and imposing white Alicorn Princess standing in the doorway. Wings held tight to her side, and stepping into the room, her expression was unreadable, except for a hint of worry that knitted her brow.

“Princess, what is going on? I don’t understand anything that’s happening,” Twilight asked with a hint of hope in her voice that her mentor would be able to bring answers and make everything go back to normal.
Celestia’s stoic look softened as she walked between the two beds, dipping her head slightly in acknowledgement of the younger princess. “I’m so sorry about this, Twilight, but this happened much sooner than I had expected. I fear there will be much trouble in the future, but I promise I will make sure to do everything in my power to take care of this.”

“What about Spike? What happened to him, and can you fix it?” Twilight edged forward; a little uneasy with the vague answer.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do to return Spike to how he once was,” Celestia said somberly. “There is nothing that can remove the magic that has bonded with his soul now. He has become one of the Seven Lords, the White-Silver Dragon. Lord of Light.”

> Chapter 3: Discord's Deal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The Lord of Light? What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow Dash blurted, rising into the air to meet Celestia’s gaze evenly. “We’ve waited long enough, now spill it!”

“Rainbow, shhhh!” Rarity hushed her, pulling her back down by her tail and kneeling alongside Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

The stubborn pegasus rolled her eyes and knelt briefly before gazing firmly at Celestia. Twilight was quick to try to disarm Rainbow Dash’s hostility. She knew her friend was only worried about her. Rainbow’s inherent loyalty demanded that she do something when her friends were in trouble, and not being able to do anything was obviously stressing her more than a little. Holding up her hoof to Rainbow Dash she said calmly, “That book I was reading when I passed out, on the first page it had a few lines that mentioned Seven Lords and a Sleeping King. If I had to guess from just those lines, I’d say they are the oldest and most powerful dragons that ever existed.”

Celestia’s head dipped, confirming Twilight’s assumption, “That’s correct Twilight, as expected of my best student, even with so little information.” Looking to each of the ponies in turn, starting with Applejack and ending with Twilight, she gave them all a small, soothing smile. That smile faded to a look of regal composure that was unreadable as she addressed them more seriously, “The Seven Lords and the Sleeping King were dragons that existed since the time of our world’s birth. They were created along with our world and exist between Harmony and Chaos, embodying both as purely as the Elements of Harmony and Discord themselves do. In ages past, they, and all dragons that existed under them were pure and primal beings. They had a level of intelligence, but had no language or culture, they simply were. Their existence is fundamental to the life of our world.”

Hold on, Twilight, I’m coming.

Twilight blinked, her thoughts temporarily distracted before returning her focus to the conversation.

“Oh my, they sound powerful, and dangerous. How could nopony have heard of them before?” Fluttershy interjected softly, huddled down in apparent fear of the idea of such creatures. “And where have they been this whole time? Banished?”

“That is partly mine and my sister’s doing, Fluttershy. Three thousand years ago we made sure to dissolve as much history related to the dragons as possible, after their power had been sealed away. While they are an irremovable part of our world, it was possible under special circumstances for their power to be extracted and placed in hiding. This way, they could continue to support nature with their magic, but their magic could not be used by those with ill intent.”

“Then why are they back all of the sudden? Sounds like some pretty darn powerful magic was used to seal them up, so what in tarnation could let them out? And why did Spike turn into one of them Lords?” Applejack inquired, grabbing her hat from the bedpost and securing it on her head.

Celestia’s look turned sour, a change that unsettled the ponies around her. It was a look Twilight had only seen once before when Discord was freed from his prison the first time. “That’s-“

“Allow me to answer that question for you, Applejack,” an all-too familiar, slinking voice called from the hallway. In a dramatic rush, a serpentine form cut through the air, passing through the doorway and stretching out dramatically. The hodgepodge draconequus spread his arms wide with a goofy grin on his face, declaring proudly, “It was none other than yours truly that set free the souls of the ancient dragons!”

The look on Celestia’s face hardened, an intense look in her eyes that could only be described as… analyzing? Twilight turned her attention from her mentor to the rogue draconequus, her horn glowing with magic even as she laid in her bed, aiming a spell at Discord. “What?! What would possess you to do something like that?! You’ve done something awful to Spike, and he hurt Applejack too! I thought you were reformed!”

Turning to Rainbow Dash, she quickly commanded, “Quick, Rainbow, go get the Elements from my library. It looks like we’re going to be turning him to sto-”

“Don’t, Rainbow Dash, that won’t be necessary.”

Twilight turned back in shock to look at her mentor. How could she say that with all that was happening? “Celestia, why not?! He’s just admitted to releasing a dangerous magic onto the world!”

“It’s quite simple, Twilight, it’s because you need me,” Discord declared with a mischievous smirk.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, her horn glowing threateningly, “What do you mean?” She glanced over towards Celestia, whose expression hadn’t changed, her own eyes fixed on Discord unblinkingly. Twilight had a bad feeling in her stomach when she realized that the Princess was not denying Discord’s claim.

“It wasn’t just the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses that sealed up the Spirits those millennia ago. The dragons’ magic embodies both Chaos and Harmony, and as such, they can only be sealed when the Elements and I work together. So you can’t seal me away if you ever hope to put them away again,” Discord explained smugly, glancing at his wrist in a display of casual condescension. 

Still no counter argument from Celestia, as much as Twilight didn’t want to think so, her silence gave all indications that Discord was telling the truth. The light from her horn faded away, though her glare was no less intense. She was vividly imagining drilling a beam straight through the draconequus’ fore- 

Whoa, where did a thought like that come from?

Snaking his way through the air, Discord moved over to Applejack’s bed, glancing over her without so much as a care for the glares of the ponies around him. The expression on his face was unreadable as with a click of his fingers, her sides were surrounded by magic, and the bandages quickly unraveled. When the gauze and tape moved aside, her wounds were completely gone. The looks on all faces, save Celestia’s, changed from disdain to complete confusion. What was going on in Discord’s head? Twilight couldn’t even begin to guess.

“What is your game, Discord? Why are you doing all of this now of all times?” Celestia demanded in an admirably even tone, though Twilight could see the fire smoldering behind her eyes.

“My dear Tia, because now is the best time,” Discord chuckled, grinning like a fool. With a click of his claw he appeared directly behind Celestia, his body woven loosely around her flowing, ethereal tail. “And you really didn’t think you’d gotten me to forget everything that happened, did you? Your magic may be strong, but you can’t so easily mess with a mind that’s already as scrambled as mine.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed into a glare that could wither a manticore into a helpless kitten, but Discord remained completely unfazed at the display of hostility. He continued, coiling his claw through his goatee, “I remember everything, and as such, I have a deal to propose. The rules are simple: If you manage to gather all eight Dragoon Spirits to your side, then I will relent, and agree to lend my power to you; if, however, you fail to bring them all together, and the Dragoons instead are those of malicious hearts, then you will have to finally give me what I want.”

Twilight’s eyebrow crooked. Dragoon Spirits? She had read the term Dragoon on the cover of the book, but what relationship could they have to the Lords and the King?

“We have no reason to believe you’ll honor that promise, Discord!” Rainbow Dash growled, flapping up into the air and pressing her hoof against his smug snout threateningly. “You’ve lied to us so many times. Why should we agree to this stupid game you made up? You’ve completely betrayed your friend Fluttershy too!”

Fluttershy watched the argument progress, the look on her face a heartbreaking mix of confusion and betrayed pain.

“It’s simple, Rainbow Dash, he’s proposing a binding magical oath. That way we will both be bound by unbreakable bonds to hold up our ends of this wager. He knows how valuable his role is, and that’s his assurance that I’ll agree,” Celestia explained simply. Lowering her horn, the soft yellow glow of her magic spread out of it slowly, reaching halfway towards Discord. “I’ll make the oath. And Equestria will prevail in the war to come.”

“War?!” the Elements of Harmony gasped in unison.

“Come now, Celestia, there’s no need for you to be so stiff,” Discord chuckled, holding his claw out and grasping the tendril of magic, his own colorless magic flowing around his claw and melding with Celestia’s.  “I’ve been forced to watch for thousands of years while you stack things in your favor. I’ve had but a few months to prepare myself for this, so I may as well take every advantage I can get.” 

As Discord’s hand left the glow of magic, his claw suddenly burst into flame, the roiling tongues coiling around his claws and solidifying slowly, extending out from his claw in a long, brilliant trail. The flames coalesced together, becoming solid, taking the shape of a glowing infernal rapier. 

“As such, I’ll be taking the Dragon Buster that you’ve been so kind to hang onto all these years.”

That bastard!

Celestia’s eyes snapped wide, her horn bursting with golden light as a brilliant beam shot from the tip. Discord’s body weaved through the air, letting the magical attack slip right by and blow a hole the size of a large stallion in the wall behind him. Discord simply clicked his tongue, chiding the Princess. The strange weapon in his claw disappeared in a brief wink of light. “What did I say about being such a bad sport? If you try to do anything more, then you’ll be breaking the terms of our contract. I would hate for the game to be over before it even begins.”

Celestia’s jaw clenched in livid frustration, but her gaze never moved from the embodiment of Chaos.

Uncaring and undisturbed, Discord slithered through the air, making his way to the door he had come through. “I’ll leave you to figure out your next move, Celestia. I’m sure you have many pawns to move around, and many countermeasures to prepare now that this war is about to start again.” Turning back at the doorway to look at the six ponies representing Harmony, he rested his eyes directly on Twilight. With a playful smirk he knocked his claw once on the frame of the doorway and called behind him, “You can come in now, I’m done here.”

Without anything further said, Discord vanished unceremoniously in his customary flash of magic. All eyes then peered into the doorway as the sounds of heavy steps got closer. Within the doorway, an angular head appeared, followed by a long slender neck, and a body as broad as the bulkiest stallion. Moving through the doorway, a dragon of exquisite beauty came into the room, walking on all fours. Its brilliant white scales shone even in the plain light of the hospital room. Along its back ran a line of silver spines, from the crest of its head to the tip of its tail, ending in a single flat arrowhead tip. On either side of its spines were marvelous, powerful, leathery wings with webbing that shimmered translucent and colorless in the light. From the brow of the dragon’s head sprouted two spiraled horns, each sprouting straight up only about two inches before shifting forward to run parallel, ending just above the tip of its pointed snout. The only outward remnants of the dragon it had once been now popped against its otherwise two-tone appearance. The base of each of its spines bore a deep emerald tint. The deadly curved nails sprouting from its claws shimmered with a opalescent purple sheen, and its soft emerald eyes were rimmed with deep purple scales.

Eyes only on Twilight, the dragon padded into the room, and then sat back on its haunches. “I’m glad you’re okay, Twilight,” the dragon spoke, the same voice that had been echoing in Twilight’s head ever since she woke up. The voice was all too familiar now that she was really hearing it, though deeper and more mature than what it had once been.

Twilight’s eyes were as wide a dinner plates. There was no way. This grand and majestic creature looked nothing like him, but everything in her told her it was. “Spike?”

> Chapter 4: Protecting a Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yeah, it’s me, Twilight,” Spike mumbled, stretching out like a cat, his wings opening up in a scintillating clear film of webbing. The light traveling through his wings seemed to make them glow, and refract faint dots of rainbow light onto the ground beneath him. After the brief stretch he folded his wings into his back once more, the light show vanishing. He padded over to stand between the two beds, giving an apologetic look to the orange mare on his left, “I’m sorry I hurt you, AJ. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Not a problem, Spike. ‘Long as you’re, well, you again, then all is forgiven,” Applejack reassured with a smile, tipping her hat to him.

Twilight watched on in stunned silence as Spike regarded each of the girls with a small apology, each of which was swiftly accepted. Celestia watched on in silence as he lastly addressed the lavender mare, “Twilight, are you okay? Did somepony attack you? Or did a spell backfire? All I heard was that you were found unconscious and taken here.”

How could this be the same little dragon? His voice was so much deeper, like a full grown stallion, and his form was nothing like it had been before. The wings, the horns, even the way his body took a shape closer to that of a pony, his forelegs equal in length to his hind legs, and the length of his neck only a bit longer than the average colt, far from the slender and exaggerated serpentine length of a normal dragon, but also longer than would seem normal on a pony’s body. Not only that, but strangely enough his body showed signs of being completely matured, and yet he was not hundreds of feet in height. She’d never heard of a mature dragon of such small stature. He was completely different in every way, except for the faint traces of his old colors, and his eyes. His eyes were the same gleaming green that she had seen so many times, though there was an inexplicable maturity behind them now. Just how much had he changed inside because of this other dragon’s influence?

Spikes voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Come on, Twilight! Answer me!

“So it was you I heard,” Twilight murmured softly. Spike’s expression lit up before suddenly he was yanked forward by his horns with magic and her hoof struck the top of his head, right between the horns. “Don’t you ever say anything like that again! Where in Equestria did you even learn a word like ‘bastard’?!”

Silence filled the room, Spike just blinking back at her, until he started to softly chuckle. Pressing his head forward, he nuzzled against her neck with relief on his face, “I’m glad you’re okay, Twi. But what do you mean by-“

“I am sorry to interrupt this moment,” Celestia coughed, bringing all of their attention to her once more, “but how did you get out of my barrier spell? Am I to assume that you struck a deal with Discord to get out?”

Spike was the only one that didn’t turn to face the regal white alicorn, pulling away from Twilight and instead looking at all of his friends for a moment. Still without looking at her, he answered, “Yeah, he let me go. The guards didn’t try to stop him since they knew they couldn’t. All he asked was that I wait until he was done talking to come inside.”

Celestia did not back down, her voice growing more deep with pressing authority, “You had better not be hiding anything from me, Spike. This is a very serious matter. Did Discord have any other terms for helping you?!”

Twilight felt a rush of anger in the back of her head, and Spike’s face turned feral and vicious as he let out a long threatening hiss at Celestia. A collective gasp echoed from the ponies as his wings unfurled slightly. The webbing began to glow a ghostly white, and a spark of pale light formed between his horns, pointed straight at the Princess. “You should know me better than that, Princess! There is no way I would agree if there were any more to it than that, not even so I could make sure Twilight was alright! He wanted me to wait outside the door, and that was it!”

Twilight’s mind reeled as she felt the primal rage boiling in Spike’s head, making her dizzy. Slowly, the transformed dragon began to calm, folding his wings back in and letting the light fade from between his horns. She could see and feel the fear rising in him as Celestia watched with a critical eye. “No. I’m not going to let this thing overtake me,” he whispered softly under his breath. Looking back up at Celestia, he pleaded, “Please, don’t put me away again. I have the power under control, I swear it. I won’t put anypony in danger.”

“This is about more than just the safety of Ponyville, Spike,” Celestia declared. “You heard what Discord said. A war is coming, sooner or later. The other seven dragons have likely already taken bodies all around the world, and before long enemies of Equestria will be pursuing their power. To protect my little ponies, I must do the same. Once I find a warrior suitable to do so, I will be performing the ritual.”

Spike was silent for a long moment, and then his eyes snapped wide open as he snarled at Celestia, “No! No, there is no way I will allow you to do that! I do not acknowledge you, or anypony else as rightful!”

“This is not something for you to decide, Spike!” Celestia boomed, her voice echoing through the room, “Equestria needs the Dragoon power! You are going to be held in confinement until a warrior is found to perform the ritual!”

Spike’s reptilian eyes contracted into thin vertical slits as anger bristled in him, but as he tried to step towards Celestia, he found his claw trapped within a golden light. Celestia’s horn shone the same brilliant gold as she held the dragon in place. Pushing against the magic, the gleaming claws moved slowly forward, struggling against the resistance. As he pushed against the magic, he saw another glow start to build around him slowly. A yellow barrier started to build up from the ground, being woven together by the Princess.

Twilight felt total helplessness wash over her, and leaping from the bed, she moved next to Spike. She had no idea what was going on, but none of it sounded good at all. She could scarcely separate her own emotions from what she felt from Spike, which was another mystery. That would wait for later, though. Priorities, Twilight. Priorities.

Turning to Celestia she pleaded, “Please, Celestia, I don’t understand what’s happening, but please let Spike go. I’ll watch over him. I promise!”

“As I said, Twilight, this is about more than what danger Spike could pose if provoked,” Celestia said firmly. “Everything has happened much sooner than I expected it to. I’m sorry, but you’re not ready for this. I will be taking over responsibility for Spike so that his magic can be used to protect Equestria from Discord’s scheme. The Dragoon power must find a wielder. Whether Spike believes so or not, it has become his destiny. Twilight, I’m sorry to do this, but you are not ready to stand on the bloody path I must lead my little ponies on.”

Despite the softness of her words, Twilight saw no reprieve in Celestia’s eyes. Her words however, held a meaning that Twilight and her friends quickly realized. A bloody path… Twilight felt anger boil up inside her, her own anger, as she vaguely understood what the Princess was alluding to. All at once her and her friends sprung forward, each of them taking a place around Spike, standing between him and Celestia. Twilight stood at their front, all thoughts that screamed against opposing Celestia being crushed beneath the desire to protect her dragon. Her friend. Her… his place in her heart defied any one description.

In a surge of emotion, Twilight’s horn flashed in a strobe of magenta. In an instant the magic that had begun encasing Spike was shattered. Were she in a more coherent state of mind, Twilight would have marveled at how she had stopped a spell from Celestia herself, but at this moment all that filled her mind was the words that flew from her lips, “No, Celestia! I won’t let you, or anypony else hurt Spike! I’d sooner give up my power as an alicorn and a princess than let anything happen to him!”

Celestia backed off suddenly, surprise twisting her face, the verbal assault did not halt.

“Certainly you must know this isn’t the right way, Princess. Even if some terrible war is going to come, treating Spike in this way won’t help anything,” Rarity said calmly, but her voice holding a twinge of hostility that was unmistakable at the danger posed to the dragon.

“It’s… not right, Princess. He hasn’t done anything w-wrong,” Fluttershy stammered only slightly, a big deal when she was standing up to the pony that everyone always looked up to.

“Ah know yer just trying to protect everypony,” Applejack attempted to comfort Celestia, “An’ how much this here is affecting ya speaks volumes of how serious the situation is. Still, ya need to think about how this kind of thing will make ya look.”

Rainbow Dash was next, “Yeah, you can’t get desperate just because that creep Discord is getting his way! You’ve always been calm and collected before today, don’t let him get to you now of all times. I hate to say this, but I’ll smack you around myself if you keep going like this!”

“Do you need a party, Princess? I can throw you a party I that will make you feel better! It’ll be a, um, a ‘Cheer up, Princess’ Party!” Pinkie giggled, bouncing in place.

Each having said their peace, Twilight turned and looked between Spike and Celestia. She tried to give a comforting smile to the white dragon but a look of soft pleading to her mentor. The solar princess was silent for several long seconds that seemed to stretch into minutes. Twilight grew more anxious under Celestia’s scrutinizing gaze with each moment.

Finally, Celestia’s expression softened, and her voice lost its edge, “I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t want you to see a side of me like this. I’m afraid I’ve had little control of the situation since Discord released the Spirits, and the stress had gotten to me more than I imagined. I am proud of you as a fellow Princess for standing up for what you believe to defy me and calm me.”

Turning towards the doorway, she continued, “Still, there are certain things that are unavoidable. I will leave Spike with you for the time being, but there are certain things you must be aware of. I have already received word that the griffons have been fighting one of the dragons. We have enjoyed peace with them for a long time, but I fear that if the balance of power shifts with the power of Dragoons on their side, then war with them will be inevitable. You and your friends should take the time I’ve given you to think about the repercussions if we don’t have Dragoons of our own to meet them in battle. Many lives could be lost.”

