1 - Introduction/The Eve of the War
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
-Sun Tzu
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It began with screams. First, the screams of warning sirens echoing out across the town, and then screams of panic amongst the citizens. As they fled to shelters, responses were already underway by the security forces. The brief burst of noise was fading away as the streets cleared of all but those waiting to react. Land Guard and the Town Watch.
The silence was broken again not long after the sirens ceased. For a small group of watchponies near the park, it sounded like paper ripping with the force of thunder, an echoing sound of arcing electricity fading out as the sound died down.
The invaders were here.
And then came the roar of explosions, the cries of the dying, and the desperate efforts to stop or slow down the attackers. The small group of watchponies were reinforced by Land Guard, buying more time, keeping the invaders in the park.
They'd been in the air and on the way before the incursion site had been resolved. Before a warning had been issued to any towns in the area. Hauled by a team of pegasi at immense speed, it was released to effectively glide in five miles out. With a blend of magic and technology taking over, the transport craft was steered towards a soft landing, slowing to land vertically at playing fields.
The defenders within leapt out of the doors as fast as they could, the invaders already moving towards them. Five dull-grey spheres rolled out from the depths of the park, halting to pop open into spider-like forms, and aim their weapons. Flashes of light retorted to the puffs of air rifles and twangs of high-powered crossbows coming from the ponies. The rattle of clockwork autocrossbows joined in once set up, and began to rain down their small explosive bolts.
One of the invaders ceased firing, bursting into flame. A heavy crossbow bolt slammed into another nearby, a pop and a billowing cloud of smoke spelling the end for the fighting machine.
The three remaining began to collapse back into their ball forms, the heavy armour plating now repelling the pony attacks as the invaders withdrew.
The defenders advanced cautiously after them. Lessons had been learned by these veterans in the year of the war so far. First and foremost: Not to rush in. Second: If you thought it was easy, it hadn't even started yet. And third: The invaders had an infinite supply of surprises.
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One Year Prior:
The Eve of The War
Horsey Common, Southeast of Canterlot.
There was nopony on the streets that night as the two chariots touched down in the town square, eight guards either riding or hauling. Sergeant Terracotta Shell, an Earth pony, was issuing orders before he even climbed down from the chariot.
"Messenger, with me, we're going to talk to the sheriff and find out what's what here. Corporal Spitfire, make sure we're all prepared to move out if we have to."
A female Pegasus saluted, as one of the two unicorns followed his Sergeant. The pair walked towards the Sheriff's office.
"Do you think we might need to call in reinforcements, Sergeant?"
"Probably not, honestly. You know what small towns are like. Dogs barking at the edge of a farm, they think Timberwolves are about to overrun them. I'm expecting you'll need to teleport a letter back to the castle saying we're returning," Sergeant Shell replied.
Pushing the door open, they were greeted with the sight of a collection of concerned-looking deputies. They were clustered around the town's doctor, tending to an Earth Pony wearing a gold star and bloodied bandages
"...Or not."
The other six, all more or less as prepared as they could be, descended into the normal conduct of ponies with nothing to do but wait - goofing around. A male pegasus Private First Class decided to tease his Corporal
"...Sooo, Corporal, good practice there? I hear the Wonderbolts make their newbies haul the carts and chariots around, and do all the other chores too."
"Can it, Swift Wing. Just make sure your Wingblade is fitted right this time. They're not throwing weapons!" Spitfire replied.
"Keep it up, Swift Wing, that promotion is gonna be mine!" The other female pegasus cut in.
"Not if you keep undermining your senior NCOs it won't, Sunny. Both of you better shape up, I don't think the Guard can survive having Rolling Thunder as a Lance-Corporal..."
"Hey! That's not fair, Spitfire, I haven't said anything yet!" The last remaining pegasus protested.
"Yet," the Unicorn private snickered.
"Quiet, Rookie! Honestly, four weeks outta hoof camp and you think you can trash talk with the best of us," the pegasus sniped back.
"Private Storybook is right, you hadn't said anything dumb yet. I know you, Thunder," Spitfire noted.
