Canterlot lies in ruins after the onslaught of the Crystal Empire. Heros have fallen. One unremarkable Pony finds the courage to fight back. Gathering allies, he soon faces the seemingly invincible darkness that appears to be the root of all evil
One pony... Only one pony survived the brutal onslaught of the Crystal Empire. He saw his friends die and he witnessed his ruler's corruption first hoof. When he finally finds the courage to fight back, it is almost too late. Will his actions even matter?
Digging deeper into the matter, he discovers that ancient force, that caused the corruption and that seems to be the root of all evil.
Be warned:The following pages contain explicit content, like strong language, sarcasm and brutality against colorful equines, that may disturb the kind-hearted.
Last Pony Standing by Monki
Chapter 01 - Rush of the storm
Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria, there was a white wall ... - No no no... scrap that, this is not a fairytale, rather it’s a report about a historical incident and should be taken seriously.
To say that I am an author would be an exaggeration. While I always did enjoy books and fiction in general, I never thought about writing a book on my own. However, this isn’t a fictional novel for entertainment. Let's see, how do I start this..?
It was a beautiful summer day, when… argh no, way too cheesy... Well actually it doesn’t matter if I start my narrative with a cool line. How about I just write down how it actually happened, without literary sugarcoating? Does that sound good to you?
I remember that day like it was yesterday. Well, how could I ever forget it? The joy and the horror I faced. I still remember every detail, every spoken word and every scent I smelt. Everything had been etched into my brain, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never able to get rid of these horrid memories. Nothing in my life could have prepared me for what I was about to witness.
It all started out so peacefully.
***
It was one of those days. I was ordered to watch the northern Canterlot gate. A gate that separated the bottom of the mountain range Canterlot was built upon from a hilly plain; one that reached from the outer wall to a medium-sized forest that grew in the distance. A paved street slithered down the hill and towards the edge of the forest, bridging a slow paced river that was streaming through the plain, a couple of yards away from my post. On the other side of that wall, said street made its way up the slope towards Equestria's capital.
Almost all ponies know the sight of the southern end of Canterlot. It is a very popular picture for postcards and the train station is located there, as well. When ponies go by train, they only see that side of the city. The northern part behind the mountain on the other hoof is not quite as well-known; which is a good thing in my opinion. I had always enjoyed the peace and quiet around here. Normally guarding the northern gate would have been a rather easy job, but not that day.
It certainly could have been a nice day, since the sun was shining, birds were singing and no clouds covered the exceptional blue sky above me. With my surroundings so warm and peaceful, I had to focus to not to doze off.
Like usual I was leaning on my lance, bored, staring at the shimmering air caused by the heat of the summer sun. As far as I could remember, nothing had ever happened during my watch, and I liked this post very much because of the view. It had always been quite peaceful here, with the silent rushing of the small stream and the scent of grass lingering in the air. It was around noon when my superior, Staff Sergeant Feint, came down the hill to visit us.
"Private, report!" he ordered. Both my partner and I snapped to attention and saluted him, it was our duty.
"Everything's peaceful here, sir. No unusual things to report," my partner Paint Brush replied.
Paint Brush was an earth-pony and a private in the guard, like myself. He wore the same silver colored armor over his brown coat as I did. His iron helm hid away his bushy dark mane; while I decided to relinquish my helm, due to the heat. Paint Brush was a friend of mine and one of the three others I shared a room in the barracks with, the others being Eagle Eye and Midnight Sun. However, Midnight had other duties today. Paint Brush had a color pallet and a brush as a Cutie Mark.
During his spare time, he liked to stay in our room and draw stuff. Sometimes, when the weather was good enough to do so, he even went outside to paint a panorama. This day would have been such a day that he would have gone outside for inspiration, but unfortunately he had guard duty.
He recently painted a nice looking portrait of Princess Celestia, however he was shy and lacked the confidence to show it to her. I thought it was excellent work and I told him so. I also told him that it should be displayed in the Royal Gallery, but he disagreed. He was the youngest son of the wealthy Brush Family. His father, Wire, a stuck up douchebag, was a successful lawyer who constantly sued ponies left and right for banalities, just because he could, increasing his family's wealth by doing so. Paint refused his father's request to become a lawyer himself to take over his father's chancellery and as a result got disinherited and kicked out by the furious Wire Brush. He was more eager at his mother's advice to visit the 'Royal Academy of Art.' However, with no money left, he couldn't afford the tuition fees.
I never understood why such a talented pony joined the Royal Force in the first place, since it seemed like a waste of talent to me. I guess it was all about the money after all. I never have had a special talent. My Cutie Mark was a bright magenta colored spark, but I had no idea what it symbolized or how I even got it. I was a boring earth-pony with no horn nor wings to do great stuff with. I wasn't very bright, nor exceptionally strong either. I couldn't think of anything I was good at, so I joined the Royal Force as a last resort.
"It's one of those days again, eh?" Sergeant Feint started his small talk while rubbing off the sweat from his forehead. "Here boys, I brought you some refreshments. It's quite hot today, isn't it?" the Sergeant said chummily.
"Yes, sir, it sure is," I replied as he opened the six-pack and tossed a can of soda to each of us.
For whatever reason, this summer was much hotter than all the summers I've experienced before. That day the sun burned down on us, mercilessly, like it had for several days. Nopony knew why it was that hot, but I don't think anypony had ever dared to question Princess Celestia's handling of the sun before. To me, it felt like the sun was anxious for whatever reason, which would explain its abnormal behavior. If it weren't for the soft wind to cool us down a little, standing in front of the wall in metal armor in the burning sun would have been a torture.
Staff Sergeant Feint then lifted his head and called with a louder voice: "Private Eagle Eye, care for a can of soda?"
The head of a white coated unicorn with red mane, wearing aviator shades, appeared in the tower window above, now looking down on us. Eagle Eye's post was on a medium-sized tower, built into the white wall, right above the opened sturdy wooden gate, we were standing in front. It was his favorite post and Sergeant Feint assigned it to him with pleasure, since that position made good use of his sharp eyes and steady aim. He was another friend of mine, and he was the champion marksman of our unit. No matter what sport, like darts, trapshooting or just throwing a crumpled-up piece of paper in a trash can, Eagle Eye was the best at it. His natural precision had won him many trophies that decorated the top of his locker in our room. Although he seemed quite crude and cocky at first, he turned out to be the most loyal friend a pony could have.
"Sure, Sarge! Lemme hav'it." Eagle Eye called down from above.
Sergeant Feint then threw one of those soda cans into the air, which was then surrounded by a silver glowing aura. Eagle used his unicorn power to catch the can in midair.
"Thanks, Sarge!" he called down cheerfully, after he had gathered his drink.
Eagle Eye has had a rough childhood. During a 'weak moment,' he told me that his father had left the family when he was little. As a result, his mother stayed drunk twenty-four-seven ever since that day. It has been Eagle Eye who cared for his mother and raised his little sister, Cherry Blossom, all by himself. As a result, he never has had any friends nor a pleasant childhood since he hadn't had the time to care for himself. After his mother passed away because of hepatic cancer several years ago, he was forced to join the guard since they paid a decent wage which he constantly sent home to his sister to spare her from orphanage. With her reaching adulthood and his mother gone, he finally had the chance to live his own life and make some friends. The Guard helped him to brighten up, however he was never able to fully dismiss his crudeness and thick-skinned character.
"Thank you, sir. What's the occasion?" I asked the Sergeant curiously while opening my can with a 'Fzzz' sound, having a sip afterwards.
"Well, although it is very hot today and I am boiling within my armor, I have a reason to celebrate this day. My wife gave birth to my first child last night. I am the daddy of a baby boy now, guys, and I couldn't be happier today. I would have brought you something stronger to celebrate with me, but as you both know, that wouldn't be allowed during guard duty," he cheerfully said with a wink.
"Congratulations, Sarge!" Paint Brush said to him happily, patting his back.
"Best wishes to the newborn foal," I added just as cheerfully.
"The Sarge's a daddy now? 'bout time, if ya ask me," Eagle commented, chuckling from above.
Feint then reached for a pocket in his uniform and pulled out a picture of a magenta-coated newborn foal and showed it to me, with overwhelming pride on his face. I chuckled lightly, thinking that showing a picture of your foal to everypony who seems interested is very cliched. I guessed it was just a natural thing for a parent to share the joy with as many ponies as possible.
"Sarge, a group o' travel'rs 's just exited the forest path," Eagle called from upstairs.
"Can you see who it is and how many they are?" he asked lifting his head again.
"A group o' four crystal-ponies, sir!"
We turned towards the forest and saw the crystal-ponies Eagle was referring to. A small party of multicolored ponies, whose manes reflected the bright sunlight, came into sight. They had left the forest and made their way down the street, just reaching the broad white stone bridge that crossed the stream.
"Don't worry, the crystal-ponies are our allies. They are probably going to visit the city," the Sarge said, waving his hoof weakly.
"Do you have a name for your foal yet, sir?" I asked him while he turned around to show the picture to Paint.
"No, my wife and I haven’t agreed on one just yet, so we'll have to discuss it some more," he said snickering.
"Hey, lemme see that picture of ya foal, too, please," Eagle called, while looking down on us.
The Sergeant lifted his hoof holding the picture towards him.
"Mighty fine kid ya got there, Sarge," he said before he lifted his head to stare at the forest again.
Staff Sergeant Feint has always been a fair and rather laid-back superior, but that day he was in a very good mood and smiled like a Cheshire cat. Although I have served the Royal Canterlot Force for several years now, I was still a Private; a Private First Class to be more specific, but we have known each other for a long time, so a friendly but respectful relationship had arisen over the years. Although I was a regular yellow-coated earth-pony with no special abilities, Staff Sergeant Feint has always treated everypony equally. That's why I started to like him in the first place.
Loyalty and respect were much more important in his opinion than any physical abilities. In fact, he was my paragon since he was an earth-pony like myself, with no superior traits, but he had made it to the rank of a Staff Sergeant without getting boastful. Everypony could easily tell that he loved his job and that he was proud to serve the Princesses. He really cared for his inferiors, and every soldier respected him for the strict but fair pony he was.
"Eagle's right, he is handsome, sir," Paint Brush commented on the picture he was just shown.
"Sev'ral more crystal-ponies 've left the forest, Sarge!" I heard Eagle’s voice calling from above.
"There must be summer vacation in the Empire, right now. Understandable that those crystal-ponies want to spend their days off in our beautiful city," he snickered before he burst into a short laugh.
Both Paint Brush and I joined him in his laughter, infected by his cheerful mood.
"But now there's a grun'load of 'em, Sarge!" Eagle called again, with a more concerned voice.
We once again turned towards the forest, seeing the street in front of the forest being crowded with dozens of crystal-ponies. I tried to count them, but soon gave up, since there were still ponies exiting the forest.
"... I've a bad feelin'-" Eagle continued.
"Relax, Private, those are crystal-ponies, remember? The same guys we helped to retake their Empire and their freedom several years ago. Something serious must have happened, though. It seems like those are escapees." His voice had lost its cheerful tone and became more worried.
"But they ain't have any luggage, sir," Eagle Eye remarked as he seemed to tense up.
"Maybe they didn't had time to gather their belongings-" I wondered aloud.
"It seems like the whole Empire is on their hooves..." Paint remarked after roughly guessing their quantity.
"Are those Changelings?" he then wondered.
"Nope, doesn't seem like Changelings to me," I replied.
Meanwhile, the first party of crystal-ponies had almost reached the northern gate. Sergeant Feint stepped towards the first group while waving his hoof. He then stopped a leg length in front of the crystal-pony closest to him.
"Good day, traveler, what brings you to Canterlot?" he asked the first pony politely.
He reached out to shake hooves with that pony, but that cyan-coated pony with a sparkling mane didn't move, having a vacant expression on its face. I saw the Sergeant standing there a few moments, irritated, still with his hoof held towards the visitor. Paint Brush and I watched the scene from the back, standing next to the gate, a couple of steps away.
"What is going on? Why are there so many of you? Did something happen in the Empire? Let me assure you that Canterlot is more than willing to offer help to our ally in case of an emergency," he told the group while looking into their faces one after another. However, all of those ponies had the same vacant expression as the cyan one. None of them moved or spoke up, and Feint finally lowered his hoof, knowing that they wouldn't greet him.
Then, all of a sudden thousands of birds fled the forest. The cloud of birds flew right over our heads, away from that forest, like something had startled them all at once. I saw birds of prey and regular smaller birds flying next to each other, seeming quite in a haste. With our heads turned up to the swarm, Sergeant Feint mumbled:
"What the-"
All of a sudden, the cyan-coated crystal-pony rushed forward towards Sergeant Feint, tackling him with a body-check. The hit took the Sarge by surprise and he stumbled backwards, falling to one knee so he wouldn't lose his balance entirely.
Another green-coated pony rushed forwards the Sarge, delivering a backhand swing with its hoof, which hit his head forcing him to recoil. Finally, a third pony positioned itself next to him, turned around and delivered a forceful applebucking kick with both of its hind legs, aimed for his head. Taken completely by surprise, Staff Sergeant Feint had no chance to parry at all.
I heard the horrible cracking sound of his skull when the blow hit his head. The limp body of my superior was knocked backwards, towards my position. After a second of astonishment, Paint had taken up a combat stance, lowering his lance while I knelt down next to the crushed Sergeant's body.
I pressed my hoof against the nasty looking laceration, but I couldn't stop the blood oozing out of his head. With my other hoof at his carotid I could feel his decelerating heart beat. Since his life essence was already exiting his body, I had no chance to revive him. He just died there in my arms, but the adrenaline rush kept me from bemoaning him, so my head stayed rather clear, given the situation. I was shocked, but knowing that we'd lost him forever, I quickly picked up Sergeant Feint's dog-tag and the picture of that little foal he had dropped and stored them in a pocket of my uniform.
"What do you want?!" I heard Paint's enraged voice calling. "Why did you do this?! This counts as a declaration of war!"
He didn't get an answer from the four crystal-ponies. They seemed unfazed and now turned towards us.
Paint realized that there was no arguing with those ponies, so he stepped forward and delivered a mighty uppercut swing with the blunt end of his lance's handle towards the head of the cyan-coated one who was still standing where he had hit the unaware Sergeant. That pony didn't wince at all and so the swing perfectly hit the head of that pony, forcing it to turn upwards. It remained like that for several moments before the pony slowly lowered its head again, staring into Paint Brush's astonished face, still with that creepy vacant expression. Then that pony continued to draw near, as if nothing had happened.
I saw how Paint's mouth dropped open and I wasn't less surprised. In normal circumstances, such a blow would have shattered a pony’s jaw at the least. Although Paint Brush had a gentle artistic mind, he could hoof out a serious beating when he had to. The bruises on my body, I got during training, proved that fact.
"What's goin' on down there?" Eagle Eye wanted to know.
"Eagle! Sound the alarm, we're under attack!" I shouted back.
"What?"
"Those crystal-ponies just killed Staff Sergeant Feint!"
"WHAT?!"
"Sound that alarm already, damn it!"
"Oh crap-" he commented, while turning away from his window.
I heard the sound of the war-horn Eagle was equipped with, in case of danger. Two blows meant that some natural disaster was going on, like a fire, a twister or a storm surge. During the recent days there had been several town fires, started by the heat and the dry climate, so two blows haven't been that uncommon, recently. Three blows, however indicated a direct attack.
Meanwhile Paint Brush had backed away from the slowly approaching crystal-ponies. The second group had almost reached the gate as well, with the third much larger group close behind.
"Close the gate!" Paint screamed.
"No time, they're already too close!" I called back.
"Guys, retreat! There's too many of 'em!" Eagle suggested, after he had regained his breath. "I'll cover ya flanks-"
Both of us backed off the approaching crystal-pony army while Eagle Eye shot several silver colored magic blasts at the enemy to give us time to get the hay out of there. Before he could turn around, Paint got attacked by the green crystal-pony, who jumped towards him trying to hit his head, however Paint had no problem dodging the attack. Paint stepped aside and delivered a counter-attack to the green-coated crystal-pony, thrusting his lance deep into the hip of the pony, using the deadly tip of his weapon this time. Although this appeared to make a serious wound which started to bleed like crazy, the crystal-pony continued to limp forward, unimpressed. Shocked, Paint let go of his weapon, unable to move, while his face became white as chalk. He just stood there, eyes wide opened.
"What- what are you?" he mumbled, staring horrified at the impaled green-one.
"Paint, come on! Get outta there!" I tried to talk some sense into that paralyzed pony. He, however, didn't move at all.
Meanwhile the invader whose leg got impaled pulled out the lance that was still in his body and thrust it deep into the torso of my comrade, while stepping forwards. The lance pierced through his armor and the blood-covered tip emerged from Paint Brush's back.
"Paint!" I screamed, both bewildered and terrified while he coughed up blood.
"Flare- get- get outta here--" were the last words he ever said to me before he collapsed on the ground in a puddle of his own blood.
With eyes wide open, I stared at my now deceased comrade. The one I had spent so many happy moments with, the same one I had to carry home on my back after quite a wild party at the 'Winged Mug' last weekend. Then I lifted my head again, noticing that those ponies now slowly came after me. Snapping out of my grief, I started to run like my own tail was on fire. I quickly activated the mechanism that dropped the portcullis, but I knew that it wouldn’t be enough to stop them forever. I knew that I needed to get help quickly.
I heard the sound of Eagle Eye's magic bullets striking down one attacker after another, to support my escape, and his comments after each successful hit, but I didn't dare to look back.
"I betcha ain't saw that one comin'- Now even ya momma won't reco'nize ya, kid- And one fer ya, too, gal- Ouch, that hada hurt- "
Then, while dashing, I heard a menacing evil laugh coming from the forest's direction. I have never heard such cruelty, such evilness, before. The sheer sound sent shivers down my spine. I looked back over my shoulder while running, but I wasn’t sure if my grief tainted my judgement or I imagined things. It looked like a cloud of black smoke that was lingering right in front of the forest. That disturbing laughter echoed in my head, and it felt like acid putrefying my mind.
I turned my head back around and ran up that mountain path like I never ran before in my life.
Blinded by the splendor and beauty of the city, the unaware pony might not see how sturdy and well fortified the capital of Equestria actually was, but for the keen eye Canterlot was built like a fortress. Although it didn't make the impression, Canterlot was built to resist and it did its job for ages with only minor changes to its defenses over the centuries.
The wall me and my friends got ordered to protect was the outer wall. The first and smaller of two major walls to protect the heart of the city with the palace and the homes of thousands of ponies. In times of peace, the gate in the northern wall was almost always opened and acted as a mere checkpoint to validate the identity of travelers. Ever since the invasion, every guard-pony was taught how to recognize a disguised Changeling to prevent them entering the city. The outer wall was built at the bottom of the mountain and separated the 'Blue Spruce Wood' and its surrounding plain from the street that crawled up the slope towards the second, more sturdy wall. Even though it didn't make the impression, the street that slithered up the hill between both walls was another defensive mechanic, since there was no cover and from the top of the second wall archers had a good position to take out attackers that tried to reach the second wall.
The pony who had designed the city must have been a genius, I thought to myself. However, all those defensive mechanics weren't exaggerated at all, since they were meant to protect the citizens living in the city, its treasures of both wisdom and wealth like the ancient scrolls and books of the Royal Library or the jewels in the Royal Vault and the princesses of course.
So it took me some time to run up the hill and after what felt like ages to me, I reached the inner defense-ring, that separated the heart of the city from the outer wall.
"Close the gates!" I shouted at the guards standing on the wall. "Close the gates, we're under attack!"
I finally entered the inner ring and quickly climbed the stairs, reaching the top of the wall, but the gates remained open. Lieutenant Silver Badge approached me.
"Private, what's going on? We heard the war-horn... three blows? Is this a false alarm?"
"No, sir, the crystal-ponies are attacking the city. They are already at the northern gate."
"The crystal-ponies? Why would they-"
"I have no clue, sir, they attacked out of the blue and they just killed Staff Sergeant Feint and Private Paint Brush-"
In exactly that moment a massive explosion happened behind me. The ground was shaking and the explosion caused my ears to become deaf for a moment, recovering rather slowly.
"Take cover!"
I barely heard Silver Badge's call because it sounded like a mere whisper accompanied by ringing in my ears caused by the explosion. I then got pushed to the ground right in time. A giant piece of white stone flew over my head, missing it by only an inch. I could feel the draft the rock produced while scorching past my head before it impacted on the ground, only a couple of steps away from me. Silver Badge quickly got back onto his hooves and finally turned around, shouting:
"Close that gates! We're under attack! This is not a drill, I repeat this is not a drill! Heads up everypony, the enemy is closing in!"
Way too slowly for my taste, the gates finally closed. Several more Guards appeared on the white wall equipped with bows and crossbows while the unicorns charged their horns.
After getting back onto my hooves myself, I gazed down the hill at the approaching army and noticed that the tower, where Eagle Eye had remained in his position to cover my back, was blown to bits. Only smoke and haze was left of that white tower my friend used to be in and as a result, there now was a giant hole in the wall leaving the entrance wide open. The crystal-ponies were just hurdling over the white rubble pile which used to be the gate tower. The rock that had almost hit me was a fragment of the tower wall, I realized.
"Eagle- no! Those bastards!" I cried, sorely shocked.
"Private, go inform General Star Stripe! He needs to know what's going on here!" Silver Badge gripped my shoulder and shook me several times until I snapped out of my grief.
"Private, hurry!" he addressed me in a stern tone, his navy blue eyes looking deep into mine.
I just nodded lamely. Then I turned my head towards the battlefield again. The crystal-ponies were now moving up the slope and had almost reached the inner defense-ring. They probably were going to besiege it. I turned around and galloped down the stairs again, and continued dashing towards the palace. While running I heard Silver Badge calling his commands:
"Everypony in position! Archers, draw! - Hold! - FIRE!"
As I ran down the cobbled streets toward the castle, my life flashed before my eyes like a flickerbook. I saw my friends. The ponies I had spent so much time with.
I saw the moment I met Paint, and how both of us argued about who was going to get the top bunk. I saw him smiling at me as he sat in our room, painting Celestia's portrait. I saw when he cursed his father when he got drunk in the 'Winged Mug,' our favorite tavern.
Then I saw Eagle Eye. I saw our messed up introduction and how I disliked him at first. I, once again, witnessed him crying in my embrace as he told me about his twisted past. In the next scene I saw him beating me up after he found out that I had dated his smoking hot sister, Cherry Blossom, without him knowing.
The movie in front of my eyes ended and the void in my head was replaced by a numb pain, since now my friends were gone forever. I ignored the confused citizens standing in my way, asking me questions about the loud bang and the sound of the war horn. I just galloped past them as quickly as I could until I finally reached the castle.
The two golden armored guards in front of the richly ornamented castle gates were confused to see me rush by, but they didn't attempt to stop me. I entered the castle via a side entrance and climbed a spiral staircase, finally reaching the commander's post.
After opening the solid door and entering the officer’s conclave, I saw General Star Stripe and his officers standing around a long rectangular oak table, inspecting some rolled out maps that lay on top of it. It seemed like they were just discussing something while looking at the markers that were pinned to the rolled out parchment, but they instantly stopped talking when they noticed me entering the room.
Surprised, they turned towards me, as I took a moment to recover my breath.
"Private, what's the meaning of this?" one of the officers, wearing a shiny golden armor, demanded to know. "You know that you aren't allowed in here, don’t you?"
"I am sorry, Commander, but there is urgent news I have to bring you," I said, still breathing heavily.
I took another deep breath before continuing:
"General Star Stripe, the city is under attack. Only a couple of minutes ago, an army of crystal-ponies appeared at the northern gate. They attacked and killed Staff Sergeant Feint, Private Paint Brush and Private Eagle Eye, without any obvious reason. The inner defense ring is being attacked, as we speak."
"Crystal-ponies? Why-?"
"General, I have no idea why they are doing this," I harshly interrupted the officer who had addressed me before. His shoulder pads indicated that he had the rank of a captain, but I had no clue what his name was since low rank guards like me rarely spoke to the high ranked officers. Ignoring him, I continued to report to the General's frowning face. "-But Lieutenant Silver Badge is defending the second gate right now and I fear that it won't withstand very long."
"Our walls are strong and sturdy-"
Once again I interrupted another officer's objection, saying:
"Those crystal-ponies don't seem to feel pain, nor fear. Private Paint Brush caused serious wounds to two of them, but they didn’t seem to feel anything at all. He managed to shatter the jaw of one and punctured another one’s hips with his lance, but they acted like they didn't even care.
Furthermore, they seem to have a powerful spell caster within their army because he or she completely destroyed the northern tower with only one hit. I think I also saw an eerie shadow in front of the city-"
I stopped talking as I saw one officer frowning, while another lifted a brow in disbelieve. However, the General’s eyes widened. I gulped, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that shadow to them. Not even I was sure that I hadn’t lost my marbles, so why should the officers? But now it was too late to take it back. Slightly lowering my head, I watched the General, waiting for his reaction.
General Star Stripe was an older unicorn stallion, with a curved gray mustache, wearing a green vest with golden buttons. On his head he wore a richly ornamented green visor cap, with golden leaves on both sides.
Since Shining Armor had left for the Crystal Empire, the General had to move his office from Manehattan to Canterlot to temporarily take over the command of captain of the guard until a proper successor was established. This had taken much longer than expected, though. Because of the importance of Canterlot, being the capital of their country, there was oodles of paperwork to do first.
He had remained silent the whole time during my report, however he was obviously getting more dismayed with every word I spoke. He then tightened his posture, saying:
"Captain Steel Helm, you will gather all remaining ponies and reinforce Lieutenant Silver Badge's troops at the North gate. Additionally, send a small squad to the southern gate, just in case the attack is just a distraction. Aside from them, I want every available pony on that wall!
“Captain Stone Hide, go to the Royal Library and gather all information you can find, about crystal-ponies and their magic abilities. I want to know every strength and every weakness, and I wanted it yesterday, understood?"
"Yes, General!" the two officers said in unison. Both of them rushed outside to follow the commands the General has just given to them. He turned to the last remaining officer who was wearing neatly polished golden armor, awaiting his orders.
"Major Gold Star, go the city and try to calm down the citizens. A mass hysteria is the least we need, right now."
"Aye, General Star Stripe!" The third and last officer rushed past me and exited the commander's post.
Star Stripe then just stood there for a moment with his eyes closed. He appeared to be lost in thought. He then took a deep breath while shifting his weight onto his forelegs, which rested on the table. I sighed in relief, because now I was stripped off all responsibility, since it was now in the General's hooves, which meant that my primary duty was done. I never liked responsibility, always afraid of making a mistake. The General however obviously thought differently, as he lifted his head and turned towards me again.
"Private, you did well informing me so quickly. Please tell me more about that 'shadow' you think you saw."
"It was like a lingering shroud of darkness that exited the northern path of the Blue Spruce Wood, just before our retreat. I don't even know, if it was real. I only saw it for a split second. I was too afraid to investigate it more..." my voice trailed off because of my cowardice.
"Don’t blame yourself, you’ve made the right decision coming to me first. Because of your quick actions, we can organize our defenses faster. Those attackers have a strong magician in their troop, you said? I have never heard of somepony that powerful living in the Empire, except Princess Cadence. Was it Cadence you saw?" he asked me in a gentle, yet demanding tone.
"No, I don't think so-"
I knew who Cadence was and what she looked like. In fact, almost every pony in Canterlot knew, since there has been a quite ostentatious wedding several years ago. The mares on the streets have been talking about that event with beady eyes ever since. Even without the wedding, I would have known Cadence because I had guarded her private chambers several times before her departure. I remember her being a rather serene alicorn, beautiful indeed and not too stuck up like other nobles. She even conversed with us regular guards sometimes, too.
"That’s some grim news you brought there, Private,” the General interrupted my thoughts. “We'll need to inform the Royal Duo and wait for their commands. Quick, follow me, Private!"
He opened the door and beckoned me to follow him. Both of us galloped down the stairs into a long hallway, with several doors on both sides, that would ultimately lead into the throne-room.
While dashing down the long hallway, I remembered the first time I was here. Prior to my service, I was shown around the whole palace so I wouldn't get lost during my patrols. On my very first day, while walking through the castle, I marveled at the tooled golden ornaments, ancient tapestry and paintings of different nobles, heroes or beautiful landscapes, in luxurious-looking golden frames. I remember that I didn't want to blink even once, fearing that the splendor would vanish when I opened my eyes again. Of course I had to blink eventually, but I was glad noticing that nothing had changed during that split-second.