Twilight nodded somberly, those facts quickly beginning to weigh heavily in her mind. The chilling prospect resounded in all of her friends as well.

“So please understand that Spike will be needed, and decide what you plan to do about it,” Celestia implored softly, “I will be looking for a warrior among my guards and any others that may stand forward. When I find one I believe is ready, I will be back to hear your decision, Princess Twilight.”

Her composure completely regained, the Princess left the room. Twilight sucked in a deep breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Looking to her friends, she saw they all were in a similar state, all scarcely believing what they had done.

“Wow, we really stood up to her… and she backed down,” Rainbow Dash said numbly.

“Thank you so much everyone,” Spike thanked them all, tipping his head down. “You really didn’t have to go so far for me. She has a point, this power is needed to protect Equestria.”

Applejack chuckled, punching him playfully in the shoulder. “Don’t ya worry none about that, Spike. The Princess just needs to calm down. We don’t need the leader of all ponydom making rash decisions that make her look bad. And you shouldn’t need to be harmed for her emotional state.”

“Yeah! And since the Princess didn’t accept my party invitation, we can throw a different party! A ‘Congratulations, White-Silver Spike’ Party!” Pinkie threw her hooves into the air, confetti and streamers popping into the air and showering on them all. Uncontrollable giggles bubbled up as all of them fell over into a fit of hysteria, venting out all the pent-up stress of the last few moments.

Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, Twilight sat up and nuzzled against Spike’s long, smoothly scaled neck. “Come on, let’s go home,” she giggled.







Opening the doorway, Twilight and Spike entered the library, both happy to be home where they belonged, even if one of them had gone through a life-changing transformation. Now that she thought about it, she realized that counted for both of them. First she had become and alicorn and princess, and now he had become a lord of dragons. She smiled softly, amused at the similarity.

I hope the girls will be okay, Spike’s thoughts echoed in her head as he closed the door behind them. She could feel his regret over the rampage he had caused and how much he must have scared them.

“They’ll be just fine, Spike,” Twilight assured him, smiling as she looked around for the book Celestia had sent him.

So you really can hear my thoughts, huh? I wonder if I can hear yours.

Twilight shook her head and shrugged, searching under the table for the book, That’s an experiment for another time, I suppose.

HA! Seems like you’ve already proven my hypothesis true, Spike’s laughter filled both her mind and her ears as she stood up. She rolled her eyes, ignoring the fact that he was right, and began scanning the shelves. When did he mature so much? She could still hear the mischief in his voice, if she could even call it a voice, but at the same time he acted so much calmer in general, less wide-eyed with innocence.  Looking for the book?

Yeah, I need to read up on the dragons and Dragoons, I need to know more about them before I can make a decision. Celestia seems determined to keep me away from this conflict in any way she can, but- She stopped mid-sentence, thinking about the war that had been mentioned. She’d never seen any bloodshed or violence. The closest to that they’d ever been a part of was the changeling invasion, and even then, they’d never seriously harmed anypony in that fight, and they were all repelled shortly after by her brother and Cadence’s love-powered magic. Celestia had emphasized that blood stained any fight involving the Dragoons. Did she really want to get herself involved in that sort of thing? Already knowing her feelings, she continued, -but I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you, the girls, and everypony in Equestria. Even if Celestia thinks I’m not ready, it’s my duty to do so as a Princess.

Spike smiled, and she felt the pride emanating from him, I’m glad you feel that way, Twi. We’ll find a way to protect everyone together, without any sacrifices.

Twilight nodded, and let her concerns return to the book, her search becoming more frantic, terrified at the thought of having lost such an ancient and valuable treasure of a book. It couldn’t have just disappeared.

“Twi, over here,” Spike said aloud.

Looking up from several books floating around her, Twilight saw Spike over by the door. He reared up on his haunches and pulled a piece of parchment off of the inside of the door. Returning the books to their places, she joined him at his side and carefully took the paper from his claws, reading over it, trying to let Spike hear it through her mind.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I have taken that musty old tome of half-truths from you. I know you’ll be upset, but in the times to come, you will need something different from what that book can offer you. You will need to learn the truth of history on your own.

The path will not be easy, and you may decide to give up and let fate take course on its own, and I won’t blame you for that decision. However, I must implore you to take up the mantle of power I once used to wield in the defense of all of Equestria. Whenever the Dragoons rise throughout time, history comes alive with them, so by taking this path, you will eventually uncover every truth you could hope to discover.

If you wish to follow this path, then use the spell outlined on the back of this paper to call to you a new tome that shall teach you what you need most to learn: How to create the Dragoon Spirit, and the nature of the magic wielded by the Lords and King.

Resting hope upon you,
Starswirl the Bearded
	
> Chapter 5: Steeling Resolve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	This is what has to be done?! Twilight decried in her mind. No. No way. There was no way she could possibly do what this book said. Now it made much more sense why Celestia had described it as a bloody path. Why in Celestia’s good name would Starswirl think I could let this happen to you?

Isn’t the more pressing question here how Starswirl could even possibly be alive? He lived over two thousand years ago, back in the era when the Princesses rose up and first sealed Discord in stone. Nopony but an alicorn could possibly live that long, and everypony would know if there was another alicorn running around. Spike called from the kitchen, the familiar crunch of a shattering gemstone following his words.

Twilight blinked and scowled in frustration, Spike was right, it was nagging at the back of her head like a buzzing parasprite. Well, that is something that we don’t have the means of answering right now, Spike. I’d much rather concern myself with what answers this book can provide me, she grumbled, irritation lacing her thoughts. Did you know about this? Is that why you refused to let Celestia take you to make a Dragoon Spirit?

Spike padded out of the kitchen, wiping a few specks of emerald from his muzzle with a flick of his tongue. His face looked grim as he searched his mind and answered, I didn’t know all of that, but there are certain.... instincts that bubbled up when she mentioned it. I understood at least in some way that creating a Dragoon Spirit was not as simple as an extraction of magic.

Looking to her, he tilted his head curiously and asked, Is something wrong, Twilight?

Twilight shook her head, brushing a stray strand of her dark mane out of her eyes, she had lost herself in thought for a moment. Spike’s changes still were a marvel, and even a bit frightening. She sometimes was scared that he wasn’t even the same Spike she knew. He was so much more focused and attentive than he was before. Not that he had been terribly unfocused before, but he was just a kid. Now it was though all that had been sucked out of him.

Spike came to her and sat next to her at the center table as she replied, It’s nothing. But I can understand why you’d react the way you did, and looked about ready to attack Celestia now. I mean, this is just awful.

Spike nodded somberly.

It had been two days already since they had gotten home and discovered the note left by Starswirl the Bearded for Twilight. It had taken no less than twenty minutes for Twilight to fully formulate the spell written out on the back of the parchment, and moments later, they had been granted the gift that the mysterious unicorn of yore had left for them. Spike had insisted that they wait at least one night to read it though, and Twilight had reluctantly agreed, despite a brilliant glimmer of curiosity in the back of her head. They had a lot to process, and all of it was being thrust at them at once. They needed to take their time and make sure they had their heads on straight before they attempted to take in new information.

Their first matter of business had been figuring out more about the strange telepathic connection she and Spike had developed, and even with all the books she checked, she could not find a single instance of telepathy that didn’t require active casting of a spell through one’s horn. The studious princess was completely flummoxed in finding some explanation for the new bond they shared. Rather than dwell on what she could not figure out, she instead decided to experiment with the the telepathy over the course of the next day, testing everything she could about it, and managed to figure out some basics of it.

The telepathy was remarkably ingrained in their minds, and each of them had felt the others emotion and idle thoughts at many instances. Over time Twilight discovered that not everything was shared between their minds, and when she learned to sort out her thoughts in alignment with the new connection, she was able to keep her thoughts and emotions to herself and only project what she chose to for Spike to know. Spike wasn’t as disciplined, while he was able to keep a good deal of thoughts to himself, she found that when his emotions flared up, particularly when he was thinking back on the day before with Celestia, the things he intended to keep to himself bubbled over and filled her, making her feel all of his fear, anger, and worry.

With some of the conditions of their link understood, the two turned their attention to Starswirl’s gift the following morning. Using the spell lined out on the back of the letter, in short time Twilight had summoned the tome he had left for them. Diving headfirst into studying it, all the information Twilight absorbed from it was effortlessly transferred to Spike as she read it. It was in the very first chapter, detailing the nature of the Dragon Lords, that they discovered how Dragoon Spirits were created.

Holding the soul of a dragon in your hooves. It sounds impossible, but given everything that has been happening, I can pretty much throw what I thought was impossible out the window, Twilight grumbled in frustration.

I’m surprised you aren’t strapping me down and running tests. You usually don’t accept the implausible so readily,” Spike playfully jeered at her.

The frazzled alicorn fixed him with a smouldering glare which slowly melted into a weak smile. I have learned that lesson already, Spike. The proof that it is true stares us in the face. Celestia wants to make a Spirit from you, and I know it is necessary... She trailed off for a moment in pensive thought before continuing defiantly, “Still, I am not going to let her do anything to you.”

Spike’s eyes fell at her words. Twilight, I don’t want her to either, but we need the-

No! I am not going to let anypony kill you! Twilight snapped viciously, turning to him with a protective flare glinting in her eyes. The weight of such a decision was not staved off for long though, and as her thoughts turned back on it, the fire wilted. Conflicting desires rushed through her. her heart screamed that she could not let her -admittedly not so little- Spike be hurt. Her mind, however, told her that she would be putting the lives of everypony in Equestria in danger if there was no Dragoon to protect them. She felt so helpless, caught between two impossible decisions. This is horrible. What can I do?

Padding down from his seat and moving up alongside her, Spike lowered his head and gently brushed the smooth scales of his chin along the back of her neck. It was as comforting a gesture as he could come up with at the moment. Well there is one part that we can be hopeful about, he mused.

And what is that?

A single pale magenta nail reached out and tapped the last page of the chapter. This part right here, he explained simply. The passage says that upon defeating the Lord in battle, and piercing its eye, the Spirit is born from the submission of the Lord to the one that defeats it. Upon this special ceremony, the Lord is reborn. The dragon is then subservient to its new master, who holds the Spirit, its soul in crystalline form. If this is right, then I should come right back when the Spirit is created.

Twilight’s expression did not turn at the optimistic interpretation, and she only buried her face in her hooves as the weight of everything kept crushing in on her. But Starswirl’s notes at the bottom of the page also say that there is no evidence supporting the idea that the reborn dragon is the same as the one that was killed. I could lose you and there would be some other mind in your body after that. Her shoulders racked forward as she started to sob into her hooves. And even if you are still you, you will be flying into battle far away from me at the side of some warrior and could die all over again.

That just means that is has to be like Starswirl siuggests. You have to take up the mantle of a Dragoon. You have to make the Spirit, Spike asserted.

Twilight could hardly believe he would even think of such a thing. Her heart rejected it so adamantly that without thinking she shoved him back and stepped away, as though he were diseased. No no no! There is no way I could ever do it! I’m not going to kill you, Spike! I am not a warrior! I am not a fighter! And most of all, I am not a killer!

The tall and imposing dragon’s eyes narrowed in thinly veiled scrutiny. Despite the conflict raging inside her, he could not feel any of it through their link. He could only judge what he could see on the outside, which fortunately Twilight had much less control over.

He knew how hard this was hitting her, and he was no less impacted. Still, one of them had to keep their head on straight. Twilight was never that good at keeping her emotions in check. Granted, he hadn’t exactly been the paragon of maturity either. Thinking on it,  he was now beginning to realize how much he had changed on the inside too. He still felt like him, but like there was more to him now than there had been before. He had lost some of his old childishness, and it was kind of scary, but he couldn’t really say it was a bad thing. He didn’t feel like a kid anymore. At the same time, he didn’t feel like a kid anymore! He would not feel left out anymore for his age, and even now he was able to understand things that would have gone right over his head just days before. It felt liberating, but at the same time, he now realized the sadness that came with growing up too fast, and losing innocence so abruptly.

Those were the cards that were dealt to him. Like it or not; scary, or sad, or not; he needed to do what he felt was necessary. Steeling his resolution, he stamped his claw on the floor and shouted into the worried Princess’ mind, I don’t want some random soldier that Celestia picks out to do this to me. Not even Shining Armor! The only pony I want to do this is you, Twilight. You are the one that I would want to take my life, if it would really be my last moment. Most importatnly, it is only you that I would want to fight and risk my life to protect Equestria alongside.

His words struck true, and Twilight’s bristling hostility ebbed. Her composure simply deflated and she leaned back against the table, sinking down until her chin rested on the smooth wood. Her ears splayed flat against the length of her skull. She looked more hopeless and drained than Spike had ever seen her, and it stung him to see her like that.Tinged with sadness, her next thoughts were, I don’t know if I can do it. This is not like when we fought those changelings in Canterlot. This is going to be a real war. Fights to the death, blood, and lives lost. I don’t even know if I have what it takes to fight. I’ve only read a handful of spells that can be used to inflict harm, and among them even fewer can actually kill if used right. And they are all simple spells, how can that combat against something like you, when the book says that you can turn the very light around us into a destructive force? How do I fight that power?

Spike shook his head. He had no real answers, only his instincts and optimism. you have to; we have to. As a Princess of Equestria, and as your dragon,we have a responsibility to protect everypony. Starswirl himself seems to believe that you can do this. If you don’t know any spells that you can use to fight, then make some! He gave a rousing nudge to her shoulder, trying to put some spirit  and determination into her, You weren’t just making empty boasts before when you claimed you would pioneer a whole new wing of books on magic, were you?”

Seeing Twilight’s ears perk up slightly, and her eyes light up a bit, he pressed his point. Jumping back a few feet from her, he stood up on his hind legs and spread his claws and wings wide in a grand gesture, proclaiming, You are the Element of Magic. Magic is who you are! If ponies eons ago could fight the Lords and make the Spirits from them, then you can certainly do so too. Besides, there are bound to be a few spells in the book that you can use to fight, especially ones dedicated to fighting the Lords and Dragoons! Smiling broadly, baring gleaming white fangs in a happy grin, he lastly added, Twi’, we have to do this. You are the most powerful magician I have ever known, and I feel that there is nopony better suited to wield my power.

There was a long silence between the two of them. Spike knew he had hit several nails on the head.

Twilight wasn’t able to deny the truth in his words. A part of her wanted to fight. They always struggled against any evils that they faced with everything they had. War was something entirely different, a whole ‘nother beast to face. The fact that there hadn’t been war for millennia only made it that much scarier. Unable to know its true horrors, she could only assume they were worse than she could imagine.

The fact remained that she was a Princess. It was undeniably her responsibility to protect her people, even if Celestia deemed her to not be ready. She was the leader of the Elements of Harmony, and the most powerful magic user of all ponies. That all had to mean something, and Starswirl himself must have seen a way for it to work. He was a genius after all, and she could imagine no other reason for him to place such faith in her. As Celestia’s reliance on her seemed to wane in the face of war in favor of handling things herself, the studious mare found herself holding onto the reliance of the only other pony she looked up to as much as Celestia to give her confidence. She had always followed after the two of them, chasing the solar Princess and the brilliant Starswirl. With Celestia closing herself off, she had no choice but to grasp hold of the other’s coattails and drive forward with all her might.

You’re right Spike, she smiled, eyes flashing with that familiar light of unwavering determination that made Spike laugh with joy. Flipping the page of the book to begin the next chapter, she resolved herself as best she could. We have to protect everyone. And I promise you I won’t let you die for good. You are going to survive this.
> Chapter 6: Spies and Pooches
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Is that really true, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash’s brow furrowed in worry. Her eyes trailed up and down as she followed the bouncing blur of pink as she rocketed herself up to eye level, then fell down to the trampoline far below, only to spring back up again. The ‘spy’ mare had brought some rather disturbing news to her cloudbound doorstep.

Twilight had kept herself locked up in the library for a whole week now, only coming out with Spike for the odd visit or purchase on the market. All of them had been getting worried, especially since Twilight had been constantly prolonging Pinkie’s constant attempts to arrange a congratulatory party for Spike’s change. They all had a feeling that something big was coming, and weren’t about to be left in the dark until the last moment. Pinkie, was more than happy to volunteer to sneak in and figure out what had been going on, and just last night she had figured out what it was.

“Yup! Apparently the book that Twilight got was stolen by Starswirl the Bearded!” Pinkie replied before falling once more. Upon her return, she grinned wide and said, “He left a new nifty book for her to read instead, and it’s got all sorts of juicy information! I didn’t understand all of it though.” Once more she fell and soared back up into the sky, this time sporting a pensive and less joyous look, “Though having to fight and kill Spike to make the Spirit, even if he might come back just the same, is still really really not good. Given all the extra notes she scribbled, she seems to plan to do it herself!”

Rainbow shook her head incredulously, scarcely able to believe it. Not just the idea that Starswirl was still alive, but even more so the idea that Twilight was going to do something so dangerous. At the same time, something in the back of her head told her that it was exactly what Twilight would do. She could understand perfectly why, too. If something like this had to be done, it was obvious that Twilight would never let anyone but herself do it.

Waiting for Pinkie to make a return trip into the sky, Rainbow asked, “Is there anything else that you found out, Pinkie?”

On the next bounce, Pinkie returned to her normal joyous giggling self and proclaimed, “Yeah! Twi’s been sneaking out at night to practice something super awesome! I followed her for a little bit, and saw her practicing some amazing new spells, and I saw that she’d brought a special weapon too!”

Rainbow Dash took a sudden step back from the doorway, surprise written all over her face before poking her head out the doorway to shout after the falling mare, “A weapon?! How the hay did Twilight get a weapon? And what kind of weapon is it?”

Zip! Up through the air Pinkie zoomed, topping in front of her once more and pressing a hoof against her nose, “There was some spell in the book for summoning the weapon. It’s a pair of Casts! Apparently, they’re the best weapons for the job!”

“Casts?!” Rainbow blinked incredulously. She hadn’t heard that word in a long time... at least, not the weapon kind of Cast. Her thoughts flashed back in an instant to her childhood, not long after she’d gotten her Cutie Mark.  She remembered the weapons well, the beautiful silver gauntlets with intricately woven patterns on them. She remembered trying on one of the family heirloom Casts for the first time back then, the weapon taking shape to form-

“-That’s right! Casts! Oh you should have seen it, her Cast weapon was soooooo cool!” Pinkie interrupted the pegasus’ thoughts on her next bounce up. Flailing her hooves to and fro for emphasis.

“Even so, you felt the raw power that comes off of Spike, didn’t you? Even Twilight’s not gonna have an easy time of this. She may be the strongest magician we know, but she’s not a fighter. I am.,” Rainbow asserted, flitting out of the door and flying down to the ground, where Pinkie bounced lightly off the trampoline and landed effortlessly on the ground. “I’m gonna help her, whether she likes it or not. There’s no way she can do it alone.”

“Good idea, Dashie! I’ll help too! We’ll get that Spirit-thingy no problem if all of us work together!” Pinkie beamed, hopping in a small circle around Rainbow.

This mare really just never stopped, did she? It brought a chuckle to Rainbow, but she quickly pushed it down, stopping her from getting too enthusiastic, “No, Pinkie. You aren’t gonna help, at least, not by fighting you’re not.”

A pair of wide, tearful blue eyes met Rainbow’s. Pinkie giving her biggest pouty face. The dreaded pout was a formidable foe, and in another dispute it may have won out. That couldn’t be the case this time. She had to be firm. She really appreciated the gesture, but she could not see Pinkie or any of her other friends being able to fight in this situation. It was already hard enough to imagine their Egghead picking up a weapon and fighting. Rainbow just couldn’t see it, she knew that she was the only one with an actual warrior inclination. It was in her blood. Generations of her family had been fighters.