"Uh, Corporal, can I ask a question?" The last member of the squad spoke up, a female Earth Pony Private.
"You just did, Apple Sun. Just kidding, go ahead."
"Are we really gonna have to take care of a monster or wild animal?"
"I doubt it, nothing ever happens in small towns like this. Ever been to Ponyville? Might as well call it Dullsville and that's right next to Everfree."
"Well, I've got cousins there, actually... It is kind of quiet..."
"Oh, there's a shock, the Apple has cousins somewhere. You probably have cousins on the frickin' moon, Sun!" Swift Wing joked.
"Uh, Corporal, Dullsville is actually near Hub City," Storybook noted.
"Yeah, whatever, Private Atlas. Just get..."
Whatever the Corporal was about to say was lost as the Sergeant and Lance-Corporal returned.
"It's a real situation. Messenger's sent out a call for more troopers, but we've got to act on it now. Sheriff will fill us in," Terracotta Shell ordered.
"...Dang, so much for hoping this was going to be a quiet one before I got my discharge," Spitfire sighed.
Sheriff Lone Starr explained to the rest what was happening.
"We had reports from the Wheat family of weird things happening around their place. The dogs were spooked, strange lights last night, weird tracks out in the woods. Then this evening little Buckwheat comes over to tell his brother Wheat Picker one of the cows has gone missing. We all head over, and everyone's gone. Papa Wheat, Wheatcakes, Baby Cereal, the whole cowshed empty..."
The Earth Pony paused for a moment.
"I told Peaches and Barnraiser to help the brothers find their family while I called out everyone else... I called out all my deputies in the county first... Should have called you in right away, darn it. Got back up there with Lassie, Dawg, Wind and Gallop. Everyone else is gone. My three deputies, Buckwheat... Barnraiser's got a foal, eighteen months old. Peaches and Picker are just kids themselves..."
"With all due respect, Sheriff, we need to stay focused on now. What's done is done, we need to know what to do next. What happened to give you your injury?" Terracotta Shell cut him off.
"...We were looking around, I was checking in one of the barns and a green fireball tore through the wall. Went through my foreleg, got shards of wood all over the place too. I must have passed out. The others dragged me out and we came back here to call for you guys."
"Green fireball? Like Changeling magic?" Spitfire asked.
"...No, not quite. It was a lot faster, and it made a snapping sound. Like airgun pellets."
"But you never got a look at whatever was doing it?" Sergeant Shell asked.
Starr shook his head, and winced, regretting the act as pain flared up from an agitated wound.
"No, it attacked through a wall. Next I knew was waking up in the back of the wagon as we were heading back. We called the doc, told everypony to stay indoors, called you guys...."
"Alright. I'll take my team up to check. Can I borrow a couple of your deputies as guides?"
Starr raised his uninjured front hoof to point at a Diamond Dog and Pegasus wearing iron deputy stars.
"Ruff Dawg and Guiding Wind can show you the way to the Wheat's Farm, they're both fully qualified first aiders. You can use our wagon in case you need to bring somepony back into town as soon as possible. Lassie and Gallop are putting gear inside it."
"That could be useful, we've got basic skills ourselves but we might be looking at a lot of injuries. What kind of gear?" The Sergeant asked.
"All the search and rescue or riot gear Horsey County Sheriff's Department has. A couple sets of Starlight Goggles, box of smoke grenades, box of flash grenades, and a couple crossbows plus a crate of arrows," Dawg reported.
"Well, we've got ropes and fire extinguishers too but they probably ain't much use..." Guiding Wind noted.
"What you have could be useful all the same. My four Pegasi and Deputy Wind can be eyes in the sky with their magic, the goggles will work for us on the ground. We've got our own smoke and flash grenades already but extra won't hurt if we need them. What kind of wagon is it?"
"Sturdy Timbers, local-built. Thick planks and metal frame, meant to be able to stop arrows comin' in or Earth Ponies buckin' their way out," Starr replied
"Well, hopefully it's sturdier than a barn wall if whatever's out there is still taking zaps at things. Let's get moving."