An audience with Princess Celestia was scheduled afterwards, to introduce the new cadets, including myself, to her. The first glance at the throne-room left me speechless. The splendor of the hallways was nothing compared to the throne room itself. The floor was covered with an ancient-looking, and probably very expensive, red carpet, so I tried to fret it as little as possible. Left and right of the carpet, the marble floor was neatly polished, so much so that you could see the enormous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling in the reflection. However, nothing I have seen before could have prepared me for what came next. If you looked up the word 'grace' in a dictionary, most likely a picture of Celestia would be printed below it. Before me, Celestia was radiating like the sun she represented.
After Star Stripe and I reached the throne-room and pushed the golden doors open, I saw Princess Celestia gracefully sitting on her golden throne, reading some scrolls that hovered in front of her face, held by the golden glow of her horn’s magic.
Her multicolored mane beautifully floated around her as she turned her lovely white-coated head towards us. Celestia has always been an attractive mare in my opinion. Many colts I know fancied her from afar, but of course none of them had ever confessed to her, mostly because they were intimidated by her title, her power, and her age.
"Your Highness, I apologize for the interruption, but I must inform you that Canterlot is being besieged by the Crystal Empire," the General spoke up to her, after an insinuated bow. "This Private here is an eyewitness. Please tell her majesty what you told me before."
I did as I was asked and repeated my report to the Sun-Princess as detailed as I could. She put the scrolls aside and silently listened to my report with closed eyes. After I had finished speaking, she opened them again, but remained motionless for a moment.
"So you are saying that the invaders are already at the second gate, and that a black shadow is standing in front of the castle?"
"Err- yes-" I replied irritated.
I couldn't tell if she believed me or not. Her face, nor her voice, left a clue about her feelings, but the way she had addressed me had sounded strangely to me. She then interrupted my thoughts, saying:
"Excellent! Everything went according to plan." A mischievous smile suddenly spread over her face.
"Plan? What plan?" General Star Stripe asked.
"The plan to conquer Canterlot, of course. Too bad you won't be around anymore to witness it," she answered as she rose, a devious smile coming across her lips.
"Huh? But you are already ruling Canterlot, your highness," I replied, perplexed.
"No, not after he arrived-" she replied with a smile.
Then she quickly lowered her head and while spreading her big feathered wings, a mighty bolt of golden magic erupted from her horn. Although it has been a surprise attack, General Star Stripe reacted quickly and deflected the golden bolt of focused energy, using his own magic. All those years of training had certainly paid off. The deflected beam then burned a big black smoldering hole in the palace wall on his left.
Awe-stuck I gazed at the crater in the wall, before I turned my attention back to the General and the Princess. I couldn't avoid holding his quick reaction in veneration, although I was quite surprised by the sudden attack from the Princess. While she still stood there, with her head lowered and her wings spread out, he took up a combat stance, his horn surrounded by a red glow. Celestia then raised her head and smiled.
"Very good. I didn't think that you would deflect my blast so easily. It seems like I've put the right pony in charge of the troops." Her mischievous smile widened even more.
"What's the meaning of this? Why are you attacking me?" The General demanded to know. His eyes narrowed, hardly suppressing his anger.
"Stupid pony, isn't it obvious? I tried to kill you," she said it like a foal that asked for some candy, with no noticeable cruelty in her cheerful voice. However her unholy smile disturbed me and sent chills down my spine.
The General's jaw dropped, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"- However you won't be so lucky next time," she continued and giggled like an excited foal.
"That was a powerful blast, General, she is going for a kill!" I tried to warn him.
"Private, what's your name?" the General suddenly addressed me, not averting his gaze from the Princess.
"Flare- my name is Private Flare- sir!" I replied stuttering.
"Private Flare, go and inform the officers that the Princess has gone crazy. Tell them what happened here," he ordered, his eyes still glued to the Princess.
"But what about you, sir?" I asked him, afraid of his answer.
"I'll stay here and face her." That was the answer I had expected, the answer I didn't want to hear.
"Ha ha ha- face ME? Maybe you are the one who has gone crazy here." The Princess laughed cheerfully with a hoof in front of her mouth.
"But she'll kill you, she is the Princess, an Alicorn!" I objected.
"Listen to that colt, you old crock. You might have a better shot if you just start running now," she snickered.
The General removed something from his neck without averting his gaze from the Princess, who just stood there arrogantly, watching him. He threw it over to me and I caught it in midair. It was his dogtag.
"Listen, son, I swore an oath to protect Equestria and its citizens. It is clear that our beloved Princess has lost her mind. I can't imagine what she'll do to our citizens if nopony stops her. With her almost limitless power, she could easily blow up the whole city. I’ll stay here trying to stop her to buy you some time, or die trying. Please, tell my wife that I love her. Now go, son!"
"Ha! Overpower me?!"
She burst into laughter while General Star Stripe started to unbutton his green vest. He then discarded it to the side along with his cap, revealing an old, but brawny body and a gray mane with a short, accurate haircut. Now I saw his Cutie Mark for the first time, too. It was a golden six-pointed star with three red-colored smaller shooting stars below it.
The Princess had finished her insulting laughter and now faced me. "Ha-ha no, he won't go anywhere-"
I didn't like what she just said, but I had no time to think about it more. She had lowered her horn once again and shot a golden bolt towards me. I ducked, pressing my hooves in front of my face, thinking my final hour has come, but the bullet was absorbed by a red forcefield Star Stripe had summoned to protect me.
"Private, I SAID GO!" he commanded in a sharp voice, which caused me to wince. I quickly turned around and started to run, once again. While dashing down the hallway I heard him say, "That 'old crock' still has some tricks up his sleeves. Bring it on, Princess!"
I couldn't believe it. Princess Celestia, our beautiful and wise ruler, who always seemed so calm and nice, attacked us, trying to kill us. It seemed that she was behind the whole invasion, or was at least involved. I'd never have guessed that she could turn against her own people. I wondered what might have happened to her, while I dashed down the long corridor.
*****
Of course I remember the darkest day of Canterlot. For me, the events back then were much worse. Worse than even the advent of the Lunar Revolution and the following war that I had started over a thousand years ago.
I awoke because of loud noises that came from a nearby room. Annoyed, I sat up in my bed, rubbing my eyes with both hooves. Why is it so hard getting some sleep during the day? Why can't ponies have a little more consideration for the ponies who worked at night, I wondered.
My day hadn't been that good so far since nightmares kept me from sleeping peacefully. That day I have woken up with a start way before my usual time. I managed to get some sleep afterwards, yet my slumber was still far from restful. Being forcefully awoken again I was sitting on my bed in my room in Canterlot Castle. Breathing heavily, my heart was racing as I tried to reflect on the nightmare I had. Or was it even a nightmare? It felt so real, so concrete. I wondered why I couldn't tell, since I am the Princess of the Night and protector of all dreams. Shouldn't I be able to tell the difference between dream and reality? Yes, even I can dream, but unlike my subjects, I had nopony watching over my dreams, nopony to make sure everything was fine.
Now remembering that feeling I had, I wrapped my fluffy blanket tighter around my body, but that couldn't prevent me from shivering. It was a really dark feeling that felt like an icy talon reaching out for my mind, clutching it, and trying to drag me into the void of darkness. Goose bumps covered my blue-coated body and a shiver went down my spine. I had felt that feeling before, but it was a very long time ago. It felt similar, yet different, I couldn't explain it. I was terrified to say the least. But it was only a dream, right? There is no way that this was possible. It just could not be 'him', could it?
Blinking, I remembered the commotion that had awoken me. It sounded like an explosion and somepony having an argument. I got out of bed and opened the door of my bedroom. A yellow coated earth pony, wearing iron armor was running down the hallway like his tail was on fire. Upon seeing me however, he froze, staring with both eyes wide open.
"What's going on here?" I asked him in an obviously sleep deprived voice.
He didn't move, but just stood there, looking at me with his terrified facial expression. His reaction reminded me of my time after my return from the moon. I clearly remembered when everypony was afraid of me, because of the actions Nightmare Moon had done and he just looked like that. But years have passed and everypony knew that I wasn't Nightmare Moon anymore. Well, at least I thought this would be the case.
"Are- are you Princess Luna?" he asked me stuttering.
"Of course I am. And who are you, the new palace jester?"
It was meant as a joke, but somehow my words caused him to wince. I smiled to show him that I wasn't angry at him, but he still didn't relax.
"Are- are you going to kill me?" he asked me nervously.
"What? By the moon, of course not! Are you OK? Your face looks so pale. Maybe I should bring you to a doctor."
It seemed like I had startled him. I felt sorry and wanted to make him feel comfortable again. Some ponies are not used to being around royalty, after all. However, I had no idea why he thought I was going to kill him. Those days were long gone. Slightly insulted, I decided to change the topic.
"So what was that sound I heard some time ago? Was it another failed experiment some of the local wizards prepared to impress my sister?" I smiled so he may feel more relaxed around me. It wouldn't have been the first time that the experiment of a scholar who was a little too ambitious backfired in the throne room.
"Princess Luna, it is horrible!" he started to burst out crying. He collapsed on the rug that covered the hallway, crying hysterically. I was quite confused, but I stepped near him and planted a gentle hoof on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. He then continued to say some disturbing things about an invasion, several ponies having been killed, and that my sister tried to execute him, accompanied by a lot sobbing.
"Why would my sister do such a thing? That's it, I’m bringing you to the hospital wing."
He winced once again and backed away from me. Suddenly, a bolt of golden magic shot past us, down the hallway, and exploded somewhere at the end. I turned my head towards the direction that bullet came from, seeing some magical lights flashing wildly in the throne-room.
"You will tell us exactly what is going on, Guard!" I ordered in my Royal Equestrian Voice.
"It's like I said, your highness. Your sister lost her mind, and tried to kill General Star Stripe and me. She seems to be involved in the invasion, somehow. Right now he is in the throne room, battling her."
I gulped, remembering the feeling I have had before. So that cold claw didn't come for me, it came for Tia. It only grazed me, because our souls are that close to each other. If I was that intimidated by the mere presence, I could hardly imagine what it would feel like to be the actual target of the unholy grasp.
"Did you see something unusual?" I asked him, fearing his answer.
"With all due respect, your highness, I witnessed how my friends and my superior died. Two of them were slain by crystal-ponies, one got shredded by an explosion, that blew up his tower. Your sister, our beloved ruler, tried to kill me, I saw ponies marching forward with no fear nor the feeling of pain and then there was that black shadow-"
"What black shadow?!"
I had a really bad feeling about this. He then told me what he thought he had seen outside of the castle. I stared into his eyes, but I could only find sorrow, fear and honesty. It was utterly out of the question that he was going to pull my leg, so my darkest assumption was proven right.
"Guard, I command you to leave this castle, immediately. You have no idea what force you were facing. In fact you are lucky, to still be alive. Find your comrades and evacuate Canterlot at once. Take as many civilians with you as possible, and guide them to safety. By degree twelve paragraph forty five of the Canterlot law, I enact the Canterlot Evacuation plan. I believe it is known as '45 Charlie' to you, isn't it?"
I have never been familiar with military acronyms, but this particular one was stuck in my head, since the last time this plan was put into action was right before I confronted my sister as Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago.
"Your highness? An evacuation?! Where should I bring them?" His voice sounded surprised, but not as much as I would have expected. All in all, he appeared rather collected, despite these circumstances, after his breakdown.
"Lead them to Ponyville. It is the nearest town, and you should ask Princess Twilight Sparkle for help. Despite being a Princess, she still lives in that old dusty library. Now go and do as you were told!"
I was glad that at least Princess Luna appeared to be herself. When I first saw her in the corridor she seemed quite disgruntled, I had assumed that she too was involved in the incident. It was also the first time I met her. Sure, I've seen her from afar many times during my service, but I have never spoken with her before.
All I knew about her, before actually meeting her, was based about gossip and rumors. Some ponies said that the Moon Princess was cold-hearted, short-tempered and reckless, while others described her as exceptionally smart, playful and even a bit shy. I also heard somepony comparing her with a time-bomb, ticking away, causing another calamity when the time is up. Ridiculous nonsense in my opinion. I was afraid of her at first, but I soon felt the warmth and calm she emitted while she tried to comfort me. My first impression of her was, that she was equally beautiful like her sister, yet in a more subtle way. She didn't radiate the same grace like her sister, but there was something about her that made her evenly impressive. Her presence didn't feel as overwhelming and blinding as her sister's, rather it was pleasant and encouraging.
This might sound strange, but it felt good to let my grief flow, even if it was only for a moment. Because right after the fog in my mind had vanished, she had ordered me to evacuate the city, warning me that something powerful was approaching. I wasted no time moving my flank through the long corridors, the marble walls echoing the sound of my hoofsteps, my racing heart beating uncontrollably.
I ran down the hallway I had just came from and exited the castle. I turned around, seeing the red and golden flashes being let off by Celestia's and Star Stripe's magic, through the colorful mosaic windows of the throne-room. It seemed like Star Stripe was still alive and able to fight the Princess. I couldn't avoid the slight pride in my head, knowing that a regular unicorn had the power to stand up to an alicorn. Although I didn't know the General very well and rarely ever saw him during my period of service, seeing just how determined he was to keep me safe had earned him my undying loyalty.
Shaking my head, I to return to the present. There was still the war in Canterlot going on and I had important orders from the Princess. The two golden armored guards were still standing in front of the entrance, casually glancing at the citizens who passed by the gate. A quick glance at the flashes on their shoulders told me their ranks. They either hadn't seen the light-show coming from the throne-room, or they didn't think it was trouble. They probably got used to it, since the Princess was an Alicorn, meeting many other spell-caster that tried to acquire her favor.
"We're under attack! Princess Luna has ordered the immediate evacuation of Canterlot! Come on, follow me!" I called them, frantically.
The guard-ponies looked at each other amazed, but didn't move. I knew that I was only a Private, I couldn't order them around, since both of them had a higher rank than me.
"I am serious! This is an emergency! I am acting by order of Princess Luna. You can throw me in any dungeon afterwards if I lied to you, but for now follow me, please!"
With a shrug both of them finally set themselves in motion. Relieved I said to them in a less pleading tone:
"Corporal, you need to find Major Gold Star. He was sent out to calm down the citizen. Tell him, to initiate 'Emergency Plan 45 Charlie', immediately."
"45 Charlie? An Evacuation?!" The golden one lifted a brow in disbelief, but nodded after he had caught my demanding gaze. I addressed the other one next.
"You must go to the battlefield at the second northern gate and inform Captain Steel Helm about the evacuation plan. Tell him he needs to defend his position as long as possible, to give us time to evacuate the civilians to safety."
He nodded too and both of them galloped down the paved street, both heading different directions. I exhaled relieved, I never have given any commands to other ponies before. Who would listen to me anyway?
I continued running down the main-street. An armored stallion was approaching me at a smart trot. It was Captain Stone Hide, who was sent to the Royal Library to gather information about the invaders. It seemed like he had finished his research and was just returning to the commander's post, to inform General Star Stripe about his discoveries.
"Hey, Captain, Captain Stone Hide!" I called to get his attention. He stopped his trot, now standing next to me.
"You are that Private, who delivered the message, right?" he asked recognizing me. I nodded my head in response.
"Captain, the General is indisposed, right now. Princess Luna has ordered the immediate evacuation of Canterlot, 'EP 45 Charlie'."
"What? Why? What's going on, Private?" he said in astonishment.
"No time to explain, sir. We have to act quickly. Please help Major Gold Star with the evacuation."
"So you say, Princess Luna gave you that order?" he lifted a brow in disbelieve. "Why would she do that? Evacuating a whole city is a serious business. Are you sure you didn't misunderstand her command? I am quite sure the invaders will be swept in no time."
"No, sir. I was just as surprised as you are now. She assured me that it is of the utmost importance to abandon the city."
"I understand. Where is the General, does he know about this?"
"He's with Princess Celestia, right now," I replied, dodging his gaze for a moment.
He just nodded, then turned around and galloped down the street towards the heart of the city. I had concealed the truth to him, since the explanation would have cost us some more precious minutes. He most likely wouldn't believe me, anyway.
'45 Charlie' was a rarely used routine to evacuate the citizens in case of emergency. It hadn't been used in ages, well at least as far as I can remember. Although all guard-ponies got instructed on how to evacuate the city, most ponies didn't take it seriously enough, most of them thought that the Princesses would handle every crisis and they would never have to follow the plan. To be honest, I once thought like this too.
Several minute and some more running later, I reached the battlefield again. Shocked, I had to notice, that the invaders already had destroyed the second gate. The remaining of the splintered wooden gates were taken off its hinges, now lying on the ground in front of the white wall. Several pony-spell-casters stood on the wall, concentrating on their magic. Together they had summoned a sparkling multicolored force-field to seal the now opened gateway. However they winced with every attack their magical blockade repelled. During my approach, I could see the endeavor, their faces expressed, while trying to keep up their magic against all odds.
I also saw the Wonderbolts, Equestria's most talented flying squad, swishing over the battlefield, summoning thunderclouds that unleashed their lightning strikes onto the crowd of invaders, while other team members formed mini twisters to keep them away from the barrier. The lightning bolts that struck their targets electrocuted them, leaving the crystal-ponies steaming and twitching spastically, but none of them seemed to mind at all. Although they tried their very best, even the famous Wonderbolts couldn't stop the crystal-pony's approach.
At this point several of the crystal-ponies had already climbed the walls and were going for the magicians to grant access for their comrades. Each magician was protected by a group of guards that was repelling each attacker, so that the magicians could focus on the force-field, while the archers were still shooting arrows and bolts down the wall. Some earth-ponies even threw the remains of the exploded white tower at the invaders.
I finally reached the wall and saw Captain Steel Helm, defending a magician, Silver Badge protecting another. The Lieutenant's face was stained with blood, dirt and sweat and it seemed like he had received a cut to the face recently, a long scar marked the left side of his cheek. I made my way to the Captain as quickly as I could, while dodging and climbing over the countless dead bodies, all the while trying to not look at their maimed faces.
"Private, some Corporal told me that Luna ordered the abandonment of the city, is this the truth?!" He addressed me, while rubbing some sweat off his face.
"Yes, Captain! ‘45 Charlie!" I shouted over to him to drown out the noise of the battle.
"Good! We’ve tried our best to hold them back, but I don't think we can hold out much longer," he replied shouting with a desperate voice.
A silver-coated crystal-pony, who had made it on top of the wall, charged at the Captain, but he dodged the attack and with an impressive kick of his hind-legs, he sent the attacker down the wall, back to his fellows in front of the force-field.
"Major Gold Star has already initiated the evacuation-" I replied hoping that this was indeed the case, before I tackled another attacking crystal-pony to send it to its friend down the wall.
Now two crystal-ponies approached us, one a purple colt, armed with a short bladed dagger, the other being an orange-coated mare, carrying a guard's halberd. The mare slowly lifted the heavy weapon over her head, like a lumberjack, then the sharp edge struck at me in a downward arc. The blade emitted sparks as the metal hit the stone floor of the wall, making a scraping sound.
The swing was rather clumsily executed. She seemed to have neither the physical strength nor the expertise to wield such a weapon properly, and yet even such a flawed swing could have cut a pony into two, had she hit. With me being unarmed, my best bet was to rush in, to shorten the distance. The mare had the advantage of a much wider range with her pole-arm, she would have a harder time in close combat, I figured. Dodging her attack and circling her with a quick sidestep, I found myself standing between her and her purple friend. While she was busy, lifting the heavy weapon again, he leaped at me, trying to stab me. I feinted a sidestep to the left, instead jumping to the right. While he stumbled past me, I slammed my body into his side, pushing him off the wall.
Now, the mare had lifted her heavy weapon once more, lunging out for a side-ward swing, thankfully I was right next to her and only the long shaft managed to hit me. Still the mere force pressed the air out of my lungs, but most of the damage got absorbed by my metal armor. The armor I wore now was battered at the spot the mare managed to hit me, fortunately I was unharmed except for some bruises.
"Slacking on your agility training, aren't we, Private?"
Before she could strike me again, the Captain intervened, grabbing the shaft of the weapon, near the tip. With him holding the halberd down, that mare wasn't able to lift it up again and with a nimble motion of his hooves, he managed to disarm the crystal-pony.
Now holding the weapon the wrong way round. He wasted no time and swiftly struck the side of her head in a circular upward swing with the blunt end of the shaft. The concussion managed to daze the mare, causing her to stumble over the edge of the wall. He then whirled the weapon around, skillfully securing it, so that the blade-tip was now pointing at the sky.
The dexterity, he had just displayed, awed me, since it required quite some strength and expertise to wield a halberd that masterfully. No wonder, that he was a Captain, I thought to myself.
"I am sorry Captain..."
"You will be next time. If that mare learns how to handle our weapons before you learn how to dodge." His words were sharp and hurtful, yet there was no insulting tone in his voice. It was meant as advice for me and he was right.
"Remind me to sign you up for an extra drill with me, in case we survive this mess," he said with an encouraging smile on his face, while he reached down to help me get up.
"Aye sir! Thank you."
Pulling myself together I had a look at the gateway-yard. Countless crystal-ponies with many different coat-colors relentlessly threw themselves at the force-field, trying to finally shatter it. Some of the ponies looked like pincushions, with several bolts and arrows rearing up their bodies. I even spotted a pink-coated one, which had its hind-legs disembodied by a magical explosion, that same pony still participated in the attack of the force-field, by merely crawling forwards.
"In all my years, I have never seen anything like them-" the Captain spoke up, while standing next to me flank to flank, gazing over the battlefield.
"Those, those 'things' just keep on marching forward, no matter how badly they are wounded. No matter how many bolts you shoot at them, they still keep attacking mercilessly. How can you fight an enemy, which is immune to pain?" His voice contained a sour tone of desperation.
Then, with no warning at all the attacking stopped, a deadly silence covered the battlefield. I lifted my head and my heart skipped a beat. A black cloud of darkness had appeared among the attackers. Every pony, including the crystal-ponies, had stopped fighting and looked over at this unholy ghost. At second glance, I noticed that it wasn't a cloud, it was a glowing aura of energy emerging from a single pony. The aura itself wasn't pure black like I first thought either, rather a sombre halo streaked by dark purple, blue and green tongues of magical fire.
As for the pony himself? He was a dark gray-coated unicorn, wearing steel armor. His back was covered by a crimson cape, similar to the one rulers displayed in their ancient portraits in the Royal Gallery. His black mane merged with the disturbing aura that surrounded his body, waving like a black flag in the calm wind. But the most remarkable thing about him were his eyes. They were green with a red iris. I have never seen eyes like that before. I could never express the feelings I felt, seeing him for the first time, but my heart suddenly felt like being made out of plumb. The pony, wrapped in that wobbling dark shroud took a step forward, his posture was majestic, but his appearance terrified me, the wobbling gloom around him didn't make it any better. But the most horrible thing about him was his voice.
"Ahhhh- I can smell your fear, my little ponies.” His deep hissing and growling voice echoed over the yard. Once again I heard his demonic laughter.
Captain Steel Helm's face became pale as chalk. "It-it- it is- him! ....Sombra!" His wide opened eyes stared over at the dark warlord.
"Sombra? The ancient stallion, who used to rule over the Crystal-Empire?" I asked, but he just nodded weakly, unable to avert his gaze from that pony.
All my knowledge about him and his background, was based on old legends I have read or old mare's tales I’ve heard. As far as I knew, he lived quite a long time, somehow gaining rule of the Crystal-Empire, by bringing the citizens of the Empire into subjection. Nopony ever knew how he enslaved a whole Empire just like that.
When the Princesses learned of his evil deeds, they urged him to stop suppressing his subjects, but he refused. Forced to take action, they used the might of the Elements of Harmony to seal his body and mind into the icy ground near the Empire's capital.
Generations passed and nopony ever thought about him escaping his shackles that bound him to the land he used to rule, but a millennium after his banishment, he returned. It was the Princesses' niece Cadence, who was able to beat him a second time, using a powerful artifact called the 'Crystal Heart'. Nopony thought he would return, since his body got annihilated and his soul shifted to another realm, yet the exact same pony now stood there in the gateway-yard, seeming rather unharmed. How was that even possible? I had no clue.
"Yes! Fear me! Fear me, more! Your King has returned, and I will retake what's mine!" the growling voice continued.
"Archers, aim for the shadow! Fire at will when ready! I want you to make him a pincushion!" Steel Helm's command echoed over the battlefield, breaking the silence.
Half a moment later, a swarm of arrows, bolts and magic missiles flew towards the wobbling cloud. The King didn't move a muscle to defend himself, or to dodge the attacks. He just remained motionless, watching patiently as the incoming bullets came ever closer. At the very last second his solid body dissipated and he vanished into black smoke, while the bolts passed right through him, hitting the ground where the King had stood a second ago. Once the last projectile hit the ground the smoke condensed, forming his unharmed body, once more.
"Pathetic! It's my turn now!"
His horn began to sparkle in a dark greenish light. Suddenly the shadows of the five magicians, began to move on their own. A second later, several wiggling shadow-like tendrils emerged from the ground below each of the magicians. Like tentacles, they quickly wrapped around the bodies of the scholars. Struggling to free themselves, the tendrils only intensified their grip.
From the corner of my vision I could see Silver Badge, trying to free the trapped magician he was defending. Cutting the tendrils with a knife he had quickly drawn, the blade went right through the surface. Amazed he inspected his dagger and tried it again with the same result.
The King lifted his head, and his horn began to glow more intensely. The shadow-tentacles wrapped around the helpless ponies tighter, choking them. Time seemed to crawl, as the shackle like shadows tightened more and more around their bodies. I could hear the creaking of the limbs and torsos as their bones started to break. The horrible sounds got quickly covered by their screams of agony. Frantic, I tried to get a hold of one of the tentacles but my hooves couldn't feel anything other than an unnatural coldness as they went through the shadow. Steel Helm on the other hoof used the halberd’s shaft trying to pry the magician free or to at least lower the pressure on its victim, but he failed as well.
An evil manic grin appeared on the King's face, and with a jolt of his head each magician got crushed within the grasp of the unholy tentacles. Five fountains of blood sprayed the formerly white walls, now looking like a macabre modern painting. At the same moment, the magical barrier shattered, leaving the gateway unprotected.
My eyes widened as the blood of the magician Steel Helm and I were just trying to free splashed onto the ground soaking my hooves. My breakfast made its way up my gullet and I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to vomit. With the utmost effort, I somehow managed to swallow the bad taste again, looking around it seemed like most of my comrades had similar problems.
The King started to laugh once more, more hysterical and long-drawn this time. How could somepony feel pleasure mutilating other ponies? Dazed I tumbled a few steps towards the Captain, who just stood there motionless, his armor blood stained from the magicians blood. His whole body shivered and the pole-weapon he had secured from that orange mare, dropped, causing a clattering sound.
"Captain-" I whispered. "Captain! What shall we do?"
He mumbled something unrecognizable. It was hard to understand the words he spoke, because of the chattering of his teeth.
"Captain?" I asked with a hoarse voice.
"Re- retreat-" he whispered. "Retreat! Everypony retreat! Get the hay outta here! Fall back to the southern gate!" he repeated, this time with his loud commanding tone.
The remaining soldiers turned around and started to run in terror.
*****
Those were bad news that guard-pony had brought to me. It seemed like an ancient evil has been awakened and it had even managed to corrupt my sister.
I shook my head to clear my mind. There was still the fight in the throne-room going on and I decided to investigate. I snuck down the long hallway leading to the throne-room. The antique red carpet dampened the sound of my hooves, as I drew nearer. I then heard the sounds and saw the flashes of magical light the intense battle caused. Now standing at the door I carefully looked around the corner into the large hall.
It was true, Tia was still fighting with General Star Stripe. I must admit that he defended himself skillfully, despite his talent however it was clear that Tia only played with him. If she would unleash her true potential, the whole palace could be destroyed. Unfortunately the battle seemed to come to an end, although the General fought brave and agile, he got more and more tired, while Tia didn't. I wasn't sure if I should intervene and try to save him but my choice was taken from me, when I saw him dodging three quick blasts of Celestia's golden magic, only to get hit by a grazing shot, wounding his shoulder. Kneeling down with his wounded leg given away, he just looked at Celestia defiant, gritting his teeth back and forth. Her grin got wider as she noticed that the skirmish was over.