“I said no, Pinkie,” Rainbow asserted, stamping the earth with a hoof. “I am sure you could find a way to help, but fighting won’t be it.”

Wilting in defeat, ears splayed and tucked into her mane, Pinkie kicked a pebble with a forehoof, “Alright Dashie, but how are you going to help Twilight?”

A cocky smirk spread across Dash’s face. In an instant she flitted into the air, striking a dramatic pose with one hoof held high and the other cocked at her hip. “My dad up in Cloudsdale has a set of Casts that have been in our family for ages!” she trumpeted proudly. Turning in midair, she pointed her outstretched hoof towards the other side of town, where the library was. Her eyes were charged with an  excited energy. There was no way she was going to let her friend take on danger with nopony by her side. “Twilight may be trying to keep us out o danger, but she needs somepony to watch her back. Once you tell the other girls about this, I’m sure that they will find their own way to help as well.”

Soaking in her own flamboyant display, grinning broadly, her last words rolled in her mind for a moment before suddenly clicking in place. A brilliant idea! “Hey! Let’s go tell Rarity together! I just got an awesome idea for how she can help!”

Pinkie perked right back up, always quick to recover. Her eyes went wide with curiosity, “Oh! Oh! What is it? Tell me, please!”

“I’ll tell you when we get there!”

Hovering over Pinkie, Dash scooped her hooves down and wrapped them around her midsection, straining her wings slightly, but taking them quickly into the sky. Upon reaching an ideal height, her ears flicked in the breeze, an odd sound carried through it. It sounded somewhere between panicked cries and a loud collective murmur. Circling once, she spotted Carousel Boutique in the distance with an oddly large crowd surrounding it. Her sharp eyes could make out the forms of over a score of ponies gathered in front of the building, and between the ponies and the entrance stood hulking-

“Diamond Dogs!”

A switch flipped in the pegasus’ mind. Rarity had to be in trouble! Without a moment’s hesitation, she swung around and pitched into a dive, heading straight for the boutique. Following Dash’s line of sight, Pinkie squinted against the rushing winds as they shot downward.The large, warrior specimens of the species stood in pairs before the shut doorway, crossing large halberds between them, which they hefted in their heavy paws. The dogs seemed intent on preventing anypony from getting near. Really, nopony seemed intent to get close either, keeping their distance from the intimidating soldiers. Most seemed mildly disturbed, while a few were panicking and clinging to loved ones.

Dropping Pinkie only inches from the ground, Dash landed gracefully in front of the crowd, ending in a short mid-air flip. Ever the showpony, she was. Fixing the dogs with a fierce glare, she stormed up to them, hide bristling as she raised an indignant hoof at them. “You guys have a lot of nerve showing up in Ponyville, and especially at Rarity’s shop after what you all did! I swear if you’ve done anything to my friend, I’m going to break each and every one of you!”

“Ooooh! Lookie here!” Pinkie’s head popped up behind the shoulder of one of the large guards, tapping a hoof on his shoulder. She ducked down and appeared behind another of them, tapping this one in turn, “Fancy duds, boys! You didn’t have armor like this the last time we saw you!”

Blinking for a second, Rainbow took a moment to look over the dogs, and indeed they were dressed far different from last time. Rather than the bulky plate armor they bore previously, and the near blinding helms, they now bore a strange glittering cloth armor uniform. The gleaming fabric was colored a lustrous silver, much the aforementioned armor, which must have been why she hadn’t noticed it at first. The uniforms didn’t look very protective, but seemed like they wouldn’t restrict their movement, which was perhaps more dangerous than the clunky armor’s protection.

The dogs gave no notice to the invasion of personal space by the hyperactive Pinkie, except by swinging their halberds to cross more tightly before the doorway, more adamantly preventing entrance. They gave no answer to Rainbow’s outburst either, though Diamond Dogs weren’t exactly known for being talkative creatures. That didn’t make it any less irritating. They were standing Dash and her friend, and that always got on her nerves. “Darn it, let me in, right now! If you get in my way, you’ll all be tasting dirt!”

A rustle came from behind the doors of the boutique, followed by a familiar voice, “Rainbow Dash? Oh my, I’m so sorry, could you please let her in, boys?”

In unison, the Diamond Dogs lifted their menacing polearms and slammed a paw to their chests, bowing to the pegasus that had just threatened them. That was... odd. So Rarity was okay? She didn’t know what to think about the Diamond Dogs being here just moments before, and now she had even less of a clue what was going on. These dogs were listening to Rarity? Motioning to Pinkie Pie, who joined her at her side, she walked between the brutish dogs as the door was opened up with a field of an unfamiliar amber magic glow.

Inside Carousel Boutique was a far more baffling sight. Sitting at the dining table, drinking tea, was Rarity, pouring herself over several pieces of paper that she had levitated around her. Her casual, unworried state was not the strange part though, it was the one sitting across from her. Reclined upon a rather plush pillow on the seat opposite her sat a medium sized male Diamond Dog, not nearly the giant that the warriors outside were. It bore a black spotted white hide, a dalmatian subspecies of dog, and looked to stand only a head above average pony height. In its hand, it held a long wooden staff, curling at the tip in a long arc. The arced tip glowed with the same amber light that had surrounded the door, and once they were inside, he simply flicked the staff and the door shut behind the two ponies. The sound of scraping metal resounded from the other side of the door as the guards repositioned their weapons to block entrance.

A Diamond Dog with a magic staff? A Diamond Dog capable of using a magic staff? What the hay was going on here?

The Dalmatian Diamond Dog glanced over to them, an unmistakably calm and intelligent look helf in his golden eyes as he spoke, “I am very sorry for the disturbance that my guards have caused. They are rather adamant in their duty of guarding me.” Stepping down from the chair, the spotted canine walked up to Rainbow Dash, staff clicking against the ground in time with his steps. Holding a paw out in a gesture of polite greeting, he said, “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bowser.”

Without looking away from the papers surrounding her, Rarity chimed in, “This marvelous specimen of his species is quite the sophisticated pooch. He came here with a letter of introduction from Princess Cadance since word of the Dragoons has been spreading to every corner of the world. He’s come here with a truly tantalizing proposition of partnership between me and the him. He wishes to produce special wartime garb for ponies, and I’m to work his designs into something that will fit our kind.”

“War garb? Awww darn it, that was what I was gonna come and ask your help with!” Rainbow grumbled. How could her brilliant idea be beaten to the punch? Ah well, at least it was going to get done, maybe even faster if this Diamond Dog could be trusted. Reluctantly, after making Bowser wait for a prolonged time, Rainbow held a hoof out and shook with the dog. A polite smile was given to her in return, unbothered by her discomfort. He seemed to understand the stigma attached to his kind. “Well, I guess the only thing we’re needed for here is telling you what Twilight’s been up to for the last week. Pinkie got the information we wanted.”

Setting the papers down in a neat stack, Rarity got down from the table and trotted up next to Bowser, smiling with all the winning charm she was known for, “Yes, that would be nice. Please tell me what’s going on. Since Bowser here is going to be my partner, I have no problem with hearing all of this.”

Raising a skeptical brow, Rainbow looked to Pinkie Pie, who beamed wide. Taking a deep breath, she retold everything she’d learned last night.
> Chapter 7: Decisions and a Secret
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Not long later, as discussion brewed within the Carousel Boutique, Applejack and Fluttershy arrived with similar misgivings as to the presence of their canine guests. After mutual assurances and greetings from the partnered pony and diamond dog, the two seemed to allow themselves to relax a bit. Bowser’s polite and respectful decorum worked wonderfully to neutralize any sense of danger and hostility. He was a unique example among his own species, and he knew how to use that to his advantage to dodge the bad reputation his kind had gained over the years.

When Applejack and Fluttershy were caught up on all the details, Bowser sat back at the table with legs crossed and staff at his side, watching as the five mares took seats as well. Playing the part of observer, he watched and listened as the friends discussed what they planned to do to help Princess Twilight. He took all the information in stride, having already gotten a basic run-down and learned about the Lord of Light’s arrival before coming to Ponyville.

“Well, Rarity’s role is already decided. Once she figures out a design, she is gonna make some of this battle gear for me and Twilight to wear,” Rainbow Dash declared, slamming a hoof on the table. A fierce and confident grin flashed across the pegasus’ face as she boasted, “If any of us is capable of fighting in this war alongside Twilight, it’s me. I’d say AJ is first runner-up.”

The mentioned farm mare tipped her hat up and waved a hoof dismissively at the claims, “Now hold on a second there, Sugarcube. I may be a rough and tumble rodeo pony. I may even be one heck of an applebucker. One thing I ain’t is a fighter. I may be strong, but I don’t have any real skills or martial arts training. Don’t you remember what happened when I tried to fight Spike a week ago? He knocked me right out like I was nothing!” Countering Rainbow with her own hoof slamming onto the table, she added, “These fights won’t be nothing like during the wedding in Canterlot. Heck, we even lost that fight too! This isn’t the kind of problem we can just smack around with our hooves to make it go away!”

In an admittedly infuriating display of flippance, Rainbow just brushed her mane out of her eyes and smirked wider, “I don’t mind being the on my own helping her out. With me on her side, she can’t lose!”

My, this mare certainly had an ego, didn’t she? At the same time, there seemed to be little argument from her friends as to her skills, so it must be at least somewhat well founded.

“Darn it, Rainbow, this isn’t the time to inflate that ego of yours! We are in a mighty bad situation here!”

“I’m not gonna just sit back and let this happen, AJ!”

“I am not saying you should, I just don’t want your darn stubborn pride getting you killed for not taking this seriously!”

“I couldn’t be more serious about laying my life on the line!”

The two mares shouted back and forth stubbornly like that for a while. They certainly were an interesting group. These two were almost at each other’s throats, and yet there was a feeling of unfailing bond between them. This argument stemmed from care and concern, not some petty differences. It was enough to make a dog a bit jealous, don’t you think?

After more fiery back and forths between the two of them, a softer voice raised up, surprising Bowser when it managed to silence the bickering. “Excuse me.” It was soft, almost like a whisper, but the immediate pause in fighting spoke for the voice’s weight. When all eyes turned to the timid Fluttershy, she hid with half of her face behind her outflowing pink mane, and continued, “I think I could go to Zecora’s house. I think she might know some potion recipes that could help a lot, for both Twilight and the soldiers. If there is a war, healing potions would be especially useful. Plus, I can probably get some of the bigger animals to help pick ingredients in the Everfree Forest.” An excellent maneuver to change the subject.

Zecora? Sounded like a zebra name. Who’d have thought there would be a zebra alchemist in this area? They lived much closer to the griffon kingdom on the other side of the ocean. Perhaps he would have to pay this zebra a visit sometime. Mental note: Find out from Rarity where Zecora lives and pay a visit.

“That sounds absolutely marvelous, Fluttershy,” Rarity encouraged her from behind a wall of floating papers at the end of the table. “If we can produce war gear and potions to help the army, Ponyville will be a lot safer. They will put more soldiers around our town to protect the production.”

“An excellent point, Rarity,” Bowser joined in on the conversation, tapping a claw to his chin thoughtfully, “We should get the prototypes to Celestia as soon as we can, so she knows of the value of our new armor. The sooner she knows, the sooner she can give us some protection as a valuable asset production.”

An expectedly skeptical voice rang to the side of the dog, glancing to see Rainbow giving him a skeptical look, brow arched high, “That is great and all, but just what is so special about these cloth outfits that makes them a replacement for the sturdy, lightweight armor of the royal guard? For me and Twilight it makes sense, she’s a magic user, not a close fighter, and I need as much flexibility as possible, plate would just get in my way. Why would the traditional equestrian armor need to be replaced?”

Of course, the stigma rolls its ugly head again. This mare still didn’t trust him, but really, she didn’t have to, did she? It was a simple matter of showing.

With a tap of his staff against the floor, he focused his thoughts and watched the amber glow spread from the tip and surround the table and the chairs they sat on. For only a moment, the furniture slowly lifted up a meter into the air, hovered for a second, and then gently touched back down right where they had been. All ponies save for Rarity were understandably perplexed as to the meaning of his little display, but one was expectedly more vocal about it. Need there be any guess as to who?

“Am I the only one who doesn’t get what that was all about?” Rainbow Dash scratched her head quizzically. Seeing a small smirk tug at his muzzle, she got notably sassier. “Just showing off your fancy magic staff, Spot?”

Oh, a verbal jab? Seems the figurative claws were coming out. Well, if she was going to be catty, he may as well reciprocate like any dog should, no? Taking the little verbal jab in stride, Bowser leaned back and spread his paws innocently. “What’s the matter Zap-Apple-Mane? Feel like you’ve been shown up?”

He had her. The cocky mare’s mouth flapped open and closed wordlessly as she tried to come up with a snappy retort. He knew none would come though, and his grin grew ever so slightly. There was no counter she could make. Any stern rejection of his accusation would only make it seem all the more like he had hit the mark, and would make it look like she really did feel threatened in that way. She obviously didn’t, but he had trapped her in her own hubris. Not wanting her self confidence called into question, this prideful mare would not be able to say anything in retort, and be forced to drop the topic to save face. And indeed she did. After a few moments of indecision, she snapped her jaw shut and clenched her teeth, slinking back in her seat and crossed her hooves in front of her.

It was so much fun to mess with others like this. He may be a refined gentledog, but he wasn’t above screwing with others in the most delightful ways with nothing but a silver tongue. And it was just so entertaining how they reacted.

“Well what do you know, he actually left Rainbow speechless,” his sharp ears picked up the whisper between Applejack and Pinkie sitting next to her., The latter giggled, only to be silenced at a look from the vexed pegasus.

Smiling with an intentionally grating level of charm, he explained himself, as though the previous exchange had never happened. Gesturing a paw past them all and into the main area of the boutique, he asked, “Would you all please look to that piece of fabric over there?”

All eyes turned in the indicated direction. Resting upon a sewing table was a large cut of translucent silver cloth, identical to the uniforms the diamond dog guards outside had been wearing. Without a word, he pointed his staff towards the cloth and focused as hard as he could muster, summoning up all the magic he could as if shined brilliantly along its tip. Despite considerable effort from him, all the managed to muster was a faint glow flickering round the fabric, and a flutter as barely any force managed to move it. Releasing the spell, his brow was beaded with sweat from the exertion as his mind and magic were taxed. “As you can see, that fabric is special. It is woven from crystal thread, a specially spun thread that only the Crystal Empire knows how to produce. It is extracted in raw form from any gemstone, which since the Empire’s return, we have been supplying a significant amount of in trade for the thread.”

Feeling his strength come back somewhat, he held out his staff and lifted a pair of scissors from a supply bin near the fabric and looked to Rarity questioningly, “May I?”

Looking up from her papers, Rarity smiled, nodding, “Go right ahead, Deary. I have dozens of spares.”

With no further urging, he opened the scissors and snapped them down on the fabric. The sound of cracking metal pierced high for a second, and bringing the cutting implements over, he showed that the chipped and cracked shears to the mares, “As you can see, not only does crystal thread offer a magical resistance, but it is incredibly difficult to cut. Only weapons infused with magic, or objects infused with the same essence that is extracted from gems to make the thread can cut through it. It is so tough that it can only be turned into clothing with those specially infused tools that are made in the same process.”

A spark seemed to dance in Rainbow Dash’s eye at the explanation. “That’s perfect! Flexible like cloth, yet tough like solid metal plates!” She cackled in excitement, a hoof striking Bowser’s shoulder as she says, “You’re not half bad, I guess.” It was the closest thing to an apology that he assumed he would get, so he took it gladly.

“Thank you,” he accepted politely, rubbing his sore shoulder. Man that mare could punch. She certainly was as strong as she boasted.

“Well I don’t know what I can do to help. Working on the farm is a full job for me and my family,” Applejack smoothly returned the subject to its original point. “I can’t leave the farm for too long, or everything goes wonky. At the very least, if we can get a few extra hands, we can supply a hearty food supply to the army. May have to go through a bit of an apple shortage for non-military ponies though.”

Fluttershy looked to Pinkie, who had been almost completely silent for the whole discussion. She looked as though she were in deep thought, “What about you Pinkie? What do you think you can do?”

Ears perking and eyes coming back into focus, Pinkie brought her attention to the conversation. “Oh, um... Sweets! Apples are healthy and good for you, but a good supply of baked goods for the soldiers will help keep morale up! Nothing cheers up a pony quite like a perfect cupcake!”

All present nodded in agreement, cupcakes and other treats would be a great contribution in their own right. It was decided then, everypony had their roles figured out.

“I really need to get going,” Rainbow Dash clacked her hooves together, flitting into the air and flying to the door, “I gotta send a letter to my dad so he can send me my Casts.”

“Casts?” What are those?” Fluttershy tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“Really really old, awesome weapons. They’ve been in my family for a long time,” Rainbow explained to Fluttershy, repeating in summary what she told to Pinkie before, “You’ll all have to wait till they get here to see just how awesome they are!”

Bowser’s brow perked at the mention of the weapons. He had heard of them before, mentioned in the old scriptures of his kind as a special weapon just for ponies. Such a weapon would indeed be of great use.

One by one the ponies started to file out of the building, each giving their goodbyes to Rarity until Only she and Bowser remained. Setting down her papers, she batted those radiant sapphires at him, “So what’s next?”

“I’ll be going to,” he said, standing from his seat, grasping his staff firmly in his paw, “While you work on the designs, I’ll go inform the seamstresses that came with me that you have agreed to the partnership. Since you can’t use your magic on these fabrics, you’ll definitely need a few extra paws on the job, and I can assure you that they will be able to keep up with you. They are the finest seamstresses of our people.”

Summoning a skechbook, quill, and vial of ink to her side, the alabaster fashionista set her designing materials down and began to work meticulously. One could not help but admire her focus and drive. “That sounds wonderful, they’ll be here tomorrow morning, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be finished with the designs before the night is through, then. Have a pleasant evening.”

“You too, partner.”

Stepping out of the boutique, Bowser was surprised to find that it was much darker than he had expected. The sun was setting on the horizon leaving a shadowy glow about the town in the dusk light. His guards stood at rapt attention, and no ponies seemed to be gathered outside anymore, having seemingly admitted the presence of his detail now. Looking towards the setting sun, he saw a rather strange sight, the poofy silhouette of an unmistakable mare, Pinkie Pie, walking out of town and along the edge of the Everfree Forest. She didn’t seem like she was just going out for a stroll, and if he recalled correctly, the only things in that direction were Froggy Bottom Bog and Ghastly Gorge.

“Why in Soa’s name would she be heading out there?” he mumbled to himself before turning to his guards, “Gentledogs, we have an agreement with Miss Rarity. Go inform the females that they can come in the morning. I have something I wish to investigate on my own, so consider yourselves off duty once you get back to camp.”

His soldiers knew better than to question his orders. With a firm salute, they formed into two lines of 3 and marched their way out of town, heading towards their camp on the eastern edge of the Everfree between Ponyville and their home under Rambling Rock Ridge. Bowser, on the other paw, turned to follow the pink mare who was slowly disappearing from sight out to the west.

She didn’t seem to be in any rush, so he caught up to her in no time, but stayed out of sight out of curiosity, not wanting to miss a chance to see what the hyperactive mare was doing in what could be seen as a breach in usual behavior, from what he observed. When Ponyville was well out of sight, after nearly an hour of walking, the mare stopped, and a flash of light surrounding her forehooves revealed a shocking new development.