Ten minutes later, the wagon trundled up the path to the Wheat family farm. True to their name, rows upon rows of grain stalks occupied many of the fields. A cluster of structures lay near the edge of the nearby woods.
Ordinarily by this time of night the farmhouse would be a beacon of light, lanterns casting their light out the windows. There would normally be a constellation of a few other lanterns lit up around the farmyard and buildings.
Tonight, there was no light. Just deathly silence and shadows. The wagon was left at the bottom of a small hill, beside an open-topped carriage that belonged to the farmers.
"You guys up there see anything?" Terracotta Shell asked the pegasi circling above.
"Nothing, Sergeant," Came the reply down the Ventrilomag Communicator.
It was a fairly simple magical device, named for ventriloquism but really closer an acoustic transmitter like the foal's toy with strings and cans. The 'string' in this case was made of magic that linked two or more devices together, transmitting voice over invisible projections. They were short ranged, though, and so reliant on line of sight that something as thin as a piece of paper between the transmitter and receiver could cause massive interference. They also were completely open to any capable receiver.
Sending the pegasi over the treeline to scan took them out of communication. But the trees were likely where anything was lurking.
"Aerial team check through the trees, we'll check out the structures on the ground. Deputy Dawg, which barn was Sheriff Starr injured in?"
"That one over there," The Diamond Dog pointed a claw.
"Messenger, Apple, go take a look, you take a pair of the goggles, Private. Storybook, Deputy, we're going to check the house."
"Got it, Sergeant," The Unicorn Lance-Corporal nodded, his crossbow held aloft with his magic.
Three went towards the house. Two went towards the barn. Five pegasi went to scan through the trees, looking down with pegasus magic to scan through the canopy of leaves. There seemed to be no sign of life below.
Outside the small barn, an Earth Pony had been briefly blinded.
"Ow! Lance-Corporal, warn me before you use horn light, these goggles make it really bright!" Apple Sun complained, and tried to blink the spots out of her eyes.
"Oops, sorry. Forgot that's how those things worked."
"Why does a little Sheriff's department coverin' one little town and a few villages even have stuff like this?"
"Probably search and rescue stuff. Here, how's this?"
The light from Messenger's horn was now far softer.
"Hey, that works a lot better than the moonlight only! Way less shadows where you shine it. Look, there's the holes in the side of the barn..."
The two Guardsponies examined the damage from outside. A great gouge of timber had exploded outwards from the wall, visible from the door they stood at. They checked the other side, finding three very small holes close together on the outside.
"Ugh, he was shot in here okay... I can smell the blood, that's disgustin'..." Apple Sun complained upon entering the barn proper.
"Something isn't right here... Hey, Apple, take the goggles off a second, I need to check something with brighter light," Messenger asked.
As he boosted the glow, spots of dried blood became apparent on the layer of hay on the floor below the damaged wall.
"This is where he got hit all right," The Earth Pony noted.
"Yeah, but there's not enough blood to make so much of a smell..."
He scanned around a little more, as Apple Sun sniffed the air.
"That's a really strong stink though... Makes me feel a little queasy," She groaned.
The unicorn's light had fallen on the hay loft above. He had fallen silent.
"...Private? Go get the Sergeant."
"What? What is i..."
"Get him now."
She looked up, and she saw the blood dripping down from the floor above.
In the house, they had not found much of anything. The two Guards and one Deputy checked the cellars, the closets, anywhere Ponies may have tried to hide.
"Anything, Sergeant?"
"Nothing. Deputy, can you smell anything?"
"Nothing fresh, nopony's been here for a couple of hours, but there's another odd smell. It's like the forest... and rubber. There's... Hold on a second, Sergeant, can you take the goggles off a second? Private, shine a light here..."
The Diamond Dog directed Storybook to aim his horn light at some strange marks on the tiled floor of the kitchen. Parallel rows, made of thin lines and the occasional splashes of mud.
"Two lines of mud, like train track sleepers..."
"I've seen carts and tractors with things that make a shape like that," Storybook noted.
"Some kind of little wagon or cart?" The Deputy wondered.
