> Only One Speck of Dust
>  by TheMareWhoSaysNi
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> Chapter 1
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The frozen wind of the North Shore whistled between the structures of wood and bricks. The Grand Place seemed to be deserted. Yet lights from oil-lamps sometimes shone at the windows. Saloons, Company Houses and cabarets all were crowded. As for the streets, they were empty from the daily restlessness. During the Ceaseless Night, the difference between daytime and sleep was tenuous.

Maybe one day Equestria would become a land of peace and love. A place safe from all the evils such a huge land could contain. In the adventure stories, there always were a chosen one who saved everypony’s lives. In this space called reality, peace had no official repository.
Mothers like her were obliged to do what they had to do. Destitution never cared about morals. They had invented trains that went faster than any of the best stallions of Equestria, they knew how to print newspapers and how to send telegrams as far as the Smokey Mountains, as far as the Macintosh Hills even. Yet no one had found a remedy against disasters.

To feed her daughter, to make sure she would not be forced to work in factories led by torturers like too many other foals, she resolved to this ultimate sacrifice. She could as well rid herself of her corporal envelop for a few hours every night, if that meant she would be able to give her little Scootaloo a better future than the one she had to face.

The young filly was full of energy, full of dreams. She wanted to conquer Canterlot, to become the first mare to be the Cavalry’s Leader. The Academy was expensive and theoretically out of her reach. But she would make sure her daughter would get the chances she never had.
The wind blew hard and it whistled so much into her ears that she feared she would not be able to hear anything else. Mother and daughter sped up. She was not sure about anything because of the fog and the dark wrapped around them completely yet she senses some sort of presence behind her. Streets of Ponyville never were danger free during the Ceaseless Night. It was worse than during the short spring.
She could have used her wings, but her cloak was not made for pegasi and Scootaloo could not fly yet. Maybe they were not followed after all.

Her hooves buried into the soft snow. All of her money was earned for her daughter who was the only one wearing boots. It was as if a knife sank into her hooves with each steps. Ponyville’s snow had the particularity of creating blisters and burns to any pony unfortunately treading upon it with bare hooves. It was the main reason why many of the poorest workers would eventually end up amputated.

What she had hoped for, that the sound of these steps behind her were nothing but her imagination, turned out to be a reality as easy to touch as the cold against her muzzle. A masculine voice just intimated her to slow down. Despite her pain, her heart beating, she grabbed Scootaloo by the neck, like she used to do when she was only a baby and she started to run.

“Mommy, I’m scared”, the filly said, with tears in her eyes.

The small shack they lived in together was far away. They had to find a shelter. She considered for a few seconds to go back to the saloon where she worked. For this, she would have to turn back or to used one of these shortcuts which were darker than the streets they already trotted on.

It would be too much risk-taking. The first place where lights was shining would do the trick. She ran as fast as her painful hooves let her. A little farther on the left, there were an illuminated house with walls made of a lovely varnished wood and where laughs and music could be heard. She dashed without a look behind her back. Without even being sure she was followed.

When she finally reached the house, she was out of breath. She let Scootaloo go and between two exhalations, ordered her to wipe her boots and to enter in quickly.

The young orange-coated filly obeyed without a question, and sank into the building, pushing the door with her head. The mother followed her daughter almost immediately after her. The street sounded quiet. Maybe they had been able to leave the stranger behind. Or he was nothing but one of those little roughnecks who had fun scaring mares of the night.

A hundred of masculine eyes turned to the two ponies at the same time. They all were dressed fancy and the fillies sitting at the tables with them all were wickedly beautiful. They sported stunning outfits made of thick red velvet, black laces, elegant complicated hairstyles and even sophisticated hats for some of them. They were Yaemis, the mares of Company Houses.

The place’s Madam came to them, her chin up in her ensemble made of silk and black taffeta. She looked at her from the bottom up, and a half-smile appeared on her gray muzzle which edges were creased. Before she spoke to her, she threw a glance full of self-importance on the young filly standing by her side.

“I don’t know what you are looking for”, she intimated her severely. “Yet it seems like you are mistaking. This is a high-quality house… not a grinding shack.”

Scootaloo opened her eyes wide, under the shock of the words that had been said. She maybe was only ten yet she knew what some words meant. Her mother did not work in one of those awful shacks exploiting mares, making them old before the age.

She put her daughter behind her hind legs in order to protect her.

It was useless. The damages had been done. It dug a wound inside her heart like when her classmates insulted her mother.

“I only want a shelter for a few minutes. We are followed, and…”

“I don’t want to know”, the Madam cried, putting her hooves between them. “Please leave before I throw you out.”

Two unicorn and pegasus stallions with impressive builds and threatening eyes were already going their way. She did not want to beg these ponies yet she begged them anyway. For her daughter. Her daughter for whom she fought so hard every day.

But they did not want to know. A few seconds later, mother and daughter were put out on the street with such a violence the eldest one’s cloak opened and crushed against the snow.

She groped around for it, helped by the weak light that filtered under the wooden door. She barely had slipped it along her shoulders that she heard Scootaloo crying out. She turned around…

The pony who had followed them was in front of them. His long black cloak hung down in the snow with the shape of a slimy puddle. His coat might have been green or maybe darker, it was not easy to guess with all the tasks of filth covering it. His expression was hard as nails and he was standing in front of the two fillies with the cruelest of smiles.

She gasped in surprise. Then, as fast as she could, she grabbed Scootaloo by the neck and ran in the other direction. However, she barely had made a few steps that another male pony settled himself in front of her. He wore the same filthy black cloak and had the same vicious expression. She tried to go in the opposite direction. There was no way. The second pony had stepped closer.

When she turned around to flee, she noticed in fear that the road was blocked by a huge wall. A factory.

Trapped. There was no way they could escape. They both stepped back as the two ponies were walking in their direction. Scootaloo, hidden behind her mother, tried to be strong yet could not help her heart from thumping in her chest. She could neither stop the frozen tears blurring her vision.

“Let my daughter go… She’s only ten.”

“Ten”, one of them replied raising his eyebrows. “That’s not so young.”

The second one burst out laughing while still coming closer to her and her daughter.

“I beg of you. Let her go.”

None of them seemed ready to listen. Scootaloo was small and nimble, if she could leave right now, she could go through the hooves of these two bandits and she would be safe. The problem was that the young filly could not move. Her limbs were rigid. A rush of cold washed over her entirely, more nerve-racking than anything else.

All that remained to make sure her daughter would do well was to sacrifice herself. She stopped struggling and let the two enraged ponies throw themselves on her. One of them snatched her cloak away from her with his teeth while the second held her forelegs to stop her from putting up a fight.

“Scootaloo, close your eyes!”

The young filly obeyed and shut her eyes as hard as she could. Tears kept on rolling over her cheeks. She wanted to help her mother but there was nothing she could do. She could not even fly.

If only she had the strength to run away. If only her mother’s screams could stop. If only this could be nothing but a bad dream.
Another scream ripped the air. It was more like a shriek. Scootaloo did not want to open her eyes. She opened them anyway. She could not really comprehend what was happening yet she could see the blood. It flew, scarlet red, like a river digging a furrow through the immaculate powder snow, running straight toward herself.

So she shut her eyes again, curled against the wall. It was a nightmare. She was in her bed and her mother would come and wake her up in a minute to tell her she only had a bad dream.

She suddenly had the sensation that a shadow had just flown above her head. Other roughnecks? A new shriek ran through the air though this time it was one of the male ponies who had screamed. Was it possible that her mother…?

Scootaloo opened her eyes and gasped in surprise and fear. The shadow of a pegasus stood out among the others. She needed more seconds to be able to define the outlines of the pony standing close to one of the scoundrels.

She had a sword between her teeth, made of solid silver from which dropped a trickle of bright red blood. Her cloak, of the same color than the liquid, was floating in the wind. Her mane was rainbow-colored and tied with a black ribbon. In her magenta eyes shone the flash of determination.

Scootaloo then realized that one of the ponies who had assaulted her with her mother was lying on his side, his flank cut from an ugly wound that festered and bled abundantly.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!”, yelled the deep voice of a stallion behind her.

The winged mare immediately turned around and saw the second bandit dashing toward her with a small knife between his teeth.
Was he seriously thinking he would win over her with that? One more stupid and pretentious good-for-nothing thinking his male characteristics prevailed over her just because she was female. Had he not recognized The Militia’s distinctive features?

Without hesitation, she gained momentum and rose into the air, only high enough to be able to avoid the blow of the small blade pointed at her. With a skillful wing knock, she spun around him and planted the end of her blade directly into his flank where appeared a purse-shaped Cutie Mark.

The male pony let out a long cry of pain and collapsed into the snow at a few inches of his associate. The latter was crying his eyes out, huddled up like a scared new born baby.

Scootaloo saw another pony showing up and her heart started to thump again in fear this might be another accomplice of the two on the ground. He was the tallest stallion she had ever seen and his coat matching his cloak contrasted sharply with the white all around her, just like the blood that kept from running out of the wounded victims.

It was this cloak, the same one as worn by the pegasus mare that had just saved her which indicated her it rather was an associate of the latter. She saw him put a sword with a black shaft back into a case tied around his waist with a brown leather belt.

“That was close”, he said with a surprisingly relaxed deep tone.

“Don’t make me laugh”, she answered from her slightly raspy voice. “As if this type of good-for-nothing ponies were a threat to the great Rainbow Dash.”

He shrugged. She was being her usual self. Convinced she was the best and no one would ever beat the hell out of her… Alright, she was. Even so, this was not a reason to pretend everything was always easy for her.

Scootaloo was still standing in front of them. Her eyes were shining with admiration. Never again had she saw members of The Militia so closely. She had heard about them, just like everypony else, because everypony knew who they were and what they were doing, yet never again had she got a chance to meet one of them. In her school, the young foals liked to narrate their masterstrokes, often romanticized in the royal newspapers.

She only wished this would have been in better circumstances. Her mother had been assaulted. She had seen the blood yet no longer heard her screams. Maybe she was dead… She looked away from the two ponies and ran toward her mother’s immobile body.

Another mare was standing next to her. Scootaloo had not heard her, no more that she had heard the big red-coated stallion. She had lifted her cloak on her left flank and a sword was tied at her waist along with a lasso thicker than a sailing rope and a whole set she did not know anything about. She was examining her mother’s body and when Scootaloo stepped closer, she smiled at her reassuringly.

The young filly could not help but admire her orange coat, her fair-haired mane tied with a red ribbon. She was an earth pony yet in the little girl’s eyes she had the attitude and presence of a unicorn.

“Your mother’s not dead, sugar cube. I’m goin’ to bandage her and she’ll be just fine.”

“Are you a physician pony?”, Scootaloo asked innocently.

She had been way too impressed by Rainbow Dash and the other stallion to dare speaking to them but the orange mare seemed to be more approachable. She was part of The Militia too; she was sure about it.

Applejack had a half-smile, a bit bitter.

“No, kiddo. I’m Master of Rituals.”

She did not need to say more. Scootaloo knew what it meant. Masters of Rituals were the representatives of the Spider God in Equestria. They escorted the dead, blessed them so they could rise to the Cloth. If her mother was not dead, it meant she only was doing her the first aid techniques.

Herself, she deduced that she had just spoke to the one nicknamed as the Angel of Mercy. She had not only been saved by The Militia, just like a lot of Ponyville and Equestria inhabitants. She had been saved by its most distinguished members.

“Are you done soon, Applejack?”, Rainbow Dash asked from behind. “A Spotter had just informed us that a bunch of ponies are trying to rob a Company House.”

“I’m done. Did ya call the healers?”

Her best friend nodded. The unicorns were the only ones gifted with magic who could send messages by another kind of way than telegrams. None of the Members of the Head’s Counsel were unicorns. They had to find another solution. Hooves imitated the knocks of the telegraph against the ground or against the walls of the houses and one of the Spotters sent the message in his turn until it reached its destination.

All of Ponyville had learned to make do with the hooves knocks in the middle of the night since the hundredth years of The Militia’s existence.

Scootaloo suddenly understood they would leave her here, alone. They would not wait with her until the emergency services arrive to take care of her mother and the two wounded ponies. The Militia did not have the time to stop for a guttersnipe like her.

Yet she dared to make a step toward the three ponies who were ready to head toward their new bloody destination.

“But I… What if somepony else tried to assault me?”

All three turned around as one pony. Rainbow Dash only retraced her steps. She leaned down and smiled to the young filly, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“No pony will bother you, trust me. I’m going to entrust you with a very important task. When the physician ponies will be there, tell them the Sacred Law had been applied. They’ll understand…”

Blood by blood. Scootaloo whispered it. She was nothing but a schoolfilly like any other ones but she knew what it was all about when a crime was committed in Equestria. Debts had to be paid, in equal wages. Whoever spilled blood deserved to have his blood spilled in return.

“And if you’re still not reassured, you can be sure of something. In reality, ponies do not fear the Sacred Law. I’m the one they fear.”

Scootaloo could not help but opening her mouth wide. Never before had she heard something that was so exciting.

Yes, she had not been saved by any members of The Militia but by the Members of the Head’s Counsel and their Heads. The Thunder of Revenge in person. She looked at them galloping away in the dark night with her heart beating from excitation.

The thrilling sensation vanished away when she went back by her mother’s side, whimpering from pain. The two good-for-nothings had wounded her lower abdomen, they had notched her face and forelegs. She struggled to breath. But she was alive. And very soon, she heard the sounds of the physician ponies’ hurried hooves coming closer to the place where they both were. She was going to be alright. It was the most important thing for Scootaloo.

Her mother always told her to see the good even in the tragic. Today she understood the impact of these words. Later, she would a Member of the Militia as well. She promised it to herself.

> Chapter 2
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At each end of the night’s watch, his job was to secure the North Gates. That was where passed a lot of criminals and dangerous creatures who crossed the Everfree Forest not to get spotted. And if there were someone who knew the Everfree Forest very well, it was Big Macintosh.

Exiled for two years. Two years being separated from his family and friends. From her. When he had come back, everything had changed. He enlisted in The Militia so he could stay close to the two mares he loved the most. He still had hope yet little by little hope continued to water down.

He had taken an oath by joining the Head’s Counsel. His devotion went to the Princesses Luna and Celestia as well as to Rainbow Dash, as the Head of the Militia. This new position did not change a lot of things to his feelings, the only difference was that with this commitment, he had found a purpose to his life. Something else than roaming through Ponyville seeking futile pleasures.

When his enemies saw him galloping on the battlefield they all knew that his apparently limited vocabulary was counterbalanced by his nonstandard build and his combat skills. When he unsheathed one of his swords, no one would be spared. Blood would flow. Lives would be taken.

This also held true for the most distinguishable constituents of The Militia. However, he had to admit very few were startled by Caramel. At the beginning, of course. It never lasted for long yet the first impression was not easy to annihilate.

The night had been quite calm, if the mare of the night assault was. A burglary and a few minor offenses. Nothing exceptional. Sometimes, misdeeds were as numerous as drops of a nightly shower. Anyone would think that they all passed the word around. Other days, like today, vice seemed to be asking for a little bit of rest.

They always proceeded this way. When dawn approached, each got their separate ways and went to watch over one of the five parts which cut Ponyville into some kind of gigantic pastry. Big Macintosh would always go to the North Gates. Caramel watched over the South Gates, Applejack was in charge of the Great Weaver, and Double Diamond took care of the Red Lights. As for Rainbow Dash, she did one last examination of Immaculate, the very heart of the city since she was the only pegasus and she could fly over the Bridleless River that divided Ponyville in two.

During the Ceaseless Night, they always met at the Great Bell to ring the dawn. Daylight never rose and the inhabitants needed a landmark. Roosters had troubles to distinguish how time was going by. They would only sing at confused hours. Winter disturbed the rhythm taken during spring. Springs never long enough.

The North Gates were the closest to the Great Bell square. Big Macintosh always was the first on the scene. He was staring at the horizon, a straw in his mouth, continually trotting. He had to be trotting continually. Winter was biting even with The Militia’s cloak. With the wind whistling and rushing under the clothes, it was rather risk-taking to stand still.

Ponies maybe were able to live a hundreds of years without getting old yet they could die from the cold. Or be pierced by the sharpest of blades, or exterminated by elaborated poisons. The Spider God was merciful only with the most thoughtful ones. Something that barely sounded compatible with the role played by The Militia. How many of their brothers in arms had perished? He had stopped counting.

A shadow stood out in the horizon. Followed by another one. Big Macintosh was on his guard. In Ponyville like anywhere else in Equestria, one had to be permanently suspicious. None could say what crouched in the dark.

Cloaks floating in the wind. At their flanks, when it was lifted, gleaming shafts of swords stood out. Manes tied with black ribbons. These shadows belonged to his friends. Gradually, their silhouettes got clearer through fog and darkness.

With their usual peaceful trot, the two stallions met Big Macintosh.

Double Diamond was the newest member of the Head’s Counsel. From Canterlot, he had been recommended to Rainbow Dash by Princess Luna herself. He had neither the physical strength or the mischievous mind of his two friends. His short mane meant he had lost fights rather recently.

Usually, only the most experts and the smartest ones could gain access to the highest duties of The Militia. A lot had found it unfair when the pony had blend with them.

The problem was that after Open Skies’ death, finding a fifth member had turned out to be absolutely necessary. Because Ponyville was split into five areas, the absolute rule was that the Head’s Counsel had to be formed by five ponies. Whether they were mares or stallions did not matter. This very number was the only momentum. Rainbow Dash had to find this missing member in a rush, and Princess Luna insisted. In her opinion, Double Diamond possessed a potential that was not to be neglected.

Of course, he had improved during his first year into The Militia yet complaints about him kept on rushing. In the press in particular. His relationship with Applejack did not help things to get better. It was said that he was an opportunist.

It was the first time in ages since the general public had something to say about the decisions taken by The Militia. In fact, the last time probably was when Spitfire had resigned, when she had decided to abandon her duties. The shock had been huge.

Behind Double Diamond, Caramel was trotting. If Big Macintosh not often talked and smiled, Caramel was the outgoing type, and the one who always thought there were good things to learn even from the most desperate situations. With time, the both stallions had got to know each other and to enjoy each other company, despite their difference.

Almost the time of a life. As far as “Big Mac” – like he was sometimes called – could remember, Caramel had been there. He was not a friend. He was from his family.

“Quite an uneventful watch, wasn’t it?”, he said while stepping closer to the stallion.

Caramel had to lift up his head if he wanted to speak to his friend eyes to eyes.

“Eeyup.”

This simple answer was the one he gave the more. Most had troubles getting used to this lack of piece of information. Since he did not smile, although the words were spoken with calm, one could never be sure whether his pithy answer was a good sign or a bad sign. His closest friends only were able to determine what his “eeyup” and his “nope” really meant.

However, Big Mac talked little but talked fine. Something Caramel struggled to do. Sometimes he had the feeling that the words he said were getting out in the wrong order. The best would have been to stop talking but he could not stop. He just could not help himself.

“Rainbow Dash has not arrived yet? I’d like to talk to her about something.”

“You can see that neither her nor AJ are here yet”, Double Diamond answered, laughing.

His question had been strictly rhetorical. If Big Macintosh had not rose to it, the ivory-colored stallion, always swift to jump at hasty conclusions, had hurried to notice the weirdness of his statement. Their absence was blatant.

It was because of these kind of details he had acquired this reputation of “the Executioner’s Fool”. Too many ponies thought he was stupid, just because he was very likely to speak before he thought. Or simply because he was very likely to speak, period, even when it was preferable to shut up.

The two mares probably were close. It was usual for them to meet on their way, as he often met Double Diamond.

He also started to stare at the horizon, like his brothers of arms were doing. Not to take the risk that the frozen wind under his cloak would paralyze him, he scratched the ground with his hooves, as if trotting on the spot. Maybe this irritated Big Macintosh and Double Diamond who rather turn around the Great Bell square. He was too nervous to do the same. He had a request to submit to Rainbow Dash and knew that if she was not in a sunny mood, it would probably be quite difficult.

“Big Mac, ring da bell”, ordered a female voice in the distance, easily identifiable, with this typical accent from the Southern farms.
Immediately, the stallion rushed to obey his little sister’s instruction. Although she was the youngest, the fact remained that her position inside The Militia was higher than his. She was Rainbow Dash’s right-hoof pony, her second in command, the only other one most likely to lead troops, outside of her best friend.

The sinister music of the Great Bell filled up the air, though forewarning the end of the nightmare. Quickly, the ponies in charge of the city’s lights would illuminate all the street torches which had been turned off earlier in the night. It was more safety purposes than anything else that made Ponyville dark when everyone was asleep. If a harmful pony decided to knock down the lamps, the city would burn into flames in a very short time.

Caramel was surprised to notice that it was not two but three mares that came their way. If he was always happy to see his foalhood friend Applejack – and he hoped not to have his eyes trickling with stars like Double Diamond – this time, she was not the one he wanted to see the most. This request he had to submit to Rainbow Dash could not wait.

Unfortunately, she was in the middle of a conversation with Surprise, one of the Spotters.

It was rare that other members of The Militia were here with them after their night watch, especially as the members were the only ones to know who the Spotters, a high-profile strategic duty, were. If an inhabitant awoken by the sound of the bell opened his shutters and realized the Head was talking with a pony who theoretically was a part of no groups, it could blow out his or her cover.

Despite this, he started to trot behind them, hoping he would draw Rainbow Dash’s attention. The latter was in the middle of a tactical conversation. Surprise was not a Spotter among the others. She was among the most experimented ones. Her gift to be able to see in the dark was far more extended than any pony else’s. For example, she was the one who had sounded the alarm about the rape attempt they had successfully avoided a little earlier.

Caramel’s stubbornness did not get rewarded as he hoped. Rainbow Dash suddenly turned around, so suddenly that the beige stallion started, and she glared at him keen-eyed, the kind of glare she gave when pushed too far.

Obviously, it was not the right moment to ask her what he wanted to ask her. Leading an attentive ear to the conversation between the two mares, he realized it was about the young filly they had saved, precisely thanks to Surprise’s message. Rainbow Dash wanted someone to take care of her, to make sure that she wanted for nothing, and that nothing wrong should be happening to her.

While following them now that he had started, Caramel could not help a smile. Rainbow Dash was redoubtable with her enemies, merciless during practice, she liked to highlight her incredible skills, and her extraordinary speed, but deep within, she had a big heart. Circumstances of life made that she did not had a chance to express her generosity quite often.

He did not take notice of what had happened almost at the same time at a few inches away. However, he probably would have been delighted.

Applejack arrived a little after Rainbow Dash at their meeting place while her eldest brother finished ringing the bell. Her usual hat glued on her blonde mane that she loosened on rare occasions, she smiled when she reached Double Diamond.

A little while after he arrived at the Head’s Counsel, Double Diamond had announced his admiration to the mare, for her strength and her fighting skills. Flattered, she had agreed to go to a cabaret with him several times, then finally had said yes when he had asked her to be his marefriend. It was a sure thing that the scale of passion was not very stable in the couple they formed yet this detail never bothered them.
Until then.

Applejack had just come back from a travel that had led her to Canterlot where her father, Longreen Woodrow had met his death, for her yearly pilgrimage. During her trip by locomotive, she had all the time of Equestria to think. About her life in The Militia, her work as Master of Rituals and her relationship with Double Diamond. She had come to the conclusion that a Member of the Head’s Counsel’s lifespan could be short and that she did not have time to act childishly. She had to be an adult about it as well.

And so, when Double Diamond begged for his well-deserved end of the night watch kiss, she resolved to do what she had postponed since she had been back.

She asked him whether or not he would be annoyed if they talked while trotting. He said it would not.

Passing them by, Big Macintosh and his young sister exchanged knowing glances. He knew what she was about to do. It would probably shake up the very balance of the Head’s Counsel but at the same time he knew it was best for everyone that she would be honest with her heart the same way she was honest in life.

“Well, Double Diamond, listen… I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout you and me…”

The stallion opened wide starry eyes. It was easy to see that what he felt about Applejack was beyond words. He worshipped her. Harder the fall was going to be. She had to do it, despite it all.

“We can’t carry on. I’m sorry but it’s best for us to part. In fact, ya see… Ah think I’m in love with somepony else.”

The shock Double Diamond felt was as if he had been pierced by his own sword. For sure, being a member of The Militia, and even worse, a Member of the Head’s Counsel, it was to agree to live a life like cut off from the rest of the world. It was to respect several rules, to train hard, to fight unceasingly, not to have the same huge life expectancy than the other ponies. He knew it and had prepared himself for it for all his life. However, it was thanks to his love for Applejack that he had been able to go through it all without a fail. He had collected the courage to fight and to train harder into the green of her eyes.

Now he had lost his compass and he felt himself drowning under the snow. Buried under an unprecedented avalanche.

> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the moon finally set, its pale light faded against the straw and shingles roofs and made room to the artificial luminosity of the lamppost torches. As Ponyville woke up, and its inhabitants with her, she had to be cleanse from the scars of what was called nighttime.
It was not a coincidence if The Militia doing the day watch was formed by Second Class Fighters, Cadets and only a few Spotters. It was always when darkness was at its thickest that the varmint showed in broad daylight. Lurking among the shadows, they thought they were invincible and invisible. It did not change a thing that they knew that a redoubtable army, the most redoubtable of all, strode along the streets seeking for misdeeds to punish.

Poverty was part of the blame. This boorish poverty they tried to hide from the eyes of the aristocracy living in the Great Weaver. Led on the edge of the abyss and desolation, some had no other choices than to be robbing. These were the ones who had the right to some kind of clemency.

And there were the others. The rest, the bulk of the herd. It was not poverty but greed that always pushed them. Some had envisioned this way of life as the only way of life possible. Despite the imprisonments, the arrests and the Sacred Law, they kept on coming, always, from each corner of Equestria, if not from Ponyville itself.

It had to be a vocation to decide to become a part of The Militia, just like it was for the Ponies of the Cavalry. None could be pursuing such a career by accident, for the lure of profit or for a thirst of recognition. It asked too strong a commitment and a lot of discipline. The Aspirants were numerous. A few only could pass the test with their heads high.

The night watches were the most demanding ones. There was no break, no possibility to take at least a small nap between two calls from the Spotters, no matter if nothing happened for hours – which remained exceptional. In case a crime was perpetrated, no matter what the crime was, the closest team had to arrive on the scene as quick as possible. Lives were at stake most of the time.

The luckless ones who came across a First Class Lieutenant or across the Head’s Counsel in person had to understand right away that there was no way to escape. Fear was an essential element of the whole. This was the reason why the members all had to be in a perfect health at any time of the day – or of the night.

Every day, Melrose woke up as soon as she heard the Great Bell rang. Without even brushing her thick red mane, she put on one of those bathrobes for ponies that she thought were ridiculous, and she went to the kitchen. Everything had to be ready for them.

She wanted that no cook from the Royal Tavern and Inn to take charge of this breakfast instead of her. She was barely able to see her children and this was her personal way of showing them that she would always be there for them. They had always been there for her.
She may had lost the love of her life yet she had won a new family which satisfied her beyond her expectations.

When Big Macintosh was born, she remembered, she had feared about him and his safety. The Fratricide War damaged Equestria. The Web had corrupted the least corner of the continent and even the sovereign Sunset Sunrise and his wife Harmony could no longer contain the threat. The Cavalry ripped one another to shreds, the many Militias of the different cities lost too many lives to be able to resist.

The war would be continuing this way for a few more years. As soon as a ray of hope appeared, it was stamped by other failures. To keep going and to keep on fighting was all they could have done. Melrose had always been thinking that as long as her foal, Longreen and Firefly were by her side, nothing could ever break her.

She did not know then that affliction would lash on her like a downpour. Jaded Sour had used an ultimate trick, before he gave his last breath, and the pony she loved had succumbed under her eyes. She had thought back then that she would never be able to get back on her hooves… until she learned he had left her the most wonderful of all farewell gifts.

This little filly with her gorgeous mane like the rays of the sun, whom green eyes reminded her of her Master of Rituals of a father, had given her back this hope that had been snatched away from her so violently. The war was over and life had left her the gift of a brand new start.

They all took it without a single hesitation. Never again had they had to go through such a hell again. Of course, there had been other tragedies, more blood had been shed… But all of them were entitled to have faith again. Their children represented the future, a future Melrose hoped to be bright. If only the Spider God could hear her prayers.

All while humming this nursery rhyme Applejack loved so much when she was just a little filly, Melrose put down the plates, bowls and glasses on the long large wooden table. Back from their night watch, before they would take hours of a deserved rest, Members of the Head’s Counsel all came at the inn in order to have their breakfast together.

She liked to cook them their favorite dishes. Though they all told her many times she did not need to make them a dedicated menu on every morning, she wanted them to have everything they liked across the table. Pastries, juices, toasts, scrambled eggs, nothing was missing. Melrose called that “comfort after efforts”.

She heard muffled sounds of hooves coming from the corridor behind her. Although some of the inn’s matrons were up early, not to risk to wake the others up, they did not have their breakfast in the main dining-room but in the one made for the employees, smaller and narrower yet a lot more intimate.

“Hello, hello, Mrs. Apple”, broadcasted a high-pitched voice.

The pink mare standing in front of the door took off her black cloak with her teeth, revealing a much more colorful outfit made of buckles and bands, way too light for the harsh winter outside, as always. The cloak, flexible like the wind, lodged itself on the coat-rake right in front of her. Melrose often wondered how Pinkie Pie could accomplish such a thing as if she were the most expert of unicorns.

Her position was particular. She was not properly speaking a member of The Militia and in reality, she did not leave the inn and its surroundings for all of her watch. It did not mean the role she played was unimportant. Her presence even was of a high-profile utility. As essential as oxygen.

Pinkie Pie always met the others in front of the inn’s gates. She used her particular sixth sense to spot them from afar. After it, they all would go to the kitchen where Melrose would be waiting for them, not without Rainbow Dash checking whereas her parents were peacefully sleeping and safe first.

If they had not been safe, she would have been told about it, she knew it. But all the same it reassured her to go and check by herself.

They all greeted Melrose when stepping into the room, each putting their own cloaks at the coat-rake before sitting at the table. She rose her eyebrows seeing one pony was missing. So Double Diamond was absent, the space in front of his plate blatant. He probably had his reasons and she tried not to solve this mystery.

Just like she did so every morning, she sat at the end of the table. While savoring her own breakfast, she listened to the children speaking. Children… It had been a while since they were no children anymore. This information struck her suddenly, as if a knife had been planted between her shoulder blades.

They had grown up and all were adults now. They would be it for a very long time or so she really hoped they would. Of course, in the past, she already had noticed that time had made its duty. However, this morning the resonance was different. The tiny foals heckling and making stupid competitions all day long had changed a lot. It seemed to Melrose that it had been centuries since Applejack and Rainbow Dash had not been bickering to know which one of the two was the strongest, the most athletic or the fastest in a race.

It was not that she grieved… All the ponies had to grow up and to become adults one day. She always knew. She was only being a little nostalgic. She missed the age of innocence. Today each of the ponies under her eyes had been going through shares of ordeals that had been more or less painful.

When she emerged from her bubble, Caramel was speaking to Rainbow Dash, trying to convince her to hire a new member for The Militia. It was a friend he had known when he had been gone to train in the Great Guts Region where was an initiation camp to the techniques of bare-hooved fight, near Cloudsdale.

“He already was a part of The Militia where he lived. He’s a trustworthy recruit, I swear. You wouldn’t even have to make him go through the Warrior Test. And he can do insane tricks with his wings.”

“I’m not too sure, Cara”, Rainbow Dash answered while chewing a bit of carrot pancake. “The Counsel’s already complete and I think we have enough First Class Lieutenants.”

“Please trust me on this one. I swear you won’t regret it.”

“If you say so! I could be regretting it all my life if he’s the same goofball as you.”

“Hey! Why so meanie?!”

In front of his sullen pout, the Pegasus mare could not help but laughing out loud. It was always easy to get the reaction wanted with Caramel. She knew him since they were tiny foals yet he would always get trapped.

The thing was she was not sure that recruiting another First Class Lieutenant would be a good idea. Caramel may have repeated her that the Aspirant was full of the skills which made the excellent fighters, she did not want to take the risk to fit in another pony if he finally would get no assignation. She would had felt as if she would have driven him up the wall.

Once he had brooked his Head and foalhood friend’s little “joke”, Caramel started again his supplications. He had promised his friend he would at least go through the Warrior Test if it could not be done otherwise and he did not want to let go until he would won his case. Rainbow Dash was stubborn. He could be as stubborn as she.

On the other side of the table, there was a whole different kind of conversation. Pinkie Pie had decided to root out the evil and asked the question which burned her lips. Why was Double Diamond absent this morning?

Naturally, she asked Applejack. Since they were a couple, even if wobbly, it was logic she would be the one to know.

Pinkie Pie was staring at her with her big blue eyes, blinking like the wings of a frantic butterfly, a bit of mauve cake frosting in the corner of her lower lip.

After what she had confessed to him as they were leaving the Great Bell square, it had been impossible for Double Diamond to spend the rest of the journey home with his mates. He had invented some excuses before he ran away as fast as his hooves could carry him. He looked like pursued by a monster. He did not even rose when she had made him notice that he was leaving the wrong way and that his house was in fact at the other side of Ponyville.

Applejack could not deny it had hurt her to hurt him. She also knew there would be no use in taking back her words and to act as if nothing had been said. She never had the feelings he was expecting from her. It was evenly cruel to force herself to stay and to lure him with emotions that did not exist.

He would get over it with time. Just like many other ones before him. After all, Rainbow Dash herself seemed to have kissed her past relationship goodbye.

While she was about to open her mouth to let the awful truth be told, Applejack was surprised to see her big brother speak before her.

“She let him go this morning.”

Pinkie Pie loosened her jaw. She looked shocked, like petrified by a cocatrix. It did not last long but for a few seconds, brother and sister thought she had had a heart attack. Then she shook her curly mane and bent over the table as much as she could to the extent of being almost lying on the silverware.

“Oh, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me. Auntie Pinkie wants to know it ALL!”

“Hee-hee”,  Applejack nervously whistled between her teeth. “Not that much to tell ya. ‘Tis over, that’s all.”

She gazed on Pinkie’s right side where Caramel kept on singing the praises of his Cloudsdale friend to Rainbow Dash who was yawning her head off. The moment to go to bed was coming nearer. If she wanted to do what she had in mind, it was now or never. Too bad if she had to do it in front of the others and in particular in front of a more curious than ever Pinkie.

She cleared her throat and called out to Caramel with a voice that she hoped to be fawning. She did not think it would actually work. Just like her best friend, Applejack was not the kind of mare to be very gifted when it came to use this so-called feminine weapon called seduction. She was way much better with real weapons.

Quite unexpectedly, the stallion immediately turned his head and looked in her direction. He displayed wide-opened eyes as if it was nothing normal that she would speak to him. Applejack could sense that Pinkie Pie was taking everything in but it was too late to turn back now.

“Would dat be possible for ya to meet me tonight at the headquarters before our watch?”

Caramel’s sand-colored cheeks went with a slightly shade of pink. He could not believe what he had just heard. His heart was playing drums like some mad pony in his chest. Maybe it was nothing of what he imagined it to be, but… What if it was exactly what he imagined it to be, what he had dreamed about for so long now without a single hope to see his prayers being answered?

“Err… Alright”, he answered while rubbing the back of his mane with his hooves.

“Oooh, Caramel looks like a strawberry!”, cried Pinkie Pie, more overexciting than ever. “And strawberries with caramel sure are tasty!”

Her intervention woke Rainbow Dash up, startling. She was so tired that she had fallen asleep on her pancake plate without realizing she did. How lucky the plate was empty! Nothing was worse than scrubbing bits of pastries encrusted into the coat.

She had completely missed what had just happened. Whatever it was, she would probably know it as soon as possible. With Pinkie Pie on the look-out, it would be impossible not to know. Unless she had make a promise not to tell anything, she probably would not let her be the last to know.

“Well, I’m goin’ to hit the hay”, said Applejack while leaving the breakfast table. “Don’t forget, Caramel. Tonight, just before the watch begins. And don’t be late.”

She made a detour to kiss her mother on the cheek then left the room trotting and never turning back. It was the best way not to be pursued and watered down with questions by Pinkie Pie. Or at least she hoped it was.

Caramel was flabbergasted and gazed at her getting away until her shadow got mixed up with the dark. He still could not believe what was happening. If it was really happening. Maybe he imagined things and Applejack only wanted to talk strategies or anything else. After all, they had often been together in the same room since their common foalhood. Nothing special had happened.

With this in mind, he had completely forgot about the topic which monopolized his thoughts a few minutes before. Rainbow Dash brought him back on earth as she was leaving the table too in order to go to her bedroom to sleep.

“I’ve thought about your Cloudsdale friend. It doesn’t cost anything to try the Warrior Test. Tell him to come at the training camp around five and a half.”

It was not Caramel’s arguments that had made her say yes. It was curiosity. She had been tickled through talks about his Pegasus friend, about his exploit in the Cloudsdale’s Militia where he was supposedly known as the best in town – a weird information since he was only a First Class Lieutenant. If he really were as good as he said, she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

“And don’t be late”, Rainbow Dash said winking at him and mimicking the unusually fawning voice of her best friend.

The blissfully happy smiling face displayed by Caramel after this information did not escape to Pinkie Pie’s sharp vision. Immediately, she rolled up into a ball, pointing him with her hooves, laughing like never before.

He did not care. Today was a wonderful day and nothing could spoil his sunny mood. One of his dearest dream would probably come true tonight and one of his best – and rare – male friend would maybe join his North Shore unity. He could not ask for more. Not even for a good nap. It was impossible that he would fall asleep knowing what he knew.

While she cleared the table after each of them went away to attend to their business, Melrose thought about the little scenes which had happened before her eyes and it brought her back to her latest reflections. They all had grown up, they were adults with great responsibilities and their own war injuries, as well psychological ones than physical ones. To be sure. But deep within, they still were children.
Despite everything, innocence would always be a part of them.

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the chimneys of the big factories finally stopped to spit their dirty-grey smoke and to poison the air, streets of Ponyville would suddenly become the theater of impressive crushes. For those who had always lived there, this was nothing surprising.

In Cloudsdale where he had always lived, things were different. They were making the weather and townspeople had to work day and night to supply the cities of the North Shore with clouds. The employees of the two factories relieved each other without a break. As the pegasi were the only ones who could live there or the unicorns able to perform a spell allowing them to walk on clouds, this kind of melee never existed.

Here, like in a lot of wide urban areas of Equestria, earth ponies formed the bulk of the population. The end of the working time was the moment where the streets got really crowded. The inhabitants were going home or were deciding to run a few errands. All the streets were jammed, hectic. The day time Militia was hanging around, on the look-out. Theft were the most common of crimes during this period of the “day” – even worse in the winter, with the advantages that represented the Ceaseless Night for some of the bandits.

He had always wondered. If ponies knew this winter was suitable with all kinds of offenses, why did they not find a way to create other seasons? They were making the weather after all. He had had an answer to this mystery only a few months before, when he asked one of the employees of a factory. Some of the creatures and animals living north needed this long and tough winter, they needed the darkness. It was about not being selfish by thinking only about the ponies’ cause. It was a matter of balance. A balance that could not be disturbed, at the risk of messing up all the rest.

Caramel had promised him if he came to Ponyville, he would get the chance to see an Aurora Borealis. This spectacular sight, in the opinion of many, was one of the major advantages of the life in the conurbation, the second most important after Canterlot.

For now, all he could see about the city was a hundred, if not a thousand of ponies rushing on the paths that had been sketched at dawn by the city’s employees. They came and went, in an organized mess that made him feel dizzy. As if they had no sense of priorities.

Up in the air, there were very precise rules that each ponies had to respect. Whoever contravened gambled on problems. If these rules were not followed properly, the accidents ensuing from it could be deadly.

Everything about the North Shore was new to him. In the Great Guts Region, the climate was different, more humid. Cloudsdale had a strategic spot. Nested in the pit of the highest mountain, she was not the victim of whims of the wind, the only element the ponies were not able to control.

Here everything was freezing. The thick snow, the guts chilling blood and bones, like skinless whiplashes. Without the torches to light up the city, it probably would have been impossible to go forward without bumping into somepony. With his teeth, Soarin tightened back up his thin cloak around his shoulders.

“We’re almost here”, Caramel told him with a huge smile.

He was very cheerful. There was no way that his arrival in Ponyville could be the only reason why his friend looked so euphoric. Something else had obviously sent him in this very sunny mood. Caramel was not a pony to be easily upset. Even so, Soarin knew him well enough to know he had not told him everything.

But it was no longer the time to ask questions. Already, the huge walls of The Militia’s headquarter and training camp stood out before him in the shadows. He could not help his mouth and eyes from widening. Caramel had warned him, yet he had been expecting something austere, not these gorgeous precious wood doors shining under the lamppost torches around it. Furthermore, the walls were protected by a magic spell. It broadened the whole with an additional radiance, some kind of aura with changing colors, similar to those of a rainbow. It rubbed it in to its splendor.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”, Caramel questioned, patting his ribs. “And you haven’t seen everything yet.”

The earth stallion came closer to one of the doors and searched for his key through his saddlebag. Members of The Militia only had the keys which all had a spell that was unique to its user, allowing them to penetrate into the fortress.

In case of an assault, this headquarter had to be used as an emergency shelter for the inhabitants. Secret undergrounds were hidden there, in fact. For the public safety, only the Members of the Head’s Council were able to locate them. Around here, “too much” was a forbidden expression when it came to cautiousness.

The balance reigning over Equestria since the Princesses’ enthronement was precarious and fragile, it never stopped the continent from being the cradle of horrors, but at least all of the Great Wars were over. Everyone in The Militia knew it would only take a speck of dust to make it all crumble down again.

Caramel had done well to tell him he had not seen everything yet. When he opened up the doors, Soarin set his eyes on a hundreds of ponies dressed in red, manes tied with a black ribbon, training tirelessly with their swords between their mouths.

Cloudsdale’s Militia, yet renowned, had not so many members at its heart. From what he was gazing upon, moves and attacks looked way more elaborated though pegasi like him were not the majority. Myths about Ponyville’s earth ponies said they were not like the others. It said that the Spider God had chosen them to represent his strength through Equestria.

He had not wanted to believe. Yet what was under his nose seemed to be confirming the rumors. Or it was because he had been through so much that everything seemed extraordinary to him. And nevertheless, an almost divine manifestation seemed to be contained in the air. As if… As if this place avoided rationality.

No pony paid attention to him while he was trotting in the huge central yard. When one of them greeted Caramel – and they were few who dared to talk to him – the only attention he could get was a cold piercing look.

At home, Soarin was some kind of local celebrity. Each ponies in Cloudsdale would reward him with a smile or a pleasant word. It was not sure he would fit in Ponyville if the ponies’ behavior was as icy as the thick layer of snow under his hooves.

If he had had the choice, he would have returned home with no hesitation. The thing was that he did not have any other choice than leaving, turning the page and start afresh somewhere else. He had chosen Ponyville because it was the only other city where he had a friend close enough to receive him and maybe even to find him a job. All the ones he loved were in Cloudsdale.

As for the job, nothing was for sure. Caramel had told him the Head had agreed to make him go through the Warrior Test but had made no promises. All the rest rested upon his abilities. And it was the main problem.

Before he had come across him, before he had to suffer from this cruel humiliation, he would have sworn with a shrug and a half-smile that he had nothing to fear and that this Test would have been a mere formality. Now Soarin was no longer sure about anything. The very thought of fighting sent cold sweats along his spine. Despite it all, he would never stop fighting. Fighting and flying were the only things he could do.

At the end of the yard there was a building almost as high as the walls around it, divided in two wings. The room where the Members of the Head’s Council trained as well as the one where they gathered once a week to discuss about the many operations led during the previous days, all were in the very heart of the structure.

He followed Caramel while he climbed on a few steps leading to a door on which “Head’s Council” was written. He thought his friend would ask him to step inside with him in order to introduce him to the Head, but he turned around instead with a big goofy smile.

“Don’t forget to take off your boots before you enter. Rainbow Dash doesn’t really like when somepony ruin the training mats with soles.”

“Aren’t you… coming with me?”, Soarin asked while feeling stupid to state the obvious.

“No, sorry. I got a rendezvous in the other room. With the mare of my dreams, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Soarin was a bit upset that his friend was so delighted about what was happening to him, while himself would have to face one of his biggest fear. This all maybe for nothing. Caramel was not to blame, he was. He had been self-convinced that the stallion would have been present during his Test though he knew undoubtedly that these kind of things were impossible. Warrior Tests always were behind closed doors. It was not about the other members. It was the Head of the Militia’s business and no pony else’s. If the Head decided a fighter was worth it, none could reconsider the decision.

“Come on, don’t worry. I’m sure this is going to be just fine. You should be going; Rainbow Dash might be expecting you.”

Without further ado, Caramel started to trot along the platform like a pontoon which went around the building, and dived into the closest door with a blissfully happy smile.

In front of his own door, Soarin swallowed. A sharp lump had appeared in his throat. His lips were dry, his forehead was hot and his heart… his heart had fun tormenting him as if he had been the master of chaos himself.

He knew nothing about the Council's Head. Nothing personal, only rumors. All he knew for sure was that the pony was dreaded and respected, that the name itself was a synonym of fear for some and an exciting challenge for the others.

If he stayed there staring at the door with an absent-minded and nervous glance, he would not learn more. It was not as if he could avoid it, anyway. It was not only about himself. Caramel had to insist to get him this “job interview”. It also was his words he would take the risk to reassess if he did not at least try. His future and his only solid friendship in this town were at stake as well.

Soarin breathed out deeply and pushed the heavy door with his head. Right on time, he remembered he had to take off his boots before. For a short moment he wondered whether it would not have been better for him to knock or to announced himself before stepping inside. The place looked empty…

The place was not empty. Without warning, his heart skipped a new beat and started to dance within his chest. All Caramel had said about the Head had been gender neutral, and as weird as it seems, he had not suspected for half a second that Ponyville’s Head of the Milita was a mare pegasus.

She was at the back of the room. Her shadows stood out on the spongy mats and licked his hooves. Two oil lamps lit up the room with a pale and dimmed luminosity which made the vision even more seductive. The mare, her wing unfold, was busy tying her long rainbow-colored mane with The Militia’s traditional black ribbon.

It was the first time he ever saw such a mane. Other ponies had two shades of horsehair but he would not have thought it possible to see such a collection on a single one mare.

The picture was so alluring he had forgot about his fears. Nothing else mattered right then. He was feeling as if sucked up in an alternate universe where nothing could go wrong, where the sun would shine at each second of the day and night only lasted for a few hours.

He quickly came back on Equestria when she stepped closer and stared at him with her magenta eyes.

“Are you Soarin?”

All he was able to do was to nod silently, his mouth half opened. Caramel had told him he had seen nothing yet about beauty. He was right. But suddenly everything that had vanished away when he had met her face to face went back to the surface. Stronger and more violent. Soarin had to do his best not to let Rainbow Dash see him shaking.

“Well, what are you waiting for? I don’t have all day! Take off this cloak and put on some real clothes. I don’t know if you’d noticed but it’s kinda cold around here.”

In Cloudsdale, ponies wore no clothes. Ponyville’s climate did not allow such a leeway scope. Even the winter coat was not warm enough for the harsh conditions of what they called the Ceaseless Night. Rainbow Dash herself had put on some kind of dress matching her mane, lined with wool. The skirt was short enough to permit her a freedom of movement.

“I have no clothes”, he finally said in a sort of whisper.

“I knew about it so I asked outfits to be prepared for you. You’ll find them in the locker room.”

Silence. She kept on staring at him, as if she could read through his coat and see the real nature of his soul. Everything that was concealed in the depths, what he was afraid to dig up.

“Why are you still here?”

Outfit. Prepared. Locker room. The pieces of information finally went up to his grey matter and after he nodded a second time without even being sure of why he did this, Soarin started to trot. Of course, he did not know where the locker room was but while going forward, he swept the room with his eyes and thought he noticed a door with a pony on it, at the back of the room. Unless this was…

One of the solid wooden sword the recruits used for practice bounced on his head. Soarin had a startle and only after this did he hear Rainbow Dash’s upset voice.

“It’s the loo… Locker room is on the other side!!”

A quick glance to the spot Rainbow Dash had been on a few minutes earlier was enough to make him understand his mistake. A square of wood with “locker room” written on it was pinned on a half-open door. Shoot! He had acted like a fool and this, from the very first minutes. There was only one chance to make a good impression… he had just screwed his up.

It did not matter what he was feeling when looking at her. Even his fear did not matter. All she would remember forever was this goofball behavior. Now all he could hope for was to be able to fight and not to let fright paralyzing him. It was his last chance.

The room in which he had just stepped was merely lit up by the lights from outside. It was an even colder place than the room in which Rainbow Dash probably was waiting on him. The dark tiles on the floor and walls increased the gloomy impression. Undoubtedly, once crowded with ponies, everything would feel different. For now, there only was Soarin here.

Rows and rows of red-colored lockers were staggered under his eyes. He did not really know which one was for him and knew if he turned back to ask the mare pegasus where were the clothes intended for him, the answer he would get would not be quite nice. There was no way he would take that risk.

When looking more closely, he noticed that the name of each of the recruits was written on the lockers’ doors, along with a representation of the Cutie Mark on their flanks. All he had to do was to look for the nameless one. If there was a nameless one. After three minutes wandering between the rows, Soarin started to feel unsure. Maybe he had not heard the right words.

He was about to give up and too bad if she torn the strip off him when, at the end of a row, he found a locker which door was ajar. His Cutie Mark was not on it, but a sticker had been put there with “newbie… maybe” followed by a winking smiley written on it. First, he thought this was Caramel’s action… then he told himself this could as well have been made by Rainbow Dash.

She could not be nothing but the strong-headed mare he had met earlier. A mare with such a charm… Impossible. It probably was because she had to be impressive given her position. Things would get better with time.

He took off the sticker with his teeth and opened wide his locker’s door, barely lit up by the weak outside torches which only let a faint ray filter.

He thought his heart would stop beating when a pink mare with a curly mane bounced off from the iron compartment, her hooves in the air, with a rain of streamers falling on his head.

“Welcome, newbie!”, she cried out while insisting on the last syllables.

Sitting against a row of lockers behind him, his hoof on his heart, Soarin stared at the mare getting out of his own locker with a wide smile on her lips, obviously unaware of the fright she had just gave him.

“How—How—How can you do—this?!!”

In his concept of things, it was impossible for an adult pony to fit into such a confined space. Unless her special talent was contortion…
The mare smiled at him while tilting her head and, without warning, climbed on top of the rows in front of him.

“Do what? Oh, the locker? That’s a secret! I’m Pinkie Pie, by the by. And you are the newbie, right?”

He nodded then stood back up to return to his locker, hoping no other pony would bounce out of it. The outfit intended for him was some kind of red sweater with no collar, along with a thick belt with many bands on which a sword could be hung. No need of instructions to know what each piece of garment was for.

While dressing up, Soarin thought the least of things would be to show liking to the pony who had made an effort to welcome him, though it had been in the weirdest and scariest way ever. After all, oppositely to all of whose he had met until then, she smiled and seemed most likely to behave with him in a pleasant manner. If he had to be a part of Ponyville’s Militia, the least of things was to try his best to fit in. Harmony between the members was an essential element of the good operating of the organization.

“Are you a Member of the Head’s Council?”, he asked her while trying to put on his “sweater”.

“Me? No. I’m not 'officially' a part of The Militia.”

“So, err… Well, I don’t understand.”

“Don’t worry”, she said while hopping on the other row of lockers in front of her. “If you get into our group, you’ll understand quickly.”

“Alright.”

Soarin did not know what else he could answer. There was nothing more to add. Because “if” was a key word. Nothing told him he would pass his Warrior Test. There was no use in knowing more than what was necessary for now. He did not want to think about what came after or even about what was going to happen as soon as he would leave this place.

While going to the locker room’s exit, not without a struggle to put up these “clothes” he was not used to, he sensed Pinkie Pie following him. She had jumped from row to row with agility and had landed on the tiles floor with suppleness, proving that, if she was not an official Member of the Militia, she had what it took. Now she was hopping by his side as if this day was the happiest of her life.

She probably wanted something…

“Hey, can I give you some advice for your Test, Newbie?”

“My name’s Soarin Skies, not “Newbie”. But, everyone simply calls me Soarin.”

“But can I give you some advice anyway?”

“So be it”, he said with a sigh.

He did not want to think about it so he would not get stressed out yet started to understand this was not a profitable approach. He would have to think about it, whether he liked it or not.

“Don’t be too impetuous. Be strategic. Rainbow Dash isn’t just swift, she’s also really, really, really, really fast. You have to be sly to fight against her.”

He opened his eyelids wide. This was not some stupid advice. It was even undoubtedly worthy of interest.

He turned around to thank her but much to his surprise, he noticed that Pinkie Pie was missing, without him to understand how.

Despite himself, Soarin remembered the essential pieces of information and stored them in a corner of his mind. The rule of the Warrior Test was not to be able to defeat the Head to be accepted, but to show your skills while being able to fight with a mix of strength, liveliness, flexibility, strategy and intelligence. But if he could prove Rainbow Dash he was more than a goofball with a pair of wings by taking the advantage on her at least one time during their dual, that was something he would not go without. And his position within The Militia would be a sure win.

He returned to the training room, backed by a brand new determination.

The room was bathed in a different atmosphere. All around the white foam mats completely layering the floor, oil lamps had been settled. It projected bursts of light all converging toward the center, forming a halo around Rainbow Dash sitting on her hind legs, two wooden swords at her hooves.

As soon as Soarin stepped closer, she took one of them between her teeth and threw it in his direction. He reacted swiftly by using his wings in order to take it before it would fall on the floor. Leisurely, he trotted to the center of the room where she was waiting, her long mane tied on the top of her head with her black ribbon.

The Head of the Militia had to have the longest mane of all the members. The longer the mane was, the most powerful the pony was. Only a few resistant like him rather had theirs quite short, not to be bothered during fight.

“Please, I got plenty of time to look at you trotting.”

Her voice was sharp, dry. Obviously, she did not feel like joking. Yet Soarin was sure they had plenty of time before the night watch to begin. Nothing to rush for. Unless there was another reason. She tried to drive him into a corner.

As soon as he was facing her, Rainbow Dash stood back up and took her own wooden sword. These swords were not real killing tools but the fact remained that they were heavy and hard to manipulate. Without a little bit of mastery, it was easy to let the shaft go and to let it fall down. This was the kind of mistake which could be deadly with a real sword, except if, by chance, the fighter also was experimented with bare-hooves attacks.

“Are you ready?”, she asked him, settled in position.

Soarin nodded.

“Fine. In this case, en garde… you good-looking stallion!”

This nickname immediately made the blood flow toward his cheeks. It was the first time since he had saw her magenta eyes that she made him a compliment. The wink she gave him after that quickly made him go back on earth. She was still manipulating him in order to unsettle him. He would not get trapped.

His sword between his teeth, he settled as well in the right fighting position. Do not think. Do not think and remember you have to fight. Just fight and put the rest aside. Do not either forget about the advice given by Pinkie Pie. This was going to be difficult, if he had not to think.

As if to show his will to prove her he had the skills of a good fighter, Soarin did not hesitate for too long. He was the first to leap forward. Barely impressed, Rainbow Dash only had to leap back using her wings in order to give herself more room to avoid his first assault.

He rose up in the air and pricked up his sword toward her flank on which the symbol of her Cutie Mark – a cloud with a rainbow thunder – was embroidered. He did not really believe in his action since Pinkie Pie had insisted that Rainbow Dash was of violent speed yet he had to try. If he pulled it off, he would probably be able to knock her to the ground with ease.

Unexpectedly, it was around the small of her back, right into one of the stitch of her dress that he planted the edge of his sword. It was not exactly what he intended to do yet Soarin could hardly believe he already had touched her after only a minute of fighting.

They said she was so redoubtable that Wind Rider, a former dangerous mercenary who had been in her uncle’s pay, had gone as far as the Macintosh Hills not to risk to meet her again. How had himself been able to overpower her so fast while being still terrified at the idea of fighting again?

But by being too enthusiastic about his beginning of a success, Soarin lowered his guard. So, with a move from her tail, Rainbow Dash was able to send the sword flying the other way, the object rising into the air with him missing it.

Maybe the ponies’ tails were made of nothing but horsehair, yet with a bit of concentration and skill, it could be useful during bare-hooves fights for cases like this one. Just like whips, they had the power to get rid of some items or to hurt those who felt its slap against their coat.
He had no time to try and fly toward his sword that Rainbow Dash already was at his neck, and knocked him down with one strike from her hind legs against his sides. He fell on his back indirectly, his breathing altered for a couple of seconds.

It all happened so fast it was hard for Soarin to digest every bit of information. He had been so close from victory, just an inch close from fulfilling a miracle. What got him was that he had underestimated the mare pegasus in front of him, just because he had been able to graze her. Intoxicated by this small triumph, he had been overwhelmed.

Soarin rolled on his stomach, his back and wings aching from his fall, as if electricity was going through his body. Rainbow Dash landed by his side and threw the sword which she did not even use on the floor.

“This is what happens to smart-asses showing off… From the moment you pricked up your sword toward me I knew I had won.”

Yet Pinkie Pie had warned him. Not to be too impetuous, to act methodically, to keep her amazing speed in mind. In the end, he had not listened to the shrewd advice and he had been pig-headed. The result of this was that there was no way he had passed his test, seeing the little of skills he had been able to display.

Soarin was surprised when he saw Rainbow Dash softening and holding her hooves out. With hesitation, he held one of them, in fear she would make the most of it to pin him against the mats. But she did not, simply helping him to stand back up. The pain he still felt made his wings tremble, as if a million of needles were unceasingly planted into his feathers.

“Training takes place every day. I’ll give a key for your own use to Caramel. You’re going to have your first night watch tomorrow so you’d better feel fit and train before.”

He opened his eyes wide, unable to believe what he had just heard. Did she just tell him he was accepted into The Militia, despite his disaster of a test?

“Am I in?”, he asked with quavers in his voice.

“What have I just said? You’ll be First Class Lieutenant just like in Cloudsdale.”

“But I screwed it up completely…”

“Not completely. You screwed it up but you got potential. A lot of potential. All you have to do is to concentrate and to think”, Rainbow Dash finished while showing her own head.

For the first time since they met, she smiled at him. All the emotions he had felt when he first saw her rushed back full force in his face, with the swift and the violence of a hooves blow in his nose.

A few minutes later, she was gone, letting him take his cloak back into the locker room. Although she was no longer here, Soarin had his mind full of Rainbow Dash. He liked mares of her kind, the unpredictable, the strong-headed, the reckless. The impress she left him was powerful, an indelible mark. He promised himself. One day, she would feel the same for him.

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soarin would probably be mad at him for not coming with him, not even taking a bit of his time to introduce him to Rainbow Dash.

Years ago, when Caramel had arrived in the Great Guts Region, the midnight-blue maned pegasus had welcomed him and helped him to get integrated among the other recruits of the initiation camp. Thanks to him, he never had to have a single lunch on his own, not a training session without some pony to help him and not even one nightly jaunt roaming the city and painting the town red without friends to share the experience with.

Both had kept in touch since then, sending each other letters on a regular basis, sometimes only to talk about mares, weather or the latest fighting techniques they had learned. It did not matter as long as they sustained a correspondence.

He wanted to stay and to cheer up on him, he really did… But the rule said that the Warrior Test had to be taking place as a one-on-one between the Aspirant and the Militia’s Head and nopony else. It was like that. Even the fact that he was Rainbow Dash’s friend would not change anything about it.

Caramel giggled in a whisper. Maybe he could be lying to his friend but he could not lie to himself. Even if this rule had never existed, he would not have stayed. Not tonight. Applejack had given him a rendezvous here in the assembly room. He had the feeling that this was not a trifling rendezvous. It was not in order to speak about tonight’s night watch or even about tomorrow’s one. It was all about something else, he could bet on it.

He knocked three times and hearing no answer, he entered in by pushing the door.

There was no light. At first glance, the room looked empty. Caramel's heart crumbled from deception, until he looked up and had a glimpse at the mare of his dreams, sitting on the sill of a large window that was wide opened.

Reluctantly, he suppressed a chill. Even warmly wrapped up, this cooling air that came and licked your coat was hard to endure without batting an eye. Applejack was staring at the stars, oblivious of any kind of presence in the room.

He knew who she was thinking about when she was behaving this way. Her father, Longreen Woodrow. Unlike Big Macintosh, she had never known him, not even a little. Although she grew up in a loving blood and substitute family, there were some kind of furrow in her soul, an empty space impossible to fulfill… Caramel sighed.

It was as if this single whisper had been a thunderclap in a quiet sky. Applejack felt herself going back among the living. She breathed deeply again. The cold was dry and the wind whipped her muzzle yet she liked this weather that she found invigorating.

She turned around and saw Caramel, muffled in his Militia’s red cloak, his steel blue eyes staring at her from the other side of the long table where they all sat down during the assemblies.

“Hi, you”, she said with a weak smile. “’Tis good yar right on time.”

He noticed then that she did not wear her usual hat. It remained on the table between them, back to front. This hat came from her father and was not designed for weather like the one in Ponyville, yet she would not give it away for anything in Equestria, and she rarely parted from it. If she had left it tonight in order to look at the stars in the sky, Caramel would have bet on it – again – it was for a very particular reason.

Applejack stood back up and the earth-colored stallion gasped. Now she was unstable on the window’s sill. It was not that high, of course, but a bad fall never was welcome, especially when the night watch was about to begin.

Not without some kind of dexterity, she dangerously spun round and jumped on the table in front of her. Caramel always saw these kind of eccentricities with Pinkie Pie. Applejack never behaved this way. Not because she did not like to laugh and to have fun, but because she did the right thing at the right time. When seriousness was required, serious she was.

Her hooves cracked against the wood then with an additional jump, she arrived by his side. She was maller than Rainbow Dash who already was not really tall, somehow, she did not look tiny when beside Caramel.

The stallion was not like her big brother Big Macintosh who inspired respect and awe with his height. At first sight, he was not scary. Sometimes she even thought he looked rather silly. Oh well. She had made her choice.

“What did you want to tell me about?”, he asked as soon as her hooves touched the floor. “Shall I sit down?”

“Don’t think that’ll be necessary, sugar cube.”

There was nothing really intimate with the nickname. Applejack gave it to almost anypony. He had heard her say it a thousand times before to any kind of ponies. He wished this nickname could sound differently tonight. It obviously was a deception to notice that it was not being the case.

Maybe he got carried away for nothing in the end.

“Ah been thinkin’ a lot when I did my pilgrimage.”

“You’ve been thinking…”

“Eeyup. That’s what Ah said. Ah been thinkin’ bout many things and among the many things there were ya and me.”

His heart quivered. With just one sentence, she had been able to reverse the trend. This could not be just a trite conversation between two foalhood friends, and there was no doubt he did not get carried away for nothing. There it was, within his reach. The moment he never dared dreaming about although he dreamed about it all the time.

“Me and you? I mean… You and me.”

She put a hoof against his lips, her eyes low as if she was embarrassed. Applejack embarrassed was a rare thing. A gorgeous rare thing, in Caramel’s opinion.

“Shut up or we’ll never go through dis.”

“I’m quiet.”

This time, she looked up, frowning.

“I promise”, he affirmed with a solemn voice.

“Ah been thinkin’ and so… Have to stop lyin’ to mahself. And Ah think ya should do it so. Sure yar rather silly and am rather uncouth, not the lady kind with the perfect shining mane but Ah think ya and me could be… not so bad.”

Caramel felt like laughing and erupting with joy at the same time. Laughing because this was laughable, without a doubt. One of the worst declaration of love of all Equestria. Erupting with joy because what he had believed and hoped for was now a reality. It was actually happening to him. After all those years.

However, when he noticed that if her eyes were staring at the floor, it was to conceal tears of her own, both his desires were stopped in their tracks. Why was she feeling sad? She should had been happy, for this day was wonderful. It could not be from the emotion of her confession – the clumsiest confession ever, admittedly, but it was the thought that counted. Applejack was not the sentimental type, no more than Rainbow Dash, though they both possessed a part of sensitiveness they were good at concealing.

He put a hoof under her muzzle and pulled her face up. The tears in her eyes were quiet and understated, far from the flood of some nights… At first, it was hard for her to look into his eyes then she gave in. A weak smile appeared. It was shaky and not assertive yet it was a smile.

“Don’t worry, AJ… I’m sure he’s very proud of you from the Cloth.”

“D’ya really think so?”, she asked in a quaking voice.

“Sure I do. Frankly, who wouldn’t be proud of a daughter such as you?”

“Now ya mention it…”

He knew there would never be other tears from her tonight. Not from him, either. Conversely, his joy was enormous, it made him want to gallop across the fields while screaming from happiness. He just could not since the city needed them. All of them. Lives would be risked tonight. Maybe some would even be taken. Destitution never afforded to rest, not even to those who finally could breathe bliss in.

To seal the deal and because there was nothing left to say, he leaned over – not that much – and put his lips against those of the mare in front of him. She accepted his kiss and answered it immediately, a hoof against his neck.

The chilling air of the wind no longer existed. Instead, the sun probably was shining at the most since they both felt warmed up from inside, like in front of a fire in a fireplace. With butterflies in their stomachs in addition.

-------------------------


“Daddy… I’d like to believe in it so much. This beautiful world we’re promised if we do everything the right way. This world with no tears, no fears, no blood shed for pleasure, for money or to make sure the debts are paid… Sometimes I could almost lose faith. I’m holding onto branches, meanwhile. I don’t know what I’m waiting for yet I’m waiting anyway. The answer will eventually be on my way if I keep on believing, won’t it?”

----------------------------

The fact that this castle had been built away from prying eyes, at the rim of Ponyville where The Militia rarely ventured, convinced that nothing dangerous would shape from here, he had to admit it – it was one of the advantages of this performance. To be obliged to live concealed from any eyes, him. The True King, the one in front of who they all should be creeping. Here was the deepest humiliation ever. To be boiled down to live in these damp basements, begging food to whom were supposed to be his subjects.

It had been long enough. His time would come. No pony suspected what was about to be prepared, sheltered from distrust, protected by the respectable name of Ponyville’s wealthiest family. Their surprise would be especially poisonous for the others yet delightful for him.

The purple unicorn in front of him lowered her only visible eye, of the same color than her fur. She always sported this red coat that could be mistaken with The Militia’s cloaks. It was just perfect. Of course, he knew she did not believe in his cause. The reason why she had agreed to come here was something more personal. So be it. It was much of a muchness.