Several hours later, in the dead of night as the moon rose high in the sky, Bowser stumbled into the hole that marked the burrow of their camp, grasping his staff tightly and leaning heavily on it for support. Gasping for breath, he was drenched with sweat, his pelt matted with the moisture and a light caking of mud on his hind paws. He was exhausted, and extremely thankful that he was uninjured after the startling events of the night. Finding his way to the small groove in the tunnel dug out for him, he looked to his sleeping guards and the seamstresses that had come along, and fell into his dusty cloth bedding with a pronounced yawn, falling fast asleep.
	
	
> Chapter 8: Violet and Jade Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was time. Good or bad, Twilight had to face her choice. Face Celestia, no less! This was so reckless and selfish, not to mention just plain foolish! She was throwing herself into war, for Luna’s sake! Any sane pony would wonder what the hay she was thinking. However, when it came to her friends, nothing was too crazy, and Spike -no- all of Equestria needed her. She would have no right to call herself a Princess or the Element of Magic. No, she had to follow her heart, wherever it lead, and not listen to the indignation screaming in the back of her brain for the last week and a half. She paced back and forth in front of her library, once again at war with herself.

We could die! We could fail and lose everything we care about because of it! her mind berated her. Why are we doing this? Why not trust in Celestia, we’ve always had faith in her decisions!

It’s never been like this before, her heart countered, falling on the same reasoning she had been using to hold herself up this whole time. We are a Princess now, and this is something we have to do! Do you want some stranger to kill Spike and take him away from us? Do you want to just stand aside and watch as the rest of Equestria fights to survive? And for what? Just so we don’t fail?

Well... no, but-

I thought not. We aren’t cowardly, we are strong. We have to believe that. Starswirl believes it.

Pffft, yeah, if it was even really him that left the message.

Okay, you officially lose all thinking rights for doubting that it really is Starswirl. That penmanship and dialect in the letter and book were one hundred percent genuine Starswirl the Bearded! Now go back in your little corner and be quiet.

But-

-NOW!

Successfully subduing her doubts and cynicism, shoving them in the dark little part of her mind where they belonged, Twilight let out a long sigh.

Heh, arguing with yourself still? Gotta say, you always make a compelling argument as always, Spike’s amused thoughts floated out of the library, where he was busy eating.

Oh hush you, she groaned, and stay out of my head you lousy eavesdropper.

I will the next time you stay out of my head when I’m thinking about Rarity, he countered snarkily. We know it’s not gonna happen. We barely have separate minds now. We’ll just have to get over any embarrassment we feel. Besides, I think it’s cute how you fight with yourself like that.

The furious blush on her muzzle was so intense that she knew Spike could feel it, and she stammered, Y-yeah, well you need to try h-harder to keep those thoughts of yours private. I think they’ve been slipping into my dreams some nights, and I really don’t want to repeat some of them. How do you even have those kinds of thoughts?! You’re not even ten years old! Even now the young alicorn did her best to shove the dreams down into a vault where she’d never have to remember them again.

It’s not my fault, with this adult body came some adult urges, and I can’t help it if I want to-

You even finish that thought, and I swear, I will end you.

Oh come on, I know I’m not the only one of us that thinks Rarity has a nice-

I swear on Celestia’s name, if you don’t stop, I’ll march right in there and fucking stab you in the eye and just get this over with right now! she glowered, so flustered in the moment that she hardly cared about her lapse of tongue. Could she help it if Rarity was gorgeous no matter what one’s particular orientation was?

Spike however, wasn’t about to let it slide, tut-tutting her as he slinked out of the doorway to join her outside the library. “Oh, such language, Twi’. I’d expect better from you. Then again, you’ll need to be able to release your inhibitions if you want to activate the Dragoon Spirit, so it’s not really a bad thing.” That smarmy grin of his only grew wider. Damn it he had become cheeky lately, and she found herself being flustered by him far more often than she was accustomed to. He knew every last button to press to get on her nerves, but never pushed his luck too far to make her really mad.

Grumbling to herself, the mare attempted to change the subject, “I just hope Celestia doesn’t try to stop us from doing this. I’ve already been training so hard with my Casts and all those new light spells just to get ready for this.”

Flicking his tail in idle thought, Spike looked to the sky and mused aloud, “If she does, we’ll just have to force it, and prove that you can do this. Just remember, when that moment comes, my instincts will almost completely take over, and I won’t be able to hold anything back. If you don’t fight as hard as you can, then I might be the one that kills you.”

The possibility was all too real, she couldn’t refute that, and it was terrifying. The only thing that pushed that fear down was the calm that flowed from Spike. She took refuge in his faith in her, and it helped her have confidence in herself as well. She hadn’t had quite the network of support she was used to in the past several days. Keeping their friends in the dark about their choice was something they had decided on together, and while that would likely keep them safe, that also deprived her of their moral support. Spike was all she had right now. She could do this. She had to. No alternative was acceptable.

“It’ll be hard doing it alone,” Twilight sighed out, scanning the sky in the direction of Canterlot for any sign of the Princess’ approach.

“Well then I guess it’s a good thing you won’t be alone,” a cocky chuckle rang from above.

Nearly jumping a foot in the air, the alicorn and dragon looked straight up to see Rainbow Dash looking down on them from a cloud low overhead. Danglin her forehooves over the edge of the cloud, Twilight noted a strange cyan fabric wrapped around her torso, which faintly shimmered in the morning sun.

“Rainbow? What do you mean, how long have you been eavesdropping on us?” Twilight blurted out. 

Rainbow grinned down at the two of them rolling off of the cloud and landing with ease right in front of them, posing flashily. The cloth on her, underneath a pair of saddlebags, was now revealed to be a fairly form-fitting jacket and pants, which covered all but her head, the bottom half of her hooves, and her wings, which tucked in smoothly against her back. The fabric itself was a near identical hue to her own fur coat. The flared collar and silver lining on the edges of the fabric were the only ways to tell that she was wearing anything at all. Posing herself and turning about in place to show off her awesome duds, Rainbow Dash casually explained, “Yeah, we’ve been having Pinkie spy on you for the last few days. We all know what you’re gonna do, and I’m gonna help you!”

Spying? How could she be so nonchalant about breaching a friend’s privacy? Then again, she had been leaving her friends in the dark about this, and they had every right to know. She just didn’t want to get them involved in something this dangerous. Applejack had already been badly hurt before, and she didn’t want that to happen to the rest of them either. She was just making a lot of selfish decisions lately, wasn’t she? She wanted to defy Celestia’s wishes and become a Dragoon, and she was keeping her friends shut out. It was only natural that they try to figure out what was going on.

A small sigh escaping her lips, Twilight hung her head in a mixture of shame and reluctant acceptance. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, I guess I haven’t been acting like a very good friend these last few days, have I? I should have told you all what I was doing myself. You shouldn’t have had to spy to find out.”

Rainbow Dash only scoffed at the apology, waving a hoof dismissively, “Don’t think like that Twi’. You just don’t want anypony to get hurt, and you’re trying to keep Spike safe in your own way. You’ve got a lot of things to worry about, so we’re not mad in the slightest.”

The assurance genuinely relieved Twilight. Maybe there wasn’t a right choice in how to handle this situation, but Rainbow helped her feel like she wasn’t just being a bad friend to the girls. She was really lucky to have them as her friends. Still, an important question rose in her mind, “How are you going to help me, Rainbow Dash? I know you’re an amazing athlete, and you can certainly put up a fight, but that isn’t quite enough.” She hoped the pegasus wouldn’t think she doubted her abilities. They really were second to none, but she couldn’t help but worry.

Spike spoke up a bit, raising a claw, “Yeah, you can’t just smack a hoof at this and fix it.”

A smile spread across Rainbow’s face, “Funny, AJ said the same thing.”

In a flash Rainbow took two steps forward, light strobing around her hoof as she approached. A gleaming silver gauntlet forming around her hoof, and swinging it up, the surface of the gauntlet started writhing and shifting as a wide triangular blade sprouted forward from it. Twilight’s whole body froze as she felt cool, razor sharp metal press against her throat. They held like that for several seconds before Rainbow pulled her hoof back and proudly displayed what was unmistakably a Cast. A second wink of light on her other hoof revealed another Cast, this one inactive, with no weapon deployed. 

Rainbow laughed at Twilight’s wide-eyed expression, brandishing the blade on her hoof before letting both Casts disperse. It was a signature function of the polymorphic weapons. The enchanted metal would be scattered into millions of tiny particles, held in a microscopic layer around the wielder’s entire body, completely imperceptible to discovery. Since Casts tied themselves to the inner magical flow of any pony, not just unicorns, all it took was enough concentration and focus of one’s inner magic flow to control the manifestation of the weapons. What couldn’t be controlled, was what weapons one could make from it. The magic entwined with the soul makes the Casts take only forms that perfectly accentuate the wielder. From the looks of it, Rainbow Dash’s weapon was a katar, a light and easy to use weapon for both stabbing and slashing, something she could easily see Dash being able to use well. Really though, that was sort of the point of Casts anyway, wasn’t it?

“Surprised? They’re old family heirlooms,” Rainbow said, rummaging in her saddlebags for something else. Deep purple cloth slid out of the bag, which she promptly tossed into Twilight’s face, “And this here is from Rarity to you, Twilight.”

Spike chuckled at the sight of the fabrics hanging off of Twilight’s face, but had his amusement stifled by a scathing mental image projected into his brain from the irritated princess. As she took the cloth from her face, holding it in her hooves, she noticed that it was a lot like what Rainbow Dash was wearing. 

“Why did Rarity make this?” Spike inquired.

“It’s made of-” Rainbow began, only to be interrupted by an enthusiastic Twilight

“Crystal Thread! Thousands of years ago this was the most valuable cloth not only for its softness and beauty, but also for its incredible strength and magic resistance!” She was in full history mode now, lifting the cloth in her hands and quickly trying to find out how to get it on. “This thread hasn’t been seen ever since the Crystal Empire was banished! How did Rarity get it?”

Grumbling at having her important explanation trumped, Rainbow snorted lightly. “A diamond dog named Bowser came to have Rarity work it into uniforms for ponies. He’s really smart for a dog, and says he saw it as a business opportunity and a chance to help keep ponies safe since the Lords have come back. Apparently the diamond dogs have history with the Golden Dragon, so they know a bit about what’s going on.”

    A noticeable feeling of bubbling rage came off of Spike at the mention of diamond dogs, claws digging slightly into the dirt. A few fuzzy memories flashing into Twilight’s mind from his own. The anger quickly settled though, putting judgements of the dogs aside as he realized that if Rarity was working together with them, they must be behaving differently than their previous barbaric behavior.  What was interesting to both Twilight and Spike, however, was Dash’s claim that one particular dog was actually quite intelligent. Diamond dogs weren’t exactly known for being the smartest race in Equestria, though that was questionable seeing as how more often than not, only a few of them were seen at a time, and nopony had ever come across a settlement.
    
    As Twilight fumbled with her new outfit and pushed her head through the proper opening, Rainbow Dash sat herself down in the grass, scoring into the dirt with her hoof while looking up at the sky pensively. “So Celestia’s coming today, huh?” she asked.
    
    Nodding softly, pushing her hooves through the long sleeves. Finally fitting the last piece of clothing on, Twilight stood and trotted in a small circle to get a feel for it. The soft, purple fabric hugged her torso, a flared and tucked collar accentuating her face and mane while the sleeves hugged her arms to the first join, widening out like a funnel until stopping with only a third of her forelimb’s length left exposed.  From her torso, the cloth became much looser as it passed along her waist, draping across her flank in silken waves, the fabric splitting in a V-shape right where it met the base of her tail. Taking the whole look in, it seemed like a stylistic mix of a trenchcoat and a robe, and as expected from Rarity’s work, it felt absolutely perfect on her.
    
    Returning her attention to Rainbow Dash, who also seemed to like the look, if her growing smile was any indication, she answered, “Yeah. We got a letter from her this morning saying she’d found two candidates to become Dragoons, and was going to bring them here. She said that she expects me to choose which of them I want to do it.” Irritation was evident in her voice. Just the thought of somepony else being the Dragoon made her mad. Now that she’d set her heart on it so adamantly, she couldn’t accept it being anyone but her. It will be me, or I’ll die trying.

    You won’t die, Spike assured her, both of them sharing a look of mutual understanding.
    
    Rainbow, looking between the two of them, scoffed and waggled a hoof to get their attention. “Hey, awesome friend here too! Don’t leave me out of the loop with your fancy new telepathy you have going on!”
    
    So she knew about that too? Likely from more Pinkie-spy information gathering. Probably a safe assumption.
    
    “Sorry Dash,” Spike apologized. “We’ve just gotten in the habit of it now. It wasn’t anything important really, I…” He trailed off at mid sentence, his body held perfectly still for a moment, then going completely rigid and frozen in an arched stance, his spines flaring up and his wings stretching wide. His emerald eyes snapped wide open and his pupils contracted into tiny slivers of black. Head flicking up, he loosed a feral snarl into the sky, his fangs gleaming from beneath his curled lips. Pure unbridled hostility flowed from him like Twilight had never felt, and both mares instinctively leaped into the air in surprise, hovering away from his savage display.
    
    “Spike? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked worriedly. This was an unprecedented feeling she felt from him. Unbridled hostility of a pure and instinctive form. Could the source of it be...?
    
    As she wondered to herself, she felt Spike’s conscious mind returning to him from beneath the surge, and at the same time, a deep shadow cast itself across them, traveling out and casting everything  in sight under shade. The blanket of darkness was immediately followed by the flash of lightning, tailed immediately by the rumble of powerful thunder. Turning to look up, Twilight and Rainbow Dash saw an enormous front of storm clouds surging across the sky, so thick and dark that they blotted out much of the sun’s light, and crackling with violet bolts of lightning. All of Ponyville and the surrounding was in darkness, but with enough light to see by still remaining. The clouds continued to roll across the sky, obscuring every speck of blue as they were pushed along by an incredibly powerful wind. The two winged ponies struggled to stay aflight in the gale, but were forced to land, lest they they be knocked out of the sky.
    
    A nervous look was shared between Rainbow and Twilight. “Uh, there wasn’t any storms scheduled for today, were there, Dash?” Twilight asked. It was a ridiculous question, really. This stormfront was way too big. She had never seen clouds so violent and wild.
    
    “No.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed as she looked up to the clouds, sharp eyes darting back and forth, alert for danger.
    
    Regaining his sense of self, Spike growled out two simple words. “They’re here.” The meaning needed no explanation.
    
    A streak of violet-tinted electricity arced down from the clouds, striking the earth only a few yards away from the group, kicking up a huge cloud of dust and smoke. The resulting sound wave from the air-rending bolt even pushed the three of them back a short distance, their ears ringing from the deafening roar of such a close strike.  The smell of ozone filled the air, the charred, heavy scent filling their nostrils as several small arcs of electricity flashed from within the cloud of dust.
    
    The sound of steps, earth crunching under small feet reached their ears as the ringing faded, and as the small flashes of lighting emerged from the cloud, their source was revealed. A sultry feminine voice called from the veil as the figure emerged, “Lord White-Silver, a pleasure to meet you.”
    
    The figure spoke to Spike, stepping into full view to reveal a diminutive dragoness, no larger than a child, the same size Spike had once been. The dark violet scales of the dragon constantly arced with an intimidating display of lightning magic, the bolts darting across several spines which glinted from its hide. Across the forearms and wrists; out of the shoulders; from the thighs and calves; along the tail, which even ended in a wickedly sharp looking barb; even along the joints of the small wings which sprouted from its back, where the exchange of voltage was at its strongest. This small dragon was anything but a child though, not round and nearly baby-faced like Spike had been. She was instead lean and distinctively powerful in build despite her small stature. And with all of those razor sharp spines sprouting from her body, she looked like a living tesla-coil combined with an oversized blender.
    
    Twilight and Spike needed no hints as to the nature of this dragoness. The Violet Dragon. Lord of Lightning.
    
    Standing just outside the thinning dust, she crossed her arms over her chest and smirked, “The name’s Surge, and we’ve come for you, White-Silver.”
    
    Eyes fixed on the small dragoness, Spike knew that if the same kind of power flowed through her as did him, she was not an enemy to take lightly because of her size. With Twilight and Rainbow Dash taking a stand on either side of him facing the enemy, he bared his fangs and hissed, “The name is Spike. And where are the other ones? I feel four of you.”
    
    The wicked grin on Surge’s face grew ever larger, answering with apparent excitement, “My master is watching over me from our flagship. As for the others, well, why don’t you see for yourself?” she answered, sweeping a claw back in a dramatic gesture towards the dust behind her.
    
    As if on cue, a sudden gale whipped up in the center of the veil, whirling around in a miniature tornado before bursting outward and scattering the obscuring cloud, revealing another… dragon? Easily four times larger than Spike, the menacing green creature’s maw opened from bisected lower mandibles that revealed frightening pincers and maxilla writhing beneath them. Baring the grotesqueries within its mouth, the creature let out a high pitched noise between a hiss and a roar. The insectoid creature gazed at them from bulging, multi-paneled eyes that took up huge space on either side of its head. Though it could see in any direction, the heat of its predatory gaze was unmistakably on them. From its back sprouted four enormous, glassy wings of paneled, cellular chitin, which thrummed at a blurring rate and created a constant thrash of wind beneath it. It’s main body was rather stunted, attached directly to its head with no neck to speak of; but the bulk of its size was in its tail, which was easily three times the length of its head and body combined. The tail did not taper to a point, but remained the same significant girth all along its prehensile length, and ended flatly, where an opening was clearly shown, closed tight by several menacing looking ‘teeth’. Sprouting from either end of this tail were two enormous pincers, which opened and snapped shut in a display of crushing force that generated yet another blast of wind in their faces. The only indications that this was in fact a dragon that only looked like an enormous dragonfly was the fact that rather than a chitinous hide, it bore striking emerald green scales all over its body, and instead of six spindly, multi-jointed legs, four lanky, very normal looking dragon legs and claws hung from its body.
    
    “This here is my pal, Varius. He’s not very talkative, ever since he got the power of the Jade Dragon,” Surge explained with a sadistic chuckle, “But his master has plenty of mouth to make up for it.”
    
    A shadow rose up behind the insectoid dragon, wings spread wide and gliding forward effortlessly despite the winds howling around the dragon. Coming into full view, the watching eyes snapped wide in shock as they recognized the adversary before them.
    
    Rainbow was the one to voice the identity of their enemy, screaming, “Gilda!”
    
    A familiar sneer met the reaction as the griffon looked down on them from above. “S’up dweebs? Did ya miss me?”
    
    “Ah, I see you’ve already met Seventh Princess Gilda Thestria of Imperial Griffonaria,” Surge grinned.

> Chapter 9: The War's First Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The griffon hovered before them, powerful wings flapping effortlessly in the howling winds as  she crossed her arms in front of her chest, the white plume disappearing under a hard leather jacket underlain with shimmering green chain mail. Gleaming green plates covered her shoulders and elbows, and as the leathery garb descended to her legs, similar plates also adorned her haunches and knees. Upon her claws she bore wickedly gleaming gauntlets, each digit ending in a razor tip that looked able to rend flesh with ease.

Rainbow Dash’s teeth gritted, a mixture of anger, sadness, and fear bubbling up in her in a fury that she was not accustomed to. The feelings were born from many things all at once: the sight of her old friend; the realization that her friend was before them as an enemy intent to kill them; memories of the last time she saw Gilda, and how spiteful and hurt she had been when she had taken off; and the terrifying dragon she had at her side. What stung most though was what Surge said. “A princess?!” Dash yelled. She cast her saddlebags off of her back. They would only be getting in the way. “A princess like Celestia?!” How could she have not known this? Didn’t they used to be best friends? Why didn’t Gilda tell her anything about this when they had been in flight school? The feelings stirred by this lanced through the pegasus.