Speculation was interrupted by Private Apple Sun bolting in the door, frantic.
"Sergeant Shell, in the barn, there's blood, somepony's hurt or worse!" She gasped, racing back out.
"...Deputy, with me! Storybook, can you get on the roof and try get the pegasi back here?"
"S-sure, Sergeant..."
The two Guards and one Deputy joined Lance-Corporal Messenger up the stairs in the barn. The still and blood-stained form of a light green pegasus stallion wearing a Royal Mail uniform lay sprawled on hay below a large hole smashed in the roof.
"Oh no, that's... That's Prompt Delivery, he's the poststallion over in Sawmill Pines..." Dawg said.
"...He's dead," Sergeant Shell reported, moving closer to the body
"A-are you sure, Sergeant?" Apple Sun squeaked.
The Guard Sergeant looked at the three tiny, neat holes in the chest of the pegasus, and looked at his neck.
"Looks like puncture wounds here. He must have broken his neck crashing."
"So it was quick?" Messenger said softly.
"Wait, what about the missing ponies and cows? Does that mean they..." Apple Sun began, but Sergeant Shell cut her off.
"...He's still warm, and still bleeding. He was brought down not long before we got here. Private Apple Sun! Tell Storybook to warn the pegasi to come back carefully, whatever's out there can hit flying targets!"
"Y-yes, Sergeant..." The Earth Pony nodded, glad of an excuse to leave the grisly scene.
"She had a good question, Sergeant. If whatever did this is close, then where is everypony and all those cows?" Dawg asked.
"I don't know. But whatever is out there is a killer, so we had better be very careful."
Storybook had nervously made his way onto the roof, propping himself against a chimney and looking out towards where the pegasi had flown.
"Hey, can you guys hear me?"
"Yeah, what's up, Rookie?" Spitfire responded.
"Sergeant says you guys should come back, we found somepony hurt in one of the barns."
"Roger that, we'll be back in a minute."
At that moment, Apple Sun bolted out of the barn again and yelled up at him.
"Storybook! Tell them to be careful!"
"...What?"
"The Pegasuses, tell them to be careful coming ba-"
"Pegasi," He corrected without thinking.
"Whatever, just warn them!"
*.- ..- -.. .. --- .- .-.. . .-. -*
In the field of wheat nearby, the increased noise had attracted attention. It turned to face the noise, observing the shape on the roof.
It took aim.
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"Warn then what, the hurt pony? Already done it!"
"No, Sergeant Shell says-"
Three green fireballs ripped through the air, striking Private Storybook between his eyes. He never had a chance to hear what his fellow guardspony was saying.
*.--. --- ... - .. ...- .. . .... .. -*
The three in the barn heard Apple Sun scream Storybook's name in panic. The approaching Pegasi saw the green orbs rise from the wheat field below them as they returned, and saw the shape tumble from the roof. They saw three more light up the gloom below for fractions of a second as they streaked into the other pony. Apple Sun screamed in pain as they struck her side, slicing straight through her barding.
"Deputy, go help out our wounded! My guys, prep wingblades, let's get the bucker," Spitfire ordered.
The four Guards began to descend towards the field below. Swooping down at where the green fireballs had originated, the combinations of pegasus magic and the concealed blades folded below their wings tore a hole in the crops during their dive-attacking maneuver.
Unfortunately, the attacker had moved backwards. With five new targets now close and posing a real threat, it reacted. Spitfire heard fireballs tear past her head with a snapping sound, and a yell of pain from Swift Wing. She looked around, seeing her comrade tumbling down, his wing hit. She saw a small flash from within the crops, and then her wing exploded in agony as green fireballs struck a glancing blow.
She tumbled down too, too shocked by the pain to even make a npise, as more fireballs ripped into the sky. She saw Swift Wing trying to stand only to have more fireballs rip through him, as she slammed face first into the ground.
Sergeant Shell raced towards his fallen troopers by the house, intending to put the still-screaming Apple Sun onto his back and head for cover as Dawg and Messenger covered him with their weapons, a crossbow and two P1 Airguns respectively, Shell having given his to the unicorn.