She was an essential pawn in his plan. She was the one with whom everything would begin. He wanted her not to have the choice, anyway. It was agreeing or paying the price of her life. If it all had happened in the past, too honorable, she would have chosen death. Of this he was sure. Today things were rather different. Lucky himself.

Just a little bit of patience and he would be able to be in plain sight again. And to take his revenge.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rays of the sun. Soft, such as a honey-flavored embrace around her golden coat. What a wonderful sensation. Almost forgotten. The caressing warm. The deep blue sky. The bare paths, cleared from this thick snow that gave everything the appearance of a cemetery.

This could not be real. Spring, this illusion which only lasted for the blink of an eye. It was not here yet. It was too early, way too early. She might be dreaming. Yet all the sensations felt so real. But was it not the conditions of a dream? To make believe that another reality was possible.

Dangerous. She had to get out of this dream at any cost, to tear herself away from it and face the real world. The fragile and delicate world, constantly unstable on a transparent thread stretched out by a shapeless God who weaved webs around ponies in order to get them trapped, then claiming he is the only one able to rescue them. She would rather not believe than believing in Him.

There was no doubt this was what made her feel so close to him…

Spitfire opened up her eyes, glad to feel the mattress under her body and the crumpled sheets against her coat. The walls of this bedroom as vast as a real house, heartwarming in their immobilism. She liked that nothing changed and moved here. In her little nest once hell, now heaven. The Blaze before the Cloth. It basically described what an Equestrian pony’s life was.

Knight Shelter was not lying by her side. Firstly, she did not mind, then her body shuddered and she emerged from between wool and cotton, a bit of quilt twirled around her wings and fire-colored mane which, when not styled her own way, so distinctive, only hung at each sides of her neck.

She looked for him, her heart on the brink of her throat. Each time he failed to be under her watch, despite how many time had gone by since they first met, she kept on being afraid. The Black Blood infection could not be cured. It was to be overpowered. It was just like anything else… Mastery was easy to break with the right trigger.

When she felt a rush of cold buffeting her bones, Spitfire knew there was nothing to be afraid of. Knight Shelter liked to spend hours and hours on the balcony, windows wide opened, to watch from the heights of his room how ponies were kept amused living.

To avoid the wind’s bite, she put sheets against her back and wrapped them around her so it would protect most of her body, wings included. One single oil lamp lit up the room. He probably had put it beside him on the balcony so he would see better.

Cat-like, she stepped closer slowly.

He did not have his back on her, conversely even, he was facing her. Eyes closed, his face was offered to the wind that messed up his long mane as red as deep blood.

“Spitfire…”, he said in a whisper. “I can feel something. Can you feel it too?”

She stepped closer again. He looked peaceful.

For a long while he had sported one of the most tormented expression, continuously scrounging himself about what he had done to his family, to this land, Equestria, that he yet loved so much. Unceasingly, she had been afraid that her pony of a husband would eventually decline and kill himself, or worse, that eaten by guilt and despair, he would rather let the Black Blood infect him completely and too bad for the world.

“No, I don’t feel anything”, she said stepping even closer. “I’m scarcely awake.”

She was the one with the Acuteness gift, this gift impossible to control, which wore you out. Knight Shelter could only enjoy it because she allowed him to, and only when she could feel its power happen. Something was wrong if he could feel what she did not endure.

“Doesn’t feel like those reflections rushing through your mind by a thousands, it’s something else. A divine intuition… A storm is on its way. Violent. Bloody. A storm that could change everything.”

Now Spitfire stood by his side. Her stallion of a husband did not protect himself from cold and wind, used as he was to extreme life conditions. He did not even suffer from the shadow of a chill. She noticed some kind of warmth around him. A soft warmth. The sun’s warmth. Odd paradox.

Knight Shelter probably felt she did not know what to do about his confession. What it meant escaped her, and the question about whether she should bother to worry or let things be had no answer. So he opened up his eyes and smiled at her. The unconditional love he felt for her completely delivered in this single smile.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be the blame. You know I gave up on all of this a long while ago. I’m not longer the Angel of Death. And you’re no longer Winter’s Whirl.”

“Yet it’s Winter’s Whirl you fell in love with. She’s the one who helped you overcome your inner demons.”

“That’s where you got it all wrong, darling. Spitfire is the one who bewitched me and made me open up my eyes.”

He brought her closer. Spitfire held him tight, reassured, enjoying this odd and pleasant warmth that exuded from him. Who could honestly release such a warmth when sensing a bloodbath? Paradox was what defined Knight Shelter the best. He was Nature’s ambivalence.

The bloody chapters now, they no longer were written by his quills yet he was the one devouring the pages made with the crimson words. Maybe he was sentenced to spend his whole existence between the wooden walls of the Royal Tavern and Inn… It never stopped him from knowing and seeing what the natural born corrupted ponies were doing to one another. And to feast on such a show.

He was ambiguity incarnated. Goodness and cruelty, malice and kindness, loyalty and treason, truth and lies, happiness and affliction, all gathered in one single sanctuary - his own body.

-------------------------------------------

The secret they had promised to keep had not lasted very long. On the first night, they had let nothing appear. As if nothing had happened. The others had been wondering, they had showed their doubts, but none had dared to raise them or to ask them questions. They probably had thought it was their own business after all.

The problem was Double Diamond’s absence. The day before, he had sent a message through the intermediary of Ditzy Doo, one of the pony in charge of mails for Ponyville, to announce that he would not be able to do his night watch because of health issues and that it would be an exception. Rainbow Dash had been a little upset; however, she also knew that a sick member was more a problem than an advantage. It was best for him to rest.

No one expected him to extend it for more than one night. When she had received another letter, earlier that day, saying he would need more nights to rest, she had understood the sickness which he suffered from was probably not physiological.

That was how the secret came out. Rainbow Dash wanted to know whether she had guessed it right about Double Diamond, and Pinkie Pie had been the one to ask the question, as she did not see the stallion appearing in front of the inn’s gates at the usual hour.

Applejack and Caramel were now a couple. When you knew how crazy Double Diamond was about the mare they called The Angel of Mercy, there was nothing surprising about the fact he did not want to spend an entire night beside the two.

Rainbow Dash had another opinion. Of course, she could understand Double Diamond’s pain… But the watches were no place for flirts and kisses. Applejack as well as Caramel knew what they had to do, taking their roles among The Militia seriously, and during their watch, they acted in a professional and focused manner. Although it broke Double Diamond’s heart to see them both together, it was not as if he would see them being intimate. Moreover, the mission that were theirs, protecting Ponyville’s inhabitants, was a vocation. There was no room for love stories.

Aware that she had no time to go and pull Double Diamond out of his depression, she decided to call in a First Class Lieutenant to replace the missing member of her Council. The Head’s Council that could not be incomplete.

The moment of the watch’s beginning was closer, yet the one she was waiting for did not seem ready to arrive. Rainbow Dash could not help but staring at the horizon in fear. What if he had forgot? It was an honor to be called in although he did not have the occasion yet to prove his worth properly. If he did not play the game, things would become really complicated.

By her side, Caramel, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were still discussing the big revelation of the couple of the week. Well, big revelation… It was not as if everyone had always known!

“Hey, hey, hey, Big Mac”, cried Pinkie Pie bouncing around, healthier than ever. “Aren’t you happy for your little sister? Don’t you want to kill Caramel? To tear his eyes off and to walk on them while he’s struggling and breaking everything around as a venomous snake is lurking on the floor?”

“Err… Nope.”

“Wow! You’re the coolest big brother I know. No, wait… You’re the only big brother I know!”

Sometimes Big Macintosh wondered how the pink mare could have so much energy even though she stayed up all night and always slept for a couple of hours only. Since she had arrived in Ponyville, by a misty morning around the end of spring, determined to fight for the finish with Applejack and all her family, he never saw her tired, never heard her complaining that her hooves hurt or burned. In any kind of weather, she was cheerful – what never stopped her from being serious when she had to complete her mission successfully.

As for the fact that his younger sister was in love with one of this best friends… he did not really understand what a difference it made. Although she was not the kind of mare to make the stallions go wild, like those inside the central pages of some newspapers, Applejack had always been successful. Her nature was very appreciated. He was used to see her surrounded by male attentions.

Plus, he did not see in what the sentimental life of his youngest was any of his business. Intimacy was a field in which he did not have anything to say. Applejack did not mind his one-night stands with mares, so why should he be interfering in her private life? What was essential was her happiness and nothing else.

“Anyway, I envy you”, Pinkie Pie continued. “It’s great to have your very special somepony within reach.”

“Just ask Big Mac. He must know a lot of free single stallions, if you're tired of waiting.”

Caramel winked at his best friend who shook his head through spite. He always had to say things that made him feel uncomfortable, whether that was in front of Members of the Militia, their family or their friends. He did not even realize. Now that Applejack had finally been honest with her feelings, she no longer rolled her eyes when confronted to this kind of jokes. Conversely, she stepped into the breach.
This night was going to feel very long.

Rainbow Dash listened absent-mindlessly, patting her hooves against the snowy ground. He had not arrived yet and the watch was about to begin in less than five minutes. She had been clear. He had to understand the full significance of his luck. It was a serious matter. Member of the Militia was not obviously a lifetime status, when the Head decided, some of them could be sent back to Civil Life. She guessed this was not what he wanted, especially when considered that tonight was his first night of duty.

A shadow caught her attention. It popped up like a thunderclap before disappearing in the mist. A hallucination?

No. The shadow stood out again, on top of a thatch roof. Far while being close enough to be clearly distinguishable. The eye-patch on the right eye, the red coat and purple fur. No doubt. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth… And the shadow disappeared.

This was not made to comfort her. She had not come out of her hiding place for years, ashamed and cut off from everypony. A pony like her never would get out of her retirement for no reason. Certainly, her apparition had been brief but it was meaningful, the mare pegasus was sure about it.

A certain tension shaped inside of her, like a tie deep within her throat. At any moment she expected her to pop up in the fog, in front of her, with the suddenness of an explosion.

Nothing happened.

“Are you okay, sugar cube?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, back among her friends. It was nothing but an intuition for now. There was no need to inform anyone. When she would have some spare time, she would make a few researches and would warn the others if she could get more hints. Until then, she would act as if nothing had happened.

“Yes, sorry. I was lost in reflection. Everything’s just fine.”

She hoped her smile was convincing. Applejack tilted her head, her muzzle frowning, and looked into her eyes.

“Alright.”

“Is it time to leave? I’m going to settle myself at my appointment.”

“Wait”, Caramel said by grabbing Applejack’s tail, as she had already started to go. “The fifth one’s missing.”

“Double Diamond won’t come, silly”, Pinkie Pie answered.

“Not Double Diamond…”

“I’m… here”, a breathless voice said behind them.

Soarin had just landed on the Royal Tavern and Inn’s yard. His flight from Caramel’s place had been longer than planned. When he had understood he would probably be late, he had made his best to speed up his pace. As a result, he was out of breath though the watch had not begun yet. It was bad. Really, really bad.

Rainbow Dash immediately stood in front of him, irritation painted all over her. Her long mane had been braided. Held by two black ribbons at each tips, it floated in the winter wind like a multicolored flag. Dressed with her Head of the Militia’s red cloak, she was even more dazzling than what he remembered. He wished he could have the leisure to contemplate her…

“Don’t you ever be late again! The night watch doesn’t begin at this moment of the night for no reason.”

“Sorry, Ma’am… I swear I won’t do it again.”

“You’d better!”

“Heehee, Soarin called Rainbow Dash ‘ma’am’”, Pinkie Pie giggled, a hoof in front of her mouth.

Bewildered, he glimpsed at Caramel, who shrugged. In the Great Guts’ Militia, down in the South Shore, it was mandatory to call the Head by a respectful nickname. He naturally had thought it would be the same here, especially once Ponyville’s members’ reputation was accounted.
No one had told him that she liked for the Members of her Council to call her in an informal way, all the more so as they were her friends. Each of them, except himself, but it did not change anything. He was one of Caramel’s good friends, after all.

Something suddenly hit Soarin. When he had met Pinkie Pie for the first time in the headquarters’ locker room, she had told him she was not a part of The Militia. Yet, here she was with them, at the moment of their leave for the watch, dressed with a black cloak which contrasted with the brightness of her mane.

“I thought you were not in The Militia”, he stuttered towards her.
“I said ‘not officially’… It means no but in fact yes although I don’t night watch like the others and I don’t day watch neither and I’m not trained to deliver mails and packages neither too.”

“Well, whatever”, Rainbow Dash interrupted them. “We had wasted enough time. Soarin, put your hood on and follow us. Hope you still have enough energy to fly over the roofs because that’s where’s the party at.”

There still were a hundred questions he needed to find answers to. Quite naively, he had imagined Ponyville’s night watch would be like in Cloudsdale, and that he would have time to seek these answers towards Rainbow Dash. It was ignoring that Rainbow Dash was not Rapidfire. It was ignoring that each cities and towns were different and each had a different way to proceed.

Behind them, Pinkie Pie waved her hoof with a wide smile. Rainbow Dash, her hood concealing a part of her mane, flew away at top speed above the gates and Soarin understand that, as a pegasus, he would have to do it too.

In some wing flutters, he found himself neck to neck with his new Head. With her raspy voice, she warned him. He would be better off being in great shape because he would have to keep her pace.

He caught sight of Caramel and Applejack who, skillfully, jumped on the roofs helped by various items. Big Macintosh had disappeared, where he was gone, Soarin did not know. He was not the only one. In the inn’s yard, Pinkie Pie seemed to be gone as well. Some Spotters were hiding, concealed in many secret corners of the city where no pony would notice them and no pony knew who they were and why they were here.
Ponyville overlaid under his hooves, vaster than Cloudsdale had ever been. The outlines of the city were lost beyond his horizon. The roads down were like an ink stain which would have been spilled all over a blank page. Darkness and ice where the two elements that described Ponyville the most. It felt like another world.

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night had been long. More than ever, the word “ceaseless” used to describe the long Ponyvillian winter took on its full meaning in Soarin’s opinion. It bore no relation to the night watches he had done in Cloudsdale.

In his hometown, the whole Militia was made of pegasi like himself. The Spotters did not have a very important role since generally, First Class Lieutenants and Second Class Fighters handled things on their own to identify the misdeeds.

Here, a whole complicated network of communication had been established. Earth ponies conveyed messages thanks to a system mimicking a telegraph, the few unicorns passed bewitched parchments on, which self-destroyed once read, and pegasi had instituted a language with the flutters of their wings that they were the only ones to understand.

Soarin had to learn everything on the job, sometimes with Rainbow Dash, sometimes with Big Macintosh or Applejack. Anyone would think that the whole city had spread the word to commit crimes tonight since they had kept on running and flying all over town. And yet… They were not the only ones to be in the night watch. There were several teams ready to fight to the finish at any moment.

Back in time, Ponyville had been nothing but a small village with a weak population. Its climate, obviously, was far from ideal. It was not a place where ponies dreamed to settle in. Everything had changed a hundreds of years ago when the Cavalry Training Academy had relocated, judging that harsher weather conditions helped to build a character. Then the first factories had started to flourish, bringing more and more ponies, attracted by the prospect of a stable job. Bit by bit, Ponyville had grown and grown until it became this sprawling monster, this spider web-shaped city they sometimes liked to call the Last Shield.

Big Macintosh had just rung the Great Bell, announcing the end of the “night”. This was new to Soarin as well. The Great Guts Region did not know the Ceaseless Night. Winter there was more humid than dry and the fact that Clousdale was up high made it all softer again.
The day watch would begin soon and they all could finally get a good rest.

Soarin thought Caramel and him would go home immediately. Until he would have found his own apartment, the powder blue pegasus lived in his friend’s parents’ house, in the guest room. This temporary situation really embarrassed him. Caramel had to insist for him to accept this act of generosity. And yet, he had said yes only because the family had agreed for him to pay some kind of rent.

“First, we all are going to have a breakfast at the Royal Tavern and Inn…”

If this had not been the place he had to go to before the night watch begun, Soarin would have kept on refusing to believe that Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Big Macintosh’s family was managing the place. The structure, huge, occupied a large portion of plot at the South of the Great Weaver, Ponyville’s posh area. It erected on many floors and was like a small city inside the city. Restaurant, spa, boutiques, cabarets… Nothing was missing. More often than not, the many tourists going there were only staying at the Inn. It was said that the Royal Suit was taller than a saloon and that the Princesses Luna and Celestia had lived there during their studies.

This last detail enhanced the place’s reputation but was not very likely. If it was true that the two sovereigns had spent most of their royal studies at the Ponyville University, there were not much chance they would have stayed at the Royal Tavern and Inn for it had been an old huge abandoned building for a very long while. Why the place had been abandoned, this Soarin did not know. All he knew was what Caramel had explained to him, along with the few details he had learned back in school.

While he was following the two love-birds, and Big Macintosh behind them, Soarin felt Rainbow Dash stepping closer. She looked relaxed. All night long, she had talked to him in a firm voice, like a teacher speaking to an inexperienced student. Caramel had not lie. When Rainbow Dash was on duty, very aware of her responsibilities, she left little room for improvisation. Even her moves when fighting all were weighed up in advance, whether it was minutes or half-seconds. She was always thinking, vigilance at attention.

“So, this first night… Not too worn out?”, she asked, nudging his shoulders.

“I’m fine.”

“Good. If you could only be right on time, that would be perfect.”

“I promise I will.”

Since the day he had put his green eyes on her, Soarin was dying to get to know her better. He had felt flattered when he had received the letter from her asking him to replace one of the members of her Council. Once again very naively, he had thought that would be the perfect occasion to talk with her, to learn more about what she liked and what was her vision of the world. But it had been impossible.

Destiny finally gave him the chance and what did he do? Just trotting without a word, not daring to look in her direction, afraid she would be staring at him insistently, or worse, to discover she was ignoring him completely. He had to find some topic to speak about. Too many things rushed through his mind and nothing seemed to be reasonable, and he did not want to make a fool of himself – again.

It obviously was something neutral he could put on the table so they would both start a semblance of a relationship, even if for now that would be nothing more than a friendship made of mutual respect.

Oh, yes. There actually was something he had known about earlier and which, in his mind, explained a lot.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash…”

“Uh?”

“Caramel told me you’ve been Crimson Moon’s student… Is it true?”

A half-smile outlined on the mare pegasus’ face. Remembering this name, a hundreds of memories all-out came back by entire waves. Today she cherished these memories with all her heart, partly because he was a part of many of them, yet back when she had been through them, these moments had been among the toughest of her existence.

Crimson Moon was Equestria’s most famous Fighting Master, justifiably. Implacable, unforgiving, even cruel for the plain pleasure of being cruel, she trained the elite of warriors and fighters. All the ponies that mattered had been under her tutelage. Long moments of physical torture and sufferings. Hooves and gums bleeding, stomachs wore down by hunger, throats dried out by thirst, swollen joints, backs killed… It was everyday life when accepted as a student by Crimson Moon.

She had trained all the Members of the Head’s Council for ages, including Rainbow Dash herself and even Spitfire. Double Diamond was one exception thanks to his links with Princess Luna, although Rainbow Dash considered sending him to follow a few improvement lessons that would make him completely forget about his affair with Applejack.

She nodded with a smile, giving Soarin permission to stay on the tracks of this conversation. Next, he hoped he would be able to move on to things more personal. No matter what, as long as he would get the result he wanted.

“Is she as strict as it’s known?”

“She’s not. Strict is too soft a word to describe Master Crimson Moon. There was a mare with me when she took me under her wing. Just because she unfortunately had corrected a fact the Master was wrong about, she chopped off her hoof. I was there. In fact, I can’t even tell you how many times I had a wing broken because of her.”

Soarin froze. Like for the rest, rumors ran about the uncompromising Crimson Moon. Her bad attitude and the training beyond what was bearable she inflected to her students were only being equaled to the efficiency of her methods. A look at Rainbow Dash was enough to be convinced. But he never thought the Fighting Master could go as far as mutilation.

In front of his eyes blank of any expression, Rainbow Dash shook one of her hooves.

“Soarin to Equestria… Is there anypony home?”

“Yes, sorry. I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Did I scare you?”

“Scare me, no. Shocked me, a little.”

“Well, you must have survived worse before. No one can fight the way you fight if he never had anything to suffer from.”

She started to trot back in front of him, not without smiling at him in a way that, he was sure about it, probably had melted down the snow around. It was the first time she smiled at him this way. So natural, so relaxed, so… radiant. With one glimpse, he followed the tracks of her hoofsteps in the snow. Then he set forth and went back by her side.

If she had said such a thing, Soarin was now sure, it was because she had been watching him a lot during the watch. It could not be based upon his sole Warrior Test. Only a meticulous study allowed to determine these kind of things. The fear he had concealed with all his soul probably had showed through too, but he was glad to notice that, far from making him look weak, for Rainbow Dash it was perceived as some kind of strength.

That was what he surmised, anyway.

“Come on, hurry up”, she told him as soon as he was by her side again. “The others already are far. Melrose and Pinkie Pie are probably waiting on us for breakfast.”

“Pinkie Pie? Does she live at the Inn as well?”

“She doesn’t. She works here. She’s the one in charge of the security and she looks after my family. When I go in town, she’s my ponyguard.”

So, this was how it went. As soon as he had seen her in the Headquarters’ locker room, Soarin had wondered what was Pinkie Pie’s role exactly. Now that he knew, he almost thought he had been silly not to think about it before.

Yet… He had to admit it was a bit weird to envision. She was so eccentric. Each time he had seen her, she could not help but bouncing around, asking questions, speaking quickly, wildly. She was not the pony who, most likely, seemed the most qualified to watch a place such as the Royal Tavern and Inn. However, if Rainbow Dash had decided to entrust her with her life, as well as with her parents’, it meant one should not get trapped by her eccentricities. A bit like Caramel and his innocent appearance…

There was a lesson to learn about it, essential to any kind of fighters. Appearances were demons always trying to betray you. It was necessary not to get trapped and to be able to see beyond them.

Easy to say.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hardly, Double Diamond opened up his eyes. His left eyelid was swollen and stabbed, as if somepony pulled his retina from inside. As for the second eyelid… It definitely stayed closed.

He had no idea how long he had stayed in a haze. All he could remember were the kicks, each one more violent than the last. The chains detaining his hooves and forcing him to remain standing in the most unnatural way were so tight he could feel the links penetrating his flesh.

The shadow of the unicorn stallion who had mutilated him so much stood out again in front of him. Tall, holding his head aloof, his white coat looked as pure as the snow falling outside, and his horsehair had the same color than sunbathing hay. Double Diamond was sure he already had seen him before yet was not able to put a face to his name.

Even so, he knew his name.

For hours, he had endured many jolts and injuries. He wanted him to talk, to say everything he knew about The Militia, but he had made the oath never to tell anyone about the powerful organization’s secrets. Even if Applejack had broken his heart, he refused to give in to the flames of personal revenge. Something told him that, somehow, whether he talked or not, it would not change anything to his fate.

Sounds of hooves, light and graceful, came nearer. The dungeon in which he was locked up was damp and poorly lit. No pony had even bother to light a fire to warm up the room. Double Diamond could not stop chilling. He had to focus very hard not to smell the rotten and stale scent which took over the whole stony room.

From the mist which was his vision, all he was able to see was that the hooves belonged to a mare, a white-coated unicorn. What did such an elegant mare do in such a place, he could not understand. Until she spoke, with a couth voice.

“My King…”

“I would like you not to disturb me when I am busy”, he answered firmly.

“I know. I am only here to tell you the plan is ready.”

“It is perfect. Just perfect.”

He grabbed his sword, a large silver blade that shone even in the dark, and galloped through the few inches that separated him from Double Diamond. In one gesture, whistling into the air, he lowered his weapon. A shriek tore the atmosphere as a pool of blood spurted against the floor, the walls, and soiled the stallion’s immaculate coat. The hoof he had just chopped off flew through the room and landed directly at the elegant mare’s hooves.

She stepped back and expressed her disgust in an ostentatious manner.

Crushed against the floor, Double Diamond laid in the middle of his own blood, paddling the best he could in order to stand back up. Boiling hot tears struck his cheeks and burned his eyes which already were feeble. For a very short while, he regretted he had ever met The Militia, had ever had this stupid idea about being a fighter. Maybe he never would have to endure such a pain.

It did not last. Because he knew, deep inside of him, that the simple fact of treading upon Equestria’s ground was to give destitution a chance to be your guest. Life did no pony a favor, all those he had known would say it so. He had sworn he would have given his life for the Militia, and for her. If he really had to die tonight, each of his thoughts would be for them. The mare he still loved and the organization to which he had made an oath. They both were the part of a whole, and the whole of a part.

When a second blade strike pierced through his shoulder, suddenly, the fog which impeded his brain became clear. He knew where he had met the unicorn stallion who tortured him since hours. In the Princesses Palace. He was Princess Luna and Princess Celestia’s nephew. The Fallen Apparent Heir, Prince Blueblood.

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Too much darkness. Darkness whenever she looked. Rainbow Dash felt herself chocking, struggling to breathe. She wanted to fight, she wanted to writhe, but the darkness closed around herself like a monster’s claws. When she opened her mouth to scream, no sound came out of it.

Suddenly, some voice spoke to her. She knew this voice yet she also knew it did not exist. Many times, she had heard it. When it resounded, it never was a good sign. Never. She writhed more. She had to get out of it before the voice could become clear, before the words could touch her heart. There might be some way out.

Impossible. She could feel herself struggling yet she did not see her body. No pony could get out of a place without doors or windows, without even a tiny light as a guide. Even her wings refused to work, as if chopped off.

Too late. The voice was too close. Rainbow Dash felt herself bumping into it. No one could bump into a sound… No one…

“Look at your hooves, Rainbow Dash, look at them… Can’t you see?”

She did not want to look. Yet she looked. As weird as it seemed, they appeared clearly in the dark. Worn out, scratched, grazed, its coat all around snatched away, like skinned. She felt it before she could even see the blood flow. Where it came from, she did not know but it unceasingly dripped along her hooves.

“You could struggle as hard as you like, they’ll always be contaminating. This is the blood running under your skin and eating you from the inside. You can’t help it. It will stab your heart and poison your lungs. Your secret sin. The one you wish you could deny.”

“No, no, no!”, she screamed, but the sound of her own voice echoed as a whisper.

“You won’t be able to escape. Look all around you… There’s nothing but darkness. It will be your last abode, your sepulcher. Don’t try, don’t even try…”

“You shut up, for Celestia’s goodness, shut up!”

Suddenly, a gleam. Weak like the one of the Out of Sight Sun when it touched the clouds. Tiny. Right at the bottom. And another voice, a soothing one, asking her to look at the gleam and not to turn away.

The first voice burst like a soap bubble and the shadow of a night-colored mare, with a long flowing mane, surreptitiously passed her by. The gleam grew up. It became more intense. Rainbow Dash felt herself going forward, heading to the glow, closer and closer, more and more dazzling. She had not to look away at any cost or she would found herself trapped again.

Why did she have the impression of hearing, as if her body was underwater, an animal crying? It made no sense.

When she finally reached the light, she felt her wings fluttering in her back. She was feeling light, freed from a weight leaned against her stomach. Something wet caressed the top of her head from time to time, along with the cries…

Then he appeared in front of her. As if he never had left. So real she could have touched him. He smiled at her. His midnight blue mane, always long, his coat so white and his eyes as dark as the Ceaseless Night sky. On the flank under his wings, there was an hourglass with stars around. She whispered his name:

“Time Stellar…”

He did not hear her and kept on smiling, his wings flapping slowly, his hooves a few inches away from the ground. Rainbow Dash remembered… It never failed to irritate her when he did that. “Why on Equestria can’t you fly just like any pony else or trot just like any pony else?”. And he never answered her question.

“Rainbow Dash, don’t worry… The Black Blood isn’t a curse, according to the Great Books of Ponies. It’s the ultimate blessing. In reality, you are the light, you’re not the dark.”

She reached out a hoof… The same old mistake. To try to touch him. Each time, he vanished away in the dazzling light. This time was no exception.

Rainbow Dash opened up her eyes. Her heart thumped in her chest. Her oil lamp was shining by her side, on the ground where she had put it. The quilt she had used for her nap laid at her hooves. Her forehead and mane were damp from perspiration and on her cheeks, she still could feel small furrows made by tears. Leaning over her, Winona, Applejack’s pet dog, looked at her with her head tilted and sorry eyes.

It had been a while since she did not have that dream, on the other hand, never before had That Voice and Time Stellar shared it. This was a brand new succession.

Pinkie Pie always said dreams had a meaning. She had made fun of it until her own mother confessed she did have unsettling dreams during the Fratricide War and each time it happened, something had occurred.

It was nothing to reassure her…

She stood back up and rubbed her face with her left hoof. Just for a moment, she had a doubt and stared at her hoof in order to get comfort. Nothing to report, except the scar made during her Sacrament Ritual, years ago.

This morning, after breakfast, she had gone to sleep in her bedroom as usually. She only had been able to sleep for a few of hours, unsure of why. After a lunch with her parents, Melrose and Apple Bloom, the young filly Applejack’s mother had adopted ten years ago, she had decided to train flying in the gardens of the Royal Tavern and Inn. When fatigue had suddenly started to show again, she went to take refuge in her secret spot in order to take a good nap.

It was a spot a little secluded where there was an old well that had been sealed off. Because the setting was poorly lit, generally tourists and visitors did not like to come around here. Yet Rainbow Dash felt safe there. She liked it specially to take improvised naps or to read one of her favorite novels. When, in spring, her tortoise was awake, the pet kept her company and spun around the old well with his propellers tight around his shell.

Winona was still sitting by her side, looking at her with her hanging tongue.

“What are you doing here?”, Rainbow Dash asked while stroking her head. “Where’s Applejack? She abandoned you to flirt with Caramel, didn’t she?”

The small she-dog closed her eyes, apparently enjoying being stroked, until an easily identifiable voice called her from afar. Immediately, she bounced from the well and went gamboling in the snow, visibly little bothered about the winter cold.

The sound of Applejack’s boots against the snow could be heard. Rainbow Dash realized then she did not feel like justifying the sweat of her mane and her eyes redden because of tears.

It already had happened to her, after she had done one or the other of these two dreams, in the middle of the “night” to knock on Applejack’s bedroom door, asking her best friend whether she could sleep at her footboard so she would not be alone. She would understand, giving her a pillow and a quilt and letting her share her bedroom. No need to ask why. The orange mare knew.

But this afternoon, Rainbow Dash knew she would not have the strength. Like when she had thought she had seen this former training friend. She had not said a word to anyone so she would not have her friends worried.

Not even turning off her lamp or folding her quilt, she flapped her wings and flew as fast as she could, letting a multicolored trail behind her.

By flying high enough, she could reach and pierce through the white clouds wrapping the sky and stopping any kind of light from filtering. After her, they immediately closed up again such as the mouth of some mystic creature. So, she could fly without being seen by anyone.

Myths said that slipping through the clouds of the Ceaseless Night was trying to defy the Spider God, that the air there was so stifling that death would immediately arise. As a younger filly, Rainbow Dash had believed these stories too. If some still remained unresolved mysteries, such as the Legend of the Lost Crystal Empire, as she grew up she realized most of it were only ridiculous pony tales.

She still had some time yet she chose to go to The Militia’s Headquarters. The place probably would be empty… Good. It would permit her to train outside in peace and quiet, without a small crowd of recruits to mass together around her, admiring of her skills. Of course, she was particularly fond of attention. But she did not really enjoy being observed like some kind of special scientific case.

No pegasus was able to cross over the magnetic field of the magic spell protecting the building, if coming from the sky. Perpetrate by Princess Celestia herself, it was impossible to divert or to break. The magic it contained was twice as powerful than the one from the most powerful unicorn of the city. She was a recluse, anyway, almost a legendary creature which little remembered. That did not include Rainbow Dash who had thought she had seen her lately. Although with days passing by, she started to wonder whether it had not been a hallucination.

When she stepped into the huge yard, she was surprised to hear a sound coming from the Head’s Council’s training room. Why would someone come and train here when there was all the room of Equestria outside? Led by her curiosity, she climbed the few steps and pushed the ajar door with her head.

Only a few of the vast room’s lights were lit. The hearth that was used to warm it up crackled from its last flames. Most of the warmth had probably vanished away within Ponyville’s cold air yet the temperature was right, undoubtedly thanks to the pegasus who was training there tirelessly.

Rainbow Dash did not show her presence to Soarin. She had the impression that if she opened her mouth, she would break the spell. For some pony terrified by the very idea of fighting, he gave all his heart in it. Maybe this was his secret. An anxiety in which he collected the rage to surpass himself, to go beyond his own demons.

This was the reason why she had always feel close to him from the beginning, though she was not of a very effusive nature and she spent more time tearing a strip off him. She kept it secret, but she felt a strong connection between them. She was afraid of something too. Unlike him, her fear mainly came from herself. It was nothing external. It was a part of who she was. However, all the same, she would collect a rage from it that pushed her to surpass herself, to go farther and farther.

She felt like humming, and before she even realized, she started to whisper the words of Equestria’s Anthem, words that sounded in a particular way when life conditions and injustices of this vast land were known.

“Though the winter brings all its cold and storm/ The glow in our hearts keeps us warm/ The friends we now call our family/ Will always see us through”

The bitterness she sometimes felt when she heard those words was improper at this very moment. At this very moment, it had the taste of some strawberry candy, something sweet and acidulous. It felt strange. She had been feeling so bad a few minutes earlier and now she was feeling so good she felt like opening her wings and fly as high as possible.

Soarin suddenly noticed her when, completely out of breath, he felt his hooves eventually touching ground. The mats often made the landings softer and stopped from being invaded by a feeling of intense coolness when getting in touch with an obviously cold floor.

His midnight blue mane was wet and a few strands were stuck against his coat that was damp as well. He was breathless from moving so much, as if controlled by another pony ordering him not to let go and to always hit harder. He put down the wooden sword he had in his mouth and smiled at her. Rainbow Dash barely stepped forward.

“It feels good to see you motivated. Since how long do you train?”

“I can’t remember”, he confessed.

All notion of time had been lost with the rest. It was nothing new. Very often when he trained, he stopped paying attention to the world around. All that mattered was what he had inside that wanted to get out. Nevertheless, he had to admit it had not happened ever since the accident that had made him leave Cloudsdale. And for good reason, before he joined The Militia, the very idea of fighting had been an ordeal.

Rainbow Dash probably had felt it. He saw her coming closer, slowly and peacefully. Soarin no longer dared moving. Once again, she was staring at him with this particular care, the one making him feel as if she was trying to search through the depth of his soul.

“Soarin… Why are you trembling? I’ve already noticed that. Each time a fight or a training session is over, your hooves start to shake. Looks like they can’t bear your body anymore. Something happened in Clousdale, did it?”

“Yes”, he nodded while turning away. “I lost a fight that almost cost my life. Dash… Do you know the white feeling of when you feel death is leaning upon yourself, trying to bring you with her?”

“Of course I do. Her and me are old acquaintances.”

Suddenly, it was obvious. She always knew, he was sure. There was something about her. An ability to break through the shields and to translate the truth untouched. It was not always pleasant. Sometimes it even was like a stab in the heart which made ego pass away. But at least, one knew what to expect with Rainbow Dash. There was no subterfuge.

“Always keep one thing in mind”, she said closing the gap between them and pressing a hoof against his chest. “If you let fright win, it will take you away at the next turn. You have to use it, to manipulate it so it would help you to reach for your personal goal.”

She was so close to him, her magenta irises like a huge lake, staring into his own eyes. Something went back up inside of him, something he tried hard to conceal, burning his heart. They did not know each other for so long, after all… And he seemed to him Rainbow Dash was not the type of mare to be into this kind of stuff.

In all likelihood, she would reject him. Yet he had to try. If he fell, too bad, he would stand up again. And he would try it again after some time. And if he really failed again then he would quit, but he did not want to give up before at least taking his chance.

He only had to struggle a bit in order her not to notice his cheeks getting a little pink just by the thought of it.

“You know, I… In fact, I had like some kind of… crush at first sight on you. I really fancy you… I don’t know, maybe we could… just… hang around… together… not like friends, I mean…”

At any moment, Soarin expected her to laugh in his face. It was ridiculous. He was behaving like a foal, though he was a full grown-up stallion who was not a newbie in sentimental affairs. There was another thing about her… Something more he could not describe and that made him feel stupid whenever she was around. Like too much of a goofball.

Quite unexpectedly, she did not make fun of him and, conversely, she blushed as well. She had not expect something like this. In Ponyville, everypony knew she had been with no one else since Time Stellar’s death. In fact, a lot of them said she would probably never have anypony else, busy as she was with her duty towards the citizens.

“Do you realize I sometimes think you’re a bit of a goofball?”

He nodded, laughter in the brink of his lips. This was no answer yet at least, she had not made fun of him. True to herself, all she had done was to speak a rough truth, free of any kind of varnish or polish.

In Rainbow Dash’s mind, it was rather clear. She was not in love. Of course, Soarin intrigued her, she could not deny it. She had spent a certain amount of time watching him, studying him, even. Yet this was not properly speaking feelings. It was… something else. A curiosity. Some strange sensation, as if… as if she had been expecting him to be on her way, eventually, not really sure of why this thought had hit her when she had met his green eyes for the first time.

Being who she was, there were little chances for her to unleash what was inside her heart. If there was a field in which she had a lot to learn, it was this one. Even Time Stellar, that she had loved with all her heart, hardly had been able to snatch affectionate words out of her outside of complete privacy.

Soarin saw her putting her eyes down, as if plunged into intense reflections. Her mouth twisted on the side and the second after, she smiled at him in that so adorable way she was not even aware of. This simply was how she smiled and nothing more…

“Well, why not? It could be fun, after all…”

“F—Fun?”

This really was something he did not expect. A simple “yes” or “alright” would have fit the bill. But fun… Well, she did not reject him, that was a start. It was a first step. He would be able to make her fall head over hooves for him with time. Then at least, that was what he said to himself to get some kind of comfort.

> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was no reason to make a government affair about it. It was nothing extraordinary. That maybe was surprising when her character was known, for sure. The news had been sudden and it had been a while since she seemed to be particularly uninterested in this kind of stuff. All the same… Why such a performance?

True to herself, Pinkie Pie had climbed on the breakfast table, and had took out some parchment from out of nowhere. With a half-solemn attitude which, coming from her, looked like a parody, she mimicked the classical period announcers.

“Hear ye hear ye, good ponies! The dreaded Thunder of Revenge has found herself a very special somepony! Take the cider out!”

It was a good thing if it made the others laugh. A little bit of relaxation after a night watch was always welcomed. She simply would had appreciated it better if it had not been at her expense. While Rainbow Dash stared at the floor sulking, her cheeks crimson, Soarin did not look the least bothered by the whole scene.

Of course, Applejack and Caramel, and even Melrose at the end of the table, laughed heartily to the pink mare’s tomfooleries. Big Macintosh kept what he felt to himself, saying nothing, eating his scrambled eggs with his head low. She glimpsed at him, discreetly… Maybe she was mistaking yet she had the impression he did his best to avoid her eyes.

“Please, Pinkie… Can’t we change the topic?”

“Why? You’re soooooooo cute when embarrassed, Dashie!”

She crossed her forelegs and sulked again.

No one had noticed during their watch. In fact, it would have stayed this way if, once arrived at the inn, Soarin had not shown his desire to be sitting by her side. Obviously, the others had wanted to know why and she had said them implicitly, thinking they all would be too tired to really care.

It was misjudging Pinkie Pie’s bottomless energy. There might be some kind of on/off button behind her back, always on, permanently feeding her blood with sugar. Rainbow Dash had always had trouble displaying affection in public when it was not toward her parents. Far from being taken with cautious by her friend, this was one more occasion to play to the gallery. She had no ulterior motives, needless to say, but instinctively knew when something was conducive to laughter. And this was.

Now she understood how Caramel felt each time she annoyed him. And this chap made the most of it as much as he could. Fine. There would be a price to pay. Just wait and see.

Like often, things calmed down in a relaxed manner. Pinkie Pie stopped her act when the second strawberry cupcake batch arrived, a batch Melrose had prepared for the mare’s exclusive pleasure. When they were done laughing, the couple formed by Applejack and Caramel ate back their breakfast. As if they thought no one would see, they deluged themselves with subtle small attentions, like letting the last juice glass for the one, or moving forward the plate of waffles for the other.

It was sweet, especially as it came out very naturally. There were worse attitudes… Double Diamond, for example, during the first months of his affair with Applejack, behaved with her as if “fragile” had been printed on her flank instead of her Cutie Mark. He always did too much.

Rainbow Dash knew Soarin looked at them enviously. Although these attentions were not much, nothing really shameful or “uncool”, for now she recognized she could not do the same with him. Him being by her side and spending most of the watch with her already was a big thing to start with.

She was not deprived of affection, quite the opposite. In private, she could be tender and considerate, as long as no one would watch. Bit by bit, with Time Stellar, she even had been able to feel at ease when he publicly held her wing… but nothing more.

With Soarin, it was too premature. After all, she had only said “yes” a few hours earlier and not in a really romantic way.

“I’m sorry, Soarin”, Melrose said. “I didn’t know you’d be here again for breakfast so I haven’t thought about baking something you liked.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Melrose. Don’t bother for me. Especially as my position here is temporary.”

He was not a member of the Head’s Council. He only replaced Double Diamond who kept on being called on sick. As soon as the white stallion would feel better, he would take his position back and Soarin would be the simple First Class Lieutenant he was supposed to be. Even if, when being completely honest with himself, he had to admit he could wait until this would happen. He liked it in here. Caramel was one of his friends, Pinkie Pie made him die of laughter, Applejack had been really nice to him, and he liked being with Rainbow Dash as much as before, although she was rather authoritarian with him during the watches.

The only one a little cold-shouldered was Big Macintosh. According to Rainbow Dash, his attitude was not cold or distant. Applejack’s brother was shy and not very talkative. That was the way he was with everyone. Soarin was not quite convinced about this last argument.

While they all got done with their breakfast, talking various inoffensive topics, a parchment like out of nowhere fell on the table, right in front of Rainbow Dash. Her first reaction was to glare at Pinkie Pie. No pony really knew how she was able to do this kind of things yet she was able to make items appear as if by magic.

“Not me, I swear”, she said with a wide smile.

“Maybe a unicorn Spotter”, Applejack suggested.

If this was the case, that meant something unexpected had occurred. It was rare that the day teams would disturb her when she was home. Generally, they would get to the main squadron, the one made of delegates she had appointed to replace her when she or Applejack were unreachable.

They all looked at her as she unfolded the parchment and read it. They saw her eyes go into a panic, skimming the lines at full speed and her hooves closing in on the paper, to the extent of being on the verge of tearing it.

Then, without warning, she left the table, took back her cloak and opened a window in order to leave the room.

“Stay here!” she ordered them letting a rainbow trail behind her that smelled the spicy scent of saffron, cinnamon and ginger.

When Soarin tried to get the parchment in order to read what it contains, it ignited and became a pile of ashes. They all glanced at each other, flabbergasted. They were her Council. Generally, there was not a decision she took without their consent. They had taken an oath, promising to protect Equestria and Ponyville as well as their Head. Her excluding them from something that seemed to be dangerous was not made to make them feel reassured.

“What’s happening there?”, Caramel asked with the rhetorical art which characterized him.

“Dunno, sugar cube, but it sure smells bad…”

Hush. They all looked in each other’s eyes, not sure whether there was something to add. Pinkie Pie was the one to break the silence, with an irrelevant smile which surprised no pony, not even Soarin.

“What if we all go and see?”

A few minutes later, they were gathered outside in front of the Royal Tavern and Inn’s wrought iron gates and none of them could believe what they were seeing.

Rainbow Dash was in front of a purple unicorn dressed in a long red coat, with an eye-patch on her right eye and one of her hooves apparently made of wood. Double Diamond’s body, suspended into the air, was floating in the middle of a sparkling mauve halo, seemingly inert, lifeless. One of his hooves had been chopped off, scraps of flesh hanging along a burned wound. His face was barely identifiable, his white coat sprinkled with big reddish injuries which had been poorly healed and stank out in all directions.

What had happened? None of them knew and Rainbow Dash did not seem to get neither. She said a name Soarin never heard about but that the others all remembered:

“Twilight Sparkle…”

Both were staring at each other, eyelids shrunken and jaws tight, holding mutual gaze in the hope to see one or the other giving up first.

“Nice to see you again, Rainbow Dash. It’s been a while, isn’t it?”

“Nice… Speak for yourself.”

Hearing them talking this way, it was easy to believe they were former rivals. Yet it was not the case. In the past they even had been good friends. Twilight’s hard-working and diligent nature contrasted with Rainbow Dash’s foolhardiness, the foolhardiness she had learned to channel to make it one of her greatest strength. With this, they had found a certain balance, some kind of complementarity. When possible, they used to help each other a lot.

Then, happened what had happened. Twilight Sparkle disappeared from Ponyville. She was said to be living in the Everfree Forest, completely secluded, if not a little insane.

If today they were both looking at each other scornfully like old nemeses, it was only because Twilight had seemingly gone over to the wrong side, and set an aggressive offensive against her and the whole Militia by delivering Double Diamond’s mutilated body, on someone else’s behalf. Some mysterious army said to be “unavowed” which she never heard about before.

“I’m sorry that’s how you take it, sincerely.”

“I’d really like to chat about the good old times on a cup of tea but I can’t wait to go to sleep, see. You got a so-called message to go with your… em… present. Spill the bean!”

“Oh yeah, that thing.  Well, the Unavowed Army’s leader asked me to tell you this is just the beginning. He hopes you and your minions had trained very hard, because he got the intention to destroy you and to get his rightful position back.”

The more Twilight spoke; the more Rainbow Dash could feel something rising up inside of her. Some kind of uncontrollable rage against which she struggled with all her might. It had started to appear a very few times before yet she knew how to spot the portents – hatred and anger taking more and more room, cold that no longer existed, the other sounds of the world which were getting unclear and everything slowly altered into red overwhelming shades.

The Black Blood. This curse running under her skin that none could eradicate.

It had to stop, not to take over her… But Twilight kept on talking and boasting though she had been of an exemplary humility back then. Bitterness and time could become lethal enemies. They could turn the purest of integrity into a despondency so devastating it corrupted what was still alive.

There was only one shield against it. To be the first to attack. To make her understand she was not impressed, that her words she did not dread. Thus keeping quiet that the most terrifying thing right now was lying deep within herself.

Rainbow Dash leapt toward Twilight at the speed of thunder. She was the fastest flyer of Ponyville, maybe even of Equestria, and the unicorn in front of her was so concerned with her speech and the fact she was still holding Double Diamond suspended in the air thanks to her magic that she not even thought for a second to use it in order to push away her attack.

She probably did not expect at all for the young pegasus to pounce on her horn and to bite it hard. The representation possibly looked funny… Yet the result was not. Twilight shrieked uncontrollably, something high-pitched that tore the air up. Immediately, Double Diamond’s dead-still body fell back on the snow wrapping the ground, and the rest of the Council dashed off to get him back.

Tears dropped along Twilight’s eyelashes, the pain was indescribable. Horns maybe were some kind of bone made with ivory with a thin layer of fur yet it was connected to many nerve endings directly linked to the brain. It was a little like pegasus’ wings which, unlike those of birds and flying creatures like phoenixes, were made of feathers, bones and muscles.

The other difference was the sensations. Biting a pegasus wing could be rather pleasurable, when done cautiously. Biting a horn was always painful.

“Stop this! You’re insane!”

Rainbow Dash obeyed but did not let time for Twilight to breathe. To get together after such an attack always was sensitive… She knew it and was about to make the most of it.

With flaps of her wings, she settled herself right above the unicorn, pinned her against the ground with her hind legs and with her forelegs, she grabbed Twilight’s viable hoof and pulled it with all her strength.

Once again, she shrieked. She could feel a bone deviate from its natural frame and could not help new tears to appear. If only she still would have been able to feel her horn, she could have freed herself easily with just one magical trick. If only, during all these years, she had not practiced magic for utility but kept on training seriously. She would not have forgotten most of the significant spells…

And there was something else. Something else Rainbow Dash hurried to remind her, not without a bit of disdain in the voice.

“What a shame you never learned how to use your Sacred Eye. You could have anticipated most of my attacks.”

Like many of the unexplained gifts that peppered Equestria, sparing neither earth ponies nor pegasi or unicorns, the Sacred Eye was a curse and a bless at the same time. When mastered, it made a pony almost invincible. When not, it prevented from having a normal life, being oblige to conceal the said eye in order not to make even the faintest of light burning your retina.

And Twilight had always refused to believe the unexplainable. These famous gifts were nothing natural. According to her, they had been made by ponies, somehow, for a reason she ignored. Undoubtedly it was linked to the Spider God, shapeless deity with cruel precepts.

Anyway, most of the unicorns had their own deities to worship.

However, this morning she regretted her choice with a little bitterness, as well as the choices she had been making during these latest years. She could have avoided the humiliation she was suffering from right now.

Rainbow Dash pulled on the hoof a bit more and this time, everyone heard the bone splitting with the clearness of a sharp razor blade. Her face went from redness to extreme pallor in a couple of seconds.

“Tell your lousy army’s leader that there are things which cannot stay unpunished. If he wants to rip into The Militia, fine. Let him come and we’ll have a welcoming party up to his standards.”

She finally eased off the pressure and left Twilight’s back to fly toward the rest of her Council. The latter felt herself like bogged down in half-consciousness. Violent electric shocks still run through her hoof – that she knew was dislocated – as well as her horn where she felt her heart thumping. It asked a huge effort, somehow with a strong focus, she was able to start purple sparkles and within seconds, she was gone, teleported elsewhere.

It did not matter whether she stayed or not now. She had done her part of the deal. Now Prince Blueblood had to respect their agreement. Although… Sneaky, he had set a condition. In order for her most precious wish to become reality, he had to be victorious of what was about to be launched. And of course, he counted on her and many others to make it happen.

After all, she knew how The Militia worked, for she had been its Main Quartermaster…

Applejack had put Double Diamond’s head in the pit of her hind lap. A rush of guilt like never before shook her right through. She could not help but thinking all this had happened to him because of her. She had been too sharp in the way she had parted from him. She had chosen to confess to Caramel too quick. If only she had waited, at least a little bit, giving him time to make sure he would digest the separation, he never would have been in such a state today.

At first sight, he seemed to be dead. His body was like a devastated forest after a storm. Injuries everywhere, most of it suppurating… His face sparkled with lumps and purple and red scalds. It even was almost black at some spots. His breathe was weak, it whistled and along his mouth dropped a trickle of blood. She had said his name many times and he had not reacted. There were very few chances he still was conscious.

Caramel did not dare stepping closer. He had been so happy when Applejack had confessed his feelings that he only thought about himself. Of course he did not know Double Diamond the way he knew the others. All the same, they had forged links of friendship, or at least some kind of bond. He knew how much he cared for Applejack, and yet in no moment had he tried to spare him from the heartbreak that it might be to know them together.

“What are we going to do, Rainbow Dash?”, Pinkie Pie asked, sitting close to Applejack.

Her pink mane had lost a bit its puff and her coat looked darker, of a greyish shade of pink.

It was only her transitional state and it was the first time Soarin, who stayed at the background, saw her like this. In his own opinion it was as shocking as this horribly mutilated body which he could only take guesses about how painful it might be.

But more than anything, he felt he was not wanted. He was not really one of them. All he had done was to take an opportunity he had been given. He had seized it to prove something to himself as well as to prove Rainbow Dash, whom he immediately had a crush on, that he was able of doing much better than what he had showed her.

Now he fully realized his position had been depending upon somepony else’s hardship. A notion with which he was not feeling at ease.

“I don’t know,”, Rainbow Dash confessed, looking away. “Preparing an attack on an army which I don’t know a thing about, it’s… complicated. What is sure is that we won’t let ourselves be pushed around. The better would be to organize an exceptional assembly of the Council, tomorrow. I’ll ask the reserves to do our watch.”

Never before since Rainbow Dash acceded to the Militia’s leadership had she have to call on the night reserves. It took action on very rare cases. Consisting of former Members of the Council, a Head had to have excellent reason to ask them to take the reins. Seeing Double Diamond’s wrecked body let her think this was not an exaggerate decision.

Some bad feeling had been taking over her when she had thought she had seen Twilight Sparkle on the roof for the first time. This foreboding was confirmed today. Something was brewing, something that was going to be tiresome. The Militia, Ponyville, maybe even Equestria were at a dangerous turn of their existence.

“What about Double Diamond?”, Big Macintosh asked, speaking to Rainbow Dash for the first time of the day.

The white stallion had not moved. Not even when Twilight had lost her hold on her spell and he crashed against the snow. All his wounds were infected, and Rainbow Dash would not have been surprised if somepony told her he was suffering from a septicemia. It was probably useless to heal him, if not impossible.

What she was about to do broke her heart in advance. But it was the only solution to let him keep the little dignity he still had.

She trotted closer and asked Applejack to pull aside. They all moved back, suspecting what was about to come. Heads low, they stared at the snow at their hooves. Soarin only, unsure of what would occur, kept on staring at Rainbow Dash, who took Double Diamond’s neck between her hooves and twisted it sharply, a few bones cracking in the process.

His weak breath like the wind whistling under a door stopped suddenly. Soarin had not expect this yet expected it anyway, and had not been able to suppress a jolt.

In rare circumstances, he knew it, the Head’s Militia was allowed to kill recruits. Personally, it was the first time he could witness such a thing. Judging by everyone’s shattered look, they never witnessed it before too.

After she had closed what was left of his eyelid, Rainbow Dash turned around, tears hanging at her lashes that she had pain to conceal. With the back of her hoof, she wiped her eyes before talking to Soarin:

“I would understand if you don’t want to be a part of our organization anymore after what you saw. Yet, if you still desire to be a Member of Ponyville’s Militia, the vacant position in my Council is yours. I won’t force your hoof. The choice’s up to you.”

She was sad and angry too. Deep inside. Soarin could feel this wrath, this fury boiling down that she tried to tame because it was uninvited. It was understandable. Circumstances had forced her to do what no pony would want to do, especially not to a friend.

He could not give up on her. Yes, he was scared. Yes, he knew this corpse about to be prepared for the Cloth could be his own future. Despite it all… As strange as it seemed since he did not really know her well in fact, he cared about Rainbow Dash. He had made some promises to himself that he wanted to keep.

“I take it.”

“Fine. Applejack is about to perform the Sacred Procedures… Go and get some rest and don’t forget about the assembly.”

“I’ll be there.”

Soarin wanted to comfort her. To hold her between his hooves, softly, and to soothe this buried wrath. She would have ordered it to him, he would have stayed by her side, and give up everything else.

Rainbow Dash only patted his shoulder and flew away, not turning back. Lights were on at some of the Inn’s windows and he realized with horror that some ponies had witnessed what had happened. They were now looking at Applejack binding together Double Diamond’s forelegs with a silk thread before she put them against his heart.

Soarin’s eyes met Big Macintosh’s, giving aid to his little sister. He felt a rush of animosity then some kind of renunciation, sudden and resigned.

Came to his mind that he was still a stranger. Although Rainbow Dash had asked him to join, although she had consented to be with him, he was not truly “one of theirs”. It was the kind of things that came with time. Or with shared ordeals.

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The crumpled sheets. The slightly acrid smell, typical, with a little something more… like a sweet fragrance. Chewing-gum, or rather strawberry chewing-gum. The hearts pounding wildly a couple of minutes before, now calmed, quietened. And in the darkness of the room, lucidity found back. To realize what had just happened.

A bit of guilt sprinkled over the rest. She was so… innocent. Even in moments like this. With others, he never had such a feeling. That he had soiled purity.

Just rewind, remembering the facts. She had not led him on, she had not reject him. Things had happened without ulterior motives, without questions. It was an obvious thing for no one, her and him. Not even for themselves. They were friends until then. And surely they still would be after that, although… there would definitely be this thing, this brand new sensation. To know what is never showed.

Big Macintosh noticed for the first time the frame on the bedside table. The pink mare was on a picture with another stallion with a straw-colored coat and a chocolate mane, as curly as hers. Her brother? Impossible. She was an orphan, this he knew. And even within the dark, something inside their eyes was perceptible. A coltfriend?

Not good, this was not good. The past was likely to repeat. He already had given in to forbidden charms, and the whole affair did not have a happy ending. She was engaged to somepony else. A pony from the Cavalry who had all the intentions of being revenged… And then, the exile, life as a foreigner. Far from his family, his friends, from the mare he loved secretly. Or was it love? Was it not this need to covet what is forbidden? An assumption that did not match his shy nature so much it made the perspective even more alluring.

“Hmph.”

Behind him, he felt Pinkie Pie moving. She rode up the quilt and covered her head completely. Only the curly strands of the top of her head were popping out.

Maybe he would have better leave. She probably would not hold a grudge against him for that. There were few chances that she expected much from him. It had happened without any of them looking for it.

The shape under the wooly pink quilt moved again. She turned around and from under it emerged a half-closed pair of blue eyes. Just by seeing her sleepy eyes, Big Macintosh could feel she was smiling, although her mouth remained hidden. None could not answer to such a sweet smile.

In her own personal way, she was kind of pretty. It was a safe bet that being pretty was no part of her pastimes. If he considered how her little bedroom was decorated, said pastime rather had something to do with pastries, candies and parties. The first ones were not a problem. As for the last one… Less obvious. Especially when known that most of the parties happened at night and so did their watch.

“I’m going to head home”, he said with echoes of scruples resounding in his baritone voice.

“Why? You’re not obliged to go. You don’t annoy me by staying.”

With a real lover, they would have been faking. They would have played the act of love. But Pinkie Pie seemed to be conscious of the truth between them. No need to be faking anything. He cared for her but simply as a precious good friend. She knew it and did not hold it against him.

She did not try to cuddle up to him. She did not try to stroke his face, did not comment about what had happened. Rolled into a ball under her quilt, she looked at him with this smile that rarely left her face. Always innocent, despite it all.

“Why?”

He did not want to say it. Words had popped up without him to even realize, like water runs inside a stream.

All the same, it was true. Surely there was a reason about what had happened between them. Any friends did not stumble into these kind of quirks, at least not as far as he knew… Well, Applejack and Caramel were something else. Somewhere they always had been in love with each other. Since they knew each other since their earliest foalhood, all this time it had been almost natural for them to deny the truth.

Up until recently, of course.

Then Big Macintosh sobered up. This was not the first time it happened to him as well. Of course, it was different with her… With her, he had hoped. There was something for him, which felt like love. She, on the other hand, and he knew for sure now, had seen in him only a good friend in whom she could seek for some kind of physical comfort, from time to time.

His thoughts suddenly came back to Pinkie Pie, who was under his own eyes. In reality, the situation was incomparable. He had been wrong.

She was still smiling, imperturbable.

“I’ve helped Applejack wrapping the blindfold around Double Diamond’s eyes. It was painful, because we were friends. I don’t like when my friends leave. I wish I could make everypony smile.”

The memory, fresh, came back to his mind. It had been hard not to feel despondent after a morning such as the one they had been going through the day before. Double Diamond probably had one of the shortest stay in all of The Militia history. Barely a year.

Big Macintosh felt as if he still could feel his sister’s head against his shoulder, could still hear the tears that none him or Caramel had been able to ease down for hours. The guilt which had taken over Applejack had been hard to swallow. It was as if none of what he would say or do had the power to soothe her heart.

Smiles were far from being required in such circumstances.

“Everypony was sad today. Why did you invite me?”

She shrugged as if what she was about to say was nothing. Even if Big Macintosh knew it could not be nothing.

“Everypony assumes Pinkie Pie only thinks about laughing and having fun… Yet I also observe the others a lot to know how to make them feel happy. You were the only one sad even before we saw Double Diamond. I know this is because Rainbow Dash has found a very special somepony.”

The surprise was so huge it made Big Macintosh dizzy. No pony, he was sure… No pony had ever noticed his specific fondness of the pegasus mare. This feeling he could not determine and called “love” by default, he had concealed it with meticulousness.

It was not that hard to do when shy and placid like him. They were few able to discern the emotions he kept inside. His friends almost had all the decoding keys between their hooves, except for this one key. At least that was what he always thought.

Like many others before him, he had underestimated Pinkie Pie. He had only relied on her smiles, her jumps, her screams, her songs and items from out of nowhere. And on this darker side, also, which only expressed itself in very accurate conditions, and that it was best not to shake. But overall, he had let himself be fooled by what laid on the surface.

All shells could be broken. Sometimes, all you needed was a good hammer.

Big Macintosh did not comment, did not bring any precision. It did not matter in fact. She knew. Maybe she even had always known. Today a dyke had split up for good inside of him. First, he had swallowed back his vexation, his frustration. Proof was Rainbow Dash’s reaction each time he had chosen not to answer a glance she made at him, even intentionally. She never suspected anything. Hope had just lost its last petal. After that, the piece of information had gained ground, quickly. The one she had chosen seemed to accept who she was, to accept the weight of responsibilities it represented, to be who they were. No turning back. The best was to renounce and to accept.

“What would he think about that… the pony of the picture?”

Pinkie Pie hid under the quilt, her tinkling laugh choked by the wool. Why did he ask this question, Big Macintosh did not really know? Curiosity, maybe. A way to show her he had been observant as well.

“That’s not like that between us. Since he’s on the road a lot, I can’t see him very often. So we never ask each other questions about who we had met, except if they’re only friends, I mean friends who you do friendly things with, like… modeling clay. Have you ever done modeling clay? Because it’s super fun!”

She giggled again, still half-hidden under her quilt. Innocence incarnated. Pinkie Pie was like this. The only one able to answer to some serious topic with seriousness only to deviate on a detail out of the context, incongruous in view of its absence of continuity.

This was the reason of her charm. Undoubtedly what the pony of the picture might love about her to accept his marefriend to live her life without him. Some very possessive stallions would have none of it. He assumed it was only fair, after all, if he could do the same while away.

That was how he decided to stay. To make the most of a friend’s warmth and, before anything else, to make the most of this piece of innocence that had not been drowned within darkness and cold. As long as this small gleam would shine, hope of a better tomorrow would keep on piercing through.

He closed his eyes.

All shells could be broken. Even his.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More than ever, Rainbow Dash needed it. A tenderness that was never challenged. Warranted, it led to no sensation of awkwardness or embarrassment. Most of the ponies were affectionate with their mothers. There was no reason for her to be the only one to avoid the rule.

It was her dread to make the same nightmare again that had led her here, after a restless sleep fitful by the unpleasant feeling to be suffocating. The morning before, she had brought herself to do what no Head liked to do. When it was dishonest gangsters, rapists or killers, she asked herself no questions. That was what she was here for. But when it was a friend…

She did not even want to think about the horror it would have been if the body had been one of her closest friends. Her foalhood friends, who were a part of her family. If of course, her misconducts with Big Macintosh were excluded, since it was not at all a healthy family behavior.

At the thought of it, she could not help it, Rainbow Dash blushed. Each time, she had wondered what had been on her mind. It still felt so strange. Like… kissing your cousin, or something like that. But she had been feeling lonely after Time Stellar’s death and in his own way, the stallion had displayed consideration. Never too ostentatious. So she had given in to the unthinkable, with a great deal of guilt each time it happened.

Undoubtedly, the worst had been when Applejack had guessed. She had been very scared that her best friend, her soul twin sister, would be terribly mad at her. But the mare had only spoke her mind about it.

Firefly quickly noticed something was wrong about her daughter. Her being so silent suddenly… Though she knew she had just been through a painful ordeal, she knew Rainbow Dash well enough to sense that something else was on her mind right now.

It was especially blatant since the moment before she was busy braiding her mother’s long blue mane, then, lost in her thoughts, she had suspended her actions.

“Dashie… Are you worried about something?”

“What?”, she asked out of her drowsiness.

“You look awkward.”

“It’s nothing, just… All that had happened recently’ve been trying for any of us.”

Firefly immediately turned around to look Rainbow Dash straight into the eyes. She often lied to them. She knew it and acted as if she did not. Inside of her, there was a will to protect the ones she loved which sometimes put up with details of this kind. Even with her closest friend, she never treaded that carefully. It gave the impression she thought her family was too fragile to handle such truths.

Yet, she had been told. As a foal, she had enjoyed the many stories of Firefly and Melrose back when they were royal bounty hunters and roamed all Equestria, looking for criminals to arrest. It never stopped Rainbow Dash from fearing they would not bear some facts. It was most likely that, if she had the chance, she would not even had talked to them about the real reason behind Double Diamond’s absence during the big family dinner they had once a month.

With Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter’s wedding anniversary coming around, things would probably not go for the better.

However, this time her lie was of a different kind. It was about something deeper, more personal, and this, Firefly could have bet on. She knew very well Rainbow Dash was embarrassed by love matters but she was her mother, after all. There was nothing to be ashamed of.

“Although I know it makes you sad, and angry too, I know you, Dashie… It’s not about Double Diamond. Is it because you FINALLY have found a new coltfriend?”

Immediate reaction: her cheeks turned as crimson as The Militia’s traditional cloak.

“How—How do you know? Is it Applejack? I swear I’ll kill her!”

“No, Melrose told me so. A very handsome, tall and athletic stallion, just like my Dashie”, she rounded off nuzzling her daughter.

“Mommy!”

“Oh, come on, stop fighting, I know you like cuddles in fact. As a baby, you used to purr with laughter each time you had little tickles on your stomach.”

Sometimes it was difficult for Firefly to realize her only child had grown up so much. She felt as if it was only yesterday since she learned how to fly with her father, had her first wooden sword and showed her desire to become of Pony of the Cavalry, her former dream.

Now she was a young mare frisky and passionate, with a very high code of honor and more responsibilities than Firefly ever had. She had been in mourning long enough and deserved to be happy now. As happy as she was herself close to her husband and this wonderful family built due to the circumstances.

“Come on, tell me everything… What’s his name? How did you choose him?”

Both had always been conniving given their similar character of “tompony”. The only difference was that her mother liked to know about such things as feelings while she, on the other hand, rarely took personal matters on, except occasionally with Applejack… They had spent a few nights exchanging secrets about their dreams and sometimes about stallions, hidden under the sheets so the confessions would remain as intimate as possible.

Rainbow Dash sighed and resigned.

“Soarin, that’s his name. He just asked me and I said yes, simple as that. To be honest, he’s rather silly sometimes… unless it’s called being clumsy. Something like that.”

She paused, tied her mother’s mane with a pink ribbon that fit her coat, before she ended:

“But I like the fact that’s the way he is. I think it is… refreshing. And after all, you told me you were surprised to see that daddy was so clumsy when you first met him!”