“Not exactly, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said from opposite her, on Spike’s other side, “She’s the seventh daughter of the griffon emperor. In Equestria, the Princesses are the leaders of our society, and rule together. In Griffonaria, princes and princesses are those who are in line for the solitary throne, and those who do not eventually become emperor or empress are the next line of nobility.” Rainbow noted that her voice was surprisingly calm, but there was a slight shakiness to it. 

A soft, clap was Surge’s answer, the Violet Dragon’s palms coming together in soft, deliberate slaps. “Very good, Princess. Good to know someone knows a thing or two about other cultures.”

Gilda’s golden beak curled in a sneer, “That doesn’t matter. I’m here for payback. You all humiliated me when I was here before.” She thrust one metallic claw forward and clenched it tight, “Now I can deal that pain back on you all tenfold while we take your precious White-Silver Dragon away from you and take the Dragoon Spirit for ourselves!”

Spike and the girls tensed at her words, their bodies all moving into defensive stances. Rainbow’s mind reeled with her turbulent emotions,  her anger demanding  that she fly up and give Gilda a beating, her sadness making her want to do anything she could to make it up to her old friend, and her fear making her want to run far away. That last emotion, that pure and primal fear was something she wasn’t used to. She was Rainbow Lightning Dash! She was tough enough to handle anything wasn’t she?  She’d faced down countless dangers  with her friends before, and now she was getting cold hooves? No, she couldn’t think of it that way. That wasn’t right at all. She didn’t feel fear often, it was the rarest of occurrences, but when she did…

Stamping her hoof into the ground, Rainbow Dash let out a sharp snort through her muzzle, faint steam pushing out as her cerise eyes glared up at Gilda, “That isn’t going to happen! Twilight is going to become the Dragoon, and I’m gonna kick your ass until you come to your senses! I don’t care if I’m not a Dragoon, I’m still the best flier around!” That was the fear bringing out her boasts, but that was good, she was doing something. Fear was good. As long as it didn’t consume her, she could use it, she could use all of her emotions, but especially that fear. Fear makes a warrior stronger. Fear pushes one’s limits to their greatest heights, and the last time she felt fear like that was…

Gilda only rolled her eyes, a dark smirk passing over her face as she looked down on them, “This bookish princess is going to beat us and become the White-Silver Dragoon? Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it, Rainbow Dash. Now, I’m not totally heartless, so I’ll give you two options: One, you give up quietly and we will only take you prisoner and have our finest warriors fight to claim the Spirit; Or Two, you fight back, and we make sure every last one of you dies horribly and painfully. If that’s the case I’ll even go and find that annoying pink pony and your timid friend and give them ‘special treatment’ as well.”

Now double that fear. The reaction was immediate and powerful, with Spike’s claws dragging into the earth and letting out a feral roar at the griffon. His wings spread wide and began to glow bright as the webbing gathered magic together. The mares at his sides took powerful steps forward, their hooves glinting with a splash of light as they summoned their Casts in unison. Their thoughts were the same. There was no way they could let any of that happen.

Gilda’s smirk only grew wider, “That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

Both sides tensed up, two sets of hooves scored the earth in front of them while Spike’s long, powerful body arched, presenting his spines, wings, and menacing horns. Opposite them, Surge’s small body crackled with arcs of violet electricity, cracking her claws and neck before spreading her diminutive wings, which made the volts dance all the more rapidly. Varius arched his tail under his body and flung both openings wide, hissing from its menacing mandibles and snapping the pincer on its tail shut rapidly. Gilda took up a posture, both claws held out to make a prominent display of the razor tipped metal surrounding them.

No one moved. Moment after agonizing moment ticked by as time stretched on. All six of them were like bowstrings pulled taut. The slightest twitch would set the battle off, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t even begin to imagine how Twilight felt right now. This was going to be her first real fight, and no amount of practice and training of her magic could teach her the things she would need to know. It was terrifying, especially since this wasn’t some simple trading of hoofticuffs. This was life and death, and she knew Twilight of all ponies should keenly aware of that. She couldn’t look to see how she was handling it though; her keen, hawk-like eyes trained on their enemies, scanning them for even the slightest sign of movement, the tiniest opening for her to strike. While she was worried about Twilight, she couldn’t afford to check on her. She had to trust that her friend was ready for this.

Scared. No, terrified. She had never been in a situation like this, and she felt like the fear may overwhelm her, but she grasped hold of it and belted it down, tempering it into her will. Yes, fear was dangerous if you let it take control, but she would make it a part of her, and grow with it, just like that day at the Best Young Fliers Competition. She lifted her hoof. In an instant the triangular blade of her weapon emerged in a rush of gathering magic, and she raised her wings high, gathering all of her strength to-

Suddenly the darkness cast upon them by the raging storm was cast aside by rays of golden sunlight, causing every head to turn to the sky. The storm still raged all around, but high above and off to the west, a large gap opened up in the clouds, cast aside as a familiar gilded chariot soared down through the opening, pulled on the wings of two pegasus knights. Riding in the chariot, keenly visible to Rainbow Dash’s sharp eyes was Celestia, a look of burning resolve on her face as her horn glowed with the same golden light that cut through the black veil above them.  The glimpse of sky did not last long, however, as Surge and Varius’s eyes glowed with their respective hues and the clouds gathered together once more, darkness returning save for the light post that was Celestia’s shining horn. She wasn’t close enough yet to help though, only just close to reaching the opposite side of Ponyville.

Gilda let out a sharp cackle at the sight of the approaching princess, “Princess Celestia too? This is too perfect! We can take out two princesses at once and Equestria will be that much easier to topple!” Looking down to the electric dragon, she snickered, “Go and roll out the red carpet for her, Surge. Preferably dyed in her blood.”

A large grin spread across the tiny dragon’s muzzle. The bolts around her body seemed to crackle even more violently, converging on her wings as she swiped her razor spines through the air. “It will be my pleasure,” she hissed. Kicking off from the scorched earth, the dragoness in an instant became a streak of pure lightning, zig-zagging on a path to intercept the approaching princess.

No-no-no-no-no. Not good. Not good! Equestria would be a wreck if anything happened to Celestia! “Oh no you don’t, Sparky!” Rainbow Dash growled. Finally swinging her wings down in a powerful flap, Rainbow Dash rocketed into the air and took off after Surge. This didn’t last long, however, as Gilda thrust her claw out, generating a glow of emerald light. Rainbow Dash was sent reeling through the air as a powerful gust of winds caught her off guard, only barely managing to catch herself and start hovering before she fell headfirst into the ground. 

Magic? Gilda could use magic too? What, was magic power just being handed out like candy and she hadn’t heard about it? No, it had to be the fact that she was a Dragoon.

When she righted herself, she found Gilda hovering in her path, barring her passage. “Oh no you don’t Dashie,” she chuckled, almost sounding like her old self back when they were in Flight School, but the look in Rainbow differently. She wasn’t going to get by without a fight.

Dash’s eyes flicked past her, looking for Surge, and saw she was too late. The dragoness striking the chariot full on in a brilliant explosion. Dash’s heart sank. This feeling vanished, however, when the explosion cleared, revealing a brilliant golden bubble surrounding the chariot, though their progress had now been halted, hovering in one spot as Celestia focused on maintaining the powerful barrier. A sigh of relief almost escaped her lips, but Surge immediately arched up into the air above and started raining bolt after bolt of lightning down on the barrier. Hurling the lightning from her claws, she flew all around the sphere, even ramming into it from every angle with as bursts of enchanted lightning around her body. A flicker of her gaze back over to Twilight revealed that she and Spike were standing against Varius, the insectoid dragon slowly approaching them with its hissing maw snapping open and shut.

Gilda turned for only a moment to see the barrier and Surge attacking it, looking back to Dash cockily, “Celestia may be powerful, but she can’t hold that barrier for long. And Surge is the fastest of the Seven Lords. Her attacks will come one after another, giving Celestia no chance to lower the spell and attack for herself.” A sadistic laugh spilled out from her.  “Surge will break that barrier in no time and Celestia will be too exhausted to fight back.”

Tilting her head back, the griffon released a loud, high-pitched whistle. Right on cue, several black shapes fell out of the clouds, falling to the ground, only for great, powerful wings to spread wide as they landed in a series of rapid thuds. It was a squadron of griffon warriors. They were at least two score in number, and all of them wearing heavy battle armor with many different weapons strapped to each of their sides. Another shadow lowered the clouds as well, this one immense in size, the distinct, nearly ovular shape of a ship’s bow and keel. It was an airship, hidden within the stormclouds, which descended into view, the dark hull making it hard to make out against the shadowy backdrop, were it not for the flashes of lightning highlighting its silhouette. Rainbow Dash had seen a good many airships, but not like this one. Rather than being held aloft by a giant helium balloon, seemed to have glowing circular fins along its entire length that tilted and shifted as it descended through the sky. These fins were hollow in the center, and had a bright violet light swirling within them.

Looking over to her dragon, Gilda commanded, “Varius. Kill.”

There was too much going on. A squadron of griffons. Varius attacking Twilight and Spike, lunging at them with a thrum of his wings. Surge continually assaulting Celestia’s barrier spell. No, too many fronts, she couldn’t handle all of them, and no matter what, she would be blocked from helping anypo- anyone, rather. No, there was only one logical choice if she was going to be able to help anyone. Focusing and calling the katar blades from her Casts, Rainbow Dash flapped forward and charged her enemy, weapons bared. She shut out all other distractions. She had to focus only on her enemy, even if others were in trouble, Gilda wasn’t about to let her leave.

“Gilda!” Rainbow Dash screamed, rushing her head-on.

A claw lifted, glowing green once more, and violent winds kicked up and blasted into Rainbow’s muzzle, catching her wings and blowing her back several yards. Once again, she managed to catch herself before catching a face full of dirt, and floated up to level with her enemy.  Pain lanced through her wings, and across her face. Looking close, she could see several tiny cuts under her feathers, the bleeding starting to tint the bases of her pinions a faint red hue. She could also feel warm droplets of blood streaking down her muzzle. Darn it, it takes forever to preen blood out of her feathers! That was going to be a pain in the ass.

“Impressive, that clothing you’re wearing must be pretty special. You should have been cut into a bloody mess after that last spell,” Gilda jeered, holding up a claw to show the glowing aura of magic surrounding it. “Still, you should just give up, Dash. The Dragoon Spirit gives me dominion over the winds themselves. You can’t even touch me. You need to fly to reach me, and my winds still catch in your wings, even with that outfit you’re wearing!”

Darn, Gilda was pretty observant. Then again, Rainbow Dash knew at the very least that griffons were a race that prized strength, fighting, and survival of the fittest above all else. It was only natural that her battle observation skills be great. That was right; she couldn’t just rush Gilda head on. Her wings were completely exposed, and though it did seem like the clothing weakened the magic a bit, she still would get knocked back and forth like clouds on a busy work day. She had to think. Think like an egghead. When in doubt, what would Twilight do? It didn’t take her long to get a brilliant idea. The realization was so simple and easy, she just had to overwhelm the wind! There was only one way to do that…

Fighting the pinpricks of pain that shot through her wings, Rainbow Dash flapped hard and rose into the sky, flying back and away from Gilda as she raised high into the sky. “Getting some extra distance isn’t going to help either, Dash!” Gilda mocked, “No matter how much speed you build, my winds will just push you back and tear you apart!”

She was wrong. This would work. This was something she had never told Gilda about before. “That’s what you think, Gilda!” Rainbow Dash called back after reaching an optimal range. Angling down, she flapped her wings as hard as she could, both forehooves extended forward as she pushed her speed to the limits. She had done this many times since that day, that day when Rarity was falling through the clouds and about to die, but now she needed more. She needed it for longer. She needed to Sonic Rainboom like she never had before. No short burst that lasted only a brief time. No, she needed all of it as long as possible. Her eyes watered as the mach-cone started to form in front of her. Her hooves shook under the wind resistance, but she forced them to steady, closing her eyes. Fear. She remembered that fear. Not when she had been feeling performance anxiety back then, but the pure, primal fear she had felt when Rarity was about to die.

Leering up at the descending pegasus, Gilda lifter her claw up towards her, calling up the magical aura once more

Her eyes snapped open, and she felt the illusive speed barrier break before her. That rush. That feeling of power and speed. That familiar feeling returned to her, as though magic were pouring through every fiber of her being. And in an instant, it was unleashed. Her wings beat with more power, and that familiar weightless feeling overtook her as her whole body felt lighter than a feather. She felt powerful. She felt indestructible. She felt like nothing could stop her!

The surge through her body was immediately followed by a shuddering shockwave that rippled into a familiar disc or rainbow light, followed by her rocketing from its epicenter. Her mane melded into pure rainbow light, streaking behind her in sharp contrails, and her blades glittered with similar rainbow light, empowered by the flow through her.  Chartreuse light glowed around Gilda’s outstretched claw, and a third burst of rampant winds, sharp as razor blades, was flung at Rainbow Dash, only to slip right over her body like a harmless breeze. A single shallow cut appeared on her cheek.

Crying out in surprise, Gilda flung both claws up just as Rainbow closed in on her, slashing her blades, only for the cutting edges to be stopped against Gilda’s gauntlets. Still, that was not enough. The force of the double-blow sent Gilda careening backwards, and Rainbow turned on a dime to streak off to the side, arcing around and charging in for a flanking attack with blinding speed.

“D-damn it!” Gilda growled, curling one claw, a long black shaft sprouting from her gauntlet in a rush of liquid-metal. On one end of the pole, a long crescent blade, gleaming like a silver moon, swept out behind her. As Dash came in for her next strike, her blades were halted by the shaft of this wicked battle scythe. This time, Gilda was not sent flying away, but rather, was pushed back rapidly through the skies, as Rainbow Dash’s incredible speed overwhelmed her. Glaring past her weapons, the griffon snarled, “I don’t know what this is, but don’t think for a minute that you’ve taken the advantage here, Dash!”

With a flick of her wrist, Gilda aligned her scythe blade with Dash’s body and swung her body to the side, putting all of her weight into a powerful swing, her polearm scraping along the pegasus’ blades. This strike cut through nothing but rainbow contrails though, as in a move that defied everything a flier would know about momentum and physics, Rainbow Dash rocketed straight upward, changing her angle of approach before charging in once more.

“I’ll show you the real power of a Dragoon Spirit, old friend!” Gilda screamed, pulling out a shining emerald sphere. The light from the crystal orb burst out in a flourish of spectacular rays, a small tornado forming around her as she loosed a savage battle cry. “RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The light and winds surrounding Gilda died out in a sharp burst, revealing a sight that Dash couldn’t help but marvel at as she flew around Gilda in tight circles, maintaining her Rainboomed state.

The griffon had undergone a magnificent and beautiful transformation; she had to admit. With pure green plate armor, underlain with a black material between the plates, she looked even more the ferocious warrior than she had before. Intricate lines and patterns were embossed on the armor, trailing elegantly across the entire suit, and flowing outward from a brilliant amber gemstone embedded in the breastplate. Across her forehead she wore a tightly wrapped headband with many smaller amber stones in it. But perhaps the most wondrous thing was the wings. Her wings had become something entirely different, and looked to be a part of the armor itself, the single-jointed, armored limbs spread wide, and from the rounded tip cascaded forth a curtain of long beautiful ‘feathers’ of unknown composition. Each singular feather extended down nearly the whole length of her body, and couldn’t have been any more than ten on each wing. Her weapon had changed as well, the silver blade turning the same emerald hue as the shaft turned into a twisting and elegant new form, the black metal becoming a dull brown.

This was a Dragoon? Rainbow Dash could feel the powerful magical flow coming from her friend-turned-enemy. It was so dense that it almost felt like a solid object pressing her back as she spiraled around Gilda. This wasn’t good. She felt her blood chill as Gilda turned a golden eye to follow the mare in her wide circle of flight. That look, it was as murderous as a dragon on the hunt. This killing intent was demonstrated when with a flick of her scythe; a crescent wave of razor wind was flung right into Dash’s path. A hair’s breadth was the only space between Dash’s nose and the shearing gale as she tucked her wings in and rolled down and out of the way. She didn’t want to get hit by that. If the magic before had barely cut her cheek when she was like this, she didn’t want to know what it would do now. Her Rainboom speeds faltered for a moment, but a few flaps of her wings stabilized her once more.

“I’m not giving up!” Rainbow shouted out, coming in and swinging her katars in a sharp arc, clashing in a resounding shockwave with Gilda’s scythe. She expected to send her flying back, but was stopped short herself! At the moment of impact, Gilda’s wings flared wide, and each feather of her new wings began to glow with a faint teal light.

“Good! It won’t be any fun killing you if you do!” Gilda cackled in reply, flicking the haft of the staff to connect with the side of Rainbow’s head, knocking her aside. The pegasus managed to recover quickly enough though, and took off in another contrail of rainbow light. Both scowled at each other and flew at each other in a terrible battle rage, both screaming at the top of their lungs as they clashed over and over in midair, Rainbow Dash striking with all of her agility and the force of her momentum, while Gilda guarded every blow and swung her scythe in dazzling arcs, attempting to rend Dash in half. Their aerial dance raced across the sky, the glow of Gilda’s wings and the trails of spectral hue collided in the skies in a rapid beat, the sounds of metal striking metal ringing loudly.

After countless clashes, followed by dodging, slashing, and bashing, and more than a few gusts of wind magic, the two of them were halted by the sound of an immense explosion in the distance. Both whirled in place and saw a huge burst of bright energy as within its epicenter, the golden sphere of Celestia’s magic shattered like a pane of glass. The explosion consumed the entire area, blocking out everything in sight, and Dash felt her heart stop. “Celestia!” She cried out. That was it, wasn’t it? Celestia was dead? Or about to be killed? Surge had obliterated a barrier created by Celestia herself! How could they hope to face such power? No, she couldn’t think like that! Her eyes scanned the explosion with urgency as she tried to find some trace of Celestia. She was rewarded, though not in the way she expected, for her search. She saw Celestia falling out of the bottom of the destruction, but she was wounded badly, blood dripping down along her horn and from her wings as she hurtled headfirst towards the ground. Dash wasn’t the only one to notice this though as in a streak of lightning, Surge moved to fly parallel with the injured princess’ descent. She clenched her claws together and began to gather a massive coil of electricity all along her body.

Grinning wide, Gilda cawed, “This is the end of Celestia, and the beginning of the simple conquest of the rest of- What?!”

From the explosion, two streaks descended in a blur. The first, a tan blur tinted with blue, rocketed ahead of the other and flung itself in between Celestia and Surge. The surprised Dragoness unleashed the spell at the interferer, but a mass of steel met the bolt instead, the lightning splashing harmlessly before in a swift strike, the lightning-charged blocker was then struck right into Surge’s chest, a loud bang reverberating through the air as Surge was sent flying as though shot from a cannon, hurtling into the ground only a short ways away from the fighting griffon and pegasus with a violent impact and a weak sparking.

The second blur, one of white streaked with blue, caught up soon after and tucked in under Celestia’s large form, slowing her down and bringing her down for a gentle landing. Dash could now see the two blurs were pegasus royal guards, the ones that had been pulling Celestia’s chariot. The white one watched over Celestia’s unconscious form, while the tan one threw aside his gold-colored armor and flew over to where Surge was emerging from her crater, wincing and clutching her chest.

As the stallion came closer, Rainbow Dash thought there was something familiar about him. His soft tan coloring, and the two-toned blue mane, lighter at the roots and darker at the ends, all of it was familiar. She could swear she had seen him before, but it was slipping her mind.

“Who in the name of Soa are you?!” Surge coughed, zapping up into the air and glaring at the interloper with a murderous look in her eye. 