"I must admit that it was fun playing with you for some time, but it gets boring. I will end this now, I have other things to attend to," she said with a smirk, the whole time approaching him, slowly lowering her horn, aiming at his head.
I didn't want to see this, I turned away pressing my back against the cold wall of the hallway, hectically thinking about the options I had. I could confront her, trying to save the General, but I wasn't sure if I could beat her. She was immensely powerful and I wasn't sure if I had the nerves nor the necessary strength to fight her at her max level. Summoning all of our powers in the city would cause serious damage and put the lives of our subjects in jeopardy. Even if I had enough strength to beat her, how could I detain her? Without the Elements of Harmony at hoof, I couldn't imprison her nor seal her power away. And even if I had the opportunity to do so, would I really do it? She was my sister after all and I loved her.
I decided that it would be best to do some research first. Maybe there’s a way to cleanse her mind, without fighting her. That guard said that Canterlot is under attack, which means that the Royal Library might get burned down or otherwise destroyed before I am able to find a cure for my Tia. However it pained me to leave the brave General behind like that. Distraught, I back-paddled then turned around and ran down the hallway, towards the exit.
"By the moon,” sputtered the General from the other room. “Luna and the Elements, will bring you down, you crazy- Uargh!!!"
I heard his last words, thrown at her, before she could execute him. The last thing I heard before I exited the long corridor was his death cry accompanied by the manic laughter of my sister. For the first time I witnessed a side of my sister I never had imagined before.
I reached the castle's plaza and spread my wings, ascending high into the air to take a look around. Turning to the north, I saw the battlefield, covered by smoke and haze. The Royal Forces were able to defend their position even though the last gate was destroyed. I could see their courage fading away quickly. The south however was crowded with ponies. The guard did as I had told him, and the remaining troops had started to gather up all the citizens of Canterlot. Turning my head back to the battlefield, I saw him-
At a normal day, I would have marveled at the variety of market stalls and the colorful flowers growing alongside the street in oblong stony flower pots, but this wasn't a normal day at all. Me and my boys have been here many times before, since our favorite tavern, 'The Winged Mug', was located in a thatch roofed building at the southern wall.
The roads leading to the gate were packed with ponies, most of them had been ordered by the guards into a reasonable formation, while others obviously didn’t know what they were supposed to be doing. I saw Major Gold Star standing next to another guard in golden armor, which held a clipboard in his hooves, counting every pony that passed by. Most of the citizens seemed to already have left the city.
As Steel Helm and I spotted and approached the Major, my companion ran ahead and shouted out: “Major Gold Star! The gate is lost! The crystal-ponies are breaking through our defenses, how is the evacuation going?!"
Shocked at the unexpected arrival of Captain Steel Helm and I, and the sudden outburst that followed, the Major signaled towards the stallion standing next to him. "Corporal?" Gold Star addressed his assistant with the clipboard, who was one of the palace-guards I had sent over to help with the evacuation.
"According to my list, we have every citizen on the move, sir," the Corporal replied, after having another quick look at his documents.
The Major nodded in approval and then turned towards the other officer, who had just turned around a nearby corner and joined our meeting. "Did you find out anything about the crystal-ponies, Stone Hide?"
Although being slightly out of breath Stone Hide reported: "According to the records, the Empire was never known for its magic users. While there were some spell-casters in the past, none of them reached an advanced level necessary to blow up whole towers. I also didn't find any information about laughing shadows nor an army immune to pain. I am afraid I didn't find anything useful, sir." The officer shook his head apologizing, after he spoke.
"Major, you probably won't believe me, but 'He' has returned!" Steel Helm impatiently spoke up.
"He? Who are you talking about, Captain?" Gold Star lifted a brow.
"Sombra-" Steel Helm whispered with his voice trailing off.
"Sombra?! Impossible! He got defeated by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, years ago." A couple eyebrows were raised in disbelief when he told them about the crystal ponies and their apparent leader.
"I know what happened, but Private Flare and I both saw him with our very own eyes. It was him and he’s more powerful and ruthless than ever before." Although he tried to put up a steely resolve, the fear in his voice was unmistakable.
“So this explains what’s this whole fuss is about, but now onto a more pressing matter. We have an entire city worth of ponies on the move, but no set place to put them. Any Ideas?” Gold Star asked while looking at each of our faces one after the other. Obviously I had forgotten to tell him where to send the evacuees.
“Private Flare has informed me that Princess Luna wishes the civilians to be sent to Ponyville,” Steel Helm explained while pointing his hoof at me.
“So the Princess gave you that order?” The Major turned towards me. “Um... yes,” I replied stammering. “She also said that we must ask Princess Twilight Sparkle for help once we reach the town.” He remained silent for a moment, probably pondering my credibility before his glance wandered up into the sky behind me. A surprised look spread across his face, only to be replaced by revelation a moment later.
I turned around to see what he was looking at, then spotting the Princess hovering in the sky. Apparently she was watching us from afar. “Then get your flank to the front of the crowd and guide them to Ponyville, Private!” the Major commanded turning his attention back to me, now being utterly convinced of what I had said.
“Me?! Why me? I’m just a Private! Shouldn't you or Captain Steel Helm lead them?” I practically whined.
“The Princess commanded YOU to evacuate Canterlot and lead her subjects to safety, didn't she? Who am I to question her highness's orders?”
“But- but Major- I-”
“Private, I am ordering you to the front. Lead those ponies like you were told or you will peel potatoes till the end of your service. Got that?!” he bellowed at me, making it clear that talking back would be no use.
“A-aye, sir!”
Gulping, I turned around and slipped out of the gate, now galloping past the crowds of ponies to get up to the front. But before I left Canterlot, I faintly heard Stone Hide's concerned voice:
“Sir, do you really think that this is a good idea?”
“If the Princess trusts him, so should we…”
While the top-notch railway system of Canterlot would have been the fastest way to leave the city, it’s not recommended to use the train in times of attack. Trapping a lot of ponies inside small coaches without a way to escape would give the enemy a good opportunity to attack a whole bunch of citizens at once. Another problem was that there weren't enough coaches to evacuate everypony. So escaping by train was not an option, I thought while galloping past the crowd of civilians
“Mommy, where are we going?” a little filly asked her mother, somewhere in the middle of the halfway organized horde.
“I don't know, dear,” the mother replied in a soft but concerned tone.
“I heard there is an invasion going on-” a stallion said to his friend as I galloped by.
“- Then you take a cup of flour and add it to the mix-” an elderly pony said to another. They most likely didn't understand what was going on. Good for them.
Just before I reached the front I spotted a tired, but graceful looking mare, that drew my attention somehow. She was holding a magenta-coated newborn foal in her hoof. Seeing her, I slowed down and stopped running for a moment. With a presentiment, I scrambled to find the picture of the late Sergeant Feint’s foal I had stored in my uniform when all this mess started. After patting down my entire body and probably looking really dumb doing it, I finally found the picture. Looking at it I gulped, recognizing the foal.
...It was his.
...and that mare must be his wife. Patting the pocket I found the picture in, I made sure that the dog-tag was still within it, but it suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. Of all the hundreds of ponies I came by, why did I just notice her? Pushing that thought aside, I quickly averted my gaze from the mare and her child and made my way to the front.
“Erm- Hello everypony... M-my name is Private Flare and I was ordered to lead you to Ponyville…” I stepped in front of them and introduced myself.
“Tell us what’s going on!” somepony called from somewhere in the back.
“Yeah, we want to know!” another one agreed.
“Well, um- I- We have no time for explanation, now. This is an emergency and evacuating you is for your own good.”
“I won't move any further, before I know why we were dragged out here!” somepony else called. A murmur of approval went through the mass of ponies to back up her statement.
“Um- I can't tell you right now, but it is very important to follow, trust me. I act in the name of Princess Luna herself.”
“Do you have any proof that you were sent by the Princess?” a female voice asked warily.
"Erm- no, but-" I panicked. Of course they wouldn't listen to me. Why should they? Plus explaining everything to them would cost precious time, something that wasn't on our side. It might even cause a mass hysteria or worse.
"Please, you have to follow me! It's for your own safety," I yelled desperately.
"I know you-" the Sergeant's wife with the foal spoke up. "You are one of the colts of my husband's unit, aren't you?" Her emerald eyes seemed to pierce right into my mind.
I gulped, but nodded shyly, trying to avoid her darting gaze.
“Listen, everypony, he is one of my husbands men. Feint would never allow a liar among his colts. I mean look at him, does he seem dishonest to you? If he says he was sent by the Princess I trust him and so should you." Again all of them mumbled to each other, not knowing what to do. Major Gold Star had finally reached the front and raised his voice:
"I am Major Gold Star, and I am the Commander of the Equestrian Force, during General Star Stripe's absence. All of you are in danger, so we decided to get you out of the crossfire. I can assure you, that this soldier here, got all the authority he needs by the Princess herself. Do you want to disobey, her highness wishes?" his stern voice echoed over the crowd of ponies. A moment of silence followed.
"Please, take us where we need to go, I'll follow you..." the Sergeant's wife softly addressed me, in an encouraging tone.
A murmur of approval spread around the crowd. I was really thankful for her support. I don't think that I would have ever convinced them without her help. I turned around and started to walk down the pass that led down the mountain range Canterlot was built upon. I was glad to see that the ponies finally followed me willingly.
While walking down the steep serpentine street I listened to the mumbling of the crowd behind me. They still wondered, why they were taken out of Canterlot all of a sudden, they wondered where the Princesses were and they wondered what was going on in the city. I couldn't blame them for their confusion, since I didn't understand everything myself.
After quite a walk in the bright sun the little village called Ponyville came into sight. I exhaled, relieved. Only a moment too soon. I heard a scream, from somewhere behind me and turned around startled. Rumor, gasping and whispering went through the crowd as the ponies that were walking at the end of the group spotted an armored pony, shrouded in a dark cloud and his following zombie-ponies. Although they weren't moving that fast, they had no problem shortening the distance. Commotion and confusion spread through the crowd of citizen, as more and more ponies saw Sombra.
Major Gold Star had noticed him too. Galloping to me, he now whispered: "Private, you will stay at the forefront and make sure the civilians reach Ponyville. If that is done, find Princess Twilight and ask her for help." He quickly galloped past the procession, gathering all the remaining soldiers that had walked on both sides of the crowd. All of them regrouped at the end of the mass of ponies.
"Guards, we must protect those civilians at all cost!" he called at them. Most of the remaining soldiers were wounded or terrified of what they had seen, some probably thought about just fleeing and abandoning their comrades. At, this point most had figured that those ponies would just overrun them, like they did when we still had the advantage of our defenses at hoof.
"It is time to renew our oath!" he screamed, while he rearranged the formation with a motion of his hoof. He then spoke up, so that everypony could hear his words:
"Hear my words and bear witness to my vow. I swear, my loyalty to the ponies of Equestria and it shall not end until I go. For the Sun and Moon, I shall live and die serving, no matter where I'm from. I pledge my life and honor to the Royal Guard, for this day and all the nights to come. I am the candle in the darkness, and the sword of the light. I am the shield that guards the realm of Ponykind. You have heard my words, now and here. I swear, I will always protect my people without fear!"
Most of the remaining soldiers started to join in his solemnly chant after a short time of hesitation. It was the same oath they had sworn, before they joined the Equestrian Force, the same words I said several years ago. Nopony could have known what those words meant at that time, but now all of them yelled the words they had said before as one voice, stepping in the way of the approaching invaders. They finally understood that there would be no easy way out of this situation. Most of them had friends and family in the crowd, some even had children they wanted to protect. All of them now remembered what was hanging in the balance, and that they would be the only protection for the citizen.
"Louder!" I heard Gold Star's command from the back of the procession. All the soldiers repeated their oath, now speaking up with every word they said.
"I said, LOUDER!" Gold Star repeated, after they had finished yelling the words a second time, the crystal-ponies quickened their pace, now charging right into the waiting formation of soldier-ponies.
"May the Sun and Moon stand by our side!" were the Major’s last words, before the din of the battle drowned out all additional voices.
"Quick, everypony! We need to reach the village, now!" I called in a calm but stern tone to the now terrified citizen. I was quite surprised, about the courage and assertiveness in my voice. Without any additional word, they started picking up pace, now trotting after me towards the small village. None of them looked back at the battle their relatives fought to protect their loved ones.
Ponyville - once only a small petty spot on the map, which acted as a mere rail junction between Canterlot and other far away regions like Dodge City or Las Pegasus, soon came to fame when a young mare came up with the recipe of the famous 'Zap-Apple-Jam'. This delicious delicacy attracted a whole lot of ponies willing to invest in the now blooming apple industry. Even though the village quickly grew in population, it never lost its original rustic charm. The town never forgot where its fame came from, being one of the most important apple suppliers in the entirety of Equestria. And so, the old traditions were still cherished to this day. The most noticeable inhabitants of Ponyville, besides Princess Twilight Sparkle of course, are Octavia, a well known Cello virtuoso and Vinyl Scratch, the unofficial 'Princess of Bass'. Why I thought about all this while I ran past the sign that stated ‘Ponyville’ was beyond me, though.
When I reached the edge of the village I quickened my pace some more, now dashing past several half-timbered houses, I was heading for a giant oak-tree, whose treetop I easily spotted in the distance. The tree was hollowed out completely and it's inner space now acted as the local library. It was also the adoptive home of the newly coronated Princess, Twilight Sparkle.
I impetuously knocked, almost kicking in the red painted door until a young purple dragon opened the door.
"Yeah, what is it?" He said in a annoyed tone. Obviously the way I knocked at the door had displeased the young dragon. Taking a second look at me, he noticed my battered, dirt and bloodstained armor and his eyes widened.
"Quick, where is Princess Twilight?!" I addressed him directly while looking into the inside of the library, trying to spot the Princess somewhere. Hearing her name, she stepped down a set of wooden stairs.
"What is going on? With all this noise I can't concentrate on-" her voice trailed off, as she saw me standing in front of the door. Her mouth dropped open and she whispered: "Oh my, what happened to you?"
The Princess was a young lavender-coated alicorn with a dark purple mane, streaked by a pink and light purple stripe. The book she had held in her levitating magic dropped to the floor when she scanned my messy outfit. Although being a Princess, she didn't make the impression of being one. The way she moved, acted and talked provided no indication of her title, so unaware ponies might assume her being a regular pony until they recognize her being an Alicorn with both wings and horn.
"Highness," I addressed her without any formality, "Canterlot has been invaded by the Crystal Empire. Sombra returned and broke through our defense, using an army of crystal-ponies. Princess Luna ordered the immediate evacuation and told us to come here, asking you for help and advice. However Sombra followed us here and the remaining guards are trying to buy us some time. They are fighting the approaching invaders, as we speak-" my voice was shaking and trailed off, just as I finished my sentence.
"Wait wait wait... What?! Sombra has returned?!" she screamed, before her jaw hit the floor.
"Yes, your highness."
"-And the Guard is fighting him in front of Ponyville, right now?" her voice became more acute.
I just nodded impatiently. Her eyes widened even more. "Highness, please act quickly, my comrades are dying out there!" I plead her desperately.
"Yes, yes of course!" A purple glow surrounded her horn and shortly after, a golden tiara came into sight, softly landing on her head afterwards.
She then nodded to me and together we left the 'Golden Oak Library', galloping back towards the edge of the village. Meanwhile the canterlotean civilians had reached the village as well and stood on the main plaza next to the round town-hall building, not knowing what to do. Attracted by the sound, some local citizen had opened their windows or stopped passing by, interrupting their daily business, looking curiously at the large crowd of scared ponies, standing in the middle of their village.
When we reached the village edge, Sombra and his army had already defeated most of the Canterlot force and drew near the small village, by stepping over their dead bodies. However, somehow it seemed like the amount of invaders had increased in numbers, since I last saw them. While having another look, I noticed ponies in battered armor, among the lines of the invaders.
"You said, the Crystal Empire is attacking us, so why are there guard-ponies among their troops?" Twilight asked me confused. I, however didn't have an answer myself. I was just as surprised as the Princess, since I thought the speech of Major Gold Star had encouraged the soldiers. Then I spotted the Major, standing as one of the last remaining guards on our side, together with two other guard-ponies.
Sombra stepped forward, now standing in front of his army, saying in his horrible hissing voice: "Surrender and you might survive, resist and you will die an agonizing death!"
"I will never surrender to you, fiend!" Gold Star said, spitting on the ground.
"That was the wrong decision, however I hoped you'd say that," the dark King casually replied, while an evil grin spread across his face.
The shadow of the Major began to move and wriggle. Not knowing what was happening, the Major quickly got entangled by those dark colored tentacles, I have seen before. Knowing what would happen next, I closed my eyes and turned my head away, still hearing how the grip tightened and with no further hesitation tore the trapped pony apart. Once again I heard the King's demonic laughter, that cause goose bumps on my entire body. Shocked by the cruelty, she had just witnessed, Princess Twilight just stood there with a pale face and an opened mouth, hardly grasping what she just saw.
"I- I surrender-" one of the two remaining, low-rank guards screamed, prostrating before the dark King.
"Me- me, too!" the second one agreed and did like his comrade, kneeling down in front of Sombra.
"Ha-ha - good choice my little ponies-" His horn glowed in that unholy green light and once again the shadows of the kneeling ponies began to move.
"No- please, we surrender!" both ponies squealed terrified, watching the tendrils wrapping around their body.
But instead of ripping them apart, the tendrils stretched and widened themselves, until their unholy surface covered their body like a black blanket. After every inch of their body got covered by that shroud of darkness, the shadow faded again, leaving both ponies, kneeling on the ground, unharmed. They got onto their hooves, turned around towards us and I recognized their vacant face expression. Then they stepped back into the line of Sombra's followers.
After some time that felt like ages, Princess Twilight, regained her composure, again, now stepping towards the King, who just stood there chuckling.
"Sombra!" she addressed him, in a calm tone, trying to suppress her irritation.
"It is still KING Sombra! At last we meet again Twilight Sparkle," he snickered amused.
"It is PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle, now!" she replied copying his phrase, trying to tease him. He however seemed to psych her mind game and remained calm.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My deepest apologies, I couldn't come to your coronation, 'Princess'. It seems my invitation got lost on its way-", he replied with an artificially insulted tone, while bowing down. He also accented the word ‘Princess’ very deliberately.
"You look like the Sombra I know, but you seem very different... I didn't know you could actually talk in full sentences," she said that with a smirk.
"There are certain events that can change a pony entirely, but I have always been able to speak like this," he replied smiling.
"What do you want, Sombra, why are you torturing and killing innocent ponies?"
"Oh, isn't it obvious, my dear? It is my duty. I also came to reclaim my kingdom…“ He then turned his gaze away from the Princess and looked past her, over at the frightened citizens, remaining in the center of Ponyville. He then bobbed his head and slightly nodded towards them. “... and my subjects."
"Those ponies aren’t and never were your subjects. What do you want here in Ponyville, you used to rule over the Crystal Empire-" the Princess wondered aloud.
"I am still ruling it, my dear, but then I thought, why should I only focus on the Crystal Empire? It is so cold up there, you know? Then I wondered, why not expand my borders a bit more? Also I wanted to visit some old friends of mine-" His voice became soft and playful, sounding almost innocent as like he was speaking about a casual thing. However his evil grin left no doubt about his true intentions. He turned towards the Princess again and smiled at her - A wicked cruel smile.
Meanwhile, attracted by the noises, most of the Ponyville-Ponies had noticed the large crowd of ponies standing on the plaza. Windows got opened and heads appeared in the gaps of open doors. Many of the Ponyvilleans had friends or relatives living in Canterlot and so they came outside to greet the arrivals. Most of them didn't understand, why the canterlotean ponies were here, so they approached them probably to ask what was going on. I averted my gaze from that crowd of ponies, that now started to chat with the local citizens.
"How did you survive? I witnessed how Cadence used the Crystal-Heart to banish your sinister mind from this world," Twilight wanted to know.
"-And it worked quite well, if I might add that. Yes, my body got destroyed, and my mind got banished to the void of the twisting nether. It hurt..like a lot. Can you imagine, what it's like to float through infinity, for years, without a body?" "No, of course you can't!" he continued after a dramatic pause.
"You have no idea, what it feels like your body getting vaporized to dust, your mind getting dragged in a dimension of eternal darkness, being alone without the ability to move or free yourself. You were here the whole time, having parties with your precious friends." The more he spoke, the more despicable his voice became.
"Suits you right, Sombra!" Twilight interrupted his speech, grinning at him gleefully.
"Didn't I tell you, it is 'KING' Sombra?" he replied unimpressed, returning to his calm innocent-sounding tone.
"However, maybe I should thank you and Princess Cadence, for doing so?" he continued smiling slyly.
"Whatever do you mean?" Twilight asked confused.
"Well, without my banishment to that realm, I wouldn't have been 'enlightened'."
"Huh? Enlightened?" she asked him puzzled.
"Well, maybe enlightened is the wrong term to use, but it turned out that my banishment was the best thing that could happen to me, so again thank you, Princess-" Silent but obviously amazed she kept listening to him during the following monologue.
"While floating through that empty realm of eternal darkness I had a lot of time to think. There isn't much else to do if no one can hear you screaming and you don't have a chance to move at all. I was furious at first, I hated you and your friends for what you did to me, but soon I realized how foolish I was. I attacked the Empire again, without having a plan, without thinking straight. I realized that it has been my own fault, that I failed."
"All alone, being surrounded by eternal darkness for such a long time, I started to reconsider the events. That's when I started to hear distant whispers. Thinking that this voice being my dawning insanity, I ignored it at first. Over the years I started to accept the surrounding darkness, since there was nothing I could have done to escape it. I started to relax and I learned to embrace it, while the voice got louder. The whispering asked what I desired most and I replied: Revenge!" Sombra's eyes glowed, while he spoke out the last word.
"I got asked, what I would be willing to do, to reach my ultimate goal and I replied, absolutely everything! Ever since then I have begun to actually feel the surrounding darkness. I learned how to manipulate it and after a while I learned how to control it. Or rather, I RElearned it.” Again he made a dramatic pause and smiled.
“Soon enough the darkness felt natural, almost like a second skin. It felt like something I was used to in the past, something that originated my whole existence. The voice kept whispering to me, it reminded me who I really am. I am a King, no snooty Prince, A KING!" he yelled excited.
"I could feel the darkness changing me. It crawled into my mind and slowly formed a new body around it. I didn't know how much power darkness had until then. For me like anypony else, darkness was just an abstract notion." The Princess remained silent, thinking about what he just said, but it obviously didn't make much sense to her, nor to me.
"By that time I had absorbed enough dark energy to free myself and I finally realized who that voice, I have heard, actually was.”
It seemed like Twilight was going to ask who he was talking about, since that question went through my head as well, but before she could phrase her thoughts he continued and she closed her mouth again.
"Do you know what that means? No, you don't, I can see it in your eyes... I was completely beaten and destroyed, yet I managed to restore myself, I evolved, I absorbed a seemingly endless energy making me stronger and I learned how to use it and in the end I was able to break free. All by myself, it just took some time to figure things out. In addition I remembered my forgotten past. I remembered why I am here and who had sent me. So thank you Princess for making me a god again."
The Princess just stood there, blinking at him. It seemed like she had a hard time to understand what he just said. Honestly, his explanation sounded like complete buffalo-shit to me. However he just continued his monologue:
"When I was hit by the pure might of the Elements of Harmony, Celestia and Luna used against me, my soul got shattered and while being trapped within the icy ground beneath the Crystal-Empire, it took me aeons to put the shards back together. Obviously I missed some pieces of my shattered soul and forgot who I truly am. When I finally escaped their seal, I only was blinded by rage. After being shackled to the icy earth of the Empire, for a millennium, I was so angry, so full of anger. My only desire was to make Celestia and Luna pay for what they did to me. That tunnel vision kept me from thinking straight yet speaking properly, since all I could think about was to reclaim MY Empire. That's the reason I got defeated by that blasted filly Cadence, that easily."
"-But now that is different, since like I've said: I have changed, I became more prudent. I now know who I am and I am ready to continue where I left off."
"No matter who you are or whatever freed you, Cadence will banish you again, using the Crystal-Heart." Twilight spoke up, sounding secure of victory.
"Oh, you mean 'this' Crystal-Heart?"
None of us had noticed the necklace he had worn around his neck, the whole time. It was a gemstone, carved in the shape of a heart, but its color was black like polished onyx. Most of the time it was covered by his dark aura he was still surrounded by and due to its black color you could easily overlook that detail. He used his green glowing magic to show it to us some more, while addressing the Princess with a fanged grin.
"That's a fake!" Twilight bursted out instantly, but not utterly convinced of her statement.
"Oh no, my dear, I can assure you, that this is the same gem, your precious friend used back in those days."
"How did you get it then?" she wanted to know, while trying to suppress the upcoming edginess in her voice.
"Tz tz tz, do I look like a fool to you, Princess? I am not like those stupid villains in your fiction books, that explains every detail of their plan, giving the hero enough time and information to come up with a way to escape certain doom." He smirked, while shaking his head. None of them said anything and for a moment, an uneasy silence followed.
"If you are no 'stupid villain', why are you even telling me all this?" the Princess cooed.
“Maybe I like to play with you? Maybe it is part of my plan to tease you? Maybe I want to enjoy the moment before I beat you, Princess, and be sure that I will. I have spent such a long time in that other dimension that I just wanted to let you know, what force you are going against. I heard that you are hungry for knowledge, so let me lecture you about the might that will kill you in a few moments.”
The Princess’s stance widened as she tensed up, like she was expecting an attack. Sombra, however, didn’t seem like he was going to assault her just yet. Instead he casually continued:
“Did you know, that darkness is not a shade, not an abstract term. I realized that, if darkness is present in a realm of nothingness, it must be everywhere. Light can cover darkness like a blanket, but if you remove that blanket again the darkness will return. Darkness is immortal. It does not only surround you during the night, the darkness is omnipresent even within everyponies hearts. Fear, hatred, malice - the darkness has many names, but in the end, it is still all the same."
A mixture of curiosity and confusion shadowed Princess Twilight’s face. She remained silent however.
"I also realized, that we are not so different, you and I-" he continued after a pause.
"What?! No, we are in no way alike!" Twilight then yelled filled with indignation. "You are evil, enslaving ponies to serve your will, you killed ponies for pleasure, you tried to rule, through violence and oppression. No, we are in no way alike! You are not even a real ruler!"
"Hmm you might be right, that I have no kingdom, yet, but as I said before, I am going to change that. However you are wrong with the other part. You recklessly abuse the power of love and friendship, to buff-up your own magic abilities, don't you? Well I do the same, but I use the power of fear and hatred, instead. As you might see, both are sides of the same coin. An ancient coin-"
"Didn't you even use dark magic, back in the days, to find the Crystal-Heart?" he continued in an excessively curious tone. "How did it feel? I bet you've never experienced something like this before, did you? I also bet it felt strange to you, yet exciting. You were curious, what it would be like, on that other side. It felt to you, like you only tasted half of the cake."
"I- err- no! That is not true!" the Princess replied shouting, but appeared like she was just caught with one hoof in the cookie jar. He kept looking at her and displayed a fanged grin.
"I kinda knew, you would say that. Allow me to demonstrate the power of the darkness-"
He lifted his head and his horn glowed in a vicious green shine, streaked with darker orbs. Twilight got herself ready for an assault, while he focused more energy into his horn. Twilight's shadow began to move, but she was already expecting that. She jumped aside, however she couldn't shake off her own shadow just by doing sidesteps. Having an idea, she ascended into the air, using her new wings, now floating in midair.
"Ha! You can't reach me here, since my shadow stayed on the ground. Your magic is powerless against me, Sombra!"
Looking at the Princess hovering above him, he tilted his head and smiled.
"Good move, Princess, however I wouldn't be too cocky, if I were you-" he said in his playful tone.