“Oh yes, it’s true”, Firefly answered, laughing. “He was a trotting disaster for a pony with such an implacable reputation. Maybe Soarin’s the stallion of your dreams… Who knows?”

Rainbow Dash immediately blushed even harder, and like quite often, she lowered her eyes to look at the floor, too ashamed to meet someone else’s eyes when such a topic was mentioned. Firefly found it sweet and funny… because she had been like her. In her youth, nothing embarrassed her more than sentimental conversations.

The door opened on Uncloudy Shelter, an oil lamp in his mouth that he put next to him as soon as he had trotted inside the room he shared with his wife.

“So, how are the mares of my dreams doing?”

In view of its close formulation with her mother’s words, the question, though insignificant, made Rainbow Dash feel even more awkward. As if they both had spread the word to each other – it was a possibility.

Uncloudy stepped closer, his huge shadow standing out on the wooden floor. He pecked his daughter’s cheek then sat down in order to let Firefly positioning herself on his back.

“It’s time to go for a little wander in the sky”, he said to her. “Ready?”

“To fly? Always!”

After a very difficult labor, Firefly had completely lost the use of her wings. When the Fratricide War had ended, life conditions had been really hard for a long time, more than what it was today. The various free clinics were closed or overpopulated with veterans in agony… The physician ponies were swamped and drops were plain, in stables or barns. With the lack of post-operative treatments, many mothers died in childbirth or delivered stillborn foals. In reality, it was not the end of the world that Firely had only suffered from a trauma that damaged her wings, now atrophied.

As a young filly and mare, she had enjoyed flying a lot. It was her favorite pastime and she would have given anything to be famous for her flying techniques. In fact, her Cutie Mark testified for this consuming passion that almost was a way of life. When she had learned, seeing Rainbow Dash growing up had been the only thing that had kept her from drowning. And Uncloudy Shelter always volunteered to make sure she would not miss it too much.

The latter, once his wife in security on his back, gave his daughter a glance full of benevolence while she was putting the hairstyling tools away inside the chest of drawers made for that.

“I’ve met Applejack who told me you guys had an exceptional assembly tonight… Is everything fine, Dashie?”

“Oh yeah. It’s just because of Double Diamond’s death, you know. Some kind of… wake.”

“Alright”, he said while emphasizing on the last syllables.

Rainbow Dash would have bet on it. Her parents knew something was going on. She often wanted to tell them the truth. And she held herself back because she remembered the oath she had made when she had become The Militia’s Head. “To protect with my life Ponyville and Equestria’s citizens from all the threats that could downpour on it”. She did not run all over the city to tell the ponies what they had luckily escaped on the previous night. Why would she consider her family like more than citizens she had to protect at the risk of her life?

The truth was that she did not want them to be concerned about her. They already had been through so many hardships… She would have feel bad to worry themselves sick. And, it was not as if they knew nothing about The Militia, and about how things were supposed to be. Spitfire lived with them. She could talk and talked with pleasure; no pony had to apply the Sacred Law as often as she did. Whether it was for The Militia or by Royal Decree. No pony. Not even Rainbow Dash.

> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The knock on the door surprised them both. In fact, the muffled noise had not sound like a knock on the door. More abrupt, it was as if a battering ram had been pushed against the fragile wood. Then there was another sound… Something falling heavily on the ground.

Opening the door of her small shack, Pinkie Pie discovered a grey pegasus dressed in red, a bubble-shaped Cutie Mark on her flank, like put together upside down. She looked like some big ball wound up on her doorstep. Her saddlebag was unfastened and ten or so sealed envelopes laid on the snow.

Hard to believe that Rainbow Dash had chosen this serial clumsy mare to deliver mails to The Militia and in a part of Ponyville. There were other ponies apparently more qualified for the job.

In reality, it was the same thing than with Caramel. Seeing her with her eyes going wild, no pony would be suspicious. It was easy to believe that when attacked, she would be made short work with. Still water ran deep was a golden rule.

Sure, there were accidents, sometimes, like the one under Pinkie Pie’s nose. Ditzy probably did not calculate her landing the right way.

Without even trying to go back on her hooves, she gave Pinkie Pie a letter that was still in her mouth when she started to speak.

“Letter from Rainbow Dash…”

Of course, the envelop immediately fell down and meddled with the others.

She took about five minutes to put her hoof on the right letter, and this despite Pinkie Pie’s help. Meanwhile, Big Macintosh stayed inside, busy slipping on his whole Militia gear. The fact he had an assembly tonight instead of the usual watch did not change what he had to wear, in particular when it came to weapons.

When Pinkie Pie came back inside, her mail between her teeth, he sent her an inquiring glance. He had not quite understood what had just happened and only knew it was about Rainbow Dash.

“I won’t be at the assembly, tonight…”

Big Macintosh did not answer and only took back his cloak on the coat-rake near the entrance. Pinkie Pie happily bounced on her bed, still messy, and put the letter back inside a drawer apparently full of many other letters.

Though he had not asked, she felt the need to explain their Head’s decision. Rainbow Dash was afraid her absence would be used as an occasion to attack the inn, and rather wanted Pinkie Pie to do her night watch like she did on the other nights. She would send her a report of what would have been said A.S.A.P.

If that was the case, what was she waiting for? She had to get prepared as well, he thought. But instead, she sat on her bed and looked at him with a wide smile that had nothing to do with the appreciative ones of his numerous lovers. Yet it made him feel uneasy and he felt a warmth all over his cheeks. What a chance his coat helped him to conceal this kind of details.

“Try to be careful tonight.”

“Uh?”

“Try to be careful.”

She did not say another word. Usually, Pinkie Pie never talked with conundrums. Or when she did, it was so desultory no pony could understand anything. This time, Big Macintosh could feel a hidden meaning, a meaning he should have got. He thought he saw her smile fading away yet it came back to the surface quickly.

The cake-shaped clock showed seven and a half. He could take his time but Pinkie Pie did not live very close, and if he wanted not to be spotted, then he had to follow discreet paths, poorly lit, that would make the road even longer.

Without a word, he pushed the door open. Immediately, a wave of cold pounced on him, gnawing each patch of his body that was not covered. It was snowing…

Before he left the small shack, he heard Pinkie Pie’s high-pitched voice talking to him again.

“This assembly’s going to be pretty fun.”

He had doubts about it. Meetings and assemblies never were fun, no pony liked it, not even Pinkie Pie. So why did she say such a thing, especially after she asked him to be careful? There had to be a reason. As for finding it, that was the problem. Only a pony with the same train of thoughts would be able to completely understand her.

He thought about the stallion on her picture, the one she loved, obviously. He might know how to solve the mystery. Right then, for the first time, he envied him. Admittedly, he was not in love with Pinkie Pie yet he liked her a lot. And he wanted to have the key to this world, to be able to decode her mechanisms. She was so much more than an entertaining character, more than this unsettling double personality.

And… she was protecting the others, always. But who was there to protect her?

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Something was wrong. Rainbow Dash did not really know what it was yet she could feel it. It was in the air. It expressed itself in her body too. The knot in her stomach, her heart speeding up for no reason. Since she had left her parents a little earlier today, the sensation had not let her go.

She did not like it. Somewhere deep inside her, some little voice tried to reason her. She obviously was the one constraining herself in order to explain what could not be explained. No one could deny how bad the situation was. An army from out of nowhere had decided to lash out at them, for a reason she ignored. Twilight had said the word ‘revenge’…

Could it be Wind Rider? No, that was impossible. The former mercenary from the Web, the pack led by her uncle Knight Shelter which had put Equestria to fire and the sword during the Fratricide War, had retired in the Smokey Mountains where he had chosen a pious path.

Admittedly, she had promised he would suffer until his last breath and a pony such as he could think about something like revenge. But this did not work out. The new religion he had found protected from these kind of desires while giving the penitent many occasions to self-flagellate for the crimes of the past. And, he rather was the kind to like face to face settling of scores… In some kind of way.

To be thinking about him was as painful as being overwhelmed by her foreboding, and Rainbow Dash shook her head, focusing on the present. She had to talk with the members of her Council, to ponder about the strategies to adopt when the chopper would fall. Whatever this would be. It also meant – to be prepared for any kind of event.

Things would have been a little less nerve-racking without the big party for her parents’ wedding anniversary approaching.

Softly, she landed in front of the doors of the Militia’s Headquarter, visible in all directions, thanks to the magical spell protecting the whole building and doors. If a spell like that could be applied on a city scale, it would considerably have lowered the high level of crimes of the continent. However, it was easy to be maintained on a rather limited surface but would ask too much physical and mental efforts to sustain on a larger scale. Even for the alicorn sovereigns.

She was expecting for everyone to be waiting on her in the inside yard. Much to Rainbow Dash’s surprise, it was not the case.

Big Macintosh, Caramel and Soarin were chatting in front of the main door, exchanging a smoky flask of what seemed to be coffee, judging from the smell.

“Hey, why aren’t you inside? And… Where’s Applejack?”

Rainbow Dash knew her friend had left before she did, with her fresh new coltfriend. She was not at the best of her shape and had still cried a lot in the morning, yet she had assured being up and about enough to be at the assembly. Her absence was nothing normal at all.

“In fact, we’re waiting for her”, Soarin said stepping closer to offer her some coffee. “She’d received a message from a Spotter asking her to go… I don’t even know where.”

Rainbow Dash refused the flask with a sign of her head.

“Caramel, it didn’t even occur to your silly brain to go and follow her? You’re the worst coltfriend of all Equestria!”

The earth pony displayed shocked wide eyes that he lowered afterward, to scrub the snow on his hooves. She was right. He had thought that, since it was a call from one of the Spotters, there was nothing to fear and had not even thought about having his marefriend’s back. His watch mate, his Head’s right-hoof pony. Stupid, he was stupid. More than ever he deserved his nickname of Executioner’s Fool.

“What about you, Big Mac? She’s your little sister. You don’t worry when something like that happens though we should all be on the lookout?”

He opened his mouth to answer, then closed it back, running short of excuses. He was feeling stupid as well… Usually, he was amongst the first to recognize warning signs such as these. Rainbow Dash was right; they all should be on the lookout. Instead of this, Caramel and he had acted unthoughtfully.

How did it not come to their minds that there was something fishy about a Spotter calling one member in particular? Spotters were supposed to warn The Militia and the closest team would be the first to take charge. Never one specific member was called for anything. It was a basic rule.

One of the lessons taught by the Fratricide War was that betrayal knew no age, no gender, no social class. It existed in every layers of the society. Her and corruption made a pair. In murky times like what was about to happen, nothing was ever sure.

She was angry but had no time to waste in making them understand more. She had to catch her friend back and to assist her. Because if something would happen to her, the rest of the Militia could not help her. They were there for the citizens. When they were attacked themselves, no pony could provide assistance to them, except other Head’s Council members.

“I’m going to try to find where’s Applejack. Come inside quickly and think about what’s wrong with you all.”

The second after, she had already flown away.

The awkwardness between the three stallions was easy to see. For the first time, Soarin had seen Rainbow Dash lecturing somepony else than him. Just because she had not bawled him out, it did not mean he thought being the only one with a good reaction. He knew the rules as well as the others since they had the same in the South Shore. And he had not think about the trap this could have been neither.

If something bad happened to Applejack or even to Rainbow Dash, they all would feel bad. Guilt would bite them alive and never let go, like it had started to eat their flesh with Double Diamond’s death.

> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Each time it happened, her body was like taken over by convulsions. She could not control them; the way she could not control all the overwhelming sensations. The heatwave, the sweat, her heart racing. She bit her lower lip and frowned. This time was harder than the last.

She arched her back under the pressure. It was almost too much. Almost painful. She wanted to grab something, anything. But there was nothing solid enough around her, except sheets, and she could not move, not with what was going on.

Suddenly, it all stopped. As swift as it had begun. Panting, she let herself fall against the mattress, her both fore hooves stretched in front of her.

Spitfire felt Knight Shelter stroking her damp mane. He had been watching her all along, while her Acuteness Gift showed, not daring to ask whether he could see with her or not, because the intensity of the vision seemed extreme.

It was always an awe-inspiring performance. At the most ill-chosen moments, her pupils dilated, she froze and seemed to be disconnected from the rest of the world, floating in a parallel dimension. Sometimes, she would take his hoof or stroke one of his wings in order to connect him to her, sometimes he was the one taking the initiative. It was possible only because of their bond of love. Without it, Knight would had been able to see nothing and to share nothing neither.

When she finally turned around, black circles were hanging around her eyes. Whatever was the vision she had just experienced, it had drained out the least of her strengths, so well that she could not even be standing on all fours.

Knight ran a hoof on his wife’s cheek and put some horsehair strands stuck against her coat behind her ears.

“I don’t know what it was about, this time… But whatever it was, it looked violent. Sexy yet violent.”

Spitfire did not even point out his attempt at being funny. Her husky voice lost some of its character when she was worn out, and what she had seen was undoubtedly in the “oppressive” category.

“I would rather not see, Knight… Ponies are going to die. Lots of ponies. Too many ponies, it’s too much. Even for me.”

He knew it. In fact, no one ignored it in Ponyville and even, sometimes, in other cities of Equestria. To shed blood never been a problem for her. As a former Member of the Head’s Council, she had had her share of dead and wounded. Each time the Sacred Law had to be applied she had been the one they called. It was said she had a gift for clean and surgical executions.

If this vision disturbed her, it was not because of death at each corner, it was not because of the blood or because of how many ponies would succumb under the blades. It was because her Acuteness Gift allowed a door on the future that none could elude. What she saw could not be undone, no matter the chosen method.
The dead ones she had seen in the course of the pictures were not any dead ones. She knew some of them very well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where could she be? The back alleys all were too dark for her to see anything. If that really was a trap, she would not be in the central roads, where the patrons from saloons, cabarets and so-called Company Houses would all see her. It had to be in a secluded spot, away from prying eyes.

Rainbow Dash suddenly had a doubt. Maybe a Spotter had called Applejack in order to make her do a task she was the only one able to do. If there were a dead pony already, she could have to preside as Master of Rituals, though she was not the only one available at night. Well, if that was true, why did she not see her?

The gruesome feelings she had a little earlier had not left her. The more she flew looking for her best friend; the heavier the weight in her stomach was.

Not tonight. Not after she had to break Double Diamond’s neck. She would never recover. Her grief had been years long to heal, it was too soon. Another dearest pony could not be snatched away from her again.

Applejack was more than her best friend; she was the sister she never had. Younger, they had been in competition, most often for the sake of a good laugh or for the challenge. These little stupid contests had solidified their complicity.

On a full moon night, near a temple dedicated to the Spider God, like the tradition said, they had taken an oath to be recognized as sisters in the eyes of the deity. Sisters bounded by blood. Applejack was her family. As sure as if they had been bore by the same belly. They were almost born on the same day, after all. The gap between them was so small.

She did not see. She did not see because it was out of her field of vision, only focused on the search of the orange-coated mare with a golden mane. Hidden behind the snowy foliage, under the flakes falling and gathering on the tiny branches.

She felt before she understood. The keen shot buffeting her flesh, right under her Cutie Mark. So intense she lost her balance in the air and crushed against an abandoned house’s roof. Her head collided with the tiles before she could even protect herself, and the hit added to the giddiness caused by her other wound made her pass out.

Before she could even realize anything, her body fell and crashed against the concrete floor, in a greyish smoke of dust.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack looked up. A sound had just occurred… Like a thousand glasses shattering. Or maybe not glasses, maybe something more like marble slabs. Something of this kind. Yet the sky looked empty.

She had been waiting, for minutes on end, that Mint Diamond appeared but she never did. There supposedly was a dead pony that another pony with bad intentions had abandoned, waiting for her to perform the Sacred Procedures. Without these Procedures, the deceased’s family would never be able to celebrate his Renunciation in dignity.

However, when she had arrived, she had found no corpse and no Mint Diamond.

Maybe that the cadaver was somewhere else. Maybe she had been looking for help, unable to bring it here alone. Yet she would have warned her in this case, even would have asked her to meet her there.

It smelled rather bad and with that strange sound, the doubt remaining in Applejack had vanished away. She had been fooled. She had to leave this place, to meet the others as soon as possible, to tell them to beware. Her hooves rushed forward at full tilt.

Suddenly, her thoughts came back to Double Diamond, to his mutilated flesh between her hooves, this whistling breathe, knowing there was life in this unconscious dead-still body. And then, nothing left.

She did not want it to happen to her friends, her soul family. To the pony she loved. What if after it, one lashed out at her mother, her little sister?

She would run breathlessly if necessary yet she would never let such things happen. The snowflakes that sometimes fell on the tip of her muzzle or hung at her eyelashes would not make her turn back. Nothing would make her turn back.

At least, that was what she thought, until in the course of some narrow street, her road got blocked by a mare unicorn. Applejack braked, and a lump of snow piled up at her hooves in boots. Her hat slipped off her mane before it fell on the soft snow with a “poof” sound.

The unicorn in question, she was sure she already had seen her before. Her coat matching the snow falling from the skies, her gorgeous royal purple mane, styled with silky curls. She did not wear a plain cloak to protect her from the cold but a real-velvet coat matching her fur. It was the kind of mare who, usually, never dawdled in such places. The mares of her class stayed at the Great Weaver and only befriended ponies from wealthy families.

Whatever it was she was doing here, it did not matter to Applejack. She had other things to do. Friends to meet. Unless… No, it could not be.
Mares like her never fought. Under cover in beautiful houses, in pretty and vast bedrooms with flowered tapestries, they improved their education with Knowledge Tutors. Harp, seam, dance and frivolous discussions were their daily life and the quest of a good match to marry was their biggest source of conflict.

Mares like her could not have interest into something like fighting. They did not give a care about armies, The Militia or revenge. They would faint in front of a show such as the one of the day before.

Yet here she was in front of her. With her mane graciously moving at each of her steps. She trotted toward her, then stopped inches away. 
She had no wings so in no way could she avoid her. All the more so as, if she really had something against her, she could reappear in front of her with a single magic trick.

Somehow, she would have to fight with her. Applejack positioned herself, all four hooves firmly planted inside the snow, ready to charge.

“Clear off ma way or Ah flip ya like a pancake in a frying pan!”

“Well, this is a fairly refined manner of speaking”, the unicorn said in a very posh way.

“Clear off Ah said.”

“It is not nice at all to send me back the way you do. First and foremost because I am here especially for you… Applejack.”

The latter could not help but opening her eyes wide from surprise. She knew her name… Of course, a lot of ponies knew her name yet since pictures were rather uncommon, most of them ignored what the Angel of Mercy really looked like. If this unicorn knew who she was and said she was here for her, then she no longer had doubts.

Whoever she was, she was not just some lost lady. She had to be a part of this mysterious group which none of the Council’s Members had ever heard about. The Unavowed Army.

“In fact, I neglected my duties… I am Rarity. The most devoted Servant of the True King, His Highness Blueblood.”

Once again, Applejack opened her eyes wide. Prince Blueblood? The Fallen Heir Apparent? It was impossible. He had been banished forever to the place no pony came back from, where it was told the legendary Crystal Empire had been buried.

“I can see you are surprised. This is nothing new. You earth ponies are highly uncouth characters”, she said patting one of her curls. “Obviously lacking foresight. But it does not matter…”

Rarity elegantly span around, her velvet coat doing the same with grace. Her Cutie Mark – three azure gems – was embroidered on her flank.

Sure, the Spider God had an odd sense of humor when it came to assigning Cutie Marks. Herself had three red apples celebrating her strength during the harvestings. Said harvestings which, in the North Shore, only happened during spring, which meant something like three months in a year. And this uptight lady who apparently pretended being able to fight had inherited gems.

Once she was done with her little magical trick, the unicorn appeared with what looked like her Cutie Mark between her teeth yet were in fact mini triangular razor blades. She spat it out elegantly and it planted right into the pile of snow at Applejack’s hooves.

Immediately, her face toughened. Jaws tight, frowning, some kind of white smoke escaped from her nostrils. As if mimicking some deformed version of Rarity, Applejack spat on the ground and displayed a quick half-smile seeing the unicorn smirking from disgust.

“You really are nauseating; do you know that? I am still not surprised, in some kind of way. All it takes is a look at how you do your mane, and this… awful cloak. I wonder who did such shambolic embroideries.”

“Hey, don’t ya dare insulting ma mother!”

“Darling, I would have adored talking fashion with you since there is nothing that I like more in all Equestria, but I am waiting on in a fabulous party and I am terribly afraid I would be late, so I offer you to get this over with as soon as possible. What is your opinion?”

As soon as she was done speaking, a set of mini-blades like the one she had spit in the snow earlier popped out of Rarity’s elegant mane. So this really was her weapon of choice? Cute. It would never stand long in front of the big guns… except if she used her magic to disappear and reappear as she liked, of course.

Wound up by the indirect offense done to Melrose, Applejack lifted her cloak with her teeth, giving a glimpse of what she used to knock down her enemies. She grabbed her Lasso and unfolded it at Rarity’s hooves. The rope shone from a particular gleam, unusual for this kind of tools. In fact, it was not any kind of lasso. Thicker, stronger, it also was a redoubtable weapon, enchanted never to miss its target.

Incidentally, it immediately coiled such as an enormous snake around Rarity’s real-leather pair of boots. She gasped in surprise.

“Let’s make a deal, Princess. Ya don’t use yar magic… Ah won’t use dat. What dya think ‘bout it?”

“Alright, no magic, Hillbilly”, she answered under her breath, upset that the item had touched her favorite boots.

“Imma goin’ to love messing up yar pretty mane.”

“Oh, really? Well, it is on.”

> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orders from the Head should never be discussed. It was like that and no otherwise. In other circumstances, they all would have followed this instruction to the letter, not even asking themselves questions. Tonight it was different. They had not been thoughtful, they had let Applejack go without making sure she was not in danger and because of this, Rainbow Dash had gone as well.

They all had in minds what had happened to Double Diamond. The memory was still fresh. It was clear that danger was prowling, especially as taken into account Twilight Sparkle’s warning. This was the reason they were supposed to be at this assembly, after all.

They had no time to waste. By joint agreement, the three stallions decided to go and save both Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Soarin would take care of the mare pegasus for a practical obvious reason, and the other two would get separated ways, looking for the Angel of Mercy.
They had no plans in mind, no pre-established strategies. It was too late to think about it. Time was running out and they had to act.

Only, as soon as they were decided, like popping from out of nowhere, a pack of stallions dressed in white cloaks turned up in front of their dumbstruck eyes, all ready to charge into them at the least move.

It would have been easier to flee for Soarin. With a few flaps, he would fly away, on condition that none of their opponents were pegasi. But it would also mean abandoning his brothers of arms behind him. There was no way he could do such a thing. He maybe was The Council’s “newbie” yet he was part of this Militia too and he was not to behave like a coward colt.

If they wanted to fight to the finish, fine. They could count on him.

A pony with a coat similar to its anthracite mane stepped forward. Undoubtedly, he was the leader of that small brigade. His eyes determined and full of self-confidence, he scrubbed the thick layer of snow under his hooves, as if ready to attack.

“So, minions? Feeling lonely without your marefriends?”

They all knew this sentence had been said with the sole purpose of provoking them. Of course, it made most of the stallions who were waiting behind laughing out loud. Now there was no doubt this whole thing had been an ambush from the very beginning, and they had fell into it headfirst. Somewhere in the city, Applejack and Rainbow Dash probably also had to deal with attackers.

And the only way for the trio to be able to help them was to get rid of the bunch in front of them. They were about twenty ponies. Against three. Quite a difficult challenge to take up, yet not impossible.

All they needed was the spark to set the whole thing on fire. Though Big Macintosh did not like the insinuation about his little sister, he would rather not to give in to provocation. That would give them too much credit.

“Don’t worry”, the grey pony continued. “As soon as we’ll be done with you, we’ll go and take care of them both. I always wanted to get a taste of fighting mares.”

Impulsiveness was something to avoid in such circumstances. They all knew it… Yet one of them would not bear this new insinuation. No pony would touch one horsehair of his marefriend.

Caramel rushed forward the agitator without further thinking, his head low, determined to attack vehemently and to make him swallow his arrogance. Maybe it was stupid to react this way but for Applejack, he was willing to do anything, even such a mistake. If she was insulted or in danger, even if she undoubtedly had the ability to defend herself, as the overtrained mare she was, he had to defend her honor.

Unfortunately, the targeted pony avoided him right on time, bouncing on the side. Caramel crushed against another stallion instead, who had not expected to be accidentally knocked out and made a few of his companions stumble with him like a domino game.

This was not what was on his mind, but after all, if it helped to eliminate a few adversaries by the way, it meant his attack had not been completely pointless.

“You’re pretty bad, actually, for the very best of Ponyville”, the grey pony chuckled.

He barely finished his line when he received a violent hooves kick in his head that knocked him to the ground.

Soarin had not think. That pony needed a good lesson. As Rainbow Dash had told him when he failed on his Warrior Test, this was what happened to smart-asses showing off.

Enough time had been wasted. Now was the time to act for real. To defend themselves, to defend The Militia and to defend the two absent mares.

With this offensive, they had just lifted the flood barrier. The show was about to begin and no holds barred. Caramel stood back up, rushed to Big Macintosh and Soarin’s sides, ready to launch another attack while the bunch of stallions was closing around them.

Caramel tacitly glanced at Applejack’s older brother. Without even communicating through words, they had understood each other.

“We’ll take care of them, Soarin.”

“Eeyup”, Big Macintosh answered, determination in his green eyes.

“What?”

He did not understand. They were an army, the same hooves of one single body. They had to fight together or to renounce. Nevertheless, he had thought he had taken his chance to be treated as one of them, although he had been chosen for this Council by “chance” … and a bit randomly as well.

“No time to babble on”, Caramel continued while the circle of ponies kept on closing around them. “Try to find Rainbow Dash and Applejack. They are fighters of excellency, the best… But Members of the Council protect each other. We can’t escape those ones, but you can. Go and protect them. It’s your duty as a Member of this Council.”

Big Macintosh nodded.

The circle was still closing around them. Soon he as well would not be able to escape the ponies willing to attack them. It was no longer time to think, now it was time to act – for good, for the Cloth’s sake.

Right before it was too late, Soarin was finally able to take off and went away without a look behind, searching for one of the mares, if not both of them – maybe they had been able to meet each other. He was not sure he would be that helpful. As Caramel had insisted, they were the best. Yet he also had insisted that it was his duty and he did not want to escape from it. Fear of losing, of suffering again, gnawing at him from the inside did no longer matter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way things were going, the fight has gone from “no magic” to “no weapons”, without one or the other to ask questions. This way, the ratio of power was supposed to be balanced.

Nevertheless, Rarity seldom had a real occasion to be bare-hooves fighting. She excelled with her mini razor blades, with which she was always sure to win, no matter the performance, but in face-to-face with this fair-maned little savage, it was something else than training with cotton sacks filled with feathers.

No need to be in The Militia to be able to fight. All it took was the desire to learn, and money, and a Fighting Master would take care of you, teach you the techniques and when you were a unicorn as she, how to use magic in order to have a signature, something no pony would be supposed to mimic.

Because of this, she had to admit that it was a little difficult for her to do well and honorably. Her white coat was soiled by the dirty snow and traces of Applejack’s boots. Her hoof kicks were always terrible. It never missed their targets.

Magical gifts of the unicorns depended upon their special talents. Rarity’s was to create beautiful things. Conversely to the earth mare, she did not have the art of fighting under her skin. She had learned from curiosity, in order not to be a poor defenseless mare like many of the wealthy children she knew. If she fought right now, it was for another reason. A personal reason.

She believed in him and in his cause. He had suffered from an injustice that deserved to be fixed. He was the legitimate heir of the throne and though she could admit qualities to the governing princesses, her classic education made her think this was nothing normal. A throne was made to be shared by a king and his spouse.

If he won, she would not be his spouse. Another mare was his betrothed. She was the daughter of the family that had taken him in and hid him for all these years. A reserved and soft pegasus mare who would never contradict her King. Oppositely to Rarity, who might have been rose like a lady but never let any pony get in her way.

For a couple of seconds, she thought she would be able to grab Applejack by her mane and throw her flat on her face but she was not being swift enough. The latter took the advantage from her being so close to strike her with a new kick directly against her stomach.

Rarity jumped a few inches farther, her back crushed against a patch of ground which snow had been overturned. This would leave tracks all over her coat, for sure. She would never be able to have it white again.

“Yar daydreamin’ too much, princess. Ah thought ya wanted to fight!”

Her back felt hatched from pain. It would have been hypocrite to deny the obvious. This Applejack knew the business. Each of her kicks and blows seemed more violent than the last. Yet, at first sight, it was not that easy to guess she was so strong.

Prince Blueblood had sent her to fight with The Militia’s Second-in-Command assuring her that she was nothing but an “unequal minion” and that it would be a plain formality for Rarity. Either he had lied to her or he had misjudged the mare’s abilities. Even the snow still falling around never seemed not to disturb her the least. Each time a flake wound up on her muzzle or eyelashes, she got rid of it shaking her head. The fact her damp mane deflated on each side of her neck had no effect on her neither while Rarity was shaking inside just to think her horsehair was the same mess.

That was probably the case, mentioned in passing.

“Really? I thought you were here to fight.”

Applejack rose an inquiring eyebrow in front of this affirmation. She obviously had the advantage. So what?

As long as things would be happening this way, it looked evident that Rarity would go from defeat to defeat. The True King had given her a mission and she wanted to complete it successfully. There was no way that this tousled hick would have the upper hand. What she was about to do was not really spirit of fair-play but she had made up her mind.

She stood back up and shook her mess of a mane.

“I am sorry… but I think I am going to cheat a tinsy little bit.”

A few gem-shaped blades went out from between her purple horsehair. Too bad for the fairly fight, even if this was not a very distinguished behavior. Ask a radical fight, get a radical solution.

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Dust was itchy to her nostrils. Before she even opened her eyes, Rainbow Dash sneezed. The sound it made echoed in each corner of the place she was at.

She was feeling dizzy. Then, the sensation of burn came back to her slowly, as if trying to torture her. She could feel the blood dripping from her lower flank and the flesh inside gnawing. Something was planted there, and she could not help a cry of pain when the thing in question was taken off her.

The floor of the abandoned house inside which she had fallen was dirty and smelled musty. The walls around her oozed and the cold from outside rushed into the inside through the broken windows. A few flakes even fell there. Obviously, she never landed in this place by accident. Somepony wanted her to collapse here.

She leaned against her forelegs in order to try to stand back up. Where had her boots gone? Her limbs were shaky and tears formed beads in the corner of her eyes. She had to clench her teeth and bit her lower lip not to let her pain express itself again. Blood kept on dropping along her hind hoof and the fabric of her cloak started to stick against the wound.

“You’re taking so long for a little scratch”, a masculine voice next to her said.

As her eyes got used to darkness again, she discovered little by little the characteristics of the figure standing out in front of her. A celadon-colored coat hidden by a white cloak with two holes for his wings and an indigo mane matching his eyes.

She had never seen him before. It did not matter. Rainbow Dash knew who he was. A member from this mysterious army called “unavowed”. If she judged by the fact that white was a royal color and a synonym of death at the same time, she could start to sketch a meaning to this masquerade.

There was an arrow on the floor which tip gleamed of scarlet. Arks and arrows as well as crossbows were forbidden in Equestria. They were considered as disloyal weapons, black market armaments sold to criminals too coward to be able to fight at a right distance. What a strange mix…

“Still not on your hooves, Rainbow Dash?”

“Won’t you lay off me!”

“Oh no, I won’t… See, I can’t wait to get started”, he said before lifting his cloak, revealing the longest sword she had ever seen.

Alright, she was hurt and he still had all of his energy. It could not have been any different since instead of attacking her point-blank, he had chosen to take her by surprise. If he had met her face to face without the help of a subterfuge, she knew it, he would already be biting the dust right now.

She wanted to take him at his word, to show him that even if her weapon was not as impressive, she was in no way helpless and would respond properly, but when she lifted her own cloak, Rainbow Dash remarked in fear that her sword was no longer tied at her waist. The links holding it seemed to have been ripped off.

“I think what you’re looking for has stayed on the roof”, the male pegasus said. “How unlucky.”

Rainbow Dash rose her eyes and noticed the hole in the tiles created by her fall. On the brink of it, her sword’s sheath was dangerously wobbling, pushed by the wind yet never seemed ready to tip over.

What was he thinking? She was not a simple earth pony, although there was no shame at it. All she needed was a few flaps of her wings and she would get it back in no time. In pain or not in pain.

Her hooves took off of the mucky floor, but she barely had the time to fly higher that the unknown pegasus was holding her back by her tail, pulling it with his teeth… She hated so much! Even when Applejack was doing this, she wanted to scream. He did not know the mistake he had done here.

Actually, in order to get rid of him, she did not hesitate to kick his face and was happy when she hurt him under his eyes. Unfortunately, it was not enough. He successfully made her fall back on the floor, destroying her center of gravity.

“Don’t deceive me more, Rainbow… Or do your friends call you Dash? Nevermind. Everypony says you’re quite something, that the Thunder of Revenge never spare any souls. I’m starting to doubt your legend. Seems like in reality, you’re nothing but a showy brat.”

As a teen filly, when she had been enrolled at the Academy of the Cavalry, or even in her beginnings inside The Militia, she had been the kind of pony to fly off the handle at the least of provocations. She had had many problems by giving in too quickly when in front of mockeries and bullies from the others. If someone wanted to fight, she was swift to beat the hell out of him or her.

Then what she regarded as her biggest mistake had taught her it was best to think, to put things into perspective. By agreeing to become Head of the Militia, to take on her shoulders the responsibility of a whole city, she had quietened down. In private, she could allow herself to be acting more spontaneously. There was no way she could do that when in duty.

She did not want to please this stranger by giving him what he wanted. She had to resist, not to get carried away. And above all, she had to keep the control of herself.

“Won’t you please shut the fuck up!”, she mocked between her teeth. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“I do know what I’m talking about. The great Rainbow Dash, undefeated for years. Legends. These are nothing but urban legends. If you’re as strong as you pretend, you don’t need any artefact to beat me. I am August Charmer and I’m ready to defy you. All your dearest friends probably are dead at this very moment, anyway.”

She knew she would not avoid this combat and that she would have to fight against him bare-hooves against sword. As soon as she had fallen, she had guessed the same trap probably would have got Applejack too, and surely even Caramel, Big Macintosh… and Soarin. However, they all had been trained and knew how to fight. It was what they were living for.

But her family… Nothing told her they were safe. If anyone would touch even the least horsehair of their heads, she would no longer be able to control what was inside of her.

Without a word because it was useless, she positioned in front of him, a flame dancing inside her magenta eyes. The fight that was about to begin was nothing fair. Too bad. If she won, she would prove her worth to this moron talking without knowing. Although she absolutely had no doubts about her worth. She was the best. Spread the word.

> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This could not be true. In reality, he was in the middle of a nightmare. This situation only happened in his darkest dreams. Until this very moment, real life had spared him. He was feeling better about it, even. Fear was still here, at the pit of his waist yet it showed more rarely.

Memories he would have rather drive back came to the surface. The wound of his wing, the deep injury on his back, the other that almost pierced his liver, and the fall… long and frightening, slow like that of a wreck sinking in the ocean.

Everything. He could have considered everything when the bunch of ponies had emerged from the shadows. But not this. His worst fears in front of him again, seeming so real. Because they were real. The pegasus facing him in the air was not an illusion, a trick played by his own mind. It was a fact.

Orange Steel. The pony who have been the cause of his departure from Cloudsdale, the one by whom disgrace had touched him.

Soarin really thought he was the kind of stallion to savor his triumph as long as he could, who showed off in town to frighten the others by boasting he had defeated the best and so was invincible.

Yet, seeing him in another city was not so surprising. His rather shallow beliefs would lead him from places to places, and where there were houses to plunder, mares to rape and stallions to humiliate, there he was.

His presence indicated he might have found in Ponyville exactly what he was looking for. Unless… No, it could not be pure accident. It even was quite clear. There was no reason for him to be the only one not to be trapped by this mysterious army from out of the blue.  
Undoubtedly, Orange Steel was a part of it, although Soarin suspected it not to be by allegiance to any kind of leader. If he were here, it was because he had something to earn from it.

“Seems like great minds think alike, Soarin…”

Skies were vast enough, after all. Nothing stopped him from skirting him in a few flaps of wings, and so to avoid any kind of confrontation with him.

Orange Steel might have read his mind, or his thoughts were too obvious.

“Oh, don’t think you’ll get away with it just by flying over me. Your wings seem to be in perfect working order again, that would be silly to lose the use of them now. What your new little sweetheart would think about that? I heard the former one did not really enjoy it.”

Soarin clenched his teeth. As if it was necessary to remind him that his ex-marefriend had given up on him after his latest defeat, as if he was some good-to-nothing pony. Everything had been falling apart in his life already.

It was up until not so long ago, when he first had arrived in this city. He had made the acquaintance of amazing ponies who had immediately trusted him despite his mediocre debuts. Except Caramel, he had not known them for very long yet they already had taken a great room in his existence.

Fine. Since that was the game he wanted to play, he would not be disappointed. Ignoring fear that kept on whispering in his ears that he would fail, Soarin summoned the courage to rush forward the other pegasus with his head low before he swirled in the air in order to throw his hind hooves right into his opponent’s muzzle.

Way too confident, Orange Steel had not expected this frontal attack. He had to admit it. A trickle of blood flown around him and stained his white cloak which was floating in the wind among the flakes.

But Soarin had no time to savor his victory on the one who was at the root of many of his nightmares. Before he even could turn around, he also received a hoof blow, this time in the middle of his stomach, which made him lose his balance.

He almost fell on one of the houses’ straw roofs of the North Gates area he was at, but he pulled himself together right on time. Despite the pain coiling his ribs, he came back to Orange Steel with a determined face.

“Attacks by surprise are so vulgar,” Orange Steel said with irony. “Aren’t you worth more?”

“Come on… I’ll show you.”

“You won’t show me anything. Because in reality, you’re… dead scared.”

No, he was not. He had learned to draw from his fright to be stronger. Times had changed, he was no longer a First Class Lieutenant in Clousdale. He had what it took to beat this stallion, might he be cruel and fierce as hell.

So, why was he unable to do anything against the new hoof blow that slapped his right cheek? His head turned on the side as if he were some ragdoll, and he felt blood spurting from his muzzle, getting lost into the air. Once again, he almost lost his balance for a few seconds before he had a hold of himself.

There it was again. His hooves shaking, his wings hardly letting him be straight in the air. The white sensation of death approaching. A deep and insidious dread. A terrible dread.

He was right. In the hearts of heart, he still was the frightened stallion he had been since his latest defeat against Orange Steel. After he had fell with such a slowness toward the craggy slopes of the Great Guts’ Region. Ready to feel his skull being smashed against the rocks.

Came on top of his eyes the vision of Rainbow Dash with this smile she did not control and only gave to him once the pressure of the watch was over, when she no longer wore her mask of the ruthless warrior.

He had a mission. And although he could almost bet she would probably get by pretty fine on her own, Soarin thought he had no right to leave her to her fate. Because she was the Head of the Militia which he was a part of. Because she had given him a chance. Because there were moments when she smiled at him this way.

He shook his head, as if to get rid of his lingering fears, and once again displayed the determined eyes of the stallion who was ready to fight, no matter the consequences.

Obviously, it was a great laughing matter for Orange Steel who did not try to conceal his scorn towards him.

“Oh, do you really think you’re within my league? Sorry, chicken, but you’re wrong.”

“If you’re so sure of yourself, come over here. I’ll show you that you’re the one who’s wrong.”

They both rushed forward at the same time, each sure to be the winning one. Victory would be to the first one to attack the other. Soarin stretched his hind hooves… And saw with stupefaction Orange Steel flying over his head to grab one of his forelegs between his muscles.  The painful shriek out of him was almost impossible to control. It was… the kind of attacks Rainbow Dash liked to plan. Exactly what she had done to that purple unicorn, Twilight "something".

“That’s still too rash, Soarin. Your precious Head sweetie hadn’t taught you anything?”

In fact, it was the opposite. He had been the one who had not listened. Strategy and reflection. Once again, he had got carried away by his emotions and now he was trapped. If he was not able to absorb the lessons, maybe that meant he did not deserve to be a part of this Council, of this Militia.

“You know what?” Orange Steel asked him. “I don’t give a shit about Prince Thingummy being upset. I’ve already humiliated you once, I don’t know what’s the point about doing this again with no pony to witness. Train more and once you’ll really be on top of your game… I’ll beat you anyway.”

He let him go, not without kicking him one last time in his left flank, right where he had his Cutie Mark. Hitting a Cutie Mark, the most sensible spot of a pony, it always was effective. Saorin had to bite the inside of his cheek not to shriek from pain once again.

The other pegasus already had disappeared when he collected his wits, letting a strange smell of iron behind him. The flakes which had ceased for a couple of minutes started to fall even more. Suddenly, something came to his mind…

No ponies from the weather patrol had forecasted any snowfalls.

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Applejack looked behind her shoulders. They both had completely cleared the snow on a few edges around. Here and there, what was left of powder snow was colored with patches of red. Her hooves were grazed from hitting so much, and she started to have cramps by dint of charging with her hind legs.

Her cloak was holed where Rarity had touched her. Luckily, the damages had only been partial and clothing-related. Not say the same thing for the white unicorn…

She was lying closely, her fur almost impossible to part from the snow. Her beautiful coat was in shreds and pieces of velvet were spread all around. For sure, this simple fact was what made her go into rage more than the enormous thrashing Applejack had inflected her. If only she was conscious enough to realize it.

The earth mare stepped closer with cautious. Just by observing how her flank rose and fell, jerky, she guessed she was not feeling fine. Her beautiful glossy coat was almost grey now, sprinkled with crimson stains.

Her surprise was huge when she saw Rarity standing back on her hooves again, shaking and disheveled yet still determined. She looked inexhaustible. And it was not from lack of trying. She undoubtedly could wonderfully manipulate her blades, only this was not enough to get rid of Applejack whom strength had nothing to prove.

A brand new gear of razorblades appeared on her mane. How many she was able to conceal under the horsehair was a mystery but it looked like the resources were bottomless, even though this magic’s bearer seemed to be at her last hooves.

“What’s the point wit’ insistin’, sugar cube? Yar lil’ knives ain’t very effective.”

“Shut up. Shut up and come closer… I am going to cut you to shreds.”

Applejack sighed, and as soon as the gem-shaped blades went in her direction, she returned them to sender with just one kick. Some of them scraped Rarity’s cheek but she avoided the others, not without spraining her ankle by the way.

It did not matter. As long as she could breathe, she would keep on fighting. She was willing to do anything for him, even to tolerate coming back in such a deplorable state – dirty, disheveled, bloody, beaten. So he would see how devoted she was even though he could not show her his own devotion in front of the others.

She took a blade between her teeth and, as a personal revenge, hurt her rival on the same cheek as she. A tickle of blood appeared on the orange coat. The backlash was not long in coming. This time, Applejack charged with her head, like some rodeo bull. Rarity lost her balance and fell against the ground.

Nevertheless, she stood back up again. Her whole muzzle was now covered with blood, and Applejack was surprised to see her spitting a few scarlet drops. After what she had been through, one more uncouthness was not going to make a difference.

It was almost pathetic to see her insisting so much. It looked as if she wanted to have her name dragged through the mud, or to get humiliated. Maybe it was in order to be treated like a martyr. No pony could deny she was done in. She barely could stand on all fours, her breathe as uneven as ever. All that seemed to resist were those goddamn blades.

If it might be so, she was about to get the beating she was begging for. Applejack scratched the ground at her hooves and rushed forward as soon as the unicorn did so. The latter took off the ground and threw several blades at the same time. Though she hardly had controlled her landing, Rarity noticed with pleasure that this time her opponent had more troubles to get rid of the knives attacking her flesh.

All was not lost. No. whatever it was, nothing was lost. She ran toward the orange mare again. She saw her preparing herself and throwing her hind legs against her stomach with all her might, her hooves getting in touch with the soft flesh of her belly.

When she spat another tickle of blood, Rarity understood she had pushed herself too far. Sounds and sensations around her vanished away. A hot flash followed by a frozen thrill went through her and when her rear touched the ground, scratching her back on the way, her hooves fell back gently.

Unconsciousness had just hit her, and with it… Her dazzling victory. All always obvious, no matter the end of the fight. Her gift maybe was to create beautiful things yet she had a few useful notions of magic.

Applejack understood it too as soon as Rarity’s back fell on the hard cold ground. All the blades she still concealed within her mane immediately flown out at the same time directly towards her. She tried to get rid of them with her hooves, but she had also pushed herself a little too far tonight and so was unable to avoid them all. There were too many blades. Far too many.

She understood too late why her rival was sure to win no matter what. It did not matter that she had her completely worn out. Conversely, it had been what she had been looking for since the beginning.

As best as she could, she tried to protect her face from the blades converging towards her at the same time yet she could not stop them from touching her anywhere else.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enough was enough. What was she playing? At the premise of their fight, August Charmer had thought she was putting a lot into it and gave everything she had… But in reality, all she had managed to do until now was to prove him that she could anticipate his actions.

Alright, she had no weapon and it was not really fair. However, her legend was fearsome and in his opinion, there was no doubt that if she were that talented, the lack of a sword was not a problem at all. She knew how to use her hooves and head; of this he was sure.

Nothing got him enraged like a fighter not pulling his whole soul into it. What was she afraid of? He was tough, he had been through many trials. She was rather slender and although she had been highly trained by the best Fighting Master of all Equestria, August Charmer was convinced he could knock her out easily.

For this, all it would take was for her to fight for good. What she was doing now was no warrior art. It was acrobatics, no more no less. But he was not a clown and this arena was not a circus.

All his strikes were like flogging a dead horse – literally. It really was enough. His sword firmly clenched between his teeth, he launched an attack she would not be able to avoid this time. Yet, she evaded his pitfall with flaps of her wings and his blade planted itself into one of the bare brick walls, mixing a few pinky fragments to the snow falling from outside.

The fact she did not even try to respond was the most irritating of all. She undoubtedly wanted to wear him out in order to get the upper hand despite her wound. He thought he should have aimed for her Cutie Mark, or her wings. August Charmer regretted he had been so lenient. Now she was messing him around in that puppet theater.

He refused to be her puppet. If that was how it worked, he would try her patience. He would make sure she would not be able to take it anymore. All he had to do was to lead her somewhere she could not escape while provoking her.

“Is that all you got? I’m not here to see a ballet dance show. Fight!”

There was something determined in the pegasus mare’s eyes. Some kind of dancing flame. And yet, when he rushed toward her briskly, once again, she found a subterfuge so she would avoid him without hurting herself nor hurting him neither.

It displayed a whole set of abilities, he had to admit it. Earlier, he had really meant it when he had told her she was not as powerful as it was said. He was not that sure of himself now. It was the reason why her refusal to fight upset him so much.

“You’re so pathetic that all you can do is flap those wings? How did they call you at the Academy of the Cavalry, already? Rainbow Mash?”

He could see. He could see the rage she kept inside, growing at each insult, that she tried to swallow up, as if wanting to bury it under layers of snow in the hope it would disappear. This was not the way it was supposed to be. A mission had been given to him – to gauge their enemy. Though he could not deny she was agile and swift, he was not satisfied.

What he wanted was her to show him her true colors, to defend her dear city, period. After all, this was what the Head of the Militia was supposed to do.

By chance, his failed attempt led them right where he wanted to. Behind her, at the back, there was a wall and between the wall and her, a hole as deep as a tomb. If she slipped and fell, he knew her wings would be damaged.

She felt her hooves slipping against the dusty floor. When she looked behind her shoulders, Rainbow Dash understood the trap which she had fallen in. He just could not get it… she was doing it for his own sake. And for her sake as well. She did not want to let what was boiling inside her win.

Too bad. If she could not avoid him, at least she would be able to avoid the blade of his sword, despite its oversized length. In fact, it was an amusing choice of weapon. Did he want to compensate a little size problem? This thought made a half-smile stand out on her face, and August Charmer mistook it with her usual arrogance.

“Finally, you wake up…”

He placed his sword firmly between his teeth again, and charged forward.

Even though she was fast, trapped as she was, she would need a lot of exactness not to be touched by his blade. Flying too close to the sun was always dangerous.

Rainbow Dash knew she could not step backwards, and that there was a risk she would bump into the wall if she tried to fly yet she went the whole log. A few rocks fell inside the hole under her hooves when she took off… Unfortunately, the blade was too long and made her lose her balance by touching her thigh.

She saw the hole coming closer… She knew what would happen if she tumbled. The best she could, she caught a hold on the floor right on time, yet a part of her body was hanging in the emptiness. All it would take to August Charmer to make her fall was to stamp on her hooves. So she clung to the floor as much as she could.

As foreseen, he tried to destabilize her, using his sword to harm her hooves. He touched the floor one first time. Suspended inside the hole, Rainbow Dash shook her lower body despite her former injury which still hurt and her new one at the thigh which bled abundantly.

The tip of the blade touched one of her hooves. Yet she did not shriek. She increased her push by using her wings and was able to get out of the ambush which she almost had fallen into.

August Charmer was feeling triumphant. If she did not attack with it, he did not know what was wrong.

She was at his forelegs, hardly breathing again. He crushed one of his hooves against her rib cage, some vicious gleam in his eyes. It was the one too many action. Something went back to the surface, something against which she had to fight with all her might. An anger bigger than anything else, the kind to wreak havoc across everything on the way.

Rainbow Dash stood back on her hooves, psyched up by a new energy. An energy taking over anything else and erasing even the worst injuries. He did not know what he had just launched.

> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty against two was not really what could be called a fair battle. From time to time, he had to admit he had regretted sending Soarin to provide assistance to the two mares. Their call of duty had dictated them this resort, even so having a call of duty sometimes demanded to take decisions which escaped a certain military logic.

One of the trick that had helped Caramel to keep going was to think about Applejack. Each time one of the stallions came nearer, all it took was for him to think that one of them wanted to lash out at his precious marefriend and he felt exhilarated. His blows never had been so precise, so much filled with aggressiveness.

He had been mocked for his height. He had been called a fool too many times. Maybe they thought they were best just because they were a larger herd and they were taller than him. As if he had been chosen to be a part of this Council out of sympathy or benevolence. That was not how things were working.

He had passed his Warrior Test like the others. He had trained hard, even harder than all those who were with him. Master Crimson Moon had beaten him, forced him to skip meals… He had deserved his appointment. And he would show them.

The fever of the struggle had been so gut-wrenching, between his need to prove his worth and his fear of what could happen to Applejack if he did not manage well, Caramel had ended up forgetting all the rest around him. All that mattered was the kicks and the strikes he gave, the fighters falling at his hooves. Was not his real nickname Thick Bare-Hooves?

Their wrongs had been to nitpick him on his own field, his area of expertise. It had not been very clever. They probably had not made serious inquiries before, thinking they were nothing but pawns. They had been attacked in order to stop them from helping the two most important mares of the organization.

This was what was happening when the neighbor’s game was underestimated. Bluff was not always the right strategy to win.

With only one kick, he got rid of his last opponent. The latter crashed against his fellows without even a shriek. Too easy. He resisted the urge to go to him and to ask him who he was thinking was a fool now, aware of how childish this would be.

He looked all around in order to see how was doing Big Macintosh. There were no doubts the tall stallion would have taught them right. Generally, those in front of him were not overconfident. In fact, it was rather amusing when aware that in everyday life, he was shy and obliging.

Well, alright… He was successful with mares and had an amazing little black book for a stallion so reserved. In reality, he had not much to do for that. They all willingly throw themselves at his hooves.

Caramel’s surprise was big when he did not see Big Macintosh busy fighting. If he had not helped him, he had thought that was because he had too many things to do. He really did not think he would find him lying in the snow with bruises and wounds.

In a few gallops, he met his friend who was barely standing back up. The convenient side of his red coat was that scrapes were easier to conceal. Applejack would probably freak out if she saw him in such a state.

He asked him if he was okay while hating himself for stating a fact once again. He could not be okay in these conditions. It stuck out a mile. Yet, scarcely irksome, he said his usual “eeyup” before looking all around him.

All. They all had them to the last one. It had not been easy and Big Macintosh had received as much as he had given yet they overcame them, despite it all. They probably were not the most trained of all warriors, however one of them had been smart enough to launch the attack that had got the best of him. After that, it had been a walk in the park to beat the hell out of the tall stallion.

“You did very well.”

“Didn’t I?” Caramel answered with a blink before changing his mind. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to be a smartass. Well, I don’t know what’s on your mind but now we’re rid of them, I thought that would be a good idea to check up on Applejack and Rainbow Dash.”

Of course Big Macintosh had been thinking about them. He felt really bad to have let his little sister go on her own while everything might have told him this was a trap. It was the same thing with Rainbow Dash… Without their silly decision, she would never had gone to find Applejack. The ambush would have probably happened anyway. But it would have been different. They would have gone through it together.

Nevertheless, during his fight, another mare had often come to his mind. She was all alone all the time. Yes, it was her job. All the same, nothing indicated that if a trap had been planned for them all, she had escaped it. He did not know whether the others cared about this or not. What was sure was that he had decided to care.

“Go and find Applejack. Soarin’s probably with Rainbow Dash.”

Break. Although resigned, he still had troubles dealing with the piece of information.

“I’m goin’ to check on Pinkie Pie.”

Caramel rose a surprised eyebrow. Since when Big Macintosh worried about Pinkie Pie’s well-being? Not that he never showed any interest in her. They were getting on fine. But never before had he felt the need to know how her watch was going. Maybe something had happened between them.

No, it was impossible. Not Pinkie Pie. She was not like those mares that were head over hooves for him, most of the time she did not care about the stallions around her, choosing cakes over male sex. And she already had a very special somepony, if he was not mistaking. Some kind of itinerant entertainer…

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Something had happened, it was certain. As if after adding a missing piece in a mechanism, it set off again fast-track. This was unnatural. Ponies, after losing so much blood, wore themselves out and finally collapsed. The wounds he had inflicted her would have weaken anyone.

In how she reacted, there was not a lot that seemed to have changed. Again and again, she kept on avoiding him. The difference was that now August Charmer no longer felt the need to provoke her. The feeling he had was that he had to harm her with his sword, to harm her at any cost.

The more he dealt energy in a blow, the more the way she avoided him showed nonchalance and agility. Her eyes, yet, were transformed into something mysterious that sent chills down his spine. Her expression was different, he was sure. The room was too dimmed to make him see it completely what the variance was. Maybe it came from their color…

Yes, the color of her irises had changed but not only. Wide and expressive in general, they were now narrow and almost red. Their pupils were dilated and it was impossible to understand what she might be thinking. If she was only thinking about anything… Yes, that was it. They now felt empty, like those of a corpse. As if lifeless.

It was no longer Rainbow Dash avoiding him. It was him avoiding death herself each time the mare eluded one of his blows.

August Charmer shook his head, charging again his huge sword. This kind of things never happened in real life. They were nothing but old pony tales to scare the foals. He probably started to get tired or his mind invented for him excuses to this battle that never really been one.

He had imagined that would be a walk in the park as soon as she fell under the shock of his arrow. The Great Rainbow Dash… Not so great if she was able to fall in a trap so stupid, and not to sense such a thing coming. Not so great too if it took her so long to stand back up, to decide to attack. Same thing when he had seen her trying not to fight, doing her best to avoid the confrontation. This arrogant Orange Steel was right. Mares were not meant to occupy higher positions. They were best to care after the foals and to sing lovely songs in lovely parlors.

Now he regretted he had such thoughts. She had showed some abilities. She demonstrated a flawless ardor to resist, again and again. In order to wore him out, to try his patience. To attack without hitting was wearier than to harm the target. His breathe, the way he moved… Everything felt heavier.

He had thought he was leading yet in reality she was the one driving him up the wall.

For all that, he would not allow himself to become overwhelmed. All he needed was one strike, only one, at the right spot inside her stomach or her chest, and he could win. It was no longer the right time for reflections, bravados or even stratagems. To find the right angle of attack was the only thing in his mind now.

Here she was in front of him, sweating streams. With this devilish expression he could not help but staring at, although he did not want to believe in what he was seeing. He wanted to rely on the element of surprise. When she would expect him not to attack, he would.

Easier said than done. How could he know whether she was expecting it or not? No emotion was decipherable in those eyes like the heart of a wild fire.

To stop thinking and to strike. To keep his own promise. Not to keep on searching for how’s and why’s. She would not avoid him endlessly, there was going to be one moment when one of them would be giving in.

So, he charged his blade again. This time, his aim was her heart. Too bad if his orders were not to kill her. All that August Charmer was thinking about now was to get over with it once and for all. To get out of the Blaze in which he was and to stop his torment.

Once again, Rainbow Dash avoided him. But her sidestep was not like the others. Instead of simply taking off the floor, he saw her catching the blade of his sword between her teeth and pull it towards herself.

Thus defenseless, he suddenly understood when he witnessed her getting back the weapon with one strike of her hooves so that the shaft would jump into her mouth. This was what she was looking for from the start – the strike that would allow her to reverse the trend. This time, he was the pony without a sword and she was the one with a sword in her possession. The longest sword ever forged.

He stepped back, unable to use his own wings, like paralyzed. His own sword penetrated his flesh, planted between his ribs, and the strike sent him against a brick wall. When she removed the blade, a spurt of ruddy blood discharged on the floor, sketching a macabre and irregular line.

His white cloak, now soiled, fell off his body and when August Charmer opened his eyes again, he saw Rainbow Dash flying above him, staring at him with her frightening dead-still eyes.

She had let the sword fall on the floor, at a few inch away from him. All it would take was for him to stretch his hooves and he would get it again. As soon as he tried that, pain showed itself stronger, boiling hot, and he had to beat a retreat. One of his organs probably had been harmed, which one he did not know.

The mare’s mouth wrung into a nervous fixed grin, like a crooked smile. A sound pierced through her nostrils and she burst out laughing. Not a happy laugh, those appearing when a friend said a good joke. Neither one of these grotesque laughs from villains. No, a sinister laugh. Powerful, it echoed against the walls of the abandoned house and sent more chills down his spine.

“Who—Who are you?” he whispered with a quaking voice.

The result of his question was to increase the loudness of her laugh. Then, at a stunning speed, she took back the sword on the floor and hit him again and again, everywhere she had the chance to strike. Unable to stop.

Before everything became fogyish, however, August Charmer managed to have a glimpse at the wounds he had inflected to Rainbow Dash. The blood he had shed had ran dry and did no longer had its usual shade of red. It was now darker than the sky outside, darker than ink or ebony.

> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Only two more left, the hardest to reach. To catch the little blade planted inside her hind leg, right next to her hoof, Applejack had to fold up more than ever, and it intensified the pain of her other injuries. She did not really have the choice if she wanted to get rid of it.

She spat the projectile which joined the other ones scattered all around her, then tried to snatch the last one. Although the blades were small they had harmed her at many spots all bleeding with a flow more or less abundant. Visibly, none had touched arteries but rather veins… The spell chosen by Rarity yet did not seem to be the kind to preselect which part of the body should get hurt.

It was not really a stroke of luck. It was simply that Applejack had the reflex to protect herself and once she had been knocked on the ground, some of the blades had been driven into other targets – not alive targets.

It was impossible for her not to display a grimace of pain when she finally got rid of the last blade. Her whole body hurt her atrociously and was shaken by spasms she could not control. She was feeling as if she was nothing but an enormous throbbing heart. It was not that she did not want to stay lying here waiting for emergency services to come and take her.

A nearby moan made Applejack understand that her rival was emerging from her unconsciousness. She saw Rarity opening her eyes and feeling strong enough to display a mocking grin.

This whole thing of bewitched blades was very clever. Raw duplicity, typical of the unicorns of her rank who, up from their society elite’s pedestal, made fun of earth ponies and of their physical strength, judged as boorish and useless.

There was no way she would let her prevail over her. It had to be the unicorn who would stay lying on the ground. In order to exchange the roles, for a change. To show them that physical strength, far from being disgraceful, was the missing virtue of those arrogant ponies.

Not without difficulty, she stood back up, and ignoring her shaking legs, limped slightly on the snow seeking something… In the middle of dried blood stains, of pieces of material – wool, cotton and velvet mixed up – a round and brown shape stood out, somehow a bit covered by snow. Applejack blew on it, then dusted the rest with her hooves, before putting her hat back on her head. The inside was wet and sent chills that went through her whole body.

But at least, she had the sensation to be herself again this way.

Rarity had not miss a part of the show. What a sense of… graceless dramatization. It was ridiculous, even. Like straight out of a bad adventure novel. From her place, still too weak to move, she talked to the mare:

“Pshh! It is not worth acting like the “great righter of wrong”. You have no pony to impress since I am your only audience. And frankly, dear… Ugh, not thanks.”

“Well, at least Ah still am able to walk”, Applejack said with a wink.

“Oh yes, you are. You would make a splash in Manehattan with your cripple’s strut.”

Equality. She maybe was just a unicorn practicing fighting as an amateur, launched at the heart of the action for a stallion whom she believed in, yet there was something Rarity considered not to be – the kind to move aside when attacked, even verbally, and to withdraw within herself.

The exact opposite of the True King’s Suitor, in fact.

“D’ya really think yar smarter than anypony else?”

“You’re wrong. I only think I do am smarter than you. Haven’t you realized yet? All your friends probably are dead right now.”

It probably was not true. The orders never had been to kill any of them. Each Servant sent on a mission tonight had as their imperative to harm the more ponies they could and to gather information about their fighting skills. Of course, if two or three of them met their death by the way, this was not considered a major issue yet for now, the True King Prince Blueblood wanted to know who he would have to deal with, and to give The Militia another warning. No pony would be spared. What he prepared was an opened war. Today Ponyville, tomorrow Canterlot. And last but not least, all of Equestria.

But this, Rarity considered that Applejack did not need to know. It was a lot more enjoyable to let her think that, maybe, she was the last survivor of her Council. So her half-victory would not seem too delightful.

For a couple of seconds, her back turned on her, Applejack remained silent. She looked like thinking hard. Or maybe trying to hide tears.

“Imma tell ya somethin”, she started. “Would be best fer ya tis wrong. Otherwise, Ah promise… I’ll get ya fer dat. Ya, yar crappy King and all his minions. I’ll fight til I’ll die but I’ll get ya all to the very last.”

The bound connecting the Members of the Head’s Council was more than plain camaraderie. To accept to get into this Council was to make the oath to protect the city but also to be there for one another. And said members were not any pony. She had grown up with most of them. She knew them by heart. They each had a strong meaning for her. Even Soarin, who had not been there for a very long time. Thanks to him, Rainbow Dash would have a chance to be happy again…

Rarity sighed from weariness, rolling her eyes. It was not even funny. She was lying on the ground without the strength to stand back up and had to listen to the typical Militia’s pony’s speech. Revenge at any cost. Their damn Sacred Law she judged was absurd, daunting.

“You know what? Go away. You make me sick and it could ruin my coat even more.”

“Well, talkin’ of which…”

Applejack stepped to the lying unicorn and bent over in order to get back the velvet clothing still hanging at her shoulders. The mare’s own cloak was in shreds from her opponent’s blades and the weather was cold. She would not take the risk to suffer from hypothermia with all the rest. This night had already ruined too many things…

“What are you doing? How dare you robbing me? You are going to spoil my gorgeous piece of work with your stained coat. And so what? Are you going to let me dying from cold with nothing on my back?”

“Yar not goin’ to die from cold, ya still had clothes under the coat. But Ah have nothing on my back. Oh and don’t ya think Ah will let you shoot me in da back.”

“I no longer have blades, anyway…”

Which seemed to mean that she would not have hesitate if she had the opportunity.

However, it was rather strange… Far from holding her dear to her heart, Applejack could neither say she hated her. Rarity had proved to be some stimulating opponent. Not really because of the challenge she represented, which was not very high, but especially for her verbal jousting and her personality that was her complete opposite and so had been refreshing.

Nevertheless, her perception about her did not matter. She was a part of the other faction, the enemies. In fact, during their fight, she had said a lot about their new rival’s plans. Maybe that was intentional, in order to let The Militia know who it would have to deal with. But intentional or not, the facts were here. If she was to be on her way again, Applejack would not hesitate to beat her again, with all her strength and all her might. Personal emotions never existed on the battlefield.

She got away after she made sure that, indeed, Rarity would not try to shoot her in the back, trotting, in no hurry. She had to show the enemy a resolute self-confidence, an almost indestructible strength. The illusion needed to be perfect.

Once far enough, Applejack stopped at the turning point of a small and dark street alley, and she sighed deeply. The truth was that she had lost too much blood. She had stand strong until the very last moment, not to give Rarity satisfaction yet she needed to face the facts. It was impossible for her to even take one more step.

She leaned against a wall, trying to struggle by clenching her teeth. In vain. One second latter, her body fell back on the soft snow, emptied from energy.

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Soarin had flown above the Great Weaver. He had examined the Red Lights, the North Gates, the South Gates. Nowhere had he seen a sign of Rainbow Dash. He had no more luck with Applejack. On the other hand, he had heard various messages sent by Spotters or other Members of the Militia. According to those messages, the city had been particularly restless tonight. And the night was not over yet.

All that was left to inspect was downtown Ponyville – the area known as the White. From what he understood, it was called this way because it was the heart of the city and a heart had to be pure, immaculate. Yet, parted in two by the Briddleless River, poorly lit, it was undoubtedly one of the most depraved neighborhood, right after the Red Lights – where were gathered hostess cabarets, saloons and grinding brothel shacks.

In theory, there was no trace of any of the two mares on the left bank. It could not be. They could not have vanished into thin air. Unless some pony had caught them… But the question to that possibility was “why?”. What was the point about fillynapping them? It would bring no guarantee of winning the fight, the opposite even. All the Members of the Militia, the backup one with them, if not a few important ponies from Canterlot, would try to go and find them. Furthermore, they both would not be very cooperative.

No, they surely were here, somewhere. He had to take a better look, to pay more attention. Their figures would appear on the right bank, of this he wanted to be sure.

During daytime, this part of the city was very lively. A huge market took place every morning on the main square, on weekends entertainers came to distract the inhabitants and there were many activities for the youngest. Prices of cafes and boutiques were affordable. What a shame there were so many thefts at “days”, and so many other crimes at nights.

Soarin wondered whether he had to call the alarm if he ever perceived something dangerous. It was the Spotters’ field, in principle, yet to witness something horrible and not to take action somehow was hard to envisage for him.

The fact that he had seen nothing special yet did not comfort him. At each street corner, he was expecting to see a rainbow mane and a cyan coat standing out in the dark. The more he flew without seeing anything, the more intense the fright clasping his stomach became. If it kept on going this way, his heart would not take this anymore.