Wait, who the hay was Soa?

The colt answered by holding his forehooves up, two flashes of light gathering around them as Casts took shape on them. These casts twisted out and took shape along the outsides of his legs, growing into an ovular shape and forming hemispheric shields on either forelimb. These half-egg shaped shields narrowed out as they traveled up along his arms, and they extended out past his hooves to a broad, convex head.

“Dragoon Candidate, Flash Sentry,” the stallion said, holding up his ‘weapons’ in a guarded stance. “And I won’t let you get away with attacking two of our beloved princesses, you scum!”
> News: A change of pace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so the next chapter for Twilight's part in the battle is giving me a bit of a rough time, and I want to make sure I have it as perfect as it can be. For that reason I have decided to take a break from My Little Dragoon and return to the first story that brought me to Fimfiction, This Dark and Weary Crown. To be exact, I am taking that story in a new direction, starting with my new fic, Two Emerald Hearts. This will be the first in a series of character-centric fics that will culminate together in This Dark and Weary Crown. I will keep writing these fics and return to My Little Dragoon when I can get the next chapter right, promise.
> Chapter 10: Casts and Dragons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Princess Celestia too? This is too perfect! We can take out two princesses at once and Equestria will be that much easier to topple! Go and roll out the red carpet for her, Surge. Preferably dyed in her blood.”
 
 “It will be my pleasure.”
 
Words could not describe the mixed feelings of elation and dread that swept through Twilight and Spike in unison. Which emotions came from which of them was indistinguishable and irrelevant. Celestia’s arrival was a beacon of hope, but at the same time she was now in grave danger. Rainbow was the first to act, taking off after Surge, but was stopped quickly by Gilda, who blew Rainbow back with wind magic. Twilight wasn’t surprised at the display though, she had learned that the Dragoon Spirits granted elemental magic to any race. She couldn’t go to help Rainbow Dash though, as the insectoid Varius snapped its pincers at her and Spike, beginning to advance on them slowly. The rapid thrumming of his wings filled her ears, and she forced herself to focus on the menacing dragon.
 
She forced herself not to look as Surge attacked Celestia far in the distance, if she took her gaze from this Varius for too long, he might take the opening to attack. Besides, Celestia would be alright, wouldn’t she? She was so powerful, after all. She had dealt with so many dangers across the centuries, surely she’d be able to handle herself... Right?
 
We can only hope that she will be. But we need to worry about this guy here, Spike said, bringing her focus back to the danger in front of them. They both took careful steps backward as the snapping pincer on Varius’ tail got closer and closer. Spike kept his wings unfurled, the webbing glowing as the dim light around it seemed to bend in and get sucked into them. As the glow of his wings got brighter, a glint of light appeared between his horns, floating between the tips as he kept his eyes and horns trained on the steadily approaching dragon.
 
An explosion in the distance threatened to draw Twilight’s attention away, but Spike reached into her mind and kept her focus steady. She was silently grateful to him, and he returned the feeling. They couldn’t worry about Celestia right now. What did get their attention, however, was the sound of a sharp whistle piercing through the sound of cracking thunder, and nearly 40 fully armed griffon warriors falling from the skies to land directly behind Varius, many of them pulling their weapons free as they began to hover up off of the ground.
 
That… that we can worry about, Spike thought dryly. Their mutual thoughts rushed between them. How were they supposed to handle something like this? Not just a dragon, but all of these griffons who were undoubtedly aiming to become the next White-Silver Dragoon. And just the two of them? What chance did they stand in this? No, they couldn’t think like that. Their minds came together in mutual determination, understanding that these were the cards they had been dealt, and no matter what, they just had to fight with everything they had. That was all they could really do.

After landing, each of the griffon warriors rose up a few feet off of the ground, pulling weapons that they wore across their sides and backs. Swords. Shields. Halberds. Axes. Hammers. Their armaments were many and varied, and all of them hovered behind Varius with their eyes trained on the pair.

Two words broke through the tension, and started the fight.

"Varius. Kill."

With a feral hiss, the Jade Dragon lunged forward, mandibles opening wide and the pincers within snapping rapidly. Spike reacted first, the spell between his horns bursting forth as a single beam of concentrated white light shot at the lunging dragon. The spell was wasted, however, as with a rapid thrum of its wings, the huge dragon's body swerved to the side, only to zero in on Twilight. Mandibles flaring wide open, it launched its pincers from its mouth along a thin, prehensile appendage.

Twilight felt her body start freezing up, fear taking hold. In an instant, everything began to slow, the snapping pincers hurtling straight for her neck slowed to a crawl. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Not while training. Not any time in her life. Instincts flipped in the back of her head, guiding her hooves as she recalled her time training.

She remembered sneaking out while Spike slept in the dead of night, going to the very edge of the Everfree. She recalled calling out her Casts. The cylindrical barrel formed along the front, funneling wide open as she poured magic through it. She pointed it at a nearby tree and... fired!

BANG!

That first shot had sent her flying back on her flank, and as she returned to reality, the twin shots she fired into the earth pushed her body straight up into the air. She soared over the pincers as they crashed into the earth. A blast of magic immediately followed, and a huge chunk of earth was instantly turned to dust as winds sheared it asunder. If she had been hit, she definitely wouldn't have survived.

As the dust whipped up into a veil around her, Twilight heard Spike call for her, Twilight! Are you okay?!

I'm fine, you worry about yourself for now, she assured him. The griffons will likely come after you while Varius distracts me. It was what she would do in their position, after all. Just be sure not to die.

Got it.

A shadow flickered through the dust, turning Twilight's attention away from Spike. As she reached the apex of her ascent, Varius's tail arched up over its back and lunged at her, attempting another strike with the much larger pincers adorning the appendage. Another movement from the opposite side revealed the pincers from its mouth shooting up to try to get her from behind. Time seemed to slow once more, her perception dilating as that strange sensation took over. Whatever it was, she was thankful for it, as it allowed her time to think of her next move, which came quickly to her mind. Spreading her forehooves wide, she angled one up towards the descending tail pincer, and the other down towards the ones rising from below. Focusing her magic, her horn lit up with magenta light, and the barrels of her weapon mimicked the glow. 

BANG!

Concussive waves shot from her weapons. These small cannons on her hooves channeled magic and focused it, and the primary magic they used was one that all unicorns were adept at, telekinesis. Turning the force into a powerful shot, she sent both sets of pincers reeling back and was rewarded with a violent hiss of pain from the dragon below her. The recoil of a concussive shot was high though, and the varied angles caused her to start spinning violently in midair as she descended. It took all of her willpower not to let her stomach empty its contents from the dizzying spin. 

Mid-fall, she flung a hoof outward and fired when it pointed upward, sending her rocketing downward and slamming her hoof into Varius’ back, right between the blurred quartet of humming wings. Unsurprisingly, the thick, scaly hide didn’t yield at all to her strike, but that’s what she had her Cast for. Another shot fired in the dusty shroud, a high pitched shriek echoing out as Varius’ back was struck with a powerful wave, crushing him into the dirt. Recoil sent her flipping back and out of the shroud, skidding into the earth.

Wow. Had that really been her? She had practiced quite a bit with her TK-cannon Casts, but that... just wow. It was amazing what adrenaline could do. But was it really just the adrenaline? That strange slow-down she experienced had never happend to her before. She shook her head clear as she looked around for Spike. Focus, Twilight. Fight first, think later, or you're dead. This is probably the scariest thing you've ever done, but you have to pull through! If you don't, then Spike...

She felt that familiar anger bubble up in her just at the thought. She would not let anyone hurt Spike, be they pony, griffon, or what have you. And no one was going to hurt her friends on her watch either.

In the back of her mind, her anger came into contact with a wild, seething ferocity. It was Spike. And as she looked past the clearing dust cloud around Varius, she could see him roaring and snarling, swiping his tail at griffons left and right and rending the air with his claws as primal intinct took over. Starswirl's book had mentioned this. When a Lord is challenged for the Dragoon Spirit, no matter how docile, they will become completely consumed with the instinct to kill their challengers. And as that took him over, a score of griffons surrounded him on all sides and took turns defending and attacking him from all sides. Steel clashed against glittering scales in a racketous din, and no weapon had drawn blood, she could sense a bit of the pain from each reverbrating blow that glanced of his hide.

But only a score of the griffons were around Spike? Where were the rest? Easily twice that number had descended from the sky before.

So much for not thinking too much.

A raspy chittering brought her back to her opponent as it stuck its head from the veil, hissing at her with what she could only guess was anger. A faint glow of emerald light from above its head was the only sign she got before she heard a violent snap, followed by a large bullet of shearing winds being fired straight at her. Instinct took over once more as her mind whipped through pages upon pages of spells she had memorized, resting on a new one she had learned. Channeling the light element through her horn, the glow turned a bright white hue and a transparent white screen formed in front of her. When the shot struck the barrier, she felt the rebound shoot through her brain, but she gritted her teeth through it until the magic was completely reflected, flying back and striking the snapping tip of the dragon’s tail and causing it to hiss in pain again. It wasn’t much though, not a single scratch on its hide, even from the hard blow she’d dealt to its back. 

She was holding her own thanks to its savage and simple strategies, but she was hardly making any headway on her own. Spike was holding up against the griffon squadron too, but every blow to his tough hide shot painfully through his body, while he had only managed to take out four griffons, who were retreating with severe wounds and rent armor. From past the attacking griffons, Twilight could see the blood coating Spike’s claws and fangs, blood of the foes he had wounded. The sight of him so feral and covered in blood disturbed her greatly, but this was also something she had done her best to prepare herself for. Afterall, if she was going to be fighting in this war, she wouldn’t be able to avoid becoming bloodstained herself.

Varius hissed at her and skittered along the ground towards her, tail reared back and ready to strike again. Eyes narrowing, her mind raced through her options. Could she really fight this dragon alone, head to head? She was doing good so far, but wasn’t doing any major damage. She was going to wear out well before Varius did.

“Whatcha up to, Twilight?”

“Kinda in the middle of something here, Pinkie, if you didn’t noti - wait, Pinkie?!” Twilight turned to see the poofy, pink-maned mare standing behind her, a big, silly grin on her face. Even more surprising was that Pinkie was wearing a Crystal Thread garment, this one the same dark pink shade as her mane, and resembled a dancer’s dress, with a short hem of a skirt and a sleeveless top that wrapped tightly around her shoulders. “What are you doing here?! It’s dangerous!”

Pinkie merely grinned wider, despite her shock, and laughed, “Of course, Twilight! There’s a big storm and griffons all over the place, so I figured I needed to welcome all the new visitors, Pinkie Pie style!”

The hiss came again, this time much louder, almost right in Twilight’s ear, and turning her head back, she saw Varius almost right on top of her, tail reared back and ready to strike. It moved too fast, the pincer opened wide and the tail snapped down at her, closing the short distance between her and the dragon in an instant. The jagged edges passed by either side of her, and saw the twitch of muscle before they snapped shut.

Twilight felt a sudden yank on her shoulder, and was flung back abruptly and out of reach of the deadly clamp. Immediately after a sharp ringing filled her ears, and she looked up to see Pinkie Pie standing where she had been, propped up on her hind legs and holding one hoof in front of her. The ground beneath her hooves was buckling and cracking from the force that struck her, and the pincers were quivering and jerking, attempting to squeeze tight and completely crush the pony between them, but they were held firmly open by a long silver shaft that was jammed between them, like using a pipe to hold open a gator’s mouth. The shaft game from a familiar silver gleam on Pinkie’s hoof, which she held parallel to the bar. Her free hoof hung at her side, showing the same weapon running along the length of her arm.

Pinkie had a Cast? From the looks of it, it was a tonfa-type weapon. 

A strange smile passed over Pinkie’s face, a glint in her eyes as excitement seemed to wash over her. “Now now, mister big mean dragon, it’s not rude to interrupt a conversation! If you wanted to be the first to party, then you only had to ask!”

Twilight didn’t know why, but she felt a smile spread across her face. She was surprised beyond words, but seeing Pinkie stand up to protect her like this… it made her happy. Of all ponies, Pinkie though? She might have expected Applejack to be ready to fight, but Pinkie was the last she would have thought of, right alongside Rarity and Fluttershy. Pinkie’s enthusiasm was infectious though, and Twilight quickly pulled herself back to her hooves. “I’ve never seen this side of you Pinkie, I’m surprised,” she commented to her friend.

Pinkie turned to look back to Twilight, her smile turning into a smirk. It looked strange, but at the same time fitting on her, “Silly Twilight, I’m still Pinkie Pie through and through! I do everything I do just to get a smile from my friends, and it looks like I got one from you.”

Varius hissed angrily at her, mandibles opening wide. Twilight’s eyes widened as the set of pincers in its mouth shot out at Pinkie Pie, only for the mare to whip her other hoof forward and stop the attack. The bar of the tonfa spun on its place on her hoof, and extended automatically, catching the pincers with another resounding clang of ringing metal. Pinkie hadn’t even turned her head to see the attack coming.

“Silly dragon, if you keep playing dirty, I won’t let you join the party!” Pinkie said cheerfully, despite the attempt on her life. Twisting her hooves, she pinned the two sets of pincers to the ground with surprising strength, and chuckled “Well, don’t worry, I have a special playmate just for you!”

Right on cue with her declaration, a bellowing roar filled the air, and a bright blue light shot up over the top of the nearby library. The light came from four glowing fins that accompanied a long, fish-like body. Glittering scales, as pure as the darkest sapphires and with the faintest reflection of green, looked like the rippling waves of the sea as it slithered its body through the air. Unlike a fish though, this creature bore a long, craggily scaled snout that ended in a rounded point, and bright amethyst eyes that stared into oblivion. It opened its maw once more and revealed for a moment a toothless, gum-filled mouth, only for that harmless opening to suddenly sprout dozens of large, jagged teeth that looked ready to rend prey into nothing more than scraps of meat. just beneath its maw were two large, claws with stunted arms only barely long enough to supposedly hold prey within reach of its mouth, but it had no hind legs to speak of. Its tail was much different too, long and covered with spines, which ran all along its back and flattened against the length of it, but then flared open to reveal webbing between each of them. Its glowing fins extended from just behind its claws, and just in front of its tail, the pale blue glow seemed to keep the creature aloft in the air. Easily the same size as Varius, it was both beautiful and terrifying.

Twilight had no doubt in her mind upon seeing it, it was another Lord, and it had to the Blue-Sea Dragon, the Lord of Ice and Water.

The dragon lunged through the air and crashed into Varius full on from its side, the insect dragon releasing its pincers and rolling across the ground, leaving Pinkie behind. The two mares watched as the dragons writhed in a mass of whipping tails, gnashing jaws, and swiping claws. Two feral dragons fighting like just that, feral dragons, ripping and clawing at each other with reckless abandon. 

Pinkie bounced on her hind legs and cheered, “Have fun with your playmate, Gummy! Don’t get too rough!”

Fzzzt.

That was it. Twilight was done. She was done trying to make sense of this. Pinkie showing up. Pinkie having Casts. Pinkie being so surprisingly strong. Another Lord showing up, and that Lord being Gummy?! Nope. She was done. Brain was on hiatus now.

“Gummy? Gummy?!” Twilight repeated in shock, watching the two dragons go at it, Gummy managing to push the fighting away from all the other fronts after knocking Varius back with a slap of his tail.

“Hehe, you’re so silly when your brain breaks,” Pinkie giggled, trotting over to shake Twilight’s shoulder and point her towards Spike, who had forced a few more griffons to retreat, but now looked like he was running out of steam, his breathing labored and his body shaking with exhaustion and pain with each weapon that glanced off his scales. “Now go help Spike!”

Twilight kept her bewildered look as she glanced between Pinkie, the dragon Gummy, and Spike. Shaking her head, she pushed down her confusion. There would be plenty of time for questions, observations, and studying later. Nodding to Pinkie in wordless thanks, and giving her a wide, confident smile that she knew her friend would appreciate, she ran off towards her dragon, planning her next move.



> Chapter 11: On the Second Front
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A long yawn escaped Bowser's lips as he approached the Carousel Boutique. The silence of morning was only broken by the faint click of his staff against the town path and the heavy steps of the larger warrior caste dogs behind him. The broader, heavier builds of his two companions loomed over his stockier and more lithe form, starkly contrasting his leadership over such imposing specimens. As a show of good will, ever since the initial day they had arrived, their warriors had kept their weapons worn across their backs rather than in their paws. 

Such a simple change showed noticeable difference in how he townsponies treated them. There was still a healthy amount of suspicious looks from passing ponies, but even today as they walked down the street they got a few warm greetings. Old and young alike seemed to be adjusting to their presence, perhaps even faster than the Crystal Ponies had 

An example of this soon presented itself as none other than the mayor of Ponyville herself came across him on the path and stopped to greet him. "Good day, Bowser. I trust your business with Rarity has been going well?"

Stopping with a smile, Bowser bowed his head respectfully and exchanged pleasantries with Mayor Mare. "Yes indeed," he answered, "Production is going smoothly, and in the last few days they have managed to make over a hundred battle garbs of different styles and functions. We will need a lot more to outfit the entire Equestrian military though, not including those who may join as fighting progresses."

The pleasant smile on Mayor Mare's face wilted ever so slightly. Her eyes glazing over with a hint of sadness as she looked to the sparse few ponies wandering the streets that morning. She sighed, "All of this about war, dragons, and Dragoons... I hate that it's been brought out like this. I don't want to see my citizens hurt or killed, but I know some will be leaving to protect us all. I just want our normal happy days with the little bits of craziness that popped up."

Bowser placed a concerned paw on the back of her neck, along her shoulder area. He spoke softly, " I understand how you feel. Plenty of our own warriors will fight and die alongside your own, but we are doing this for the sake of future peace."

The mayor's gaze drifted towards Town Hall, looking as though a heavy weight were slung across her back. Ever persistent, Bowser tried again. "Think of what we have to look forward to when the war is over. It won't be the end of our people's new relationship. I hope that between Ponyville and the Crystal Empire I can bring my dogs up out of their tunnels more and end the bad blood held towards my kind. I would be very happy to have your help in the future to break down those barriers between ponies and diamond dogs. And there are many potential business opportunities and other benefits that we can exchange to enrich Ponyville life, making this place even better than it is now."

Mayor Mare's ears perked at the mention of improving life for her citizens, and of being one to help establish a new connection with the dogs. Bowser could see the excitement growing in her as no doubt many ideas surged through her mind. "That... really sounds wonderful, Bowser. Thank you, I think that is just what I needed to hear."

Content that he had turned her mood back around, Bowser smiled toothily. Not only that, he had taken yet another step on that long road of open communication between dogs and ponies. There would be a lot to work through, with the perception that had grown over hundreds of years of less than desirable interactions, but what better way to challenge himself? It was what he had been born and raised for, after all; to lead his kind along a better path. "Glad to hear it. You need to be in good spirits to set an example for the rest of Ponyville," he said before turning to leave. "As for me, I need to check in on the boutique. Please excuse me, and I hope you have a good day."

"You too."

Resuming his route, Bowser gave a small gesture towards his guards, beckoning them along with him. They left a much more optimistic mayor to go about her day.

It wasn't very long before they reached the Boutique, the entrance of which was now only guarded by two warrior dogs, their halberds also worn on their backs now. Both saluted as he approached, slamming a fist against their chest and standing as straight as they could. He answered with a short nod as his own detail approached them and exchanged places.

"Your night shift is over now. Please go and relax back in the tunnel, or spend a little time about town as you please. Just remember to treat the ponies with the utmost respect. We are their guests," he ordered. "At least one of you should go get the new detail though and have them keep watch around town. We don't want to be caught off guard if our enemies try to attack this deep in the heart of Equestria to get the White-Silver Dragon."