Twilight's scornful smile started to fade, just like her self-confidence. Sombra tilted his head slowly to the other side and suddenly the sun, that had shone above us all, lowered itself, by a remarkable amount, almost touching the horizon. Astonished, Twilight gazed at the setting sun, although it was early afternoon. She was too distracted, that she didn't notice that her shadow had crawled up the wall of the half-timbered house, she was hovering in front of. Tentacles erupted from her shadow on the wall and wrapped themselves around the body of the surprised Princess. Unable to use her wings anymore, she fell to the ground, like a stone. Struggling and fighting against those tentacles, that had wriggled around her body, she looked up at Sombra, who stepped near her, bowing down to her, so their eyes could meet.
"How- how did you do that-?! As far as I know, only Celestia’s magic is able to control the sun..." she stammered breathlessly. "Well, that is not entirely true. I bet that Luna could do so as well, if she just tried. It would be much more taxing for her doing so, though. So in a way you are quite right, my dear - Only Celestia can fully control the sun," he chuckled, then burst into a short demonic laughter.
"But how? Did you do something to her? Did you kill her and somehow absorbed her powers? Do you want to spread eternal darkness over Equestria, now?" Twilight said shaking her head relentlessly, like she could abandon her thoughts by doing so.
"Silly Princess," Sombra shook his head with a pitying expression. "Why would I want to hurt Celestia? Why would I want eternal darkness? No, I kinda like the look out of the window, when I get up in the morning-"
"-Because she will rip you a new one, as soon as she gets here-" the trapped Princess spit out.
"Oh, I doubt that, actually both of us are close friends now. You may even say, she is like a sister to me..." he smiled at her. Twilight's face became even more puzzled in confusion.
"Didn't you listen, Twilight Sparkle? I said light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. Without light there is no darkness, and without darkness there is no light. Both can be suppressed but not fully destroyed. Why should I limit my power, by spreading eternal darkness over Equestria? You see, I am not an Alicorn like yourself, I could have never done such a thing on my own. Without the help of the sun's light, I wouldn't have been able to trap you like I did, would I? If darkness gets predictable by staying forever, it would lose it's threat," he spoke to her in a lecturing voice, lowering his head further to directly speak into her ear.
"OK, history lesson is over. Now if you please excuse me, Twilight, I have other business to tend to-"
He lifted his head again and stared at the escapees, that had witnessed the whole scene, from afar. Seeing the Princess lying on the ground defeated, the panic that had lingered between them intensified even more. Noticing his gaze, I bravely stepped between the ponies and the unholy King and his army.
"Princess!" I spoke up, "He somehow corrupted Princess Celestia. She turned against her subjects and even tried to kill General Star Stripe and myself. The General then stayed to bring her to justice. I don't know how, but she is on Sombra's side, now-"
"Oh very good-" Sombra applauded, turning towards me. "You actually managed to survive her wrath? Impressive! And yes you are right, she will keep my throne warm for me, until my return to Canterlot. So would you be so kind and move out of my way, so I can greet my subjects?"
The trapped Princess rolled around, until she could face me and nodded encouraging. I shook my head.
"Ugh- this again-" he rolled his eyes annoyed and shook his head. "What's with all you foolish guards, are you so eager to die? Fine have it your way-" He slightly nodded towards me and the army of zombie-ponies set itself into motion, drawing closer.
"Kill everypony that dares to resist!" he commanded his army by raising his voice to make sure everypony present heard him.
Behind me I heard the screams and sighs of the terrified crowd as the mass hysteria ultimately got unleashed. I can't say that I was much braver than them, but it was my sacred duty to defend the ponies of Equestria, just like General Star Stripe had said. I closed my eyes and prepared myself for my final fight, even though I was scared to death. If it was my destiny to die here and now, I won't let it wait for me, I thought. Then I heard the relieved cheers.
"Look it's the bearers" someone behind my back said. "The Elements of Harmony have arrived!" a female voice cried delighted. "Thank Celestia, we are saved!" a male voice agreed.
The ponies behind me shouted exultantly. I turned around, seeing that four more ponies had showed up at the plaza, each equipped with a sparkling golden necklace, resembling their Cutie Mark. I exhaled relieved, since I won't have to deal with the evil King and his minions anymore. Those ponies have saved Equestria many times before and I had no doubt, that they would do it again.
"Oh no, it's the bearers, I am so doomed-" I heard Sombra's shocked voice from behind. Gleefully I turned towards him, to see his frightened expression, however I only saw a broad smile on his face, noticing that he once again had used his artificial voice to trick us. "At last you showed up. I thought I had to do everything by myself," he then continued finding his cheerful tone again.
Meanwhile, an orange-coated blond earth-pony had swung a rope like a lasso and caught one of the unaware civilians with it. His incentive cheering got stifled as the rope tightened around his neck, choking him. The face of the caught pony turned green, then blue, while he yanked his hooves at his neck, trying to get rid of the rope that was garroting him. However it didn't seem like he ever had any chance to break free from that mare's stranglehold, since the orange pony was said to be the strongest of the six. From what I have heard about her, she possessed an exceptional physical strength for a pony her size and could wrestle with a bear and might actually win. Of course such stories are always quite exaggerated, although that pony indeed seemed rather strong to me.
That afflicted victim was still wrenching at the rope around his neck, desperately gasping for air, before he ultimately succumbed and collapsed. Amazed the surrounding ponies witnessed his death, with wide opened eyes, and then took a step back from the now lifeless body. None of them had moved a muscle to help that strangulated pony, most likely because of mere astonishment. The still trapped Princess Twilight's eyes were wide opened and her face expression displayed unknown disbelieve, as she witnessed, how one of her best friends had killed an innocent civilian.
"Applejack, what are you doing?!" she cried bewildered.
I witnessed how the pink-coated one pulled out a cannon, made of blue painted steel equipped with lavender colored wheels, out of the blue behind her back. In normal circumstances, I would have wondered how she had hid such a big device behind her body, but those weren't normal circumstances. She then fired a barrage of random things into the paralyzed crowd. Although the pies and cupcakes, she had fired, wouldn't be lethal at all, the bricks, anvils and flower pots certainly would. The bullets, then took out several ponies one after another, that were standing in the front of the crowd. I couldn't believe what just happened and so I just stood there with my jaw dropping to the ground. Those were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the most loyal and trustworthy ponies I have ever heard of. Instead of saving everyponies flank, like I had hoped they would, they just went on a killing-spree.
"Pinkie Pie, no!" the Princess's wailing voice whispered.
Awakening from their state of shock, panic spread through the escapees and each of them fled in different directions, while screaming horrified. A cyan-coated Pegasus, however, quickly flew past the fleeing ponies and electrocuted some of them with a quickly summoned lightning-shooting thundercloud. The sheer speed and agility she displayed, while roasting her victims one after another, left me speechless.
Finally I regained my composure right in time, noticing a fourth white-colored mare, charging her horn with bluish magic. At second gaze I noticed several metal needles, that sparkled in the sunlight, levitating in the air in front of that mare. I noticed the Staff Sergeant's wife, standing next to her, right in the field of fire, still holding her foal tightly in her hooves. Even though she appeared to be just as terrified as the Princess, me or the rest of the civilians, she bravely tried to shield her foal with her own body. Without thinking, I swiftly dashed over at her, ramming my shoulder into that mare's side, to push her out-of-the-way. Instinctively she had wrapped herself around her foal to dampen the fall. While rolling on the floor, I heard the swishing sound of the needles flying past our heads, hitting the bodies of the ponies that had stood behind us. Throats, chests and heads got impaled by the barrage of sharp projectiles, not giving the unlucky victims a chance to avoid them.
Unintentionally I had pushed Mrs. Feint towards a back alley, that branched from the Ponyville Plaza. Looking up and realizing our position, I then hectically dragged her into the alley and pushed her against the cold stone wall to cover the bodies of the elderly mare and her foal with my own, expecting the white-colored mare to come after us. I tightened my body, expecting the stinging pain of her needles in my flank and back, but it never came.
I opened my eyes again and stared into the confused face of the Sergeant's wife. Everything has happened so quickly that she needed a moment to fully understand the situation. Still expecting an oncoming attack by either of the element-bearers, I looked around strained. It was a rather narrow alley, we were able to escape to and the low sun threw a long shadow leaving most of that back street in gloomy twilight.
Then I turned my attention back to that mare, that was still lying under me with her body trembling. I quickly scanned her body to make sure that she was unharmed and returned my gaze to her teary emerald eyes, filled with shock, fright but also gratefulness, as she was trying to say something. I, however, hushed her silently and she nodded. All this whole time, the foal in her hooves, didn't make any sound that may have blown our cover. I inspected the child more closely, to make sure it was unharmed and indeed it appeared quite healthy. It just looked back at me with its large bright amber-colored eyes and smiled warmly. Maybe it understood the situation somehow, but I had no time nor the nerves to wonder why.
I carefully looked around the corner of the house the three of us crouched next to, seeing that the white mare had turned her attention to other victims and the other three attacking elements were otherwise occupied. It appeared like none of them had noticed that we were gone. Now was the moment for me to sigh in relief.
"We are doomed!" "They'll kill us!" "Where are the Princesses!" "All hope is lost!"
The voices of the alive citizens filled the air. Then all of a sudden, each one of them got surrounded by that black tendrils, that then covered their bodies and turned them into more emotionless zombie-ponies. It appeared like each one of them had lost all hope, or just gave in to their defeat, making it easy for the darkness to cloak them. After their transformation, the new slaves trotted over to join the lines of Sombra's fellowship.
From our hideout I heard Twilight's voice calling Sombra, who had given his army a signal to stay back, enjoying the massacre:
"Why are they doing this?! What have you done to them?!" she addressed the King furiously, after she rolled around once more, to look at him.
"Oh me? Well I didn't do much, really. All they needed was a little incentive to join my side," he chuckled obviously amused by the display. "Believe me or not, Pinkie Pie was the easiest to corrupt. You wouldn't expect the dark feelings that ever smiling party-mare had shut away deep in her subconsciousness. It was quite easy to stimulate her doubt and almost non-existing self-confidence and fill her heart with remorse. Her dark side was the most fun to play around with, too," he snickered.
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. "With Rainbow Dash's fear of being futile and Rarity's greed for appreciation my seeds of hatred found the perfect environment to bloom. All I had to do was whispering to their darkest fears and desires and voila-" he snapped his hoof as a way to finish his sentence. "Applejack on the other hoof was a much harder nut to crack. Her stupid honesty and sympathy towards everypony, made her able to resist my 'charm' for some time, but in the end, I was able to convince her, that her family-members might have some 'minor accidents' in the future-"
From my position I saw the King bending down to the trapped mare, winking at her grinning.
"As for your beloved mentor- Well let's just say she wasn't quite satisfied with her job and the current general situation."
Now I finally understood. He could only brainwash ponies, who had either lost all hope or were otherwise filled with too many dark thoughts. It seemed like good emotions shielded your mind from the corruption, while bad emotions weakened it enough, that Sombra was able to turn the ponies into his slaves.
"You monster!" the Princess shouted distraught, while tears dripped down her cheeks landing on the not so far away ground below her head. "I will never forgive you!" she continued squealing.
Suddenly her horn blazed in a dark greenish way, while her eyes turned bright green, now emitting a foggy purple aura. The once black tentacles that had held her captive, turned brighter, changing their color to a lavender tone and started to wriggle like they were going to let her go. Then the Princess finally broke free, by spreading her wings and ascending, shaking off the now magenta colored tendrils. The bubbly green glow of her horn then intensified, just as the lavender glow, that her bright green eyes emitted. I slightly ducked back into the alley, thinking that she got converted as well, but I couldn't avert my gaze from her entirely.
With a maniacal expression on her face, she lifted one hoof and pointed at Sombra, while the magenta colored tentacles rushed forward and attacked the dark King, under her command. He then got hit by each tentacle, forcefully knocking the now surprised-looking King to the ground. She then slowly glided to the ground, but collapsed on the sandy street. The Princess then shook her head and opened her eyes again, abandoning the evil expression she has had a second before. Very slowly the knocked down King regained his composure and got back on his hooves again. With his once crimson cloak now stained by dirt and his body shaking, he turned towards the Princess and started to laugh right into her puzzled face. I couldn't understand that maniac at all. He got hit right into his face and all he did was laughing? Why did he get hit anyway? Maybe he hadn’t have the time to turn himself into that invincible cloud?
He laughed for some time, before he wiped away the blood that was trickling from a cut on his lip, and raised his voice once more: "Very good, I must admit, that you surprised me. I am quite impressed. Maybe now this discussion becomes a little more interesting-" he smirked.
"Hehe - See what did I tell you? NOT-SO-DIFFERENT!" he then continued his evil conniption.
Twilight used the time to quickly gaze around and I was still observing the events from my hideout in the back alley. The Element-bearer had stopped their butchery for now, looking at both Sombra and the Princess, while Sombra's zombie-ponies had remained motionless, ever since he had commanded it to them. Until now only a few civilian ponies remained unharmed. The majority of the formerly large crowd surrendered and got turned into more slaves, abandoning the dead bodies of their companions that lined the streets of the otherwise beautiful village.
Then Twilight once again turned towards the King and both of them stared at each other, without saying a word. The only difference between them was their facial expression: Sombra smiled delighted, while Twilight's face was covered by disgust. Then her face lit up a little in hope, as she addressed the King: "It seems like you weren't able to convert Fluttershy, at least."
"Yeah I'll have to admit, that I couldn't find the slightest darkness in her heart. Too much kindness and all, you know? But I will find a way to make her mine, trust me. I will focus on her conversion as soon as I am I done with you, Princess. I just need more time to come up with a way to approach her. In the end, everypony will follow my will."
It was true, there were only four of the element-bearers present, plus the Princess herself. One of the bearers was missing. I sneaked back into the alley, turning to Mrs. Feint, who softly cradled her child in her hooves. Noticing my approach she looked up at me with questioning eyes, but I put a hoof onto my lips and she nodded understanding my cue. Then I pointed in the direction, that led away from the center of Ponyville. She nodded again, and I helped her to get back on her hooves. I took a glance around the corner, making sure nopony was in sight, before the both of us silently stepped out of our sanctuary.
Luckily all the attention was focused on the argument of the Princess and the evil King at the center square so we managed to get away unnoticed. Without any further problems, we were able to make our way to the north west of the village, crossing a stream and reached a small cabin, which walls were covered by many bird houses. Its roof was moss-grown and curved, looking like a big green mushroom. Although the light was switched off, I stepped next to the front-door knocking more softly than I had at the library's door. Nothing happened. I knocked again after a moment, raising my voice:
"Miss Shy, we need your help. If you are at home, open the door, please." Still no reaction. "Miss Shy, we won't hurt you in any way, I promise."
.... Silence.
"Miss Shy, you are in danger, we've come to warn you about..."
"G-g- go away, no-noponie's home" I finally heard a very silent squeaking voice from the inside of the house.
"Miss Shy please, I brought along a mother and a small foal, that need your help, so please open the door." I tried to sound as soft and relaxed as I could, under these circumstances.
I then heard a gasp followed by some rumors and movement inside of the cabin. Within the door a small window got opened ajar and a white bunny with a leery face expression came into view. He looked at me, then he looked past me at Mrs. Feint and her foal, before he turned around and nodded towards the inside.
The door got opened, a moment later, by a yellow-coated Pegasus-pony, with a pink long hairstyle. However, she instantly backed off and lowered her head as soon as the door was wide open and we entered the house. Several critters jumped in front of her, as if they were trying to defend her. I saw squirrels, ferrets, mice and all of them stared at me, with determined faces. I had no doubt, that they would do their very best to defend that pony, if they needed to. However I was kinda confused by the thought, that small critters need to defend a grown mare, instead of the other way round.
"Miss Shy, do you know, what is going on in Ponyville?" I asked her, trying to not sound accusatory.
She just nodded slowly, turning her head away, to dodge my glance.
"You are in great danger. Sombra has returned-" Hearing that name she squealed in a high-pitched tone, covering her head with her hooves, as if she could avoid the issue by not listening.
"- And he will come after you soon. We need to get the hay out of here and hide somewhere."
Looking at that yellow pony, lying on the ground, shivering, with her hooves wrapped around her head, it would have been an understatement to say that I was very disappointed. Although I knew from all the tales and legends I have heard about the element-bearers, that Fluttershy was the most timid of the six, I would have never thought she was that chicken-hearted. During all those tales, they always appeared so heroic and brave. One story was about Fluttershy, who single-hoofly defeated a grown dragon, but judging by the first impression, this tale was either an exaggerated lie, or it has been a different Fluttershy.
I wondered if it was a waste of time, coming here to ask for help, since she didn't make the impression, she's going to fight Sombra at all. A ferret was patting her head pitying, while looking up to me defiantly. On the other hoof, I have sworn to protect every pony from danger, so it was my duty to do my best to defend her, even if I had to do it all by myself.
Behind me, Mrs. Feint spoke up, with a voice as soft as Pegasi-downs:
"Miss Shy... please.."
After a moment she replied with a hesitant voice:
"I-I have a hidden basement. I store my animals food there a-and I-I sometimes hide there, when Rainbow Dash is in her prankster-mood, again," her voice trailed off ashamed.
"That is great, Miss Shy, please show us the entrance. 'He' can show up any minute now." I avoided saying his name, since this would have made her flustered mood only worse. She nodded slowly, while the white bunny, that I have seen through the door window, pushed aside a red rectangular carpet, that had covered a wooden hatch, that was seamlessly built into the ground of the floor.
I blinked surprised, but then I opened that hatchway, by pulling up an iron-ring, that was attached to that door, revealing a set of wooden stairs leading down into a small room beneath the floorboards. The walls were made of stone bricks, and the room itself contained several burlap-bags and wooden boxes neatly organized on the opposite wall. I entered the basement first, followed by Mrs. Feint and Fluttershy, then all the remaining critters jumped down the stairs as well. The white bunny clutched a rope, that was hanging from the ceiling and the pushed-away carpet rolled back to its former position, covering the hatch perfectly. That was quite a cunning device, I thought to myself, since no unaware pony would expect a trap door under the carpet.
With everypony, and everycritter now standing inside of the dim storage basement, I cast my gaze around. The room had no source of light itself, as far as I could see, however it was illuminated by the afternoon sun, shining through the cracks of the deck boards. Tired as I was, I simply sat down next to one of that wooden boxes, leaning to the stone wall. Mrs. Feint did like me and sat down next to me.
Now I had the time to inspect that elderly mare more closely, too. She was a blue-coated mare, with a dirt blond long mane-style. I'd say she was about the Sarge's age, probably ten or fifteen years older than me. Although she was a quite beautiful mare, I couldn't say that I was physically attracted to her, but there was something about her that awed me, yet I couldn't put my hoof on it. I also wondered, why I have spotted her of all the ponies, that escaped from Canterlot. The small foal in Mrs. Feint's grasp suddenly started to cry and caught my attention. I looked at him, that poor foal being so small and fragile in a world of violence. Mrs Feint was now softly cradling him to calm him down, but I noticed an uneasy expression on his face.
"Do you have something to eat for the foal, down here, Miss Shy?" I asked whispering, careful to not make any unnecessary sounds. She turned towards the child, probably noticing what I have seen before and nodded. She then fetched some wheat bread and a bottle of milk, from two of those boxes. She handed both over to Mrs. Feint, but she wasn't able to feed her foal, since it just continued to cry.
"Hush little one, please don't cry. We are all friends here." Fluttershy spoke up with a soft voice to calm him down unsuccessfully. She then started to sing a lullaby for him, but that didn't do the trick, too.
I just watched their attempts helplessly. I just wanted to help, but I had no idea how. Being the youngest child of my parents and having no kids on my own, I never had to deal with small foals before. Even the legendary skills of Fluttershy seemed to fail on him. Several moments passed, but none of them managed to calm him down. I just watched the two mares and the foal and without thinking I stepped near and said:
"There there little one, there is no need to cry. Uncle Flare is here to protect you..." His ears perked up and he stopped crying, his amber eyes blinking at me now. He gazed up at me for a moment, before he reached out for me with a tiny hoof and smiled.
"He likes you." Mrs. Feint looked at me, with her emerald eyes expressing gratitude, showing a weak smile.
It seemed like I've had the right intuition, just then, although I couldn't say that I was an expert when it comes to foal care. Besides that, I was hungry as well, since I haven't had a lunch-break today, for obvious reasons. All of us sat down on the cold stone-floor and shared the bread and the milk with each other. Mrs. Feint, soaked the bread with the milk and gave it to her foal, who ate it up eagerly. That small thing sure was hungry. Turning my head, I saw Fluttershy offering crumbles to her critter-friends.
Suddenly the door of the house burst open. King Sombra stepped inside the house, still surrounded by that black shroud of evilness. We could see him through the gaps in the plank floor. He then took some steps into the living room, while looking around, until he stood right onto the carpet, that covered the hatchway. I was never that near to him before. My heart skipped a beat as I held up my breath, to avoid any unnecessary sound. With him entering the room, a massive heaviness afflicted me and it felt like the temperature lowered by several degrees. I quickly turned my head, seeing Fluttershy staring at him, with eyes big as saucers, then fainting and falling backwards into a bag of birdseed, without making any sound. Her animal-friends rushed towards her, clinging at her body fearfully.
Mrs. Feint, who clung to her foal, leaned towards the wall making herself as small as possible. I gently embraced her with one hoof to shield her in case Sombra finds us, while putting the other on my lips again. She came closer to me, leaning her head to my chest and I could feel the racing of her heart.
Still holding my breath, I looked up at the dark King again, as he raised his voice: "My dear Fluttershy, come out, come out!" His voice sounded playfully again, like he was a filly playing hide and seek.
If he came looking for Fluttershy, this could only mean, that he somehow defeated Princess Twilight. My heart sunk discouraged, until I reminded myself, that gloomy thoughts like those may reveal us to him.
"Come out my dear, I want to talk to you. If you don't, I'm afraid I'll have to torture your little animal-friends, until you decide to show yourself." Still this childlike innocent tone.
He walked around the house. I heard him entering the kitchen, then he climbed the stairs only to return to the ground floor a moment later. While speaking up again, I could hear a displeased sounding in his voice.
"I will catch your little bunny friend and slice open his belly, very slowly. I could use a new pair of gloves. I bet his smooth fur will warm my hooves just fine. Then I will chop off the wings of your bird friends, too. Oh this will be so much fun, so why don't you join me and we will do it together? Think of all the sweet agony we can cause."
The amount of cruelness unsettled my mind. How can a King's mind be so wicked and twisted, I wondered? What must happen to somepony to completely lose his conscience? Has he been always this vicious, or did something happen to him in the past, that made him like this?
I silently prayed to the moon, thanking it that Fluttershy got knocked out. I bet, that she couldn't stay silent, hearing the threats he delivered to her critter friends.
"Hmpf- I will get you sooner or later. You can't hide from me forever. Waiting for you to show yourself makes this game even more exciting for me." He then turned around and walked outside, slamming the door shut.
Still holding Mrs. Feint in my embrace, I waited a few more moments, before I exhaled relieved. It seemed like all of us had a close shave. However we still waited some more minutes to make sure he was indeed gone.
"That was a close one-" I exhaled whispering and let go of the trembling mare, I have held on to a second ago.
The older mare, looked at me shyly, then she jumped towards me, hugging me.
"Thank you for saving us-" she whispered relieved. I must say I was quite surprised, but it didn't feel bad, so I just didn't do anything. After a long moment, she backed off again and I could see her reddened face showing a smile.
"Mrs. Feint, you don't need to thank me-" I stammered, averting my gaze, remembering who she was.
"Please, call me Fortitude. Your name is Flare, isn't it?," she softly asked, nuzzling my hoof.
Fortitude. What a fitting name for such a brave mare. Not everypony would have stayed that collected after everything, that has happened. From what I've seen so far, she wasn't that stuck up like most of the canterlotian ponies.
"Mrs. err- Fortitude, there is something important, that I need to tell you-" I took a deep breath, while trying to appear not that distressed. She held my hoof in a soft embrace and asked teary-eyed:
"How did he die? Feint died, didn't he? I knew it, when I saw you looking at me the first time you paced past the escapees. Your gaze was more than enough to let me know."
All I could do was nod, now having a lump, almost the same size of a corncob, in my throat. I reached out for the dog-tag in my pocket and put it in her shaking hoof. Staring at the name that was debossed to the metal, she burst into silent tears, while I just sat there lamely, not knowing what else to do. After a moment, I reached out to embrace her in my arms once again, gently pushing her against my shoulder and stroking her long dirt-blond mane. It was the least I could do for her, after all. Holding her gently in my embrace, with her head leaning against my body, the gates opened and she had the chance to let go of her sorrow. While holding the crying mature mare in my embrace, my whole body felt numb and my head was as empty as a schoolhouse during summer vacation. After a while I gulped to get rid of that corn cob in my throat and found the words to say:
"I am sorry! I am so sorry! Your husband was one of the first victims of the crystal-ponies. He bravely stepped towards them, but got cowardly murdered, by four attackers at once. I tried, but I couldn’t have saved him. He has always been a good pony, he didn't deserve such an ending. If I could swap places with him, I would be pleased to do so!" I replied, now crying as well, remembering the first attack, remembering how my honorable superior and my best friends got slain by those damn zombie-ponies.
"No," she sniffled. "Don't say something like that. I am sure, you did everything you could." She lifted her head and looked up into my face. Once again her emerald eyes seemed to penetrate my mind and so I turned my head away from her to dodge her gaze, before I continued:
"No! I must have tried harder! It was my duty to defend the gate, not his. I saw my friends die and ran away. I abandoned General Star Stripe, when he faced Celestia alone. Princess Luna told me to lead everypony to safety, but instead the ponies of this town got involved, too. I should have stayed there with my comrades, facing Sombra. I couldn't save the citizens. I couldn't save anypony, well how could I? I am just a useless earth-pony with no special talent. I failed both the General and the Princess. I should be dead right now, but I am still alive only because every time I was in danger someone intervened and protected me or it was pure luck that I didn't get hit. I failed everypony, who trusted me... I feel so useless..."
Suddenly my face got slapped, leaving a burning red mark on my cheek, that paralyzed me. Fortitude looked at me with a dead serious gaze, slowly lowering her hoof again.
"I am sure, you did what you could. You did as you were told to. You managed to save me, my foal and this Pegasus over there," she pointed at the still unconscious Fluttershy, leaning to the bag of birdseed with her animal-friends next to her.
"Did my husband trained you to be a crybaby? I doubt so, so pull yourself together, Private! Be a stallion and focus on the future instead of living in the past!"
I just stared at her face astonished, while touching the spot she had hit me. Her stern tone reminded me of Sergeant Feint. They certainly were a matching couple, and probably would have been good parents to their child. Remembering that this child would now be a half-orphan, made me sad again, but then I looked at her face and slowly nodded.
A moment of silence followed, while I absentmindedly rubbed my burning cheek.
Her face expression softened again and it seemed like she now was shocked by her own action. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!"
She lowered her head, now looking at me with an apologizing gaze, but I just shook my head slightly and smiled at her.
"It’s OK, I kinda needed that," I whispered ashamed, because of my breakdown. Of course she was right. Up until now I had hidden behind others to protect me or to do the things I was too afraid to do. I realized that it was finally time for me to represent the virtues of the army I have been a part off for so many years. Maybe I was still a Private because my superiors had noticed how weak I truly was, unable to command other ponies and thus unworthy of a higher rank.
She lowered her head and stared at the dog-tag of her husband, she had held in her hoof, for a long moment, before she put it around her neck. While she lifted her head to look at me again, the shiny metal around her neck produced a tinkling sound.
"Flare, we need to find a way to stop this madness!" she continued in a soft but resolute tone.
"I know, but how? Sombra defeated Princess Twilight, corrupted Princess Celestia and either killed or converted almost every other pony. How can we expect to win, against him, Celestia, the Knight Elements of Harmony and his growing army of zombie-ponies?" I replied, with a sour tone of desperation in my voice.
"There must be a way- There always is!" she replied stubbornly, putting two hooves together. I nodded, but wasn't quite convinced. An unpleasant silence followed, while we thought about a solution for this crisis. After some time, the spaced out Pegasus-pony awoke, shaking her head to dismiss the remaining fog in her head.
"Wha-what happened?" she wanted to know, but instantly regretted that question, as she realized where she was.
"He is gone," I just replied. "He couldn't find us so he just left."
Of course I dropped the things Sombra had said about Fluttershy's pets, since that wouldn't have done any good.
"I wonder why he just left. Why didn't he blow up this whole cottage?" Fortitude asked aloud scratching her chin.