A detail finally caught his attention, while he was flying above an apparently uninhabited house. There was a hole in the roof made of tiles, a hole which could only have been caused by a fall. It was rare in Ponyville to transport heavy items by sky. Since the area was very frequented, this common practice of other cities was here regarded as highly dangerous.

Cautiously, he descended in order to observe the hole closely. That was how he noticed the sword in its sheath, in all likelihood snatched away from the rest of its belt, still unstable on the roof. As if possessed by some levitation spell.

Soarin had no problem recognizing Rainbow Dash’s sword. It was easy. Her initials were engraved on the black shaft, and the guard was encrusted with tiny diamonds with the same colors as her Cutie Mark. She was here.

It was not sure that slipping himself inside the hole she had caused was a good idea. Nothing told him he was thin enough and the whole building looked not so resistant.

All along his short flight to the closest window a little lower, the stallion pegasus felt his stomach wringing from the inside, and his heart rate going even faster. Yes, Rainbow Dash was here yet nothing indicated him in which state she was. The place seemed to be silent.

He slipped his head through the rectangle devoid of frame and glass, timid, and took a look inside. His heart skipped a beat. There was a pair of boots torn to shreds right where the hole had been made. And blood. There was blood everywhere. On the floor, on the walls. Rainbow Dash was turned away from him, huddled up, such as a cyan ball of wool. Not far, a huge and crimson sword lied in the middle of dust and snowflakes. Against the bare wall, there was the apparently dead body of a pony. It was difficult to discern in which state he was. He looked like one of those shambolic paintings Soarin had seen in a Canterlot museum when he was a colt.

Wisely, he took a step and sat at a few inches of the pair of boots. Now he could clearly see Rainbow Dash’s back, slowly rising and falling. Her cloak also was torn into shreds and let her wounds show, some kind of reddish heap gleaming under the weak light from the moon.

The other pony, on the other hand, demonstrated no sign of life. Squinting, his vague shape was easier to comprehend. He might be lying on his side. His muzzle was bloody, large skinned cuts made his slimy and crushed flesh visible. The hemoglobin that had dropped from them was drawing some kind of disgusting patchwork, connecting the wounds together. And his wings… The right one half hung on his back, suspended by a few fleshy filaments.

If he was still alive, that would not be for a long time. And to be honest, if a miracle allowed him to get, he probably would be a vegetable until the end of his life. It was better for him to be dead… For all that, Soarin did not feel sorry for him. Whatever had happened, he surely had deserved it.

“Rainbow Dash?”, he asked softly, taking a step forward.

“Don’t come closer.”

Her voice was quavering. She did not sound like herself.

“But…”

“Don’t come closer. You never know. If what’s inside of me is still here, I might hurt you.”

What was inside of her… Soarin frowned. Such as the situation was for him, she had been trapped, she had to fight, had been harmed and had to respond, admittedly with a lot of violence yet he could not perceive why this fight was any different from other fights.

Obviously, there was an important missing piece in the puzzle.

“I’m sorry, Soarin. I’m sorry I haven’t told you everything. I thought I was able to control it but now I see that I’m not.”

“But… What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Rainbow Dash tried to stand back up. The energy which had taken over her when she had stopped to keep control of herself had some vicious effects – as soon as it had vanished away, her whole body had seemed to her like made of bubblegum.

Her new attempt was as unsuccessful as the other ones. Moreover, she could feel her wounds again, and they burned and throbbed.

It was useless. She collapsed forward and she had to shield her chin with one of her hooves in order to avoid it to bump into the floor. A spasm came through her and then her whole body started to quiver, from her back to her throat.

She did not like to cry, especially in front of the others. She had the feeling it was like trying to get forced sympathy. When she cried, it was in the secret of her room, hidden under her sheets. The only thing helping her right now was that she was turned away from Soarin and he could not see her face.

Pathetic. That was what she thought about herself. Pathetic for wallowing in self-pity, shedding tears just because she had been overwhelmed and had discharged all her rage inside of her into a felon, into some undesirable pony. As if all those she had willingly crushed and harm until now had had been entitled to get her compassion…

In fact, she was crying as a manifestation of pure self-centeredness. Poor little Rainbow Dash not in terms with her flaws. Pathetic. From start to finish.

She wished she had not given in, but swallowed it all. She wished she had filled her chest and retained her dignity, even through the horror. Yet, it was no use. Her rolling tears did not seem ready to stop and her torrent of words became as uncontrollable as the rage she had felt earlier when she had butchered August Charmer.

“I’ve tried so hard to avoid it. But here he was provoking me, telling me all these things that made me mad. I swear, I couldn’t take it anymore… So I let it come up. The Black Blood.”

Soarin widened his eyes. No pony had told him anything about it, not even Caramel.

The Black Blood, the disease affecting the pegasus race. They were the only ones who could be infected. It was not really common, however, the poison had the characteristic to be hereditary.

He had never met any Black Blood carriers until then but he knew enough about it. It could not be cured, only dominated. When a contaminated pony could not overpower it, the least outburst of anger was likely to trigger it. And who had the misfortune to trigger it, then…

Then this pony would end up like the pegasus whom Soarin did not know. Dreadfully mutilated, disfigured for life, at the best. Dead, at the worst.

“Until now I’ve always managed to suppress it, to push it down my throat. I thought I was able to harness it… I was wrong. I can’t do it; I just can’t do it. I hate that and I hate myself because here I am whining because I’m not able to do one thing and I’m so selfish, thinking only about my little narcissist pony pain… And damn, why can’t I shut the fuck up?!”

This last reply made Soarin understand what it was all about. In reality, she was at the end of her tether, completely worn out. Disappointed by herself too but ultimately, this was not the major piece of information to remember.

Obviously, the pony who had attacked her had tried to drive her into a corner, not knowing what would happen then. He probably had not been warned she was a carrier of the Black Blood… It sounded a little like some cruel joke from a tyrant.

If he remembered rightly, Orange Steel had talked about some prince… Of course! No need to rack his brains. A simple lesson of modern history was enough to understand. The Fallen Heir Apparent. It could not be somepony else.

He had earned a reputation that was confirmed, judging by what he had done – to send one of his minions knowing well the mission would fail. In Soarin’s opinion, it was the only answer and not even for a second could he imagine Prince Blueblood ignoring this detail about Rainbow Dash. How did he know, on the other hand, this was a mystery?

He knew he could not leave Rainbow Dash in such a state. It did not look like her. She was always so self-confident… Self-important, even. For a good reason, of course… Far from annoying him, this flaw was a part of what he liked about her, although it was nothing pretty or sweet or maybe because it was not pretty or sweet. He would rather hear her say she was the best, period, than seeing her hold forth about her so-called self-centeredness.

Despite new warnings from her, Soarin stepped closer slowly, very slowly. She found it difficult to quiet down her tears… He was convinced that all it took to dried them up was to help her soothing. No pony could carry such a weigh on the shoulders without a break down.

Maybe there was a part of truth in what she had said. Surely, even. But it was not important. He was not here to judge her. He was here because he had worried and he cared for her.

It was a fact, sometimes he was not very smart. He could make blunders. Yet he knew he had many things to give. He could be her shoulder to cry on, her sympathetic ear. The affection she never dared to ask because of her pride but that in reality she was dying to receive.

As soon as he was by her side, Soarin saw Rainbow Dash looking away. It was not from shame. It was because she felt so vulnerable, and this in front of somepony else. Always, she exhibited her strength with satisfaction and acted like she had no cross to bear, as if weakness had never clasped her between its claws.

He needed to split the armor, to slip under her shell of ice and fire.

If she did not want to meet his glance for now, Soarin would not force her. She could keep on staring at the floor if it helped her to feel more comfortable with his closeness.

All he did was unfolding one of his wings and to put it right above her, as if sheltering her from an imaginary rain. She thrilled, flabbergasted. It was as if she had expected something violent and had been surprised by how gentle he was behaving with her. There was some kind wavering, then the barrier broke.

Tears, once again. Quite unexpectedly, she drew herself closer to him, buried her face inside his neck and cried unceasingly, her body still quivering.

A very wise pony had told her once that tears never came from the weakest ones but from those who had been strong for too long.

Rainbow Dash remembered… Wisdom was what described Time Stellar the best. He had been the opposite of herself. Barely out of teenage years, when they had met, she still was too brash, too swaggering, too reckless, too fierce, too everything. The Academy of Cavalry had not changed her at all. Meanwhile he never had lost his temper, never had raised his voice. He knew how to be firm with the others and with his Council yet never had left the impression of being insulting. Sometimes, she had hated him. Because he had been everything she was not and she loved him.

Yes, his memory still was strong yet little by little she had learned to regard him as a beautiful story with a tragic end but which would always be a landmark in her existence. Deep inside, always, Rainbow Dash had known another stallion would show up and shake up her certitudes about life again.

However, never had she thought it could have been a pony like Soarin. Not that different of what she used to be in some kind of ways yet complete opposite of Time Stellar who himself had been Rainbow Dash’s complete opposite. A pony who was at the same time tough and scared, wise and innocent, strong and weak, thoughtful and spontaneous… Warm. Soothing.

But she was not going to tell him. Tender words still were difficult for her. Less “out of her reach” than in the past yet still a little unattainable. She would probably be able to do it with a bit of time. Like she would be able to overpower this curse, if she could only stop whining and acting “poor me”.

Actions, on the other hand, were a bit easier, especially in a case such as this one, where she was sure no pony would see it and her reputation would not get stained. It would not be August Charmer, supposing that he was still alive, who would go around and tell it to everyone. In fact, the very idea of doing what she was about to do in front of a half-corpse was rather strange. So be it. If she waited to be somewhere else, the magic of the moment would be broken and she would never dare daring again.

Although her tears kept on rolling along her cheeks, she raised both eyes and face towards Soarin who leaned over to look at her, probably expecting her to say something.

He was surprised when she put her lips against hips lips, in a long intent kiss. A little clumsy. But it was the thought that counted.

Like a fool, he kept his eyes opened all along.

Once again, Rainbow Dash looked away, her cheeks crimson of embarrassment. Not the embarrassment of the action itself. The embarrassment of such an action in front of a mutilated body. In front of what could really be a corpse.

> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day, the weather patrol had been asked to clear the sky. The warmth of spring was everywhere. The trees were blooming again; foals were playing outside without a coat or a cloak. They all knew it would be too short. It was always too short. Yet there was no pony not making the most of it.

Applejack had woken up at dawn in order to keep Rainbow Dash company. It was a great day for her, a day where she would be the center of all attentions. Anxious, her friend who usually liked the praises to her glory had hid her nerves in a rather unfamiliar way. She had remained silent.

It had to be said that, just a few days ago, she had been crying, her cries of distress tearing the quietude of the family’s apartments apart. Spitfire had been the only one able to find the good words that had convinced her.

The Sacrament Ritual was long and very codified. The Head about to be established had to have a light breakfast, where white, brown and red food was forbidden, then had to take a long bath in reindeer milk, supposed to clean the body off past sins. After this, his or her mane had to be washed with a mix of eggs, honey and mint and brushed eleven times – the eleven figure meaning the ideal strength – and finally, to be braided.

Once this first step over, the Head chosen by the former leader and approved by the Greater Council had to appear in front of her Fighting Master who gave him or her a silky black cloak and broke glasses all around the pony.

That was when the fundamental step had to be done. In the presence of all the Members of the Militia, who had to bow down as a sign of obedience, the Head climbed on a raised platform where the Greater Council’s Dean made him or her say the oath, oath which always ended the same way.

The Dean took the Head’s left hoof and with the own sword of the new leader, made some large gash right under it. A white silky piece of fabric was wrapped around the wound, and plasters as well as disinfectant were forbidden.

Applejack had stood by Rainbow Dash’s sides at each step of the Ritual. Though her friend had not said a word until they both were back home, she had seen in her eyes, many times, how much she had been glad of her support.

The next day, Rainbow Dash had chosen her Council among the First Class Lieutenants and the Members of the former Council. Applejack and Caramel, as well as Big Macintosh – yet pardoned by Princess Celestia a bit earlier – had been obvious choices. She had been hesitant about the fifth member. She needed a pony whom she could trust, somepony who would not turn his back on her under the excuse that no mare before had ever been chosen as Head of the Militia.

Open Skies willingly offered himself to be this fifth member. He had appeared in front of the Royal Tavern and Inn’s gates, and had swear to pledge allegiance to Rainbow Dash, whom he thought to be a legitimate choice since this had been Time Stellar’s decision and Time Stellar was one of his closest friends.

The first phase had been difficult. She had to fire many Members, to recruit others that often were younger and had less experience. With those departures, it had not been her ability to be a leader that had been challenged. The main reason of their leavings really was that she was not a stallion, even though Equestria was known as a predominant female population.

And, little by little, things had got back to normal. Members quickly understood that Rainbow Dash was not sensible Time Stellar. She was cruder, and tougher too. Ponyville’s Militia’s reputation had not to weaken, but conversely to stay at the same level than the royal guard, which meant the Cavalry. In fact, the almost military-like discipline Rainbow Dash imposed during training times was a direct consequence of her semester spent at the Academy.

One year later, Surprise had come to warn Applejack that a pink mare was looking for her and her brother, and wanted to contend with them. According to the Spotter’s words, she was “completely enraged”.

And the least one could say that this first meeting had been singular. Her mane flat, neurosis written in her blue eyes, the mare who had pounced on her when she had accepted the confrontation could have eaten her alive if Applejack had not resisted with so much strength.

Of course, the whole Council had shown up and the sight of Big Macintosh had only increased the opponent’s rage. She had said she was from Appleloosa and wanted to get a revenge on those who had destroyed her orphanage created by Applejack and Big Macintosh’s father, Longreen Woodrow, which the gathered children had been abandoned and had fell into delinquency and prostitution.

The story had not said how Pinkamena Diane Pie, aka Pinkie Pie, had survived alone with no family and no means. This part of her personal journey still remained a mystery even for her closest friends.

Rainbow Dash had to take action and to explain the truth. Longreen Woodrow had not selfishly given up on the orphanage management in favor of his own family. He was dead and had been even before Applejack’s birth.

Subsequently, Pinkie Pie turned back into Pinkie Pie, and the Head of the Militia had decided that with such tendencies maybe dangerous yet indeed ruthless, she was the best qualified to watch over the Royal Tavern and Inn, which was the prey of many robberies back then. In exchange, she had acquired a place as a soul little sister within the blended family.

A snow storm had burst. It stated the beginning of the Ceaseless Night for the next sixth months to come. No pony would be out with such a weather, not even the worst of louts. The Militia had to make sure that everyone was protected from the storm, that none would be exposed to gusts and collapsing risks. They had to be cautious and swift before going under a shelter as well. That was the reason why the pegasi were the only ones able to achieve such a perilous mission.

Rainbow Dash had arrived in her family’s apartments with an Open Skies at death’s door. He had been trying to help a seemingly defenseless stallion, but the latter had been fooling him. A second pony, hiding in a nearby lane, had been driving an arrow inside his Cutie Mark and the other had been taking an advantage of it to steal his sword before harming him too, this time in the chest. They both had abandoned his body in the snow.

For hours on end, all had got down to try to save him with what they had in hand. Applejack, based on her few notions of medicine due to her Master of Rituals position, had been the most committed one, assisted of Rainbow Dash.

The hemorrhage had won. A few hours later, they had to face reality. Open Skies was dead.

Once again, because she was Militia’s Master of Rituals, besides being Second-in-Command, Applejack had to take care of the Sacred Procedures, then of the Renunciation Ceremony in the Great Weaver’s official temple.

At that moment, she remembered she had prayed the Spider Gods during whole nights for the Head’s Council never to go through such a tragedy again. Time Stellar’s death had not been so long ago. Open Skies’ death had undermined the troop morale. Under no kind of pretext such a destiny had to touch them again.

Her prayers had not been granted for a long while. Double Diamond had succumbed after he had been tortured for days and nights. And now, who could say where were the others, her soul family? Maybe they all were as dead as Longreen, Time Stellar, Open Skies and Double Diamond. She would never stand it.

A sensation of scald made Applejack open her eyes. She was lying in the snow, but a red cloak was between her and the ground. A part of her body was exposed to the cold while the other was covered by the coat she had stolen to Rarity.

She looked straight in front of her. It was the back alley where she had let it go. Once again, she felt the scald at her hind hooves and could not suppress a spasm.

“Sorry, AJ”, Caramel tried to comfort her. “I do my best for it not to hurt, but I have to heal the wound.”

With difficulty, Applejack turned around. Her coltfriend had taken off his cloak and spread on the ground the contents of the first-aid kit that she permanently wore. She thought she had lost it during the fight… Caramel had probably got it back. Unless this one was not hers.

“Are… Are ya okay?”, she asked, unable to distinguish whether or not he was injured.

“I am. Big Macintosh too. You’re lucky I remembered this so-called message had asked you to come to the White.”

Each time he was done putting disinfectant on a wound, Caramel covered it with a dressing. It was only a temporary solution before the medicine mares he had called would take charge of her. She had lost a lot of blood and although the wounds were not life-threatening, they were abundant.

First, he had seen the blood traces in the snow, snow which had been cleared up on inches and inches, as if some tornado had snatched it away from the ground. Scraps of fabric and the pattern of another body that might have been lying here for a long time. Undoubtedly it was the pony against whom Applejack had to fight.

Then, all he had to do was to follow the drops of hemoglobin she had scattered behind her. When he had seen her lying in the snow, with her hat at a few inches from her, Caramel had first dashed toward her to check whether or not she was alive. Reassured seeing she was still breathing, he then had to go backward to look for Applejack’s first-aid kit. It had almost entirely been covered by snow yet the contents had not been sabotaged.

Caramel had just put down the last dressing when he suddenly saw his marefriend startling, lifting up her face so she would see his eyes. Her green irises sparkled like the surface of a lake.

“Rainbow Dash… You haven’t told me how was Rainbow Dash.”

Caramel sighed, tidying the necessary he had used inside the first-aid kit.

“I don’t know how she is. She’s gone looking for you, and Big Mac and I sent Soarin to ensure her security. I haven’t heard about her or him ever since.”

A gnawing anxiety started to coil Applejack’s heart. It was wrong. She understood why Caramel had wanted to save her first. However, she was thinking her own wounds should not be an excuse to give up on those whom they did not know where they were now.

She tried to stand back up on her hooves, aware that she did not even have enough energy to support her own head for more than a few seconds.

As predicted, she was unable to stand back up. Fine. If her body was stubborn, it was going to see her true colors. Stubborn was her middle name.

Despite Caramel’s worried warnings, she tried again until a famous sound made her stop. A pony was hitting a message against a wall in a nearby house.

*Help need. STOP. Male pegasus seriously injured. STOP. Female pegasus passed out. STOP. Very urgent. STOP. *

The signal was close, very close. In fact, there were only two or three houses that separated them.

------------------------------------------------------

How good it felt to be pampered in the comfort of prohibitively expensive sheets. If that was what she got each time she fought against a competition mare, then Rarity was ready to do it all over again immediately. As long as ‘immediately’ did not stand for ‘tomorrow’. Or even for ‘next week’.

She did not know who had brought her home and honestly, it was not very important. All that mattered was that she was home. Dressed in silky pajamas. In the warm thanks to the open fire crackling at the back of the bedroom. With a hot berry tea cup within easy reach. This was more or less the equivalent of the Cloth on Equestria for the young unicorn.

Within a few hours, she would be feeling better. Still a little bashed up, but ready to get on with her existence. There were chances for the True King to send her on a mission again yet Rarity hoped he would let her breathe between two heroic attacks.

Though the Unavowed Army was blessed with more experimented fighters than herself, Prince Blueblood had chosen her to be his Main Servant. Servant, in this “organization” had nothing in common with those earth ponies bringing breakfast in her bed. It meant something close to ‘soldier’ but much more elegant. And of course, this suited best Rarity’s sophisticated nature.

As the Main Servant, she was the one setting up the sharing out of assignments. The Prince had trusted her for what were the secondary recruits, but for Rainbow Dash and her Second-in-Command, he had been the only one to choose.

They had seen what this strategy had produced. The pegasus he had chosen to confront with the Head and to give him details about how she fought was dead even before arriving to the closest free clinic. And she ended up bed-ridden, shivering with cold because she had been abandoned in the snow without her coat.

If she was so devoted to him, it was not because she had faith in his abilities to be a good king. To be honest, she could clearly understand why his parents, King Sunset Sunrise and Queen Harmony, did not chose him to be their heir. He was too much… too much. Able to demand the imprisonment of a pony whom had dirtied him with a glass of cider and at the same time to get covered with blood of another for the simple pleasure to hurt and harm.

She should have abominated him. Cruelty was no part of her genetic code or the habit to treat all the others as inferiors. Yet she could not hate him.

From the moment when the family who secretly received him – friends of her own parents who always been against the enthronement of the two sisters – had introduced her to this gorgeous stallion with an immaculate coat and cyan eyes, it had been stronger than everything, stronger than herself. An immediate passion that even years or vexations had not altered. Theoretically.

Flattered, Rarity had not hesitated at all when the Prince had summoned her and asked her to gather an army of warriors likely to follow him. It did not matter whether they were irreproachable or not, as long as they were ready to fight against the Militia.

To attack the Cavalry directly was not enough a subtle tactic. It even was suicidal. On the other hand, to lash out at the final hurdle of the royal guard, this famous Ponyville Militia, the Last Shield, was a much more intelligent way of turning the situation to advantage. All he had to do was to lean upon their stupid archaic laws. If too many Members of the Militia died and the whole Council with it, the Princesses would have no other choice than to send the Cavalry as backup since the Council was the only one able to call the reservists in case of accident, and not the sovereigns. And then, the Prince would make the most of it to get back on his throne.

It was a plan that had chance of success. For that purpose, they had to think about each attacks in a serene manner. They had not to rush. To weaken the stands effortlessly. To play with oppositions, with the fact that many were ready to change sides for a handle of bits or for the promise of a bit of power.

It was what had made the Fratricide War last so long, what had made this war to leave a strong mark on Equestria. Treason, double dealings. Bitterness. Jealousy.

What a perfect irony that the Head of the Militia precisely was the niece and the daughter of the two ponies at the heart of the said-war.

A few knocks resounded at her bedroom’s huge door, and one of the house valet appeared on her threshold.

“Miss Rarity, Prince Blueblood wants to get a private audience with you. I’ve told him you were tired, but…”

“Come on, Favor Still, he is the True King. You cannot send him away. Tell him I am expecting him.”

Suddenly refreshed, Rarity used her magic in order to open the drawer of her bedside table, pulling out a mirror to check her global state. Her mane clean again, properly silky and curled, checked. Her coat bathed, perfumed with cyclamen, checked. If there had not been these dressings and bandages, especially the one she had got under her eye because of that damn farmer mare, everything would have been perfect.

As soon as she heard the sound of his hooves in the corridor, she lied between her sheets in a dramatic pause, one hoof wisely put above her forehead.

“My King… I’m terribly sorry you would see me in such a pitiful state”, she said with a theatrical voice once he stepped into her room, unceremoniously.

Result of the process? Not a word of consideration. Not a word of regard. Nothing.

He probably had understood she was only putting on an act. Of course, her wounds had been enough to make her lose consciousness, yet with the best mare physicians and the best treatments she had the chance to have within her reach, this all would heal with much more ease than if she would have been one of those factories’ employees with threadbare cloaks.

Shivers went through her, and at the same time she thought about her gorgeous white coat that she had worn for the first time at the occasion of this dual, her who had refused to put on the cloaks given by the Prince that she thought were too basic and sloven for a unicorn of her rank.

And to think that it was that Applejack of ill omen who had it now. Even if she made it mend by her mother, who obviously was in charge of the “thing” the Militia had on their backs and called cloaks, she would never be able to restore the perfection Rarity had imagined and sewn from her white hooves.

“I came here to congratulate you.”

The compliment caught her off-guard. She had not expected that, in view of thrashing that some of them – with herself in the count – had been inflicted on the previous night.

Without further ado, she lowered her head as a sign of respect, giving up her actress from the Royal Troop manners to transform back into his devoted Main Servant.

“I do not deserve your leniency, my King.”

“Conversely. I am more than satisfied. You perfectly completed your mission. Today I know where I stand. For example, I know it takes more than a big sword to defeat the Black Blood. I know the two minions are not that bad. And I know that this uncouth Second-in-Command who had dared to bed-rid my precious Main Servant deserves a punishment equal to her sin.”

Hearing this reply, Rarity dared to look up. She realized then he was sitting right beside her on her bed, staring at her insistently. There was something in his eyes that sent new chills down her spine. Delightful new chills.

“My King”, she stammered. “I do not deserve such a respect.”

“You don’t. You deserve even more than respect… Rarity.”

It was the first time he said her name since they had met.

She saw him putting a hoof under her chin, and she froze. What was happening could not be happening. She probably was in the middle of a delirium.

Yet, when she took a quick glimpse around her, she knew it was her bedroom and nothing showed she was rambling. Spacious, with its gorgeous white canopy bed encrusted with tiny sapphires and supplied with purple mosquito nets elegantly hanging at each side of the structure. Its vintage tapestry made of silk and velvet. Its sophisticated fireplace, its gold and marble dressing table, its soft mauve carpeting, and this gigantic painting of herself wearing a ball gown for her passage at the equine adulthood.

Undoubtedly, everything was real and she was not dreaming. Her precious Sovereign’s face was only a few inches away from hers. Despite her pondering heart and the warmth invading her body, Rarity could not help but think about a little detail… a detail of importance.

“What about your Suitor, my King?”

“Come on, Rarity, my dear. She is my fiancée by duty. I have to admit she would make a perfect queen for me, but I already have made my choice when it comes to my feelings.”

For now, it was enough. There was no way she could hold back anymore the devouring passion which consume all of her thoughts. The best was to let it flood freely, such as waters of a river pouring out into the sea. She would see what would happen next. She had his heart. It was all that she ever wanted to hear him say.

Blueblood knew it. For this reason, he did not wait before taking her between his hooves with authoritativeness, putting his lips against hers, demanding even in his ardor.

Appearances had the advantage of being in his favor. As smart as she could be, Rarity still was a ‘female’ and the latter were always likely to get fooled by feelings, according to himself. She was not an exception.

He never ignored the feelings she had developed toward him. He even had let them grow, wrapping around like wild climbing roses, because it served his cause. In this way, her complete devotion was insured. And it did not matter that he had no intention of returning this devotion the way she hoped he would. What could he do about it, after all, if she was too stupid not to get tricked?

> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack tossed and turned in her bed. The pillow under her head was damp, showing that her good old method had lowered her fever. Under her left-hoof bandage, the waken pain burned and scratched. It was about time to change it.

In front of her, on the nearby pillow, Caramel was still sleeping. He had worried about her so much that he had insisted to sleep by her side, and to make sure everything was fine. In other circumstances, she would have made him understand she could take care of herself but the night had been long and she could not deny that she really wanted him to stay with her. Cuddling up to him had soothed her heart in pain and had prevented her from making nightmares like on the previous night.

Her guilt, for all that, had not left her yet. Applejack well might have reassured herself, thinking things would have happened this way anyway, nothing helped. She could not stop thinking she had something to do with Double Diamond’s death. A lot of “what if?” rushed through her mind, eroding the inside of her body like a million of sharp teeth.

She had never been in love with the white stallion, yet she had stayed for so long with him because she had felt some kind of tenderness toward him. He used to make her smile, to always try his best so she would feel good. Even if it was too much, sometimes. With him, she was so sure she would never have her heart broken. Just looking at the way he used to look at her as if she had been the most wonderful of all Equestria’s mare was a proof.

Applejack had never told him she loved him, never lied about her own feelings. He had stayed anyway because he loved her. More than everything else. And finally, she was the one who had broken his heart.

Caramel seemed to move by her side. She expected him to open his eyes and smile at her. She would snuggle against him, would close her eyelids and would try to forget all the rest. But he kept his eyes closed and only turned his head the other way.

She did not know what time it was yet knew it would be hard for her to fall asleep again now. All she would get by staying in her bed pondering would be to feel even worse – although a part of herself whispered it was what she deserved.

Softly, not to risk to disturb her coltfriend’s peaceful sleep, she slid out of the sheets and suppressed a chill. Her coal-burner might be cold… Her eyes noticed her bathrobe on the back of a chair at the other end of the room. She hesitated. Then made up her mind.

The floor made of wooden planks was freezing cold and Applejack cursed herself for refusing a carpeting when the family’s apartments had been refurbished. Carpeting were for coquettes like this Rarity. She was the daughter of an Appleloosa’s native, which was a hostile and wild land, not a lady born in silky sheets. The petty reasons that made ourselves take the wrong decisions sometimes…

She quickly crossed the room and put on the wool and cotton outfit. She always thought she was ridiculous dressed like this. However, during the Ceaseless Night, it was impossible not to wear a few clothes since even the winter coat was not enough to muffle the stinging cold.

Applejack examined her bandages. Some were drenched with red. It really was the moment to change them but she did not want to wake Caramel up. Melrose would accept to do it… For this, she had to go to the inn’s main kitchens where she probably was.

She knew she could take an advantage from it to get coal from the stocks in order to renew the warmth of her bedroom. For all that, she did not dash outside. One of the candles from her alter had flickered down.

Applejack was a pious pony, attached to the morals dictated in the Great Book of Ponies. Sometimes, her faith flickered like the candle. But it always would come back. It was a code of honor that was a part of her character, of who she was intrinsically. From her youngest age, these precepts had been a part of her daily routine. Melrose was from a religious family and Longreen himself had been a Master of Rituals.
It was her need to understand this father she only knew through stories told by her mother, Uncloudy Shelter and Firefly, that she loved deeply despite it all, she had started to follow the Silk Tutelage in order to become a Master of Rituals as well.

With her mouth, she took the candlestick of the one still burning and tilted it so the other black wick would be on fire. The old discolored picture of her father, the only one she had, appeared again. Her brother and her had inherited of their father’s freckles and green eyes, and although she looked more like Melrose, she often told her she found in her a lot of the pony she had married.

Her mother had brought up her two children and their adoptive little sister with a lot of love and a great sense of morals. Sometimes, Applejack had envied Rainbow Dash, that Uncloudy Shelter and Firefly encouraged to give her opinions firmly on many topics and who had been a bit more permissive about her hobbies. But with time, she had finally understood that this type of education had been the most suitable with her character.

The picture was stuck above the traditional altar in the honor of those gone too soon – it was surrounded by two candles, a spider trapped under a darken glass, and bits, all supposed to bring prosperity to the deceased in the afterlife.

Each time she looked at that picture, Applejack could not help but wonder what would her father have thought about her and her actions. The sensation was especially strong today. He who had fought with Uncloudy Shelter during the Fratricide War, even though he had been sent first by the Web in order to find and kill him, what would he have to say about her responsibility in Double Diamond’s death, and about this new conflict outlining which occurred nothing good?

She sighed. In reality, no one could say. Asking herself all these questions was pointless. It was as useless as keeping on moping about something that she could not change.

Knocks against her window made her startle and got her out of her thoughts. Applejack turned around to look at the bed where Caramel did not react. Reassured, she went to the window and opened it to see Rainbow Dash flying in front of her, dressed with her cloak that was ripped at some spots. She probably had not asked Melrose yet to craft a new one for her. Or maybe it was to make sure everyone would be the witness of her battle wounds? She sure was able of something like this.

“I wasn’t sure you were awake”, she said to her.

“Hush”, Applejack intimated her, showing her bed with her head.

Rainbow Dash slipped her head through the gap and smiled before she winked at her best friend. This one chose not to point the tacit bawdy innuendo, not even by rolling her eyes the way she often did.

They both had not took the plunge yet, eager to take things slowly. And… It was all very well for Rainbow Dash to be a smartass on this topic.

“Maybe ya shouldn’t be flyin’ in yar state”, she whispered to her best friend.

“What are you saying? I’m in great shape!”

“In great shape? Yar limpin’ more than mah granny.”

“Nope, that’s nothing at all. I’ll gallop like your little sister tomorrow.”

This time, Applejack rolled her eyes. It was not as if she was not used to Rainbow Dash’s arrogant side. With it, she would not be like Rainbow Dash… However, she knew her by heart. Ten percent of her boasting actually was a protective shell so the others would never see she also had doubts and weaknesses. She had been this way since her youngest age. She hated to let the others see her flaws. She had to be the best, the strongest, the fastest, so that no pony would ever try to abuse what was fragile inside herself.

“D’ya came here to play smartass or d’ya have sumethin’ to tell me?”

“I’m going to visit Knight Shelter. He promised he’d tell me about the Web because he thinks it could help me understand how the Unavowed Army is working. Do you want to come?”

When they had come together again, Applejack had told her everything Rarity had confessed during their fight. It had not really surprised neither Rainbow Dash or Soarin. None had trouble guessing the intentions hidden behind this attack against them. Prince Blueblood was not as smart as he thought if he believed none of them would understand what was his ultimate goal.

The Militia did not only protect the Head, the city, Ponyville and Equestria citizens, but also the Princesses to whom they had sworn allegiance. If their safety was threatened, although the Cavalry was here to defend them, they had to do everything they could to make sure they were safe.

The choice made by Rainbow Dash to ask questions to Knight Shelter was rather wise. The way the Web – the group of mercenaries he had chosen to defend his cause – had worked seemed really close to this of the Unavowed Army. Though there might be differences, it was a good beginning to understand before thinking about a strategy.

It was not that Applejack did not care about the topic. But… before starting a new night watch which was going to be under pressure, she wanted to take a small break, to grant herself a quiet bubble with the pony of her heart and with her family.

“No problem, AJ, I understand. I’ll keep you informed. See you!”

Immediately, Rainbow Dash rushed at full speed toward the lower balcony. Applejack shut her eyes not to see what was going to happen. The distance was too short, the pace too fast, and with her serious injuries at her flank and thigh… Unsurprisingly, she heard the sound her body made when it crushed against the concrete.

Applejack leaned over, and tried to see in which state Rainbow Dash was. She had landed flat on her back, hooves in the air… And waved at her with a stupid ‘hello’, as if everything was perfectly fine.

The mare sighed while closing her bedroom window.

Here she was, the dreaded Head of one of the most important Militia of Equestria…

Immediately, a smile appeared on Applejack’s face. Yes, here she was. This brash, always overly-confident nature. Ruthless, demanding, uncompromising. The only one able to make a Sonic Rainboom, proof of her incredible speed. Proud and stubborn, but also filled with more love than one could count despite what she let appeared, brave, strong even in the most complete adversity, empathic, loyal. Endearing, quite simply.

Her best friend. Her sister.

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More than the sound, it was the blue shadow hurrying at full speed against the balcony’s slabs that called out to them.

Expecting to see Rainbow Dash show up at any moment, Spitfire and Knight Shelter had opened wide their heavy velvet curtains. Nonetheless, they did not think her arrival would be so spectacular. And not in a good way. What was on her mind for deciding to fly so fast with such injuries?

When Soarin had brought her home this morning, she had passed out. The physician mares who had also healed Applejack, who also was in a pitiful state, had told her she had been lucky not to have get a septicemia then had warned her: no tiresome trainings for a few days. To fly was permitted, provided that she would take it slow with her take-offs and landings.

Like often, she had only half-listened. Or she was simply being pig-headed. Both solutions were more than a possibility.

Spitfire was thinking about leaving in order to let uncle and niece have their little discussion but could not resist the urge to annoy the mare pegasus that she found flat on her back, stupidly waving at Applejack at the balcony above.

“Well, Rainbow Crash, can’t remember how to use those wings?”, she teased mockingly.

“That balcony throw itself on me.”

Obviously, the youngest still had troubles dealing with her rout. Funny, it reminded her of Firefly who, although she could not fly anymore, kept on playing kamikazes in bad faith at each occasion. On the ground, of course, not in the air. But it was much of a muchness.

Nonetheless, she stretched out her hoof to Rainbow Dash who took it with a smile, before standing back up. Her cloak was in a pitiful state but it did not seem to bother her… Incredible. She was the Head of the Militia; she could not afford to hang around decked out like this. What kind of dread and respect could she inspire to the enemy, if she looked like a tramp pony?

As soon as Rainbow Dash was inside the huge bedroom, Spitfire grabbed the cloak, under the shocked gaze of the youngest mare. She threw the rags in the trashcan without a least of hesitation, before looking through her closet and getting a brand new cloak, with the same red color and the same golden lining.

“Ask Melrose to embroider your Cutie Mark on this one. It’s better than your old ripped thingy.”

Upon these words, she turned around. Passing by her husband, sitting on the bed watching the two mare pegasi, Spitfire let her tail slip along Knight Shelter’s chest, and left the room. He promised himself that once back, he would show his wife what it costed to frustrate him this way.

In front of him, his niece was spinning around herself, admiring her brand new cloak. She might have been cute if only she did not limp so much. Right now, she made him think about a pony in a ghost story. A well-dressed pony, but a ghost story pony anyway.

“Once you’ll be done with your fashion show, maybe we could talk”, he said getting off the bed.

“I didn’t want to bother your courtship ritual with Spitfire. It’s up to you.”

This was for him. He had it coming.

They both had some kind of an off-putting relationship since years. Rainbow Dash had quickly understood why her uncle never left the Royal Tavern and Inn, and even rarely this whole-floor bedroom. He was the only pony with an immutable house arrest. For a long while she had been thinking this was not a very high price to pay once known how much he had put Equestria to fire and the sword.

For this reason, he no longer had been for her the uncle which carapace split in her presence, who secretly gave her candies when she was punished.

She had put a distance between them, and no longer took shelter behind him when she feared a retribution for having done something stupid, although she was gladly close to his wife, Spitfire.

The situation had remained this way until teenage years, when Rainbow Dash had finally understood that a quiet life could last more than a hundred years and that not being able to go into the open air and especially not being able to fly, was harder to go through than death. Herself would never have endured such a punishment.

Since then, they had become close again. But in the meantime, something had been broken and the bond of yesteryear had been impossible to repair. If she no longer fled from Knight Shelter, she kept on being closer to Spitfire whom she visited twice more often.

He asked Rainbow Dash whether she wanted some tea and she said yes. She followed her uncle in the nearby room, an open kitchen on a living-room in which there was a couch, and shelves full of books.

Instead of suiting herself in this room where she might have felt more at ease, she chose to climb on one of the high chairs in front of the counter separating the kitchen from the living-room. It was not about being closer to her uncle… It was about being closer to the coal-burner.

She gazed at Knight Shelter opening a closet, getting a teapot which he filled with water coming from a big nearby bucket, then putting it on the cast iron cooker. Before he burned a match, he checked the level of coal. A bright flame rose quickly as a sign that everything was working.

At least, he was not like some pony, unable to do anything unless their mare was here to explain. Spitfire being who she was, which meant everything but a traditional housewife, it could not have been otherwise, anyway.

In the same way, the stallion she would get married to had better be able to handle things on his own.

“So”, he started. “Let’s cut to the chase. What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“It’s a little vague, don’t you think so?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. It might be vague but it was the truth. All her uncle knew, she wanted to know as well. It was not about a small bunch of criminals or of professional robbers, not even a bunch of pimps, nor about a Web’s nostalgic pony as that Wind Rider. Their problem was bigger, more threatening, and this threat was not about her own little person, but about the whole city, if not Equestria in entire.

Knight Shelter might have understood by the determination in her eyes. Fine. If she wanted him to tell him all he could, he would.

If only he could have get out of here, he would have adored to gaze closely at what had happened on the previous night and at what was going to happen after. Some kind of sick excitation grow inside himself each time he thought about it. However, he shut down his enthusiasm and only took two cups in the closet with a half-smile.

Smile that Rainbow Dash quickly noticed, but on which she made no comment. There was no need to hold forth about it. She knew what he was truly thinking – that nothing was worth the smell of blood and the fever of a good kill.

“In fact, it’s not that complicated… There’s mainly three types of ponies in this kind of underground organizations. Those, blind, who believe in a cause and who would be ready to die for this cause. You know them well at the Militia. They’re in some kind of way your devilish twins since they believe in ‘the wrong cause’, the one of the bad ponies who want to reduce the others to slavery.”

For a few seconds, she looked away, unable to do otherwise. His words resounded in her head with an aggressive bitterness. Knowing that Knight Shelter had been the trigger of the Fratricide War gave something gloomy to his speech and it seemed to her that the dazzling light of the lamps dispersed all around the room had turned a little weak.

“What about the two other types?”, Rainbow Dash finally asked.

“Plain and simple. Money or power, if not both, are their driving force. Their main source of motivation. But just remember that they all have something in common. There’s no exception. They think about their own interests. Yes, even those defending a so-called cause. Now, let’s be clear… This is a chance for the Militia.”

“How could this be a chance?”

“Because you can always deter of the project those motivated by money or power. All you have to do is to make them understand that the power is within your hooves and too bad if it’s not. Never hesitate to try to corrupt the enemy’s clan. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience.”

Rainbow Dash had not doubt about it. This method had been an amazing success for Knight Shelter. By corrupting some Ponies of the Cavalry, he had been able to encourage them to turn against their Leader, who was no more no less than Uncloudy Shelter, Rainbow Dash’s father and Knight Shelter’s twin brother.

In fact, if the Fratricide War had been so long it was because this corruption had infected any social ranks of Equestria, from the high-ranking officers to the beggars. The Web, the famous society of mercenaries he had created in order to get him to the highest realms of power, had infiltrated everywhere. It had taken time, dedication and the precious help of faithful friends impossible to deter, for Uncloudy Shelter to be able to contain the decomposition which had gnawed the continent.

Then, more years to establish a semblance of harmony and peace.

Peace which had almost stumble when the Heir Apparent, aka Prince Blueblood, had killed his parents, King Sunset Sunrise and Queen Harmony, and tried to kill as well the ones who had been chosen to occupy the throne instead of him, his aunts Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

Today, history wanted to repeat. It was out of question for Rainbow Dash. Whatever the price was, she would ensure that no new civil war would burst in Equestria and that the name of her family would not be soiled again, held as responsible for the death and the disabilities triggered by a selfish and dictatorial cause.

> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tension was palpable during the night watches. Each of the Members of the Militia had intensified their training. One of the instructions was never to leave a member alone, even if the Spotter’s message was addressed to one pony in particular. If such a thing had to happen, the Spotter in question would be interrogated about his or her intentions by the Head’s Council in question.

For this reason, a certain mood of distrust prevailed between Spotters and First Class Lieutenant. It had taken one assertive intervention from Rainbow Dash to get things straight. Yes, one of them had betrayed them yet it did not mean that trust had to vanish away or else ‘they’ would be the winners. They simply needed to be more on the outlook.

They had no choice. The Unavow Army could strike at any moment. The most puzzling was the novelty effect. For sure, they would launch another attack at the least suitable instant. That was why everyone was expecting it permanently. The day teams even had been reinforced and there was a huge recruitment campaign in the newspapers, nonetheless it did not say to Ponyville inhabitants why they needed additional hooves so desperately.

A few times before, Rainbow Dash had visited Master Crimson Moon to tell her about a project she had in mind that the Fighting Master could decide to turn it upside down if she felt like doing it. Her answer had surprised her yet it was not a surprise at all.

It was about time that each could have a break and breathe a little. Thus, when they announced this Aurora Borealis, they all seize this opportunity to be able to rest and stop being suspicious. It would not last long but at least, The Militia would have benefit from interlude stripped off danger.

Nopony would attack during an Aurora Borealis, this magical moment when time was suspended. Whether it was in the Spider God’s precepts or those of the Emgok Mythology which the unicorns believed in, it was regarded as a divine phenomenon and it was a sin to disturb it.

In honor of it, the Head’s Council had organized a gigantic assembly, gathering all the Members of the Militia, Spotters included. It should be happening in the garden of the Royal Tavern and Inn and the instruction was that each of them had to bring something to eat or drink or both.

Pinkie Pie was overjoyed. There almost was nothing that she liked more than a party and this assembly was a party in her mind. Finally, she would have the occasion to leave her tall guard tower and to meddle with the others. Without the breakfasts and the weekly lunches that she shared with her soul family, she was not able to meet a lot of ponies, although she really liked being surrounded by friends and to make them laugh. Hence she had planned songs, games, and delicious cakes… that had yet to be baked.

Her shackle’s kitchen was quite small. Consequently, she had decided to bake her pastries in one of the inn’s kitchens. Rather than disturbing the employees who had a lot of things to do during such a day of celebration, Pinkie Pie chose to go to the wing where the family lived.

It was the place they all lived together – Melrose and her adoptive daughter Apple Bloom, as well as her mother Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Firefly, Uncloudy Shelter, Knight Shelter and Spitfire. She had lived there for a period too, before moving in to her own place, partly because she could receive her coltfriend in discretion.

Her ingredients inside her saddlebag, she entered into the kitchen, her usual smile pinned on her face, thinking she would be alone.
She could not help a jostle when she saw Big Macintosh sitting at the kitchen table, with a glass of apple juice and a magazine. And, quickly, she displayed her sunny mood again, and decided to tackle her task as if everything was fine.

On the night of the Unavow Army’s attack, she had seen with surprise Big Macintosh climbing her guard tower, breathless and his eyes devoured by anxiety. He had told her he had been scared something had happened to her… Nothing had happened. This night had been like any other nights for Pinkie Pie and she only had understood the whole matter at dawn.

The stallion had taken her between his hooves, holding her tight, before leaving her unsteady and dumbfounded.

Far from taking offence, she had gone back to her positive and bouncing self, and had kept on treating Big Macintosh the way she always did, as a precious friend. Things were a bit strange on his side. She sometimes caught in staring at her. It was not the eyes of a lover. It was something else. What it was, she did not know and here was her main concern.

While humming, Pinkie Pie took out her book of recipes, as well as her kitchen utensils. She knew the kitchen was equipped, but liked to work with her own tools rather than borrowing the other’s. Already on the roll of her preparations, she felt Big Macintosh moving behind her.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him washing his glass, taking back his magazine he put inside the saddlebag he had put beside him on the bench. He trotted toward her, passed her by then turned around.

Pinkie Pie turned her head, while mixing her batter, with inquiring eyes. She did not expect it when he quickly pecked her lips, catching her by surprise.

“Will you attend the Aurora Borealis with the others?”, he asked after he parted from her.

“I’m not going to miss a chance to party, silly!”

“I hope I’ll see you.”

“Of course, you will. I’ll see everypony.”

Big Macintosh smiled, shaking his head from resignation. It was perfectly in-character Pinkie Pie. And that was the way everyone loved her. He had to admit, he had expected her to behave this way with him, despite all that had happened between them.

As a proof, when he left the kitchen, he heard her take up her activities again as if nothing special had occurred. And then, he felt guilty again. He did not love her, and she loved another pony. The latter sure was tolerant in some fields but there was a boundary between what they had done weeks ago and what he had just done. A boundary he cannot imagine Pinkie Pie breaking.

-------------------------------------------------

He could not quite realize during the training sessions since the Head’s Council trained in his own room, but once the whole Militia gathered in one place, it made a hell lot of ponies. There was not a patch of grass of the Royal Tavern and Inn’s West garden that was not occupied. And all these society folks were meddling, talking to each other with pleasure, nay with smiles on. Seeing them smile was as stunning as seeing them fight. He was used to have a glimpse at nothing but determination in their eyes.

Exceptionally, the weather patrol had cleared the Ceaseless Night thick clouds out of the sky, and for the first time since he has arrived, Soarin was finally able to look at Ponyville’s sky and to actually see it. The moon looked absent but all the city’s lamppost torches were on, so well it was possible to believe it was broad daylight.

He quickly spotted the others. While they were the first on site – because most of them already lived there – they have settled at the back of the garden. The employees had cleared up the snow on a few yards and the grass hidden under was distinguishable – green and fresh.

For all that, the temperature outside stayed very low and all no pony around were likely to avoid bringing a blanket to put on the ground. The Council was not an exception… except that he noticed that, conversely to many others, Caramel and Applejack had their own tartan rug, a little separate from the others.

Pinkie Pie gestured energetically towards him when he stepped closer, as if she had not seen him for days though they all had shared a breakfast together this morning, faithful to their habits.

“Hey! Welcome to your first party ever in Ponyville, Soarin!”

The pink mare started to bounce all around him when he reached them, throwing a shower of streamers on his head. Of course, all those who were around noticed it and looked at them laughing. Lucky he knew she did not make things like that to humiliate but with an overrunning sincerity… That was what excused her actions each time she put one of them in the hot seat.

“What d’ya bring, Soarin?” Applejack asked while he was getting settled next to Rainbow Dash.

“I didn’t really know what to do, so I only made sandwiches. Daffodil and cheese.”

“Just like me!” Caramel claimed, showing a plate filled to the brim that was between two tartan rugs.

“Well, me, I got… cider!”

Very proud, Rainbow Dash took a huge bottle out of her saddlebag. Pinkie Pie’s reaction was not long in coming and she started to bounce while singing an improvised song about the beverage’s good taste of apple.

This Aurora Borealis really was timely. Everyone was under pressure, especially the Head’s Council, with some of the members barely recovered from their injuries. Even their breakfasts no longer had the good mood and relaxed feeling of this outdoor picnic.

The sight did not start before a few hours, which gave the Members of the Militia an occasion to meddle up, to talk with each other the way they rarely had the chance to. Pinkie Pie started games which a lot of them took part in and Soarin thought to himself while looking at them all that it was the first time he could hear some laugh.

The snacks each had brought went from hoof to hoof, to the extent that the sandwiches made by Soarin and Caramel would reach the other end of the garden, and they were able to have a taste of Surprise’s grandmother’s famous tomato pies.

Carried away by the moment’s euphoria, Pinkie Pie got close to Applejack and threw herself into her neck to tell her she loved her. The mare, dumbfounded, patted her back swearing she loved her too but it did not stop her. She said the words again, assuring her friend did not understand but that she loved her.

Freaked out, Applejack glanced begging at Caramel. When he shook Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, the latter threw herself into his neck and claimed she loved him. The same way, when he answered he loved her too – with no ulterior motive, that went without saying – she told him he didn’t understand and that she loved him.

Just like his marefriend before him, he decided to pass the torch on to his closest neighbor… who was Rainbow Dash. She also had her enthusiastic “I love you”… The performance was going to start again. Soarin did not want to take the reins of it, since he was the last of the group, Big Macintosh having suddenly disappear.

Rainbow Dash also patted her friend’s back.

“Thank you, Pinkie.”

Immediately, Pinkie Pie let her go, and declared she was going to pick up the cakes she had baked for them, before getting away gamboling.
They all stared at their Head, flabbergasted, but she only shrugged.

“When she does this… Just say ‘thank you’ to her.”

General roar of laughter.

It did a power of good to be able to laugh heartily, to finally let go to positive emotions. To feel the weigh leaving your shoulders and stomachs, muscles loosen, cheeks and zygomaticus hurting in the end.

Yet, as they all get prepared to look at the Aurora, as Applejack and Caramel went to lie their blanket a little further in order to get more privacy, Soarin felt the need to ask a question.

In the moments of intense joy, it often thought about deeper topics, always wondering whether it was going to last long and how long it would last. In the circumstances that was theirs, these issues appeared to be all the more reasonable. The future seemed to be something rather uncertain.

“Rainbow Dash… I know we’ve told we wouldn’t talk about it tonight, but I wanted to know…”

She looked at him, her eyes wide open, while she was trying to put their own blanket in place which corners were rolled into a ball, preventing from having the maximum comfort.

Once sure he had her attention, Soarin kept on talking:

“What are you going to do about the Unavow Army? Do you have a plan? Since you came to visit Master Crimson Moon, the other day…”

“I have a plan, indeed”, she said once the blanket was flat again.

She sat down, visibly peaceful, and not really understanding why, he felt by the way she settled herself on the right edge of the tartan rug, she encouraged him to sit down as well, close to her. There was no need to ask him twice.

“Can I ask you what’s your plan?”

“You can.”

In light of her proud attitude when she had answered, Soarin expected a huge revelation, something that would make the ground under his hooves shake.

“We’re going to steal them one of their major pawns, the one that make them think they’ll always have the advantage… Twilight Sparkle!”

Admittedly, the ground had not shaken yet the surprise was big. Why her? She had been the one who had brought them back Double Diamond’s mutilated body, the one by whom cause the scandal. Even if Rainbow Dash happened to convince her to take The Militia’s side, no pony would ever trust her.

Yet, he knew it, Rainbow Dash never took her decision about The Militia haphazardly. She always had something in the back of her mind when she decided to give a job to a pony.

It was clear it deserved a little explanation that, in front of his bewildered face, she hurried to give to him.

“Do you remember your first night watch? I’ve told you about Master Crimson Moon and I’ve told you she’d cut one of her student’s hoof because she had fixed one of her mistake.”

“I could never forget it.”

“Well, this student was Twilight Sparkle.”

Immediately, a flash struck in his mind. Soarin made the vital connections by himself and quickly went to the conclusion that Twilight might have been a part of the Militia at some point. As surprising as it was. A Fighting Master such as Crimson Moon only trained ponies from elite organizations. It was impossible to become her pupil just with money. In fact, money was not even important. Honor and distinction only mattered.

Rainbow Dash could see the information was a little hard to swallow for Soarin.

There were so many things she had not told him yet, after those long weeks side by side during which she had learned to know him better. It was not that she did not trust him nor that she did not regard him as somepony important for her…

Conversely, after all those training sessions and night watches together, she could say she was feeling good in his presence and she was glad she had said yes to him. He no longer even had to ask to be sitting next to her at breakfast, and unnoticing, she had started to offer him little attentions, such as making sure there always was a slice of apple pie left for him, and small things like this.

The problem with her was always the same. To accept her own feelings was quite easy. To say them out loud was another issue. Affection came with time, and with small steps. She still had a lot to learn about intimacy.

Rainbow Dash felt it was the right time to make a move, to make him understand she trusted him enough to tell him things about her past, or about the Militia’s past, deeply linked to hers.

“This mishap had completely ruined her life… Before this, she was the Quartermaster chosen by the former Head.”

Upon those words, she kept quiet. Not for a novelty effect, but because mentioning her former coltfriend in front of her new stallion felt quite sensitive.

Soarin had not had to ask her to learn about his existence. Shortly after the events with Double Diamond, he had been brought up to date by Big Macintosh, in the course of an innocent conversation. He had asked her no question, undoubtedly because he was expecting it to come from her but from that moment on, each time an issue led to Time Stellar, Rainbow Dash could feel something arising from Soarin. Like a new tension in his neck and hooves, that gave him a little bit of poise.

She cleared her throat before she began to speak again. The tension between us should not have the time to develop. Time Stellar was not the main topic, Twilight Sparkle was.

“It’s a very important role, as you may know. Even if, in principle, the Quartermaster isn’t supposed to fight, like the mail ponies, it’s better to be able to fight at least a minimum. Master Crimson Moon often held her up as an example, especially as she was Princess Celestia’s protégée. And, she had made that mistaking of fixing a mistake the Master had said and her life has turned into hell ever since.

“Master Crimson Moon demanded her to be banished from Ponyville or she would not hesitate to humiliate her publicly. The Princess insisted, as well as the rest of the Greater Council where she still sits. It was no use. It was Master Crimson Moon or Twilight Sparkle. As you may know as well, a sovereign can’t take actions in the Greater Council’s decision and the Greater Council couldn’t afford to lose Master Crimson Moon. They chose to sacrifice Twilight.

“Do you want to know what’s the most ironic thing about it? When I visited Master Crimson Moon so that she would agree to restore Twilight Sparkle, she told me ‘do you really think I still remember all the little snots I hurt? I only remember you because you’re the Head’s Militia. By the by, Rainbow Dash, go and make sixty laps”. What’s worse is that I did them sixty laps because orders from Master Crimson Moon should never be call into question.”

Deep inside, Soarin begged for his new marefriend never to send him to the famous Fight Master in order to improve. The more he learned the truth about her, the darker and twisted the picture got, like some kind of a breathing phantasmagoria, a pony back from the Blaze to haunt the world of the livings.

What she had done to Twilight Sparkle, just to forget her afterwards, could explained the bitterness she seemed to feel toward Rainbow Dash in particular and the Militia in general. They were supposed to be there one of another, yet none had supported her. They all was scared of Crimson Moon and chose to act like her doormats. Even Rainbow Dash, who gave the impression of being scared of nothing.

Soarin wondered how she would do it, and almost asked her when the light of the lamppost torches went out one after the other. He felt a new tension holding his stomach like pincers. Then, seeing Rainbow Dash’s calm, he understood this was nothing but the signal of the Aurora’s beginning.

His whole body relaxed, and he looked up, the sky being still dark and starless. Out of the corner of his eye, he had a glimpse at Applejack and Caramel, stuck together. Her head rested against his shoulder. Once again, something displayed inside his stomach, but it was not tension. It was raw envy.

Rainbow Dash was lying by his side, her magenta eyes staring at the sky. It was as if her child’s soul was reflected inside her expression… She was pretty, and Soarin felt his heart racing inside his chest.

Her hoof was so close to him yet so far. He knew it, she was not very fond of public displays of affection but the mood was right and he wanted to feel closer to her than he ever had felt before, just like during their one and only kiss, as brief as it had been.

He heard she clicked her tongue from irritation, and the second after, she saw her bringing his hoof closer and their hooves intertwine. It was not much but for Soarin it embodied a giant step. The fact that the display had come from herself was more than he ever had dreamed of.

“I thought you didn’t like this kind of things”, he whispered to her.

“I don’t like this kind of things in front of everyone. Now, everyone only has eyes for the Aurora. And you’d better as well because it’s awesome. Oh, it begins…”

Immediately, Soarin looked up again. And what he saw was beyond imagination. Some kind of green cloud, made with a million of droplets, was shining brightly, while moving through the skies, with a hint of pink sometimes. It was mind-blowing. Some ponies from the audience could be heard squealing from admiration.

From time to time, he lowered his eyes toward Rainbow Dash, and looked at the fluorescent reflections dancing on her mane and coat. She never looked away, smiling with her mouth ajar.

He knew… She had no idea how adorable she was in such moments. How she looked peaceful, almost innocent. Of course, he did not tell her, since she probably did not like to be said things like that. It did not matter. He had the chance to see her this way and would cherish the memory as long as he breathed. Their hooves still intertwined added to the whole a taste of heaven he did not think he would go through any time soon.

None had noticed that two ponies were missing.

-----------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie had not seen anything. Neither when she had gone through the long corridors in order to go to the kitchen nor when she has stepped into the room. Only when the oil lamp she had just lit started to flicker had she understand she had been followed.

Her heart thumping, she had waited, ready to let her survival instinct out if needed. The shadow of a stallion had stood out against the wall in front of her. Big Macintosh. As soon as she had recognized him, all her senses on alert had calmed down.

One question remained. Why had he turned off the light? He did not answer. Alright. She knew he was shy by nature and did not insist.

She looked away and put one of the cakes she had baked unstable on the top of her head. She could not wait to see her friends’ eyes when they would see this wonder she had prepared for their exclusive taste. They would never believe it.

Big Macintosh stepped closer. Slowly. Naive, Pinkie Pie immediately though he wanted to help her.

“There’s another cake in the icy tray if you want…”

But instead of going to the shown place, he settled behind her, and nuzzled the pit of her neck. She still smelled the same fragrance, like strawberry bubblegum. It was reassuring, almost soothing. A synonym of comfort and warmth.

Since he usually never took the initiative, he felt suddenly ashamed he had made the first move. It gave the impression that he thought Pinkie Pie was a love vending-machine, as if there were no heart racing under this pink coat. She deserved better.

Every time, he thought about the stallion of the picture, and forbidden images rushed through his brain. Her, with him. Him who was different, obviously, who loved her for real, obviously. Him who would not hurt her thanks to their agreement and actions.

He should have leave her alone, he knew it. If she told him to stop, he would stop. At the least sign of pain from her, he would stop everything and would never go back.

Pinkie Pie did not say anything. She looked up and whispered “it’s starting” as soon as the lights outside went off. The cake unstable on her head came to crush against the floor, pieces of the icing touching her hooves which she knew were shaking.

Too bad for the Aurora Borealis, too bad for the cakes. She missed her stallion’s tenderness and if she closed her eyes, she could imagine he was the one behind her, slipping his lips along her throat.

> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To live in such a place was not synonym of safety. In fact, it was even worse than living in Ponyville. No pony came to protect you from danger, and danger was plentiful in the Everfree Forest. If it was not because of wild creatures, it came from the clandestine population routing through here. Former banished criminals, wandering ponies moving along the woods and wild paths in-between the major cities… Choices were endless.

In order to survive, Twilight had to compromise. She was living from harvest that was rather poor during winter. Sometimes she would steal loots that were not hers, thanks to magic and fighting techniques she still mastered.

The most difficult thing, however, was not being able to buy new books.

It had been only a few years since she had resolved to live in such a dreary way, yet she felt as if she had been hiding for a century.

For now, it was impossible for her to come back to Ponyville in broad daylight. Her eyes permanently hidden and her wooden hoof scared the others. Seeing her clashing with Rainbow Dash had risen some rumors about her.

However, this survival state could be over soon. She had been promised a new reputation, the royal library’s management and the reorganization of science center of the palace as she liked. All it took was for the Unavowed Army to overcome The Militia.

Prince Blueblood had not called her in again but Twilight knew something was getting prepared, something bigger than the last one and she was sure she would be requested any time soon.

Honestly, she did not care at all about the Fallen Heir Apparent’s cause. All she wanted was to be back into the real world, to take back the place that had been snatched away from her at the same time than her hoof.

Twilight thought she heard the sound of a twig breaking. She turned around, watched her surroundings, lighting up her horn. The wind was blowing between the trees, and made small pile of snow falling on the ground. A tiny rabbit hopped forward, then hid back behind the bushes. Nothing. Nature, nothing but nature, unmastered by ponies, in the raw. After a last glance, she trotted again, and shortly after, she was home, under cover behind her door.

The gleam of an oil lamp lit up the only window of her small shack for a few minutes, then they were off again. No more sounds pierced through the dark night. She probably was asleep.

The wind went through the top of trees which were luxuriant even through winter. A proof that this forest was nothing normal… Except that venturing here was the only solution for Rainbow Dash to achieve her ends.

Her head surfaced from between the leaves and made a sign on her side. Then Soarin appeared, who followed her as soon as she landed softly on the ground. In front of the shack where Twilight was living, snow had been cleared. The earthy ground still was freezing cold yet she had no other choice than to let her boots home. The least faux pas could make everything crumble and the mare did not want to take such a risk for a clothing problem.

She had prepared this intervention with meticulousness, during days and days. It was not a very complicated plan. In fact, it could even be achieved rather quickly if it was rightly performed and if the target agreed to collaborate, of course. Rainbow Dash thought it was in her own interest.

Her body level with the ground, she gestured to Soarin to go around the shack. When she had sent Pinkie Pie, as a spy on behalf of The Militia, in reconnaissance mission a few days earlier, the latter had said she had noticed another door leading to outside toilet blocks. It would probably be locked up for security and that was why she had asked her coltfriend to come with her. He had enough strength to break into the lock with only one kick.

Exceptionally tonight, they both had called reservist ponies to replace them during their watch. The operation they were about to perform was a priority. The whole safety of Ponyville depended upon it, Rainbow Dash had assured. In fact, it was not really a lie. From what would happen in here would ensue a few changes.

As soon as Soarin disappeared, she got her head out of her black camouflage suit, and took a glimpse inside. Everything was dark and nothing seemed to move. Silence was resounding all around her, as if the forest itself had suspended time in the expectation of what was going to follow.

She pushed the window a little, hoping she would not have to break a pane of the glass, what would wake Twilight up for sure. By chance, the window half-opened with a slight grinding noise. Rainbow Dash slowly slid her body on the sill, then little by little, went to the other side.

Her eyes were used to the darkness, and she was able to distinguish some elements of the room. At the back, at a few feet from the door, there was a bed which was in reality a plank of wood with sheets and blankets piled up together. A small table on which was a tumbler of winter red berries took center stage, supplied with an old cushion looking dilapidated. On the other side, there was a basin of water and an old wood-burner, as well as shelves overloaded with books.

The narrowness of the shack was going to make things easier. In case Twilight would wake up before she could reach her, there was not a lot of places where she had the possibility to hide. Unless she would use her magic…

Rainbow Dash did not have enough time to think a little further. The room got lit up suddenly, and she felt a violent pain in her left wing. Thrown against the wall, she quickly realized she had just been trapped by her prey, who had pinned her against the wall with a sword.

Her mane tangled and her eye-patch a little crooked, Twilight Sparkle appeared in front of her. Her frown and the flame in her eyes were an indication that she was not really glad she had a little surprise guest. Her face at a few inches of her, she put her hoof on her rival’s neck, ready to crush her throat if the situation worsened.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”, she grumbled. “I’m not a fool.”

“Really? Well, you see…”

A roar of wood and metal came from the back of the house, lessening in half Twilight’s focus. It was the right moment to attack, and Rainbow Dash had always had the perfect idea of how the unicorn would not respond to what was going to happen next.

With her teeth, she snatched away Twilight’s eye-patch that she had not positioned well in her rush. Immediately, a burning sensation devoured her retina, as if her head had been plunged in a basin full of acid. She cried out, trying to close her eyes though she knew she could not.

Quick. To find something to put around her head so she would stop the inflammation to consume her entirely. Twilight palpated around her, looking for her eye-patch. It was so painful her good eye irritated her as well and made it all more complicated.

It had to be done now. Rainbow Dash was able to free herself from the sword hammered in her wing that had started to bleed and called in Soarin, while Twilight was wobbling around, a hoof on her eye. Really… Not to be able to overcome this gift from above was not an advantage.

The stallion grabbed the syringe in his saddlebag, and threw it through the room. It asked Rainbow Dash a big effort to take off high enough so she could catch it on the run.

Now, Twilight had pressed her eye against a blanket, and awkwardly tried to breathe again after such a restlessness. The pain barely started to soothe when she felt a needle driving inside her flank. She cursed herself inside for she had not think a second that Rainbow Dash would never have ventured here without any backup.

Then, nothingness overcame her.

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When she regained consciousness, Twilight realized somepony had put her eye-patch back around her head. She was no longer positioned like before but now lying against the floor, her head resting against her old worn cushion. On the other hand, her wood hoof had been taken off and her hind hooves had been tied together.

Her eyes followed the floor until she distinguished four blue hooves. So, Rainbow Dash was still here…

When she had fallen asleep abruptly after the injection that had been inflicted to her, Twilight had really thought her time had come. She knew her rival had not hesitated to finish off Double Diamond and that she had killed August Charmer in the most violent manner. At first glance, it looked evident that she would liquidate her as well by choosing to inject a poison in her blood.