The two guards made their way to leave, barking a short affirmative and giving him a wish of good fortune, "Will of Soa guide path."

"The same to you, my friends. May her Will beat forever in your hearts," he replied in the customary fashion. 

Once the guard had properly switched off, Bowser took his leave of them and entered the boutique. The sound of whirring motors and rapidly darting needles rattled in his ears, but he put it out of his mind. He entered the main working area to see one mare and six female dogs working meticulously. Gleaming needles were plunged into the special gray cloth. Off to the side, a female with a charcoal pelt held a large topaz up to a completed garment. The fabric rippled under the stone and washed over with a golden hue. He recognized the design. This one in particular was not designed for ponies, but instead for a diamond dog. The extra girth around the forearms, and the way the sleeves hung down the sides rather than in front of the garment told that it was made for a bipedal creature. This coat was made for a dog.

"So why are we making a topaz long coat for a diamond dog?" he asked curiously. “We really should be focusing on making the pony outfits. We have enough seamstresses back home making clothes for our warriors.”

The female holding the topaz to the cloth turned to him, icey blue eyes boring into him as she gave him a challenging smirk. Tossing the gemstone up in her paw and catching it effortlessly, she scoffed, “Can’t you tell, you brainless male? This coat is for you. Rarity designed it herself from the measurement info we have on you.”

Bowser’s muzzle twisted into half of a smile as he met the challenge of the female, “You never give me a break do you, Rayne? I’m not as slow-witted as the other males, though they must have some brains if none of them have picked you as a mate.”

A violent twitch of Rayne’s eyebrow and snapping of her teeth told Bowser that he had struck the right nerve. The female irately threw the topaz at him, but a simple moment of concentration and a glow of magic from his staff caught the topaz in his amber magical aura. Letting the gem orbit lazily around him, he dropped the issue just to frustrate her further and asked, “So Rarity designed it, huh? That’s pretty impressive.”

Rayne gritted her teeth angrily, but forced herself to calm down. She never was one that liked to drop back into pleasantries after her fire had been stoked. "Yeah," she growled, "She made it as a gift to you for all of this. She really is talented. Just by eye she was able to judge all your measurements and we're all impressed with her design sense. The general designs she's drawn up have been great, but her special designs for you and her friends are even more magnificent."

"Oh, why thank you, dear," Rarity hummed happily from the back of the room, turning away from her sewing machine and coming to their sides. "I really couldn't have done any of this without you wonderful seamstresses helping me though. Not to mention you're all a joy to have around and discuss fashion and culture with. The time has flown as fast as the clothes have been coming out."

Bowser smirked  as Rayne gave a small bow to Rarity. A rather cheeky display on her part, as she definitely showed no such respect to him. Such was the nature of their relationship though, always finding one way or another to irk or piss off the other. He usually kept the cooler head anyway.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time either," Rayne said happily, her dark muzzle splitting into a toothy white grin. "It is interesting learning about the ins and outs of pony culture, and make up for the harsh experience you had with one of our mining groups."

Rarity simply waved her hoof dismissively. "Not to worry, Rayne. That dreadful incident is long since forgive. It wouldn't be proper or ladylike for me to hold a -"

Rarity was cut off as the unmistakable rumble of thunder reached all of their ears. The droll of the sewing machines all came to a stop as the workers turned in unison to look out the window. None had noticed during the conversation, but the bright morning sunlight had become obscured by a thick layer of dark clouds. Approaching the window, Bowser gave a start as a violet bolt of lightning arced through the clouds above, followed immediately by another sharp crack of sound. The lightning. That color wasn't natural at all, and the connection was clear.

"Oh my, why is dreadful weather rolling in on such a lovely morning? There was nothing about a storm in the weather report," Rarity muttered worriedly, her tail giving a nervous flick.

Bowser's paw clenched tightly around his staff, which began to radiate its amber light profusely. He turned back to face them all, his calm and polite attitude melted away. His dark brown eyes swept over all of them as he barked, "The enemy has begun its attack. They're likely going after the White-Silver Dragon as we speak." He swept his other paw forward and pointed out the front door. "Rayne, go inform all of the guards to defend the city. They should not engage the enemy dragons or Dragoons themselves. Leave that to the others. Be sure to get as many ponies indoors as possible too. The rest of you females will stay in here with Rarity and gather up as many completed garments and cloth materials as you can carry. Dig your way out of here if enemies come. We can pay for damages to the boutique if they happen."

All of the females, Rayne included, gave a nod and a short bark of affirmative before Rayne quickly bolted out the door. Bowser walked over to the hanging topaz-colored coat and started slipping it on while all of the other females began packing together all of the most important items they could get their paws on. Rarity, however, approached Bowser, her brow knitted with worry and confusion as she glanced to his shining staff. The spell he was maintaining was a powerful one, and he could tell it had caught her attention. 

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

With a rush of golden fabric, Bowser made his way to the flight of stairs leading to the second level. He replied simply, "I am going atop the carousel. There is a spell I must keep woven while the battle rages, or else your friends will surely die. I will also be able to keep an eye out from up there for advancing enemies. You stay here and be ready to escape on a moment's notice." He climbed the stairs, and upon reaching the top, he stopped and gave one last look at the unicorn mare. "May the goddess, Soa, watch over you, Rarity."

Rarity blinked in surprise, the name foreign to her, "Who is Soa?"

With a slightly mischievous smile, he answered, "I will teach you that someday, but that is many battles away." 

And with hat, he bolted out of sight, reaching the second story window, he flung it open and threw himself out of it. Grasping the upper lip of the window frame in his free paw, he swung himself up and landed on the slanted roof of the building. He quickly climbed to the center point and grasped the raised tip, circling around to cast his gaze over the town. It took only a short moment to see the source of conflict in the distance. He couldn't make anything out in the blackness, but from the dark clouds above he could see the belly of a large ship casting its mighty silhouette. Beneath that ship he could see several shadows clashing and the sound of reverbrating steel, accompanied by the roars of dragons echoing from the writhing mass. In the skies between the ship and the earth, he could see streaming rainbow contrails and a glowing green pinpoint of light clashed repeatedly in the air. Beyond that he could see countless violet arcs of lightning striking at a glowing golden globe.

He glanced at his staff as he kept his thoughts as focused on the spell he was casting. Okay, everything was good so far. It looked like the fighting was isolated to the location of the White-Silver Dragon, and the enemy was taking paying no mind to-

Suddenly, away from the raging battle for the dragon, a sharp scream rang out in he middle of he town.

He'd gone and jinxed it now, hadn't he?

"Damn it," he swore under his breath. He looked down to the front pf the boutique, and saw that his two guards were gone. That was good. That meant Rayne had taken them into the town, and they would be engaging the enemy soon. Protecting their new allies was a top priority. Since the enemy was attacking the town, he couldn't just stand by, even with the importance of his spell. He was an example for his followers, and he would need to fight as well.

Leaping from the roof, he landed atop the nearest building and began running rooftops. Traveling from building to building, he followed the sounds of screaming, which soon were replaced by the din of battle as no doubt his dogs clashed with their foes. Reaching the edge of the town square he flicked his ears about and scanned the area. Two soldier class dogs were already in battle, swinging their mighty halberds at their foes; griffons. Bowser was not really surprised. Of the races that were hostile to Equestria, he would only imagine he griffons would think to launch a pre-emptive strike so near the heart of Equestria.

His dogs were outmatched three to one, but were holding their own, even though their enemies took to the skies to strike at them. Clashes of weaponry and loud battle cries that did not match the scene before him reached his ears. No doubt other battles were being peppered all around town now.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bowser spotted four more shadows approaching the fight before him. His soldiers were fighting well, but the odds of five to one would be far too much for them to handle on their own. It looked like this was where he would be joining he fray. Lucky for him, since there was lots of open space and flat, sturdy ground for him to use to his advantage.

The enemy griffons hadn't noticed him yet, but with his staff glowing so brightly in the overcast shade, being able to get the jump on them was doubtful. No, in this case it would be better to go with shock factor and intimidation to give him a psychological edge.

Leaping from the rooftop, Bowser called upon another spell as he maintained the first. His staff surged with amber light that coated his body. He hurtled down to the ground like a falling stone, striking the path in front of the griffons and shattering the cobblestone surface of the road. The bits of cracked and splintered rock lifted into the air and began to swirl around him in a trio of belts, orbitting his form. He heard a gasp, and the rasping of metal as the four griffons withdrew their weapons, but looking at them, he could see the surprise in their eyes. He didn't know if it would work, but Bowser hoped his little display would cause them to slip up by intimidation factor alone.

Eyes stoic and unyielding as he glared his foes down, Bowser bent his knees and angled his luminous staff into a combat stance even as the one of the three belts of rock orbitting his body began to gather around his staff, forming a solid casing around his trusted weapon, and collecting at the head to form a large smooth orb. Perfect for caving skulls in.

"I will make you all regret coming here," he growled. "Let's see what you've got!"
	
> Chapter 12: Light the Skies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hard azure eyes narrowed, peering past the semi- obscuring coverage of a heavy metal helm. The wearer's head darted from side to side, following the crackling flicker that shot through the skies beyond a luminous golden barrier. Each flicker was followed by a crack of lightning from another direction, bolts splashing along the shimmering surface. 

Damn, this dragon was fast. Even Flash's keen eyes could barely keep up with it. Even though its body glowed with bright violet arcs of lightning it was difficult to follow. The heavy helmet covering half of his face and line of sight really did not help either. 

Flash was pulled out of his frustrated thoughts by a pained groan behind him. His focus on the enemy shattered, and she was suddenly very much aware of the heavy weight of the charriot behind him, and the steady thumping of his wings, echoed by the fellow Royal Guard that hovered beside him. He grunted slightly, shifting the bar strapped to his side as he glanced over his shoulder. Sitting steadfast in the gilded chariot they flew was the tall, imposing figure of Princess Celestia. Her long horn lit with golden light, and her wings splayed wide behind her. The powerful appendages seemed to almost glow themselves in the light of her magic. However, her face did not mirror the majesty her posture would make one expect. Her brow was furrowed in exertion, lavender eyes leering beyond her veil as ragged gasps puffed from her muzzle. When a particularly loud and powerful bolt struck the barrier, her breath hitched in a sharp gasp. 

The very sight of their ruler in such a state brought a low spark of anger deep in the back of Flash's mind. 

Celestia's eyes clenched shut as she hissed out, ''Flash Sentry. Swift Seraphic.'' 

The guards' ears perked as they both looked to the princess, her eyes slowly opening. A splintering crack rang out as fractures began to spiderweb across the field around them. ''I can't hold this for much longer. It has taken all of my strength just to defend up from these attacks.'' She winced as another flurry of bolts struck one after another. ''When the Violet Dragon breaks through, it will be time for the two of you to act. Swift, I want you to protect me in my vulnerable state.'' 

The ivory guard beside Flash nodded, ''Yes, Princess.''

"And Flash Sentry..." 

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Flash answered. 

"You are officially relieved of your duties in my personal detail. As one of my chosen warriors, you are to engage the enemy at your discretion," Celestia commanded. 

Flash gulped audibly, a pit forming in his stomach. Fight a dragon that was about to break through a barrier forged by Celestia herself? Could he really do something like that? "But Princess," he objected, "How can I fight against a Lord and a Dragoon?! I knew it would be difficult when you said I would be fighting the White-Silver Dragon to become its Dragoon, but I won't stand a chance out there as I am now!" 

Still working hard to keep the spell going, Celestia shook her head. Pointing a hoof down to the ground far below, she directed Flash's gaze down to see a large plume of dust rising from the ground. Several magenta flashes strobed within, followed by a small dot of purple that was sent flipping out. Straining his eyes, Flash recognized the blur as none other than Princess Twilight, and as she skidded to a stop in the grass, he spotted the faint gleam of Casts on her hooves. She was fighting... amazingly. He knew alicorns were strong, but he hadn't expected to see the Princess fighting like this. 

As he watched on, somewhat slack-jawwed, Celestia explained, "I know my student well, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was force this battle on her. I told her and everypony else that I was selecting a candidate for the White-Silver Dragoon, but the truth is that I expected her to try to take that role for herself." Eyes wide, Flash turned his gaze back to Celestia. Confusion was evident on his face as she continued, "I had my reasons for picking you, Flash, and I want you to protect Princess Twilight and her friends to the best of your ability. This is the duty I entrust to you. The one I had planned for when I took you back from the Crystal Empire." 

Flash was undeniably concerned. Did he really have what it took to fulfill Celestia's expectations of him? He didn't have any time to think about it, as a violent sound of shattering glass filled his ears. The shield broke apart as an enormous triad of bolts struck from above, piercing the defence under their combined might. It was then that Flash felt a presence note above him. His eyes shot up to see Celestia's powerful frame flung over them. Her entire body was glowing with her golden aura. 

The lightning fell in a split second, colliding with the light and igniting in an explosion. Flash clenched his eyes shut, expecting to feel the force of the blast strike him, but nothing came. He only felt the rush of wind and smoke around him, his lungs starting to burn with every breath. He also felt much lighter, as the explosion ripped apart the charriot he and Swift had been carrying, yet when he opened his eyes he saw the two of them were unharmed. How shameful. He was a Royal Guard. He was supposed to protect the Princess, not the other way around. 

His heart sank even further when a ripple of the smoke moved between him and the ivory pegasus, giving way to the falling form of the Princess. A spark of anger coursed through him, and his gaze met Swift's across from him. The two of them shared a nod of understanding, and Flash felt his doubts fading away, replaced by absolute resolve. He didn't have time to doubt himself when his very destiny was being challenged. He was a protector. A guardian of others. He had sworn to defend others for all his life, and that was what he would do. Even if it cost him his life! 

The two pegasi moved in unison, shooting downward with a single beat of their wings. They plummeted out of the cloud of smoke just in time to see the small lightning dragon come up on the falling Celestia, charging a spell in its sparking claws. That spark of anger in Flash grew stronger. There was no way he was going to let this happen right in front of him. It was time to make good on the name his parents gave him. 

Bringing all of his focus to bare on Celestia and the dragon, he thought of nothing but his duty, his very nature. He would catch up with them! 

He accelerated faster, and faster still. He could feel the strain on his body as he approached his top speed at a rate that he hadn't pushed himself to in a long time. He caught up in an instant, flying right between the princess and the dragon. 

He would protect her. He would protect everypony! 

He could see the startled expression on the dragoness' face at the intrusion, then the anger that replaced it.
She hissed and thrust a claw forward, releasing a blast of lightning. Instinct took complete control of Flash as he thrust a hoof in front of the bolt. He called forth the Carts that Celestia have him, the domed, egg-shell shape wrapping around the front of his hoof and traveling up his forearms to cover nearly the entire length. The lightning splashed off of the silvery surface of his trusted barrier cestus and coursed through his body. It stung all over, and his whole body tingled, but he could feel the power coursing through every part of his body. It felt different, stronger than natural lightning, but he would make it work. He HAD to make it work! 

He had to be quite fortunate to be facing the Lord of Lightning, out of any he could have faced. 

In less than the span of a second, he felt a familiar snapping feeling inside of him, and with a single flap of his wings, he had moved himself right in, almost nose to nose with the Violet Dragon. 

"What the-" 

Before she could react, he reared his forehoof back. The same violet sparks danced along the smooth surface of his cestus before he smashed it forward. He felt the weapon crush into the chest of the diminutive opponent, and focused as hard as he could in that instant. A shockwave formed as he discharged a large portion of the power he had absorbed. A loud burst rang out and the dragon was sent plummeting straight into the earth far below with a violent crash, sparks flickering out of the small crater.

He heard the rush of air behind him as Swift moved as he was ordered, catching and protecting Celestia. Swift had that duty, and Flash had his. Dispersing his Casts to the innactive state, he bit and pulled at the straps of his armor, then grabbed the plated and threw them aside. Armor was important, but his opponent was fast, and he needed all the freedom he could get to keep up with her. His Casts would have to be his armor. The last piece coming off, he tossed aside his helm and flew in closer to the impact zone he'd sent the Violet Dragon into. He watched as the small dragon pulled herself out, clutching her chest and giving him a venemous glare through pained wincing.
    
    “Who in the name of Soa are you?!” she coughed, zapping back up into the air.
    
He answered by lifting his forehooves up, activating his barrier cestus Casts in twin flashes of light. “Dragoon Candidate, Flash Sentry,” he declared, raising his hooves to guard himself. “And I won’t let you get away with attacking two of our beloved princesses, you scum!”

"Dragoon Candidate, huh?" the electric dragoness spat. "Don't get cocky just because you caught me by surprise and got a lucky hit!" In an admittedly intimidating display, she clenched her claws and flared her tiny wings, electricity shooting from the wing tips and freezing for a second in the shape of much larger, more powerful wings. The boasting dragon cackled, "Well, Flash Sentry, I am Surge, the Lord of Lightning! Don't think the same thing will happen again! I have enough power to fry you to a crisp a thousand times over! Be sure to remember my name when I send you to the next world!" 

Flash readied his guard as Surge swept her tiny wings back, but felt his blood run cold as her gaze fell away from him, looking at the earth behind him. "Better yet, I'll send Celestia first!" she roared, rushing down and zipping only inches off of the ground. Lightning trailed behind her as she moved at a breakneck pace. 

"No!" Flash screamed, wings flaring wide and snapping down with an accompanying spark of lightning.

Channeling every last remaining bit of the power he had taken into his wings, he reached his top speed in less than a second. Surge didn't even see him coming as he crashed his Cast down onto her from above, cracking and upheaving the earth as he smacked her down into the dirt again. He ground the smooth, bashing surface of his weapon into her back as his own momentum pressed down on her. She had to feel that one. Even his muscles and joints were screaming in protest at the sudden halt. 

He must not have done as much damage as he thought though, as before he could pull himself up, a huge current of electric force raced through his Cast and into his body. Such overwhelming power! It was all Flash could do to keep it contained in him and pour it into his wings as he flapped once more, shooting into the sky with excess lightning crackling painfully along his body. 

He couldn't let himself show that he was in pain though. The charge he could hold wasn't limitless, especially with Surge's lightning, which was more powerful and volatile than any he had felt before. He had to keep in control and make it seem like he had the advantage. 

Surge shot up from the crater in a streak of violet, leveling off in front of him. The leering intensity in her eyes was frightening, even with the faint trickle of blood falling from the corner of her mouth. Flash's body wanted to shake in fear and pain, but he kept steady with every ounce of willpower he possessed. Instead, he forced a cocky grin across his muzzle. 

"Nice try there, Surge, but thanks for the charge. It'll be fun using your own magic against you," he taunted. To demonstrate, he smashed the ends of his weapons together, releasing arcs of Surge's own power from one to the other. 

He had pushed too far. An unmistakable twitch and pained wince came out as the painful sparks danced across his body.

A sadistic smirk replaced Surge's glare, "Oh? You sure surprised me, pony, I didn't think there was anyone in the world that could absorb my lightning and use it for themselves. I'll give you that much. You may actually be a fun opponent, but I can see that it's hurting you. You can't absorb as much power as I can put out, and it's tearing you apart already just trying!"

Not good. He was found out. Flash really hoped that Swift was taking Celestia far out of sight right now. He didn't dare take his eyes from his enemy, lest he give her an opening to strike. Without his armor he was able to use his speed freely, but all it would take was one clean hit to cut him wide open. Thankfully, Surge seemed pretty cautious now too, and wasn't taking her eyes from him either. They stayed like that for a long while, hovering in place with light flaps of their wings as the sounds of other battles raged in the background. 