They watched helpless as the pegasi's effort to assist faltered. Deputy Guiding Wind had landed beside them, trying to drag Storybook into cover as green fireballs chased the still-airborne pegasui into the sky. Dawg fired his crossbow into the stalks of wheat, a clang of metal on metal ringing out. The green fireballs stopped rising.
"Get into cover, now! You two up there land and get in the house!" Shell ordered, as he lifted Apple Sun up.
*..- -. -.. . .-. ..-. .. .-. . ..-. .- .-.. .-.. .. -. --. -... .- -.-. -.-*
It began to reverse, the return shot having glanced off armour harmlessly, but it was not on a mission for direct combat. The main mission was to observe.
And so, having hit, it ran, and it watched.
*.-. . ... ..- -- . --- -... ... . .-. ...- .- - .. --- -.*
Privates First Class Sunny Skies and Rolling Thunder raced in the back door, as the others entered by the front.
"Skies, Thunder Give us some light in the kitchen. Messenger, Dawg, aim out that window!" Shell instructed, moving in as Deputy Wind carried Storybook.
Messenger aimed the airguns out the front parlour window, Dawg beside him with a reloaded bow.
The light they had showed the wounds Apple Sun had sustained to make her still be moaning in agony: Shards of her own armour had ripped into her sides along with the fireballs, and she was bleeding profusely. Storybook was silent, his comrades looking in shock at the three small holes between his wide-open eyes, and the blood that stained his white coat.
"Sergeant, what do we-" Thunder began, but Shell interrupted.
"Deputies, give us some smoke out there then help Apple Sun, Skies, you help them out too. Messenger, keep the airguns aimed outside, if whatever is out there is still alive, you shoot back at it. Thunder, come with me, we're getting Spitfire and Swift Wing in here. Everyone clear?"
Nods and the sound of a fizzing fuse as Ruff Dawg lit a smoke grenade were his only reply,
"Wait for a good layer of cover," Shell warned as the smoking device flew off into the field.
"W-what the heck is out there, Shell?!"
"That's Sergeant, Private Thunder. And what's out there is two of ours, hurt or worse and we're getting them back in here to help them, and we're being careful in case the thing that hurt them isn't dead."
"B-but..."
"We'll talk when we've got the others in here, all right? Now, go!" The two guards raced outside.
With the Starlight Goggles, Terracotta could see far better than the naked-eyed pegasus. He guided the panicky PFC towards the crumpled forms of the fallen troopers. He saw that Swift Wing was clearly dead, a large hole in the side of his head from where one of the fireballs had exited. Spitfire was out cold, bleeding from her wing and a cut earned on her head.
"Are they okay?"
"Just pick up Spitfire and stay quiet!" Shell hissed, picking up Swift Wing.
The pair and their passengers galloped back to the door. Shell ran in first, Thunder right behind him.
"Sergeant, how are they?" Ruff Dawg asked, looking up from where he and the other two uninjured occupants of the room were tending to Apple Sun.
"Swift is dead," He replied, gently setting down his second fallen trooper beside Storybook.
"Buck! What the hay do we do now?!" Rolling Thunder shouted.
"We need to get Apple Sun to a doctor, fast. We can only do so much here... And she doesn't look too good either," Dawg pointed at Spitfire.
"Alright. Do what you can for them, guys. Messenger, go upstairs and keep an eye on that wheat field from there... Thunder, try and patch Spitfire up."
The Pegasus Private First Class was staring at Swift Wing and Storybook.
"Thunder?" Shell prompted gently.
"Y...yeah, yes, Sergeant... Sorry..."
"It's okay. We all handle stress differently, Rolling."
At that moment, Spitfire let out a groan.
"Corporal? Spitfire, are you okay?"
"Ugh, my head... What happened?"
She blinked, taking in the room she was in, the lantern-light, the ponies and diamond dog working over Apple Sun...
"Swift and Storybook are dead, we're trying to stabilise Apple Sun so we can move her to the wagon."
"Wha... That's a sick joke, Terracotta!"
"I wish it was, Spitfire. Whatever did it and injured you might still be out there too."