"I don't think that he can. He is not an alicorn, thus he lacks their raw power. He needs other ponies emotions to fuel his casts, at least it seemed to be like this when he faced Princess Sparkle. Also he mentioned something like the whole hunt is a game to him. He is such a sadistic bastard, killing others for fun!" A sudden surge of rage was washing over me, but vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“Why did he tell Princess Sparkle his story, in the first place?. Why didn’t he just finish her off, if he was able to do it?” she continued wondering.
“You don’t understand it, do you? He somehow uses fear as a weapon. Fear is a catalyst that fuels his powers. When he encountered the Princess, she was confident and brave, so he was powerless against her at first. However, the more they talked the more I noticed her increasing confusion and lack of confidence. Without her noticing it he slowly disarmed her and I have no doubt that he overpowered her in the end, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to come here looking for you, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy gulped, while Fortitude silently listened to my explanation and the more I spoke, the bigger the ‘O’ became she had formed with her mouth.
"What happened to my friends?" Fluttershy then asked nervously.
"All your animals are OK." For now, I added in my mind. " However, it seems like all of your pony-friends have fallen for his curse. Now all of them are fighting on his side."
"Oh nooo... that's terrible," she started to cry once again.
"Fluttershy, I need to know what happened before. Why didn't you turn evil as well?"
"Evil? Gosh... I just couldn't. I-I heard a voice whispering to me in my dreams, whispering how weak and helpless I am, but I had to agree. Then that voice talked about my youth, my shyness and my friends. It said mean things, which I just refused to believe. They are good friends and would never abandon me."
"However, during the following days, my friends started to act strange. Pinkie locked herself up in her room, which is very unlikely for her, while Dashie tried to convince everypony that she is important for the sake of Equestria. It was much worse than those days during the 'Mare-do-well-incident'. Applejack on the other hoof got grumpier during that week, not leaving her relative’s side, once."
Relatives... The word echoed in my mind. My only relatives still being alive were my older brother Gold Heart and his wife. He actually got married to a beautiful crystal-mare, called Emerald Leaf and moved to Farrington, an industrial city near the griffin territory, to become a jeweler. Our parents died some years after, during a house fire, caused by a stove, which their neighbor forgot to extinguish before going to bed. I was already in the guard back then, so I was too far away and couldn't save them. They died three days before Hearths-Warming-Eve. Only one day later and my brother and I may have been able to save them, since both of us came to spend Hearths-Warming-Eve with them, the day after. I was glad that my brother was far away, so I wouldn't have to fight him in case Sombra brainwashed him, too.
A long period of silence followed where we all dwelt on our thoughts, until a whispered voice called for me:
"Flare..."
"Huh? Who is there?" I called startled. I looked around, but all I saw was the surprised faces of Fluttershy and Fortitude.
Startled Fluttershy looked up to the ceiling, expecting that Sombra has returned. "Who-Who are you talking to?" she asked timidly, but got hushed by Fortitude.
"Flare..." that voice repeated. It was a warm soft voice. It couldn't have been one of Sombra's mind-tricks, since this was a female voice and it somehow filled my fearful heart with hope.
"Yes?" I replied lamely. What else do you say, if a body-less voice calls your name from out of the blue?
"I am Cadence, Princess of the Crystal-Empire. I am speaking to your heart, can you read me?"
"Yes."
Both Fortitude and Fluttershy stared at me, but none of them said a word. They obviously didn't hear the voice I heard. Did Sombra managed to reach out for me and drove me crazy? Was I hearing things? But it really sounded like the same voice, I got to know during our short conversations.
"Listen Flare, in the Empire, every crystal-pony feared the return of Sombra and his wrath. When he finally awoke, he stirred up the fear in everyponies heart, which allowed him to quickly gain control over them. He commanded them to obtain the Crystal-Heart for him, before I could use its magic. Then he led them to confront me, but I refused to fight my own people, so he just caged me and my husband without a fight. The more ponies fear him, the stronger he gets. You need to stop him, Flare, I beg you. Free their minds and lift the curse of all ponies."
"I can't. I don't know how!"
The white bunny looked up to me in confusion. Obviously he didn't understand why I was talking to myself, nor did Fluttershy. Fortitude, however, knew that something important was going on and asked everypony to be silent.
"The only way to affront the darkness in his heart, is to use the Crystal-Heart, again," the voice of the Princess continued to speak in my mind.
"But he corrupted the Crystal-Heart, too, I've seen it!" I cried desperately.
"No, he could never corrupt it that easily. The Crystal-Heart is a prism that channels light, hope and love. It was forged out of the love and friendship of generations of ponies. Even his coldness can not smother the warm spark that is still present, deep within the gem, that quickly. The corruption only lingers at the surface, but it will continue to sink deeper, though. However, that's why I am still alive. Avid for power, he plans to turn the jewel into a tool of his evil deeds, by becoming its new master. Sombra fears the power of the Crystal-Heart. He clearly remembered the last time it was used against him, but he also wants to possess its power. To finally corrupt it and gain control over it, he needs to expose it to despair and break the will of its current master - My will."
I gulped. After a pause, the female voice, that echoed in my mind, continued:
"-Right now he is torturing everypony I love. My subjects, my husband, my friends... He wants to make sure I'll witness their pain, their suffering. He also wants to make sure that I realize, that all hope is lost and I fear it won't take much longer, before he succeeds. While doing so he also charges the Crystal-Heart with dark emotions. If I'd give in to him, he would be able to gain control over the Crystal-Heart, which will not only multiply his current power, he will also destroy the only way to beat him. He wasn't able to corrupt me yet, since I still have faith in you, Flare!"
"In me?! Why? Shouldn't you talk to the Element of Kindness or the wife of a sergeant instead? What can I do to stop this? "
"More than you may know. Don't underestimate your own strength, Flare. Of all the remaining ponies, you are the one with the strongest will. I sense a burning courage in your heart, but currently it is covered by doubt and regret. No, I am sure that you will be the one who can stop Sombra. You are my only hope, Flare."
"But-but how?!"
"Use the Crystal-Heart." She said it, like it was the most obvious conclusion.
"But I am no unicorn, I can't control it's magic in the slightest."
"You don't need to be a unicorn nor magic to use its power. The only thing you'll need is a pure heart and good intentions. As you are now, you got all this and I am quite sure the gem will sense it, too and help you to save everypony. My vigor is fading. I am afraid, that I can't guide you on this quest much longer. But remember, sometimes you don't need the help of ponies, to....." her voice quickly faded and I was left in a sudden silence.
"Princess? No Princess Cadence, wait! I have another question!" I yelled hoping that she will reply once more, but she didn't. It is hard to explain, but somehow my head felt quite abandoned, when her voice was gone. Along with her tender voice, the feeling of hope and happiness vanished, too, leaving me only in confusion
I shook my head and rubbed my eyes with both hoofs. Fortitude stepped near me and rested a hoof on my shoulder, looking at me concerned.
"What happened?" she wanted to know.
"It seems like Princess Cadence got imprisoned by Sombra in the Empire. She just spoke to my heart, using her special magic ... or something. She also said, that I am the only one to stop Sombra, but she didn't tell me how. She only said, that I don't need the help of other ponies... Well except you two and your foal, nopony is left to ask for help, after all."
I laughed a sour laughter. The conversation with the Princess has just raised more questions, than answering them.
"Maybe she meant someone else. Maybe she was referring to the griffons, or the dragons, or some other race?" Fortitude suggested.
"Why would they help us? Even if we can convince them, that they might be threatened in the future, it would take quite some time to contact them and then it would take even longer for them to come here. Enough time for Sombra to ravage the land and become even stronger. No, I don't think that Cadence meant them in the first place."
"What about Zecora?" Fluttershy suggested.
"She is a pony,too, ain't she?" I just replied.
"Ohh...". Her voice indicated, that she was all at sea, just like everypony else.
Still in Fluttershy's basement, I got up and paced around in circles, thinking. Both Fluttershy and Fortitude's eyes followed me while I was wandering back and forth. Minutes or maybe hours past, I couldn't tell how long I restlessly wandered around thinking about a solution.
"Hmm.... -" then it hit me.
"Did you notice a change in the behavior of your animal-friends, too?" I turned my attention to Fluttershy.
"N-no, I-I don't think so-," she replied hesitantly.
"So it seems like animals aren't affected by Sombra's curse, or that he is just too arrogant to count them as a threat." I rubbed my chin, following my though further.
"We don't need the help of other ponies, we need the help of the animals," I came to my conclusion.
"So you are saying I should send my critter-friends into battle?" Fluttershy replied upset lifting a brow. "I won't do that, they'll get smashed..."
"No not your bunnies and ferrets and stuff, I was talking about real beasts, like those living in the Everfree Forest."
"Th-the Everfree Forest?!" Fluttershy gulped, obviously startled by the name.
"Yes and that's why we need you, Fluttershy. You are the only one, that is able to communicate with those creatures. You need to convince them, to join us in our battle."
"M-me?!" she gasped.
"Yes, you are our only hope, now. Without the help of those beasts, we can't win. If we just show up at the castle all by ourselves, Sombra will send his army to stop us."
"But-but-but it's the Everfree Forest..." her eyes grew to the size of soup plates.
"Listen, Sombra has brainwashed your friends and he has killed many innocent ponies. I doubt that he will stop now. He will hunt you and your animal-friends down, if we don't do something. The more time passes, the more powerful he gets. I can't imagine how this land will look like when he is done with it. We need to take action immediately and this is the only idea I have. I can’t force you to come. If you don’t want to help me, I will go alone."
"Do you think, that you can convince them to ally with us?" Fortitude wanted to know, lifting a brow.
"I know it is a long-shot, but aren't they threatened by Sombra as well? I can't think of another way to deal with his zombie army nor the Elements."
"O-OK, I'll do it-" Fluttershy said with a thin voice. Having no better idea, Fortitude only nodded.
*****
Knowing what I was going against, I realized, the only pony that may know a way to stop Sombra, was Cadence, since she did it once before. In case the Elements of Harmony fail to stop him, Cadence was the only pony that might can. I took another look at my beloved subjects, knowing that many of them may fall, until we were able to stop Sombra's madness. It pained me to abandon them now, but I had no other choice. I then flew north, towards the Crystal-Empire, to find some answers.
It took me quite some time, but when I finally arrived at the Empire's capital, in the freezing north of Equestria, I was quite surprised to see the city being still in a good shape. I had assumed, that it got destroyed by Sombra's wrath, but no buildings were damaged and I didn't see clues for a fight. I then reached the palace itself and landed on the balcony, that was attached to the crystalline main tower. The throne-room was empty, just as expected, but I still watched out for possible watchdogs. I then spent quite some time, looking for Cadence and Shining Armor, but they were nowhere to be found.
I figured, that both of them would be locked away somewhere in a hidden chamber, assuming they were still alive, so it wasn't that easy to find them. I then was able to locate the door that led to the dungeons below the palace, but of course the door was sealed by Sombra's black magic. To unlock it, I had to use black magic on the gate, however I refused to use it, since I didn't know if that was the reason, Tia got corrupted that easily. Dark magic has always been tricky and dangerous to use and rarely came without some sort of sacrifice.
Having an idea, I summoned the energy of my moon's dark side, the same energy Nightmare Moon had used. As a result, I was able to mimic Sombra's spell, without actually using black magic. The gateway got unlocked and I was able to proceed.
Soon I found myself stepping down a long spiral staircase, entirely made of black crystal. My steps echoed from the polished walls as I was venturing deeper into Sombra's dungeon. Finally reaching the bottom of the staircase, I saw a dim greenish light at the end of a long hallway. I managed to find Cadence, imprisoned in a grotesque looking cage, made entirely of the same black crystals as the staircase. She was whispering to herself, as I entered the room. It was a large torture chamber, filled with many diabolic machines, whose only purpose were to cause pain. The room was barely illuminated by magical lanterns, which emitted an eerie greenish light. Chains and cuffs got attached to the blank crystalline walls, and while casting my gaze around I saw a table with many strange looking tools on top of it.
I also saw Shining Armor unconscious, being shackled to a circular metal construction, that forced him to hang in midair with all of his legs spread aside. His body was covered by recent poorly healed cuts, bruises and burning stigmas. The ropes and cuffs, which got attached to each of his legs and his head, which held him dangling, were soaked and encrusted with his blood from the chafed wounds. Most likely those implements, I saw on the table earlier, were used to inflict those nasty injuries to that colt, I realized. His horn was put ‘hors-de-combat’ by black crystalline shards, to prevent him using his unicorn powers, although he didn't appear to be able to use them anyway, even without those dampening shards. I then turned my attention towards Cadence, again and stepped near her cage.
"-But remember, sometimes you don't need the help of ponies, to....," she was just muttering when I approached her. When she noticed me, she interrupted her conversation with herself and looked at me surprised.
"Luna, is this you?" she asked in a doubtful tone, blinking against the gloom of the dungeon.
"Yes, Cadence, it is me. I came to rescue you." I stepped next to her cell, glad to see her being still alive.
"This is bad..." she muttered to herself.
"Huh? Why is rescuing you a bad thing?" I couldn't believe the things I just heard. Maybe Sombra did something to her mind and she has gone crazy, as well? She wasn't in such a good shape, too. Her mane was untidy and stained with dirt, her coat messy and pale. Her whole body seemed to be drained and feeble, however she was rather unharmed compared to her tortured husband. It appeared, that she has been imprisoned for several days now.
"You don't understand. He will need you now! Without your help, he won't make it to the castle," she cried in frustration.
"He? Who are you talking about?" I asked clueless, while I tried to burst open her prison using my magic.
"That one guard you ordered to rescue your subjects. He is still following your order and tries his best-" she explained, still in a nervous pleading tone. "You must return to Canterlot and stand by his side. He is the key to success. You can't free me anyway, since Sombra made sure, that I won't escape."
I used my magic trying to set her free, but my magic got repelled by an invisible force. I realized that I couldn't release her. She was right, Sombra took good precautions so she wouldn't break free, without him knowing. Puzzled I stared at the gloomy surface of her cage, before I turned towards Cadence again.
"If you want to help me, free Shining Armor from that wicked thing," she pointed over at the rusty metal machine, her husband was chained to.
She still looked at me with big pleading eyes and I just nodded, then dashed over to the tortured pony. Using my magic horn, I unlocked the chains and cut through the ropes, that had bound him to this evil construction. Then I used my levitation magic to carefully put him on the ground. It appeared like some of his limbs got broken, and maybe some of the bones in his torso, too. Although badly wounded, to my relief, I noticed that he was still alive. I was going to use a healing spell on him, but Cadence called:
"No, don't waste time, you must return to Canterlot, immediately! I appreciate your help, but there are more important things to do now. Go, you don't have much time left. You will need all the strength you can muster."
"But-" I tried to reason with her.
"GO!" she repeated shouting in her pleading voice.
I was quite confused, but I nodded. Then I turned around and galloped back the way, where I came from. While leaving the chamber, I heard her sad voice saying:
"My poor Shining, what did he do to you. If everything turns out well, both of us will be free again, soon. Let's pray she will get there in time-"
While climbing the stairs and running back through the hallways, I thought about that weepy guard, I had met this morning. Somehow Cadence thought, that he possessed the power to defeat Sombra. I couldn't understand what made him so special, but the tone in her voice had left no doubt, that he was quite important to her, somehow. I quickened my pace, reaching that balcony again and jumped off into the air, flying towards Canterlot as fast as I could.
With my body and my armor scantly cleaned, me and Fluttershy, equipped with her element necklace, left the cottage and reached the edge of the Everfree Forest, which grew almost directly in her backyard. I didn't understand why such a timid mare, settled down right next to the deadliest place in this country, however I kept my question to myself, to not bother her even more. Although that Pegasus didn't like my idea to venture deep into the forest, seeking for deadly beasts to ask them for help, but she hasn’t complained since her last panic-attack. She probably realized, that our only hope of salvation lies behind the green curtain of trees and bushes.
Before we set off for the trip, I was allowed to take a quick shower while Fortitude offered to clean my armor. I gladly accepted the offer, because in my opinion it wouldn't be a good idea for me walking with a sweaty and bloodstained body in a forest filled with dozens of carnivorous creatures.
Fortitude wanted to come along, too and her determination certainly would have been a great help, but then I reminded her that she couldn't leave her foal behind alone and bringing it into the forest wasn't a good idea either. Realizing that I was right, she agreed, staying hidden in Fluttershy's cottage.
"Fluttershy?" I spoke up, after some time of wandering through the greenery.
"Mm-hmm?" she replied distracted by her surroundings, with her glance darting around unsteadily. It seemed like she was looking for something, but I couldn't tell what it was. Or maybe she was watching out for danger, so she could quickly escape, or she just wanted to orientate herself, which wasn't that easy, even with my bivouac experience.
"Do you really think that it was a good idea to bring along your bunny to this place, too? I mean it is quite dangerous for such a little critter," I asked her, while pointing at her pet, that sat on her back.
"Oh, I thought so too, but you don't know Angel. He can be very determinative if he wants something."
That bunny on her back turned towards me and protruded its tongue mockingly. With a shrug, I continued to walk next to her, deep into the heart of the forest. Surrounded by diverse plant life and scary looking trees, I soon lost track of the way. The evening has come upon us and the low sun covered the forest with a gloomy shroud, making it even harder to orientate ourselves.
"So where do we start looking?" I asked the yellow-coated Pegasus, after some time of silent walking, since I have never been in this forest before and had no clue, where to start.
"I-I have a friend, that may help us," she replied, without turning around. Although it was obvious, that she was afraid of this place, she knew that it had to be done. Actually I was quite proud, that she acted so much more strong-willed, than she used to be when I met her.
After quite some more walking, I heard some rustling next to me in the bushes. Alarmed, I turned my attention to the direction, the sound came from, but then suddenly a big creature jumped out of the bushes, next to me. That creature, then pranced on its hind-legs and growled right into my face. I could smell, it's mouth odor, being a mix of rotten meat and fungus. Surprised I backed off and was about to fight back.
"Look out!" I called, pushing that Pegasus away from that creature, but Fluttershy stepped right between me and that feral attacker.
"There you are..." Fluttershy immediately said, using a childish voice, like she was talking to a little kitten. The yellow pony stepped next to that beast and hugged the head of the giant creature, while I took a step back to inspect it more detailed. It had an orange body resembling to the one of a lion, but it was much bigger than any lion I have ever seen and it had wings and its tail had the shape of a scorpion's stinger. A Manticore, I realized.
I quickly tried to recall the information about Manticores, I had learned during theory class. As far as I could remember, those are brave and proud creatures, with razor-sharp claws and an even more deadly tail tip, which contains a paralyzing poison.
However this particular one seemed to be rather friendly, not quite as feral as I thought they'd be. The Manticore pushed its head towards Fluttershy, more into her embrace, enjoying her fondling.
Rather speechless, I stared at the unlikely couple. She must have caught my astonished gaze, because she turned her head towards me, explaining:
"This is the same Manticore, Nightmare Moon has hurt during her hunt for the Elements of Harmony. I was able to pull out the large thorn, she had trusted into his pawn, to enrage him, right? Who's a good boy, who's a good boy?" she continued to caress the head of the giant creature.
I had the impression that the Manticore smiled, before it continued to lick Fluttershy's face. She, however, addressed it in a stern tone:
"You probably know that the ponykind is under attack by an ancient evil-" It appeared like the large creature nodded - well at least it looked like a nod to me. "You and your friends may be in danger, too. That's why we need your help, gathering all your friends so we can stop him. Will you help us?"
The creature made some purring sounds.
"Oh thank you," Fluttershy said delighted, cuddling it even more.
The Manticore then continued to 'speak' causing several growls and purring sounds, while Fluttershy listened and finally nodded.
"He said, we should visit the Timber-wolf pack next. They won't be easy to convince, but if we manage to do it, the rest of the animals around here will probably join, too, since the wolves have a large influence on the forest's society," she translated for me.
"Sounds like a plan," I replied scratching the back of my head, smiling, glad to have that Manticore on our side. It seemed to be a rather clever one, too.
The three of us then continued venturing deeper into the heart of the forest.
"How did you know that this Manticore is indeed 'your' Manticore?" I asked Fluttershy after a while of thinking.
"I didn't know it, but sometimes a little kindness can achieve a great deal, besides I figured that no other Manticore would smile at us like that," she smiled at me tolerantly, like I had asked a quit dumb question. Being even more irritated, we continued to follow that 'smiling' Manticore deeper into the forest.
Another while passed, until I suddenly realized that I didn't hear anything. No singing birds, no chirping crickets, the only sound I heard were caused by our hoofsteps and breathing, besides my racing heart. It was too quiet to be natural, but before I could come to my conclusion, I heard another growl nearby in the bushes. A second later, a group of ten Timberwolves jumped out of their hidings, each from a different direction.
"Behind me!" I stepped next to Fluttershy and pushed her behind my back, to shield her from attacks. It was very unlikely that she befriended those wolves, too and I didn't want to challenge my luck.
It appeared like this pack was very well attuned to each other, since it had already surrounded us, unnoticed, leaving us no way to escape. It was a quick ambush maneuver, similar to those I had learned during my guard training. The wolves all had a brown body, made of sticks and branches, and all of them were about twice the size of myself. On their own, Timberwolves are cowards, but this changes the more they are or the larger the pack is. Those wolves appeared rather confident, so scaring them away was no option in case of a fight. Knowing all this, I needed all my courage to yell the next words:
"We are not here to fight, we are here to ask for your help!" With Fluttershy close to me, I cast my gaze around to look at the wolves on after another without giving up my combat stance. Several of them growled, showing their slobber dripping down their massive fangs. Even though my heart was beating like a drum, I knew that I had to protect Fluttershy at all costs. Even if I fall, she might be able to carry on with the plan, but without her there wouldn't be much hope that I could convince them to help us.
The tension was almost graspable and it seemed like the wolves were only held back by something... or someone.
One of the wolves, who was slightly larger than the others and had a scar-like scratch on his left eye, then stepped forward and barked at us.
"We have entered their home range without permission. According to forest law, they have all rights to kill us. He also thinks that we'd be a feast for his whelps," Fluttershy whispered behind my back.
"We came in peace, since there is a very serious matter to discuss, that also involves you. Look at me, I am unarmed. We don't want to fight you, but if you insist on a fight, I am ready and I promise you that I won't go down alone, you hear me?"
The Manticore stepped forward, growling towards the wolf who had addressed us before. It appeared to be the pack-leader. The leader, however replied in barking sounds, which sounded quite scornfully. I looked at Fluttershy confused and she started to translate:
" The Manticore confirmed your statement and asked him to stay calm. The pack-leader, knows our Manticore and insulted him, being a sissy for being friends with us ponies."
The Manticore and the Timberwolf then continued to exchange some growling and barking sounds. From the sound of it, they both insulted each other, while the other nine wolves silently watched the 'conversation'.
"Um, excuse me... P-please we need your help," Fluttershy then intervened, addressing the leader directly. He turned his head towards her, looking like he had almost forgotten about us over his argument with the Manticore, and snapped at her which caused her to flinch.
"An ancient evil has awoken and we need your help, defeating it." I said, to give Fluttershy a moment to recover.
The leader now barked towards me, but I tried to stay calm and act as unimpressed as possible. Many of the other wolves, seemed to agree with whatever their leader just said.
"Oh, but it does concern you as well," Fluttershy spoke up, still clinging to my back.
"You probably noticed the exceptionally hot summer, we have this year, don't you? It is caused, by our Princess that controls the sun. Normally she is a gentle pony and respects all sorts of creatures, but another bad pony forced her to obey him. It may get worse, so the ponds may dry out and parts of the forest could ignite itself catching fire, because of the heat. Also that evil pony may come here as well, threatening you and your tribe.”
“Your relatives might die or your way of living might change drastically if he decides to come here. I am going to stop him, but I can't do it alone. He has numerous ponies cursed to form his army and some of the most powerful ponies serves his will as well," I added, trying to reason with them.
Once again, the leader spoke up barking.
"Well yes, you could easily overpower and kill us, but that wouldn't solve our problem, would it?" Fluttershy replied sincerely.
Somehow I just forgot about the edginess, I have felt a moment ago and spoke my thoughts right into the face of the pack-leader.
"Your pack is endangered, too. You can kill us now and hope that he won't come here, but with his greed for power, I can guarantee that he will come for you, too, sooner or later. You will have a higher chance to survive when you ally with us, now."
The Manticore added something growling, which Fluttershy didn't translate. The leader snarled back at it, but then lowered its head, probably thinking about our arguments, while staring at my face and then at Fluttershy's golden jewelry. After a pause, it replied something in its barking way and Fluttershy exhaled relieved.
"He said, that they will spare us this time. They did notice the unnatural weather and his scouts have informed him about the strange behavior of the ponies. He doesn't like to admit, but he can understand our point. However, he will need to consult the council of the elder wolves. They will decide if the pack will call to arms, or not."
I exhaled relieved and with the tension of the danger gone, I felt tired but also excited.
"That doesn't sound so bad," I replied then. The leader turned around, howled and his fellow pack members followed him wherever they were going. I was about to follow them, but one of those Timberwolves snarled at me.
"They don't want us to follow them, since they don't like ponies in their den," Fluttershy explained, noticing my confused look.
"Fair enough," I sighed. I could understand their intentions, since I wouldn't like a group of timberwolves in my village, too. We then sat down right there in the middle of nowhere and waited for their return. We didn't have to wait for very long, as the leader and his other nine minions approached us once again, but this time they took a pass on circling us first.
"The elders have approved the call to arms, but they demand conditions," the yellow ponies once again translated their barking.
"What conditions?" I wanted to know, quite alarmed.
"If we manage to be successful, they don't want to see us in their territory again, or otherwise they wouldn't spare us. They also demand that the old Apple-Mare stops making such loud noises with her kitchenware, from now on. It hurts their sensitive ears, he said."
The Alpha-wolf continued to bark at Fluttershy and her eyes widened distressed, while the Alpha-wolf licked his lips.
"He also wants Angel as a snack..." she whispered barely audible. The bunny's mouth dropped open and he shook his head wildly.
"Hmm, quite a small price for saving Equestria, wouldn't you agree?" I chuckled, because it was meant as a joke.
Both of them turned towards me, looking at me like I was the most horrible monster one could ever imagine. Angel made a rude gesture with his paw, while Fluttershy began to sniffle.
"Ok-Ok tell them, we accept, except that bunny thing, OK?" I quickly said to save my dignity.
The wolf nodded and barked something in return.
"Oh he will lead you," Fluttershy replied pointing over at me. "He is a pony-soldier and I guess he knows some tricks."
The Alpha-wolf turned towards me and stepped near, before he scrutinized me very closely. He obviously wanted to make sure, if I was the right material to lead him and his pack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his massive head displaying his large fangs, while he slowly circled me. I didn't move a muscle, to not accidentally provoke him. When he reached his starting point in front of me again, he suddenly jumped towards me, stopped mere inches in front of my head and growled right into my face, displaying his massive fangs. Although my heart skipped a beat, with him that near to me, I managed to stay rather calm. I exhaled relieved, as the wolf finally nodded his approval. Obviously this has been a final test for me and it seemed like I've passed it, I figured.
We then arranged some minor details with the wolves and finally struck a league. The Alpha-wolf then commanded his followers to fan out and gather the rest of the forest's creatures. I was quite amazed, realizing that I had just negotiated with a whole pack of feral Timberwolves. If somepony had come to me, telling me that I would do so in the evening, I would have laughed quite hard at him, but now it felt like I was some kind of ambassador.
We were able to make our way back to the forest edge without any trouble, thanks to the Manticore, who showed us the way. It was a blessing, that Fluttershy made friends with the forest dweller, I thought to myself. A couple of yards from the forest edge he stopped and declared, that he will stay back, trying to convince some of his relatives.
Back at Fluttershy's cottage, we were greeted by Fortitude, who had spotted us while carefully looking out of the window, in case Sombra decided to return. She was very relieved seeing us return, but even then, worry was printed onto her face. After I had closed the door from the inside, she trotted over to me, hugging me vehemently. During our absence, she was able to feed and treat her foal. I noticed that it was now sleeping on Fluttershy's couch, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, while sucking on a hoof peacefully.
The three of us went into the kitchen, anxious to not wake the little thing. I quickly explained to her where we have been and what we were able to pull off. She however lifted a brow.