In fact, one of the battles sounded close. Really close. Right on top of- 

"Whoa!" Flash shouted, barely skirting to the side as a gleam of deep green shot past him from behind. 

The new arrival barrelled through the sky and was narrowly avoided by Surge before it came to a stop. Broad, powerful wings, the likes of which he had never seen, were spread wide and glowed with an ethereal teal light. The spherical orange gem set in the breastplate of the armor glinted in the faint traces of overcast morning light. As the figure righted itself, he saw it was a female griffon warrior wearing the Dragoon armor of the Jade Dragon. If he recalled what he had been told correctly, Jade's specialty was wind magic, not a good match-up for a pegasus. The pony fighting her had to be very good to be giving her such an evidently hard time. 

Said warrior arrived only a moment later, a rush of jettream nearly knocking Flash out of the sky as a pegasus mare with a bright cyan coat and a prismatic rainbow for a mane and tail stopped beside him. Along with a set of triangular Cast blades, she was wearing a strange shimmering cyan outfit that didn't have a single scratch on it, despite the small lacerations that covered every exposed part of her. The last thing he noticed was a faint rainbow glow that surrounded her, but began to fade away quickly. 

He had seen this mare before, when he had been in the Crystal Empire as part of Cadance's guard. She was Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty and one of Princess Twilight's friends. 

He didn't have time to be starstruck, even if he, and just about any guard he knew were ecstatic at the chance to see one of the famous ponies. Guards were strained to remain composed at all times.

"Nice flying there, buddy," the mare chuckled, glancing over at him. "I don't know what you did, but you've gotta teach me how to do that someday." 

How could a day be so simultaneously horrible and amazing? On one hoof: griffons were attacking Equestria; Celestia was injured; and he was fighting for his life and that of countless others against a freaking dragon! On the other; he had never felt so exhilarated in his life; he was fighting harder than he ever had, and all for the sake of others, what he was born to do; and he was now fighting alongside an Element of Harmony, one of the most important ponies in the world! 

He reprimanded himself in the back of his head. He had to focus. "We can discuss that after we drive them out of our home," he answered back. He certainly wasn't trying to act cool or anything, but if he did by accident, he certainly wasn't going to complain. 

"You two should just give up now!" Surge growled. "No one can be match us one on one! It took an entire squadron of griffons to take me down and claim my Spirit!" Lightning danced along her barbs and blades as her body trembled. The snarl on her face only grew more vicious as she gathered a large amount of power and prepared to lunge forward. 

Flash felt his wings stiffen, crackling with lightning, and his hooves raised instinctively. 

 dddyyyyyy 

Before Surge could launch herself forward, her path was obstructed by the Jade Dragoon's battle scythe. The look of venomous frustration she shot to the griffon was downright terrifying. "Don't get in my way, Gilda! Princess or not, I will rip out your-!" 

"Shut up and listen!" 

Surge, and even Flash and Rainbow froze in shock and did just that. They listened through the roiling storm around them and heard a long, growing noise. 

nnnaaaaaaammmiiiiiiiicc! 

Gilda's eyes snapped wide open, and her wings swept down in an attempt to move. Before she could budge an inch, a rush of pink hurtled in from her side. A hard hind hoof struck her full in the side, followed by a jubilant scream of, "ENTRYYY!" 

The happy shout was followed by one of pain. The unfolding scene was borderline comical as a rather goofily posed pink mare with a poofy mane and tail in a dancer's dress high-kicked Gilda in a total blindside. Gilda was sent screaming in pain into an equally surprised Surge, knocking them down a long ways to the ground far below before they caught themselves. 

"Woo! That was fun!" the mare he recognized as another Element, Pinkie Pie, shouted. The energetic mare bounced and weaved through the air, accompanied by a rhythmic thumping sound. A closer look revealed that the Casts Pinkie wore had a rod running along them that spun rapidly, keeping the earth pony airborne. 

"How the hay-" 

"It's Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash stated simply. "Better to give up on making sense of her. Smarter ponies have tried and failed miserably." 

Despite the seeming seriousness of her tone, Flash could see a smirk spreading across her face as they watched the flambouyant pony weave through the air. The feeling was surprisingly infectious, and Flash soon felt a smile spread across his face, even as Gilda and Surge charged at Pinkie from below. She seemed blissfully unaware of the incoming enemies, and Flash was about to move to help her, but it was his turn to be stopped as Rainbow held a blade in front of him. 

Surge rocketed ahead in a streak of electricity, reaching Pinkie before Flash could object to being held at bay. Wrist blades raked through nothing but thin air as with a deft flip, Pinkie evaded. A moment later, a flourish of green shot up, and Gilda swept her scythe in a deadly arc. Again, Pinkie merely twirled to the side, narrowly avoiding the razor edge. Most stunning of all to Flash was that she dodged every blow with her eyes shut tight! Despite himself, Flash could still feel his smile getting wider, and the trembling in his overcharged limbs started to lessen. 

The griffon and dragon stopped high above and glared down at the seemingly blissfully unaware Pinkie Pie as she opened her eyes once more. With a joyful grin that seemed out of place in the middle of a battle, she stopped her aerial dance and waved up at the two of them. "Hiya there, grumpy Gilda! Nice to see you again! Though you really shouldn't be going around making my friends all pouty and sad when you stop by. You should try being nice and making ponies smile, like me!" Pinkie jabbered casually. 

"So this is the pink one, Gilda?" Surge hissed through clenched teeth. "I can see why she pisses you off so much." 

Pinkie tilted her head to the side a bit, her smile softening a bit. "Aww, I just wanted to make Dash's friend more welcome. I didn't want to upset her," she answered, absently tilting her body to the side just in time for a bolt of lightning that singed an end from her curly mane. Flash tried to fly forward to put himself between Pinkie and the attacks, every instinct screaming for him to protect, but still Rainbow held him back. 

"Grahhh! Why can't I hit you?! I should be stronger than this!" Surge screamed, her entire body sparking violently. 

"By the way, Gilda," Pinkie cheered, "congrats on becoming a Dragoon! You armor and wings and magic are sooo cool! I want some too! Pretty please?" 

A sneer passed over Gilda's beak as she and Surge flew higher and farther back. Their bright colors stood out as they silhouette of the griffon battleship loomed behind them. "You want some magic? Fine! We'll give you some!" she shouted down from above. An enormous feeling of dense magic gathering suddenly swept through the air as three swirling bands of glowing green light circled around Gilda. Within each band were dozens of luminous runes that orbitted her faster and faster as the magic in the air grew denser and denser. It wasn't just gathering from all around, it was also flowing in excess from the Jade Dragoon's body. 

 Floating alongside her, Surge's body was surrounded by deep violet bands of the same runic light. The magic was almost suffocating, and Flash felt his already labored breathing becoming heavier. Whatever Gilda and Surge were preparing, it was big. So why was Rainbow Dash still holding him back from helping? 

"Huh?" Pinkie merely blinked at the the enemy. "Oh! Silly-willy Gilda, I wasn't asking you!" she giggled. 

"What?" Gilda's brow twitched. 

As she hovered in place with her whirligig tonfas, Pinkie took an odd stance, holding one hoof pointed behind and below her, and letting the spinning weapon come to a halt. Her other hoof she held at an angle in front of her, keeping her afloat. When she was positioned, she shouted loud enough to give Princess Luna a run for her bits, "Gummy! Can I be a Dragoon? Pretty please?" 

A loud roar shook the skies in answer, and a huge gout of water shot from the earth below, striking right into Pinkie from behind, and right into her waiting hoof. The stream consumed her completely, but didn't do anything as it merely receded, leaving Pinkie dripping and sopping wet. Another roar followed immediately after, and Pinkie giggled, "Oh Gummy, you're such a silly dragon. Of course I can beat them, with Flashy and Dashy at my side!" 

Huh. When had Pinkie ever learned his name? Flash looked to Rainbow, hovering beside him, and saw an equal level of complete confusion on her face. 

"Why-" he opened his mouth to say. 

"What did I tell you?" Rainbow interrupted his question with a deadpan stare. 

"Umm... Don't question Pinkie Pie?" 

"Good boy," she beamed, patting his mane with the flat of her blade. 

Flash grumbled for a moment before protesting, "Well then why aren't we helping her? You can feel how strong those spells will be!" 

A mysterious smile spread across Rainbow's muzzle. "Yeah, each one is almost as powerful as a blast from the Elements of Harmony." 

 What?! How were they supposed to beat enemies that could put out that kind of power? 

"I don't know what you thought you were going to accomplish, Pinkie," Gilda shouted down from above. She began spinning her scythe in front of her rapidly, bringing the winds around her into a dense mass. Grasping her weapon in both armored claws, she raised the weapon over head. The rings of magic surrounding her and Surge vanished in unison, and the dragon hollowed suit by raising a clenched claw, the entire bladed appendage shining with countless arcs of lightning. 

"It doesn't matter anyway, because now you die!" Surge cackled. She opened her claw with a flash of dispersing energy and screamed, "Thunder Kid!" 

"Gaspless!" Gilda acted right after, swinging her scythe down to cut through the dense mass of winds, sending a trail of magic at an angle down just below Pinkie Pie. As a tornado began to form rise from the point the magic stopped, dozens of little lightning sparks began to rise around Pinkie. She was stuck in the center of two spells without any way out. 

Flash could only blink in utter confusion and soul tearing frustration. He hated not doing anything to protect others, and more than that he hated being prevented from doing so. Pointing his Casted hoof at the mare in imminent peril, he shouted, "That's your friend over there! She's going to die!" 

Rainbow Dash's smile only grew wider as the tornado enveloped her friend. Winds harsh enough to tear through flesh and bone had to be battering Pinkie from all sides, but still Rainbow didn't so much as budge. 

"You're completely right, Flash. And you also couldn't be more wrong," Dash said, a smug look on her face. "I trust Pinkie. She's one of the best friends I've ever had." 

The rising sparks of lightning flashed brightly, and one after another began firing bolt after powerful colt into the tornado. A growing violet ball of electricity built up, being the obscuring winds as they began to contract and pull together, forming a steadily smaller sphere of gale force death. 

"She's totally ridiculous. You'll never find a more confusing mare in all of Equestria, all just to make her friends smile. But she's not as ditzy and airheaded as she seems," she continued. "I trust that she knows what she is doing, because she'd never do anything to make her friends sad. She'd sooner make the impossible real than lose a smile." 

Flash watched in a mixture of frustration, horror, and awe as the sparks gathered above the sphere of winds, the electric glow in the center at its brightest. High above, Gilda swung her scythe back, the blade overlapped by an enormous blade of pure wind magic. Beside her, Surge slowly clenched her claws back together. The spells, cast in unison, then ended the same way. Surge snapped her claw shut, sending an enormous bolt crashing down from above. Gilda swung her scythe, releasing the enormous crescent blade of winds down, cleaving the sphere wide open. 

The wind magic shattered apart violently in the same instant that the huge bolt struck the nucleus of the sphere. The resulting flash of light, deafening explosion, and rush of wind from the dual spell pushed the two pegasi back with the intense force released. Flash didn't know how anypony could survive something like that, even with Dash's reassurance. Heck, despite her own words, even she looked a bit worried as she strained to see through the smoke. 

The rushing winds cleared the view quickly, and every fighter saw what remained at the center. A large crystal. Or rather, when Flash felt a shuddering of cold air on the tail end of the winds, he realized he was looking at a giant, diamond shaped piece of ice. And in that frozen container was Pinkie Pie, eyes closed, and holding an icey blue crystal sphere in her hooves, clasped tightly to her torso. 

Flash blinked once. Twice. Thrice in bewilderment. Then one last time as the seafoam color of the gem washed across the light dress Pinkie wore, replacing the dark pink shade it once had. 

Pinkie opened her eyes and looked up to Gilda and Surge, an excited intensity behind her gaze that replaced the simple cheer she had before. A broad smile spread across her muzzle as she called out, her voice traveling as though the ice wasn't even there, "You've attacked Ponyville just to get at Spike. You've hurt my friends. Made them frown. Made others cry." 

Gilda and Surge inched backwards, unable to grasp how their spells could have been stopped, until they saw the crystal she held. 

"The Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit?!" Gilda growled. "When did she-" 

"Now it's my turn, Gildy-Gilda!" Pinkie shouted. Flinging her hooves out to her sides, blue light exploding from from the Dragoon Spirit, forcing large cracks to spiderweb across the surface of the ice. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" 

Flash squinted against the blinding light refracting from the frozen prism. He muttered, dumbstruck, "Did she just become a Dragoon by asking pretty ple- oww!" 

Rainbow's elbow made painful contact with his ribs as she chuckled, "I told ya, she doesn't make any sense, but the last thing she was going to do was let something like that kill her. The Dragoon Spirit is a surprise though." 

"No kidding," Flash agreed. 

A loud crack followed his statement as the ice burst outward with another bright flash of magic. Wings wrapped tightly around her, she let out one last shout as the majestic, magical pinions stretched wide. She spun in place before facing Gilda and Surge in a battle posture. Her full transformation was on display as bits of shattered ice fell gently around her like winter snow. 

Her new form was as simultaneously terrifying and beautiful as Gilda's. From the powerful wings that seemed to be part of the very armor itself, to the flowing lines and markings that flowed across the light blue plates, guiding Flash's eyes to the green gemstone set in the center of the breastplate. Her Casts had also changed a bit too, the once blunt, metallic tonfa bars running along the sides of her hooves were now flat, razor sharp ice blades that led to pointed tips. But perhaps the most frightening was Pinkie herself. That look of excitement in her eyes had grown to the point that her blue eyes were practically glowing with what Flash could only call a battle fever. Her grin was wide and filled with mirth, as though this battle were the most exciting thing in the world to her. 

"Sorry Gilda, but I'm gonna have to beat you down and send you back to Griffonaria!" Pinkie hollered. Turning to look at the two pegasi, she giggled, "You with me, Dashy?" 

Flash could see the same energetic grin spreading across Rainbow Dash's face. She nodded and flitted over to Pinkie's side, holding up and crossing her own blades in front of her. "You bet I am, Pinkie. Let's show them that he they mess with Equestria, they have to deal with us!" 

Their optimism was infectious, and Flash was starting to really believe they could do this! With a Dragoon on their side now, they could win! There was no way he was going to just stand by either. 

"You with us, Flash?" Rainbow called out. 

These mares were really something else, weren't they? Then again, it only made sense that the Elements of Harmony would be some of the bravest, strongest ponies he had ever seen. They were supposed to be the most exceptional ponies in the world, after all. Even if he was out of his league though, he was going to fight. It was his mission, it was his nature, and for some reason right now he felt like he could do anything! 

"Yeah! My barrier cestus and I are at your service!" he shouted back. A zap from his wings brought him over to Pinkie's opposite side, letting the energy he still held crackle along his body painfully. It didn't matter how much it hurt, he would use this power. 

"One Dragoon won't make any difference!" Gilda jeered as she lowered into a ready stance. 

"We'll kill you all, take the Spirits, and dump your bodies at Celestia's hooves before we take her life as well!" Surge added, doing the same. 

The three glowing runic rings of a spell formed around Pinkie, spinning rapidly. She lifted a hoof straight up and started to shake uncontrollably. "Hahaha! Good luck trying! In five minutes it will all be over!" 

Only five minutes? Such confidence was certainly admirable, but also confusing. And what was with the shaking? 

Dash seemed a lot less confused. A knowing grin spread across her face as the spell built to a climax. "A doozey, huh?" 

"Doozey?" Flash echoed. 

Rather than answer, the rings around Pinkie dispersed into the air. Twirling her hoof over her head, a dozen huge chunks of ice started orbiting her, launching at Gilda and Surge with a thrust of her hoof and a shout, "Freezing Ring!" 

Like the fall of the starting flag in a race, the release of the spell signalled the beginning of the most intense battle of Flash's life. Not that he had a lot to compare to. He knew he was a good fighter, but since Equestria hadn't been to war in centuries, he had never fought to the death. Sparring matches, training in the Guard, and childhood scraps were the extent of his fighting experience. And nothing... nothing compared to this battle... this fight. 

The two groups rushed each other in the dark skies, Flash pulling ahead in a streak of lightning. His burst of speed was matched by Surge, who shattered and cut through Pinkie's icey magic, but not without her arms and blades being gloss over by a painful sheen of chilly ether. A loud boom followed shortly after, and Rainbow Dash shot ahead in the blink of an eye, leaving behind the spectral contrails of her Sonic Rainboom. 

The clash was fast and furious. Everything happened one instant after the other as when Dash would slash, Surge would dodge. Surge would move in, brandishing her claws, only for Flash to block it and take another painful charge into himself. A wide-sweeping scythe would descend on the pegasi from above, only for it to be knocked aside by a whirling tonfa blade, the other striking her back against her armored side. 

At any point Flash couldn't begin to say how much time had passed. He heard only the violent clamor of combat in his ears, saw only blurs of color and flashes of magic spells as they moved to and fro under the dense canopy of storm clouds. His only thoughts were to dodge, punch, block, and weave his way between and around ally and enemy alike. Whenever the enemy was about to strike down Pinkie or Dash, he was right there in a burst of lightning, his trusted shields meeting claw and blade. In turn, when he was in trouble, one the mares would protect him from what could have been fatal blows. 

It wasn't all perfect though. Cuts and gashes accumulated across his body. First one across his side, then two across his hind legs, more and more built up. The only one making any clean hits on their side was Pinkie Pie, but between Gilda's Dragoon armor and Surge's scales, not much headway was being made. 

Was all of their confidence for nothing? Even as he fought with everything he had, with every shot of electricity he felt ripple through his body, and every blow that smashed into his defences, he felt the pain and fatigue grow steadily greater. Rainbow seemed to be faring no better, her wounds steadily catching up with her. The one that was holding up best was Pinkie. Her energy seemed limitless, and at times he felt her fighting spirit was the only things keeping him going, like some post of push between his wings. It told him that he couldn't stop. 

Those five minutes felt like an eternity, but Pinkie's prediction rang true. Just before the moment came, the pink mare rammed headlong into Gilda and Surge, knocking them back with a hard buck and soaring up high. Stopping just below the dark clouds, she raised hooves glowing with azure light up to them. The clouds were gone. Just like that, they disappeared. Though the sky above seemed to be oddly wavy and shimmering. 

And suddenly very wet too. 

A huge wave of water crashed down on them all, drenching them to the bone. 

Pinkie shouted, "Light'em up, Twilight!" 

Princess Twilight? 

The fight was brought to an abrupt halt as a brilliant spire of white light shot up from the ground near the library. The luminous tower faded with the beating of large, powerful wings, giving way to Spike, fangs bared and eyes glowing with white light. Astride his glittering frame, standing on his back on her hind hooves was Princess Twilight, wearing opal white Dragoon armor. Her own wings unfurled, her eyes eclipsed with the same white light as Spike's. 

"Only one pony has ever been a Pinkie Sense doozey," Rainbow Dash laughed. "I knew she could do it. These guys are gonna be sorry now." 

"Damn it!" Gilda cursed. "Those bastards couldn't even kill a pathetic pony princ-" A glowing white arrow struck her in the breastplate, shattering on impact. The attack sent the griffon reeling back with a pained screech. The origin was Twilight, her Cast expanded into an elegant arch of light, forming a bow which already had another arrow at the ready. 

"Damn it, we failed," Surge spat. "His Majesty will not be happy with this." 

Holding the arrow drawn back and ready to fire, Twilight's voice reverberated through the air as she shouted in what was unmistakably the Royal Canterlot Voice, "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, the White-Silver Dragoon! Princess Gilda, I demand that you take your warriors and leave our lands! If you don't... I will destroy every last one of you!"