And eventually, when thinking about it… maybe it was not that evident. There was a precise reason behind these both deaths. She, Twilight, was not in agony. She had killed nopony and only been an envoy. The Sacred Law could not be applied to her case.

Leaning on her one foreleg, she straightened up her head. Rainbow Dash was sitting in the middle of the living-room, right beside the table, and she spoke to the stallion behind her, wrapping a bandage around her wounded wing.

“When I think that I’ve finally stop limping… Just my luck! How am I going to go back ho----”

She rose an eyebrow when she saw Twilight in front of her, her jaw clenched.

“Here you are? Finally, awake?”

“What have you done to me?”

“I simply sent you off to sleep with a little sedative, not a big deal.”

Twilight had thought she had died. She had been attacked in her own house, then tortured before a product which she did not know the ingredients of had been injected into her veins… And this damn pegasus mare had the brass neck to tell her it was ‘not a big deal’?!

She deserved a good lesson. Oh, she might be trussed up and obliged to crawl in order to go forward, but she still had a significant advantage – her horn. Since the mishap with Double Diamond, she had been motivated to train back in magic in a more serious manner, and by dint of practice a lot of spell had come back to her mind.

She focused with all her might. A slightly painful energy climbed back up from her heart to her brain, shook by shots. But it all fell back immediately, without the least spark to appear.

“Oops, sorry, I forgot to tell you… It was a mix of sedative and of sacred poppy seed juice.”

A magic neutralizer. Twilight then realized the little dramatization had not been happenstance. Everything had been orchestrated from the beginning, to the least of her reactions – except maybe the fact she would laid into one of her wings.

Back in time, she remembered, Rainbow Dash had not been that organized. She had not dared to stand up to Master Crimson Moon, of course… But the latter never bothered to punish her in humiliating ways on several occasions each time the mare pegasus was stubborn – and that was all the time. She often even had told her to learn something from Twilight who always listened.

None would have guessed that time would reverse things so much. Her, Twilight Sparkle was now hidden away in one of the most dangerous forests of Equestria while her former friend, the spirited tomcolt Rainbow Dash was The Militia’s Head and the kind of pony to think about each and every details, even the most insignificant ones.

“I know, it’s very sad to use such tricks”, Rainbow Dash claimed, stepping closer. “But frankly, this was the only solution to make sure you’d listen to me without a scandal. I’m surprised that, smart as you are, you didn’t think I wouldn’t come here alone… By the way, do you know Soarin?”

The powder blue stallion behind her displayed a nervous smile which made not him look very smart.

By pure instinct of defense, Twilight’s answer arrived quickly and was a mocking one. It was not this poor pony’s fault and usually she would never have dared such a boldness, nonetheless as long as she did not know Rainbow Dash’s visit real purpose, she would stay on the lookout.

“Of course, I know him… He’s your stopgap!”

She immediately saw the fake smile on the face of her rival crumbling down and her mouth twisting into a rictus of vexation.

“Don’t you ever say it again. Ever.”

In front of Twilight’s lack of reaction, her magenta eyes almost turned to black and narrowed. She pressed a hoof against the unicorn’s one foreleg.

“Take back what you’ve said. Take it back!”, she insisted, increasing her push.

Twilight suppressed a painful shriek, before she gave in and swore she took her words back.

It only had been a provocation yet she never thought it would have such an impact. She probably cared for the stallion more than what her actions suggested if she felt the need to clean his honor.

Soarin had to admit it. His marefriend’s reaction had surprised him too, so much he had not been able to articulate the least of words to defend himself. Until then he had always thought that, although she enjoyed his company, she was rather far from having more serious feelings for him.

From the moment when Rainbow Dash got off her hoof, the smile she had lost a little earlier came back to the surface. It was a strange expression that Twilight did not know about her. A mix of her usual overinflated ego with a touch of teasing mischievousness, the look of a brat who would have pleasure in mentally torturing a helpless filly.

Rainbow Dash trotted to the table on which she climbed before she took a few berries from the tumble, as if she were home.

“Well, anyway, I guess you know we’re not here to chat about the bad weather. We have an attractive offer to make to you. An offer you can’t refuse. Do you want to know what it is?”

“Do I have the choice?”

“Glad to see you’re so enthusiastic… I don’t know if you know, but it’s such a chore to find a Quartermaster worthy of the name. Looks like no pony in this city knows what it means to have a good sense of organization. I had to dismiss all those who stood until now, and meanwhile, Spitfire’s the one in charge, and frankly, you don’t know what it’s like to be managed by Spitfire. She’s worse than the Academy of the Cavalry’s instructors. I even wonder whether her and Master Crimson Moon aren’t hidden twins…”

At the mention of the Fighting Master’s name, Twilight felt an additional tension inside of her, her nerves tight against each other. Rainbow Dash was making fun of her and only wanted to torture her more than she already was. She was convinced about it.

“Just to say that I desperately need a competent Quartermaster, and with what had happened recently, I need it more than ever. Let’s be honest. No pony is as qualified as you are for the job, Twilight Sparkle. Look, even your shack in the middle of a bewitched forest is shining like this is a museum!”

Despite all her bitterness, Twilight had to admit it was thought provoking. Of course, the proposition made by Prince Blueblood was in fact more interesting. Her only problem was that it came along a condition of victory. If she understood what Rainbow Dash had told her correctly, oppositely to the other offer, it would take effect as soon as possible.

It was everything she had wished for during years and years. That somepony would finally recognize her worth and offered to restore her. What bothered her was that, in her dreams, it was never about making another strategic pawn out of her. What she had wished for had to be spontaneous. Not dictated by the need to make the scale lean from one side to the other side.

Furthermore, she had learned by the Fallen Heir Apparent an information about Rainbow Dash that had disappointed her. It was the same information that had made her accept the other offer, in the same way as the supposed advantages she would acquire by joining the Unavowed Army.

If it was true, then Twilight knew she deserved better than this. Indeed, how could she entrust a mare who had sacrificed the pony she loved the most for the sake of her own ego?

“Why would I join forces with a coward of your kind?”, she said mockingly.

“Hey, who you’re calling coward, you crippled!”

Really, Rainbow Dash did not want to be contemptuous or insulting. Sometimes, words came out of her mouth the way they were, filter free. She did not even have to be annoyed or upset like right now. It was a part of who she was.

“You. It’s you I’m calling coward. Prince Blueblood told me everything about Time Stellar’s death.”

Just like when it was about Crimson Moon, saying this name always hit the bull’s eye. Twilight saw Rainbow Dash freezing. Soarin, in the background because he was nothing but a backup, had suddenly looked up, his ears on alert, almost shocked she had dared to say the name of the deceased.

The truth was that he knew Time Stellar had died and had been his marefriend’s first love, but he did not know how he perished. At many occasions, he had expected Rainbow Dash to tell him, and every time, she had not said a word or had gone talking about a different topic, like the adventures of her parents during the Fratricide War, or stories about her mother and Applejack’s back when they were bounty hunters.

It was now or never. The moment of truth, the one he had expected for so long. For all that, Soarin was not really sure he wanted to know.

“Come on, tell us what he told you exactly, I’m curious.”

“When Wind Rider challenged you to duel him hoping it would draw your uncle’s attention because he thought he was still faithful to The Web, you’ve realized he was more experienced than you and that you could lose. So you’ve asked Time Stellar to help you to attack Wind Rider by surprise. He’s died because of you and he’s received a sword strike that was meant for you. Because you’re a coward and a liar.”

It was impossible for her to remain impassive after such a description of the facts. Maybe they were a little deformed, maybe Prince Blueblood even overstated the point in his account… Whatever it was, it was clear she was going to react. She had to react. If they were at a turning point as strategic as she let her believe, it could not be otherwise.

And Rainbow Dash reacted. A nervous laugh crossed her lips, her chest rising and falling quickly, the tip of her hoof playing with the edge of the tumble.

“So, this is what Prince Blueblood told you… What does he know about it? Was he there? I DON’T THINK SO!!!”

The small basket flew through the room, and the berries inside came to crush all around Twilight Sparkle. She had to close her left eye narrowly to stop the acid juice from the berries to crush against her irises.

Rainbow Dash bounced from the table to the floor to stand in front of the unicorn. One of her temples on the side pulsated under her rainbow mane and she could be heard exhaling to the other corner of the room.

Usually, Soarin would have rushed to comfort her. But he was unable to move. Frozen, with powerlessness, he looked at his marefriend, as scared as captivated by what was going to be said.

“I would’ve won this duel hooves in the nose. I wasn’t afraid to lose, I’m never afraid to lose. It was the first time that Time Stellar tried to forbid me from fighting and I didn’t listen because I was sure to win. So he’d done what I did all the time. He hasn’t listen to me and he secretly witnessed the duel. When he saw he’d underestimated me, Wind Rider… He tried to stab me in the back. In the back. Do you think it’s loyal to try to stab a pony in the back?”

The question was for no pony in particular. At this stage, she had forgotten who she was talking to. Never again, since the events that had changed her life forever, had she said out loud the truth about what had happened on this night. Except Wind Rider and herself, no pony really knew. There had been rumors, but they were completely made up around hints and clues as thin as a piece of paper. Traces of blood in an alley. Begging screams heard by some. Injuries that were never the same from mouth to mouth.

Because he knew this would help his cause, Prince Blueblood had told Twilight a deformed truth, a patchwork made out from nothing at all.

She had to tell about it. The secret eventually had to get out of its box, in which it had rot and which the pestilential smell bothered her. So that the past would be exorcized at last, so that the gates of a forbidden world could be within her reach.

So, Rainbow Dash kept on talking, not daring looking at Twilight and even less at Soarin… She spoke almost unceasingly, not trying to tone down the facts.

It was not to get the center stage. It was because that was how the things had happened. The only detail on which a doubt could be pronounced was the outcome. Maybe she would not have won. Maybe right now, she would have been dead and Time Stellar would have been the one forced to keep on living until his heart got unburdened. Yes, maybe. But ‘maybes’ would change nothing to reality.

“I haven’t immediately understood what was happening. As if time had stopped… I saw Time Stellar between Wind Rider and I, and this stab in the back that was meant for me had touched him instead. He’d pierced him with his sword, from back to belly. I couldn’t have said anything, couldn’t have done anything. He was already dead. I bet you’ve never been covered by the blood of the pony you loved, Twilight… When this blood spurts in your face, you’re paralyzed. You wonder whether this isn’t a nightmare. There’s this lifeless body in front of you, this body that had held you through the night and now it’s nothing but an empty shell.”

She had tried. She had struggled. Saying to herself this was far from her now, that she had forgotten the details with time. Thinking that talking about it could no longer hurt her, as if she only mentioned a school memory, just a little bit more painful. In vain. She could not stop nor hide the tears rolling along her cheeks. And too bad for her if she had promised herself never to cry in front of anyone.

Her heart was not made of ice, unlike the popular stories went. Her heart was suffering.

Despite it all, she kept on talking. Now that she was started to walk down that road, she had to complete it.

When she had realized that Wind Rider had disappeared, it had made her blood boil. With fire in her stomach, she had cleaned out each corner of Ponyville under heavy rain that a smart pony had decided to make fall in the hope it would dissuade her from having this duel. Time Stellar, obviously, had foreseen that something dreadful had been about to happen. Maybe he even had taken the decision to sacrifice himself from the very beginning... She would rather not know.

Rainbow Dash had found Wind Rider in the North Gates area. He had the intention to cross a part of the Everfree Forest to skirt Ponyville, in order to take a boat on the coast that could lead him to Las Pegasus, in the South Shore.

Without further delay, she had unsheathed her sword and dashed briskly straight forward. The first strike, which had got a shriek out of him, had not buried far in the flesh. At the second strike, she had felt the sinews giving in under the blade, tender like in soft butter, then some kind of resistance when the cutting edge tripped against the bone. The same way he had ran through Time Stellar’s body, she had run it through his shoulder.

But she had not stopped for all that. She had struck again, and again, until the left side of his body looked like nothing but a heap of bloody flesh. Wind Rider had cried, begging her to stop torturing him. He wanted her to finish him off, and when he had heard she was calling the physician ponies, he had begged even more, swearing he deserved to die.

The words she had said to him still resounded in her mind.

“Oh no, you don’t deserve to die. You deserve to suffer. And you will!!!”

From his blood, she had written on the ground the catchphrase it was tradition to say when this sacrosanct precept was applied. Blood by blood, this is the Sacred Law of Equestria. Thus, there had been little doubt about who had been “guilty” of the attack. A Member of the Militia had just revenge their deceased Head. The Sacred Law never asked for death at any cost. It was the enforcer who judged the fate deserved by the transgressor, as long as it was a pony entitled to do it.

Her account stopped here. There was little interest to tell the rest. Twilight knew what she had to know.

It was different when it came to Soarin. If he asked, she would tell him everything. She would explain the tears, the cries of pain, and the decision she had a hell of a job taking when she had discovered she was the one Time Stellar had appointed as his replacement if he ever died or left his function.

That was only now she finally turned around to meet their eyes, though in reality she did not dare looking in Soarin’s direction yet. Still lying on the floor, Twilight was staring at her, lost for words. Rainbow Dash had been the only one to cry, and the thick translucent tears on her cheeks merely started to dry.

Of course, Twilight could choose not to believe her. She could decide to rather believe in Prince Blueblood, thinking the mare pegasus was only trying to touch her. If she had not known her back then, if she had not witnessed the love she had for Time Stellar, for sure, she would have believed the one who wanted to be called the True King.

Since she chose to believe Rainbow Dash, she owed her apologies. For calling her a coward, for forcing her to get out of her silence, and to confess this painful truth.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash… I didn’t know all this, I swear.”

“Now you can’t say that anymore”, she declared while wiping her last tears with the back of her hoof. “What I want to know now is what’s your opinion about my offer.”

The objection Twilight had until now no longer made sense. To be honest, she always distrusted Prince Blueblood and his promises, but in the absence of other possibilities, and especially because he clearly had let her know he would save the same fate as Double Diamond for her if she would not obey, she had agreed to his deal. Now, new perspectives were within her reach.

There always will be the threat to be tortured by the Fallen Heir Apparent, but if she fought with The Militia, she would no longer be alone to confront him. Also, she would get a better frame in which training her magic.

However, there was one last detail she cared about. She had to find back some kind of worth, to prove to herself she still was able to rise above the mass, to get rich from knowledge, instead of letting him in agony.

“Let’s say I agree. There’s one condition.”

“Hem, which condition?”

“A duel. You against me.”

Despite herself, Rainbow Dash could not help laughing. Alright, Twilight was very good in magic, but the period when she was one of Crimson Moon’s student was far, and in the mare’s own opinion, she was a little rusty. Even with her wound at her wing, she knew the result of the fight.

“Are you aware you have no chance of winning?”, she finally asked her.

“I don’t care about losing or winning. I want this dual for myself. Are you in or are you still willing to give Spitfire the management of everything?”

Rainbow Dash had to suppress a chill. As Quartermaster, her eldest was competent but likely to behave with her and the other Members as if she was instructor at the Academy of the Cavalry, and everyone was under her orders. Even though this position made her under the orders of her niece by marriage.

“You know what? We got a deal. Whenever you want, wherever you want.”

> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again and again, images could not stop from streaming through her mind. It even prevented her from sleeping on the previous night. No matter how much she tossed and turned the events in her head, Rainbow Dash could not understand what had happened. Why he suddenly looked so reluctant with her…

Frustration at its height, she had decided to fly for a few hours, in order to think about something else before she had remembered her wing was hurt and that she needed to avoid flying until it had healed for good. As a result, her frustration was now even more intense.

She pressed her pillow against her ears, trying to chase away the images that were played in a loop. Nothing could be done. Unceasingly, they were back to torture her.

When she had left Twilight’s shack, the evening before, Rainbow Dash had felt exhausted, on her last legs. To get out all of these emotions from the depth of her soul had been an unpleasant trial on a number of counts. The idea to cross the Everfree Forest and all Ponyville on hooves to go to the Great Weaver had looked grueling by advance as well.

She had sighed deeply, unable to hide her disarray. Soarin had not said a word and had simply lowered his back in front of her, encouraging her to climb. On her own, she had drawn the conclusion that he offered to fly her home this way.

“It’s funny”, she had said before obeying. “My father always carries my mother this way.”

No reaction from her coltfriend. Yet, it had seemed to Rainbow Dash that the comparison was sweet and could please him a lot. For all that, she had not think that something was wrong about him. He probably was shaken by her revelations, nothing more, and it was rather understandable.

What she knew was that she had been glad he had been there. Even if it had not been obvious from the very start, to know that Soarin was close and that after the facts, she would be able to rely on him if she was feeling low, it had helped her to spill her heart out, not to give way.

Of course, affection was not really her thing yet she had wanted to show him in her own way that his presence had been important to her. Wrapping her hooves around his neck, she had quickly pecked his cheek before asking him to fly fast, the fastest he could.


He had not uttered a word during the whole journey. Not even a single syllable. No problem, he probably had not feel like talking, it was understandable as well. In all honesty, Rainbow Dash neither had feel like talking. There had been only one thing she had yearned for at this very moment – comfort.

By cuddling up to him, breathing the scent of his midnight blue mane, she had thought she had found what she was looking for, had thought it would be enough. It had been only once he had landed her on her balcony that she had understood that she wanted more.

The silence between them had been strange. None of them both had dared to look into the other’s eyes, and for a long minute, they had set their eyes anywhere else, without a single word, as it never had happened before.

She knew… All she had to do was to ask. A pittance. It was not as if there had been a crowd around them, and unless Pinkie Pie would have seen them from her guard tower, no pony was going to see them. However, she had not been able to say this simple little word – stay.

Maybe if the words had not come, actions would have helped her. Gathering all her courage, her cheeks flushing hot just thinking about what she was going to do, she had closed her eyes and stretched out her neck forward, just a bit. It was a message rather easy to understand.

Nonetheless, after a few seconds that had seemed to her like an eternity, nothing had happened, and Rainbow Dash had started to feel really stupid, exhibited like this, on the verge of anger. She had yet caught him red-hooved many times, coveting her lips.

“Come on… What’s taking you so long?”, she had muttered between her teeth, her eyes still closed.

If he had not done anything in response, another feeling could have let room to what she was feeling right now, and she probably would have said words she did not mean. How lucky that Soarin had eventually gave in, and shy, had put his lips against hers.

As soon as the connection had been made, something had awakened up inside of her, an emotion she had buried in the twists and turns of the past, and which she often had feared never to be back again. A little something in her stomach, like a soft and soothing warmth. She had let herself go to that emotion, had let it guide her actions when she had put a hoof around his neck. But it all had gone down rather quickly when she had realized that her affection was far from being shared – her lips had been the only ones to move.

Then, disillusion and frustration had let way to all the rest. His lack of reactions was more than a surprise, especially as she had noticed the slight blush that had colored Soarin’s muzzle. She could not figure it out.

Without giving her the possibility to add anything else, he had put a quick peck on her cheek, and had taken off at top speed, as if being in her presence burned his wings and that he needed to get away from her as fast as he could in order to save himself from the pain.

Subsequently, Rainbow Dash had constantly turned the scene in her mind and had not been able to find a reasonable explanation. Was it because of what she had told about Time Stellar’s death? Was he thinking that she was nothing but a wild beast thirsty for blood and revenge? Or maybe…

“Uggh, I really don’t get it!”, she cried out while shaking her hind hooves, her pillow still pressed against her ears.

“Err… Dash? Are ya feelin’ good?”

Rainbow Dash looked up suddenly and saw Applejack on her doorstep, staring at her with flabbergasted wide eyes. Immediately, she realized she was not acting like her real self. Even back when she had been through her first teenage emotions, she had never behaved this way.

It had to be said that with Time Stellar, she had not had a lot of efforts to make. It had been him who had come to see her after she had been left from the Academy and that she had decided to become a part of the weather patrol, him who had offered her to become a Member of the Militia, then of his Council. It also had been him who had confessed his feelings to her and since then, everything had been served up on a tray, or almost everything. They had argued sometimes, of course… It had happened that she hated some of his habits, like trotting to go through a long distance although he would have gone rather faster if he had been using his wings. But in general, she had not feel the need to ask herself questions.

On second thought, it was not certain that their story would have last always. Their differences were too deep. However, she had loved him with all her heart, because he was who he was and despite it all, she would cherish their love story forever because he had marked her life. Even without his premature death, he would have marked her life…

Rainbow Dash let herself fall back on her mattress, her both forelegs in thin air. She was fed up with thinking.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Everything’s just perfect. Do you want to ask me something or are you here to chat? Or maybe we could go and train together?”

“It would’ve been great, sugar cube but I’m here becuz there’s somepony who’s there to see ya.”

“What? Who?”, she asked, rising an eyebrow.

Applejack slowly moved aside, and Rainbow Dash had a glimpse of Twilight Sparkle behind her. She had swapped her usual red coat against a shirt made of laces and of many buckles, and had tied her purple and blue mane in a bun. Her wooden hoof freshly waxed, she also had put on a belt with various buckles supplied with a sheath for a sword which the Members of the Militia used. The subtly frayed leather let her think it probably was the one that had been given to her when she had been chosen as Quartermaster.

Immediately, Rainbow Dash stood back up, and threw her pillow on the side. Applejack seeing her in such a strange state was not really annoying, but there was no way Twilight Sparkle would see her behaving like a clumsy starry-eyed filly, especially with what she had seen on the previous night. Her arrogant Head’s Militia mask on, she greeted her with an odd half-smile.

“You’re strangely well set up. Is there a ball somewhere today?”

“Very funny”, Twilight replied. “I’m here for our dual. You said to me ‘wherever I want, whenever I want’, didn’t you? So here I am. I don’t want to wait.”

“Well, then”, said Applejack in a haste. “Have to go now, eh! See ya, Dash!”

And she disappeared in a room nearby before Rainbow Dash even could add anything else. Obviously, Applejack knew there were no chance to slow down Twilight’s enthusiasm and that she was ready to get stuck in, whether her challenger was ready or not.

In all sincerity, at the time Rainbow Dash did not feel like fighting at all and she would have gladly sent her away if she had not seen there a fabulous opportunity to free her mind from her ridiculous sentimental troubles. At the same time, she could finally move one of the pawn that could lead her to a probable checkmate. In reality, this abrupt desire to tie-break with her came along at just the right time.

As she had said the evening before, Twilight had no chance against her. Even little warmed up, hurt and worried about small sappy issues.

“Well, what are you waiting for?”, she said to her provocatively. “The beginning of spring?”

Galvanized by the pegasus mare’s boast, Twilight immediately unsheathed her wooden sword and rushed toward Rainbow Dash. It was not a fight like the ones that sometimes happened at nights, its aim was no pony injured. On second thought, it kind of looked like a training session, or even like a Warrior Test.

Rainbow Dash only moved once her opponent was really close, and avoided her by throwing herself on the floor and, rolling under her bed, she took out of wooden sword she kept there just in case, so self-confident she was sure that even with such a harmless item, she could cause a lot of damages to anyone who would try to take an advantage of her.

In her turn, Twilight stepped back, then charged again, but her strike was avoided once more. It was this way until they both arrived on the balcony of Rainbow Dash’s room overlooking on a bit of the Royal Tavern and Inn reserved for the family and employees.

She had not touched her even once and the other had avoided her at each attempt of a strike. In fact, the more the ‘fight’ went on, the more she displayed a mocking smile, almost withering.

“Do you think I feel like playing around?”, the unicorn asked. “Couldn’t you take it seriously?”

The narrow space of the balcony let her think she had a chance. If she could touch Rainbow Dash and show her how determined she was, then this was the perfect moment.

Head low, she dashed straight toward. But instead of touching her adversary, she stumbled forward and saw Rainbow Dash jumping on the balcony’s edge. She had no choice now, she had to respond.

Twilight had said it did not matter to her whether she would lose or win. She wanted this dual for another reason, but the truth hidden behind it all, Rainbow Dash did not know. And although it was not a real fight, she refused to fight if she did not know what were the true motivations of the pony in front of her, especially in such circumstances.

She really did not expect the unicorn to rush toward her again, like enraged, while she was in a precarious balance on a surface as thick as their sword’s shafts. She tipped over without being able to hold herself back and, feeling the ground getting closer, she had no other choice than doing what was forbidden, which means flying.

To go back up was too difficult and she felt that if she tried to, the stitch she felt in her wing was likely to get into a sharper pain, less bearable.

When her hooves touched the ground, she saw Twilight appearing in front of her with magic, breathless, her sword firmly set between her teeth.

A light sound could be heard, like a flag flapping in the wind, and soon Rainbow Dash realized her bandage had not withstood, exposing her pear-shaped injury to the biting cold, gleaming of a dark red color.

For all that, Twilight did not give her any break. She rushed toward her and was even able to touch her hoof with her sword, right before Rainbow Dash bounced back. She spat her wooden sword in the snow, corrosive under her hooves, then with her hind legs, took an advantage from the run-up of her adversary to break the false blade of her weapon, which smashed into small pieces before being shattered on the ground.

“Let’s imagine we’re in the middle of an attack… What would you do, tell me, without your weapon?”, she asked to Twilight, who was staring at her flabbergasted.

“I…”

“Don’t you ever hesitate. And if you do, don’t show it. The others mustn’t see your weaknesses; they must tremble in front of you. If you don’t know what to do, just use your magic, even if that’s to transform the one attacking you into a leek or a bush, we don’t care. You’re gifted, so show them. Before trying to convince your adversary that you can beat the hell out of him or her, you have to be convinced of it yourself.”

“I’m convinced of it”, she stuttered.

“Really? Doesn’t sound like it.”

“I am!”, Twilight said, a little louder.

“No pony believes it. You wouldn’t even make a leaf shake.”

“I’m convinced of it! I’m convinced of it!”

“Pf! All talk!”

“I am!”, she eventually shot out. “I can beat the hell out of any pony!”

Rainbow Dash displayed a half-smile, this time stripped of any kind of implied mockery or irony, and Twilight understood. She had tried to prove something that she herself did not believe was true, deep inside. She had thought, foolishly, that all it took was to appear in front of an opponent and to spread out strength and determination, and no matter if what was within herself contradicted the surface. The surface was the most important thing. That was where she had been wrong.

If the one nicknamed the Thunder of Revenge was so impressive, it was not only thanks to her redoubtable reputation, or even because of the corpses she could leave behind her. This infuriating pretentious side of her was not only a part of her own nature but also of what made the character behind the pony. She said she was the best, and when she said she was the best, none could not believe her.

Whether the dual she had demanded would carry on or not, she did not care anymore. Rainbow Dash knew the game was done anyway, and that she had been able to rob the enemies one of their centerpiece, their key to decipher the codes and how the Militia was working.

Besides, it had never really been an advantage for the Unavowed Army. Twilight Sparkle had known Time Stellar’s Militia. Things were not exactly the same now that Rainbow Dash was the Head of the bunch. It was not better, not worse. It was simply different.

> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash would have want to bite the sheets. She never really been oversensitive to pain but if there was something touchy about her, it was her wings. In her plans, she had not thought that Twilight Sparkle would lay into this part of her anatomy by startling her in the shack. To be honest, she rather had thought to be attacked by a magic ray that would have suspend her into the air or something else of the kind.

And with this little improvised dual, it did not get better. Because of this, she was going to go without flying for at least a week.

She clenched her teeth but could not help a little spasm when the product-soaked cotton got in touch with her injury.

“Soarin, be gentle!”

“Doing the best I can but the disinfectant has to touch the wound at least a little if you want it to heal.”

After breakfast, when it had been time to change her bandage, Rainbow Dash had noticed that Applejack was worn out and had not want to stop her from going to sleep quickly. Since Melrose already had work at the inn and Caramel wanted to spend time with his marefriend, she had turned to Soarin with pleading puppy eyes so he would accept to take care of it.

Of course, she could have asked Pinkie Pie or even Big Macintosh, and they would both had hurried to do her this favor, but the truth was that she wanted to spend time with Soarin and that, faithful to her habits, she had not been able to make him understand by other ways than a winding one.

Since her visit at Twilight’s, Rainbow Dash could feel her coltfriend’s behavior was different. He looked less present, more head-in-the-clouds. During the watches, he remained focused, if not bluntly doing zeal in excess and it made her feel as if he was trying to avoid to be in touch with her.

Though she did not show, this sudden distance profoundly hurt her. In her mind, it could only mean he already was tired of her and did not dare to say it, scared to be in a rough time. She thought it would help to be alone with him while taking care of her. And although this was the longest phrase he had said to her since days, she kept on telling herself something was wrong.

Their more elaborate conversation had been when Soarin had wanted to know what it would become of Twilight Sparkle and that she had proudly revealed their plan had worked and that The Militia had finally found back a Quartermaster that was not a despot in the making.

As soon as he was done with his little “torture” session, he wrapped a clean bandage around her wing, meticulous and soft yet mechanical. At least, she felt his gestures as being mechanical. It had to stop. If there was something Rainbow Dash could not stand, it was to be the last to know about something she had to do with.

She heard Soarin put the first-aid kit back into the chest of drawers beside her bed, then staying where he was, in the background.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”, he asked her without real conviction.

Still lying on her stomach, her wounded wing obviously opened for want of a better alternative, she patted the free space beside her, inviting him to sit by her side.

He seemed to hesitate but after endless seconds, he finally settled by her side. Well, by her side… At a distance that Rainbow Dash thought was a little too reasonable. Instead of being at ease, he remained tensed, his hooves in right angles, his neck straight, staring at the wall in front of him on which were pinned family portraits as well as press clippings.

Fine. Here, for sure, no one would see them. What she was about to do would not ruin her reputation, and although Soarin would probably wrongly think she was the sappy kind, it did not matter. She had to try to break this resistance she was feeling from him; to break the protective shell he had built between them.

She let her body slid on the mattress to huddle against him and nuzzled the pit of his neck. She immediately noticed the tension inside of him, as if his nape was straighter, yet determined, she did not hesitate to go up her strokes until she reached his jaw. She thought she felt him swallowing and thought she was on the right road. So she made his face turn and pecked his lips.

Like last time… No, worse than last time. Rainbow Dash got no answer from him. Nothing moved in Soarin, not even a millimeter.

Saddened and deceived, she let herself fall against her pillow half-heartedly, trying not to show him how much his lack of reaction broke her heart.

“I’ve bumped into winter clouds that were warmer…”

“Sorry. I—didn’t want to look, well… You don’t have to force yourself, you know.”

“To force myself?”, she asked rising her voice.

Then she added, softer:

“To force myself to what?”

“To act as if you wanted to be with me.”

It was as if he had hit her with a club right into her face. She had tried to be sincere, had done her best to go beyond her embarrassment regarding affection, hoping it would clear this odd tension between them… and he was thinking she was forcing herself. Even with the best will in the world, Rainbow Dash did not understand.

“But who said I’m forcing myself?”

“No pony.”

“So, what? If you don’t say anything, Soarin, I can’t guess. What’s wrong lately?”

She felt he hesitated. No matter what it was, this whole matter could not be sort out if he retreated into silence. She was not really good at it and her loving experiences could be counted on a pony’s hooves yet she knew for she had seen many couples around her that communication was something essential.

He had to go in front of his fears, to tell her one time for good what made him in such a gloomy mood.

“Don’t take it badly.”

“I’ll try my best, but I can’t take promises I won’t keep.”

Soarin sighed, his shoulders and ears lowering. He did not dare to look into her eyes.

“Do you still love Time Stellar? It seems like… no one will ever be half the pony he was.”

Time Stellar? So, he was the problem. Rainbow Dash had thought about it, possibly. But she had not contemplate the trouble to be coming from the way her deceased coltfriend had been described…

Herself, she realized that what bothered Soarin the most was precisely the fact that Time Stellar was deceased and that so, his memory will always be more intense than all the rest. And, no dead pony would ever disappoint her or break her heart. How would he hold the competition?

It was about time to set the record straight. For this she would have to be honest with him. A part of this truth would probably hurt a little, yet… it was like her wounded wing. If she wanted it to heal, she had to suffer a bit with a touch of disinfectant.

Too bad if, for this, she had to do something that, all the same, caused a problem – to open up her heart and to speak her feelings out. However, the most difficult was to give it a try.

“Of course, I still love him. There will always be a room for him in my heart. Except you can’t spend your life crying over a dead pony. Unless you’re Melrose, but that’s another story…”

Finally, Soarin lowered his eyes to gaze at her. Rainbow Dash tried to smile to comfort him, and could see he was not quite convinced. It was not enough. She had to give him more, to make greater endeavors. If she really wanted him to stop to sideline her, she had to offer him more than scraps. She had to destroy her own protective shell. To appear stripped off her selfish pride. Her heart naked.

“I promise I’m not forcing myself. I really like you. A lot.”

A gleam danced in the back of his emerald eyes and she thought she had won the battle… until the small flame went out again.

In her mind, Rainbow Dash heard a little irritated voice yelling “what now?”, but decided not to listen to it, to stay patient – the best she could. He might really need an additional explanation.

It truly was complicated, feelings…

She put a hoof on his cheek, to make sure he would not look away.

“You’re really nice. You’re a good pony. And you make me laugh. Most of the time, at your own expense, but, well…”

With that, Soarin displayed a pouty face and turned around. For sure, she was making a short hop, but she was going forward. She guessed this childish reaction was nothing wrong. It showed his desire to be taken seriously.

Saying out loud what she was feeling for him was some kind of steep slope that she crossed painfully. She did not want a pony who would know her affectionate and loving side could one day use it like a flaw to exploit.

If she let Soarin step into her little private sphere, she would have to trust him, the way she trusted Caramel, for example, although their bond was of a strictly different kind. She had to trust him so much that he would never exploit this flaw in order to play with her.

Rainbow Dash rolled on her flank and, teasing, wrapped herself around his stomach such as a small bawdy snake, her both forelegs forcing him to turn around and to look into her eyes.

“You are alive… in every sense of the word. Why would I keep on crying over a lost love when I can be with you, laugh with you, play with you, fly with you, speak with you, cuddle with you? Do you understand?”

Soarin nodded with a smile, and finally, she felt the tension inside slowly leaving her as her body started to relax against his. It had been very complicated for her to say the words, but now she had said them, she was feeling lighter. Eventually, her mind will cease to torture herself with questions without answers. And, she hoped so, it was the same for him.

Without her to loosen her embrace, he turned the part of his body still avoiding to face her, and thought he understood in the way she squeezed herself a little more against him that she had no intention of letting him go.

The kiss that followed arrived very naturally, as expected as sunny spells after a storm. For the first time, it was a kiss to which they had consent at the same time, without a gap. It seemed to seal an implicit deal between them.

A page had just been turned, and a new chapter was about to begin. They probably would have to go through storms together, and avalanches, thunderclaps tearing up the sky, with trees falling down over their road.

However, for now, nothing else mattered, except how his lips moved on her lips and their both body sealed together, like two colors of a same palette mixing up with time.

The sensation was… liberating. She stopped thinking about her reputation, about what the others could think of her, since there was only her, Rainbow Dash and Soarin, in the secret of this room. She stopped asking herself questions – when, how, why. She even forgot that a threat rumbled outside and that at any moment, her world could stumble over into malevolence and blood.

Happenstance had brought him on her doorstep. Not really thinking about the future, not even the close one, she had accepted him by her side, had agreed for him to step into her universe, the one she kept sheltered from the eyes, that was only known of a very small percentage of ponies.

Today, she no longer wanted to pretend. It was the truth she had been able to express, although she had kept for her another secret that she did not feel ready to say out loud yet.

She did not need to tell him. Kisses and caresses were here to overcome the lack created by words, and through them, Rainbow Dash worked on making him understand he had been able to conquer a part of her heart.

She gasped in surprise when he buried his muzzle into her second wing, which had opened without her to even notice. His mouth rummaged through the feathers until he finally found her most sensitive spot, and she closed her eyes, unable to hold back what was going out of the back of her throat.

It had been forever since she had not been taken over by these sensations and she did not know what to do with it. Everything seemed to be multiplied, to the extent of being painful. She hung at his neck, said his name in a steamy cry, and in order not to let her accelerated heart win, she pressed her own lips against his throat, not expecting what she was about to start.

At the time, surprised, she had a slight wince, then smiled through the new kiss they exchanged. While others tore each other apart for matters of revenge, she had right to the best treatment of all Equestria.

With Soarin, everything was new. Everything shone from a different radiance, had a different taste. As if she discovered her land again and the treasure it could contain, she denied herself nothing, filling up of each recess of his body her hooves could reach or kiss.

Short-winded, he took a break. Here she was under his eyes, hanging onto him, her body yearning. Her mane in a mess and panting. She smiled at him, and he discovered she could smile in another new manner. A lot of words rushed through his mind and he was able to say none of them.

Anyway, she could make fun of him or reproach him to be too sappy. So he did not say a word and leaned over to kiss her again. Between two kisses, Soarin heard her speak about the previous night, this night when he had left her so alone, assuring him that she had wanted him to stay. Then she asked him to stay tonight, all night long.

He did not need to be asked twice. Since the very first day or almost, he had thought about this moment, and sometimes he even has thought it would never happen. In all honesty, truth was stranger than fiction. Once charmed, Rainbow Dash showed herself to be of a surprising affection. She liked him to take his time, not to be too rough in his gestures.

In fact, right before they both moved on to the next level of their exchange, she warned him, waving a menacing hoof under his eyes.

“If you’re going too fast and hurt me, I’ll put my hoof in your face, is that clear?”

Soarin wanted to smile. True to herself. You could take the warrior out of the mare but you could not take the mare out of the warrior.

“Nice and slow, then…”

“That’s how I like it.”

She pecked the tip of his muzzle and waited. It was up to him. The initiative, far from being simple, happened to be a bit laborious to set up. Rainbow Dash had to replace her mane, wedged behind her back, and he skidded several times without being able to establish a contact. A long minute was necessary to be able to be compatible to each other.

“You don’t need to kiss me all the time”, she said softly. “Look into my eyes.”

Little by little, they each learned to tame each other, to understand what the other liked and how. Sometimes, between two sensual sighs, they were laughing when hearing sounds of hooves in the corridor, or when a bit of air went between their both bodies and made strange sounds.

But whatever happened, always, Rainbow Dash nestled against him passionately, and when it happened, Soarin felt as if he were the most loved stallion of all Equestria. No other pony had the chance to hold in his hooves this mare pegasus who drove him crazy, without even looking for it.

He looked at her sprawling in a sensual way, her wings opened yet relaxed.

“I’m feeling so good right now… Caramel was wrong about you. You do know crazy tricks with other limbs than your wings.”

From her, it probably was a compliment, and Soarin took it as such.

They had just caught their breath, after a relationship that have been at the same time tender, conniving and very erotic. Obviously, if Rainbow Dash hated ponies to see her being affectionate in public, she felt no shame when the whole house could hear her having pleasure. It was rather surprising… but pleasant for him.

With his hoof, he traced the drawing of her backbone, sliding between her unfold wings until the pit of her small of the back. Soarin was rewarded by a small sensual moan, and saw her suppress a chill. Really, this was better than anything he could have imagined.

She snuggled against him as soon as he was by her side, not having a care about the perspiration on their sticky coat, a satisfied smile on her face. He closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep with her between his hooves, when she rose her eyes.

“I was about to forget something… My parents want to meet you.”

The tension which had left him one hour ago re-entered the fray. Nonchalantly, Rainbow Dash has just dropped a bomb. He already knew Melrose, Applejack and Big Macintosh’s mother, a very pleasant mare for whom he had a lot of respect, but Rainbow Dash’s parents were something else.

“What? Does that scare you? They won’t be questioning you or I don’t know what. It’s just that there’s this thing… their wedding anniversary. And they’d like for you to be here.”

“Dashie…”

He thought she would frown about the nickname, but in front of her lack of reaction, he spoke again.

“Your father’s a legend. The Armed Weapon of Destruction. Former Leader of the Cavalry. He’s not just any stallion.”

“Precisely, don’t you think it’s exciting? The first time I’ve been told I’ll learn with Master Crimson Moon, I haven’t been able to sleep at night because I couldn’t wait.”

Soarin buried his muzzle into his marefriend’s rainbow mane. He was terrified just thinking about it and it was not something she could understand. Rainbow Dash never was afraid of anything, except maybe the Black Blood infection. She did not even seem to fear the Spider God’s wrath, although she believed, who recommended to lovers a due date for the first lovemaking that they haven’t respected at all.

“I promise he won’t embarrass you. Neither will Mom. They’re not like this. My uncle, on the other hand…”

“No, not the Angel of Death with it, no!”

She burst laughing without restraining herself. No one in her family was the kind to mess up with her sentimental life. They asked her questions, it was true, but were not those who make suffer from a questioning by the book to the coltfriends she could have, or worse, to intervene in her relationships by forbidding her to go out with a stallion they would not like.

They were going to like Soarin, anyway. His kindness, his empathy, his energy were qualities her family appreciated, placing those virtues above the rest. And he cared for her. It was the number one required quality to gain favors of everypony.

When he understood she was making fun of him, his cheeks blushed in a shade of pink. Adorable. She could not restrain herself from pecking his muzzle again. This tall stallion pegasus, with sturdy wings, an athletic body and muscled hooves, blushing because he has been teased and he has fallen into a trap… It was irresistible, even for her.

“Please, I really want you to be here. There will be a lot of good food to eat, cider at your wits’ end, my mother will be forced to make a speech – that’s the best – and I’m going to be obliged to wear one of these damn itchy dresses. We’ll have a lot of fun!”

Obviously, she really cared about his presence. He was sorry to notice, yet now she had opened up her heart to him, since she had delivered him her deepest secret, she got him. There was nothing he could refuse to her, not even this.

To meet Uncloudy Shelter, the one who made stop the Fratricide War by confronting his own twin brother, Knight Shelter, there as well… How would he be able to keep his composure in front of such living legends?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A very few pony knew there was a hot spring in this corner of the Everfree Forest. Those who ventured here often did not have the time to stop and watch around them. Most of them were only there in a transition phase. It was rather pity, since the woods which was a source of fear for many contained its part of beauty as well.

Twilight closed her book on Equestria’s history that she had brought with her. It was her favorite book, though she knew a lot of details had been romanticized. In fact, there were very few written traces of the life before Equestria was created. The little that existed recounted stories of a hostile land, where ponies were left to their own devices, and though the climate was not as hard as it was now in the North Shore, violence seemed to be more violent and more present than what it was now too.

What she liked the most were stories about Starswirl the Bearded, first king and great mage, who had been able to reunite the three ethnic groups – unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi – who until then were killing each other in what looked like a civil war. She liked the way he had overcame with the invasion from the Crystal Empire, this empire that sounded like some urban legend. And how he had founded Canterlot and Manehattan, the first Equestria’s main cities, before Ponyville became what it had become.

Her book between her mouth, she put her eye-patch back thanks to her magic, and still thanks to it, she wore a lined bathrobe that she adored and had been able to keep undamaged.

The air outside was freezing just like any other night, but after the boiling hot water from the spring, it seemed to Twilight that it was even more biting than usual. She hurried to go to her small shack not far, hidden by a thick curtain of leafy trees yet recovered with snow.

Soon, she would be able to leave this place, and to go back in town. She could not wait to stroll in the streets without being looked like a freak. Again, she was going to be able to make the most of the others’ generosity, and above everything, as The Militia’s Main Quartermaster, she would finally be allowed to reuse the Ponyville’s Archives as she liked.

It implied that she would have to assist to the Head’s Council assemblies, to be here at each of the training sessions, if not even to some of the most important watches. Some eyes, she knew it, would be incriminating, and she would have to show evidence of patience before she would regain their trust. It did not really matter. She was redeemed. No need to wait for a potential victory that might not even occur.

Yet, her joy was of short duration when she returned to the inside of her shack. The two doors had been broken into – again. All her books were on the floor, her table destroyed, her basin of water knocked over had damaged some of the publications. Blood with a strong smell of innards and rot had been daubed on the walls.

On the wall beside her window, the one against which she had pinned Rainbow Dash with her sword – that has disappeared – there was a small white rectangle, outlining from the rest.

She stepped closer and opened her eyes wide seeing what was written with big red letters: ‘death for traitors’.

In all likelihood, Prince Blueblood already knew he had lost her help. And he did not like it at all.

> Chapter 23
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was walking back and forth through the room, on the lift platform, right in front of the big blackboard. Her mane tied in a ponytail, she was clad in a beige shirt with a black tie, with black fitted pants, along with a flashed blazer. While speaking, she was shaking a rod in an energetic manner.

Sitting down at a table facing her, her whole Council was present, as well as Pinkie Pie. She had summoned them this afternoon before the training sessions in order to tell us about an important matter.

Caramel and Applejack looked at each other with a knowing look, and leaned over Soarin.

“Why is dat she’s wearin’ her Cavalry Trainin’ Academy uniform?”

Soarin shrugged. He had been the last one to arrive and did not know more than the others. Just because they were closer than before did not mean that she would let him know about each of her whims.

Rainbow Dash stopped in her speech, and made her rod crack against the table, making them all jump.

“Because it looks cool, ok?! I look more awesome than usually with it on. If that’s possible.”

They sighed. During a few days, they all thought they had lost her. Her behavior was a bit different, probably because she had been more shaken by the latest events than she let them know. It was pleasant to notice that they had found her old good self back. Both pleasant and irritating. But at least, it was something stable, a little cozy comfort zone, and they all liked it best. As long as she did not do too much.

She started to walk back in the same manner, still shaking her rod, and once the surprise of her get-up was over, they each did their best to stay focused. If she had summoned them here, it was undoubtedly because something important had to be said.

It had been almost two months now that the Unavowed Army had not shown signs of existence. This had been too long. They all were convinced they would strike back, and the more the wait until the next attack was starting to be long; the more stress was increasing within The Militia, no matter the teams.

“Twilight told me they were planning something huge inside their kind of castle so-called Headquarter but she had not been told what it was. It means we have to expect this huge something to hit us any time soon… Yes, Pinkie?”, she said in a blasé tone seeing the mare lifting her hoof high.

“Why can’t we instead go in their kind of castle so-called Headquarter to arrest them?”

“Because the Cavalry’s the only one empowered to do that.”

She was still shaking her rod, with more energy at each words that she spoke.

“And it would mean less protection for the Princesses, and that’s precisely what they want! Ouch!”

None could help but laugh seeing Rainbow Dash falling into her own trap. A thin red trace thick as her rod now appeared above and under her eyelids.

If she had asked them to gather, it was to talk to them about some very serious topics. So the whole thing would look more solemn, she had decided on that little dramatization, but obviously, the finale show was more comical than what she had in mind. It made her think of those sappy novels Melrose was fond of, and that, although trying to locate their stories in dark and mysterious universes, always had a laughable result – not on purpose.

She gave up on her rod, cleared her throat, and with a few strikes of her hips, brought the blackboard she had prepared in front of her friends. There was a map of Ponyville pinned on it, or more exactly the Great Weaver area with a particular spot circled in red.

“Is that… the Royal Tavern and Inn?”, Caramel asked, now serious.

“Yes. As you all know, next week we’ll be celebrating my parents’ wedding anniversary. It’s going to be their silver wedding anniversary, and it’s something like very important. What again, Pinkie?”

Once again, she had lifted her hoof above her head, willing to ask a question.

“How many years of marriage are a silver wedding anniversary?”

“Twenty-five. But that’s not what really matters… Question. If you were Prince Blueblood, when would you attack your enemy?”

“When they more vulnerable?”

“When he’s not expecting it?”

“In presence of the loving ones?”

“When there would be cakes to eat?”

“You’re all right. Except maybe for the cakes… Although there will be a cake, but well! This means we have to expect them to make their huge something next week. We have to be prepared for it at any cost. So, next week, under our alluring clothes, we’ll all have to be armed, and we’ll have to train like before each of our watch, if not harder. Everything could be decided on that special night.”

Her eyes met Soarin’s, who immediately understood that, scared or not, he would not have the choice on whether to come or not to this family reunion. However, the fact that she had insisted that she really wanted to have him by her side remedied the bittersweet assessment.

They all knew the date was important to Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter. It was not any wedding anniversary they were about to celebrate…

Their marriage had occurred in the middle of the Fratricide War, and Longreen had married them in a half-destroyed temple, between two ambushes, with no real ceremony and no other witnesses than him, Melrose and a very young Big Macintosh who was nothing a tiny newborn foal. It was a bit like a second wedding they were going to get.

To take into account that this second chance had the potential to be ruined hurt a lot but Rainbow Dash knew she could not neglect the probability. If something had to happen, she wanted it to occur with the least of damages.

“That’s why… I’m sorry, but Pinkie… You’ll have to be at your appointment in your guard tower. You’re a part of the family in our heart and it really hurts me that you won’t be here to celebrate this with us, especially since you’re really fond of parties…”

“Stop”, Pinkie Pie said, stretching her hoof in front of her. “I understand, Dashie. I love parties but I love you even more. And if somepony lash out at my family… I’M GOING TO BE REALLY ANGRY!”

Her sudden shout made Soarin jumped, since he has not yet seen Pinkie Pie’s darkest side, but no other companions of his table seemed to be startled. He even saw Big Macintosh saying is typical “eeyup”, as if it was indeed normal to see this pink endless energy abruptly shouting to her heart’s content.

Rainbow Dash walked to Pinkie Pie to hold her between her hooves. She might well not be a part of The Militia, without her, it would have been impossible for the mare pegasus to be able to do her watches, and even her Head duty, with peace of mind. Every night, Pinkie Pie sacrificed some of the things she liked the most in order to assure the safety of those who were the dearest in her heart.

The worse of it all was that she knew Pinkie Pie was committed in this because she held them close to her heart and that she regarded them as her real adoptive family, the one she never really knew since her parents and siblings had died during the Fratricide War.

“Well, em”, Rainbow Dash said, her cheeks pinkish and her eyes staring at the floor in embarrassment, before she got herself together.

“Because one’s never too cautious, I’m going to warn the substitute teams so that one or two of them could help us, just in case. Since this is about the Royal Tavern and Inn, it means there’s also a potential threat towards citizens. To finish, Twilight’s going to install a magnetic field around the Inn for the night. Only those authorized to enter through the magnetic field will be able to come and go. By the way, speaking of the devil… Where’s Twilight Sparkle?”

Rainbow Dash remembered perfectly she had given Ditzy Doo a missive asking to her presence to the unicorn. It was one of two things… Either Ditzy Doo was lost in the Everfree Forest, what she hoped not, either Twilight had just showed her she had been wrong to trust her. What she hoped not as well.

It was imperative that she would be with them. She was the only unicorn in all Ponyville able to install such a magnetic field. No other was as clever with magic as she was over here, and asking such a favor to Princess Celestia was a risk. And, the request had all the chance of the world not to reach her in time.

As if her ears have been burning, Twilight appeared on the doorstep. Though she had worn the same fancy clothes than during their dual, her appearance was more unkempt. Her clothes were flecked with brown stains, her horsehair tousled… She looked as if she had rolled herself into mud.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to talk to her in order to know what had happened to her, but a very crumpled sheet of paper appeared in front of her eyes, surrounded by a pinkish purple halo. With a red that seemed to be blood and stank, ‘death for traitors’ was written on it.

“Err… What is it?”, she asked with a disgusted smirk.

Twilight made the paper spin to the table, and sat on the first free chair she found, letting her chin fall against the wood.

“It’s a message I’ve found yesterday in my shack, that’s been entirely pillaged. I had to sleep in the woods, and I could’ve been eaten alive by timberwolves, or raped by criminals at least fifteen times! Sleeping in the Everfree Forest in the middle of the Ceaseless Night isn’t what I’ll called being pampered by luck’s Emgok.”

Most of the unicorns did not worship the Spider God. Their mythology, polytheist, was pulling horsehair complicated for the other races of ponies. Various deities called Emgoks watched over each elements of the universe, forming whole in the middle of which ponies were only a tiny part, one cog of a huge well-oiled mechanic. But it sometimes eased off a little…

They all understood what the message meant. Twilight’s cover was blown, and the Unavowed Army, knowing she had chosen the enemy faction, was going to make a prominent victim out of her. If they laid hooves on her, she would be showed as an example. Like Double Diamond, she would illustrate what it costed to tackle Prince Blueblood.

Fine. They had had Double Diamond. But they had had August Charmer. They showed what it costed to try to put The Militia down, and in particular, The Head’s Council. All square everywhere.

There was no way they would have Twilight Sparkle. She already had been the victim of the self-centeredness of a despotic pony, it was not to step into history repeating. By taking her as the Main Quartermaster, Rainbow Dash has accepted her as one of theirs.

“We won’t let them kill you. Trust me, they won’t have my Quartermaster. I really like her, but I like Spitfire even more when she’s only managing her Mare Combatant’s Guild. You’re going to settle yourself at the Royal Tavern and Inn. You’re be safe there. Is there anything you’d like to retrieve?”

“The little I got left, if that’s possible… If they haven’t come back to burn it all.”

“I can’t come with you, I have to see Master Crim… well, some pony. But someone’s from the Council is going to be with you.”

To go to Twilight’s shack in the Everfree Forest, and this as she was under a death threat, it was a perilous mission. Her love for each of the Council’s Members pushed Rainbow Dash to hope none of them would take such a risk. On the other hand, her devotion to duty dictated her that it was the best thing to do. They were the most qualified for such a mission, whoever would go.

“Ah can do it, if Twilight’s alright wit it”, Applejack declared while lifting her hoof.

They all turned around, surprised.

Twilight was the one who had brought Double Diamond’s mutilated body and they all knew how much guilt his death had made her feel. Of all the Head’s Council, she was the last one each of them would have thought about, supposing her extreme pride would push her to hold a strong grudge against the unicorn.

What they knew as well, was that Applejack was a pony with an iron will, a tower of strength. She more willingly shed tears in front of the others than Rainbow Dash but she was as strong physically and morally. As soon as her tears were soothed, she was able to throw herself body and soul in any kind of battles, pushed by rage and a will to live. Stronger than the need to survive.

> Chapter 24
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even with the light created by Twilight’s horn, it was not easy to walk with a good pace. It was impossible to see one inch in all directions, worse than in the darkest Ponyville’s back alley.

And much more harrowing. Of course, it was hard to see yet it was easy to hear the least of rustling, the least of animals’ sighs, the least cracking twig. Imagination made these sounds seem even more frightening. Though Twilight did not seem to be moved a lot by it, even if she was the one of the two who was in danger the most, Applejack did not feel confident and could not wait for it to be over.

None of them both had said a lot since they left The Militia’s Headquarter. Yet there were things to say, but the hardest was to get started, neither the one or the other had been the instigator of anything. The earth mare considered she had done nothing wrong and could not understand why she would be the one to start the conversation. As for the unicorn, she thought that if Applejack had agreed to accompany her, she did not want to hear her talking for all that.

While they were walking in the silence of words, careful to anything which was happening next to them, knowing well that danger could come from anywhere, Applejack said to herself that she would never have found her way through the Everfree Forest on her own.

However, a few years ago, she had been the one who had found back Big Macintosh to tell him that Princess Celestia had pardoned him. With apologies. The quarrel was stupid and Royalty should have never interfered into love affairs, no matter if that was about a Pony of the Cavalry in a powerful position. It had not erased the years of exile, conversely. And nothing would sort them out but at least, the insult had been cleansed.

“I’m sorry”, Twilight Sparkle suddenly said, curtailing her reflections.

Applejack turned around to look at the unicorn, and lowered the scarf she had put on her muzzle to protect from the cold.

“Sorry for what?”

“For Double Diamond. He was your coltfriend, wasn’t he? Although you apparently weren’t together still, I know it really hurt you to see him this way. I regret what I’ve done, I’m sincere. I wanted to… be accepted again so much that I would have done anything. Really, I’m sorry, Applejack.”

“C’mon, it’s alright. He’s dead now. Can’t see what it’s goin’ to change.”

She shrugged, unable to say anything more than the real truth. Applejack already had regretted enough of her actions of the latest months. For entire nights, she had tortured her mind about what she should have done or not. Then she had realized this would not change the order of things. What had been done could not be undone. All the regrets of the world could not erase the past.

The small path stripped of snow that Twilight had drawn as a landmark for the location of her shack appeared under their hooves. But they barely had made a step that Applejack stopped her associate, putting a hoof across her chest. The little wooden cartwheel harnessed around her neck stopped its rush behind her, with a high-pitched grinding noise.

“Your shack is illuminated”, she said in a whisper.

Twilight squinted her violet eyes, trying to have a glimpse at the small house from behind the foliage. How Applejack could have noticed this detail that she had not seen coming, she would never know, but there really was light at her window.

There they were, willing to kill her. Although she never really been afraid of anything until then, Twilight could feel her hooves shaking and the sweat rolling over her forehead. Obviously, Prince Blueblood had kept his promise.

She thought about Double Diamond, about the way he had thrown his body that was not really a body anymore at her hooves, ordering her to deliver this gift to the Militia’s Head, her old friend Rainbow Dash. The way she had felt exhilarated displaying their friends in that miserable state… She was ashamed and she was terrified. On the face of the white stallion, she saw her own features.

There was no time to think about an action plan. The sound of the cartwheel probably had called out to their assailants. They both were expecting a particularly impressive welcoming committee, something like a dozens of ponies… And they were surprised to meet face to face in front of two teenage colts and one single unicorn mare with a pastel blue coat and a azure mane.

The latter wore a long cloak embroidered with stars that Applejack regarded as ridicule, and she was standing in front of them putting on so much airs that even Rainbow Dash in her worse moments did not look as condescending as her.

“Tremble, you miserable little ponies… The Great and Powerful Trixie is in front of you!”

Facing this more than outlandish introduction, the earth mare’s reaction was not long in coming. She burst out laughing soundly.

“Dat’s the worst introduction Ah ever heard! D’ya think yar at de fair?! Great and powerful, don’t make me laugh. Why haven’t we heard about ya if yar as good as ya say?”

“Because you’re nothing but a bunch of morons understanding nothing to genius. But I didn’t come here for you, I’m here for her”, she claimed while pointing Twilight. “Your fatal hour has struck, you traitor!”

A spark of blue light sprung from Trixie’s horn, that she pointed in Twilight’s direction. Immediately, the latter replied the same way, and the two beams met at equal distance. It was up to the one who would last the longest but they both were determined not to let go.

Meanwhile, the two unicorn colts, one stocky with a blue coat and the other thin with a mustard yellow coat, stepped nearer to Applejack. They did not seem to really know what they had to do, nor to be frankly used to high-flying combats, if not to combats, period. Was it all the Unavowed Army had in store to confront them? A self-important mare decked out like at a street party and too kids without experience…? Insulting.

Applejack barely had the time to avoid Trixie, thrown on the ground by Twilight’s beam, far more powerful. Here was a business smoothly handled. And absurd from one end to the other.

Only when she glanced at Twilight, she noticed that she was out of breath. She had not practice fighting magic for a too long time… It was the kind of things that was not easily forgotten but that came back by dint of training. And although she had started back magic studies in a much more serious way, it seemed that it was not enough already.

In order to help her new Main Quartermaster, Applejack did not hesitate to set forth her hind hooves to charge at the other unicorn… It was to be forgetful that in fighting magic skills, she had, unlike Twilight, all the time of the world to train.

Applejack’s body was discharged against a tree with a strike of magical beam, and Trixie made sure it was her head which received the most violent shock. The earth mare might have struggled, within a few seconds, her body crushed against the trunk, the side of her head hitting the hardest part of it, and she immediately lost consciousness.

“Here. Now, there’s just the two of us, traitor!”

From the moment Trixie had learned that Twilight Sparkle would join the Unavowed Army, she had decided to hate her. She had been praised for her superior magic tricks, her education with one of the finest Fighting Master… But in reality, she had met with some frustrated unicorn, who was here only under coercion, and who was rustier than a horseshoe when it came to magic. She deserved her job in this Army much more than Twilight did, and when her treason had been revealed, Trixie immediately had boasted that she had told everypony she was nothing but a liar, then she had assured she was the mare of the situation when Prince Blueblood had asked who wanted to be her executioner.

She did believe in the cause. She believed the Unavowed Army could overthrow this government that claimed to be peaceful, but only had a poor Militia to contain crimes in Equestria. What the Fallen Heir Apparent proposed was to take over the reins of the people and the citizens. To stop with this idea of cities’ management autonomy. She thought the masses was too idiotic to understand politics and society. Ponies needed a stricter frame, they needed to be told what to say, what to do, what to think. Without it, they were nothing but a bunch of ridiculous puppets.

This little confrontation made of magic beams only had been a warm up. She had prepared much better…

As soon as Twilight started to charge at her with her horn again, she threw the festivities. This idea had come to her mind thanks to the Main Servant Rarity – that she despised as much as Twilight because she knew she was committed only for Blueblood’s love but which fighting skill she admired – at the same time than thanks to the late August Charmer, whom she always had a soft spot for.

It was not very advanced magic, of course… But it worked fine.

A first arrow like from out of nowhere came to brush Twilight’s cheek, who, distracted, immediately lost the stability of her trick. Then a second one drove into her hind hoof. She tried to get rid of it with magic, but another arrow directly buried itself inside her Cutie Mark, and she fell on her side, unable to have enough attention to use her horn correctly again.

She could see Trixie’s triumphant gaze when another arrow touched the tender flesh of her croup, right where Rainbow Dash had injected a sedative doubled with a magic neutralizer. Praying for the arrows not to be poisoned, she only half-listened to her, as she was boasting about her superiority that she thought no pony else could deny.

Twilight was able, not without trouble, to use her horn again against Trixie, but muffled a curse when she saw her avoiding her attack. It had to be a way… Yes, there was a way but she feared it would hurt her more than anything else. And if another arrow came to drive inside another limb while she was performing it, she was not sure she would be able to keep the necessary focalization.

However, she knew she had to try. Many times she could have avoided to be fooled if she had at least attempt to use this advantage. This time would be different. There was no way she could let this unbearable Trixie win.

Helping herself with her right foreleg, Twilight took off the eye-patched she kept on her face, on the same side. Immediately, she felt the scald like acid trimming her retina. It was unsupportable, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek in order to stop herself from blindfolding herself again, forgetting everything. The concentration it asked her was as hurtful as the rest and made her feel as if her brain was compressed by metal. Her other eye started to cry, her vision blurred.

Suddenly, Trixie’s image became clear-cut. Crystal clear. She moved her lips in slow motion. As if each seconds stretched out eternally, she saw her lowering her horn and knew another arrow was about to strike.

Unfortunately, being down, she could not avoid it. As soon as it touched her flank again, the shriek of pain going out of her mouth made her lose her focus, and her eyes started to burn again. She had to put her eye-patch back, it was an emergency. Or the risk would be for her to see nothing at all until the end of her life.

“You want to take that back, don’t you?”, Trixie said, shaking her eye-patch in the air with magic. “Well, you…”

A rope as thick as a snake had just wrapped around the blue unicorn’s body, her forelegs getting stuck along her ribs. Then, she was pulled down without being able to get out of the Lasso’s control, despite her magic.

Applejack made her drag to her, then took back the eye-patch with her teeth, which she threw on Twilight.

“Am sorry, sweetie, but it takes more than a lil’ tree trunk to knock me out!”

As soon as she had covered back her eye, Twilight did not wait to have recover before removing the arrows out of her flesh. Yes, it was painful, but Applejack had just saved her life, and she did not want to leave her on her own to confront Trixie. Although, obviously, with this Lasso which never missed its targets, it was odds on that she did not really need her.

She took a glimpse at Applejack who immediately understood her and released Trixie. The latter could hardly catch her breath. Not only the attack had been hurtful but with it, the Lasso had been so tight around her body and hooves that she had troubles with breathing correctly and could have felt blood had stopped circulating in part of her body.

Twilight did not let her time to recover. She lowered her horn, and with all the strength she had despite her wounds, got a shot out of it that knocked Trixie back to the ground. The latter was writhing in pain, disappointed and really angry at the same time, but too weak to let them know.

“Let’s hurry up gatherin’ yar things, and beat it as fast as we can. Ah don’t think there’s a use in finishin’ her off. What d’ya think ‘bout dat?”

“You’re right”, Twilight said, out of breath as well. “Would be better for her to think about the consequences of her acts. And what kind of pony she offers her loyalty to.”

Applejack came to take back her small cartwheel, then met Twilight. A thick cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared, and they heard Trixie’s voice saying they would both pay the highest price for this insult. Blinded by the aggressive fog, they coughed soundly while shaking their hooves. One could believe the blue unicorn had teleported herself… In reality, they both easily took notice of her running as fast as she could.

Applejack lowered her glance at Twilight, which own wounds kept on bleeding.

“Since Ah think she wouldn’t come back, I’m goin’ to heal you before we leave. We’ll go in a free clinic on our way back.”

“Thanks, Applejack.”

“It’s nuthin’, ya know. Yar one of us now. Ya showed it well tonight. And it’s the least Ah can do, isn’t it?”

Twilight nodded, and accepted without a debate the help given by her brand new friend.

This face-to-face had revealed something precious… She did not regret her choice. Today, she knew she had make the right decision when she had accepted Rainbow Dash’s offer. It was much more than a simple redemption she had gained here. It was the unfailing support from ponies who were loyal to one another, that the hardest ordeals gathered, binding together links that could not be broken, not even by fear or death.

It was what she has always wanted to have, without really confessing it. Friends on which she could rely, no matter the circumstances. If only her parents and her brother could have seen her at this very moment…

----------------------------------------------------

She hoped the Spider God would forgive her. But she needed it. It was not as if this had happened with a stallion she barely knew. And anyway, they had not got to the bottom of things.

These precepts were more than three centuries old. A very few pony kept on following them. As a Master of Rituals, Applejack had to maintain a certain self-discipline. Lies and cheats had been banned from her vocabulary. She followed many other things to the letter, never daring to call them into questions. All the same, this one was a bit old-fashioned.

In the room at the other side of the corridor, a few days earlier, Rainbow Dash had seemed not to care about this “decent date” before physical intimacy between two ponies. And the whole floor could have enjoyed it. It was a luck that little Apple Bloom had been in school at that very moment…

Seeing her lost in thoughts, Caramel slipped a hoof in her loosen mane, falling on the side and stroking his chest, and he smiled warmly at her.

Though she always had her share of success, for some ponies she was nothing but a mare a little uncouth, with this agrarian accent that smelled good like straw and fruit orchards, pretty yet not enough to deserve consideration. In his opinion, she was perfection incarnate. He liked her fragrance of hay and apples, he liked that blond mane always a bit tangled, her big green eyes and her adorable freckles.

They have always known each other or almost. When he was only a colt, they had been neighbors, back when the Royal Tavern and Inn was being renovated, and all that strange family used to live in the South Gate, in this small piece of land they called Sweet Apple Acres which still belonged to the Apple family – it could only work during Spring, and if Big Macintosh and Applejack had worked there when they were younger, today their affiliations to The Militia forced them to subcontracting.