"Um, Sergeant? What if we went to move the wagon to the door now? Me and Thunder could pull it up and we could get everyone on it and get out..."
"...No, we need it up here fast, if that thing figures out what we're up to, we're in trouble. Me and Thunder carry Swift and Storybook down, Messenger keeps us covered from upstairs, and then the three of us pull it up, an earth pony and two pegasi will move it faster that just two pegasi... And if we get Swift and Storybook on board right away the rest of us can move in quickly."
"Shell... Make that four. My wing and head hurt, not my legs," Spitfire offered
"You sure?"
"J-just... Just hurry, please, it hurts..." Apple Sun spoke up.
"Yeah," The pegasus mare nodded.
"I guess that's the plan then. Let's move," Shell ordered.
Leaving through the back door, using the toolsheds and haybales out the back for cover, the four ponies rushed down towards the wagon.
*-.-. .- ..- - .. --- ..- ... .- -.. ...- .- -. -.-. .*
It had worked its way around, carefully guided away from where it had last acted. There had been little to observe, until four of the ponies had rushed out almost in front of it. It let them go, the targets out of line of sight too quickly.
But there was still a light in the back of the dwelling. It trundled along, towards the open door.
*-.-. --- -- -- . -. -.-. . .- - - .- -.-. -.-*
Guiding Wind glanced up for a second from putting pressure on Apple Sun's wounds, giving him just enough time to see a small dark shape in the door, faintly glowing in the lantern light. A long cylinder below a glinting glass eye swung towards him.
"It's here!"
It fired. A volley of green lights streaked through his chest, as Ruff Dawg turned to the door. He began reaching for his crossbow, as more lights streaked out into his fellow deputy with a loud buzzing sound. The cylinder smoking, it turned to face him even as he heard Messenger's hooves clattering down the stairs. He stumbled as green lights struck his chest, another burst going into his head half a second later.
Apple Sun looked up, screamed for her mother, and the cylinder shifted to aim at her face.
Messenger stumbled as he hit the bottom step, shocked by what he saw. It was a fatal error. The cylinder snapped up, loosing off an accurate burst into his chest, barding unable to stop the green fire. He tumbled, wheezing for breath and trying to stand, trying to use his telekinesis to aim the airguns. He managed to start firing, the pellets just bouncing off the advancing shape.
It had two sets of tracks, a black rectangular body, the deadly cylinder, and no mercy. Lance-Corporal Messenger's last thought was to realise that it was a machine that had slaughtered so many beings.
*.-- .. - .... -.. .-. .- .--*
It pulled back, certain of the kills, seeking to set up an ambush, only to be struck from the side. It reacted, firing its weapon as it was flipped almost onto its side, trying to right itself with frantic spinning of its tracks.
It tracked a pony falling down beside it. It tracked three more advancing. It tried to fire.
*. -- . .-. --. . -. -.-. -.-- .-. .- .--. .. -.. ..-. .. .-. .*
"What the buck was that?! Somepony just yelled something!" Thunder said.
Shell had been putting the two bodies down carefully in the wagon as the rest of his squad were hitching up.
"Go, get back up there!" He yelled, jumping down to follow his three troopers racing back uphill, their efforts to haul the wagon forgotten.
Spitfire had charged at the shape drawing out of the kitchen before Shell could even shout orders, the other Pegasi right behind her. Looking back, he knew what his three comrades had felt. Rage, pure anger at this thing. This murderer. He'd felt it too.
But at the time, he didn't know that. He was too enraged himself to even think for himself let alone understand the thoughts of others.
She slammed into it, a streak of green lights flying into the sky, and she collapsed in a heap as the machine wobbled. The cylinder swung around, green lights began to scream past with snaps and a seemingly endless droning, buzzing noise as the machine attacked. Skies stumbled as green lights ripped through her, Thunder slammed into the machine, but put himself point-blank into the roaring cylinder by mistake. It bent at his impact, but the green fireballs it released ended his charge.