"So you went in there to recruit feral beasts for what exactly? You do have a plan, don't you?"
I nodded. "The animals will act as a distraction to Sombra. Hopefully they can open up a way for us to slip past the zombie-ponies so we can look for the Crystal-Heart. Cadence said, that if we manage to obtain it, we might be able to defeat Sombra somehow."
"If we manage to obtain it, how will we use it to defeat Sombra?" Fortitude asked, not convinced in the slightest.
"Beats me, but Cadence sounded like something will happen," I replied with a shrug.
"However we will meet with our allies at nightfall, because I guess Sombra will be weakened during the night, since there are less shadows present to manipulate."
"This plan has so many variables, so many 'ifs' and so much could go wrong, but I can't think of another way to handle this situation," she replied with her lips pursed. "You will do well, I just know it" she continued with a smile, after a short pause.
I just nodded, hoping that she was right.
When night was about to fall, Fluttershy and I prepared ourselves for the upcoming challenge. Fortitude sat on the couch, next to her child silently watching our preparations with mixed emotions. Catching her worried look, I turned towards her and whispered in her ear, so that Fluttershy couldn't hear what I was about to say to her:
"Fortitude, you were right, there is so much that can go wrong. If we fail to beat Sombra, you must escape this place. He will find you sooner or later. Take your foal and travel west to Las Pegasus. Warn as many ponies as you can along your way and if Sombra comes to that city, as well, board a ship and seek help in the Griffon Empire. Please take good care. As long as you two stay alive, I fulfilled my duty and my death wouldn't be in vain."
Distressed by my words, she looked at me teary-eyed, but nodded. Then she reached out for me, hugging me once more and while doing so she whispered in return:
"Thank you so much, Flare. You are the bravest pony, I've ever met. You will return, I just know it!"
"Yeah, probably, but nopony can guess in which state or on which side I'll be standing on." She gave me a serious look, before she caught my grin and both of us burst in a slight laughter.
"You will return, Flare-" she repeated snickering, while playfully patting my cheek.
Shortly before nightfall, we said Goodbye to her and took our leave. She wished us luck as we left the cottage. Knowing where we were going, Fluttershy seemed rather flustered, although she tried her best to hide it from me, but still it was quite obvious.
We reached the meeting point, a deserted wide grassland between Ponyville and the mountain range Canterlot was built upon, and waited for our allies to show up. While waiting for them to arrive, one question was going through my head and so I just asked it:
"Fluttershy, may I ask you a question?"
"Well, of course."
"Why did you support me? Why did you follow me into that forest, even though you were freaked out by that place? What did I do to earn your trust?"
She remained silent for a moment, then she lifted her head looking up to the stars, before she replied:
"I have done the worst possible thing. I have abandoned my friends, just because I was afraid. They needed me, but I refused to help them. Knowing all this, you never judged me. You never blamed me, even though you have all the right to do so."
In my mind I added: Just like me. She must have caught my though, because she then said:
"I know that you are afraid yourself. I can see, that you are just as uncomfortable as I am, yet you did the best you could, to save as many of us as possible. You may think that you have failed, because you couldn't save everypony, but that is not true. Even the strongest pony couldn't have beaten an entire army on his own. It requires a true hero to know when to be scared and when to fight. Seeing you, how you stood up for me, despite your own dread, made me realize how foolish I acted. In the truest part of our hearts everypony is afraid, but I realized that it is inexcuseable if you let your fear overwhelm you. I am the bearer of the Element of Kindness, it would have been my sacred duty to protect the ponies I love, but I couldn't just because of something as stupid as my anxiety. Seeing you, acting so brave gave me courage. It is time, I follow your lead and toughen up in order to save my friends."
She turned her head towards me and smiled. While she was talking, she seemed to calm down with every word she said. Now she looked into my face, with a determined expression in her eyes, that I would have never expected from her. Was she right? Did I change during this day? Rather flustered by her speech, I needed a moment to reply, but before I could say anything, a long drawn howl filled the air.
I couldn't say that wolves were not on time, since the Alpha-wolf and his pack approached us on the dot. It was a quite large pack, too, or they had gathered some other packs to join them. Anyway, several Timberwolves emerged from the forest, agilely following their scar-faced leader. The pack was followed by several multi-headed Hydras, six Manticores, lead by 'our' Manticore, some bears, several gigantic spiders, some boars, a pair of Phoenixes and one single cockatrice.
I was quite amazed by the sheer amount of beasts, that came willing to help us. They also all came to defend their territory, their family and their freedom. The Manticore wasn't kidding when he 'said', that the Timberwolves had a massive influence in the forest's society, since the Wolves were able to gather such a large group of animals in no time.
The Wolves reached me and formed a circle around us, patiently waiting for every creature to come near, while Fluttershy stared quite terrified at the feral creatures approaching her. Carefully avoiding the Cockatrice's gaze, I tightened my body, lifted my hoof and the crowd of creatures became silent, looking at me eagerly.
I raised my voice so every creature could hear me.
"Hello and welcome everypony.. err.. I mean every- whatever y'all are. We all gathered here today, because a dark pony is threatening us and everything we hold dear. Our alliance is the only force standing between victory of that evil warlord and our freedom. Everyone deserves to be free, Ponies, Timberwolves, Hydras... Every creature has a right to be free, but today our freedom is threatened by that dark pony warlord and his henchponies. With him around, no one will be save. He is vicious, he is unpredictable and very dangerous. Will you all follow me to regain and secure your freedom for you and your beloved ones?"
As a response I heard different feral roars, screeches and other sounds, which sounded like approval. I looked at Fluttershy and she nodded. Knowing that those creatures will follow me into battle, I felt confident enough to explain my plan to them.
"Don't get me wrong, there is only a slight chance that we can defeat him. To do so, we must acquire a special gem carved in the form of a heart. If we manage to get that from him, we will win. He will certainly send his minions to stop us, so you must clear the way for us, so we can look for the Crystal-Heart. There is a powerful white-coated mare, that may or may not intervene into battle. Try to avoid her if you can, since she is very dangerous."
I looked at my improvised army and quickly set up a strategy in my head.
"Hydras, you will be the spearhead of our legion. To a pony this is a great honor, since you will be the first into battle. You will break their formation up and try to confuse them." The Hydras lifted all their heads, obviously proud of being the main phalanx of our army.
Timberwolves, you are quite fast and agile, you will divide into two groups attacking both flanks of the enemy army." The wolves lifted their heads uttering a synchronized long drawn howl. After their howling had faded away, I continued to instruct my soldiers.
"Spiders, take out as many Soldier-ponies as you can, using your websilk and paralyzing poison. Those are well trained and skilled fighters and shouldn't be underestimated. Phoenix's and the Cockatrice, try to take out as many unicorn-spell-casters as you can, since their spells can be quite dangerous, too. Manticores, you will come with us. Your main objective will be to cover our backs and if the Elements of Harmony show up, it is your task to keep them occupied. Has anyone another question? Is anyone afraid and wants to quit now?"
All of those gathered creatures around me remained silent, except the Alpha-Wolf who barked at me.
"They are ready.." Fluttershy solemnly translated.
"OK friends, for our freedom!" I yelled while turning around, to start marching towards the shimmering white city of Canterlot. It was a quite an uplifting feeling, hearing the different creatures growling and screeching forming a united war-cry and feeling the ground shaking, because of the massive army that was following me.
We managed to reach the bottom of the mountain and just as expected a large army of ponies was already waiting in front of the city gates. Crystal-ponies, members of the guard and citizens of both cities alike, all of them having this particular vacant facial expression, without exception. It was quite obvious, that Sombra had seen our approach from his balcony and sent his minions to stop us.
"OK everyone, just as discussed! Charge!" I yelled and the creatures set themselves into motion.
The Timberwolves split their quantity into two and both groups rushed towards both sides of the pony formation, ready to assault the flanks, while the hydras rammed their massive bodies right into the front, dividing the enemy formation into two smaller blocks, followed by the rest of our allies. I waited a moment so the confusion and distraction of the enemy was ensured, before I gave Fluttershy a sign to follow me. Both of us, flanked by our Manticore guards, continued to bushwhack around the fighting parties. Some of the crystal-ponies tried to stop us, but they were taken out by our Manticores easily. Through constantly dodging and ducking, we managed to reach the back of the battlefield, now standing in front of the walls of Canterlot.
This turned out to be easier that I had imagined, I thought to myself, but I had cheered too soon. Before we could pass the destroyed gates of the city, the ground in front of us got erupted by a massive explosion, caused a golden bolt of magic. Sand and small rocks made pattering sounds, while being deflected by my metal-armor. Fluttershy immediately backed of the crater, staring at it with wide opened eyes, just before she noticed the source of the missile. A flying white pony descended from the sky, landing right in front of us.
"Well well well.. Where do you think you are going?" Celestia asked in a scornful tone, her horn glowing with that deadly golden aura, I have seen before. "Do you got an appointment to be received by the King?" she asked playfully. "I guess not-" she added sarcastically after a dramatic pause.
Damn it, I thought, we almost made it to the castle. Too bad that Celestia was blocking our way, now. I have hoped that she would be be otherwise distracted, but now it seemed like our plans shattered, because her defending the entrance. I looked at the Manticores, who were standing next to me, looking at the Sun-Princess with narrowed eyes. It may be necessary to sacrifice them, to distract the Princess long enough, I thought, but I didn't like that idea at all and I bet Fluttershy would have hated me for even thinking about it.
"If it isn't Fluttershy... King Sombra will be really sad, when I tell him that I 'accidentally' killed you, since he wanted to add you to his collection," she sighed. "Ah well, from chipping comes chips and I want to have some fun, too. He will certainly understand. Say bye-bye my beloved subjects," she continued in her sarcastic tone, while her horn glowed more intensely as she lowered her head, ready to give us the final blow.
"That is enough, sister!"
From out of the blue, well literally, a loud booming voice had called.
It seemed like I managed to reach Canterlot just in time. I was quite astonished, seeing Sombra's army fighting with a bunch of feral creatures, right in front of the city entrance. While circling above the battlefield, I spotted my sister facing two ponies and a group of Manticores next to the white wall of Canterlot. Between those ponies and her, a steaming crater covered the ground. I had no doubt, that it was her who had caused that crater in the first place. While quickly flying near, I noticed the two ponies being Fluttershy and that random guard, Cadence had put her trust into. Did he do all this? Did he gather all those beasts to aid him in battle? Maybe I've underestimated his abilities? However, I had no time to pursue those thoughts, since Tia had already lowered her head, to deliver the final blow.
I stopped in midair, right above her and shouted in my Royal Equestria Voice:
"That is enough, sister!"
She slowly turned up, looking at me annoyed. Then a bright smile covered her face.
"Luna my dear, I was wondering where you've been all day long. So you didn't hide in your room like a coward, did you?"
She was going to confuse or enrage me, but I psyched her mind game and stayed calm. I descended further down, until my hooves touched the ground. After landing and folding my wings, I just stood there staring at my sister. She looked the same as always, but that wasn't my sister anymore. At least not the one I thought I'd know. Her face was covered with that sadistic mocking smile, I have seen before she executed the brave General.
"Tia, why are you doing this? Why are you following Sombra?" I asked her then, trying to reason with her.
"Because it's fun, you should try it, too, - oh wait, I forgot, you already did this once," she snickered before bursting into a short laughter.
Of course she was using my past against me, to confuse me, gaining an advantage, but I was already expecting that. She couldn't throw me out of balance with this old matter.
"Yes, I was a horrible pony once, but I got banished, I regretted and apologized and our subjects were kind enough to forgive me. I made my atonement for all the bad things I did, but I would have never expected you to fall for him, too."
"Why not? Is the always gentle and wise Celestia not allowed to do so, too?" she spit on the ground despising.
"That's not what I meant.. I know how persuasive Sombra's whispering can be. Those thousand years ago, he kept whispering to me, too. He knew exactly what he had to say, to fuel my doubt and anger. I began to think that he was right with everything he was telling me. Tia, I have learned it the hard way, to not trust him. I don't want you to experience the same, what I have been through."
"You have no idea how I feel. You were always the younger one. Every mistake you made got waved aside, while mine couldn't be so easily dismissed. All those centuries, it has always been me, bearing the responsibility, not you! It has always been me, being blamed for everything wrong in this world," my once so proud sister yelled, with furious eyes.
I have to admit that she was right. She always had the pressure of leading our subjects. She always was the one being responsible and she was also the one to take the blame for every mistake she made. However I would have never expected her being so tired. I should have seen it myself earlier, so I could have supported my sister better, but I didn't. Why couldn't I see the sadness beneath the always smiling mask, she had used for so many years?
"You know, it is so much more fun and so much easier, doing what I desire, without having any regards. I am so sick and tired of 'our subjects', my dear. Those ungrateful bunch of horse turd. I sacrificed my youth to show them the way to the light, yet they kept fighting each other over nonsense. I constantly stepped back, to let them have their way, I tried my best to be a gentle and understanding ruler, but all they were doing through all of those centuries, were complaining. I am so sick of their accuses, for every small mistake I am making. I am sick of their ignorance and shortsightedness. I am so sick of not being loved for all the hard work I have done for them. I don't mind, if they all get enslaved or killed, I am so tired of constantly saving their flanks from their own stupidity."
I would have never expected, my sister feeling that way. She had never talked about her feelings, not even with me. However I noticed, the bitterness in her voice. I once felt like that before. I once thought, that my work is not appreciated and that nopony loved me. I knew exactly how she felt that moment, but sadly I have been too blind to see her suffering before.
"No Tia, they love you, they truly do! I saw it in their dreams, they love you from the bottom of their hearts, but they tend to forget it now and then. For every complaint you have heard, there are countless others that appreciate what you are doing for them. Our subjects love you, Celestia and so do I. Please abandon Sombra's evil path and come back to us," I pleaded her.
"NO!" she screamed. "They don't love me, not in the slightest. They are only glad that somepony else is doing the dirty work for them. I am so sick of resolving their problems over and over again. I am also tired of holding myself back all the damn time. This constant suppressing of my true power, it feels like I am living in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something - or somepony! Losing control would cost countless lives. I've had enough, I don't want to continue like this! I just want to lose control for once, no matter the cost! I thought at least you could understand, Luna!"
"Oh I do understand, sister, I certainly do. I feel the same way, too. But it is worth the trouble, can't you see? Look at all the good stuff you have inspired. You faithful student was able to reach the level of a Princess under your guidance. You have forged precious alliances with the seaponies and the buffalos. Your niece became the ruler of a once forsaken Empire. Thanks to you we can all live in peace, Tia, why do you want to ruin your own work and destroy that peace you have put so much effort into?"
"-Because breaking stuff is much easier, than creating it," she interrupted me. "I have punished that foolish General, that I have sent into office myself. It was so much fun, seeing him suffer. I remembered his constant objections, during council meetings and I just let my anger flow. You know what I am talking about, Luna, why don't you join me?"
"I won't join you, Tia, because I learned that the easy path is always the wrong one. The General was meant to give advice or offer criticism. It was his job after all, the job you gave him. I have seen the love and friendship our subjects send towards us. Just remember all those letters you get all the time, all those acknowledgments. I was forgiven, and they certainly will do it for you too, if you just stop now. Remember your true self Celestia, you are no mare of violence and destruction, rather than kindness and wisdom. I beseech you, Tia, turn towards the light again."
"I see there is no use in reasoning with you, sister. If you are not on my side, you are my enemy," Celestia muttered sadly, averting her gaze from me.
Her words hit me like a truck. No other pony, or no other words could have hurt me more like that. My shame, my loneliness, being banished to the moon, the ignorance of our subjects... all those things just became meaningless, since they could have never hurt me more than my sister, choosing to abandon me. It felt like a jagged knife getting thrust into my heart and then turning around several times. Nopony could have ever understood the agony I felt just now. It took me a moment to regain my composure, before I was able to continue.
"I am sorry Tia, but I will do whatever necessary to save our subjects and deep down inside, you appreciate that. If I have to fight you to make you understand, I certainly will-" my voice trailed off.
She just stood there, with wide opened eyes. I think she was quite astonished hearing that from my mouth. It seemed like she assumed I would give in to her, or at least flee from her. Ever since my return from the moon, this has been the first time I offered opposition to her. While she was busy, regaining her composure, I continued to talk insistently.
"I recently learned about a loyal young guard-pony, who had painted a nice looking picture of you. All the templates he needed where buried inside of his heart. He really loved and respected you, Tia. One could easily tell how much effort he had put into that image of you. After he had finished his painting, he was told to present it to you. Some ponies even said, that it should be displayed in the Royal Art Collection. I have seen it in his dreams and I would have agreed. But you know what? He got killed today! He got killed by Sombra's crystal-ponies. You lost one of your most loyal admirers, because you refused to stop Sombra!"
"Stop lying!" Celestia suddenly screamed. However, I continued to talk some sense into her.
"You killed that guard in the northern tower, as well. It was you who blew it up, wasn't it? This guard here told me everything about it and I knew at once, that Sombra couldn't posses such raw power necessary to destroy a white tower, but you could - and you did."
Out of the tail of my eye, I could see the face expression of the guard stallion change. It pained me to let him know like this, but I had to press every button to stop Celestia.
"I said STOP IT!" she repeated screaming, while she jumped back, charging her horn with golden magic. She then shot a poorly aimed bolt of energy towards me, but I had no problem dodging it. Celestia then stood there shaking her head, while pressing her hooves on her ears, as if she tried to prevent her hearing the truth - hearing the horrible things she had caused. It was a good thing, I assumed, since her conscience wasn't completely gone. The bad thing was, that I now triggered her wrath.
"You- I am tired talking to you! You are just like them- Always telling me what is right and wrong. I am sick talking, Luna. I just want to be left alone! Let's settle this once and for all, so I can finally find my peace!"
She just stood there, straddle-legged with her head lowered but her eyes glued to mine. Her horn glowed intensely and her nostrils steamed with every heavy breath she took. Her formerly beautiful multicolored mane that usually floated around her head, now seemed dull and toneless, hanging straight down her head. The condemnation in her eyes was almost breathtaking.
"Very well," I replied calmly. "-But not here."
If she would unleash her full powers right next to Canterlot, it was very likely that she destroys the whole city in her tantrum.
"Follow me and I promise that I will fight you, sister."
"Very well, but choose the location wisely, since it will be your grave-site, sister!" She turned her head away and spit on the ground once more.
The hatred in her words felt almost graspable. Both of us ascended, but before turning my back to the city, I gave that young guard-pony a wave to continue his quest. The whole time he and Fluttershy just stood there motionless, watching our debate. The expression on his face was the only thing of his body, that changed constantly. Now he seemed to awake from a nightmare, shook his head and nodded towards me.
'Be careful', he formed with his lips, so that Tia couldn't understand it and I delivered a slight nod towards him. Then Celestia and I flew off, towards the more deserted areas of Equestria. Some minutes of silent flying passed before I found a large grassy plain next to a swamp that might be an advantage for me. The area seemed to be rather far away from society, too. I landed and so did my sister. Now the two of us stood there, staring at each other. After quite a long moment, she sighted:
"Such a pity... Why do you resist? You know exactly that I am stronger than you. I'd rather have you by my side, than turn you into dust, Luna."
I chuckled a little, what obviously confused her.
"All of our subjects reckon you as a wise and smart pony. Everypony respects your cleverness and far-sight, but when it comes to me, you are so old-fashioned and blind. You still treat me like a little foal. Isn't that funny? Of all those ponies you know your own sister the least."
"I have always been the stronger one of us, Luna!" she yelled enraged.
"Yes, you have been, in our youth, but I am not a filly anymore. I am a grown mare now, but you are too blind to recognize me as the one I am now. You still underestimate my true potential, Tia."
"Nonsense, I am still much stronger than you! You'll see! When I am done with you, nopony could ever find your remains! I am the dawn, I am life… but I am also fire... and DEATH!" Her wrath now had reached an unforeseen level.
Her formerly multicolored elegant mane ignited, setting itself ablaze. Slowly those bright yellow colored flames spread out, replacing her whole mane and tail. She was calling upon her solar power, I realized. Even her eyes seemed to be aflame, now. I haven't seen her doing that in quite a long time. Fueled by her rage, the flames blazed more intensely, now sometimes streaking around her whole body. The gentle golden aura that normally surrounded her horn, now got replaced by a burning firestorm and her hooves torched the grassy ground, they were standing on.
Even though it was already nighttime, her sun rose above the horizon once again, ready to aid her in her battle.
"Ahhhhh yes! It feels so good!" she yelled wickedly, while bathing in her own solar fire.
I had no doubt that she had summoned all the hidden power, she had stored away in her body for such a long time. It was clear to the eye, that she was indeed going for a kill.
"Moon, my old friend, please aid me in this battle. Stars, your Princess demand your loyalty, now!" I whispered to myself, so my friends could come to assist me.
Like her sun, my moon rose above the horizon as well, so that both luminaries faced each other at the same level, now covering the land below with an eerie light. It would have been a rather beautiful sight, since around her sun, the sky was bright as daylight, while around my moon, stars sparkled on the blue blanket that covered half of the sky. Bathing in the pale light of my moon, the energy built up inside of me, multiplied and it helped me to be able to break the seals that had suppressed my maximum power for such a long time.
Now it was my turn calling upon my hidden power, unleashing my true potential. Celestia always underestimated me, she always treated me like a weak foal. I was going to show her how much I have matured, since then. My body got surrounded by a silvery aura and I could feel the energy streaming through my body, reaching every far corner and even the smallest capillary, letting them tremble with excitement. My own eyes brightened up now glowing in an unnatural white color, as sparks of pure electricity streaked around my body.
She was right, it did feel good to unleash your energy like this, however while in this form, the tiniest carelessness could easily destroy whole Canterlot, that's why we never summoned our powers in the city, not even during Chrysalis's Invasion. Our powers were too dangerous, too uncontrollable, that we decided to keep them hidden no matter the cost. The fear of accidentally hurting innocent ponies was much too tactile. Back in the days of my revolution, I didn’t summon all of my power, because I underestimated my sister and maybe my subconsciousness held me back somehow. This time however, I won’t do that mistake again.
Originally the Elements of Harmony where only two large jewels, which then got bordered into both of our crowns, after their creation. However, after my banishment, Celestia couldn't use them anymore, so she needed to find other ponies to wield them. That was the reason, why she decided to split the Elements of Harmony into six gems, since two inexperienced ponies could hardly grasp and control its whole might.
Standing in my moon’s light with my horn glowing in a pale white color, I called upon the sky's wrath. Several stars left their normal position, now falling down from the sky, like a swarm of shooting-stars, charging at my still ablaze sister. She, however noticed my attack and quickly jumped aside, dodging each cosmic projectile, that impacted on the grassy ground around my sister.
"Ha pathetic, is this all you can do, sister? Throwing rocks at me? After your braggadocios announcement, I'd expected some more from you!" she mocked me arrogantly.
I, however, had expected her to dodge my cosmic assault and was already lunging out, rolling my head from the back towards the front, while focusing on an enormous burst of energy in my horn, that broke loose as soon as my horn reached its position, facing my sister. Caught by surprise, her eyes widened, seeing my white magic missile flying towards her. She managed to deflect it just in time and it exploded a couple of steps next to her, leaving a steaming crater in the muddy ground. She used her wings to protect herself, from the stones and mud, now flying through the air, caused by the explosion.
After lowering her wing again, she looked at me and smiled.
"Very good, sister. It was true, I underestimated you. This may get more interesting that I had thought. Finally I can face a worthy opponent, to test my skills. After your defeat, I will set your beloved moon ablaze, making it a second sun!"
"No, you won't! I will prevent you from doing that, even by force, if I must. You will thank me for it, if you ever come back to your senses," I replied in a serious tone. I had no doubt, that she would actually do as she said, in her current dazed status.
"I thought, we agreed we were already over this talking nonsense, Luna. Come, show me what else you have learned-" the fire-pony said, stomping one hoof into the ground challenging.
Her body emitted a fiery aura, that scorched the surrounding grass. She then shook her head wildly, and two fiery tendrils emerged from her horn, flailing around like burning whips, trying to hit me. I dodged her flailing whips, one after another several times, but failed to notice the enormous fireball she had called from her sun down on me. I noticed it in the very last second and was able to shield myself with a quickly summoned force-field. The shield I had summoned, protected me from the impact of the certain doom, but the surrounding area was set aflame by the explosion. Fortunately I had been smart enough to shift our intense battle to a deserted wilderness, since her fireball would have vaporized the whole capital. Now there was no more grass left and the both of us now stood in ankle-high ashes.
I quickly got back onto my hooves, noticing that my sister had ascended into the air. Without a doubt, she was planning her next attack, but I wouldn't let her finish what ever she was up to. Spreading my wings I caught a slight gust of wind with them. Amplified by my magic the wind gust got stronger and faster under my wings, taking shape and solidifying into two razor-sharp shivs of focused wind. With a flap of both of my wings I sent my blades towards my sister, who was still hovering in mid-air. Like a frisbee both wind blades flew towards my sister in an upward curve. Celestia veered to the right, dodging my first shiv and dived downwards in a spiral angle to dodge the second one as well.
While descending her horn ignited and a moment later a series of smaller fireballs got fired, while she strafed towards me. I jumped back doing some sidesteps to avoid the first few bullets of the barrage, then I lifted my left wing and created a strong wind gust that just extinguished the last few fireballs in mid-air. Meanwhile my sister had rushed over my head, stopped and by flapping her wings, swiftly turned around. Again her horn blazed while she channeled her solar fire into a quickly growing ball of destruction.
"Now I'll turn you to ash!" she screamed.
While I mitigated her barrage with my wind gust, the ball grew to enormous size just before she sent it towards me with a nod of her head. Knowing that I couldn't dodge this massive fireball in time, I just teleported away. The massive fire orb hit the spot where I have been a second ago and the following explosion caused a temperature of unbelievable heat that managed to smelt the stony ground, turning it into a boiling hot pool of magma.
I knew that the magic of my sister was strong, but I never imagined her being that powerful, while I stared at the lake of molten lava. Turning my attention back to my sister, I noticed how she descended slowly, landing with a smile on her face.
Then she just stood there, arrogantly staring at me, possibly awaiting my next move. Attacking her directly wouldn’t be of any use, I figured, but I already had another plan in mind.
“Why can’t you just give in, sister? We don’t really have to fight, you know?” she told me. While she taunted me yet again, I used this break to summon a thundercloud high in the sky above me without moving. Luckily my sister didn’t seem to notice it and just continued to mock me.
“You know that I could end you any time.”
“Didn’t we agree on skipping the talk?” I replied scornfully. He facial expression changed from amusement to anger again. That was my cue.
While the thundercloud was finished I channels magic into my horn to fire another magic missile at her. She just did a sidestep and my bolt shot right past her and exploded in the distance. As an answer, she fired her own bolt at me, but I expected something like that. I kicked off the ground and spread my wings, not only avoiding her magic, but also flying towards the cloud I had summoned before. With a nimble motion I grabbed it with my fore hooves, tilted it to the side and used both my hind legs to kick it. A bolt of lightning emerged from the cloud aiming right at my sister. Her eyes grew wide in surprise, but it didn’t take her long to react. She firmly planted all four hooves on the ground and lifted her head as if she was welcoming the approaching bolt of lightning. At first I thought that she was too surprised to move, but instead she used her horn as an lightning arrester. The energy blast perfectly hit her horn and she used her magic to absorb its force. Now her horn was streaking with furious electricity. I’ve never seen something like that before.
“Don’t you dare to use Star Swirl’s magic against me. He was MY pupil after all! Let me show you what I have learned during your absence...” With that said, she lowered her head and pointed her horn towards me. A moment later she released the stored up energy she had absorbed before. She even managed to amplify it with her own magic forming it into a ball lightning, rather than an uncontrollable bolt. Now it was my turn to be surprised. Lightning was a wild and unpredictable force of nature. To let it strike you body willingly and even absorb it was mere craziness, but using it as an counterattack by redirect it back to me amazed me. Who would ever come up with that? There was no way I could redirect it like she just did, so my only option was to dodge. Being still in mid air I folded my wings, let my body fall to the ground and turned my face away. Even though I managed to get out of the way just in time, I could feel her projectile graze and char parts of my mane. Almost hitting the ground, I spread my wings again to dampen my fall, performing a rough landing on all four hooves.
"Very good sister. I must say that I admire your agility. But dodging and avoiding won't take you anywhere."