Caramel, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were only very young foals, something like three years-old. The two fillies were playing on the path which led to the barn, under the surveillance of the big brother, who might have something like six. Rainbow Dash could not fly yet, and none of them had their Cutie Mark. They were fighting, if his memories did not default him. Well… In reality, they were rather rolling on the floor laughing. He never had seen fillies enjoying to get dirty as much as colts until this day.

It was how everything had begun. He often came to play with them. They were going to school together.

They could have grown apart. But it appeared that they each had similar desires, tastes and goals. They had been nicknamed “the inseparable”, and though Big Macintosh, older, had been a bit away, he had always come back to them and finally had joined their band.

A bit before teenage years, yet, something had started to change. What Caramel was feeling when Applejack was near him was not at all the same that he was feeling when Rainbow Dash was here. The first one made his heart beat faster, while the affection he had for the second one was the same than what he felt closed to his little sister. All the same, he had kept the secret as long as he could. Everyone had come to understand it – except Applejack. Despite this, Caramel had kept on denying.

A lot of things had happened since then. Rainbow Dash had gone to the Academy of the Cavalry and had come back less than one year later. Grievously injured during a simulation which had taken a turn for the worse, she had sworn this had never been an accident, and that she had been sabotaged. She could almost have not been able to fly again…

Then, there had been The Militia, which he had integrated before them, before even Big Macintosh. First he had been a Second Class Fighter, before climbing the ladder, and to be chosen by Time Stellar in order to be a part of his Council. Then again, there had been Time Stellar’s death and Pinkie Pie’s arrival…

Like an eternity, and yet...

“What are ya thinkin’ of?”, she asked him, putting her chin against his chest, her long blond mane spreading over the sheets.

“I’m thinking about you. About how much I love you.”

“Sigh, idiot. Yar sappier than an apple’s tree.”

Despite it, she pecked the tip of his muzzle, happy for all the kind compliments she could get from him. With Double Diamond, she had always felt as if a prisoner of the flowery words he often used to describe her. Maybe this had come from her embarrassment of not being able to answer his passion by an equal passion. It was different with Caramel. She knew he knew her well enough for her not to do anything and understand all the same what she was feeling.

When finally, they would decide to take the plunge for good, she knew it would be perfect. Clumsy, undoubtedly, and a little strange as well, but perfect in its imperfection. Meanwhile… She could still confess to Rainbow Dash about what she was expecting from it. Her best friend would listen to her without a word, never really admitting what it was like between Soarin and her – though Applejack knew… as well as a good part of the family.

“It must be time to sleep. Don’t you think so?”

“True dis would be good. If Dash sees us tired, she’s goin’ to grumble. But first…”

Caramel watched his marefriend getting up, stretching out her hooves. She did not even realize how charming she was and how adorable she could be when she was doing these simple things, even with her awful bandage around her head.

“I’m goin’ to take us drinks. Ah don’t know how ya feel but I’m damn thirsty.”

“Alright. I’ll wait for you.”

Applejack left her room and trotted along the corridor. She had taken no oil lamps with her, but she did not think it would be helpful. The Inn’s walls had no secret for her. Even in the complete dark, she was able to find her way and not to get lost in the meanders of steps, floors and corridors.

In front of Rainbow Dash’ bedroom door, she thought she could hear her chuckling, and she smiled for herself. It was pleasant to know she had found someone who made her happy again. If they were not going through a period that strange, this morning would have been one perfect morning.

Yet Applejack could sense something was going to happen. The relative quietness of those last two months was nothing but a break before the cyclone would come and take the reins of the last storm, in order to pull up what was left.

It was just a matter of days. Of hours, even, maybe.

She was close to the kitchen when a weird noise caught her attention. Like something that was being put on a table or against a wall. Immediately after, a short giggle, teasing and childish, with a high-pitched note. Pinkie Pie? She had to be home for hours…

Applejack would have passed it by without paying more attention than that, if there had not been another sound right after, the same than before yet a little louder. And Pinkie Pie’s voice, suddenly a bit more oppressed.

“No, please. Not this time.”

Curiosity killed the cat, and Applejack knew it… But the intonation in the mare’s voice had something unusual. Something that made her feel the need to rescue her. She turned back, and she slipped her head by the corner of the wall to have a glimpse of what was happening.

Her eyes went wide under the shock. Big Macintosh was holding Pinkie Pie close, and she could not escape, pinned against the wall.

Her brother. Her own brother, shyness itself, with his eyes always looking a bit tired, and this benevolence one could smell on him on top of the lungs. Only on the battlefield was he ruthless. It was not as if he lacked mares ready to do anything in order to spend a few hours in company of the mysterious member of The Militia who was called Silent Mac – deservedly.

She wanted to take action… What held her back for a short while was Pinkie Pie. Applejack did not dare to embarrass her. The pink mare tried to rebuff Big Macintosh, but did not succeed.

“Please, I don’t agree. Please…”

The echo in her voice was more and more anxious. She was able to do many crazy, unexplainable things… Never falling short or resources. When something scared her, either she laughed to make her anguish leave, either she let what they all called her “survival instinct”, leftover of a dark part of her past, take over her.

It had nothing in common with the Black Blood, which was a hereditary and incurable disease. It was not a gift, like the Acuteness gift or the Sacred Eye. When she was attacked or threatened, beware the one who made the mistake of provoking her. This devastating rage disappeared quickly, and she would become funny and cheerful again as always. Where the Black Blood bearers often tortured themselves for their misdemeanors, she regarded it as something natural and too bad for her victims.

She had to take action. Applejack took a step forward, hitting her hooves in an intent manner against the floor. Immediately, Big Macintosh let go Pinkie Pie, who ran as fast as her hooves could carry her without further ado, blushing of shame.

“Can I know what ya were doin’ to dis poor Pinkie?”

The huge stallion did not dare to look into her eyes.

His younger sister was such an exemplary of integrity and virtue. He wished he could have been the one who would guide her, the one which she would follow the example of, and the contrary had happened, only because despite the heart qualities he held, he was unable to resist a pretty mare.

When Applejack had discovered his little misdemeanors with Rainbow Dash, it had been hard to sweeten the pill, but she finally had accepted it, after she had talked with each of them both and had said what she had to say. As long as they were honest and, most importantly, that the desire was shared, she had found nothing more to add.

It seemed clear that what she had just witnessed did not match the category wanted. Big Macintosh was terribly ashamed now that he realized what were the consequences of his actions.

At the time, he only had thought about his own interests. Because the first time, they had both felt the need to do it, to fulfill a wound of the heart. Because all the previous times, she had not resist although she had not really felt desire on her side. She probably had not wanted to offend him.

This time, she had said no, she even had explained why. Her deceased coltfriend's brother would be there soon and she did not want him to guess what she had done because of the scent of another stallion. What was he thinking?

“Nothing at all. It’s not what you think.”

“Not what Ah think? Are ya fuckin’ kiddin’ me?”

“Nope.”

He had not wanted to lie, not to his own sister, this sister that everypony praised to the skies, particularly Melrose. Big Macintosh could see that although their mother loved them both the same, she was especially proud of her daughter. The valiant, the brave Applejack. One of the youngest Master of Rituals of all Equestria. Second-in-Command of The Militia’s Head, and the Head’s right-hoof pony.

He wanted not to lie but truth was too ugly. She would not stand it. Even if she had seen it by herself, even if it was obvious. To lie. To the honesty incarnate. It was not that he did not want to do better. It was that he simply could not.

“Ma big brother. Ma own big brother who’s spinnin’ a yard… If yar lyin’ to me, at least look into my eyes while ya do.”

“Nope.”

“Dis Ah can’t believe. Not only do Ah see ya doin’ it to a friend, like a lil sista, even if she’s olda than me. But yar lyin’ to me wit it. I’m speechless.”

Big Macintosh heard the sobs in her strangled voice, as if she was trying to hold them back and that, despite her will, they were able to win. Finally, he gazed at her, and only saw a blurred vision of her blond mane and her orange coat. He opened his mouth…

“Don’t speak. ‘Tis too late. I’m disappointed, Big Mac. Ya don’t know how disappointed Ah am.”

Applejack turned around and ran off to her bedroom, without a look behind. The tears she had tried to swallow back were now scalding her eyes and, on her way, she bumped into Firefly, but did not even take a minute to explain what was happening and dashed forward.

Caramel had drowsed and when he saw Applejack show up in a bedroom with no drinks, crying her eyes out, at the moment he thought someone else was dead. She rushed toward her bed, and buried her muzzle against his chest. Although he could not understand what had occurred, he held her tight, and stroke her mane waiting for the tears to run dry, whispering comforting words.

Big Macintosh, on the other hand, was unable to move for a few minutes. Disappointed. Worse than angry. Disappointed. He never thought he would disappoint her one day. Even when he had been banished from Ponyville, forced to live in the Everfree Forest, even when she had surprised him getting out of Rainbow Dash’s bedroom, disheveled and happy, she had never said this word against him. This dreadful word.

Even after he would apologize to Pinkie Pie, what he promised himself he would do tonight, it was going to take time before he would redeem himself and most importantly, before he would look at his own reflection in a mirror. A whole load of time, for sure. 

Disappointment. The most unbearable feeling ever. Because disappointment led to animosity.

> Chapitre 25
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The store was empty. It floated an odd silence there, something a little formal and solemn. The walls painted in dazzling white and the red carpeting on the floor, were not very usual in this area. The glasses of the windows more transparent than pure water in which shone diamonds, sapphires and rubies, and sparkled gold and silver… This whole in a frame of soft lights coming from the chandelier hanging at the ceiling.

Soarin glimpsed at Rainbow Dash, waiting while looking what was inside the windows, not really paying attention to it. She had insisted for him to come with her, under the excuse that she was looking for the perfect wedding anniversary gift for her parents… Obviously, she already had found it.

Maybe she only wanted to spend some time alone with him. If that was the case, she probably did not realize the not-so-subtle message sent by an outing such as this one. It was rare that couples were going to a jeweler’s together without any kind of idea, of ulterior motives. After thinking about it, he was ready to bet that she had none. But all the same, this felt… special.

The salespony and owner, a male brown unicorn with a thick creamy mane wearing a monocle at his right eye, levitated a rectangular box to the counter where they both stood, and opened it in front of Rainbow Dash. In the red-velvet box, there were two white gold pendants. At the end of the smallest one hung a small key on which a tiny diamond had been encrusted, and on the biggest one, a padlock of the same size, with the same diamond.

“Does it match with what you’ve asked, Miss Rainbow Dash?”

“That’s perfect”, she answered with a smile. “You can wrap it. In white and pink, if you can…”

Just like her parents’ coats. She had thought about the least of details. With a shoulder pat, she called in to Soarin in a whisper, while the salespony was busy levitating tissue and ribbons.

“What’s your opinion? Isn’t it pretty?”

“Well, yeah… Very much. What does it mean?”

“Ah! I’ll explain when they’ll open it. I hope it won’t sound too… sappy. Or what a shame.”

He rolled his eyes. It was her parents’ wedding anniversary, something important, and she could not help but thinking about her reputation. It to be sentimental was in agreement with the topic, there was no need to hide or anything. Although her reaction did not really surprise him.

Her wing injury was not really healed yet, and if she had held him tight in delight while he was carrying her on his back in the air, as soon as she had touched the ground and met other ponies, she had refused for him to take her wing – the one “well and able” – in public on their way to the store. In fact, he could bet it would still be this way once they would be out of the place.

Once the present wrapped to Rainbow Dash’s tastes, the salespony used his magic again to put it into her saddlebag. One minute later, they were out.

Soarin tightened his cloak around his body. The difference of temperature between the warmth of the store and the roughness of the outside was clear. Wind came to whip his muzzle, like trying to tame it, and altered his breath. Beside him, Rainbow Dash seemed very proud of herself, and gamboled with a wide smile upon her face.

The snow was still thick and spongy at the same time. The lamppost torches were all lit, and almost gave an impression of sun on the whole. Ponies were strolling through the streets, carrying baskets and bags, as if nothing horrible could happen. As if life was something smooth, a matter of course.

“Let’s have a warm cider at the Belle Horseshoe’s”, she suggested.

That was how Soarin realized two things. He only knew Ponyville by night and never really had ventured here on his own, since the two months and a half he had spent here. Days were too short for him to afford it, what made him only had a glimpse of the restless nightly life, and he had no idea how warm this place could look once you really tried to pay attention. Yes, there was a lot of risk-factors, yes, thefts and violence were daily misfortunes. Yet Ponyville contained many other secrets.

His second realization was the following… Rainbow Dash, though she did no tender gestures toward him while in front of the others, did not in the least felt embarrassed to be seen in his company. The fact that the whole city know that she had replaced in her heart their so perfect Time Stellar (at least, the impression of perfection he made Soarin feel about him) did not seem to be any kind of trouble for her. Quite the reverse.

Happy about these two topics, he followed her trotting with a pleased face that always made him look a bit stupid. Too bad. Although she refused his affection in public, it did not matter. She proved to him what she had said when they were alone were not idle words but facts.

Before they reached the bar, however, a very young orange filly, dressed in a brand new red cloak, the kind of cloaks like they sold at the Ponyville tourist information center, and supposed to show her admiration for The Militia, came to meddle up with them, trotting by their sides as if she had been their lifetime intimate friend.

“Hey, I know who you are”, Rainbow Dash told her. “We helped your mother, didn’t we?”

“Yes. Name’s Scootaloo, by the by… I wanted to thank you. Ever since, mommy has a new job, she’s taking care of things at the Administrative Office. I know it’s thanks to you.”

Soarin raised a surprised eyebrow. He knew his marefriend was kinder than what she let the others know, and that she had a lot of heart qualities which were visible through despite it all, yet he did not think she could display altruism to the extent of transforming the life of a filly she barely knew.

Young Scootaloo, with her purple mane covered by woolen knit cap with Ponyville’s acronym embroidered on it, did not let them go all the same. She kept on walking by their side, smiling from ear to ear.

“I’ve read all the books of the library about The Militia’s history and the Fratricide War. I know everything about you, you’re my heroin.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m awesome.”

“Before, I wanted to become the first mare to be Leader of the Cavalry”, she said without pointing the remark out. “But since I met you, I’ve changed my mind. I want to be a part of Ponyville’s Militia. Please, take me as a new recruit. It’s my biggest dream.”

Rainbow Dash stopped her progression. How old this filly was? Nine, maybe ten… She did not really realize what it was like to be a Member of the Militia, despite all the books she could have read on the subject.

Seen from outside and through unexperienced eyes, what they were doing could appear as exciting or gratifying, but the reality was that for as many thanks and congratulations, there was the equal parts in danger, decisions hard to take and face to face with death. Her experience within the Cavalry had showed her there were sometimes a whole universe of differences between a fantasy and rough reality.

Fortunately, there was a factor which allowed her to reject her request without harming the young pegasus filly.

“It’s a good thing to have dreams, but you know, you have no experience in the art of fighting, and you need to be at least fourteen to enlist The Militia.”

The observation was far from stopping Scootaloo. She was determined, and had decided not to let anything go until she would get satisfaction. There was a rank she could acceded to. They did not fight, and were there only to assist the Second Class Fighters and the First Class Lieutenants, like some sort of personal assistant.

“Not to be a Cadet, I know that. I’m ready to do anything. I’ll clean the floor, I’ll fix the cloaks, the wooden swords… I’ll help the new Main Quartermaster with her supply orders, her bookkeeping, everything, everything, everything, everything, everything you want.”

Once again, Rainbow Dash needed a pause for reflection. The Cadet’s rank was rather riskless, but the circumstances were complicated. She could not explain Scootaloo point blank that a threat bigger than what she had to confront until then hovered over Ponyville and Equestria. It could scare her and provoke a wave of panic if their conversation was overheard.

She glimpsed at Soarin. His soften smile suggested he had been trapped by the begging speech of the kid. It was not very surprising from him… Under the armor of redoubtable fighter lied a very sensitive heart. Alright, this was part of the things for which she cared for him – she still refused to say the four-letter word – but he should not be ignoring this was not the perfect moment to integrate so young a new recruit to their team, even if just to clean the mats of the training room.

Unless… Yes, it was a solution that would suit both of the parts. No matter if this rank did not exist in reality. It would be enough to satisfy her.

“Well, listen, kid… Err, Scootaloo. This is what we’re going to do. You’ll be my own Cadet, under my personal surveillance. Would it be okay?”

“Oh yes, yes, yes, yes!” The small pegasus cried, while jumping around Soarin and Rainbow Dash. “That’s great! When I’ll tell the others at school, they won’t believe it! When can I start?”

“Well… What about next week?”

“Sweet! You’re the best, Rainbow Dash.”

Scootaloo stepped closer and held her foreleg, for lack of being able to hold anything else because of her small height. Rainbow Dash answered by wrapping a wing around her, with some kind of tensed smile on her face.

“Heehee, I knew that already.”

Satisfied, the filly went away gamboling in the snow, under the surprised gaze of bystanders. She had been given no place to go or time to arrive but it seemed to be of a very little importance to her.

Did Rainbow Dash really intended to take her under her wing? Yes, and no. She had a lot of liking for this dynamic and promising youth, yet at the same time, she thought that if she could forget about it, it would be safer for her future. The later she would have to get to know what she knew as her daily routine; the better she would feel… Of this, the mare pegasus was sure.

Soarin and her carried on their way to the bar, but unfortunately were not able to reach the building of bricks when they were requested again, this time by a day Second Class Fighter, Berryshine.

“Rainbow Dash, Soarin, you absolutely must come… We got a problem. I know you’re not on duty but I didn’t know what else to do.”

They looked at each other, their heart like under the strike of an electric shock. It was never something good when they were called in the middle of the day. The last time it had happened, it had ended with Double Diamond’s death.

Without hesitation, they ran behind Berryshine, holding their breath. Because they had been prepared to anything, they were expecting anything. However, when they arrived in the narrow street indicated by the Second Class Fighter, they both were surprised they just saw a mare pegasus hunched up on herself, shaking from head to hooves. Her cloak had been ripped off, and one of her hind hooves displayed a wound large like a pencil but which extended on the whole sand-colored surface. She also had a complete succession of bruises on her ribs, her flank and forelegs.

Getting a little closer, Rainbow Dash noticed she had been branded. Under her Cutie Mark representing three pink butterflies was another acronym, a rose accompanied by a feather. The signature of a grinding shack renowned for its bad treatment of the mares who worked there.

“What has happened?”, she asked Berryshine.

“Two stallions have attacked her. They have tried to sexually abuse her but we came back in time to stop it. The problem is that she’s so traumatized that she refuses anyone to touch her. The physician ponies can’t even approach her. I… I don’t know what to do.”

Rainbow Dash exchanged new looks with Soarin. They both immediately understood each other. If she had suffered from a sexual abuse and that she came from a grinding shack and refused the physician ponies’ help, they bet she would not want another stallion to approach her. She had better take care of this problem herself.

With cautious steps, she stepped even closer. During days, the small paths were better lit than in the middle of the night, which did not stop the spot from being dark, bathing in a suffocating mood that gave to it appearances of a cut-throat area.

“Hello… I’m Rainbow Dash… What about you?”

The mare pegasus’ face was half-hidden with her long candy pink mane, and in her blue eyes, dread was palpable. Despite it all, she managed to looked toward Rainbow Dash and reluctantly, whispered her name… It was Fluttershy.

“Do you know who I am?”

Shy, she nodded. Even without knowing her face, it was impossible not having heard talk about her at least once. The fact Fluttershy agreed to listen to her already was a step forwards. With calm and diplomacy, Rainbow Dash had no doubts that she would be able to ensure that she opened herself a little more.

“This is Soarin behind me. He’s also part of The Militia, and he’s a really nice pony. You don’t have to be afraid. Can he come closer? I promise he won’t hurt you.”

Once again, Fluttershy nodded. If she accepted Soarin to be closer, even a little bit, it meant they were both on the right way.

This latter stepped a bit forward yet stayed in the background enough not to scare the mare too much, as she was still shaking.

“Your wound doesn’t seem deep. If you let the physician mares bring you to some free clinic, it will be healed in no time. No pony will harm you, you have my word.”

“I… I don’t want to. He… He will find me.”

“Who, ‘he’? Your grind shack’s boss?”

Fluttershy hunched up on herself a little more, and started to shake even more, her pupils dilated.

Rainbow Dash did not need more information to decipher her situation. She probably had fled after she had suffered from too many mistreatments from this boorish who was known all over Ponyville to beat the mares, and she undoubtedly thought that if he ever found her back, the treatment which was going to be in store for her would be even worse. The assault she had just dealt with would not fix it, just the reverse.

Very few solutions were available. There was no way she would abandon this terrorized mare to her own fate, and if she refused to be healed, even a small wound like this one, added up to bad life conditions, could take proportions enough to put her life in danger.

It was her duty to protect Ponyville’s citizens, with no differentiation of gender, class or age. Of course, she did not know Fluttershy, but her red-hot iron tattoo spoke for her, along with her wounded body.

They already had taken Twilight Sparkle in, and it had been a few days since Soarin slept in her bed and did not come back to the small shack he had found for rent, but Rainbow Dash thought that at this point, a pony more or less would not change a thing… And, she could not let her without help. This too was her duty.

“Here is what I propose to you… You’re going to come with me at the Royal Tavern and Inn where my friend Applejack is going to heal you. I promise no pony from your grinding shack would think about looking for you here. They don’t want to have to confront my father, trust me… and they don’t want to have to confront with me, neither, by the way. I bet they’re shaking like leaves just by hearing my name.”

Soarin could not help but to face hoof. She always had to do too much… It was to wonder even why he kept on being surprised.

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash, then at her coltfriend, who smiled at her as warmly as he could. She seemed to hesitate… It was not either as if the other options were worth to envision. In her case, what was offered now was the best. She was scared, this was obvious, but there was no other solution if she wanted to do fine without too many damages.

When finally, she nodded again, Rainbow Dash sent back Berryshine, as well as the poor physician mares who had been waiting for nothing. It would not be very easy to bring Fluttershy back to the Great Weaver, particularly if she refused that Soarin, the only one of them who was able to fly, to approach or touch her.

However, the air path was the simplest. It permitted no one to spot them with her on their backs, and for the pony who was looking for her not to have suspicions. They would have to find some cartwheel, and to cover her with a cloak. It would be hard but not impossible.

There was something else about this scared pegasus which immediately made them want to trust her. An intuitive softness, something Rainbow Dash did not possess, except in some occasions, in the private sphere, and yet, she kept this face of hers to a hooful of honored ones – between them the stallion by her side, to which she had finally gave a flawless devotion, even without noticing.

> Chapter 26
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With her hooves, she smoothed out a fold on the blue shirt he had worn to make a good impression. If she had her way, Rainbow Dash would have chosen for no one to get dressed. Outside, with that cold, yes… But inside, warmed up by the huge central fireplace adding with the inn’s cabaret’s coal-burners… Notwithstanding, her parents had demanded it – formal dress required.

Herself had tied her long mane in a complicated braid made by Melrose, who also had created for her a hairclip in the shape of her Cutie Mark, and she had worn a dress of a deep purple called Byzantium surrounded by a cream-colored lining which reminded her of the Ceaseless Night clouds.

“Do I look presentable?”, Soarin asked with a quaking voice.

“More than presentable. Just perfect. As always”, Rainbow Dash answered, focused while replacing his crooked tie.

“Do you really mean it?”

She rolled her eyes.

“I don’t. I’m dating you because I think you’re damn ugly.”

In these moments, she might well care for him… it was no use. She always thought he was a bit stupid. At first, she had been a bit embarrassed, and by getting to know him better and more about his character, she had finally dealt with it and even accepted this goofy appearance as one of the elements of his charm.

Maybe sometimes he was a bit of a goofball, but he was her goofball. And all his immense qualities remedied it.

“Are you ready?”, she questioned him with a half-smile.

“No.”

“So, let’s go!”

Not letting him the choice, she pushed him forward, forcing him to go through the two doors which led to the cabaret.

Everyone already was here, and all dressed up. The thick red curtains of the wide stage, in the back, all were down, and a huge banner had been extended here, with the message “good silver wedding anniversary to Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter” on it, with pink and white letters. All the tables and chairs had been put on the side, and only two of them, the biggest ones, were taking center stage in the room with ivory and blue tapestries. Both were filled with food and beverages in the least corners.

Soarin could not help but to gulp. Here he was, at a few inches away from him… The Armed Weapon of Destruction in person. His marefriend’s father. For the first time, he fully realized this reality, which had not hit him until then, because he had not paid much attention to it. He was in love with this giant’s daughter, this pony who had put his life at the service of Equestria, who would have been ready to kill his own twin brother to make sure the others would live peacefully. His foalhood’s hero, no more, no less.

If he listened to his voice within, he could spend the whole night here, looking at everyone moving around, unable to believe it. It was excluding Rainbow Dash. Once again, she pushed him forward, so that they will all noticed they were arrived.

He felt all his muscles freeze. Uncloudy Shelter and Firefly turned around at the same time, and offered him a smile of a remarkable warmth which soothed a little the tension inside his stomach.

“Hey, you might be Soarin”, the pink pegasus mare questioned.

Immediately, not waiting for his answer, Uncloudy Shelter made him a hoof sign.

“Come closer. Have a drink with everyone.”

Rainbow Dash passed him by with a smile, encouraging him as well to move forward. It was simple… All he had to do was to act like before a fight, when this dread clasped his chest in a vise. He took a deep breath, and went there, since he did not have the choice to do otherwise.

Each were reunited around one of the tables, while little Apple Bloom, here as well until ten, late hour for her young age, played the bartender by pouring a bowlful of cider to everyone.

When it was her turn, Melrose took a glimpse at her two other children. Big Macintosh, since always, never had been a very vivid stallion. He spoke a little, even to her, and displayed a great discretion in many fields. However, he always had a really warm relationship with his sister Applejack. They both loved each other and were ready to do anything for one another. Tonight, though they were doing all the efforts of the world not to let their mother guess, she could feel it… There was something different in their attitudes.

It was nothing new. It already had been a few days since they were looking contented in front of her but she had perceived a distance between them. A thin wall of ice separated them and none of them both dared to cross the safe zone. Something had happened, something she ignored, but which had consumed the bound that linked together her two dearest ponies, along with Apple Bloom.

If the young filly was not her real daughter, she was all the same treated as such, and neither Applejack nor Big Macintosh made a difference. They talked about her saying “my little sister”, liked to play with her and to teach her values proper of the family. She was a loved, petted filly, glad to be a part of this big family a bit mismatched. It was verified when one saw how happy she was to act as a bartender for everyone…

Whatever, it was clear that tonight was not the right night to talk with her children, to try to solve the mystery behind their sudden disagreement, if not to try to make everything she could in order to reconcile them. It was a day of celebration… The celebration of the marriage of her two best friends. Two formidable ponies whom she considered she owed everything… and who considered they owed her everything as well. They had been through so many ordeals together.

Melrose still remembered their first encounter with Uncloudy Shelter, when they finally had got hold of him after long months of tracking. Their triumph, when they thought they had caught him. The most wanted pony of all Equestria. The one who had been accused of having destroying parts of the city of Manehattan by pure jealousy and spite, when he had been nothing but a manipulated puppet. Like many others.

They had quickly understood that, like the rest of the population, they had been fooled and he had never tried to turn against the Cavalry. It was the Cavalry which had turned against him, under the influence of Knight Shelter, at that point Head of the Web. The two mares had then decided to take up arms by Uncloudy’s side, and loved had done the rest. When Longreen Woodrow had joined them, their team had become stronger, sturdier. They had fight with valor and bravery, until the finale victory. The price of it had been very high, of course, especially for Melrose. But “good” had finally triumphed.

In a corner of the room, Knight Shelter stayed a bit in the background, and watched at all these folks performing. Their eyes met, and he outlined a half-smile, before drinking his glass down in one go. Of them all, he was the only one with who Melrose found it hard to be at ease, even after more than twenty years. The stallion she loved had died because of him. It was not something she could forget. Admittedly, he had shown to be very able to start again with a clean slate when Spitfire had stepped into his life. Yet she knew – some of his principles were still the same.

And it was too late for it to change now. Sitting on one of the tables on the side, Knight ran his mauve eyes through the room. Melrose had stared at him for a few seconds… Spitfire, incredibly alluring in her dress matching her mane, made him think about a blazing comet which would ravage everything on its way. She was talking with this young purple unicorn his niece had brought back one week ago, asking whether a bedroom free of charge was available for her.

Of all time, he had found funny to watch ponies react to this or this situation. In particular, the hardest ones to cope with. Inasmuch, his ever-increasing family never disappointed him.

Each had built a destiny that was far from the deadly boredom he had expected at first, when his twin Uncloudy had brought him to Ponyville in order to reform him, along with the two mares he had met during the Fratricide War, and who had showed themselves to be almost simultaneously pregnant. At that moment, Knight would have chosen to die, rather than to live a well-ordered and monotonous existence among them. Fortunately, the two fillies born after had raised his interest for life.

They never missed to entertain him, Rainbow Dash as well as Applejack. Offered as evidence, even during this day of celebration, they both brought a very interesting piece to this little daily puzzle. The earth mare and her older brother, Big Macintosh, this tall stallion Knight had almost known in diapers, pretended to get along, yet obviously, they were quarreled for some mysterious reasons.

As for his niece, she had brought back with her a new coltfriend, that Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter had wished to meet ever since they had learned about their relationship. A kid from Cloudsdale, his back ribbed by a scar all along his spine that was exceeding his shirt. More interesting than the first one, Knight thought, remembering Time Stellar. Many times he had hoped that the apparently perfect stallion would fly off the handle, even for a single second. What was the name of this new one, already? Impossible to remember.

He heard his brother asking him what his parents were doing for a living, and saw Rainbow Dash performing wide gestures like begging them not to talk about that. Too late. The kid which name he still could not remember reported that his parents had died in an accident, and Knight saw his niece putting a hoof against her forehead.

Entertaining. It lacked a bit of passion, but for now, things were not too boring.

A quick glance at the right side where Applejack was now talking with the purple unicorn – which name he could not remember either – and her brother was at the other side of the room with his mother, doing his best to act natural, made him understand that this second case was much funnier to watch.

Applejack felt his fig-colored eyes on her, bringing all its weight. Knight Shelter was having fun with their reactions, as usual. She swept the trouble with a shrug. He had always been this way as far as she could remember, and although his heavy glances kept on bothering her sometimes, she had learned to flout it, like the rest of them.

“It’s nice to see ya smilin’ like dis”, she told Twilight Sparkle who was watching her surroundings with a visible delight.

“I haven’t realized how I’ve missed being around ponies.”

Rainbow Dash had just joined their little circle of conversation, after she had checked whether Fluttershy, who she had decided to invite in order to take her mind off things, was not too impressed by them all.

“I also miss my own family”, Twilight kept on saying. “I haven’t seen them for so long… And my big brother…”

“You have a brother?”

“Yes. And because of my banishment, I lost touch with him as well. He’s the Leader of the Cavalry.”

With surprise, she saw the two mares spitting out the contents of their drinks. How could she have deprived them of such a high-profile information? It could be a game-changer, even if the Cavalry took action only in the case where the Head’s Council and a too vast number of Members of the Militia were killed. New perspectives were in sight.

“Is it that shocking?”, Twilight asked pouring them new drinks with her magic.

“It’s not shocking, Twilight. It’s fucking important! It’s an advantage we might need in the future.”

“If I can get in touch with him again...”

“Why couldn’t ya? It’s not yar fault what had happened after all.”

“I don’t know”, she reported, lowering her eyes toward the tablecloth. “It’s been so long. What if he held a grudge against me?”

“You have to try. For yourself… and also, a little for us”, Rainbow Dash rounded off.

She threw a glance at the table where she had left Soarin with her parents, and smiled when she observed that, like foreseen, Uncloudy Shelter and Firefly liked him a lot. It was important for her. Her parents were her biggest inspiration, her guides through the existence. The reference which she always turned to. What she was aspiring for. To have their approval meant a lot to her.

Her smile could not fool any pony… Before Applejack would spot it and take an advantage from it to tease her about this, Rainbow Dash decided she would be the one to attack first.

Like everypony else, she had noticed the sudden distance between her best friend and Big Macintosh. Until now, they both had missed an occasion to speak about it. Now was the time to fix this.

“Speak of the big brother… What’s happening with Big Mac?”

Immediately, Applejack smile fell back, and she looked down. Her wound had not healed yet, and although she knew he had said this lie to her with the only goal to protect the image she could have of him, she could not consent to forgive him that fast.

She had a burden on her heart which she wanted to get rid of, unsure who she could confess it to. Caramel had been able to listen to her, but his friendship bound with Big Macintosh had made her not taking the risk to ruin their connivance.

“In fact, I discovered him with Pinkie Pie...”

Astounded eyes from Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. It was incomprehensible. Herself had been more than surprised to see them together. If possible, she wished she had seen nothing at all… And at the same time, she knew it was a good thing. What could have happened if she had not acted?

Applejack wanted to end up her sentence in a more explicit way, but seeing Apple Bloom trotting in the direction of their own table, she changed her mind.

“He tried to force her to… play Parcheesi.”

Moment of silence. The two other mares looked at each other, frowning… before they understood. Then, they nodded together, giving themselves a scholar appearance that the young filly, perched on a high chair made for her, did not understand.

“It’s wrong to do that”, the unicorn started.

“A Parcheesi game is to get started only if the other one also wants to play”, the mare pegasus said then.

“Dis isn’t the worse. When Ah asked him what he did, he lied to me.”

So this was the whole problem. Added to the shock it might have been for Applejack to discover her brother giving himself up to this kind of liking with Pinkie Pie, who was the purest symbol of ingenuousness, the lie tagged on to this scandalous story an inflammatory scent that was not at all to the earth mare liking.

No one could ignore the stallion’s success with female ponies. Rainbow Dash herself had given in in the end. More by convenience than by attraction, admittedly… She had needed some male touch, and here he had been, ready to offer her what she had been looking for.

A pony such as he were supposed not to force mares. It took nothing for him to find one willing to satisfy his least desires.

She could not help looking behind her back. Big Macintosh was still talking with his mother. Everything seemed like usually, yet since she knew him very well she also knew there was something unnatural in the way he behaved. Out in a crowd, she could have recognized his clumsy and unconfident manners. Manners which came along with guilt.

At least he knew he had done something wrong, that was a start. This colt who had tried to trap her in the Academy’s locker room, he had displayed no regrets. Conversely, he had boasted everywhere he had been able to touch the “butch”, as he had prettily nicknamed her. Let us just say that she still preferred to be called Rainbow Mash, like the others were saying. She had always liked stallions… but before she had met Time Stellar, none had shown any kind of interest for her, always thinking she was too much or sometimes too little, that it would be exhaustive to be with a mare as bragging and uncontrollable as herself.

A smile appeared on her lips when she saw Soarin near her father. The latter had wrapped a hoof around her coltfriend’s neck, pressing another hoof against the top of his head. No doubt… He liked him.

That was a piece of luck, she liked Soarin too. More than 'like', even… And if it still was too early for her to feel ready to tell him, the fact she knew and accepted it already was a good thing, in her opinion.

“Applejack, maybe you should talk with Big Mac. You can’t stay angry like this. What he’s done is wrong, that’s for sure, but there must be a way for you guys to make it up. With this… I’m going to see Soarin, to check whether he’s not suffering too much”, she chuckled while hating herself to appear so… girly.

“Go, make the most of yar stallion”, she answered.

As soon as she had left the table, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack were joined by Caramel, who settled beside his marefriend. He had a lot of fun seeing how his friend reacted while in presence of Uncloudy Shelter, and now he had enjoyed this performance, he wanted to spend some time with the one he loved. It was a wedding anniversary, after all, a favorable moment to romanticism…

Well, yes, it also happened to be Firefly’s wedding anniversary. And like his husband had said to Soarin… She and Rainbow Dash were characteristically so alike they could be taken for twins.

Without realizing, he, Applejack and Twilight started to watch the little family together at the nearby table. Unsurprisingly, they saw Rainbow Dash climbing on Soarin’s back, to do the exact same thing his father had done to him one minute earlier.

Caramel and his marefriend could not help a synchronized laugh, an invisible ribbon linking them together to keep them connected.

“What’s so funny?”, the unicorn dared to ask.

“Rainbow Dash’s in love”, they answered in unison.

“What? How can you be so sure?”

Twilight watched them closely again… Now, Rainbow Dash was teasing Soarin, pushing him with her flank, what never missed to make him lose his balance and to spill the contents of the glass he had in his mouth.

“I can’t see where feelings are in this… She’s bullying him even more. Oh, she has just bit him!”

“That’s what we said.”

“Eeyup. In love like a lil filly.”

Her eyes returned to the couple, still without understanding. What unsettled so much was that she could not help but compare with when Time Stellar was still alive. With him, Rainbow Dash would have never allowed such a liberty. If there had not been glances speaking for themselves, their love could have been questioned.

The former Head of the Militia had been a very good strategist, with a sharp sense of organization, that Twilight in fact admired a lot. On the battlefield, he was not the best but his discipline and reflection let more than one pony appreciative… and so was it with mares. He was the kind to respect very strict training rituals, to always weigh his words and actions. It let very little room to spontaneity.

If Rainbow Dash had loved him so much, it was because he represented what she was not. Something which she aspired to, but that would always remain out of her reach. Even today, although she had learned a lot from its teachings, she knew she could never get to the ideal he embodied.

He had been the one to come to her, every time. He had poached her from the weather patrol in order to integrate her to The Militia, and had appointed her as his replacement.

Same thing for their love story. One morning after a particularly intense watch, he had confessed to her, without fuss nor embellishment, telling her he loved her and wanted her to be his marefriend. Secretly, Rainbow Dash had hoped for those words, not so confident about herself. And so she had taken the news with surprise, along with a rapture she had kept for herself.

All of her memories of him were unscathed, although the features of his face had started to erase from her recollection.

The only compliments she ever got from him had been fighting related. When they were alone, he could have seemed to ignore her completely and suddenly wrap a wing around her, without uttering a word. All he did was to smile and he never pointed it when she blushed from embarrassment.

He kept ardor for the battlefield, to exhibit his power to his enemies. With her, what he showed was of a flawless calm, when she had always burned with enthusiasm. She liked to boast of being the best… He only settled for thinking he was. It was the same this physical love. Making love with Time Stellar had always been enjoyable and nice, but deprived from delight. It was only once with Big Macintosh she could have understood what she really liked and how.

She had been very much in love, and kept a recess of her heart for him and his memories. He had been her first time in almost everything – except a kiss exchanged in kindergarten with a colt named Sunshine – and Rainbow Dash knew it, it was the kind of things a mare could never forget.

Despite it all, she had not lied to Soarin when she had told him she had no intention of crying over Time Stellar for all of her life. Seeing Melrose alone since more than twenty years, she had realized this would mean an entire life being sad, despite the cheerful attitude she tried hard to display all the time. And she did not want to be miserable. She wanted to feel free, loved, to enjoy the existence always remembering what it was able to give and to take back. It seemed to her that with Soarin, she had started to find what she was looking for…

An employee from the inn came to bring them the camera she had claimed. Impressive floor machine, it was heavy and complicated to use. That was why she had asked Twilight to take care of taking the pictures her family would keep from the celebration, as well as those she would send to Pinkie Pie, alone in her tower while the others were giving themselves over to her favorite pastime.

“Attention, everypony, we’re going to take our first picture! All gather at the same place”, Twilight ordered with a smile.

Her good mood was heart-warming. In the middle of all these ponies she did not know, she was in her element, though she had been almost an antisocial mare for years. As if complete isolation and the bitterness of these days in fact had had a very positive impact on her. And this was a good thing. Since she was back at the management of The Militia, they finally all could breathe… with all due respect from Rainbow Dash to Spitfire.

Smiling, she trotted to the place where they all were gathering, even Knight Shelter, who had yet spent a good part of the night in the background watching everyone, when she saw Fluttershy going to the back of the room.

The mare pegasus she had taken in after her assault had been very reserved until then, barely taking part to the conversations, head low and cheeks pinkish. Rainbow Dash could feel that in her timid behavior, there was a will to participate, but something held her back. Because of the traumas she had been through, undoubtedly…

It was comprehensible she did not want to appear on this “family portrait”. However, Rainbow Dash asked where she was going.

“Err… At the toilets”, Fluttershy whispered. “If this is possible, of course.”

“Of course, it’s possible. If you’re not afraid to get lost, there’s a washroom in the backstage, or else, there’s another one on the other side.”

“Thanks.”

The restroom for the costumers was easier to find, and easier to reach than the one for the cabaret’s artists, located in the backstage area, in twists and turns of ropes, corridors and doors. Yet, Fluttershy chose this one. It seemed to Rainbow Dash that she was the scared kind of mares… Strange choice.

She discreetly called one of her Spotters who was here as backup, hidden somewhere no one could see her, like only the experts of camouflage were able to do. She arrived at a surprised speed, without any pony being able to really understand how she could have appeared so quickly waking up no suspicion about her presence here.

“Please, follow Fluttershy… It might be nothing, but you never know.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her getting away as quick as she had arrived, her watchfulness in warning mode.

“Dashie, you’re the only one missing”, Soarin called her.

She would have appreciated it if he had kept this nickname for their intimacy, but she had not time to do him reproaches. She rushed up to the spot they all were, and sat between her coltfriend and Applejack.

Twilight was behind the camera, fixing the last adjustments.

“It’s ready. Say ‘filly’”.

She rushed in her turn in front of the lens in the middle of everyone, not to miss being on this picture, the first one of what would be, she hoped so, a great serial within this soul family.

> Chapter 27
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From up high, the wind seemed even more bitterly than how it felt near the ground. But as far as Pinkie Pie was concerned, the difference was barely perceptible. For a mare from the South Shore of Equestria, she had an amazing cold resistance. Generally, she would wear her cloak only to go outside, and once she had climbed at the top of her tower, she let it hang on one of the wooden rims.

Located in the north garden, the huge tower overhung the Royale Tavern and Inn, and allowed a panoramic view on the whole area of the Great Weaver, and even beyond. It was firmly put up inside the ground, and in order to reach the observation spot, an impressive number of steps was to be climbed, which would have tired anyone else.

What Pinkie Pie called her booth was covered by a roof of bricks painted in black, had wooden panels a little taller than her body all around. Roomy enough to contain three ponies, she had settled here a small table to read, and a tray filled with snow in which she kept drinks cold.

All she had to do was to turn around and jump to get access to her cannon, remains of the Fratricide War which she was the only one allowed to use, and only to raise the alarm. If she had to fight, she kept a set of cutting knives at her disposal, placed in belts around her hooves.

The spyglass she used to watch the city allowed her to see until the fringe of the Everfree Forest, according to the way she adjusted her lens.

Pinkie Pie had already received a few pictures of the party, sent by Twilight. Behind each of them, a note had been written by one of her friends, and all swore that a party without her was not a real party, and that they missed her. It was those small attentions that counterbalanced the fact that she could not take part in the event, which she nevertheless had planned many important details.

Before she arrived in Ponyville, her life had especially been marked by loneliness. She was partying a lot, of course, yet it was with strangers, passing acquaintances who came and went in her existence. She never had settled down somewhere until then… Times were hard for a lonely mare with no real education.

When she had arrived at the Longreen Woodrow Orphanage, while she was nothing but a baby filly, the latter already was committed to the Fratricide War, fighting by the Armed Weapon of Destruction’s sides. All the same, Pinkie Pie had always felt as if she had known him personally. There were many pictures of him on the walls, and the eldest ones told the younger ones their memories with this pony they all regarded as a hero – forgetting on the way his past as a mercenary on the enemy’s behalf.

They all thought he would come back at the end of the war, crowned with glory, and ready to give all of his love to the foals most freshly registered, even those whom he could not guess the existence.

But he had never returned, and little by little hope had deserted the orphanage’s occupiers, and its staff. Most of the families were too poor to adopt, and with medical employees needed, all the help was accepted to heal the wounded fighters, who became priorities.

Pinkie Pie had witnessed, powerless, the fall of the Longreen Woodrow Orphanage. One by one, the mares who had been the employees had left the place, if not the city. Abandoned, the foals had to learn how to do without help. Most of the time, it meant living at the school of street knocks.

It was this precariousness which had forged her “survival instinct”. Obliged to defend herself against all the aggressions that even a very young filly such as her could suffer from, she had to quickly absorb a fighting style that was proper to the abandoned children, a fighting art that differed from the subtle and codified techniques taught by the Fighting Masters. One of the principles of this way more violent fighting style was that anything could be regarded as a weapon, and that pity had no rightful place.

Of course, it all went against her cheerful and friendly nature, but Pinkie Pie had not been able to do without this way of life, at the risk to end up like these many victims that the Militias of the different cities were not always able to save.

Fortunately, unlike many of her fellows, she could read and count, which allowed her not to become a theft. In fact, her first job involved reading aloud for veterans or ponies turned blind because of the excessive use of tear gas. It was a hard job, but she was always given a meal in compensation of her favor.

However, she had quickly understood that when you were a filly, the most common job offers were linked to the dissolute universe of the mares of the night. Refusing propositions from touts, on the other hoof she had been hired by saloons where she had taken part at the putting together of menus and development of the entertainments. Her fondness for singing had often led her on the stage. That was how she had discovered her skills for good party planning.

And yet, this way of life could not allow her to be able to belong somewhere. After some time, the bosses of the houses for which she worked always tried to force her to do sexual favors to their customers, with all the rest.

Her roaming had finally led her to the city of Las Pegasus. Unlike the small mining ghettos all around, all poor and working, the main city of the region was known for its grotesque face. A lot of ponies were converging there in these still confused times, hoping they would make a fortune. Casinos, Company Houses and saloons kept on flourish, and for a young mare such as her, fond of parties and new encounters, there were many opportunities.

Quickly, she had found a job in one of the many casinos of the city, where she hosted games for the foals. Las Pegasus’ euphoria, its lights and unceasing bazaar atmosphere made her feel like she finally was home. Pinkie Pie had envisioned to settled down there forever, to finally take the time to make friends she would have kept.

One of them was an employee of the casino whom she had immediately get on well with. Dynamic and cheerful like herself, he often trotted her home to make sure she would not be accosted by undesirable ponies. By dint of chatting, she had learned that he also had lived at the Longreen Woodrow Orphanage.

On one ordinary night, he had brought her home, and on her door step, had asked her to come in so he would use her washroom. It was too late when Pinkie Pie had understood which trap she had just fallen into. When his body had leant all its weight against hers, and he had pinned a hoof on her mouth so she would not scream, something inside of her had come to the surface, with the abruptness and violence of an explosion.

When she had regained consciousness, the measly was in a pitiful state, and she was covered with blood. After she had made sure he was still alive and sent a message to the emergency services, she had packed her things, and left Las Pegasus, heading to the North Shore. Her intention was to go to Manehattan, or maybe Canterlot.

On her way, nevertheless, came back to her mind words her attacker had said. Longreen Woodrow had never come back in Appleloosa because he had found love during the Fratricide War, and founded his own family, abandoning his orphanage. So, all that had happened to her had been this family’s fault, this family she never had. Her survival instinct came back to the surface, one more time.

That was how she has arrived in Ponyville. The announcement of Longreen Woodrow’s death had let her shocked during several minutes, then after a paroxysm of crying, she had passed out.

At her awakening, she had discovered with astonishment that instead of throwing her out, though she had tried to attack them, if not to destroy them completely, the “family” of her benefactor had healed her and taken care of her, supplying her a bed and a bedroom, and staying at her bedside to make sure she would not burst in tears again. From then on, she had not left them and now regarded them as her parents and siblings figure.

Pinkie Pie received another picture, this time with a note from Twilight Sparkle. It said they were about to serve everyone the cake, and that she would bring a slice of it for her later in the night.

She had had some prejudices when she had learned the unicorn would get her job back as the Militia’s Main Quartermaster, particularly after Double Diamond’s death, yet, now she recognized Rainbow Dash had a very great idea by making her come back in the clan she originally had pledged loyalty to.

In a very short time, Twilight had integrated herself to the rest of The Militia. From aggressive and withdrawn, she had become more willingly cheerful and radiant. Her very sharp sense of the organization had brought a fresh wind which had cheered troop morale up. For this reason, Pinkie Pie had decided to welcome her with open hooves as if she always had been a part of the band.

“I wonder if I could have a glimpse at the party from here…”

She adjusted her spyglass’s lens, and turned it toward the building behind her, before remembering the backstage of the cabaret’s stage blocked the view she could have had.

“Silly Pinkie”, she said slightly hitting her forehead with her hoof. “There’s nothing to see… Oh, wait a minute…”

Once again, she directed her lens toward the inn, but this time she lowered it towards the ground. It seemed she had had a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye… and this something was quickly confirmed.

Fluttershy, the young pegasus mare Rainbow Dash had received because she had suffered from mistreatments and feared her former boss, had just got out of the backstage door. Pinkie Pie saw her looking behind with distress and distrust, then rushing toward the magic magnetic field settled all around the inn.

Only those allowed to cross it once could cross it again. Was she fleeing in the middle of the night in order to avoid too difficult farewells? No way. She was only here since the day before. She could not have healed from her wounds so fast.

The Spotter Rainbow Dash had asked to come tonight was following her closely, obviously trying her best not to get noticed. In stupefaction, Pinkie Pie saw Fluttershy opening one of the gates and slip her head through the partially opened door.

She frowned. It was not that she was trying to flee… She was up to no good! A few seconds later, confirming the earth mare’s theory, a pony with a mane pushed back from his face creeping through the door, followed by another, and a white unicorn with an elegant purple mane.

A quick glance at the Spotter, lying on the ground with a dart drove in her neck finally convinced Pinkie Pie they all were in danger.

Without hesitation, she kicked one of her cannonballs to slip it inside her cannon. She had to warn everyone that a wolf had entered the sheepfold and that what they feared the most was about to happen.

Unfortunately, she had no time to light the fuse that she also received a dart in her neck. Knocked over, Pinkie Pie tried to get rid of it. It was already too late. Before she could even have raised the alarm, everything disappeared around her, and she collapsed on the floor of her booth, unconscious.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Until now, everything seemed to unfold wonderfully. This, the family owed it to Pinkie Pie and they all knew it. She was the one who had planned the party, almost on her own, and she could not even take part in it. So, as a compensation, they had decided to stay awake until breakfast in order to spend time with her and catch up what she had missed.

But the night was still young.

From where she was, Rainbow Dash looked with a smile the ponies she loved the most interacting together, in a good mood that filled her heart with lightness. It was a rare thing lately. It seemed to her that except her intimate moments with Soarin and of complicity with her mother, she had not been so at peace with herself since centuries.

Even Twilight, the most recent member, was displaying an unsuspected cheerfulness, though her wounds stopped her from walking properly. The moment to change her bandages surely was close… Same for Applejack’s ones, giving to her formal attire a brave face that was somewhat reminiscent of the mare’s flamboyant personality.

Yes, everything was perfectly fine. Too perfectly fine. Glancing at the clock at the back of the room, Rainbow Dash noticed that both Fluttershy and her Spotter had not come back. An urgent call of nature could not take so much time… Unless the mare pegasus was lost and the Spotter could not help her, at risk of being discovered…

Her reflections were cut in when an employee of the inn arrived with a dessert trolley, on which stood a gigantic wedding cake. Made of four stories, the cake was covered with the most elegant white icing, with two marzipan lilac roses and flowers from the same flavor and color going down to the bottom, where the two same roses were.

She frowned a little. Her demand had been clear: the roses should be of the same color than her mother’s coat. Pink and white were tonight’s theme…

For a moment, it reminded her of her foalhood. When her parents came to pick her up at school, the others always were impressed. Yet, the question she heard the most was not about their past exploits. She often had been asked why, with a father with a coral mane and a white coat, and a mother with a blue mane and a pink coat, herself could have come to life with such a color pattern. The answer was not so complicated, and even quite logic. She had inherited everything from her maternal grandfather who was exactly the same. With the exception that he was male and far from having her impetuous character. From what she knew, at least. Like many other grandparents, he had died during the Fratricide War. Civil collateral damages, that was how they called what had happened to him.

“Dashie, come on”, Soarin’s voice asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She opened her mouth in order to tell him off for using once again this nickname in front of everyone, then she changed her mind. It would be no use… Even with a good dressing down, he would probably do it again.

Everypony was already gathered around the cake, mouthwatering, when she arrived and sat by his side. As they would have done during their wedding, if they could have had a reception after it, Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter both cut a part of the wedding cake, in which they bit together. In the same manner than the others around, Rainbow Dash was amused by her mother’s embarrassed reactions, especially as she knew that in a similar situation, she would have reacted the exact same way.

Despite it all, it was a touching moment for everyone. Each knew how much it mattered to the heroes of the day, to be able to renew this commitment of a lifetime in front of all those they loved and who mattered the most in their lives.

“Speech now, auntie”, Applejack chanted.

Immediately, they all started to hit the floor from their hooves, demanding a speech from Firefly, who was crimson from shame. Rainbow Dash would have hated to be done the same, yet she took part in it with pleasure, for a once glad not to be the center of attention.

In front of this enthusiastic flow of demands, the mare pegasus could not resist very long. She climbed on the high stool that was for small Apple Bloom, who was now standing on her mother’s head, and cleared her throat.

“I’m warning you, I’m horrible when it comes to this kind of thing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Fine. Where do I begin? Thank you everyone to be here for the day when I officially made a fool of myself forever.”

General laughter. On her side, Uncloudy nuzzled his wife’s neck, assuring her she was not making a fool of herself… And, in light of her tensed face, it did not seem to comfort her at all.

“Let’s be serious… Thank you, sincerely. You have no idea how important it is for us to see you all. I also have a thought for our poor grounded Pinkie Pie without who this night would not have been such a success… But I already have thanked her a bit earlier today, so she knows how glad I am.
“You know it, Uncloudy and I got married between two bombings, at a not so far period when Equestria still accepted the sale of disloyal artillery such as crossbows, and most importantly firearms and cannons, banished since then. What was the mentioned reason, already…?”

“Too serious physical damages”, Rainbow Dash cried in order to help her mother.

“That’s it. It doesn’t mean that ponies had stopped to kill one another after that, or else, of course, you wouldn’t wear your beautiful red cloaks every night. But I can feel I’m off topic… I can’t help, I give better speeches about war than love. By the way, this is absolutely awful. What would all our struggles be without love and friendship? They’re the essence of our existence, they’re what allows us to walk through the fog without being afraid. Life can be very long, but also very short. That’s why we should never forget to tell our relatives that we love them, and how much we love them. Even if it means dying from shame!”

Firefly winked Rainbow Dash in complicity. The message was crystalline, and if it was for everyone, she knew her mother was trying to encourage her to say a bit more often what she was feeling for the ones she cared for. Because when she went around the room with her eyes, she realized there was no pony here that she did not love with all her heart. They each were very precious to her, in their own personal way.

Sweeping the room with her eyes, she spotted Fluttershy on the cabaret’s front stage, on her own. Since how long was she back? And where was her Spotter? Yes, she perfectly knew how to blend into the background, but not to the extent of being untraceable even for Rainbow Dash. She knew she always had to be within her reach.

It had not seemed to her that Fluttershy was the type to like being in the spotlight. Her presence here was nothing good. She opened her mouth to scream, yet no sound escaped. A sudden bitterness wrung her stomach…

The thick velvet curtain parting the stage in two were suddenly pulled up, and behind Fluttershy appeared a whole loads of soldiers with white cloaks, armed to the teeth. A white unicorn with purple curls stepped closer, and bowed in front of the mare pegasus.

No. Rainbow Dash had seen the bruises on her body. The branded tattoo with the name of the grinding house. It was impossible. She was a lost and scared mare… She needed her help. Obviously, if this really was the Unavowed Army, what she was sure of, she had been threatened to betray them. It could not be any other way.

When she heard the unicorn talking to Fluttershy by calling her Milady, she understood how much she had been fooled. Without a glance, although a bit scared about what was going to happen next, the mare pegasus left the cabaret, flying with a suddenly exasperating shyness.

“Traitor!” Rainbow Dash screamed on top of her lungs.

Her family behind her had suspended each of their actions, their eyes staring at the stage. They were stunned, even Knight Shelter, and this despite the fact that it was not for the same reason than the others… But the Head’s Council members had their faces as tensed from anger as Rainbow Dash’s.

She saw the white unicorn open her mouth, but another mare, a pegasus with a jade coat and a fire-like mane, took a step forward and talk before the other had time to say anything.

“Now you know how it feels like…”

“Hey! This is my line!” Rarity cried.

Frowning toward the newbie who could not stop being extremely zealous, she intimated her to take a step back, and came at the front stage, right at the spot where Fluttershy had stood a few minutes before.

“Nice to meet you all, my name is Rarity, Main Servant of his Lord, The True King Blueblood, and I am sorry to inform you that this party is over. Savor the last minutes of your existence… and let me a slice of this cake, it looks absolutely succulent.”

Rainbow Dash was immensely angry with herself to have trust Fluttershy. She had looked so scared, so innocent… Yet the fact that she rubbed shoulders with Pinkie Pie on a daily basis had taught her to mistrust innocence.

Even in the case where the mare had been manipulated, it did not really matter. She had taken part in what was about to begin. And she would pay the highest price for that, this The Militia’s Head promised to herself.

However, this was not the perfect moment for lamenting or guilty feelings. Her Council was prepared for whatever might happen, even for this, and each of them knew exactly what they had to do. The army that kept on swelling on stage surely was waiting for a signal before starting their acts of war. There was no time to waste.

Without conferring each other, they started to hammer the floor with their hooves. On stage, Rarity looked at them in surprise… It was not the moment to clap. Unless this was a freaky way these ponies have to galvanize their troops. They would lose, anyway. The Unavows outnumbered them loosely.

And then, she understood. Their hooves strikes sounded like telegraphs… They were sending a message to the rest of The Militia! Of course, the Council only could help The Militia’s Members, and not the other way, but this Rainbow Dash’s family members were considered as citizens.

Too bad for the signal they were expecting. She had to start the attack without further delay.

Just like earlier, Rarity opened her mouth, ready to scream – the most elegantly she could – to her own troops to get into the fight, and just like earlier, she was interrupted by this arrogant newbie called Lightning Dust.

“Attack! And no quarter!”

“I am the one who give the orders, Good Gracious!”

No one listened to her anymore. Without a care whether they knocked her or not, all the soldiers rushed toward, while the Council retreated toward the back of the room, in order to protect their family, the best they could.

“Spitfire… Bring everyone in a safe place”, Rainbow Dash asked, staring at the enraged bunch rushing toward them.

“Right now.”

Rainbow Dash had talked to her with Head of the Militia’s voice, and not with the tone of the niece by marriage that Spitfire enjoyed to tease.
As a member of the Greater Council, she had the power either to contest either to support orders from one of the Heads, and to protect every Equestria’s Council. She did not need to be asked twice, and tried to repatriate Melrose, Uncloudy Shelter, Firefly, Apple Bloom and even Knight Shelter by the emergency’s doors.

Already, Rainbow Dash had bounced forward, her sword between her teeth, in order to annihilate attackers, and each of the members had joined the fight, that was immediately enraged.

When they were at the final hurdle, Spitfire noticed with dread that young Apple Bloom had not followed them. She had run to her big sister and brother, like fascinated by what was under her eyes. The mare pegasus opened wide her eyes, scared to death. She absolutely needed to rescue the little filly.

> Chapter 28
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opening the eyes was something simple, elementary. An action which demanded no particular effort, as natural as breathing or putting a hoof in front of another in order to walk. However, it seemed almost colossal to Pinkie Pie. As if her lids had been turned into stones stuck together with honey.

Her head was vibrating such as the Great Bell when morning was announced. Her neck seemed to have been dug by a huge needle where her heart was pulsating at full tilt. Something went back up from her stomach to her throat, and for a moment she thought she was about to throw up.

She needed a moment before her sticky eyes could chase away the blur surrounding every little thing, then another moment for her ears to be able to distinguish what was said around her.

Two ponies she did not know were in her booth. One of them was fiddling with her spyglass and the other one seemed to be very interested by her cannon. Of course, she could see their heads first and their hooves in second, showing her she had been hung upside down somewhere for some technical reasons, yet it did not stop her from noticing clearly they were touching her stuff without permission.

“How is this thing working?”, the first one asked, his head drove into the cannon’s hole.

“They’d stopped manufacturing these thingamajigs before I was even born, I can’t help you.”

“How pity. We could’ve hit the bull’s eye for sure by aiming at their little party. It would’ve made us feel as if we were participating.”

This revelation gave Pinkie Pie the necessary jolt to wake her up completely. There was no way that any pony would use her cannon in order to hurt her friends, her soul family. For this, all they would need would be to find out how the weapon was actually working, what was not that difficult if they were not stupid. She would not let them do such a thing.

Immediately, her mane lost its puff like each time she was feeling discouraged, or extremely sad or angry. And she was feeling these three emotions at that very moment. They did not know who they were dealing with. To truss her up by her hooves was a bad idea, and would not stop her in anything. Maybe she only looked like a defenseless idiot bouncing all around and singing with a high-pitched voice, but there was a lot more to see in her, and they probably did not even suspect it.

“This is not… funny!”

They both jumped when they noticed Pinkie Pie had woken up, and immediately, they went in her direction to try to control her. The one who had been examining their surroundings with her spyglass was her first victim. She drove her teeth inside his throat, so hard he could not help a suffering shriek, and very shortly after that, he collapsed on the floor, unconscious, blood dropping from its almost skinned wound.

The second pony, shaking more than a leaf under the autumn breeze, tried to take his sword out of his sheath, while she was writhing in order to get rid of her ties, after she had spat out a cut of skin pulled off the first pony. Before he even had the chance to aim his weapon at her, Pinkie caught one of her knives with her teeth and drove it in the first part of him within her reach, which meant his left eye. Once again, he shrieked, a hoof on his face, knocked by the pain.

She managed to untie herself, and a quick glance through her spyglass allowed her to see there still were many down her tower, watching just in case, plus others in front of the doors leading to the cabaret’s backstage. They were many, but she thought she was able to get rid of them not too hardly. Her anger level was at its max, and in order to defend those who mattered the most to her, she was willing to do anything, even the most extreme.

One of the ponies who was down the tower jumped seeing something falling from up high. His leap apprised the others, and he and his fellows opened their eyes wide discovering the lifeless body of one of them, obviously dropped down dead. Their surprise was bigger when they saw Pinkie Pie jumping from the tower’s top, and falling on her hooves without the least of difficulty.

They did not need to know she had hurt herself. In fact, her pain was not able to yell louder than her anger. They would not get off lightly, all of them. Maybe had they learned how to fight with stiff Fighting Masters, but she knew deadly techniques none of them could even imagine... And she had stolen the sword from the half-blind pony who kept on shrieking and wobbling inside the booth.

He finally fell down and crushed against one of his fellows.

“Slop that bitch!”, the leader of their small group yelled.

He was the first one she ran through with her newly gained sword. His head flew among the other recruits who, galvanized, pounced on her with all their rage.

That was what Pinkie Pie was looking for. To worsen the antagonisms. The more the others tried to be fierce; the less she refrained herself from being cruel. Her deep nature, soft and innocent, had to be freed from any kind of inhibition to allow this primitive instinct to reign supreme.

Blinded by this fury inside, she spared no pony. Ignoring pain, she threw herself in the battle and chopped off and drilled everything within her reach. Throats, hooves, flanks… Pools of blood taking shape against the immaculate snow, she stamped into them with some kind of delight, never sick by what splashed on her face.

Soon, a real carnage overlaid at her hooves, and to be honest, she was feeling proud of it. After this, when everything would be back to normal and she would have made sure that all those who mattered the most for her were safe and sound, she would turn back into the mare she was in reality. For now, she was nothing but a war machine launched at full capacity.

There was no more pony left standing on all fours when she heard sound of hooves galloping through the snow. Pinkie Pie turned around, and noticed a young stallion, barely out of his teenage years, scurrying away at top speed. He could not stop looking behind his shoulders, his path distorted, and his eyes wide opened. As soon as he saw her pursuing him, he started to scream.

“Have mercy! I’ll never do any pony no harm, I swear!”

But, too busy trying to flee to look where he was going, his hooves got trapped into the roots of a tree, and he tipped over, headfirst in the snow. The young stallion clenched his teeth, lowered his head, ready to feel the blade getting in touch with his neck… and was surprised in the most pleasant way when he saw Pinkie Pie springing above him, and keeping on running without a stop.

She was not going to punish this kid for his bad choices. At least, she was certain, he would no longer try to associate with a dangerous army of traitors… because all those committed in the Unavowed were guilty of royal treason toward the Princesses. It would be paid back, whether that would be by the enactment of the Sacred Law or by a trial in front of the Royal Court.

Other ponies were watching the entrances, and they were Pinkie Pie’s main target. They saw her coming from afar, getting ready to welcome her as needed, their swords out. Like with the others, she gave no quarter.

The sword she had stolen to one of her first victims was of an extraordinary precision, as if the blade had just been forged. When the edges drove into the skin, it felt as if cutting squares of melted butter. She could easily feel flesh ripping apart, organs bursting and bodies bleeding to death at her hooves. It gave her no pleasure in particular, just the sensation that her duty has been done.

The field was open in a few minutes. Not at any time did she look back to notice what carnage her animal instinct had caused. It did not matter. What had to be done was now done. Undoubtedly, it was not over. Others would be waiting for her in the corridors, she could have bet her bottom bit on it.

------------------------------------------------------------

The ten years-old filly’s life always was very well organized. At daybreak, her mother woke her up and she had breakfast with a bowl of oat bran and milk, pancake and juice, and often the leftovers of what the eldest ponies had eaten a bit earlier. Leaving for school where she stayed for lunch with her friends. Then came the afternoon activities – drawing and dancing for Apple Bloom. Then again, she went home, did her homework and after dinner, read a little and went to bed.

When she went back from school, most of the time, her older siblings were already gone for their training sessions. She barely was able to see these older ones she admired so much and from whom she got a great pride. To her friends she liked to tell family anecdotes, although most of the time, there only were narrations of things she had heard from her mother or uncles and aunts.

Apple Bloom never said she was adopted. She generally forgot this fact, and when she remembered, it was hard for her to realize. After all, other foals of her school had a certain age gap with their eldest, enlisted in The Militia as well, that they could not see more.

Tonight had been one of the two few occasions for her to be with her personal heroes. They often had conversations that she could not really understand, but it did not really matter for her as long as she could spend some time with them. They all gave her a little stroke on her head, had questions about school and friends, about her impatience to get her Cutie Mark. Rainbow Dash had even promised her to introduce her a new friend, who like her admired The Militia and said she wanted to integrate it.