Sergeant Terracotta Shell span to aim his back legs at the stricken fighting machine, and gave a hard kick. The machine flew away end over end, landing upside down. Shell descended upon it, a blur of hooves slamming off the metal monstrosity. Something gave away within the machine, causing thick white smoke to pour from it.
Terracotta Shell stood back at that, gasping for breath. He watched the destroyed machine burn for a moment as the red mist cleared. He turned around, hearing choked gasps. Spitfire had her hooves against her neck trying to stop bleeding from a wound. Skies and Thunder lay utterly still.
He went to Spitfire, trying to help. He heard the flapping of wings, and shouts for a medic. He almost lashed out at something moving beside him, until he realised it was a Pegasus Lieutenant from the Air Force.
"-geant, what happened? What happened?!" The Air Force pony asked.
"It... it killed my squad..." He said softly, pointing at the smoking wreck, now giving off soft and frequent popping noises like small explosions, before he felt his legs give way.
For most ponies it had been a night like any other. Parents told their foals bedtime stories or sang nursery rhymes. Couples enjoyed evenings together, at home or out and about. The Broadneigh shows performed for packed audiences. The Royal Canterlot Opera sang on. Students studied, some ponies hit the hay early, some set up telescopes to watch the night sky, and some were getting ready for night shifts. Trains ran, airships flew, ships sailed.
For most ponies nothing extraordinary had happened until the evening papers were printed the next day.
For Guards in Canterlot, things were naturally different. The news was spreading. But one pony in Canterlot Castle was between both extremes. She was having a night different from most ponies, but she did not yet know it. She thought at first her experiment on magical wavelengths and phases had been faulty as she collected together the detectors she had planted.
"Spike! I told you to calibrate these to detect pulsing-cascade manafields!" A unicorn shouted in horror.
"I did!"
"Then why do all these detectors show readings consistent with resonating-cascade manafields?! The mana streams are a pulsing cascade and without seven sets of data plus controls I can't get an accurate picture of the manastreams flowing around the Canterlot area!"
A Baby Dragon looked at one device.
"Um... Maybe it got a really strong resonance cascade instead of picking up on a weaker pulse from the manastream? Why do you need to do this anyway?"
"Because, with a concise and predictable pattern to the manafields it allows me to adjust other devices to the perfect frequencies to ignore background mana and- Wait, why would it pick up a strong resonance cascade? That's teleportation magic! And why would it be so sustained? A regular teleport is just opening a small field of resonance at two points and cascading between them to move matter. It can't be letters being sent, those go into the manastream as wobbling-cascades except at the point of origin and destination..."
"Yeah, uh... what?"
"Spike, do you know what this means?!"
"...Nope."
"Neither do I! Oh, this is so exciting! I can't wait to discuss this with Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle clapped her hooves happily.
Colonel Cloudy White, the Ministry of Defence's press spokespony, had summoned the newspapers to Canterlot Castle. The rumour mill had given most an inkling of what to expect, the morning papers at mot carrying only a small notice of an unconfirmed incident and further details to follow in later prints. Most had stated only that there had been a fatality involving Royal Guards, or law enforcement ponies. Some had speculated an accident. None had suspected foul play.
"It is with a heavy heart I must announce that tragedy has befallen Equestria. Last night, in the town of Horsey Common, six Royal Guards and two members of the Horsey County Sheriff Department were confirmed dead in an incident last night. In addition, three other deputies, four ponies, and an as-yet unconfirmed number of cows are reported missing in the same incident. One Sheriff Department officer was wounded and is in stable condition, whilst a seventh guard is in a critical condition."
The assembled journalists exploded into a barrage of questions, the Colonel letting the hubbub continue before picking out a random reporter, a male unicorn.
"Quick Quill, Daily Sunrise-Sunset Sheet. Was this incident an accident or a monster attack?"
"We can confirm it was not an accident, but as of yet cannot confirm if it was the action of a wild monster or of a sapient actor."
This response merely provoked another barrage. White repeated his actions, pointing out a female Pegaus.
"Inky Feathers, Manechester Sentinel. Colonel, can you clarify the statement you just made, that you cannot confirm if it was the action of a sapient actor? Was it the action of an enemy?"