"You have seen nothing yet, sister!" I replied in a freezing tone, defiantly raising my head again. Having that said, it was finally time to use my ultimate spell. I didn’t want to, but she forced me to do it. She had to go down, she just had to! There was no other way.
I had developed this kind of magic during my banishment to the moon. A thousand years are a long time and sooner or later you think of crazy ways to entertain yourself. I used the star beam to engrave my likeness to the moon's surface, so I won't be forgotten by my subjects during my absence. But it seemed like over the generations its true meaning faded and whenever the ponies gazed at my moon, all they remembered was the "mare in the moon" not their banished Princess. Back then I used my creation recklessly and didn't notice that many of my friends died because of exhaustion. By the time I noticed that the energy necessary was siphoned off my stars, several of them had vanished for good. I haven't used it ever since, not wanting to harm any more of my friends, but there are times when you have to make a decision and Celestia divested that decision of me.
"Stars.... lend me your strength-" I whispered, while my sister once again mocked me with a challenging stance. If my sister had looked up to the sky, she would have noticed that all stars were moving towards each other. They gathered and aligned forming a gigantic new star sign on the night sky - No rather an gigantic circle with arcane runes in its centre and with several smaller circles crossing its outline. The circle was now overflowing with starlight, a very powerful source of energy if you know how to use it, but it comes at a cost. Each star will give its energy for me and if you use too much of their strength, some, most of them may die because they give more than they have.
My sister hadn't noticed my plan yet and soon my arcane constellation was finished. I slowly raised my head and tensed my body.
"There is still time to give up, Celestia. If you do, I may spare your life..."
"Give up? Are you insane?! My next attack will burn you to a crisp."
"So you have decided... I will now show you the might of the stars!"
I broke the seal that held the power back and from the center of that cosmic rune, a mighty beam of white light erupted aiming right at my sister. Finally realizing that I was up to something, she lifted her head and noticed my celestial cannon. The celestial rune I summoned at the sky acted like a magnifying glass, pooling and multiplying the stars power so it could be channeled into a beam of concentrated starlight.
Her eyes widened as she saw the white beam shooting at her. I must say, she reacted quicker than I had imagined. At first it appeared like she got hit by my stars might but at second glance she was able to jump aside just far enough to fully avoid the massive pillar of light. She then stood right next to it, almost touching the beam with her snout, but being just outside of its radius. Of course I quickly adjusted the angle and the beam went after my sister, slowly following her and cutting a deep ditch in its path. Celestia jumped back further to avoid getting hit by the white light with the beam following her relentlessly. She spread her wings, kicked off the ground and flew sharp curves to shake the deadly beam off. I could see her widened eyes staring at the swath of destruction the beam left behind. The beam had almost outrun her and I knew a few moments more would solve this issue for good, but then I heard the silence screaming of my stars wailing in agony. I knew that I could finish her off, if I just ignored their screams and keep the focus up for a moment longer, but doing so I would sacrifice my friends. The beam stopped moving as I allowed it to get thinner before it faded out entirely. I didn't want to sacrifice more of my friends. I didn't want to abuse their loyalty and killing them off for my own goals. Even if we fail to stop Sombra and my sister, at least my stars would survive, I thought to myself.
She used my moment of distraction to prepare a counterattack. I was barely able to avoid the massive ball of molten magma she had thrown at me.
"Impressive little trick, sister. You almost got me there and you are still able to avoid my attacks. Maybe I should draw on the bigger weapons?"
She tilted her head, glancing at the moon which was hanging in the sky next to her sun. I followed her gaze and trembled.
“No.. you wouldn’t dare…” I exclaimed.
“Oh are you sure? Wouldn’t it be brilliantly hilarious if you’d get crushed by your own beloved moon?” Her grin widened.
“Altering the moon’s position by only a few inches will dramatically change the balance of nature, sister!” I cried bewildered.
“Exactly!” With her horn aglow, she made a motion of her head and the moon began moving towards us. Never in my life had I seen something more terrifying than my moon literally falling from the sky. He quickly grew bigger as he approached our position. Grinding my teeth I used my own magic to push against his giant mass to keep him from falling.
It wasn’t a duel of magic actually, rather than a test of will and dominance. My moon had followed her command for a millenium, but he was my moon and my best friend. He was given to me to be his warden by our parents. I could feel my moon’s confusion as he continued his fall.
“Please, no! Stop! You don’t have to follow her commands anymore! I am your true Princess, remember?” I cried as I pushed even harder. I commanded my moon to stop. Snapping out of his confusion, he was very willing to follow my orders, yet Celestia’s magic forced him further down. My moon did his best to slow down, but he was in full motion now, so I wasn’t only pushing against Celestia’s pressure, but also against the momentum of the fall. It felt like you were going to stop a train at full speed with your bare hooves.
I could feel the nature around me trembling. The seas were in an uproar, since the moon balanced their tides. I could feel the invisible arcane ley lines around me shifting and twisting, beginning to break into chaos. My own body shivered. Not even Discord would have been that crazy.
“No sister! Stop! Half of Equestria will shatter if the moon hits the ground!”
“Ask me if I care…” was her only reply.
No! this had to stop. I won’t allow her to destroy not only me, my moon and everything around, I thought. I pushed even harder and my moon did his best to help me. Finally our combined efforts were enough to slow the moon down ever so slightly.
Noticing what was going on, my sister increased her pressure on the moon, but it was already too late. My moon was not willing to follow her orders anymore and I had a much better connection to him than anypony else. I knew him inside out, I knew how and where I had to push him to make him move. He was MY moon after all. It didn’t take me long to gain the upper hoof and bring his fall to a stop before I reversed the movement. Even though she tried her best, Celestia’s influence was beaten. A moment later I returned the moon to his previous position. By doing so, I could feel the nature around me breathe easy, while the seas calmed down again. I allowed myself to exhale in relief. Fortunately she wasn’t crazy enough throwing her sun at me, or maybe it didn’t occur to her. I wouldn’t have been able to stop it in the slightest.
My sister, however didn’t like what had just happened. Once again, I had managed to stop her attempts, which made her even more furious. I didn’t knew that she could get more enraged than she already was, but she just did. Standing on the ground, a small ring of flames surrounded Celestia blocking her legs from my sight.
"I hate you, Luna! Even the stupid moon loves you more than he loves me. Why must you make this so difficult, sister?" The ring of fire around her intensified and reached the height of her body, so a blazing storm almost covered her entirely, leaving only her head visible to me.
“I hate you from the bottom of my heart! You hear me? Why can't you just stand still for a second, sister?!"
The flames slowly climbed higher up her neck until her whole head was surrounded by that inferno, as well. A giant wildfire that had once been my sister, blazed before me now. All I could see of her was the darker silhouette gleaming through the fiery tongues and her glowing eyes of course.
"When I am done roasting you, all pain and suffering will be gone! He will take away all emotions so we can finally be free. It will be a perfect paradise. This world shall be cleansed by fire and be reborn from its ashes! "EVERYTHING SHALL BURN!"
Then she suddenly radiated a bright light of such an intensity, that it managed to blind me for a moment. A white veil blurred my vision.
"YOU WON'T DODGE THIS!" I heard her screaming like a maniac.
I should have known, that she would use some sort of blinding flash sooner or later. Once again I made a major mistake, that could have easily been my last. Knowing that she would do something to attack me, I summoned a magical barrier around me, since dodging or teleporting away wouldn't have been a good idea without me knowing what she was planning or where she was going to aim. I tensed my body expecting something strong and I hadn't had to wait for it very long. Soon I felt a wave of burning heat clashing onto my shield. The force was strong enough to push me back a couple of steps, before I was able to brace my hooves against that force and focusing my strength to adapt my ward to the pressure.
I channeled another big chunk of my magical reserves into my shielding spell, but still the pressure and the heat were intense. I have never felt something that strong before and I was barely able to keep my small sanctuary active. Slowly my vision recovered from that flash my sister had used to blind me and now I was able to see what she was actually doing. From what I could perceive between the waves of flame my chromatic ward repelled, my sister now was inside of a fiery vortex, her body emitting a giant burning tornado. She was levitating several feet above the ground inside the eye of the storm, her fore-legs lifted up high and her eyes glowing unlike anything I have ever seen before.
I knew that she was going all out now and that I just witnessed the peak of her might. I needed to lean more into my ward, to push the pressure back. I channeled even more of my own power into my barrier. More and more. Every last drop of magic. My body was screaming of pain being strained to such extremes. My muscles burned, my heart was racing and my magic energy got drained of all of my body. At this rate, I knew that I wouldn't stand up to her wrath much longer, since keeping the shield active wore out my magic reservoirs quickly. Feeling the last drips of my power being channeled into my horn, I felt a small burst of additional magic from an external source. Only for a second before my ward finally shattered, the inferno suddenly stopped as well.
It seemed that I was not the only one who went to her extremes and was now dried out. With the deadly tornado vanishing, she fell the few feet to the ground and collapsed being too exhausted to even stand straight.
My whole body hurt and I felt very exhausted, so I slumped to the ground as well.
Foolish Celestia, if she had focused all her might only on me instead of the whole area around her, she could have easily beaten me. So with her lavish effort to destroy me wherever I would teleport to, I countered a mere fraction of the full strength, but even this was almost enough to end my life. I slightly lifted my gaze towards the sky, seeing my lucky star shimmering brightly before the light died down. He had given everything he had to support my magic shell. I didn’t ordered him to give me his strength, I didn’t even want him to do it and yet he sacrificed himself to protect me. Tears streamed down my face knowing that I had lost him forever.
Once again, I was saved from certain doom, just in time. Thanks to the moon, Princess Luna showed up to prevent us from Celestia's wrath. An intense conversation followed and it was clear to the eye, that Luna tried to reason with her sister. It was also clear to me that I could understand Celestia's pain. Nopony likes to get criticized all day long for everything you are doing, not even an Alicorn like the Princess herself it seemed. I somewhat felt sorry for her, but that changed when I heard that she was responsible for Eagle Eye's death. The sympathy I had felt for her a second ago, turned into anger. This feeling increased even further, when she mocked General Star Stripe, the most honorable pony I have ever met.
The reasoning continued, until Celestia was tired of talking and challenged her sister for battle. This comment, however, seemed to hit the Moon-Princess off-guard and I could clearly see the reluctance and sadness in her eyes. She, however, agreed and both of them flew towards a more desolated area, but before she vanished, Luna gave me a wave with a hoof, telling me, that I should proceed. Maybe she didn't know, how long she could distract her sister, so we needed to hurry.
With Celestia out-of-the-way, we had no problems finally reaching the innermost part of the castle. I have been here before, so it was not hard to follow the way to the throne-room. While swiftly galloping through the hallways, a quick glimpse through one of the large mosaic-windows told me that both the sun and the moon had risen over the horizon once more at the same time, now facing each other like two gunslingers in a cliched duel. So it has begun, I thought to myself.
“Fluttershy, whatever Sombra is going to say to you, don’t listen to him! He will try to confuse, enrage or intimidate you to weaken your resistance against his powers.” She just nodded and I pushed open the golden portal of the throne-room.
Just as expected, Sombra was sitting on Celestia's golden throne casually, with the five element-bearers next to him, including Princess Twilight. Seeing her vacant glance, my worst presumptions got proven right. She indeed got somehow overpowered by Sombra and now she was one of his puppets as well.
He was obviously astonished to see us here, since his mouth dropped open, but he regained his composure fairly quickly again and smiled.
"Oh hello Fluttershy. If I had known, that visitors will arrive, I had baked a cake for you."
I cursed his damn mocking voice, sounding so arrogant and playful. I cursed the whole pony! Defiantly I lifted my head, staring directly at his delighted visage, forgetting all the fear I felt before, every time I have seen him. Now I just felt anger, I just wanted to punch him in the face for everything he has done. I just wished to beat the living daylights out of him, to wipe that haughtiness off his head. Fluttershy on the other hoof, was shaking in terror, but she managed to keep her composure somehow. Of course the other Elements quickly jumped next to the dark warlord, to protect him in case we were going to attack him directly.
"I must congratulate you. You see me rather surprised, that you actually made it past my army and my Sun-Princess. You astonish me, Fluttershy, I would have never thought that you'd have the courage to come here and face me. You even managed to unite an army of feral beasts under your command. Very impressive, indeed."
Obviously Sombra thought that Fluttershy did all this on her own and it seemed like he had completely forgotten about me. Secretly I laughed about his delusion and while he was distracted with the shivering Pegasus-pony, I stealthily sneak towards a decorative knight's armor to get the sword that was attached to it. While moving towards the wall the armor was standing in front of, I peeked at the black gem that was still hanging around his neck, while he continued to praise Fluttershy's 'achievements'.
"You are much braver than I had imagined you'd be. Everypony told me, that you would rather be hiding somewhere in the darkness like a rat, than coming here. However I honestly have no idea what you are up to. Are you actually thinking that you can beat me with your little pets? Ah well, who cares what you are thinking-"
Fluttershy however just stood there uneasily slightly backing off, but it appeared like she was fighting with her anxiety and very slowly her determination was winning the upper hoof over her fear.
"It saves me the time to hunt you down, although I was looking forward to it. What a pity, since now I will not enjoy the fun it would have been to torture your little friends, until you show yourself. Or maybe, I'll do it anyway later, just for the sake of it? Ah well, whatever- Get her!"
The last words were addressed at the Element-bearers, as he commanded them to attack. Fluttershy back-paddled trembling and I feared that she just would turn around and run away, looking at her ashen face. Of course she didn’t like to fight her friends… if she was going to fight at all. However she managed to stand her ground. I couldn't avoid being proud of the yellow pony, since within a few hours, her courage had drastically increased, compared to what she was like when I first met her, making her stronger every minute.
"-Oh and kill that other guy, too, would you?" he quickly added chuckling, after he remembered my presence.
The before motionless ponies, that had waited in the back, now set themselves in motion. I saw the orange one getting her rope ready for a swing, while the pink one summoned her blue cannon from behind her back. I would have wondered, where she had kept her weapon, with no visible bags or pockets, but with the newly obtained sword in my hoof, I tightened my body instead, getting myself ready for the imminent battle.
With a feral roar the five Manticores jumped at the approaching ponies, engaging them in combat, while 'our' Manticore stayed at Fluttershy's side. The three of us stayed back, watching how the five ponies and their Manticore opponents fought each other. It was a great idea to bring them along, since it seemed like they could stand their ground, distracting the Element-bearers, quite well. However the Manticore who had chosen Princess Twilight as his opponent had some trouble keeping her down, since she constantly teleported across the room, but fortunately for us, she hadn't reached her full Alicorn strength, yet. Knowing that the five ponies would be occupied in battle, I turned my attention towards the dark King again, who had witnessed the skirmish passively. However I could tell by his frown, that he was quite displeased noticing that his private squad got distracted that easily.
He sighed. "Oh well, never let a peasant do the job of a King."
He then turned towards Fluttershy smiling, still considering her the greater threat. Although attacking him during nighttime was a quite good idea, since the darkness reduced the amount of shadows present, I failed to take the illuminating of the throne-room into account. The big room was lit very well by several golden lamps, being attached to the walls and ostentatious chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Damn it, how could I forget them, since I had liked them since my very first day. Now they were in Sombra's favor. The strange light, that was shining through the mosaic-windows, cause by both sun and moon, made it even worse.
Realizing the biggest mistake I have made, I saw how Fluttershy's shadow began to move. However, she failed to notice what her shadow was doing, since she just stood there watching her Manticore-friends fighting her pony friends, while nervously chewing on her nails, the whole time. She even winced every time a Manticore got hit by a projectile of the blue steel cannon, or when a Manticore tackled the rainbow-maned pony. Of course she couldn't decide, which faction she should be behind, since both were her friends, so she just continued to watch the skirmish of her friends with concern.
Fluttershy's shadow wiggled and wobbled, but didn't do anything else. So it seemed like Sombra still hadn't the power to harm Fluttershy, since the kindness in her heart was stronger that any bad feeling and without a bad feeling, Sombra would be rather powerless against Fluttershy, unable to corrupt her like he had planned.
The King's annoyed facial expression and the intensely green glowing horn indicated, that he tried his best to overcome her kindness, but he obviously failed to do so. Noticing that something was going on, our Manticore jumped in front of Fluttershy trying to protect her and then charged at the unholy pony.
While jumping towards Sombra, he lunged out, trying to hit Sombra with his massive claws and it seemed like he would successfully land a hit at first, but right before the brutal swing would hit him, Sombra transformed himself into that dark gassy cloud and the pawn went right through the surface. Then the cloud moved a couple of steps to the right and condensed into the unharmed form of the dark King. Kind of surprised the Manticore clumsily slithered a couple of steps further on the polished marble floor next to the ancient red carpet, before it managed to come to a hold. Then he just stood there looking at his empty pawn, wondering why he had missed the pony.
Sombra on the other hoof instantly continued to scan Fluttershy's heart for any sign of dark emotions, he could use against her, without paying any attention to the Manticore. After the thinking process of the Manticore was finished, it looked around, spotting the King at his new location and tried to charge him again. Once more Sombra dodged his attack by turning his body into fog, then instantly reappeared at a different location and turned his focus back at the yellow-coated Pegasus. With the sharp blade in my hoofs I charged Sombra myself, aiming for his neck to knife though the necklace holding the Crystal-Heart, but my swing only managed to penetrate Sombra's ghost-like body as he dematerialized again. Stupid King, why can't he hold still so I can cut his head off, I thought while charging him again unsuccessfully.
This procedure repeated itself several more times, until Sombra grew tired of dodging our assaults over and over again. He refrained his attention from Fluttershy, now turning towards the annoying Manticore.
"Enough of this foolishness, I am sick of you! Be gone!" he shouted, right before black tendrils erupted from the manticore's shadow, entwining him during his onslaught. Obviously animals weren't immune to his magic, he was just too arrogant to view them as a threat. Seeing my ally in danger, I jumped towards Sombra, swinging my sword with a fierce strike, trying to break his concentration, but once again I tumbled right through his disappearing silhouette.
"Wait for your turn, kid!" he addressed me without looking.
After regaining his normal form, he lifted his head with a resolute jolt and his horn's glow shimmered menacing, finally ripping our Manticore apart.
Being splattered by a massive splash of blood, the surprised-looking Fluttershy finally averted her gaze from the fighting ponies and manticores and turned her attention towards us. Fluttershy's body and mane have now been blood stained and if that wasn't macabre enough, the Manticore's head rolled on the now greasy marble floor and came to a hold right in front of that astonished Pegasus-pony.
Worried I watched her staring at the lifeless eyes of her former friend, like being in trance. Her eyes widened more and more and her mouth dropped open without making a sound, but it seemed like her mind refused to accept the death of her feral friend, even though the proof was literally presented to her. Still staring at the skull of the once proud creature, tears dripped down onto the floor, mingling with the blood that covered it. A whole cataract broke loose as the thought slowly advanced towards the center of her brain.
Meanwhile the other Manticores had interrupted their battle with the ponies as they noticed that their comrade has fallen. Driven by their savage bloodlust and blinded by pure rage, they abandoned their former pony opponents, now going for the murderer of their friend. Seeing their mad eyes being fixed at the pony, I realized that revenge would be the only thought left in their mind. They wanted to shred the pony being responsible, to pieces and deep down I couldn't blame them. Although I was upset, too, I was also shocked by the feral expression of the creatures, who had seemed so calm before. Like a flash, I remembered who they really were - wild deadly creatures from the Everfree Forest.
Unfortunately for them, their blind hatred fueled Sombra's power even more, making it easy for him to quickly trap and kill them all at once. Now the whole throne-room was a mess. Floor, walls and ceiling were covered by sticky red liquid and chunks of meat covered the formerly antique-looking red carpet.
Fluttershy, still seeming in her paralyzing trance, averted her gaze from the lifeless Manticore skull and lifted her head. She slowly cast she gazed around, looking at the remains of her Manticore friends spread across the whole room. She then turned towards us. While I had lowered my weapon, being unable to lift it, confronted with such horror, Sombra inspected his cape and commented:
"Awww, now I have to wash my gown again-" With a disgusted expression, he picked up his crimson cape and tried to wipe the Manticore guts off the fabric.
Still within her trance, Fluttershy watched him rub his cape, as the thought of her dead friends finally reached the core of her mind. Her facial expression changed to a terrifying mug as the fuse of her sanity got blown, letting her feel nothing else than hatred.
Yes, even I was scared of her that moment and I bet almost everypony else would be, too. And I thought I was shocked by the behavior of the Manticores, Fluttershy's tantrum concussed me much much more.
She faced Sombra directly straddle-legged, aggressively stomping her hooves onto the stone floor, with no indication of the fear or anxiety she had felt before.
At first I only heard a whispering, barely audible, but then the whisper got louder, repeating the same sentence over and over again:
"..... You killed my friends- You killed my friends! YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!"
Knowing deep down inside, that I couldn't reach her anymore I tried it nevertheless.
"Fluttershy, no! Calm down or else he will win!" I screamed at her, but she didn't seem to hear me. She also didn't look at me. She just continued to stare at Sombra, screaming her sentence repeatedly, with a fire in her eyes, burning brighter than the sun itself.
"You have killed my friends, NOW I'LL KILL YOU!"
With steaming nostrils, she wildly rushed over to Sombra, ready to avenge her friends and to be honest, I had no doubt that she actually would, looking at her scary face.
With a snap of his hoof Sombra just said:
"Gotcha!"
The grin on his face grew even wider, watching how the black shroud that once was Fluttershy's shadow covered the enraged pony in movement, turning her into yet another slave. The formerly burning anger she displayed a second before instantly got replaced by that well known vacant face expression.
Sombra began to laugh. He laughed and laughed so maniacally, like he would never stop laughing again. He had won. Now nothing could ever stop him anymore. Sombra has beaten the most powerful ponies of this land: Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, the rest of the Element-bearer, General Star Stripe and the whole Canterlotian Force. The number of his followers grew with the amount of desperation he had caused. How could I have ever stopped a monster like him, when even the mightiest ponies couldn't? Who was I kidding, I never had a chance in the first place. Coming here, rushing right into battle now seemed like the wishful thinking of a foolish foal.
Foal-- The word echoed in my head as a surge of desperation rushed over me. I failed to save everypony who trusted me. I failed to save the General, I disappointed Princess Cadence, I failed the citizens of both Canterlot and Ponyville and I failed to save Fortitude and her unnamed foal. Those brave manticores died because I have sent them into their certain doom. Why did they trust me in the first place? What did they see in me? I am a regular earth-pony with no special talent, so why did they even confide in me?
Having a major mental breakdown, I collapsed right onto the bloodstained stone-floor and dropped my sword. The clattering sound, reverberated from the walls, echoed through the entire throne-room. It was also the sound of my weapon that reminded Sombra of my presence. After he had laughed for several minutes, he stopped and turned towards me.
"Well, it seems like you are the only pony left. How does it feel? Are you feeling lonely now?"
He tilted his head and showed the widest grin I have ever seen until then.
"I must admit, that you surprised me. I mean, you managed to come here, getting past all the obstacles I have thrown in your way. You even fought quite skillfully back there, but in the end it didn't even matter, did it? However I must say you achieved quite a lot for some random low rank guard pony, like you. Maybe I should put you in charge of my army, as a reward for your determination and willpower? You can lead my troops, when I attack the Griffon Empire. Can you picture it? Soon the whole world will bend their knees in front of me-"
He smiled at me, meaning every word he just said. While imagining a world being ruled by this monster my hopelessness grew even more.
"Ah yes, I can feel your desperation. I can smell the frustration inside of you, the doubt, the shame, the helplessness-"
He was right. There was nothing left inside of me, than desperation and frustration. I tried my very best to save everypony, but like he said, in the end it didn't even matter. All the strength and willpower I may have possessed before, was now vanished and gone.
Sombra just stood there, looking down on me, enjoying his victory. It appeared like he was in no rush to convert me. Maybe he just wanted someone to talk to, before he turns me into one of his followers. Even now he continued to mock me, saying:
"You know, the Elements are very powerful, but its greatest strength is also the greatest weakness. Friendship is the catalyst... You need all of your friends to wield the raw power, but friendship can be easily destroyed. If one friend is absent or dead, the Elements are useless. One lie, one thought of mistrust and the Elements are useless. Luna and Celestia did a mistake by splitting them, because the more ponies you need to use them, the more vulnerable it gets, don't you agree? But I have purged that flaw. Now that the Elements are under my command, friendship is no issue anymore."
Each time he said the word 'friendship', he emphasized it like a virulent disease.
"So any ideas how I should call my very own Elements of Harmony now? Elements of Disunion, for example? Or maybe Elements of Hopelessness? How about Elements of Antagonism? Ah come, on you are not helping much-" he chuckled.
Kneeling on that cold floor I weakly lifted my head to look at him. Still he was cattily smiling at me, making the most of his triumph.
"Since it seems like you will not be very conversational, I might end this once and for all, now, what do you think? Father will be so proud of me."
I didn't reply. I lowered my head again resigning to my fate. Without haste Sombra slowly stepped near me, with his horn alight. I could see his reflection in the puddle of blood I was kneeling in front of. Then that reflection got churned by a plated hoof that stepped in the puddle I was gazing and his mirror image blurred.
"Now it will be finally over-" Sombra whispered with a soft voice, like he was talking to a child that he was sending to sleep.
The puddle's surface calmed down, so I could see his reflection again. He was now standing only a couple of inches in front of me, slowly lowering his horn to do his unholy conversion-spell.
Soon I will join my comrades, either in death or in eternal slavery, I thought. They fought so bravely, even when facing certain doom. Nopony nor Griffon or Buffalo will be save again, not even powerful creatures like the ones of the Everfree Forest, who also had put their trust in me. Every living creature will face his wrath and I couldn't do anything to prevent that. Soon he will find Fortitude and her unnamed foal and turn them into his vacant zombies. Such a pity, the foal had lost its father and now it will lose its future, too. Thinking about him, the void within me expanded even more. Why him? He was an innocent foal, he didn't do anything to deserve this fate, nor did his mother. All because of one sick bastard, who finds pleasure in destroying other ponies lives.
No! I won't let this happen! I won't give in just like that. Everypony and every creature supported me, they trusted me, I can't just give up! My comrades fought till their last breath, so why should I just surrender now? When I meet Sergeant Feint and General Star Stripe again, I want to look them in the eyes, without remorse. I will stand tall and fight till my last breath. I have made my decision, it was all Sombra's fault and he will go down, I thought back then.
Having another quick look at the reflection of the King, I noticed that I only had a split second left to react - and I did.
I quickly summoned every strength and willpower that was left in me, jumped to my hooves and with all my might, I punched him right into his face. This happened in a flash and caught Sombra completely by surprise, so he had no time to change himself into this smoke-like cloud, to prevent me hitting him.
My punch forced him to tumble backwards as a current of blood spurted out of his shattered nose. Groaning he stared at the blood on his hooves - his own blood. Regaining his composure and holding a hoof in front of his face to cover his nasty bleeding nose, he stared at me with bloodlust in his eyes.
"Argh- you filthy scum! You devious rat! You- you will pay for that! Nopony sheds royal blood and emerge unscathed. Your agony will reach unimagined dimensions and no pleading for death will save you from my wrath, boy! Your guts will decorate this room, when I am-"
His voice trailed off as he interrupted his tirade of hate when he noticed the triumphant grin on my face, while I was holding a black gem in my hoof, which was shaped like a heart.
While jumping forwards punching him with my right hoof, the left one had grasped the Crystal-Heart that was still hanging around his neck. With him stumbling backwards and me pulling it towards me, the necklace tore apart leaving the black gem in my hoof. My body and especially my hoof, were still trembling, because of the adrenaline rush that pumped through my veins. It felt so good to finally be able to remold the face of this arrogant sack of shit. With my victory so close, I allowed myself to unleash all the hatred I felt for him. For all the lives he has taken, for all the pain he has caused, this will be his end.
Sombra was obviously surprised to see the Crystal-Heart in my possession, because he looked down to check if it was still hanging down his neck - which it wasn't, of course.
Although I would have liked to savor the moment a little longer, I knew that I had no time to do so. Soon he would launch his counterattack to retrieve the gem and I didn't want to experience his wrath.
"Ha! Now it is over, Sombra! Come on Crystal-Heart, finish him!" I yelled to the black gem in my hoof, but nothing happened.