So when the party had been curtailed before it was time for her to go to bed by a pack of ponies with sharp swords and bad intentions, the filly had felt a new excitation increasing inside of her. One of her dreams, seeing her eldest ones in action, was about to come true. There was no way she would follow Spitfire and the others when, finally, things had started to move. Sneaking in between the mare pegasus’ hooves, Apple Bloom had hurried to join her sister Applejack and the others.

Her little size allowed her to slip between the adults’ hooves with ease. What she saw was a bit scary for a foal of her age. Ponies were falling like apples during the bucking season, faces deformed by pain, blood pouring, when they did not have their eyes empty from expression. Too bad. If later, she would become like Applejack and Rainbow Dash, she would have to learn not to be scared in front of such a show. The sooner was the better.

Caramel, her big sister’s coltfriend, was busy fighting with a stallion much taller who did not see Apple Bloom sneaking in between his hooves.

“You’re hitting like a filly”, he said to him with arrogance, despite his black eye.

She patted the boor at his knee, the latter started to look all around him who had just done such a thing. He opened his eyes wide discovering her at his hooves, a great smile on her chubby face.

“Dya wanna see how a filly’s hittin’?”

Without giving him time to answer, she kicked him between his hind legs, as hard as she could, before jumping on the back of a stunned Caramel, screaming a very enthusiastic “yee-haw”, as the pony she had just attacked was writhing in pain.

Immediately, her big sister, busy fighting against three stallions at the same time, noticed her, and frowning, started to lecture her.

“Apple Bloom, ya shald be wit Mommy and Spitfire.”

Applejack looked where the members of her family were, and discovered with astonishment they were surrounded by ponies ready to fight to the finish with them. They were going to have to throw themselves into the battle, no choice. It was impossible for her to send the young filly back with them, as it had become as dangerous as staying with her.

If something happened to her beloved little sister, she would hold a grudge against herself forever. It was her duty to protect her, yet she could not stop fighting for all that. She did not like the solution which came to her mind, and she knew she would never be at peace to know she had plunged her in such a hell, but for now, she could not see other solutions.

She caught the Lasso she had kept under her dress all along between her teeth, and threw it in Apple Bloom’s direction, who grabbed it on the run. The filly knew how to use a rope, since she had helped her many times with the cattle. Plus, being with Caramel, she risked less than alone.

“Stay wit Cara. As soon as a pony comes yar way, ya catch him wit dat. It never missed its target.”

The eldest of the sisters could not add something else. An immense stallion had just pounced on her, his sword as large as a tree trunk aimed toward her face. Unhesitatingly, she directed her sword toward him, and buried it straight inside his heart.

It was only the beginning and they all knew it. For now, they all had the necessary energy to confront their enemies, but soon, with tiredness and the alcohol swallowed, if The Militia did not quickly arrive as a backup, they would end up completely worn out.

Rarity had selected a chair that did not seem too dirty, and had placed it on the stage. From here, everything could be taken in. it was perfect. A magazine between her hooves, she was reading the latest society gossips of the Court, lifting her eyes from time to time to have a glimpse at the center of the room where the action happened.

A few times earlier, she had sworn being ready to throw herself into the battle again. Nothing was too good for Blueblood. However, when she had understood what this new attack involved, she had changed her mind. A dual against another pony was something. A tenacious fight in “sudden death” was something else. If she was ready to almost anything for the True King, she cared much more for her own life than for the Army’s victory.

Of course, none had to know. The official reason was that without the Main Servant, the cause would lose one of its biggest support, and the sole support of her family was as useful as it seemed.

The sound of hooves resounded, and when Rarity got her eyes off her magazine, she was surprised to see one of the attacked family’s member, a huge pegasus with a coat even whiter than hers and a mane like flames of a wood in fire, sitting by her side.

At no moment she had envisioned to fight and her mini blades were not available. She had a wince, then stand up straight on her chair when she realized that he only wanted to watch the show as well.

“Don’t you fight?” he asked her without taking his eyes off the room.

“No, I’m only here to supervise. I don’t really want tonight to be my last night. Don’t you fight as well?”

“It’s forbidden. If I come close to her sword, my head’s going to be chopped off. I don’t really want tonight to be my last night.”

“Oh.”

Rarity did not add anything else. It probably was the reason why he had come here instead of staying there assisting his spouse who had to fight in the same way than the others, trapped with the rest of the parents, at the back of the room.

It was not because she had never met them until now that she did not know who they were. Like others here, she had learned her History lessons. It was not a family among others that Blueblood had decided to attack tonight. It was with their sweat and blood that a part of Equestria’s story had been written.

In fact, she wished good luck to the poor soul who had just tried to lash out at Uncloudy Shelter. Probably a simpleton. Unfortunately, they were quite a number in the Army she led, for whom she had the greatest scorn. They were fighting for money, for the power to do as they were pleased without risking to be ran through for their crimes. The lowest level of the ponykind, in her own opinion.

She was an idealist, who hated the world for it not to be as she would like it to be. She treasured obsolete worth – courage, self-sacrifice, magnanimity. Her life was a search which the purpose was dead, her ancestors had been heroes, she was nothing but a daddy’s filly. She was looking in vain in each faces for a spark of poetry, for enthusiasm in the speeches, ideals if not ideas, but the ponies were overriding, they were trotting in a rush, unkempt, eyes emptied by worries.

Making her getting out of her disillusioned reflections, a wounded pony’s body landed almost on her laps. Without even looking from which faction he was, she made him fall down with a kick from her hooves.

“What have I said? Don’t collapse on the Main Servant!”

Beside her, she heard Knight Shelter producing a small teasing laughter.

“You’re an interesting character, Miss Rarity.”

Once again, the unicorn opened her eyes wide. He knew her name, yet, he had never seen her before. It was impossible. Her knowing who he was, it was nothing odd. She was not one of those dunce ponies fighting right now. But the opposite thing… It was more than disturbing.
She opened her mouth…

“Don’t ask me how. I know it, that’s all. Former upper-class family, obliged to go into trade because of some wrong strategical choices during the latest wars. Still a wealthy renown, but aristocratic title lost. And once again, wrong choices.”

“How could you be so sure you are going to win?”

“I never said this. I only told you this choice was not very wise. This Prince you call King has killed his own parents in their sleep. How can we think for one second to trust such a pony?”

“But you…”

“Yes, I turned against my own brother. I launched a war, only for lust of power. I killed many other ponies, remorseless and pitiless. Ponies who had no importance for me. Even so, I would never have killed Uncloudy with my own hooves. Never… I was waiting for someone else to do it for me, because I knew I would be unable to do this once in front of the fait accompli. There are some things that, when you do them, are pursuing you forever like a bad dream. Today, I cherish the fact that he’s still alive, although my freedom had been restricted. And you want to know why? Because thanks to him, I’ve met a pony for who I have more respect than anyone else all over Equestria, and for her, I’ve gave up on power, I’ve gave up on each pointless things I cared about in the past. She’s fighting right now, and I’m forbidden to help, or else I’ll lose her and she’ll lose me forever. And it kills me more than anything else. Do you really think that tonight, your Prince Blueblood is sick for sending you here, knowing that even without fighting, you could die?”

Rarity did not answer, and lowered her eyes to the room, where the battle raged. At her hooves, many of the ponies from both clans were lying, deadly wounded or deceased. Members of The Militia, their family, were fighting with a rage she had never seen until then… A loyalty and a belligerence she thought had disappeared from the world.

Maybe Knight Shelter was right, maybe she had only made wrong choices.

No. How could it be this way? He was trying to confuse her mind, like the deceitful being she knew he was in reality. Blueblood had sworn a complete devotion to her, he had promised he would marry her, once he would have won his access to the throne. Of course he probably was worrying himself sick to imagine her in the middle of all this blood and this aggressive smell of death.

He had told her. Right into her eyes. Eyes could not lie.

But then, why was she feeling this weight on her heart, this freezing impression to be stuck inside a bad dream from which she could not escape?

> Chapter 29
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lighting Dust looked all around her. The fight was ceaseless, as if the Unavowed Army was inexhaustible. And she was a part of it. It was much more stimulating than anything else. She really belonged here, in the heart of action.

The Militia had not want her. This bragging mare with her rainbow mane had told her she was too little caring about the others, and that the team was what mattered. She hoped she was regretting it now.

Within the new organization she had joined, there was nothing of this all. The watchword was every pony for himself. What mattered was the result, victory, no matter how it was acquired. And of this, Lighting Dust was making the most of it to her heart’s content.

She had barely liquidate some mare pegasus with a golden coat who had rushed toward her thinking she would have her by surprise, surely because she had not thought she had wings as well. To hear Rainbow Dash saying this moron’s name with despair had been the icing on the cake.

In all honesty, she was the one the new recruit was aiming for. If she managed to kill the Head of the Militia, Prince Blueblood would probably grant her a prominence in his Army, once the throne conquered. Unfortunately, she kept on being attacked by other Servants, surely willing to get the place she longed for.

So be it. If she could not get the pick of the bunch, she was going to fall back on the Second-in-Command. She could fight as well with a sword as bare-hooved, what made her a very exciting challenge. Lighting Dust rushed forward the earth mare, determined to be covered in glory once back at the headquarters.

Along the way, though, she changed her mind. It was too good an opportunity and could not be passed up. Of course, he was not as important as the Head or the Second-in-Command, but he was a Member of the Council as well, after all, and much harder to eliminate than simple small framed mares. Another kind of challenge, of scope not prestigious but physiognomic.

The small thrust back pegasus mare against the tall scary stallion, scary thanks to his reputation of harming without anyone to hear him or to feel him coming. Wonderful. He was the perfect target before she could envision something more glorious.

Determined, she flew over other fighters, avoiding some who were falling from the strikes by a stallion she had not seen when she had passed her Warrior Test, and she darted her sword toward the red pony who had just get rid of a whole bunch of earth stallions whose doggedness had not been enough.

They were not her. She would not fail. It was easy, almost too easy. So easy she was slightly disappointed when she managed to take him by surprise and to stick her sword straight into his chest, her blade thrusting with a limited resistance into the flesh, first tough and then more delicate.

Big Macintosh had not expected that. Where did that mare pegasus come from? He had not even felt her coming, worried as he was for the others, and especially for his younger sisters he had tried to join, in vain, since long minutes.

The assailant, in the air, looked at him with a mocking half-smile… She seemed to appreciate the miracle she had just achieved with an insane pleasure. One of her flaws was that she enjoyed her victory too much to get ready to respond, surely thinking he would collapse and not try to do anything else.

With the little strength he still had, he reared up and managed to touch the mare pegasus, whom he cut a part of her right wing. She could not help a terrible cry of pain, and lost her balance. Her body bumped into one of the ceiling’s beams and she slowly fell back among the other wounded ponies.

Big Macintosh, his eyesight blurred, clenched his teeth and tried to see where the members of his family were. Applejack… He had to see Applejack. And Pinkie Pie, why was not she there? Oh yes, she was in her guard tower. But if the Unavowed Army was here, that meant she could be in danger. He had to do something. His mother, where were she? And what about little Apple Bloom? And Rainbow Dash…

Why could not he see anything? Where were all those he cared for? The haze. The crash fading. Nothing.

--------------------------------------------

Sounds of hooves resounded all around them. From each of the doors, by waves, new ponies dressed with a red cloak arrived. Soon, there were more than the left soldiers of the enemy. Among them, sprung up Pinkie Pie’s pink figure, covered with blood, a sword between her teeth. Without further delay, she threw herself in the fight with the others.

For all that, the struggle did not quiet down. It still was in full swing. There was no way one could say how many ponies had fallen, from which faction. No time for this. They had to keep on fighting, with the same energy than in the beginning, despite the bodies screaming for salvation.

Rainbow Dash did not count how many times she had been touched, how many ponies she had wounded or killed. According to the number and the rush, she struck what she could reach first, forgetting about strategies and calculations. Time Stellar’s tactics were not made for this kind of confrontations, but for those, civilized, where one pony beat another one, by the book.

Tonight, things were done her own way, and it should be noted that it was rather effective. Though she was not able to see how each developed, she knew they all were up and about, and that neither her mother or Melrose had been seriously injured.

She had just buried her sword inside one unicorn’s heart who had tried to use her magic to get her by surprise. Of course, she had sensed the presence behind her back, but before she could turn around, the two pegasi rushing toward her would probably had reached some part of her.

Usually, all it would have took would have been a few flaps of her wings so she could get rid of them, but she still was wounded and could not allow to take off, at the risk of falling back immediately and of becoming a prey.

However, none of them were able to graze her. A sword had just been planted inside the two pegasi’s backs, who fell in their turn. Soarin was flying above her, a benevolent smile on his lips.

During the fight, she had lost sight of him like many others, and had not stopped to hope nothing bad had happened to him. The pony he was so scared of, if she was not mistaking, was absent of the fight, probably because Prince Blueblood wanted to keep him for another battle. She knew he surely was terrified deep inside, yet he fought with all his might, as always.

Undoubtedly, he was the perfect stallion for her.

Without even actual communication, they understood each other. Their team was rather good, and Soarin had something that, for now, Rainbow Dash lacked. Alone, they were very strong, among the best. Together, they would be invincible.

She climbed on his back, and hanging at his neck with her right hoof, she clenched her sword between her teeth. All the pegasi on their way could not escape their sharp weapons. In full speed all over the room, they even could harm a few earth ponies who, zealous in excess, thought they could touch them.

It was perfect. So perfect she even wondered why she had not thought about it before. From up high, she was able to see that both Caramel and Applejack were up and about, that Pinkie Pie was here and unrelenting, and that members of her family had not lost anything of what were their talents.

Twilight Sparkle saw them flying above her, and hoped they would come and help her. She had fought with as much rage as she could. The art of fighting with a sword or bare-hooved was still hard for her to master, yet until then, she had been able to defend herself, despite her wounds at the rear of her body.

It was until one mare smarter than the others, who had been able to steel ropes backstage, had lashed out at her horn. She held her tight and firm, and was pulling her. It was hard for Twilight to resist such a pain, though it did not hurt as bad as when Rainbow Dash had bit it.

She knew that thus controlled, she was at the complete mercy of her attackers. The best she could, with her hind legs, she thrusted back those who tried to strike her, but she knew, she would not be able to take it much longer.

At the next sword strike, too debilitated, she would join the bunch of victims lying all around her. Although she was not really a fighter, she refused to let the others down. She had been given a chance here, and she was willing to show how grateful she was, and that she, Twilight Sparkle, was the most devoted of the potential adepts.

There was a solution. She had already been able to use it once and knew that even when controlled at the least, it was of a redoubtable efficacy. The only trouble was the concentration it required. Fragile, the slightest thing could break it. Exhaustive, it drained her energy unlike any kind of magical spell.

Once again, she had to push back an attacker coming from behind. It felt as if the wounded muscles of her flank had been skinned, without anesthetic. Another strike needing this part of her body, and she was done. She had to use her magic again, and for this, she had to get rid of this mare, who probably had something on her mind.

Shaking her head, she managed to get rid of her eye-patch. First, she clenched her pupils as much as possible, fearing the scald worse than everything that always burned her retina. Twilight had to focus on her breathing. No more thinking about anything, and forget about the world. She felt some kind of energy, like a fluid circulating inside her blood toward her face.

It was the right moment. She opened her eyes. The surroundings around her almost seemed unreal. The pictures were clearer than reality itself, the sounds purer. As if they all were stuck into honey, ponies were acting in slow-motion, each of their moves outlining in dazzle.

The mare still holding her by the rope pulled it a little more, making a head sign to someone else in front of her. Twilight felt as if she was seeing the stallion rushing toward her with a sword, as if her eyes were behind her back.

She shook her head with all the strength she could contain, and finally been able to do what she had failed at during all this time – to make her opponent lose her balance. Thanks to her Sacred Eye, she had panoramic vision of everything going on, and knew before the others what to do.

Her horn freed, all she had to do was to turn around and, with a bit more of concentration, she did the first spell which came into her mind.
Her assailant got transformed into a white heather bush, his sword falling back on the floor without reaching its target.

Unfortunately, she did not master the Sacred Eye long enough to be able to use it until the end of the fights. Already, the dreadful scald at her retina was felt again, and she had to use her magic to put her eye-patch back, before it stopped her from defending herself.

There probably was not a lot of fighters up and about if so many pounced on her at the same time. Twilight remembered perfectly the conversation she had with Rainbow Dash when she had agreed to return back to The Militia. The adversary would not believe her to be invincible if she was not able to convince herself that she was.

The field in which she shone, it was not bare-hooved fighting nor sword fighting. It was magic. With it, she was untouchable. No other unicorns in this region had magic as their special talent, she was the only one. It bestowed her a power upon the others.

Without hesitation, she used her horn to defend herself, and no sooner said than done, all those around her who wanted to fight to the finish were transformed into white heather bushes.

Twilight saw Spitfire flying above her, and understood that she had unconsciously approached the back of the room. The mare pegasus, while knocking down a grey stallion, claimed at her attention:

“Great! If there was something we needed, it was flowers!”

Uncloudy Shelter had just knocked down an adversary as well, just like his wife Firefly. Rainbow Dash had wanted to protect them, but in the end, they had not need anyone’s backup. Even Melrose had quickly found back her bounty hunter instincts, used to fight against danger. The ‘adults’ could be proud of themselves.

They were the ones who first noticed there was more Members of the Militia left than soldiers from the Unavowed Army. There was no way to tell how many were dead or wounded, but the cabaret’s floor was strewn by bodies bleeding and crying.

Applejack frowned when she looked at the stage. The “Princess” had been there, she knew it. They both had a revenge to take, and she had tried all night long to reach her so they could settle the score.

Knight Shelter was the only one still on the stage, Rarity’s fashion magazine between his hooves. He lowered it and his eyes met Applejack’s. He shook his head, with an odd half-smile.

“HEY!”, she screamed on top of her lungs.

They all stopped what they were doing, and took the time to look around them. The sound of banging together swords had been replaced by moans of pain, tears and pleases.

After this assessment, soldiers of the Unavowed Army still here took an advantage from it to scoot briskly. And they all were too confused by this crushing victory to find the strength to hold them back.

They gathered next to the stage, even Apple Bloom, and Pinkie Pie whose curls were back on her head and who displayed a wide smile which offered a disturbing contrast with the blood almost entirely covering her coat. Their parents soon joined them as well.

“Is everypony alright?”, Rainbow Dash asked, her voice huskier than before.

“I… guess”, Caramel claimed.

“We have to examine the bodies, to see who’s injured and who’s dead.”

It almost was a miracle that they suffered from no serious injuries. Yet, the battle had not always been a walk in the park, nor even at their advantage. They had to keep going, many times, themselves had passed close to death, and the effects, debilitating, they felt them all over their breathless bodies.

That was when Melrose noticed that one of them was not here. Her son, Big Macintosh. She turned around, and did not see him standing.

“Big Mac… Where’s Big Mac?”

They all straightened up their heads, and looked next to them, like an amputee suddenly realizing one of his limbs was no longer here. Once the assessment of his absence certified, they all rushed to the bodies piled up on the floor, looking for the tall stallion.

Pinkie Pie found him first. She waved to everypony to come closer. However, feeling this was no sight for a little filly, and although she had taken part in the fights, Spitfire decided to keep Apple Bloom with her in the background, near the stage, while they all gathered around the spot showed by the pink mare.

Big Macintosh was lying between two mares’ corpses with dilated eyes and slit throats. Two very recent Members of the Militia they all recognized but chose to ignore in order not to add more pain. He displayed a very ugly wound at his chest, and bathed in a pool of blood.

Applejack stepped closer and sat in front of him, not really attentive about the hemoglobin soon blanketing her own coat.

“I’mma goin’ to heal ya, Ah promise. Keep goin’.”

She had no first-aid kit within her reach, but knew there was one in the room they were at. It was mandatory. Each place of entertainment had to have at least one of these kits, just in case. Caramel was about to go and get it, when he saw Big Macintosh nodding his head.

“Nope. Useless.”

He coughed loudly, and blood spurted from his mouth on the already crimson floor. Tears in her eyes, Applejack took his head and put it on her laps. The rest of his body had not moved, not reacted.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Ah will save ya. Ah will save ya.”

“Dis too late, AJ.”

“No, tis not too late. Don’t tell dis!”

He took a glimpse at his mother, a bit in the background. She was staring at him, her eyes such as a lake under the rain. Big Macintosh knew they all knew, but that only Melrose was being lucid. His mother already had lost the love of her life, and was also going to lose a son. Yet, faithful to herself, she did not utter a word. Her whole existence was made of renunciations, and she had prepared herself long ago to lose one of her children one day, as if she had always known.

Spitfire knew it since months. He had been in her visions, among all the dead that had passed before her eyes. It did not stop the pain. But unlike her friends and his sister, she also had already prepared herself to this loss.

Big Macintosh gathered little strength he still had and rose a shaking hoof to Applejack’s face. The tip of his hoof struck her cheek but it did not last. Almost immediately, his numb limb fell back, and the rest of his body started to tremble from cold.

“Sorry. Am sorry I disappointed you. And Pinkie Pie. Sorry too.”

The pink mare did not say a word, and lowered her head. Silent tears fell on the floor under her hooves, forming some kind of furrow in the middle of the blood tasks on her face, which had dried.

He coughed again, and one second later, everything stopped. Then, took over Applejack’s screams filled with sobs, the most harrowing screams they had heard since Time Stellar’s death, a few years ago.

> Chapter 30
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The heavy rain had erased all traces of blood on her coat. However, nothing could have suppressed the stabs in the heart she had felt at each steps forward. To have acquired her revenge had not helped her. He was dead. The pony she loved, the first stallion to whom she had given all she had inside.

She had not even realized to have returned back to the Royal Tavern and Inn. When she had shove the door, her whole family had been there to receive her with opened hooves. And she had wanted to see none of them. She had wanted to see nopony. When she had been offered some comfort, she had yelled at them.

“For once in your life, leave me alone!”

As quickly as her tired wings had permitted her, she had fled to the top of the stairs labyrinth, and had cloistered herself in her room in order to shed all the tears of her heart. To tell the truth, her cries had more sounded like harrowing screams, and had not seemed to stop. She never had felt hurt so much.

It had been as if she could have still seen the prints of his body against her mattress, this body that was about to become dust, and that she could never hold against her anymore. All this time, she had often told herself that her love affair would not last forever… Yet she had always thought until then that their separation would have been something natural, like for many other couples before them. First loves were not meant to last.

She had regretted those thoughts so much. He was gone too soon, forever and ever, just because she had been too stubborn. Sacrificed, because of her and her totally pathetic sense of decisions.

For a very long while, even after she had decided to leave her room in order to become the new Head of the Militia, Rainbow Dash had wondered how could she ever look at herself in a mirror again.

The screams that tonight resounded all other the floor were not hers. They sounded like those of a victim of a flaming pyre, and did not seem about to run dry. Like then, they all relieved each other in Applejack’s room to try to comfort her, even Melrose which pain was more reticent, and none had achieved one’s ends.

Of a modest nature, the earth mare never expressed herself in such a thundering way. For Double Diamond, she had cried, of course, but nothing that sounded like her current despair.

Big Macintosh was her beloved older brother, the one she turned to all the time, even when life had separated them. Furthermore, they had not been able to reconcile from their quarrel before his death, and of this, Applejack was really feeling guilty.

How long had he stayed lying with all these other corpses, hoping that, maybe, one of them would come and rescue him? All she could do was to imagine his pain.

And each time was even more heartbreaking than the last. She had been so stubborn, so selfish. Now her brother was no longer here. It was impossible for her to perform the Sacrament Rituals, so she had let this to another Master of Rituals. If she had listened to her, she would have never released his motionless body. The absence of his warmth by her side made the reality more palpable. Big Macintosh was dead.
She was not innocent in this, of that, she was sure.

Caramel had tried everything. Nothing he had attempted had helped his marefriend to quiet down. Neither affection nor comforting words… It even seemed to him that the more he tried to soothe her; the more she tensed between his hooves and cried. His anxieties about her was so huge that he was even not able to let pain touch him. To be there with her was no use if he could not either swallow up the pain that this loss caused to his soul.

He had always known Big Macintosh. It was natural to know him, here. His best friend, his fellow of all chores, who had confessed a little shortly after Applejack and him had started to date how happy he was that she had chosen him.

Caramel knew somewhere along the line, the dyke was about to break and he would shed tears in his turn. For now, however, all that mattered for him was to make sure the body he was holding tight was simmering down.

A discreet knock resounded against the door of the room, and when he turned his head, he noticed Rainbow Dash on the doorstep. Unlike the earth mare, she had cleaned the dried blood on her body and face, and had tied her long mane in an enormous braid itself made of three other braids, knot with white ribbons.

A mourning hairstyle.

“I don’t know what to do”, he whispered in despair, above the crying tears of his marefriend.

Without a word, she walked toward the bed on which Caramel was and settled between them. As if she had felt a different presence, Applejack transferred from the hooves of her coltfriend to the laps of her best friend, her groans muffled by the bandage this latter wore around one of her hooves.

“I haven’t seen you’ve been hurt…”

“Me neither”, she answered in a low voice.

It had only been once Applejack repatriate in her room, when she was about to have a bath to get rid of the blood on her coat, that Rainbow Dash had noticed the large gash on her right hind hooves. She had been so much carried away by the fever of fighting that she had not even realized she was injured.

Everything looked so strange, as if her soul was detached from her corporal envelope and was looking at them from above, spectator without being actress. She could not realize tragedy had  struck them again. Even these exclamations of discouragement seemed to be false.

When everything would come back to reality, she knew it… It would be difficult for her to hold back what brooding under the surface.

For now, all that mattered was Applejack. Her pain was natural, warranted, even, but she had to be able to calm down at least a little, not to risk to faint from exhaustion. Melrose probably did not want to lose another of her children tonight.

When they were little fillies and something made them cry, Melrose always sang them a lullaby they both liked a lot, about a mare finding back her way home thanks to an orange-colored Aurora Borealis. It maybe was silly, but that was all Rainbow Dash had found to help her unburdening her best friend’s heart.

Softly, she started to rock Applejack’s body crossed by spasms, and put a hoof on her disheveled mane. Not caring about whether or not her voice was in tune, she sang the lyrics in a low voice, so she would be the only one who could hear. Immediately, the mare tightened her embrace around her friend’s body.

Quite unexpectedly, it was this childish singing which finally reduced her tears, and little by little her body ceased to be shaken by shivers, then ended up relaxing, won over by exhaustion and sorrow.

With as much gentleness as possible, Rainbow Dash shifted, and with the help of Caramel, ensured that Applejack lied in the right sense of the bed. Once the latter tucked in, she asked him, eyes streaming with worry.

“You’re going to stay with her, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I won’t leave her at all, don’t worry.”

“Thanks, Caramel. Even if you feel as if you can’t help her… She needs you.”

He nodded, taking a glimpse at the mare’s face who, even asleep, was frowning, her mouth twisted by distress.

“Do you think you’ll be able to be there tomorrow night for the watch? I know it might seem a little… heartless, to go back to work after such an event. But this city still needs us, and the Unavowed Army’s threat is still real.”

“I’ll be there. If we give up, it’s as if they were winning, isn’t it?”

This time, it was Rainbow Dash who nodded. With Big Macintosh’s death, they had just weakened them like never before, and this despite the apparent Militia’s victory during tonight’s fight.

They had not just reduced them of an important member… It was a brother that have been taken away from them.

Tomorrow, when things will appear under a different light, palpable and visible, she would think about a way to make them pay for this loss. She had warned Prince Blueblood by Twilight’s transitional, when he had tortured Double Diamond and sent him hurt as a warning – some crimes could not go unpunished.

The Fallen Heir Apparent stayed warm in his castle, while the others were falling for them. If he was so determined to gain back his throne, why did he not give his guts to get to it? No. He let the others do all the dirty tasks. He was nothing but a coward and a traitor, and she would make him swallow his pride with the greatest of pleasures. It was not a promise; it was a threat.

Rainbow Dash left his room, and saw that Caramel had positioned himself on top of the blankets, right beside Applejack, and his eyes staring at her face always suffering.

When she closed the door of her own room, suddenly, loneliness came and gripped her throat. The place was empty and cold, despite the boiling coal-burner throbbing next to her bed. Surely she should go and rest, and she felt as if she would never be able close her eyes.

For a moment, she thought about joining her parents in their bedrooms, and to snuggle against them like she was doing when she was only filly, and she was afraid after a nightmare. But it was a safe bet that she would not find there the comfort she wanted. Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter were crushed. This day supposed to be one of the most beautiful of their lives was now marked with the seal of disgrace, forever.

She was a big mare now. She had to do this on her own, and to deal with her loneliness as the responsible adult she was supposed to be.
If only for tonight… She could lay down her weapons, to stop fighting… Only for tonight, and not a minute more.

It had not happened to her since years, since this very precise morning, a few times after Time Stellar’s death, where Spitfire had come into her room, and announced her the Greater Council had debated and gave their agreement… She had just been appointed as the new Head of the Miltia.

Rainbow Dash remembered it like it was yesterday. She had not eaten since a week, had rejected everyone, and had shed more tears she thought her body was able to contain. When Spitfire had told her this, she had not want to hear about it. She could never replace Time Stellar, his wisdom, his always thoughtful decisions, his rigor and his sharp devotion of duty.

Yet, one hour later, she had finally come out of her room, and with a new determination in her eyes which had made her eldest thought she had agreed to assume this new role. It had seemed to her then to be the best way to honor the memory of the stallion she had loved so much, and ever since she had almost not let down her guard.

Tonight, yet, she was torn apart in a fight within herself. Deep inside, all she wanted was to let resurfacing all the emotions she buried in the depth of her heart.

A knock on her window made her jump. In the half-twilight of her room, Rainbow Dash had to frown to guess the outlines of the figure floating in the sky. When she stepped closer, her heart was about to stop… She thought she saw Time Stellar. Quickly, however, the profile won back authenticity, and she realized it was in fact Soarin.

She had demanded him to go and rest, willing him not to see his whole family suffering. His own parents were dead in mysterious circumstances, and she did not want to shake memories of grievances. For his own good, she had thought, in all honesty, that it was best for him to go back home.

As she opened her window for him, she realized how stupid she had been. Surely he did not want to be alone as well in such a moment. It was unfair to send him back, as if this all was none of his concern.

“I could not sleep”, he told her in a low voice.

“I understand… I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep as well.”

A short silence floated between them, during when none of them dared to look into the other eyes. The night had started really good to end in the most tragic way, and Soarin knew his marefriend. He knew how reluctant she was to show her weaknesses to the others, although he had been able to dig a few holes inside her armor.

“Come inside”, she said moving aside to let him in.

She closed her window back and, without a word, trotted to her bed on which she climbed, letting out a sigh of weariness. Her neck, her back, her hooves, even her wings though she had not used them, hurt her as if she had contested for one of the rodeos in which Applejack took part sometimes.

When Soarin landed beside her, and wrapped a protective wing around her tiring body, something against which she struggled tried to beat her. A resistance she felt was crossing her from head to hooves stopped the sensation from going out, and Rainbow Dash did not know whether she was glad or sad about it.

“How are you?” she asked him, rising her eyes. “It might be hard not to think about your family.”

He shrugged.

“Yes, I’m thinking about them, but… it was a very long time ago, you know. And, each day I’m trying my best to make my parents proud. That’s what stops me from being too sad.”

“You’re stronger than me. All I can do is to keep everything locked up inside.”

It was not something very new. As soon as she had been aware of her character different from some of the other fillies, she had made it a duty not to show that she too had flaws. To display her imperfections was not a bother, but demonstrating vulnerability, it was the worst of degradations in her conception of the world.

So, she allowed herself to break down on really rare occasions. Extreme occasions, when holding back her emotions was harder than to keep them inside.

Tonight, she was feeling as if this behavior did not make her look like a strong and tough mare, but like some cold pony, unable to feel anything.

Once again, she sighed and put her chin against her two forelegs.

“Why can we never get used to a relative’s death? With everything we see every day, with the death we’re the cause of… We should be tough enough not to feel anything anymore with time.”

She had made this reflection almost for herself, and did not expect him to answer.

“Because the day we’ll be used to it will be the day we’ll be dead as well.”

His words had a strange resonance inside her. There was a lump in her throat, everything within herself banged and burned, begging for liberation.

Soarin could feel it. She did not need to tell him anything. Although there were mysteries left to solve, he was starting to know her. Something stopped her from saying how she really felt. It was nothing good, he was convinced of it. She would suffer even more by not letting down her guard. Even the bravest fighters needed to be relieved of some weight along the road of existence.

If she kept going like this, she would end up going wild, one day or another. This day would be the worse for the one across her way, and then, she would be even more mad at herself. There was no way such a thing could happen.

“Nothing obliges to keep everything inside. You have the right to go with the flow. I promise you I won’t tell it to anyone, and your reputation won’t suffer by it. It will be our secret… another one.”

Too hard. It was too hard. She had struggled long enough. Her cheeks crimson from shame, despite it all, she rolled on her flank, wrapped her hooves around Soarin’s body, buried her muzzle against the fur of his chest, and exhaled deeply.

Immediately, it was as if a bomb had exploded within herself. Everything burst into a million pieces. Rainbow Dash started to tremble, shaken from everywhere with sobs and hiccups. She cried for Big Macintosh, for everything they had shared, for Applejack who would never be like her old self anymore, for Melrose who had just lost her son after she had lost the love of her life, for her parents who would never again celebrate their wedding anniversary, for Soarin who had lost his parents too soon, for Time Stellar who died too young because of her, for Pinkie Pie who thought she was the origin of the quarrel between Big Mac and his little sister, for Apple Bloom who was too young to go through such an ordeal, for all those who had lost someone dear…

She cried for Equestria in the whole, for all the tragedies from the past, the present and the future… She cried like she had never cried before.

The shame she had felt in the beginning vanished away. It was childish, as much as the habit she had not to tell the ones she loved that she loved them, just because she was too proud, too concerned about what other ponies said, about what could be whispered behind her back.

Firefly had said something rather true tonight, during her speech – which had not been as horrible as foreseen. Life could last like an eternity, but could also seem to be a mere illusion, barely brushed and already lost. The ones you love should never be neglected, and should never be make believe they did not have the room they deserved in your existence.

Her face flooding by the tears, she once again rose her eyes to Soarin. In the way his own eyes were glowing, she knew it, he had cried too. He had never hidden his fears to her, and he never hid his vulnerability as well.

When he had arrived, Rainbow Dash had promised herself to teach him everything she knew, in order to reveal the warrior that she knew he was deep inside. In reality, maybe it was him who had more things to teach her.

She made one of her hooves slip along his back, between his wings. She could feel a small swelling. There was another one, at the level of his chest, where her tears had damped his coat. There were the remainders of this fight which had almost killed him, the one thanks to which she had met him, but also which could have made him never be on her way.

“The pegasus who made these scars to you… He wasn’t there tonight, was he?”

“Surely Blueblood keeps him for later.”

“Are you scared?”

He nodded. There was no use in hiding it, she knew it, since always. She had noticed even before he had the courage to tell her. It even was what had let her think that, maybe, one day she could answer to the flowering of feelings he had developed for her, which were now in full bloom.

His eyes opened wide like saucers when he felt Rainbow Dash transferring her forelegs to wrap them around his neck, and hold him tight against her.

“I’ll protect you”, she whispered to him, then she strengthened her embrace a little, feeling tears coming up again. “Don’t leave me… I don’t want to be alone…”

This confession left Soarin lost for words for a few seconds. Since the first moments he had spent by her side, he had hoped she would accept him close to her, that she would not refuse his stretched wing, and that she would be able to rely on him like mare and stallions were supposed to do…

Little by little, he had seen the efforts she consented to provide towards him. At each steps she made in his way, he said to himself he had reached the limit, and that there was no way he would go beyond this line. He had relinquished to it, thinking it already was a good thing that she could give so much to him, since she only gave away her affection with parsimony.

Each time this limit was pushed back, he could not believe what he had just heard.

Soarin made sure she would look into his eyes. They both were lit up by the moon and the glimmer of the coal-burner, yet he felt as if he could see her face in broad daylight. Her eyes were reddish, her cheeks striped with tears, nevertheless, he swore he had never seen her so beautiful.

What was under his eyes was the real Rainbow Dash, deprived of embellishments and subterfuges. She was strong and weak at the same time, like many of the beings in Equestria.

“You must know… Surely, you must know… You’ve bewitched me, body and soul. And I love, love, love you. And I never want to be parted from you from this day on.”*

She probably would hit him for acting so sappy. There were limits not to cross, and according to Soarin, it was crystal clear… He had just crossed the ultimate one.

It was to ignore that this night was not an ordinary night.

After this, when the reserves were going to ring the Great Bell, announcing the beginning of day, everything would go back to normal, and she was going to brag about being the best again, and to refuse to hold his wing in the streets, and other things of this kind. But tonight, she wanted to be true to herself, to give up on the usual boastings.

Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash left the warm circle of Soarin’s wings, and trotted to her bedside table, on which she had put the present she had prepared for her parents, that she brought back on the bed where her coltfriend was following her with his eyes.

The box was crushed and covered with blood, nonetheless she had taken it back. Inside, on their velvet case, the two jewels were untouched, as if nothing of what had happened around them were true. They remained in a sheltering bubble which knew no weariness and no idleness.

Without a word, she caught between her teeth the first pendant, on which end there was a small padlock and put it around Soarin’s neck who was watching her, not sure he could understand. Then she caught the second necklace, the one with the key, that she put around her own neck.

“But… What about your parents?” he finally muttered.

“It was for their wedding anniversary. They will never see this day as such anymore. They will forever see it as the day when Big Mac has died, so…”

She took a break, a few tears hanging at her lashes putting up resistance, then once again, she sighed. How many times had she sighed this way tonight? She felt so worn out.

“You never told me what they meant.”

“I forgot. Probably something like ‘your heart is mine’, which is stupid, because in fact, they’ve been married since twenty-five years. To the day.”

Rainbow Dash once again felt this sensation of complete weariness taking over her, and knew that if she did not find a way to soothe it quickly, she would never gain back enough strength to fight, to plunge her whole soul back into a battle she knew was too important for the future of the nation.

In order to resist, and to find the comfort in which she would draw a brand new strength, she lied back next to Soarin and snuggled her body against his, against his wrapping and reassuring warmth, their wings intertwining. He held her, softly. She suddenly seemed so small, close to him this way.

The days to come were going to be difficult. A hard ordeal to deal with, but that they would have to overcome with all their might. Except, for now, all that mattered was to seize the moment. Rest before the bellicosities. Peace before the bolts of war, merciless, the kind to sweep away everything on your path.

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Pinkie Pie curled up under her blankets. She had spent so much time looking through the window that she did no longer distinguish one shadow from another. In his last letter, he had told her he would arrive tonight, or maybe tomorrow, depending on his journey between here to Canterlot.

If she had chosen to go home instead of staying with her mourning friends, it was because she hoped she would see him tonight. It had been too long since she had not been in his presence, and she missed the sand-colored stallion more than she wanted to admit.

She wanted to fall asleep, deep inside, she wanted to… But each time she was about to close her eyes, she was overwhelmed with atrocious pictures. Applejack’s sobs kept on haunting her, despite all her efforts to put them in a corner of her mind.

Pinkie Pie was the kind to always find positivity, even in the worst, like Caramel, more than Caramel, even. Tonight, she had to admit it, she could hardly see the little bit of sunshine that would feed her hope.

When she heard the knocks on her door, she jumped. Her knives were on her bedside table, within her reach, and for a short while, she thought she could take them, just in case a soldier from the Unavowed Army would be behind that door, sent here to kill her in the silence of the night.

“Pinkie… Pinkie, are you here? It’s me”, a voice she knew well whispered.

Here he was. Cheese Sandwich, finally. Unless…

Nonetheless on alert, she took a new glimpse through her window. In theory, there was no pony behind him. Just in case again, she slipped on her right hoof her leather armband garnished with sharp and pointed knives.

The delighted smile he displayed when she opened the door fell back as soon as he saw her defeated face, and her mane a little deflated. Her eyes were still red… Obviously, something really bad had happened.

His suspicions were confirmed when she pounced on his neck with an unequal despair, and he felt tears humidifying his grey woolen poncho. It was really rare to see his cheerful former sister-in-law crying… Yes, something bad had happened. Usually, when he was back from his travels, she was overexcited, and greeted him with a rain of streamers.

Whatever it was, he would make sure to replace her tears by smiles. After all, they were both made in the same material, and deeply desired to make the ones they loved happy. And although he could not see each other very often, he loved her with all his soul.

> Chapter 31
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the beginning of the operations against The Militia, though he remained cautious, Prince Blueblood had left the unhealthy and wet basements. His return wasn’t quite a secret anymore and unbeknown to the rest, he jubilated to know his aunts did not have the power to get him arrested, forced as they were to respect old stupid royal rules.

A few days before, the Highest Cabinet and all the deputies had gathered in order to try to amend the law, but nothing could be done. The oldest members cared way too much about their old-fashioned guidelines and stood by them. It was up to The Militia to take care of the issue he represented. As long as the Princesses were not in a direct danger, they could do nothing except waiting.

The room in which he now spent most of his time, with guards at the entrance and all around him, was a huge living-room with ceilings as high as those of the royal palace. All the furniture embellishing it was smart as can be, made of precious wood, gold, marble and diamonds, and a red velvet carpet crossed the whole room. In fact, his hooves could only be in touch with the fluffy blood-colored material.

Sitting on a couch large enough for a whole family, but that was for his sole personal use, separated from the white unicorn by a table on low which rare pink berries from the Frozen North were inside a tumbler, his suitor sitting close and staring at the floor, he was looking scornfully at his Main Servant with the coldest of eyes.

Blueblood did not know what was upsetting him the most… The disaster of the night before or the fact Rarity withstood his scrutiny with her chin up, as if she had nothing to feel ashamed of. Yet he was convinced he had been able to definitely bring her into line, pretending to give his heart to her on many occasions.

Why did she not seem to fear him, or at least to fear she would lose his love? It was incomprehensible. She should have been trembling, on her knees while crying in front of him. Her suitor’s own parents, the discreet and maneuverable Fluttershy, had been more than fawning toward him all day long, and he would have bet this was only the beginning.

“I wouldn’t act proud if I were you, Rarity. Last night attack should have been our victory. The Head’s Council asphyxiated, just when they expected it the less.”

“My King… All the ponies out there were armed, even the Dissident Rainbow Dash’s parents. They obviously were expecting it.”

Prince Blueblood could not help but open his eyes wide in front of Rarity’s nerves. She hadn’t lowered her eyes, had kept on staring at him, and had delivered her words with resolution and the self-confidence of the good soldier sure to have given the best.

How did she dare? He started to regret he had given so much responsibilities to her. She was nothing but a female after all and females were unable to understand the stakes of war and power plots.

His hooves hit with all his might the marble of the low table, and a few berries leaped off the tumbler to crush against his Main Servant’s face who, finally, lowered her head… her jaw tensed, and her eyes still wide opened, filled with a ferocity it was better not to show.

“What happened is inexcusable! I’ve prepared the perfect plan… Most of the Council’s bodies should have been exposed in a temple by now, hooves bond by a thread of silk and their eyes blindfolded! Instead of this, half of my own soldiers sent yesterday had passed away, and you had killed only ONE of them.”

“It’s Applejack, the Second-in-Command’s brother and I think it is…”

“Don’t interrupt me, Rarity! I don’t care even if he were Ponyville’s Deputy’s brother. I want this damn Rainbow Dash’s head and the one of her rustic Second-in-Command!”

If she had not fear to have her head chop off, she would have let him know what she was thinking about his plan. It was not badly conceived and would have worked if he did not always underestimate the ones they were forced to call “dissidents”, convinced as he was that his fighters, numerous and mainly male, were enough to slaughter an organization such as The Militia.

She was from Ponyville, unlike him, and she knew how things were around here. The best were for the competition, and said competition was training everyday with no exception, tirelessly.

It was certain he had in his ranks exceptional fighters, but it was arrogant of him not to send them when he decided to launch a major operation like the one of last night, thinking a superior number of combatants would be enough to overcome the best adversaries of all Equestria, and that these adversaries could be helpless just because the circumstances were not the best for a fair fight.

And she had not even been raised to plan military strategies, unlike him… His biggest problem was that irascible side of him, and the way he was taking everything for granted.

Until now, her love for him had been so huge that Rarity never get herself fooled by the Prince’s flaws, despite them being striking, and she had always dismissed any objection her mind could have whispered about his behavior, giving privilege to what her heart was saying. Today, the layer of paint which she had covered Blueblood with unconsciously was beginning to split.

Since she could not let him know what she was thinking about this all, she chose to remain silent. If she said nothing, he could not get carried away again.

It was to be mistaking about the murky personality of the one they all called the Fallen Heir Apparent. The poseur who refused to get stained and spent a lot of time admiring himself in the big mirrors of the castle was also a pony full of spite, with easy anger outbursts, and a limitless cruelty in the heart. Proof was how he had enjoyed torturing this white stallion for days, healing him with zeal only to bring him back to the edge of death after that.

Blueblood showed his fury again, and with one blow of hooves, made the tumbler of pink berries flow so that it would land on Rarity’s mane. It hung on her horn and the fruits crushed against the unicorn who had to clench her teeth not to let tears appear under the humiliation done to her.

“You already should be calling our troops to find another plan. I don’t want to see your face again until you’d have repaired what your silliness has costed!”

They all knew Rarity barely had a word to say about last night’s intervention. Almost everything came from him, even the idea to brand his own suitor in order to fool Rainbow Dash. It had worked, undoubtedly… but now this young and lovely mare Pegasus was forever marked with the seal of one of the worst prostitution shack of the city. It was an incomparable sacrifice he had imposed to her, and all the crueler that he swore to the Emgok of love and Rarity that he would never marry her.

Fluttershy, unaware of the confront it was, stepped to Rarity and gave her a handkerchief of cloth she always kept inside the pocket of the white dress Blueblood had forced her to wear. Really well-educated, and of a helpful nature, in her opinion it was the least she could do than to bring a bit of comfort to the pretty unicorn.

Before she could even reach for her, she wobbled and fell flat. The stallion had just violently kicked her hind hooves, and crushed the tip of her tail to make sure she would not move, all this under the eyes of Rarity who found it more and more difficult to swallow her bitterness.

“I haven’t allowed you to help her.”

“But, I…”, Fluttershy babbled, almost crying.

It was a vision he enjoyed more than words could say. Nothing could please him more than to see mares under his hooves, called to order and submissive, what he regarded as their true position. If Rarity had not been part of a former aristocratic family, and if she were not a pawn to fun to move, she would never had had the position that was hers now.

It was also worth for the traitor Twilight Sparkle that he had chosen only for what she could tell him about The Militia thanks to her former rank – now regained.

“Rarity only gets what she deserves. Serves her right… if I were you, Fluttershy, I wouldn’t say nothing, would do nothing as well. We’re also here because of you. If you had really thrown yourself into it…”

“Well, I think she had thrown herself into it enough. She’d been perfect, even”, said a hoarse voice behind them.

They all three turned their necks, surprised, and caught sight of Rainbow Dash in the middle of the living-room, on the red carpet she had stained with smears of mud and snow. They had been so monopolized into them in camera settling of scores they had not even heard the noises behind the door.

“How—How did you come in?!”, Blueblood yelled at her.

“I only messed up a bit the ponies placed at the entrances. Not on my own, of course…”

In front of the wide opened door where were piled up guards, sitting directly on the stallions dressed in white, was a pink earth mare, a big smile on her apparently harmless face.

As for Rainbow Dash, also dressed in white – as a sign of mourning – she was standing at a few inches behind them, her sword tied at her flank and her wings spread. Remnants of her wound was in fact still visible, some kind of scab between vermilion and black. She displayed a bandage on a hind thigh and seemed to be feeling no shame to show him she had been injured last night.

Suddenly embarrassed, Rarity shook her head in order to get rid of the wicker tumbler hanging on her horn. Nerves were necessary to walk into the lion’s den this way, with only one sword and one bodyguard, as dreadful as she was. It was really daring… and really stupid as well.
Against all expectations, Blueblood waved at the Servants of the room waiting for his orders not to do anything, and let Fluttershy’s tail go, the mare going to take shelter, rolled into a ball, behind the couch, and he made a few steps in Rainbow Dash’s direction.

“What do I owe this absurd visit from you? Do you realize that if I decide, I can get your throat cut in the second?”

“By a henchpony? What a sign of bravery! What if for once you were the one staining your hooves? You want my head on a plate, don’t you? Come and chop it yourself!”

This was a simple idea. Everything could be settled down right here and right now. Since he wanted to be king, since he regarded this role as his natural right, all he had to do was to prove his determination to her. He could get rid of the threat represented by The Militia immediately if he wanted to. It would only take him to grab his sword and fight against her.

Enough ponies had suffered because of this cause he believed in so much he was sending others to bite the dust. She was exhausted and preferred to die right now while doing her duty than to wait for somepony to stab her in the back… or to kill one more of the ones she loved the most.

If that was Equestria he wanted, she was here so he would show her how bad he longed for a conquest of the nation.

She had expected anything, but not him to laugh in her face as if she had delivered the worst nonsenses. Even Rarity, silent by his side, opened her eyes wide from his reaction. His laugh was crystalline, sincere, something from deep inside.

It was cute to come under the enemy’s roof in order to demand them to fight immediately so they would settle down all the scores, but that was not the way he worked. To kill her right here would do nothing but arouse anger from the rest of her Council whom would dash to apply the Sacred Law and so to avenge her. That was not how things were supposed to happen.

“Hilarious. I’ve never heard anything so funny in ages. Look around… If you make a single step with your sword unsheathed, you won’t even have time to brush my mane that you’ll already be dead and gone. And I’d take an advantage from it to hang your pink friend over there… Then I’d cut your family member’s throats and before I’ll kill her, I’d raped your mother and her pair of deformed wings. Kudos, by the way. Even I had not crippled my mother by coming into existence!”

Rainbow Dash’s face was painted in red. Frowning, a vein was pulsating right beside her ears, at each side of her face. A lightning went through her eyes, as if for a second it almost had taken the same color than the carpet on the floor.

Blueblood was secretly exulted. All he hoped was for the Black Blood to display, so that she would be unable to suppress her anger and then, the Servants around would have a good reason to use their weapon against her. If she got carried away, The Militia would not be able to shake under his muzzle their thing with the Sacred Law since he would be in his right to demand to apply it, being the victim.

But like him right before, she avoided his pitfall. Herself, she succeeded in not letting the curse emerge, despite all the horrible things he could have implied. She had learned a lesson ever since August Charmer. Of course, sometimes schemes and strategies were not the most appropriate solutions, but in this case, to think and to put things into perspective were the best things to do. He wouldn’t trap her so easily, as if she was nothing but a rookie fighter.

“Alright”, she said with her chin up and sticking out her chest. “Let’s keep it that way for now… But we’ll take a raincheck.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Beware. Next time, that could be us who’ll catch you off-guard. And when this day will come, you’ll have to be accountable for your actions, Blueblood.”

“I’m shaking”, he added with disdain.

“That’s it, have fun while you can. When we shall see each other again, I swear on Time Stellar’s sepulcher… I’ll be the one chopping your head off, and I’ll send it to Princess Luna and Celestia in a lovely wrapping paper.”

As a sign of defiance, and to show she really meant what she had said, Rainbow Dash spat on the floor. Then, she left the room flying backwards to make sure no guard would try to attack her in her back, until she had joined Pinkie Pie, still sitting on the guards, her hooves and her croup crushing a certain amount of them.

Right after, both disappeared after a pink sparkle, an evidence that Twilight was not far or at least that she could follow their conversation one way or another.

There were a few seconds of wavering, where each of them were thinking about what had been said. Something had happened, for sure, because after this short moment of assimilation, Blueblood looked in a sunny mood as sudden as it was unexpected.

Yet, according to Rarity, there was nothing to be very pleased with. He had just been threatened to death by one of the most redoubtable fighter ever, and none ignored what kind of fate had met ponies like Wind Rider or August Charmer, after they had suffered from her anger.

“I owe you apologies, Rarity… I’ve been blinded by vexation.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Thanks to his magic, he made flown the handkerchief Fluttershy had tried to give to her, and wiped away the juice from berries on her mane and face.

“The plan was good yet not successful enough. I should have thought they would respond the way they did. You weren’t to blame at all. No, you’ve been just perfect.”

After he had humiliated her so much, he finally acknowledged his faults. She was happy, she could not help yet at the same time, she couldn’t deny that his unpredictable behavior kept on unsettling her. Each time he gave her words like this, she could not resist. And she hated it.

He turned around and walked to the back of the room where his other Servants were standing and had seen everything without moving an inch.

“The Militia think they’re going to attack first, that they can use our own methods against ourselves. They’re wrong. Let’s change our way to operate. This time the plan will be perfect and will allow us to get rid of the whole Council at the same time.”

> Chapter 32
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even after a week and a half, Applejack still refused to do her night guards. She barely ate, almost never left her room at all. Her tears had stopped but her pain had not decreased. As long as she hadn’t healed some of her wounds, she would not be able to give herself to her task the way she should.

Unlike her, Pinkie Pie, Caramel, Soarin and Rainbow Dash were involved more actively than ever into the Militia and the surveillance of citizens, even if it meant prolonging their guards more than necessary. They had to plunge themselves into their duty with all their might in order not to let their pain to have lost Big Mac take over them.

Rainbow Dash had not found a substitute for the big solid stallion yet. No other pony had his build, his stature and strength, even less his reputation to appear without being spotted. And most importantly, none had the special place Applejack’s older brother held in their hearts. He would always be a member of the Council, just like Time Stellar.

Waiting for the mare to get better, the left members handled the situation the best they could. Sometimes it was Spitfire doing her guard, sometimes she sent her cousin Misty Fly. When none of them were available, Rainbow Dash called Twilight Sparkle, though ordinarily the Main Quartermaster was forbidden to take part in this.

Times were hard, and distrust was at its highest inside any of them. They couldn’t allow themselves to be under-staffed. No one could predict when another misfortune would fall on their heads.

Soarin landed on the front garden ground, right in front of the high gate, like every day. A little group dressed with red and black cloaks were chatting, as if in the broad daylight despite being surrounded by darkness. In reality, eyes quickly got used to live in the dark, to the extent that it had become easy to progress into the night. He was not an exception.

Everything seemed to be as quiet as possible, yet he knew it, behind the smiles and the apparently relaxed attitudes were hiding fears and nervousness. They knew the end was coming, unawares of how they could feel the sensation as palpable for each of them, and every of their guards had something particular in it… It could always be the last one.

He greeted each of the members and Pinkie Pie who displayed her usual sunny mood, though she had shed loads of tears of her own for days and days. A few seconds passed before he understood something was wrong.

Twilight was here.

In front of his scrutiny, the unicorn felt herself blushing from embarrassment. He had never looked this way at her, even when she was a pawn in the opposite clan… as if he had seen a ghost or a monster about to attack.

“What? Did I do something wrong?”, she asked with her teeth clenched.

The stallion pegasus shook his head, as if trying to get rid of an insect flying around him, before rubbing the back of his head, frowning.

“You didn’t, but… Won’t you be late? Rainbow Dash’s probably already there.”

This time, it was Twilight who looked puzzled. She looked at Caramel then at Pinkie Pie, and they both answered by shrugging. They did not know what Soarin was talking about. None of them had seen their Head since this morning’s breakfast cooked by Melrose who did her best not to drown into depression.

“What are you talking about? Late for what?”

It did not make sense anymore. He had seen the parchment, and the writing was the unicorn’s…

Less than an hour earlier, he had been with Rainbow Dash in her room, which he had stayed at since Big Macintosh’s death. They both were reading a different volume of their favorite adventures novel. The atmosphere had been soft and warm, far from the tension of last days. Together, they knew how to soothe each other without the least of words.

Naturally, things had followed and while they were about to kiss, this parchment had appeared in front of them, hitting Soarin’s head. Of course, his marefriend had mocked him before reading the message out loud. Twilight said she had fettered out one of the secret basement for training of the Unavowed Army’s soldiers, in a disused factory of the White. She had proposed to sneak in so they would be able to attack it as soon as possible, and in this regard, she gave Rainbow Dash an appointment right before the night guard had started.

“I’ve never sent such a message”, the unicorn protested. “And I know no secret basement for the training of soldiers. According to what I’ve understood, each of them train as they’re pleased in the dungeons of the castle of the family that had protected Prince Blueblood.”

The shock did not hit them immediately. Their eyes met, bewildered… The pony who had sent this missive knew exactly how to mimic Twilight’s writing, and mastered the spell to send a parchment thanks to teleportation. This pony also knew fighting against the Hair Fallen Apparent was a number one priority for each Members of the Council, and particularly for Rainbow Dash who had promised she would have his head.

It was a trap, no doubt about it, a trap into which the Head had plunged headfirst since the illusion was perfect. None could say she should have been wiser. Everything had been masterminded to make believe the Main Quartermaster was hiding behind this. It even was not impossible to start thinking she was engaged in a double dealing and to distrust her.

The previous times, a gap of time had spent between two actions from the Unavowed Army. It seemed now that Prince Blueblood was in a rush to go through with his plans. It was a well-thought scheme, but any pony would have guessed they would discover the truth and so they would launch a rescue operation.

Soarin could reached the place of the appointment in no time, to warn her of the trap. Smart… But not smart enough to put them down. Unless it was a test to check out whether or not they were still spry. Whatever it was, they had no time to lose.

Yet, before they even had the leisure to take a decision, they all saw one of the most talented of the Spotters, Surprise, landing on the same ground as them. Her cheeks were crimson and her breath short. Her black camouflage outfit was full of snags, as if she had flown too close to the straw roofs of the poorest areas.

“You… absolutely must… come to the White. I’ve seen… Rainbow Dash near… the former cannons factory.”

“That’s exactly where we were going”, Twilight said while cleaning with a handkerchief Surprise’s forehead, thanks to magic.

“The thing is… They’re going to… destroy it… tonight… In less than an hour… It will be… raze to the ground.”

Immediately, not conferring with each other, they all left, Pinkie Pie included. Though she had not completely recovered her respiration, Surprise took off after them, ready to show them the way.

This time, Prince Blueblood had been of an incredible cowardice. He did not even matter to send minions to fight with them, he bluntly used disloyal methods that would allow him to get away with it while he had not even lifted a hoof.

But that was not the way it was going to be. They all were united and would make sure this scheme would fail. They now were convinced about it… They had to stop waiting for the opposite clan to take actions and make a big splash. Now was no longer the time to be distrustful. Now was the time for pure action. And they had no doubt Rainbow Dash would think the same…

--------------------------------------------------------------

At first glance, the place was empty. Although this factory was huge, there was no way soldiers could be training here without the least little noise. It probably was better this way… Twilight and her would be able to wander the place safely, to study entrances and exit ways, in order to plan an attack as soon as possible.

The unicorn mare should not be long to arrive. Nonetheless, that was what Rainbow Dash hoped while trampling the snow at her hooves, not to get cold. They had to be quick. Meanwhile, the rest of her Council, already diminished, was left to their own devices.

Just because the Unavowed Army had not given signs of life did not mean they had to relax in their efforts. She knew waiting for them to act was a display of weakness. Prince Blueblood had been warned – next time it will be the Militia attacking instead of defending themselves.

It was forbidden, she knew it too. That was the reason why they had not acted yet. She was looking for a chance, a flaw in their organization to make the situation go in her own advantages, and to skirt the laws which hindered their progression.

Rainbow Dash was staring nervously at the horizon. It was nothing comforting to be on her own within the enemy’s fields. If she got spotted, it would be difficult to get away with it without problems, even for her. She had not to take heedless risks. On their opponent’s side, her fall was much anticipated. There was no way she would give them the pleasure. She would stand up, no matter the circumstances.

A muffled sound resounded behind her, like steps in the snow. Thinking it was Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash turned around with a smile but met face to face with emptiness and the wind whistling against the high walls of the factory. Some of the glasses were broken and she could precisely see the freezing air blowing inside the building. If ponies were training here, the conditions might be very tough.

“Rain… Da…”

The mare pegasus frowned. She looked alone. There was not the least sign of life all around her, anyway.

Once again, she heard her name, this time more clearly. With wise steps, she came closer to the wide entrance door. The intonation was rather familiar… Twilight Sparkle? But if she already was here, why had not she displayed her presence before?

Like shoved by an unknown strength, Rainbow Dash stepped even closer to the door, which happened to be ajar, a heavy wrought iron padlock broken in two. In case this was not Twilight, calling her name would be dangerous, yet an enemy pony would not have tried to call on to her but rather challenged her from the very beginning. She started to know the Unavowed Army’s methods now. Subtlety was not their field of expertise.

“Twilight, is that you?”, she asked trying not to be too loud.

“Psst, Rainbow Dash, over here!”

The door opened wide on its own. At the end of the corridor, a shadow started running. The place was surrounded by darkness. Two wide openings were at each side of the walls, in an advanced state of decaying. There was so much dust piled on the exposed concrete floor that Rainbow Dash’s hooves buried inside of dust balls like inside the snow outside.

She ran pursuing this shadow and passed by something that looked like a decontamination chamber, then abandoned locker rooms. Again, the shadow showed itself, inviting her at the same time to dive deeper into the building. Something she could not explain made her unable to stop herself from running after the shadow, as if she were under a spell.

She ran not really paying attention to where she was going, and before understanding what had happened, found herself inside a room that was wider than the main restaurant of the Royal Tavern and Inn. A large table made of conveyor belts went all around. Each inches, long and sizable hosepipes stuck to the ceilings were hanging above the table. Everything was ruined but Rainbow Dash easily understood what it was.

It was a factory that had made bombs and cannons during the Fratricide War. Ponyville had specialized into the assembly of firearms to supply the Cavalry and every Militias of Equestria. That was how its growth had really started. Most of these factories had been purchased since and now made kitchen utensils, bathtubs, beddings, clothes, boats… Some even had been transformed into printer’s shops. They might be very few not to have been acquired ever since.

The shadow finally outlined more clearly in front of her, at the back of the room, and squinting her eyes, Rainbow Dash recognized the purple unicorn. Sitting, with her red coat on, she was waiting with a smile. Strange… It had seemed to her she no longer wore this shabby coat since she had become Main Quartermaster.

But the mare pegasus was left no time to join her friend. Before she could even come nearer, this one fled again, running as fast as her hooves could carry her through the various rooms of the building.

“Wait, Twilight! Please explain what you want to show me!”

But the unicorn did not answer. She guided her through stairs that were broken at places and in order not to slip inside one of those holes, Rainbow Dash had to use her wings. On top of the stairs, there was another room, an assembly room in all likelihood. The place where cannons such as the one belonging to Pinkie Pie were put together, back when they were legal and assembly-line produced.

It was even darker than the other parts of the building and some kind of thick and white fog rose from the ground to the ceiling.

Twilight had stopped moving. She seemed to be waiting for her Head, like a bit earlier. Yet something was wrong. The unicorn appeared not to touch ground anymore but to be floating above the assembly tables.

When Rainbow Dash stepped closer, her heart skipped a beat. It was not Twilight Sparkle in front of her… It was Time Stellar.

Impossible. Time Stellar had died under her eyes. The blade had crossed his body entirely. His blood had spurted against her face. She had held his lifeless body between her hooves, for an ultimate frozen kiss. He could not be standing in front of her… unless she was in the middle of a dream. If that was the case, then he would disappear as soon as she would try to touch him, as always.

She rushed straight forward… Once again, the shadow fled. She did not want to follow. It was a hallucination, her brain tricking her. She had not to follow. Yet, she could not help it and followed.

Another voice resounded, speaking her name softly. It was not the melodious intonation of Twilight anymore, this time the accent was strong, and the tone was bass. Big Mac… He had died under her eyes as well. Did this mean she, Rainbow Dash, had in reality also succumbed? As incredible as it might sound, she started to believe so. And if it was so, did it mean Twilight Sparkle had perished as well?

No, it was impossible. She was having a nightmare, there could be no other explanation. Out of breath, Rainbow Dash stopped at a few inches of the shadow. This time, she was in a messy office, where everything was broken and the furniture was covered with spider webs from ground to ceiling. It was a sign. The Cloth was made of silk threads… A fear like never before took over her whole being, and she shivered uncontrollably.

The shadow had changed its shape. Her eyes widened and her heart sped up again, fright having her collapsing against the dusty floor, her eyes scalding under the threat of tears. This time, it was Soarin in front of her, looking serious. If she had really died, and if the ponies she had seen had all perished as well, this meant that… No, no, no. Impossible, it was impossible. She was about to wake up in the warmth of her bed, and Firefly was going to be by her side, telling her it was nothing but a bad dream, but everything was okay, now.

“Soarin…”, she whispered between two hiccups, her head low.

“Dashie! Dashie!”

Rainbow Dash jumped. The voice she heard now had nothing in common with the one she had heard until then. It no longer floated in the air like a petal gone with the wind. Conversely, it was a firm and realist voice, that she almost could have caught with her teeth. Inside, there was a lot of concern and anxiety…

She screamed his name, and immediately, the voice answered. It was not a dream. Here she was for real, in this abandoned factory, and she had been guided there by an illusion. Unless she had started to lose her mind… Whatever it was, there was no way she would let herself being devoured by shadows. She had to go back among hers, among the living ones.

Back on her hooves, Rainbow Dash took the way contrariwise, as if she knew this road by heart for having done it a thousand times already. It was Soarin’s voice guiding her now, quickly followed by other concerned voices, with one of them as close as her coltfriend’s. The others seemed to come from the outside, the right place where she had waited on Twilight earlier.

Suddenly, a heavy noise added to the others. The walls started to tremble. Another sound resounded, the one of a framework collapsing…

“Dashie, where are you? They had started to destroy the building!”

It was as if everything had become crystal clear all of a sudden. There existed a spell of illusions, only performable at distance… a little complicated, but within the reach of a royal family’s unicorn. Twilight probably had never sent any message about a secret training basement. Once again, like some coarse beginner, she had fallen into a trap. A trap even more insidious than the other ones.

Rainbow Dash was running through the rooms, in the astounding noise of walls and floors crumbling behind her. The thick fog from the assembly room had invaded everything, coupled with the dust from the frameworks. It was hard to get your bearings… It would probably be wiser to keep on taking things easy, but too bad. Flying would be faster.

Finally, she perceived Soarin’s shadow in front of her.

“Soarin!!”

The male pegasus turned around, and outlined a semblance of smile which fell back immediately when he saw the ceiling above him, that had just been blasted, starting to tremble. No time to lose… He reached a hoof for Rainbow Dash.