"All I can confirm at this time is that the Ministry is uncertain of the nature of the actor or actors involved last night, only that there was a secondary hostile party involved. As to your question regarding if it was action by some enemy... unknown, is all we can say at this point."
Another reporter was selected, a male Minotaur.
"Heading Byline, Canterlot Gazette, when will the Ministry of Defence release the names of the deceased and missing individuals involved in this incident..."
She didn't really need to sleep. She took cat-naps here and there during the night, yes, but she didn't really need to sleep. Of late she didn't want to. Sleep brought out painful memories, without any way to chase them away. Sleep was a loss of control until she awoke. Sleep risked nightmares.
But sometimes painful memories came back when awake. And they could only truly be made while awake. For all the discomfort they gave her, at least nightmares had already happened and were in the past, or they weren't real. Daymares were here and now, ongoing. And so often they were cruel echoes of the past, that made her remember the things she could never forget no matter how much she wanted to. And it also reminded her of those she never wanted to forget. Friends, ordinary beings.
She'd written ten letters personally that night. She knew more would be needed as soon as the missing family's other relatives were confirmed. She'd almost written eleven until she remembered. One of the deputies missing was part of the family. A whole family dead or missing.
A mother, a father, the eldest child and two foals. Wheatcakes, Papa Wheat, Wheat Picker, Buckwheat, Cereal.
Six more Guards to remember. Rolling Thunder, Storybook, Messenger, Swift Wing, Apple Sun, Sunny Skies. One critical, Spitfire.
Four more peace officers. Ruff Dawg, Bold Barnraiser, Guiding Wing, Peaches. The first two had pups and foals, respectively.
And they still didn't know anything much about the cows that had lived with the family other than the herd leaders were Buttercup and Tauro.
Seventeen names she'd learned only in death. Seventeen she'd never known in life. Seventeen she'd never forget and more to come.
No, she didn't really sleep. And after a tragedy like this she couldn't if she wanted to. Deep down, she knew there would be many more sleepless nights and many more tragedies.
And, as always, Princess Celestia could not but help doubt her capacity to endure it. As always, she had no choice. She couldn't let her subjects down. They looked up to her. Some virtually worshipped her despite her best efforts.
As she raised her sun, a Pegasus Corporal neared.
"Yes, Corporal Galeforce?" The princess asked the guardsmare.
"Princess, your student is waiting in the throne room, she says she has something to discuss."
Twilight. It would be something that had excited her student, probably keeping her up all night as well. She knew the purple unicorn's habits well. Having to ask her personal student to return another day with a discovery she had made had just felt like a needlessly cruel addition to it all, a minor thing in the greater scheme, but adding to her woes nonetheless. She regretted ever having to disappoint her subjects as much as they feared disappointing her - and Twilight Sparkle feared disappointing Princess Celestia far more than most ponies, hence, in turn....
She took a breath to focus, trying to clear her mind from the weight lying upon it. She had no choice.
"Please give Twilight my apologies, and tell her that I may have to see her later on or another day. I have much to attend to, with these events."
If only her student had come to the raising tower, so she could explain in person. But Twilight followed what books said, what rules said. Even the ones she'd been advised to be flexible with. She'd only requested privacy a thousand years to change the positions of the sun and the moon so she could be alone with her thoughts and regrets. She'd thought that the chancellor advising she raise the sun on the longest day of the year in towns across the principality would be a good way to connect with her ponies and give everyone something to take their minds off what had happened.
Instead it wound up mutating into part of her mystique, her unwanted deification. Nopony who wasn't supposed to be there dared interrupt her as she brought the sun up, even when she didn't want to be alone. And by the time she realised it, she knew telling them otherwise would disappoint her subjects immensely. They'd began to see the Summer Sun raising as a celebration. If she made any sun-raising as open as that event, it would lose the joy it brought.
Unforeseen consequences. Even good things could go wrong.
But she couldn't disappoint her subjects. And today, she had to learn what they were facing. She had to guide her subjects to be able to endure whatever lay ahead, even as she struggled to endure something as simple as putting off a meeting to another day.