"Come one, come one, come on!" I shook it, but the Crystal-Heart didn't respond.
"Crystal-Heart please, imprison him, banish him, kill him, I don't care, just DO SOMETHING!" I continued to shake the jewel in my hoof, turned it around, lifted it high above my head but still nothing happened. I stared at the gem's polished black surface, that reflected my baffled face, but at that moment it just seemed like a black heart, shaped from an onyx stone to me.
"Oh let me guess, you thought by obtaining the Heart from me you would instantly win?"
Holding his bleeding nose, Sombra started to laugh venomously. Hatefully I stared at him, wishing he would just choke because of his laughing fit or die of a heart attack or whatever, then I turned my attention back at the useless black gem in my hoof. After his laughter subsided, Sombra's mocking grin returned, while he spoke up:
"It seems like the corruption has finally reached the core. That Princess nag has finally lost all hope and now her precious Crystal-Heart is useless. With this treasure under my command, I'll be invincible. Nothing can ever stop me!" He lifted his hoof straight up in the air and laughed once again, basking in his victory.
"No! Why? Why now?" I wearily whispered to nopony in particular, falling to my haunches, being unable to stay on my hooves. All strength and willpower I had left vanished in a flash, while my sight blurred because of the tears that filled my eyes. I felt so weak, so alone. My body felt like it was entirely made of plumb.
"I thought I could beat him. I got the damn Crystal-Heart, so why it didn't work? I thought without him Equestria can be a safe place, again." I cried out loud frustrated.
Why didn't it work? Cadence said, when I get it, everything's gonna be alright. She said, that I wouldn’t need magic or anything else. Wait, no... she said I need a pure heart for the Crystal-Heart to function. By the stars, I was so stupid! All this time, I thought of it like a weapon to harm Sombra. I hated him for all the things he has done and I wanted the Heart to punish him for his sins. It was my own fault! Those were no pure-hearted emotions at all and so the gem refused to help me. In the end it wasn't Sombra who doomed ponykind, it was me being so foolish. Silent tears streamed down my face and mingled with blood on the floor. My assertiveness and courage came at the price of anger and hatred, I realized.
"Now if you would do me the favor and just die-" Sombra called, while charging up his horn with deadly green magic.
I continued crying, with my limbs feeling so numb, while Sombra used the pause to rear up, preparing himself to give me the final blow. However, I didn't care anymore. I went all out and failed because of my stupid mistake. I wasn't frustrated that I couldn't beat him, I now was frustrated that I couldn't save anypony, not even Fortitude's family at least, even though I managed to obtain what was my goal. I had won the game, but lost the war. I thought about Fortitude's unnamed foal. It will never live a happy life, never experience the joy and pain of growing into a stallion. It's future lost because of me. It wasn't self-pity what I felt, it was pity for everyone else. All those ponies who will never be able to be free from his will again.
"I am sorry..." I whispered.
Suddenly a soft shiver slowly went right through my body, covering it entirely with goose bumps, when it reached my tail. Through the shroud of salty drops I saw Sombra summoning several crystalline shards that hovered in mid-air, with his horn ablaze with unholy green magic, however now he seemed to move in slow motion. Maybe that was the final moment, when you see your life rushing by, before you make your last breath? It was kinda funny though, seeing him move so slowly, it even made me smile a little.
Once again another vibration shook my body, but stronger this time. Meanwhile Sombra lowered his head, his horn aiming at me.
At least I'd be dead and so he wouldn't be able to use me as a tool to hurt other ponies. A cold comfort, yet it was a relief somehow.
Another even stronger concussion erupted my body, like a recurring pulse and the intervals seemed to precipitate. There also was that sound, that was ringing in my ears with every new pulse that traveled through my body. What was that sound? And why did it get louder and faster every second? It sounded almost like a heartbeat. It must have been my own heartbeat, increasing itself at death's door, I thought.
No, that wasn't it. My legs were trembling-- No only one leg was trembling-- I looked at my shaking leg. My gaze wandered from shoulder along my leg, before it reached that gem in my hoof again.
With wide opened eyes I noticed that there was a soft glow of blue, below the black surface, like a spark that got frozen beneath a cover of murky ice. The crystal was vibrating and the heartbeat that I felt wasn't my own, since it seemed to come from inside of that strangely pulsating jewel. Suddenly I felt a comfortable warmth, which spread through my body, starting with my leg that was holding the gem. The blue glow, that was trapped in its crystalline prison, intensified with every new pulse, like the spark was coming closer to the surface.
"I will shred you to pieces!" Sombra screamed, now done with his preparations. Obviously he was tired of using his shadow-magic against me and reverted back to his trademark spells. A wall of hundreds of deadly sharp crystalline blades hovered in front of him, impossible for me to dodge. I knew that there was no way to block or escape, however I was still awed by the strange behavior of the jewel in my left hoof. He wasn't going to just kill me, no, those crystals appeared to be much more deadly that the tendrils he used to summon. The sharp blades were going to penetrate me, mangle me and rip my whole body apart. He was going to mutilate me as a punishment, just like he had promised.
"... I won't ask you again to beat him for my sake. I don't want glory, respect or vengeance anymore, I just want peace for everyone. I don't care what is going to happen to me. Take my soul if you must," I whispered to the glimmering gem in my hoof.
His dark projectiles rushed forwards, ready to impale me, but then another of those heartbeat-like pulses shook my body and the blue spark burst through the dark ice-like surface of the Crystal-Heart with a shattering glass-breaking sound. An aura of blue light surrounded me, illuminating the whole throne-room. The deadly crystals that were going to rip me apart, just vanished when they touched the bluish light, like ice melting in the bright sunlight would. The warmth that surrounded my body intensified with every additional heartbeat, just like the brightness of the blue light. It felt great!
"What? No! Impossible! I won! My darkness corrupted it!" I heard Sombra's astonished scream, seeing me being surrounded by a pulsating blue aura of warm energy. For the first time, I could see some kind of fear on his face, and this time it was not acted, but the true horror he was feeling, as he stared at the blue light, the gem and now my own body emitted.
"No, it was my corruption, my darkness, not yours..." I slowly explained to him.
Still the beating of the Crystal-Heart increased both in speed and intensity and a strange energy was building up deep within me, which reached even the smallest cells of my body. A pleasant warmth spread through my body, which felt like the love a mother felt for her child. With the next pulse, that got emitted by the jewel, the feeling changed and I sensed the love a colt felt for his wife instead and the next pulse showed me the love between siblings. With each additional pulse I empathized the love or friendship of different ponies, the gem had absorbed over the centuries.
"Let us save them together..."
The energy within me had almost reached a critical mass, like a pressure pot, ready to burst. Then, finally, the feeling inside of me literally exploded and a gigantic blast wave of blue warm light erupted from me, not only enlightening the throne-room, but it seemed like even the farthest corner of Equestria. .
"That's IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
A massive shock-wave rolled over the dark King's body, which dismantled it, looking like light sand that got sputtered and blown away by a soft breeze of wind.
"Darkness can’t be defeated! Say my name! I am darkness! Fear my return--"
The echo of Sombra's voice now sounded like a mere whisper in my ears, before it faded entirely. However, I gave in to that warm feeling that had wrapped me within its tender grasp. I have never felt so safe, so secure, ever before. The love of generations, that was stored up inside of the gem now filled my body and I just closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of such pure love, hardly noticing that the presence of Sombra was long gone.
"Thank you so much..." I said, crying like a little foal.
*****
The ground was scorched in a mile wide radius. This once flourishing meadow, now got turned into an ashy wasteland. Even if it appeared to be a desolated green plain, there still were many life forms living hidden beneath the canopy of grasses, like bugs and lizards, but now all of them who couldn't escape the area in time got torched. I have heard their silent screams before the flames consumed their bodies. So many innocent lives obliterated in only a second and so many more that might follow if nopony stops the tantrum of my sister. Not only bugs and lizards will die, ponies too, or even griffins or other creatures. She has taken enough lives already!
Several craters, of different sizes covered the ashy steaming area just as the swath of my star beam. Both, my sister and me, were badly injured. Bleeding cuts, burns and bruises covered both of our staggering dirt stained bodies. The battle has been quite intense and I haven't felt so tired in ages, but still I managed to keep up with my sister. Both of us breathed heavily, now staring at each other after our last clash, with glowing horns, not giving up our combat stances. The fatigue was printed right onto Celestia's face, but I was very tired myself, too. If the battle doesn't finish soon, I didn't know how long I could have gone on. Sooner or later, one of us would make a major mistake that will settle this conflict for good. I just had to push myself a bit more, only a tiny bit more, since this will be over soon, by one way or another.
With my hooves firmly planted on the ashy ground, I thought about my next move. I knew that because of the ash, which will manure the ground, the meadow will recover soon, growing an even more impressive green carpet. Life will always find a way to recover, given enough time. It was up to me, now, to make sure nature was granted the time necessary.
Both of us used the break to take a breather, while I was trying to come up with a plan. I knew that I couldn't beat her with raw power, so I needed a smarter approach, a way to catch her off guard. She on the other hoof seemed to think about a way to slow me down, because until this moment, I was able to dodge or parry even her most powerful spells.
Some ponies seemed to think, that Celestia's powers were vastly superior to mine, which is only partly true. She indeed has very powerful magic, much more powerful than mine, I admit. However, while she had always focused on only a few spells to master, I on the other hoof liked the diversity. Being the Princess of the Moon increased my already wide toolbox even more, since the moon controls the tides, humidity in general and sometimes even the mood of some ponies. While my spells weren't as impressive as those of my sister, I had a wider range to choose from. Controlling humidity also enabled me to draw the dampness from the ground or the air, forming it into all sorts of water or wind related shapes. Long story short, my ability to perform weather related spells outperformed Celestia's significantly.
I gazed at her, examining every detail of her body, looking for something I might use as an advantage - and I found what I was looking for. It appeared like she had hurt her left leg, because there was a slight bleeding scratch near her knee. I maybe have been able to wound her during our last clash, or the fall had. It was nothing lethal of course, but something to build a strategy upon.
A slight breeze browsed over the now lifeless ground, letting the ash float around - and I got my plan worked out.
I changed my stance, now standing straight with spread wings and my head lifted up high. Surprised Celestia blinked, tensing up her body, expecting me to do something - and I did.
I summoned my weather abilities to generate a gusting wind, that quickly vacuumed up the entire ash that had covered the warm ground, before I send it right towards my sister. Upon impact, my little twister literally exploded, covering Celestia into a gray opaque cloud of ash. Of course it was an easy task for her to create another wind gust that blew away the gray curtain that blinded her, so she could breathe easily again. However I used the short period of her blindness, and created several long spear-like ice-shards, that now levitated in the air on either of her sides. I wasted no time and send my pointy projectiles flying towards her, since she had already cleared her sight again and noticed what I was able to pull off. She lifted her head, and with a glowing horn, she emitted a heat wave to melt each ice-shard, before they could reach and harm her in any way.
But I already expected her to do just that. With her being distracted by my projectiles, I quickly teleported next to her. After she got rid of the threatening shards, she turned towards me again, surprised to see me standing right next to her. I wasted no time and forcefully rammed my shoulder right into her side. She was forced to stumble sidewards, so she wouldn't lose her balance, therefore putting most of her weight onto her left hoof. I send a short silent prayer to my moon, that I was right with my previous assumption and luckily it actually worked.
Celestia strained her wounded leg too much and a jolt of pain rushed through her body, easily visible from her pinched mouth. My horn got charged with magic, ready to pile the pressure some more. I then shot a bolt of energy towards her, hitting her right in the side. It wasn't strong enough to take her out, besides she used a small force-field to protect herself, but that wasn't what I wanted in the first place. Instead she now lost her balance completely, and the subsequent explosion of my blast knocked her to the ground.
I then quickly jumped on top of her, bearing down her legs with my hooves and focused my magic to keep her that way. I also lowered my glowing horn, putting the tip at her carotid, like a warrior would put his sword at the neck of a beaten foe. Pinned down to the ground like this, Celestia turned her head away to avoid my horn pricking into her soft white-coated skin. Who’d known that after all this powerful magic thrown at her, such a simple maneuver could finally bring her to her knees?
"Such a filthy trick, sister. So you can only beat me by cheating?!", I ignored her and replied instead:
"I thought I was smart enough, but I just made the same mistake, you did so many centuries ago. I should have seen it coming, I should have been there for you, but I didn't. Forgive me for being so blind."
"Get off of me, you blasted minx!", she shouted, struggling.
My view blurred because of the tears, that gathered in my eyes. My voice got piercing and sobby, pleading for forgiveness as I tried to explain to her, what I was going to do.
"Celestia, please forgive me. I can't think of a prison cell, that could contain your raw power, nor do I have the Elements of Harmony at hoof to banish you, like you did with me. I can't let you go, either."
Without looking up, I summoned down several more stars from the sky, that collided with the fireballs Celestia had silently called down from her sun, to escape my iron grip. As the cosmic bullets collided, the fireballs exploded being neutralizing by my friends. In the meantime Celestia struggled to break free, but I just intensified my grip on her limbs, to keep her down, which obviously caused her pain. I knew, that I wouldn't have been able to keep her down like this, if she wasn't that tired. Maybe the dozens of cream cakes my sister loved that much, came in my favor, too, by limiting her endurance.
"I am so sorry Tia, I wish there was another way! I really wish, I had another option, but as it is now, I can't think of another solution... I love you Celestia! I always have, even now after everything you did. Please understand, that you left me no other option. I can't think of another way out of this mess. I am so sorry, but for the sake of our subjects, I have to kill you..."
My tears dripped down onto her body moistening her dirty coat, as my voice trailed off. She remained silent, obviously stunned by my words. She then struggled even more in panic, with her head turned to the side. My horn at her throat charged up, now streaking with electricity. I was about to unload all my remaining might right into the trapped body of my sister, but before I could deliver the final blow, a shockwave of bluish warm light rushed over us.
I blinked in surprised, since I didn't expect something like that to happen. I wasn't quite sure if that was another failed attempt of my sister to break free, yet the magic felt very different from what I was used to.
"I understand and I forgive you, Luna," my sister then softly whispered barely audible, with her head still turned away from me, however I could clearly see the silent tears, that dripped down her cheeks. She had quit her struggle as well, as like she was accepting her fate.
"Do it, sister. I deserve it for all the horrible things I have done. I love you, too, Luna. Please make it quick."
My horn was now fully charged up and I knew pulling the trigger, would end my sister's life, but I hesitated. I just didn't understand what happened. One moment, my sister insulted me and struggled to break free from my grip, sending deadly meteors to aid her in her escape, but now she quit all the fighting and spoke to me with a soft voice so full of sorrow.
"C- Celestia?!"
"Yes, Luna. I am so proud of you. You were right, I was too blind to see how much you have matured. You've become such a strong and wise mare and your loyalty to our subjects goes so far, that you would even kill your only sister to prevent any harm to them. I am so proud of you, Luna. You will be a much better ruler for them, than I ever could."
A smile covered her face, as she closed her eyes, apparently waiting for her execution. Still tears were dripping down her cheek, forming a small puddle on the ground beneath her head.
My confusion reached undreamed levels, but still I held her down tightly, just in case that this was an unfair trick. However she didn't even try to break free anymore and the more she said, the more I doubted, that this was the same Celestia that was fighting me with her solar fire, before. The same that was even willing to throw the moon at me. The blue light must have cleansed her mind somehow, I figured.
My trail of thoughts suddenly got interrupted, as a minor explosion of bright light happened next to me, causing a banging sound. Astonished, I averted my gaze from my sister, seeing how a Draconequss, equipped with a straw hat, wearing sunshades and a colorful Haywaiian shirt emerged from the smokescreen the bright white spark had caused, a second later. He put his large suitcase, which was covered by stickers of different cities of Equestria, on the ground, saying:
"Helloooooo Ladies! Oh you were so right, Luna, a round trip through Equestria was a very good idea. So much has changed, during my petrification and it was nice to revisit the different corners of this country. And as promised, Celestia, I didn't harm anypony.... um well maybe I did harm that one pony in Manehattan a teeny tiny bit.."
He made a gesture with his lion pawn, to show us how tiny his one-off actually was, by putting thumb and foreclaw closely together.
"- But that colt deserved it, since he just bullied a little foal, when I was walking by. Such a pity for him, that a garbage cart happened to stand, right where he was landing with his face upside down... Oh you should have seen his face after he landed in the junk - Priceless!"
Now he started to laugh, slapped his knee and then wiped away a tear of joy, as he remembered his little prank in Manehattan.
"You won't be mad at me, will you Celestia? Because I brought you a souvenir and-"
During his monologue, he didn't even look at us, since he was too occupied in his report, but now he turned towards us. His voice trailed off as he noticed, how I was sitting on top of my sister, still forcing her to the ground.
"Errrr.. what are you two doing?"
Now he seemed to become more aware of his surroundings, as he cast his gaze around, while lifting his sunglasses, with his head spinning in circles until it looked like a corkscrew. His head and neck remained in that unnatural position for a moment, before it began to spin rapidly, unsticking itself until it reached its original position. His before cheerful mood got replaced with an angry one, indicated by his darkening face expression.
"Ah that is just too great... I am not allowed to spread chaos, but you do it when you think I am not looking? That is so unfair, you know that?" he remarked aggrieved. Obviously he had noticed the damaged ley lines around us.
Not knowing what to reply, I looked at my sister instead. By turning my attention to the newly appeared Discord, I also removed my horn from Celestia's throat, to be able to look at him. With her newly gained freedom, she as well had turned to the Spirit of Chaos. Our eyes met and she seemed to be just as confuses of the situation as I was. I finally snapped out of my confusion, addressing him instead.
"Discord, Sombra has returned and cursed Celestia to be his slave."
"Sombra? That always grumpy shadow-pony? I know him all too well, actually. He is no fun to hang around with, don't you know, my dear? I, on the other hand, am a much more pleasant company, compared to him. You should have asked me instead."
"No you don't understand, he returned to seek vengeance. He killed a whole bunch of ponies, while doing so."
“Yeah he has always been that overzealous, but come on…”
He didn't seem entirely convinced as he addressed us, since he just stared at us with a leery face. Instead he snapped with two claws and reappeared, within that white flash, right next to us, now bending down over Celestia. He stared her deep into the eyes for a brief moment, then he pushed his ear nearer to her head and knocked onto it several times, with his knuckles. He then scratched his chin with a claw, before he said:
"Nah, she isn't cursed, that would sound different," he replied-
"You mean, she isn't controlled by Sombra anymore?"
"If she ever was, now she isn't anymore..." he just explained with a shrug.
I looked at my sister again and stared her deeply into her eyes. It was true, I couldn't find any sign of hatred or rage, nor any dark emotion. All I could sense, was sorrow and guilt. I had the feeling, that this would be the case, before, but I haven't dared to let her go that easily, always expecting a trick to fool me. However Discord's 'analysis' utterly convinced me, so I let go of her legs and stepped away from her.
She slowly got back onto her hooves, but she dodged my glare entirely.
"Discord, can you revive the fallen ponies, Sombra's vendetta has caused?" I asked him, averting my gaze from my sister.
"No, I am afraid I can't. I am a spirit of disorder, not restoration. Bringing somepony back from the dead lies beyond my abilities. The one who might have been able to do so died ages ago, but I might be able to treat and heal the ponies who are still alive."
Celestia stepped towards Discord, prostrating in front of him and plead with a meek voice:
"Please Discord, I beg you, do your best to heal every wounded pony and revert the destruction of Canterlot, as good as you can. Please, undo the terrible things I have done."
"Will you finally cheer up, if I do so, my dear? I feel strange, seeing my favorite pestering victim with a frown, that I didn't cause, " he replied with an encouraging smile before a new set of nurse uniform appeared on his body.
Celestia silently lowered her head, slightly tilting it to the side, before she shook it weakly.
I opened the door to the barracks and walked past several soldier ponies, who saluted or greeted me politely, as I made my way through the room. I gave each of them a slight nod, while walking by, towards the General's office, which was located in the back of the officer's mess of the barracks. All of those soldiers knew me, since I was visiting the General quite often, so none of them ever got the idea to stop me.
I knocked at the sturdy wooden door and a dampened voice called me in. I entered the office accompanied by my child, that was waiting behind my legs. By looking around the room, with its brick-built walls, which got decorated with some badges and medals the General had earned during his period of service, I saw him sitting on a wooden chair at his large desk, writing into a massive tome with a quill. The room was lit by a tiny candle, standing next to him and the warm light of the afternoon sun, that shone through the window near his desk. He just put the quill back into the ink jar and turned towards us.
"Uncle Flare, Uncle Flare!"
My son called cheerfully as he dashed over to the General. He rose from his chair and embraced my son, by kneeling down before him and playfully lifted him up into the air. The General repeated gently throwing him up and down several times, apparently enjoying the cheerful laughter of the foal, before he put him down onto the ground again. Then he turned his attention towards me and smiled.
The General wore a green vest with golden buttons over his yellow coat. His light orange mane with its white streaks being uncovered, since the associated visor cap laid on the wooden table next to the big book, he was writing into before.
"Forti, long time not seen" he greeted me, looking happily into my face.
"Yeah, because one has to come here to see you. No visit, no letter, no message at all. I haven't seen you in weeks, Flare, since you spend every minute in your office or are elsewhere occupied," I said with a slightly upset tone, to tease him, before I nodded towards the book on his table.
He followed my nod and looked at the book, before he sighted and replied:
"You are right, I should go out more often, but there are so many things I need to manage, Forti."
"Yes, I know.." I replied in a softer tone, delivering an understanding smile towards him. Both of us stepped forward now finally hugging each other, like we do every time we see each other.
"Is Cherry Blossom OK with you staying in your office all day long?" I asked him then, wondering about his wife.
"I guess she is. She knows that I love her and that she can trust me. She got used to be on her own early in her life after all and she understands my ambitions."
Of course he has been busy ever since the surviving soldiers had elected him to be the new General of the Canterlot Force. Although some of the higher ranked guards survived Sombra's onslaught, they gladly supported the request of everypony to make him their new leader. They all agreed, that the pony, who not only defeated a seemingly invincible foe, but also led an army of feral beasts to victory, might as well lead an army of ponies. After a short period of hesitation, he finally accepted and was gladly installed in his new office by Princess Luna. He soon grew into his new position, being a fair but strict superior, like his past superior had taught him. I never understood, how he managed to date and wed his long-term crush between his duties.
Five years have passed since then, but Flair had spent his time to rebuild and enhanced the shattered defense of Canterlot, he recruited new guard-ponies, that got attracted by the tales of heroism and he reformed the Force from scratch. In addition, he trained his new cadets personally, since there were not that many veterans left to teach them. The first and most important lesson he was teaching to his new soldiers was to always believe in yourself and never give up. Even one unremarkable pony can make a huge difference and he was the best example of that statement.
After the victory over Sombra, the Draconequus Discord, healed all surviving ponies, who by then got freed from Sombra's will. Immediately after, Flare traveled to the Crystal-Empire, accompanied by Luna and Twilight Sparkle, to rescue Princess Cadence and her husband. He also returned the Crystal-Heart back to where it belongs, but not before he was reminded by Cadence, that he will be its new master from now on.
Thankfully she appointed him as her private Champion and awarded him with a valuable crystalline badge, shaped in the form of a heart, that should signalize his special position in the Crystal-Empire, while he thanked her for her trust and advice in return. This glowing jewelry also enabled him to talk with Cadence, no matter the distance between the two of them. He wore this badge attached to his collar and was never seen without it, ever since.
"Uncle Flare, will you come outside to celebrate with us? I saw a market stall offering ice cream, near the Star Stripe Monument outside!" my son asked him pleading with big adorable eyes.
It took Princess Celestia six whole months to finally come outside of her private chambers, because she had locked herself into her room, bemoaning the fallen, almost drowning in her own guilt. In the end, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Cadence and her sister Luna were able drag her out of her own hole of sorrow, convincing her to abandon her grief. After her return, she overcame her shame and solemnly apologized to everypony. Although it was hard for those who had lost relatives during the war, which soon got dubbed 'The war from within', they ultimately forgave her. Being forgiven, she eagerly listened to the new General's ideas and suggestions, appreciating the wisdom he displayed, despite his young age.
It has been Flare as well, who encouraged the 'Princess Appreciation Day', a day where the Princesses's devotion for their subjects got honored. The day soon became a national holiday, where the Princesses didn't need to handle anything, since the high council of Canterlot took over the government for a day. This day was meant as an opportunity for the Princesses to relax from their duties. They also got lots of letters and presents from their faithful subjects, to let them know how much their work is appreciated. The local security squads, the fire department and the whole force were on high alert, to assure, everything would be peaceful during that day, without the need of a Princess's intervention. This day also reminded the ponies of Equestria, to not depend on the help of their Princesses that much.
The day after this day was dubbed the 'Memorial Day', another holiday that got introduced, because of Flare's suggestion. It was meant as a day to remember the brave ponies who had fallen, while defending the citizen of Equestria. This was also the day of the year, when he visits his former Sergeant's grave. His deceased friend's painting got displayed in the Royal Gallery, praised by the critics of art and soon became the crown jewel of the exhibition. Also, the tale of the bravery of the former General Star Stripe got repeated from mouth to mouth and he soon became an Equestria-wide legend. An effigy of Star Stripe, commissioned by Celestia herself, now decorated the yard in front of the barracks - right next to the ice-cream stall.
With Equestria slowly recovering from the scars Sombra's rampage had left and the now reinvigorated force being set up properly, Flare started his biggest project thus far. Encouraged by Princess Luna and supported by Princess Sparkle, he started to gather all information about ponies and creatures with power, who may become a threat to Equestria and documented each strength and weakness in his book, along with possible ways to counter them. He talked to all of those ponies, to get as many details as possible and all of them offered their support, without any hesitation. Even some of the dwellers of the Everfree Forest offered their help. He also added a chapter briefly documenting his experiences during the war and asked Luna, if she'd like to add her own point of view, which she gladly accepted.
Flare remembered, that Star Stripe had asked for such a source of information, during the first attack, but something like this could nowhere to be found, so he figured, that gathering information and bundling them all together in one manual, would help a lot, in times of emergency. The 'War from within' had shown, that even the most loyal pony could mean a threat to Equestria and thus he collected ways to fight them in his book. Still Flare hadn't forgotten Sombra's promise to return and take revenge on those who defied him, so he did his best to prepare himself and his subordinates for this day to come.
"Flare, I can't believe how much you have matured, ever since I first saw you. I mean, look at you. You were afraid of pressing your point and disliked responsibility, but now you are in charge of so many ponies who look up at you. You were so unconfident before, that it seems like you are a completely different pony, compared to the one you were before Sombra showed up."
"I am still unconfident, I just learned to always push myself harder," he grinned, while his cheeks reddened as he started to blush.
He dodged my gaze staring to the ground for a moment, apparently being embarrassed by my words, which reminded me of his still youthful heart. Despite his wisdom and the maturity he radiated, besides the care and love he showed towards me, my foal and his subordinates, he still was the same cheerful colt deep down inside and I appreciated that.
"And you are still that strong-willed mare, you used to be from the start, that acts like my voice of reason. Of course you are right, I should step down a little," he lifted his head and looked at me smiling.
He took a deep breath and stretched his legs, before he continued speaking.
"OK, why the hay not. Let's head outside and have a good time, just give me five more minutes to finish that chapter I am currently writing," he replied towards my son's request, bowing down once more to tousle his mane.
"OK, Uncle Flare!"
Ever since the incident, Flare has become so much more than just a friend of the family. Not only did he save our lives back then, he has kept supporting us ever since. It was he who suggested the name for the child and he also became 'Uncle Flare', since he gladly accepted to become Feint's godfather.
"Come, Feint, leave the General to his work. We will wait for him outside, while having some ice-cream."
"Yay, ice cream!" Feint cheerfully yelled, while both of us exited the office.
Before gently closing the door, I took another look at Flare, who had turned his attention towards his book again, scribbling something onto the empty pages. There before me, sat the greatest hero of Equestria, the one who, despite his self-doubts, stood up to an ancient power and saved all of our lives and yet he seemed so normal and down-to-earth as one pony can be.
“A flare is a beacon of hope even in your darkest hour. Equestria is in good hooves now,” I thought chuckling to myself, as I averted my gaze from him, finally closing the door.