Right on time, he was able to grab her hoof and to protect her under his body. With a little additional push that made roll sweat over their foreheads and between their wings, they both avoided the large section of concrete that had almost collapsed upon them. He wanted to see if Surprise was behind him, but…

---------------------------------------------------------

A high-pitch whistle was piercing her eardrums. It was unbearable. Her head was spinning, as if someone had knocked her with a mace…

For a second, Rainbow Dash thought she had dreamed everything, and that she was in her bed. She was not in her bed. The ground under was hard, something was buried inside her cheek, dust was itchy at her muzzle and a body was protecting her.

She opened her eyes, and had to blink unceasingly because of the thick smoke, scalding her retina. Above her, Soarin was holding her tight, his eyes shut and a thin trickle of blood was running along his temples. By instinct, she reached a hoof toward his injury. Something had scraped the corner of his eye but he seemed to be fine.

The stallion pegasus opened his eyes with difficulty as well, and caught a glimpse at his marefriend under him, looking at him with concern.

“Thank Cloth, you’re alive”, he said while holding her tighter to his chest.

They remained clasped in each other hooves for a few seconds, before realizing they were not alone here. The rest of her Council as well as the Spotter Surprise had come and them too probably had been blown out by the blast that had finished destroying the building. When they stood back up, Rainbow Dash saw the rest of her Council lying at a few inches away. Here they were lying against the ground, curled up in the snow, hooves against their ears. Their cloaks were damaged and pieces of wreckages had fallen all over them, but in theory none of them were injured.

“Is everypony OK?”, she asked out loud to be sure of it.

As one pony, Caramel, Pinkie Pie and Twilight answered yes, while standing back up, but moans called on them, a little farther behind Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Without further delay, he rushed toward where the sound went. From his muzzle, he lifted a few rubbles covering the suffering body of Surprise.

Her blond mane had turned white because of the dust, her eyes reddish. When Soarin took out one large fragment of concrete on top of her body, Surprise moaned again, this time louder, tears falling from her blue eyes. With horror, they discovered that the mare pegasus’ right wing had been snatched away during the blast. The wound was skinless, and festered. A pond of blood had started to color in red the former white of the dust.

“We have to warn the mare physician right now. She’s going to die if she loses too much blood”, Rainbow Dash said firmly.

The others stepped closer, while she was looking for a section of wall large enough to send a message to the closest medical team. She had barely put her hooves against the concrete that a shriek tore up the air.

“Fire!!! Fire!!!”

They all glanced at each other, and immediately went on top of a pile of rubbles, trying to see above the dust from the destroyed factory. Their eyes opened wider than ever.

Huge flames were dancing under the wind, licking the sky with their blinding light. Hundreds if not thousands of ponies were outside, running, screaming from panic. The anti-fire brigades’ sirens were yelling at a distance, around the Red Lights. Too far.

It was necessary to gather a weather patrol as soon as possible, in order to provoke a storm of rain strong enough to turn off the fire. It was their duty, protecting the citizens of Ponyville, and of this they could not escape. This was the message Rainbow Dash decided to send first.

Caramel, however, came and whispered something in his Head’s ear. He just had an idea and if, in theory, it sounded absurd, all things considered, it was not that stupid. It was even bluntly brilliant.

They would bring Surprise home with them, and would try to convince Applejack to get out of her mourning to heal the pegasus. She was able to do that; she knew…

The patrol should not see them at all, only a few ponies should be in the confidence of what was going to happen. By telegram, Spitfire would get in touch with a friend of hers working for the Ponyville Express, asking her to spread the news to the whole press. For all the citizens had to believe it true, for that even the Deputy mare had to believe it true.

If everything went their way, all they would have to do would be to shoe the horse. Or, in their case, the royal unicorn…

> Chapter 33
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Without the Head’s Council to ring the Great Bell, Ponyville had really been through what happened to be a Ceaseless Night. Many ponies had perished in the flames, despite all the efforts of both the weather patrol and the fire brigades. Once the fire had finally been completely extinct, the survivors of the drama had noticed in shock and horror and the whole bank of the White had been totally destroyed.

As if it was not enough to discourage the population, a shocking news had appeared on the front page of every newspaper in town. Ponies already cried Ponyville was lost and that what was best to do now was to run away, rather than letting plunderers and criminals of all background trample upon what was left.

Nonetheless, no pony had gone yet. A big part of the White had to be rebuild, and solidarity between inhabitants looked strong than ever.

“DESTRUCTION OF THE FORMER FIREARM FACTORY BECOMES A NATIONAL DISASTER” read as headline this morning’s edition of the Ponyville Express, quickly followed by almost every royal newspaper. With many details, undoubtedly invented for the most of them, the articles described the accident which had been fatal to the whole Head’s Council, except for the Second-in-Command Applejack who, despondent because of her brother’s death, now refused to fight.

No one really knew how or why they all had gone to such a place, knowing well the destruction of the building was for tonight. A trap was suspected, but it was specified that no other corpses than the ones of the Head’s Council Members had been found.

For sure it launched panic attacks amongst the inhabitants who had no pony to protect them until the Cavalry would arrive to take the reins, while the Greater Council would elect a brand new Head, what was going to be a very difficult task. It was the most serious accident Ponyville had known since the Fratricide War.

Lowering his newspaper after he had read the whole article with a certain excitement, Blueblood burst out laughing loudly, that made Fluttershy jump by his side.

Like every morning, he was having his breakfast in the huge dining-room of the castle, surrounded by his suitor and her parents, sitting at the other side of the long table. Many varlets were standing by their sides, waiting for orders, and displaying imperturbable faces.

Sitting behind the True King, Rarity could hardly contain an irritation she could not explain. She should have been delighted. It was the achievement of years of preparation, which she had taken a part of with enthusiasm. Yet, it left some bitter aftertaste in her mouth.

Maybe it came from how this victory had been acquired. With a trick, crookedly, indirectly. Her own parents had taught her that respect was not something owed to anyone, ponies had to deserve respect, to fight in order to prove they were worth it. Today she had the feeling she was betraying these precepts.

Blueblood did not seem to care about the means. Only the end mattered to him, and the result was far ahead of his expectations. In the end, the death of this stallion which had upset him so much a few days earlier had been one of the best thing that could happen. With the Second-in-Command dying from grief, and the rest of the Head’s Council dead for real, it was only a matter of weeks before he would get his throne back.

In Canterlot, a huge part of the Cavalry might already be on its way to Ponyville. Weakened, the Princesses’ guard would be a child’s play to eliminate. His soldiers were now the best of the Continent, of this he was sure.

This was one of the best days of his life, and made him in a very good mood.

Of course, it was maybe a little too premature, but he considered these ponies deserved a reward for they had saved him, fed him and helped him during all these years, making sure he would be right where he finally was today. And, it would oblige all the Masters of Rituals of the surrounding areas to come and admire his triumph. A little pleasure which Blueblood did not want to go without.

Once his laugh calmed down, he cleared down his throat to make sure he would have everypony’s attention, then leaned his fore hooves against the edge of the table with determination in his eyes.

Rarity could not help but rolling her eyes. Did he think he already was on the throne? And why did she have such thoughts? She loved this stallion more than everything else, she was ready to fight for him, to give her life for him, even, if necessary…

“I’ve taken a big decision”, he stated with a singing flavored voice which seemed very odd coming from him. “We soon have reached our ultimate goal, that is why I think it is about time for me to keep this promise I’ve made to you, and that I marry your daughter, Fluttershy.”

Immediately, a reaction sparked in every of the ponies concerned. The young mare pegasus finally raised her head off of her plate, and the fear in her eyes was only equal to the delight on her parents’ face. These words were the words she dreaded the most. Prince Blueblood represented everything she was scared of about a pony, and in reality, she had no desire to marry him.

However, she was not the kind to get rebellious and had been raised in order to never disapprove of her parents or the stallion that would become her husband. What she wanted or did not want was not the least important for those all around her. She was never asked her opinion about anything. It had been decided for her that she would be the Queen to this King she did not love, that was the way it was and there was nothing she could do.

“How long do you think it is going to take to prepare a wedding in this very castle? I want it to be done before the Cavalry arrives in Ponyville.”

“Honestly, my King, everything has been ready for ages”, the mother answered. “We can have a ceremony within three days.”

“It’s perfect. We would leave for Canterlot at dawn. In a few weeks, you will be allowed in the Court as the First Duchess.”

The mare’s mouth opened wider than possible, her eyes starry. Seeing enchantment on those he still regarded as nothing else but insignificant pawns only mattered to Blueblood because it represented the start of his triumph to come upon those who had dragged his name through the mud. He could picture Rainbow Dash’s arrogance, in this very castle, when she had sworn she would get his head. Now she no longer breathed and no pony could stop him from achieving his own destiny.

Without further delay, Fluttershy’s mother ordered her daughter to follow her in her parlors, where they would already start measuring her for her wedding dress. If they wanted everything to be perfect within three days, they had no time to lose.

She followed without displaying her fears, and soon the living-room was even empty of varlets, that Blueblood sent away. It only remained him and his Main Servant, who had not uttered a word until then.

She had been silence, but that did not mean Rarity was not thinking it. Teeth clenched and jaw tensed, she had held herself back the best she could until she was sure to be alone with the Fallen Heir Apparent. He owed her an explanation…

“Well, Rarity, you seem to be so upset. It’s a glorious day, can’t you see?”

“Glorious? Glorious for who?”

“For every one of us, of course!”

No way. Many times, they had met secretly in the castle’s hidden galleries and, away from prying eyes, he had sworn he would never marry Fluttershy who, anyway, had no desire to be his Queen. Between two kisses, he had repeated over and over again how she was the only one he had ever wanted, and that he would never accept to be parted from her.

And she had believed him, because she loved him, despite his many flaws, despite all those things she thought were unfair, unbearable, which made her want to scream with rage. For him, she had sidelined all of her dreams, she had accepted to take care of the military attacks, her who only aspired to create beautiful things, she had fought against a mare stronger than she, whom she ended up having a great respect for, because of her virtues that were closer to hers than would ever be those of this fallen prince.

All this for him to look at her this way, as if she was too stupid to understand, while he had kept his word of marrying another mare, whom he despised.

“Are you really going to marry Fluttershy?” she finally dared asking.

“Come on, Rarity…”

A mocking smile painted on his haughty face, he put a hoof under her chin and plunged his eyes as cold as metal inside her eyes as clear as the sky in Spring. It foretold nothing good, she knew it.

“You truly are naïve if you thought I would really betray my word to those who rescued me so I would marry you instead. You have to understand, I think you truly are queen material, but… Your family is no longer aristocratic, and you have way too much temper. A Queen knows when to step behind her King. If you really want to be a part of the Royal Court, I could introduce you there as my First Madam.”

Rarity had to struggle in order not to let the rage explode boiling inside her veins. It was not enough to make her understand she had been a fool to believe in his words, now he also had to insult her. Her family no longer did possess the aristocratic rank, but that did not mean she was ready to become a whore in order to stay by his side. Because this was the true meaning hiding behind the elegant title of First Madam – this of the King’s whore, always at his disposal to fulfill every of his sexual whims.

In front of him, she let nothing show, but deep inside the lovely unicorn was burning with the darkest of wrath, consuming her entirely.

So, he thought she was nothing but a fool with no self-esteem whatsoever? She would show him! She knew things about him, and between the wrong hooves, these things could impede every of his cherished schemes. It was a high price to pay to make fun of her, and he was about to learn at his own expense.

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Not even taking time to greet her parents and their guests, Rarity dashed inside her room, as soon as she was home. She was boiling from inside. She had never felt this betrayed before. For him and his stupid cause, she had denied so much, held back so much.

She looked at her canopy bed on which they had kissed for the first time, and felt like tearing off the sheets, the cushions and even the pretty veils. If she had the power to, she would burn set fire to any place where she had shared something with this liar who called himself a King. He was a king for no one, now she no longer was afraid to say it.

He did not deserve his so-called victory. His Army, those ponies who, one week ago, had died in the name of his cause, they were the ones deserving a crown, and a round of applause. In reality, they had fought on the behalf of a buffoon dressed as a prince. As far as the ones he called his enemies were concerned, they were braver than he had ever been.

Rarity remembered her conversation with the Angel of Death, Rainbow Dash’s uncle, on this night they were had forever ruined the wedding anniversary of her parents. She had had her share of doubts, self-convincing her he had said these words to her in order to mess up with her mind. Now she knew he was right. Blueblood had never worried about her. She had been nothing but a pawn among pawns in his regard.

If that was how things were going, fine. She could play chess as well. If he thought he had already knocked out the two queens, he was barking up the wrong tree. He had killed his parents in their sleep because otherwise, he would never had been able to defeat the secret magic of Alicorns. As long as he would not be sacred by the Royal Master of Rituals, he would have no access to this powerful kind of magic. What was he going to do once in front of his aunts, with his army of soldiers and their little swords? Ah, he would certainly lack assertiveness!

Anyway, she had the attention of never letting him reach this level in the game. Nothing was won for now. He had maybe got rid of some pawns and rooks, but he still had to defeat a queen, bishops and knights.

She opened her closet wide. A few time ago, she had created the most divine of all coats. Beige, with golden button, and the silkiest and warmest fabric she could find in Ponyville, it would match perfectly with a felt hat she had bought on the previous night in a boutique at the Royal Tavern and Inn, when she had sent Rainbow Dash this parchment she now loathed.

It had only been once back at the castle which was the Unavow Army Headquarters she had been told which kind of trap she had helped to set. Of course, no one had asked her opinion, and she remembered she had bucked herself not to have asked the question before accepting this mission. It was the most dishonest ambush she had ever taken part to. A complete shame.

His scheme had been a success, this she had to admit. She really loathed it, especially as she understood now how he had used her as well, and that each of the Members of the Head’s Council had died in the destruction of this factory.

Rarity wore both coat and hat, and sneaked out with the employees in order to leave her house without being noticed. As a younger mare, she had often fled by the services exits to go and have fun in casinos, though this was forbidden for a mare of her rank. Her little sister Sweetie Belle also knew the trick, and used it every time she wanted to have fun outside with her friends.

Always suspicious, she kept on looking beyond her shoulders. It would not be a surprise to learn that Blueblood did not really trust her, and had decided to have her followed. For this reason, she more than usually used various tricks, and took the least obvious path to go to the closest telegram station.

When she saw her arriving dressed like a spy from an airfield novel, the telegram’s employee glanced at her raising a questioning eyebrow. Alright, she was maybe a little ridiculous with her actions worthy of an actress from the Royal Troop, but a pony could never be wise enough.

Thanks to her magic, she levitated two banknotes she then quickly slipped along the small wooden table. Bending over, her eyes staring on the outside, she whispered to the employee wearing crooked glasses.

“This notes are yours if you send this message as discreetly as possible. There’s no need to keep a written report of it, if you know what I mean.”

The mare nodded, impassive, and claimed in a gloomy voice that she always had to do that with the many criminals going through this city, and now the Council was killed, it was going to be widespread.

Rarity did not choose to take offense on the fact she had been mistaken with a scoundrel, despite her elegance and wealthy clothes. It did not matter at all. What mattered was the message. It was meant for somepony living at the Royal Tavern and Inn, Applejack. A name that obviously made the employee jump, suddenly sprier.

She could remember it, crystal clear. The Second-in-Command had told her if every of her friend were truly dead, she would avenge them, whatever the cost. Now was the chance for her to prove these had not been hot air. In three days, the Unavowed Army would be in the same position than The Militia, except that none would be expecting any kind of resistance.

In three days, Equestria’s whole fate would be at stake, and Rarity could no longer bear with the fact of being nothing but one of the pawns. She would be a knight, now, fighting for what was fair. Directly, not crookedly. Not like a coward concealed in a castle thinking he was already sitting on the throne.

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Another costumer leaving before the end of the stay. Since the fire and the announcement of the Head’s Council Members death, the premature leaves had been multiplied. The finances were not threatened yet, but there would eventually be a shock-wave if the situation was kept this way for too long.

The family relationship between Melrose and the so-called deceased was nothing obvious for those not living in Ponyville. There were rare to be surprised to see her working knowing ponies from her own family had passed away on the previous night.

In fact, if it had been for real, she probably would have not been able to stand it. Her eldest son’s death was still fresh, and she had devoted herself to work with all her might in order not to let grief overwhelming her. To comfort her a little, she told herself he had died with honor, just like his father, while doing his duty.

Nothing would bring her son back anyway, even less the stallion she had married to impetuously, after she had only spent a few months with him.

Unlike Firefly and Uncloudy Shelter which relationship had been longer to settle down, Melrose had been in love at first sight with this solid earth pony with his mocking half-smile and his big innocent green eyes.

They never had been given the possibility to be together in love through peace and quietude. Getaways, death, chaos, destruction had been the daily bread of their unordinary romance. Despite it all, she cherished this part of her life so much she had been a prisoner of it for too long.

Of course, she wished there could have been another kind of destiny for her own children. After Applejack was born, she had promised herself both her kids would never have to go through what she had been through. It was being ignorant of the land that was theirs, which never did favors to anyone.

The typical sound of the telegram machine got her out of her thoughts with a start. Melrose feared it was one more cancelled booking. When she pulled of the strip of paper, and deciphered the message it contained, she could not help but being surprise.

Without further ado, she left the reception counter and dashed through the maze of corridors and stairs, under the flabbergasted glances of the employees she met. Melrose had never been the hurried kind, she did everything with softness and quietness, arguing that nothing good could come out of haste.

No sooner said than done, she was in front of Rainbow Dash’s room door, where the whole Council, Pinkie Pie and Twilight included, waiting the right moment to reveal they had been simulated their own death in order to make Prince Blueblood think he had won. She did not hear the sound of hooves behind her, after one of the floor’s door had opened behind her.

After knocks that were a secret code between those aware of the deceit, she heard the hoarse voice of the mare pegasus telling her to come in.

Rainbow Dash was standing on a high stool, in front of a huge panel representing the Great Weaver area, on the Everfree Forest side, where Twilight had said the real Unavowed Army’s Headquarter. She, as well as Caramel, Soarin and Pinkie Pie, were sitting in a circle around her, and in all likelihood, they were planning an attack in the middle of the night, or something of this kind.

“What’s happening, Melrose?” the mare asked, frowning from worries.

She shook the strip of paper between her lips, and it immediately levitated in the air, surrounded by a purplish pink glow. Twilight’s magic made the message reach Rainbow Dash, and float in front of her while she was reading, her magenta eyes going from one line to another in an amazing speed.

In front of her friends’ eyes, thirsty with curiosity, she decided to read this intriguing missive out loud.

“It’s destined to Applejack… Surely because its author believes we’ve passed away last night. It says: ‘Prince Blueblood is going to marry his suitor. STOP. In three days. STOP. Last step before going to Canterlot. STOP. Am ready to help you from the inside. STOP. Signed Rarity, former Main Servant, truly disappointed, now devoted in saving Equestria from an egotistic monster’.”

“Another trap”, Caramel cried immediately.

“I’m not sure”, Twilight interevened. “If Blueblood really believes we’re all dead, he has nothing to gain in trying to trap Applejack. She doesn’t represent any kind of threat for his schemes if she’s on her own.”

Thinking it would be a trap was not as stupid as it sounded. Applejack was not only The Militia’s Second-in-Command; she was the one Rainbow Dash had chosen as the new Head if she came to die or to resign. The only problem was that no one knew who the Head had chosen until he or she had actually died or decided to quit. And, since the Greater Council knew she was still alive, it did not match.

It was impossible for Prince Blueblood not to believe in their deceit, or even to know it was nothing but a fraud willing to fool him. Members from The Militia thought they were dead as well, and so did the Spotters. Only their family, the Greater Council and Surprise, bedridden in a room after she had lost her wing in the factory’s blast, knew. And among those ponies, none could have betrayed them, of this she was sure.

“Twilight is right”, Soarin said. “They also think Pinkie Pie has passed away and if they wanted to attack Applejack, they would already had assaulted the Royal Tavern and Inn.

“It’s true. If I’m no longer here to keep the place under surveillance and protection, there’s no long need to use a trick. I think I really scared them.”

“Scare them? There were no living ponies left!”

“Yes, I sometimes tend to get a teensy bit carried away”, the pink mare finished, chuckling.

This was the perfect example of the ambivalence of the mysterious pony named Pinkie Pie. This mixture of innocence, extreme outlandishness, and of a very particular kind of bloodlust when in danger. For a lot of ponies, she was a very complex enigma, even more complicated than Rainbow Dash who thought, on her side, that she was rather simple to understand.

“So… What are we going to do?” Twilight asked to refocus the conversation.

“We’re going to give them a taste of their own medicine. Now’s our turn to spoil their party. We’ll have to gather every of The Militia’s members, even the reservists, and to get our plan prepared right away. The Great Council allows us to strike if the city or Equestria’s well-being is threatened, and this message is the evidence we needed.”

They all exchanged a knowing look. It had to be done, and the occasion was too perfect. It would be this night in three days, or it would be too late, and none of them wanted for another war to start in order to react. They were the ultimate shield before the disaster, those who had to stop corruption from devouring more of the fragile foundations that had been built in the latest years.

“Ah wanna take part in dat too”, a voice said behind them.

Applejack was standing on the doorstep. None of them knew for how long she had been standing here, and what she had heard. Her appearance surprised them all, since they had a very few occasions to see her since Big Macintosh’s death. She had agreed to heal surprise under the condition that no one would stay with her or would try to ask her any question. Even Caramel had not been allowed to help her.
So, seeing her, ready to duke it out again, with a blazing willpower dancing in the green of her eyes, it looked as odd as finding a kiwi in an apple tree.

“AJ… Are you sure?” Caramel asked softly by stepping in her direction.

“Eeyup. Am tired of being locked in my bed boohooin’. Ah have to do sumethin’ with my frame. And Ah have chosen to avenge my big bro’s death. Ain’t this message for me? Ah wanna be a part of the operations.”

Rainbow Dash did not need more to be convinced. She knew her best friend by heart. She was stubborn, and once she had something in mind, it was impossible to make her change her mind. And, she was a mind-blowing fighter usually, and there was no doubt she would turn even more redoubtable once galvanized by the fires of revenge. The Militia could not be deprived of such a fighter of quality.

It was perfect. The other Members would think Applejack was the only one in charge and this way, they would be able to launch their attack without the suspicions of the enemies who, thinking they were definitely out of danger, would have lowered their guards to the maximum.

The occasion was finally here to get rid of this cursed Unavowed Army, in reality composed of greedy mercenaries willing for power, for most of them. The Web, back then, at least had the nobility to be motivated by a greater cause. And it had fallen, somehow. Even if a lot of ponies from their own clan would probably die, the Heir Fallen Apparent’s Army was about to know the same kind of destiny.

That’s what Rainbow Dash was determined to do.

“So, it’s settled… Militia, let’s play the Wedding Crashers!”

> Chapter 34
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A light freezing breeze stroked his coat. Soarin suppressed a chill and pulled the blankets up thanks to his wings. It took only a few seconds for him to realize something was wrong. The warm presence beside him had disappeared, replaced by the cold emptiness. And this indoor breeze was nothing usual.

He stood back up and looked all around him. Rainbow Dash’s room was plunged into darkness, like always, lit by the coal-burner beside her bed, humming, and which grid let appeared reddish rays of lights. This fresco representing a blooming tree she said she had since she was a little filly was barely distinct in the dark, but the rays of the moon going through the window lit up the wooden furniture.

On the balcony, he was able to distinguish Rainbow Dash’s figure. She had taken no cloak or blanket with her, and revealed her coat to the wind, her mane softly lifting up by guts.

Usually, she slept from a deep and heavy sleep, sometimes she even snored, exhausted as she was from battles and pressure. Even after Big Macintosh’s death, after she had cried her heart out, and though the night had been restless, she had yet slept until the next morning.

For her to be out in the middle of the night, taking the risk to show herself though everypony thought she had passed away, it meant without the shadow of a doubt that something was going on. Lately, it had been a commonplace, yet Soarin thought it was kind of worrisome.

Because he did not have the same resistance to cold than his filly-love, before meeting her on the balcony, he made sure he was wrapped inside a blanket. It was not that easy to walk with, but he could not see himself flying for so short a distance.

When he sat by her side, Rainbow Dash rewarded him with a quick smile he thought was weak.

She was not simply sitting down. Her forelegs were leaned against the iron railing, and she gazed at the stars, but seemed not completely aware of them.

For a while, they remained silent together, just admiring the sky. Princess Luna’s work was always amazing, and tonight it felt as if she knew this was a very special kind of night.

It had been two days since they had no time to waste. To plan a whole attack in secret was not a simple thing to do, and it had made them understand why the Unavowed Army had sometimes been so long between two battles. For everything to be perfect, nothing should be neglected, and their Head had envisioned any possibility. To have Twilight Sparkle by her side had also been of a great help.

And so, everything was ready for them to be fight one of the most crucial battles of their whole life, tomorrow night at the same hour. As far as Soarin was concerned, it undoubtedly was the reason why his marefriend was awake in the middle of the night, looking at the stars absent-mindedly. She really wanted everything to be perfect when she planned an attack… In fact, her meticulousness could be a surprise for those who knew her deep nature, more impetuous.

However, when he turned his face again in order to catch a glimpse at her figure highlighted by the light from the moon, Soarin noticed her whole body seemed stiff, like held back by a wooden stick tied to her from back hooves to the top of her head.

“You know… I do worry about tomorrow night as well.”

He knew well that if he never started to talk, Rainbow Dash would never tell him what was wrong with her, though he had doubts about the root of the problem. The entire fate of Equestria was now leaning upon her wings. In her hooves, he would have been terrified.

But she was tough, and self-confident. Just a little worried because she wanted everything to go according to the plans… Wasn’t she?

“Worry…”, she whispered, lowering her eyes. “I wish it was that simple…”

She sighed deeply, and a lot of thoughts jostled into the stallion pegasus’ head. He never would have thought it would be possible, but… No. He had never met a pony as brave as Rainbow Dash. Hesitations had no room in her life. She was going forward, without a care about the rest, because it was her duty. Nothing could scare her. As a proof were the many moments when she had plunged headfirst into battles…

It was not always for the best, of course, but this inner strength had always fascinated him.

So, seeing her so tensed, with her eyes down, it felt as if he had been caught up by a sudden and unexpected explosion.

“Is there a chance that you’re actually scared?”

He barely dared to believe in his own words. For sure, she would laugh and tell him the great Rainbow Dash was never afraid of anything, and although it probably was not true, he would believe her because there was no pony else who gave him the impression to dread nothing at all.

“I’m not scared. I’m terrified.”

“But… For me, you’re the bravest pony in all Equestria. Every night you risk everything for the sake of the city and of the Continent, even the cruelest of criminals don’t make you bow down…”

“Maybe this was true in the past, but not anymore. Today, I know everything’s different. I won’t cop out, don’t worry, but it’s just that…”

She never finished her line, and instead let her hooves fall along the iron railing. The fact she did not dare looking into his eyes betrayed her infamous pride, which had her feel ashamed each time she expressed something that was not an inflated self-confidence. In the past, yet, Soarin had proved her many times that she could lean on him when she was not feeling that sure of herself.

The problem, this time, was deeper than a simple soul-searching of her abilities. Until then she never had to face a storm such as the one they had meticulously planned. And in the past, destiny had shown her that even the most perfect of plans also leaned on a small part of chance.

“What if…”, she started, whispering. “What if we fail tomorrow? What would happen if The Militia loses? Prince Blueblood will step on Canterlot, and there will be another war. Everything Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had tried to settle would crumble and we’ll be the blame. I can’t be something else than scared when thinking about what would happen if we fail. The ponies we love, what makes Equestria what it is, they all could disappear. We’re not unbreakable, we’re only ponies.”

What could he say? All she had revealed was the pure truth, and Soarin knew it. He was afraid too, even more than he had been before. He suddenly felt helpless, unable to give her the support she deserved.

The Militia was made of unrivalled fighters and they all were prepared. The odds were in their favor when taking into account the fact that the whole Unavowed Army, except the Main Servant Rarity, thought they were dead. Yet, nothing could let them believe it was already a battle won. The clashes of this kind always had a random ending, sometimes the endings even were surprising, because in complete opposition with the expectations.

Rainbow Dash sighed deeply once again, and stared back at the stars. It was only once her face lit up by the pale white light of the moon that Soarin caught a glimpse of the translucent pearls hanging at her eyelashes. She had rarely let tears roll over her cheeks in front of him, without hiding her face. When Big Macintosh had died, she had buried her face against his coat, when she had told about Time Stellar to Twilight, she had her back on him.

As far as he was concerned, there was no doubt – she finally trusted him a hundred percent. Once again, the limit to their intimacy that he thought he could never push farther had been moved.

Nonetheless, Soarin did not add anything. To make a comment about her tears was useless as well as a risk to see her embarrassed. All he did was looking at her, her long mane floating in the winter breeze like the dazzling lights of an Aurora Borealis.

“A lot of ponies are going to die tomorrow, Soarin… Maybe the ones we love the most. Maybe even you and me…”

Too bad for the cold. Too bad if she was not fond of declarations a little too sentimental. Soarin did not think. He abandoned the blanket wrapped around him, and held the mare pegasus tight between his hooves, her head leaning against his shoulder, wetting his coat with her tears. He held her as tight as he could, as if there was a risk for her to come apart and never come back.

To be honest, he had thought about this all along the three days of preparation. He had kept on thinking about it when going to bed, and even during his restless sleep before he joined her on the balcony, he had thought about it. There was a risk they would die during the battle, each and every of them. This risk was there already during each of their night guard, of course. It was part of the conditions to accept once being a Member of the Militia. It did not stop this risk to be more probable and with it, scarier when it came to the operation they would launch tomorrow.

For a once, he knew exactly what to say. It would not change anything to the facts, neither would it reassure her but he had to tell her.

“Even if we do die tomorrow, I want you to know that I’ve been very glad I had the chance to meet you, and to spend time with you… My brash and bragging Rainbow Dash…”, he finished, drying the tears on her cheeks with his hoof.

She could not help a smile on her face. Since the very beginning, Soarin had always been like this, with a little something softly ingenuous, an unexpected freshness for a pony who could be ruthless during fights, in spite of the fears he kept buried inside. He did not realize the importance he had taken in her life, in so short an amount of time.

By small touches, without even realizing it, he had eventually seeped in inside her heart, where many thought no pony would ever penetrate again. He had left his mark, a deep and permanent print, softly transforming her vision of life and the world, not even taking too much room or changing who she truly was.

In fact, he knew who she truly was, and accepted it, he cherished it, even. Since she was a very little filly, her mother had always told her that only those loving her completely, with what her soul had of ugliness, were the ones whose love was worth the sacrifice.

It was about time. It was about time that the last secrets she was keeping within herself, concealed from the light yet existing undeniably, came out of the box. Or at least, it was about time for him to know them. He deserved it and had proved he did more than once.

“You’re the only one who can make flaws sound like compliments… I love you.”

Rainbow Dash was able to hide her embarrassment from saying these words she gave away scarcely. Her stallion’s emerald eyes shone like the surface of a lake. His emotion was transparent all over his face with his comforting features, his bags always hanging under his eyes, even after the most wonderful of beauty sleeps.

It was a face she thought she knew now by heart. With her eyes closed, she could have outline it in the dark, each detail crystal clear in her mind. It never erased what the other male face printed inside of her had represented. They both coexisted at different spots, never better or weaker.

“God, I love you too”, he said in a whisper.

On a synchronized impulse, they both held each other again, and exchanged a kiss colored with despair. They kissed as if these were their ultimate seconds on Equestria, though nothing was resolved yet, and although the worst would happen tomorrow, they still had time to spend together.

The blanket Soarin had brought with him was now piled up at his hooves, and it seemed it was no longer useful. They did not need tricks to keep each other warm, they only needed each other.

“Make love to me… Like this is the end of the world.”

This demand sounded like a surprise coming from her, especially if the circumstances had been ordinary. Nevertheless, everything now took a bittersweet flavor which made words and actions more daring, their desires stripped off, without embellishments or tricks.

She no longer wanted to be hidden behind a mask of vanity. This kind of things were good when sure that life was ahead, and not when an uncertain tomorrow had the power to condemn to oblivion.

And Soarin was devoted to make her happy, although it was a fleeting happiness, elusive like the life of a butterfly attracted by the fire. Now he thought he remembered how to do it. Each of her reactions, printed in his memory, came back to his mind by waves, and he liked to see them multiply, since she no longer gave him a small part of her soul, but everything she kept buried inside herself.

Not really aware of it, they had left the biting cold of the outside for the comfortable warmth of the bed, with the fire from the coal-burner illuminating their faces and bodies with a sweet subtle light.

Because of this light, everything seemed unreal, yet Soarin as well as Rainbow Dash knew it was real – each kiss, each caress, each moan. She liked him to take his time, not to rush any movement, but wanted to feel the effects with the upmost of intensity possible. Serious and diligent, he discovered at the same time he had inner resources he had never expected to possess.

She was the same than this memory he had kept preciously in a part of his heart. Of a surprising affection, once again. Of a wider generosity than anything else, and of a disarming sensuality, which made him feel dizzy.

She liked his air, comforting yet fragile, a little something emotional, half skills and half tenderness. The wish she had expressed was respected with a certain zeal but Rainbow Dash did not complain, conversely. If she tried to be more discreet this time, it was vain to expect her to muffle some expressions of satisfaction.

Words, which she had always thought were empty until then, now accompanied the actions, completing them with accuracy. Yet, her head in the clouds, she was no longer sure of what she said when she said it, intoxicated as she was by the sensations, several, new yet identifiable.

She had almost forgotten there would be a fight tomorrow. The conscience that some were getting prepared for it as well in another room brought her back to this sharp reality. Not to bother the apparent sleep of this room, she planted her teeth insider her pillow, and bit almost to the extent of being hurt. Before everything got a little hazy and giddy, she could not hold back a moan, and saw as if it was a dream, the tiny feathers filling the pillow twirling around above their heads.

The feathers were still here when Rainbow Dash opened her eyes again. She had fallen asleep almost immediately after their exhausted bodies had stopped moving. Scattered all around them, some were lying against Soarin’s tangled mane, and she could not help a tender smile.

With her hooves, she wiped them out of the midnight blue horsehair, then slipped closer to snuggle against him. Immediately, a wide wing spread above her back, and he embraced her, his eyes still closed.

“You know…”, she whispered before falling back in a deep sleep. “I’ve been very glad I had the chance to meet you too.”

She never knew whether or not he had heard her. It did not matter. The most important thing was that she had been able to voice it. She finally was in tune with how she felt and what she said. The night was going to be short, yet nice. She had the intention of making the most of it, aware that this night could be her last night.

> Chapter 35
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the outside, the castle was dazzling like in a dream. The sound of harp and piano, along with laughter and discussion, chimed clearly in the freezing night. The whole place was plunged in a bliss nothing could seem able to stop. There were no more reasons to be on guard, the ultimate battle had been won, and the warriors could finally rest.

The householders had so wide a trust in the future that none had thought about protecting their surroundings. Inside the huge gardens blooming during spring, there was no guard, not even a snow dog, or a single flashlight on.

It was about sneaking in without being noticed and, unawares, the task had been made easier for them. Tonight, the Militia had traded the traditional red cloaks coined with the Cutie Mark of the bearers for the soberest and longest ones of the Masters of Rituals. It was not only because a greater discretion was guaranteed. These dark cloaks were a full part of the plan.

When a Royal Wedding was celebrated, all the Masters of Rituals of the surrounding areas had to attend it, whether it was an official celebration or a more discreet one, if not a completely illegal one. There were a lot of protocols that a lot of ponies kept on following in Equestria, no matter how archaic these rules were. Undoubtedly, as far as Prince Blueblood was concerned, these old rituals were a good thing. Ah, how he might be savoring his victory!

He certainly was far from suspecting that, at the exact moment when he was laughing and exulting about his triumph, hundreds of fighters were invading his gardens and parlors. The real battle was about to begin.

Right before they would take separate ways, Rainbow Dash walked to Soarin. Applejack was doing the same with Caramel. After this quick conversation, they all would ceased being couples, friends, family… They would be nothing but warriors with a precise goal in mind, to abandon under no excuses.

“Don’t die. Don’t even dare dying”, she said looking deep into his green eyes.

No need to answer. There were promises hard to keep, and this one was among them. Yet, Soarin promised he would do his best, not only for the reason of the existence of this mare he loved, but also because it meant a victory for The Militia if they succeeded.

Because this could be the ultimate one they would ever exchange, they both kissed without a care about the usual shackles. Now no longer was the time to worry about embarrassment, and reputations no longer were the most important of matters.

This ultimate powerful and comforting embrace over, Rainbow Dash stepped back, and put her black hood over her mane. From now on, like she had repeated to every of them, they ceased to be who they intrinsically were to become nothing but soldiers on the behalf of a cause greater than everything else. Love, friendship, empathy, kindness, mercy, piety, any feelings stopped to exist. There was no room for them in what was about to start. Choked up, killed, even, they could only resurface once the battle won.

Soarin looked at her, along with other pegasi, climbing to the balconies from which her team would sneak in the castle. His own team was expecting his signal…

He searched under his cloak, and took the necklace with the padlock she had given to him on the night of Big Macintosh’s death. In his mind, he still could hear the sound of her broken hoarse voice telling him it probably meant something like ‘your heart belongs to me’. It had been real until then. His whole heart was devoted to her. With the short kiss he put on the silver metal, he erased for the duration of the battle everything this necklace meant for him, along with his feelings.

In his turn, he put on the hood every Masters of Rituals had to wear before a wedding had to be celebrated, and turned his back on the light from the balconies to lead those relying on him to their place of infiltration.

----------------------------------------------------

Thousands of oil lamps lit the huge private room, the blinding light being reflected against the balcony’s gilts, against the marble on the floor and at the ceiling, and in every single plates and glasses near the guests.

The True King's partisans were all here, gathered near the buffet table overwhelmed with food and beverages. Faithful to the custom, the traditional cider should not be drunk until the groom decided. It did not stop the guests to make the most of the refined dishes at their disposal.

Once the wedding over, a huge ball would be given in the same room, started by the King and his Queen. Carefree, each thought splendor was finally here, and rejoiced from what was in store of them. Rarity had never seen so many of those ponies smiling.

She was standing next to Blueblood, sitting in the balcony of honor, and if he was exulting from this party in the name of his glory, the white unicorn kept her jaws clenched and forced herself to look happy. None had to guess what she knew. It was not that hard to conceal since no pony seemed to pay the least attention to her, no matter if this so-called glory was partly due to her. They all were behind this pseudo king who never dirtied his hooves, except when he had tortured this former Member of the Head’s Council, Double Diamond.

Just a few more minutes to wait. Just a few more minutes to wait and they all would know what it costed to rub shoulders with the wrong ponies. They could smile, stuff themselves, barely condescending to look at the soldiers from the Unavowed Army, here as well and obliged by protocol to attend this party only as viewers but never taking part in it. Yes, they would better make the most of these moments of bliss. Because within a few minutes, and Rarity could not wait, a lot of them would understand what it meant to see death near you.

-------------------------------------

From where she was at, a few inches above the actual celebrations, Fluttershy could hear nothing but scraps, a few burst of laugh and notes of music, from time to time. It was supposed to be the most beautiful day of her life yet she was excluded from it. She had not even want to live this day. Not like this, actually, and not with this stallion.

Her mother had visited her only to lead her to this room with her dressers, and these Masters of Rituals she did not know, and who, heads low like they should be, did not smile to her or even look at her. As far as her father was concerned, he had spent his whole day castigating orders to the house employees, and had not paid attention to her even a second. She would see them again only once she would go down to be married to Prince Blueblood, the pony she hated the most in the world, and who treated her like a worthless mare most of the time.

A silent tear rolled along her cheek, that the mare in charge of her makeup noticed only because it forced her to do a modification. She probably thought she was crying of joy at the thought of being married to so handsome a stallion and of soon becoming Queen of Equestria.

Fluttershy was feeling lonely and cornered. No pony tried to hear what was inside her heart, what her hopes were, and her wishes and desires. No pony was on her side.

A pink flower was added in her mane, as a symbol of her blooming in the world of adults, in order to attach the veil in front of her eyes, and when the piece of muslin was lowered on her turquoise eyes, she felt as if she was being buried. The pony she had been until now had ceased to exist. Now, she was nothing but Prince Blueblood’s foil, the lovely decoration that would walk in his shadow, her irises towards the ground, her words impounded.

Three knocks resounded at the door. The Main Master of Rituals was here. He was the pony who would preside over the wedding, bringing her to her father’s side, her father who also would no longer be her father once the ceremony done. She would then go from one authority to another one, without anyone asking her opinion about this. She had been raised for this ultimate purpose, and that was everything one needed to remember. Once the purpose reached, she would no longer exist.

“The moment has arrived, Miss Fluttershy”, one of the dressers told her as if she was too dumb to notice it herself.

She swallowed, and made a few steps forward, then her eyes opened wide, and her mouth opened even wider, letting a muffled scream escape. The Master of Rituals had just lifted up her face… Rainbow Dash.

It was impossible. If tonight she would be given to the True King, it was because The Militia had failed, and their Head had died. It could not be otherwise. Yet, the mare pegasus with a multicolored mane was standing in front of her, screened under a black cloak.

When she turned around, seeking a bit of help, though she suspected the dressers not to be of a great assistance, Fluttershy discovered in bewilderment that the other Masters of Rituals here, who had just taken off their hoods, were in reality more of the Members of the Militia left for dead. She recognized the purple unicorn who once been on the Unavowed’s side, and Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash’s energetic bodyguard… As for the third one, with an immaculate coat and a yellow-golden mane, she had lost a wing, which testified the fact she probably had been injured during the accident that so-called costed the life of the whole Head’s Council.

“Because of you, my parents’ Wedding Anniversary had been ruined forever… It’s my turn now to ruin the most important day of your life”, Rainbow Dash declared with firmness. “Now, move!”

Twilight and Surprise circled the young mare pegasus dressed in her wedding gown, to make sure she would not try to run away and to warn the guards. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie went to cope with the dressers and make sure none of them would try to ruin the novelty effect which was a part of their plan.

To this minute, the rest of the Militia probably had infiltrated the castle and was about to sneak inside the private room where the ceremony was scheduled, pretending to be Masters of Rituals.

-----------------------------------------------

The entry of the black cloaks was the signal the ceremony was about to start. They all gathered in circle around the vast room, and in the middle, the bride’s parents went down, the father having to introduce his daughter to the groom before leading her at the center of the room, while the mother was in the background, watching in silence.

But before the event they all were waiting for impatiently to start, they had to cheer in the honor of the couple about to marry. The traditional cider was served to each of the guests, even the soldiers, starting by Prince Blueblood.

He used his magic in order to lift his golden glass encrusted with diamonds high in front of his muzzle, so that everyone would see why he was superior. Soon, he rejoiced, when he would have killed his aunts and gain back his throne, he would take over the ancestral magic of Alicorns, and would become the supreme ruler of Equestria, from the Frozen Shore where the Crystal Empire was buried to the Submerged Lands, where everything stopped.

It was the moment he had long waited, always, he had dreamed of it. Since he had been banished, he had decided to revenge, and that once the day would come, he would take back what had been stolen to him. He never had any doubt he would find disciples for his cause, he knew he had the charisma and the strength to convince other ponies to follow him, although some of them had been harnessed only by selfish interests which had nothing to do with his cause. It was not important. What mattered was the moment, this precious moment, even better than what he had fantasized from the damp dungeons of this very castle.

As the custom dictated, once again, it was Fluttershy’s father who claimed this toast in the honor of the future spouses. There was nothing revolutionary in his words. He wished happiness and success to the couple, had no doubt about the True King’s victory on the frauds his aunts Luna and Celestia represented, and gave with pride and a hint of heartache his only daughter to the legitimate King of Equestria, Prince Blueblood.

After this, all the ponies finally could take their glasses and drink in the honor of the spouses, only once the stallion unicorn had started to drink his, and not before.

As everyone’s attention was somewhere else, Rarity took an advantage from it to, discreetly, spill the content of her drink inside a vase on the low table by her side. There was no way she would drink this cider in the honor of a treason, both personal and national. Since always, she knew she would not have this toast, and for good reasons… the beverage had been a little bit arranged by her.

The bride’s father demanded from the harp players to begin the nuptial march. All eyes conveyed to the door at the back of the room, slowly opening. But nopony appeared on the doorstep. Yet, he was sure, he had said a very precise hour to the Main Master of Rituals, and had repeated a bit earlier in the evening that once the honor toast had been made, the ceremony had to begin.

There could be no down-time. Prince Blueblood and Fluttershy would only stay here for a small portion of the night, one hour and a half maximum. After this, it was planned for them to leave, along with the Unavowed Army, heading towards Canterlot via the Everfree Forrest, in order to walk to the capital, but at the same time avoiding the Ponies of the Cavalry sent to Ponyville while the Greater Council had to gather a new Head’s Council.

The nuptial march kept on playing, and Fluttershy had not appeared on the doorstep yet. From his seat, still at the balcony overlooking the whole huge private room, Blueblood frowned and shifted twitchily. Nothing could stop him now, so why did this little fool was not here yet? Had she no idea of the insult it was to make him wait this way?

She would pay for it; this he would make sure.

An acclamation of disbelief crossed the whole room, rebounding to the heights he was at. Finally, his bride appeared, but not the way he had imagined her, all dressed in baby pink, a veil upon her face, her head low as a sign of her submission. She was with the Main Master of Rituals, who apparently was of the pegasus race, and who flew with her to the center of the room, aiming a sharp sword to her throat, holding it with the wings instead of the teeth. It was a perilous action, especially in the air. The fighters of higher skills were the only ones who could allow themselves such an eccentricity.

He did not notice the half-smile Rarity made without a bother, now the twist was about to hit them full face. They did not know it yet, but they already were dead, most of them.

The Master of Rituals threatening Fluttershy lowered the hood, and a new scream of bewilderment echoed, from the guests as well as the Unavowed Army soldiers. Rainbow Dash. It was Rainbow Dash who had just arrived, and ruined everything.

“Sorry everyone, but this party’s over”, she claimed out loud.

There must be a mistake. They all might be in the middle of a collective type of hallucination. Rainbow Dash and her Council, except the Second-in-Command who refused to fight since her beloved brother had passed away, they had passed away as well. He had trapped them, and their bodies had vanished away thanks to the blast of the former factory of the White. Every newspaper had talked about it, Canterlot had already sent a squadron in order to give help to the bereaved Militia.

“Feeling bad? Like you’ve seen a ghost?”

And she was making fun of him, with this. No doubt, this bitch was more than alive.

> Chapter 36
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thousands of questions were rushing through Prince Blueblood’s mind. Tonight was his night, he could not lose face this way in front of his partisans and his army. The factory had been destroyed, many ponies had confirmed it to him. This cursed mare had perished with it…

Yet, here she was a few inches away from him, with a mocking half-grin stuck on her childish face. A brat barely out of teenage years.

Undoubtedly, she was proud of her novelty effect prepared in advance. She surely wanted to prove she had the skills to organize a secret ambush, tricking him.

So be it. It didn’t change anything to the fact, in reality. He had won.

Once confusion over, Prince Blueblood quickly got together. Whether she was dead or alive did not really matter. What could she do except threatening another defenseless mare, his appointed puppet? As strong as she was, and despite the small menace represented by her disease called Black Blood Infection? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And, he had a great advantage comparing to her. Yes, she could fly but he was a unicorn. With an averagely difficult spell, he could get rid of her not even staining his hooves – he really hated that, except under very extraordinary circumstances.

He lowered his horn and concentrated. A few red sparks appeared, but died immediately and he was unable to do more.

He did not see Rarity was smiling. She knew exactly what would arrive. She was the only one able to use her magic in this room, she and those who hadn’t drunk the traditional cider, which means ponies around who were not partisans, or soldiers, or parents of the bride.

“Sorry, I think we spiced up your cider a little… Magic neutralizer”, Rainbow Dash brought as a precision, her sword still aiming at Fluttershy’s throat. “You’ll have to fight for real this time.”

Maybe they would not win tonight. Maybe this would be a fight in vain. But anyhow, just for this sole moment of pure jubilation, it would be worth the while. Exclamations from the crowd kept on ravishing her and the Fallen Heir Apparent’s reactions, the way his features hardened and the way he was frowning until his eyebrows met, it was a real delight. And he had not seen everything yet. Because if he thought that was all she had in her pocket, he was wrong. What was going to happen next was the best part.

It was almost expected, the fact Prince Blueblood started to laugh. There was nothing hilarious in this situation, but he was so full of himself, despite the fact his magic was ineffective, that he could not get to envision this trap to be nothing but a last breath of despair. So, he was laughing heartily, like guffawing at the tomfooleries of an ageing clown, with a hint of pity behind the crystalline sounds.

“What do you think you’re doing? You think you’re scaring me? You’re still naïve, uh… Look around you. You’re on your own, dolly.”

“On my own? Who said I was on my own? Militia!”

Hearing this name, all the Masters of Rituals of the room took off their hoods, and right under his stunned eyes, Blueblood saw one by one all the faces he thought he had got rid of, even the bouncing bodyguard, and the Second-in-Command supposed to be crying her deceased brother out. Even Twilight Sparkle, the traitor he had demanded the death of.

Here they all were, alive, accompanied by their best First Class Lieutenants, and behind them quickly arrived the rest of the official organization, dressed in red cloaks, heavily armed, obviously ready to fight to the finish no matter what it would take.

So, that was the way things were. If he had to be honest, he would confess they got him there. His own team had not been prepared, they all had spared themselves in order to attend to the ball, that would probably end in a bloodbath.

Of course, Prince Blueblood refused to be honest. It no longer mattered now, anyway.

For a few seconds, it felt as if time had been suspended. Nothing existed anymore, the wind had ceased to blow, the last flakes of winter lingered in the air and never fell down.

Prince Blueblood and Rainbow Dash looked at each other scornfully, to whom would display the biggest amount of arrogance and extreme self-confidence, blue irises against magenta irises.

Low, she whispered words he immediately understood, even without reading her lips. A very famous litany, forming the pattern of each nation’s officers’ intrigues, from Militias to the Cavalry. Blood by blood, that is the Sacred Law of Equestria.

And then, suddenly, everything sprung back, with more violence and vehemence than before. From her sword, in a neat strike, she cut off one of Fluttershy’s wing, who immediately fell back on the floor, crying, shrieking and bleeding.

Yes, it was unfair since she had been nothing but an unfortunate victim of the circumstances. If she had the choice, Rainbow Dash had rather spare the mare pegasus… but she needed a strong and clear message. No crime could remain unpunished. Fluttershy had her chance to go against the injustice of her own life, yet she had yielded. Because of her, Big Macintosh had died, as well as other Members of the Militia, and Surprise, who until then had never been a fighter, had lost her wing too.

Feelings, she had left them in the castle’s garden, she had abandoned them on Soarin’s lips, who she knew was right behind her. 
Compassion was a feeling, and she refused to have it. The rage of the combat was all that guided her right now. To revenge the dead ones, to make sure Equestria’s peace would remain for a few more years…

As soon as Fluttershy had touched the floor, the hostilities had been launched. Members of The Militia and Unavowed Army, they all had dashed at the same time, and the first sword strikes had resounded. But Rainbow Dash had only one goal in mind, and he was sitting in front of her, ordering his troops to fight.

“You’re allowed to kill any pony you want!” she screamed to her own fighters. “But Prince Blueblood is mine!”

He knew he was her main target. That was why he turned to his Main Servant, still sitting by his side. Of course, she was not the best of fighters, but he had every part of her devotion. Undoubtedly, she was going to defend his life with her own if necessary and, thanks to her sacrifice, he would be able to flee somewhere else, in order to find another way to get his dear revenge. There was no way he would fight, since tonight was the night of his glory. He refused to give up on this, even in front of the evidence that said glory was to be postponed, if it happened.

So, he was more than surprised when he saw Rarity turning against him, her horn pointing toward him.

“What are you doing?” he asked her, eyes wide opened.

“Isn’t it obvious? Prince Blueblood… In the name of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I have to arrest you, on the Cavalry’s orders.”

“With what? You’ve drunk that modified cider as well.”

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t because I am the one who poured the sacred poppy juice in the cider. Haven’t you even wondered how The Militia knew about this little party of yours?”

“You…”

He could not believe it. His most faithful mare, the craft pony of his success, his devotee puppet, always ready to execute his orders, hoping she would win him over. If there was one of his soldiers he thought would never betray him, she was the one. Especially after the promises he had made to her.

“Yes, that was me. Revenge knows no limits. Take all you can if it means achieving your aims. Aren’t these some of your own teachings, my dear King?”

Thanks to her magic, Rarity let appear one of her gem-shaped small blades out of her mane, a technique he had admired so much, to the extent of thinking it would have been enough to defeat the Second-in-Command, Applejack. Now, he regretted he had not chosen as his Main Servant a plain earth pony, easier to knock down, or one of these merciless mercenaries so easy to corrupt with money.

If she really thought she could get him so easily just because she was his Main Servant, she was wrong. Blueblood only did one gesture and one of his soldiers bounced between him and Rarity.

He ran away without turning his back, leaving her on her own now.

Far from losing countenance, the purple-maned unicorn threw one of her blades towards the deserter, and thought she had touched him. She did not want to fight against the others, she wanted to have her revenge. She wanted to see him obliged to show his airs hid nothing but a chicken who, in a real situation of combat, when it came to be face to face with a pony, did not know how to use a sword.

Frowning, she decided to ignore the pack of soldiers too happy to get rid of the troublesome female she represented, and she rushed in, in order to stop Blueblood from fleeing once again.

Of course, she quickly happened to be injured, but it did not really matter. She knew Rainbow Dash was more than determined to be done with him. As for the unfortunate ones who had attacked her, they seemed to forget the essential detail of her favorite spell – as soon as she crumbled on the floor, all the small blades hidden in her mane directly touched their targets.

Lower, the battle raged. Supporters as well as Fluttershy’s parents had taken refuge in an alcove, and watched the fight with fright. None of them had the occasion to see what a real fight looked like.

During the Fratricide War, many families of the aristocracy siding King Sunset Sunrise had hidden away in Canterlot, inside the Royal Palace, cohabiting like they could with the Members of the Court. Some had seen their prosperity collapse, while others, who had given too much credit to the Web in order to survive, had later seen themselves deprived from their wealth and aristocratic titles, as a Royal Punishment – rather merciful compared to the treason which had been made.

Regardless of this, none of those had been prepared to be the witness of what it really was. If they needed a reason to understand that peace was a necessity, they had just found one.

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From the very beginning, Rainbow Dash’s goal had always been the Fallen Heir Apparent. She had thought that, thanks to the aid of his former Main Servant, Rarity, it was going to be very easy, but as soon as the attack had been ordered, she had been assailed by pegasus soldiers who had made their best to make sure she would stay as close to the ground as possible. It had not been very difficult, since she had forced too much upon her barely healed wing in order to aim her sword at Fluttershy’s neck.

Now, the circumstances made her back to back with Twilight, both encircled by a bunch of ponies ready to cut them to pieces – all male.

It would have been easy, for the young unicorn, to use her magic in order to diminish them to a vegetal state or else, but, willing to show The Militia’s superiority on this army of profiteers of all kind, she had decided to fight loyally. It was a risky bet. As Main Quartermaster, the training she had was less in-depth, less precise than the other Member’s, and she had been more trained for defense than for attack.

From the corner of their eyes, they both noticed the damages were rather equal in one clan or the other, and that none really had a target in mind, and only rushed in, killing and injuring whoever was on the way.

The two mares had also fought this way, before being surrounded.

They both knew what was the other’s strongest points. Because of this, not even communicating together, they quickly knew what to do. Rainbow Dash didn’t wait for one pony from the pack to pounce on her, and started the offensives the first, while Twilight protected her by replying.

Their duet worked fine, and when the last assailants were on the floor, not without touching them from time to time, they kept on fighting this way on a few feet, one attacking the white cloaks not really minding in which part of their bodies she buried her sword, while the other one was getting rid of those trying to pounce on her.

Soon, they were separated by the happenstance of the fight, but the way The Militia fought, generally with mutual assistance, was different from The Unavowed Army, more selfish. Maybe that would be what would make them lose, this incapacity to push aside their affinities, but they all wanted to believe the opposite. It had always been their strength. Members of The Militia were there for one another.

--------------------------------------------------------

Because she was the Second-in-Command, and a lot said this position was like attacking their Head, just a little less difficult, Applejack also had a certain popularity with the soldiers of the Unavowed Army.

A great number of them tried to kill her, both male and female. Maybe some of them thought her grief was so strong she had not thought about training for tonight’s attack. They did not know…

Her brother’s death was the essence of her rage. Each time she felt like giving up, she thought about Big Macintosh and found back the necessary anger to strike harder, to bury her blade deeper in the limb she reached.

These ponies did not know who they were fighting with, in all likelihood. She had not been chosen as Second-in-Command out of sheer sympathy from her best friend. As much as any other Members of the Head’s Council, she had deserved her position, training with Master Crimson Moon with the others, suffering like the others. If she happened to be here today, it was thanks to her skills.

And the orange mare proved them flawlessly. Those she had confront with until then were the ones out of her league. They were nothing but minions, not even henchponies. Now she understood why Blueblood had always sent the same talented recruits. The others were barely second-rate.

It was what she thought until she was caught by this particularly unrelenting mare pegasus, with an artificial wing like the one Surprise now displayed, with a blue coat like the icing of a cake or maybe a candy. Behind this color full of happiness hid a tenacious warrior, that Applejack was sure she had already seen. Surely one of these aspirants to The Militia who failed their Test by sin of recklessness. They were the most dangerous ones in combats such as this.

For all that, she was not about to give up. Applejack did not hesitate a long time before replying to Lightning Dust’s attack – since she was the mare in question – and they both quickly were crossing swords, without one touching the others.

The mare pegasus was highly motivated, and had no intention of giving up neither. To be able to wound the Second-in-Command would be a glory she would savor with all she had. If she could do it, she was convinced, to kill the Head would then be a piece of cake, and once she would be dead, the battle would be won and Prince Blueblood would give her the position abandoned by this traitor named Rarity, that she had seen turning against him between two killings by the book.

She had not thought, however, that the Second-in-Command would be so strong. Even when Lightning Dust was using her wings, she was able to avoid her, and it took her a lot of agility to escape the sword attacks of her new rival.

If the loyal method did not work, fine… She knew what to do to make sure the situation would be in her advantage. Because there was a revelation the Second-in-Command ignored and that would, for sure, change the deal.

As they once again were neck to neck, sword to sword, looking at each other scornfully with determination and resentment, the mare pegasus unsheathed her ultimate weapon… a verbal one.

“Hey, by the way, hillbilly”, she mocked. “Your beloved brother you cried your eyes out for so many days… Well, I’m the one who killed him. It even was a walk in the park.”

Applejack’s green eyes lit up with a burning flame, something no one had ever seen her going through, since she was known for being tempered and down-to-earth. This bitch had just confessed Big Macintosh’s murder… If she thought this way, she would be easier to attack because of the emotion and shock, she was barking up the wrong apple tree.

Blinded by her fury, she let herself be guided a hundred percent by what was boiling under her skin, to the extent of thinking she understood how Rainbow Dash felt when she was invaded by the Black Blood infection, and she lowered her sword in order to target the heart of the mare who had just let out this awful secret.

Applejack quickly understood her mistake when she saw Lightning Dust flying above her to bury her blade inside her Cutie Mark, not without avoiding her opponent to touch her own hind hoof.

The pain was so strong Applejack felt the bottom of her body giving in, and as much as she wanted to catch back the mare pegasus, it was impossible for her to go back to the attack immediately. Tears of pain and anger sparkled at her eyelashes and she promised herself whatever it costed, she would find her back and make her pay for her brother.

No time to heal herself the right way. She torn a part of her cloak and used it as a tourniquet that she wrapped around her flank. Before going behind Lightning Dust, who had turned around after she had touched her, she knew she would have to push away other opponents, too glad she was injured to try to kill her.

She could catch a glimpse at Caramel and Rainbow Dash intercepting the mare pegasus. Her best friend, and her coltfriend. Though they had promised to have no compassion, they could not let such an action go unpunished.

Despite her own injury, Lightning Dust did not sneak off. It was the Thunder of Revenge in person in front of her. The prestige was even higher than with this boorish hillbilly of a Second-in-Command. If only there had not been the other sidekick with her, it would have been easier.

Of course, she had already met face to face with the Militia’s Head, when she had tried to apply for the organization. But the circumstances were different. There could be no winner or loser during a Warrior Test, and though Rainbow Dash had broken one of her rib warning him she would better think with her mind than with her guts, and to stop striking haphazardly, she remained convinced she had what it took to knock down the Head in no time.

Practice, once again, happened to be more complicated than theory. No matter how many times she tried to touch Rainbow Dash, aiming for her thigh, her Cutie Mark, her throat or even her wings, she always avoided her, and the mare earth pony by her side kept on brushing her with his sword.

Yet, she thought she had touched him when, looking away from their combat as if she had just remembered something important, she looked in the direction of the honor balcony.

Prince Blueblood had run away. There no longer were traces from the former Main Servant, Rarity. No doubt, he wanted to flee and to let the others killing each other on his behalf, never sticking his neck out. There was no way this would happen…

So Lightning Dust’s attack only brushed her hoof, and opened a very small wound that barely caused a tickle of blood when Rainbow Dash, anger at her max, flew at full throttle towards the balcony. For sure, she was the fastest pony in all Equestria…

If she stayed here, with the other stallion after her, the Second-in-Command would catch her back. Even injured, in view of her level of grudge, it was a certainty she would not make things easier for her, and she even took the risk of losing. If there was something Lightning Dust hated, it was losing.

Because he was overwhelmed with other soldiers from the rival clan, Caramel did not see Lightning Dust escape, flying to the doors. He knew Applejack would want to catch her back, and though he dreaded the fact he could lose the mare he loved, he also knew he would never be able to hold his marefriend back. All he could hope now was for her to reappear, victorious and barely wounded.

For now, the result of the combat was not certain. The lost were roughly equal at one side and the other and the first signs of tiredness were starting to show. Anyhow, they all knew, they would fight unceasingly until the last pony would drop. It was about the future of all Equestria. They could not allow themselves to relax in their efforts.

> Chapter 37
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The snow under her hooves was wet and sticky. The freezing air felt like in the middle of a transformation. It still chafed the tip of her muzzle, and from her nostrils kept on rising a smoke white like a specter, yet something was different. The end of a period could be smelled in the greyish sky of the night.

Applejack only had to follow the bloody traces inside the grey powder surrounding the many doors of the castle to find Lightning Dust back. The sword she used to fight was the second sign. Its metal whistled in the middle of silence, right above her head, and was able to brush the tip of her ear, right before she plunged against the ground in order to protect herself.

Their eyes met, and determination of the one was echoed by the fury of the other. Breathless, they both knew they had to win this duel at any cost.

It was because she wanted to avenge her brother’s death that Applejack had decided to take the weapons, as well as to respect the oath she had made when she had become The Militia’s Second-in-Command.

Lightning Dust, as far as she was concerned, thought that if she won, she would undoubtedly be covered in glory.

She refused to be defeated anyway, and harming was no part of her plans. She was here to kill, for the enjoyable pleasure she could get from eliminating a tough opponent.

Without hesitation, she plunged straight in front of her, her sword darting towards the ground, or to be more precise, towards the panting earth mare’s chest. The latter, still agile although a little slower, was able to avoid it again by rolling her flanks on the snow, but it happened it was harder for her to stand back up with this wound which made her suffer terribly.

Her adversary did not know pity, and never let her one second to breath. Each time she was able to avoid her, before she could even use her own sword, the mare pegasus pounced on her, resolute to touch her where death would be assured.

If she could not do it, on the other hoof, Lightning Dust was able to harm her again, this time at her right hind hoof, barely missing to cut it entirely. She had the advantage of her wings, while Applejack, in pain and prisoner, remained pinned on the ground, without a single shelter to hide and catch her breath.

This masquerade had been long enough. On her way up here, with fever inside, she had got rid of all those who were in front of her without the least of remorse, cutting, chopping, killing anyone trying to stop her from reaching her goal. Tonight was not going to be the night when a damn frustrated pegasus mare would tear her off this world, off those she loved and who loved her back.

Pretending to lean over her wound, Applejack unsheathed her secret weapon. And if to begin with, Lightning Dust looked at her raising an eyebrow, puzzled as for what a piece of rope would help her win this duel, she quickly regretted her carelessness. When, once again, she plunged in the direction of her rival’s chest, in order to get over it once and for all, she was surprised to feel some slimy material wrapping around one of her hind hoof, like a snake from out of nowhere.

Applejack pulled with her teeth, and could not hide a smile seeing her opponent gliding backwards without control, or being able to undo the tie, and she fell on the ground, a few inches away. The sword she had held between her teeth swirled, and fell back as well, too far for Lightning Dust to be able to catch it quickly enough to attack without being touched too.

The earth mare clenched her teeth all along, and was able to slip her body where the other pony was lying. The latter tried to stand back up, but a hit in her wounded hoof was enough to pin her back against the snow. Applejack was targeting for her heart, although she was tempted for a few seconds to make sure the pony in front of her would know an agony as long as Big Macintosh’s had been.

It was without taking into account her rival’s intense determination. She lifted her fore hooves and tried her best to bring the sharp blade of the sword towards the Second-in-Command’s throat, convinced this hitch was nothing but this, a hitch, and that she would end up victorious anyway.

Self-confidence, resolution and self-importance were useful weapons during a fight. They helped to outperform, to spare no effort. 
Nonetheless, they were not the only necessary ingredients of success. It took a good measure of reflection, thinking about all the parameters, knowing your weaknesses as much as your strengths in order to have the upper hoof. Even Rainbow Dash knew she had to call herself into question when the circumstances demanded it…

Although she felt hurt to the extent of crying, although she felt exhausted inside, Applejack had no intention of giving a single inch of ground.
She kept going, pressing with all she got forward so her opponent would not get the advantage back. Too bad for the rest, all that mattered now was to make sure her own blade would not be the instrument of her tragic death. Melrose could not lose another of her children tonight…

She only needed a little something… Just a little bit more of strength, and most importantly, not to give in, at no moment, to lower her guard.
The mare in front of her was unyielding, and even when pinned against the snow, in the incapacity of using the trump that were her wings, she did not cease to struggle.

Applejack could feel her hind hooves bleeding and burying inside the mud the snow had become. Her green eyes were staring at Lightning Dust’s, as if to show her she would not become a victim, and to remind her of other victims, like those of the stallion she had condemn because of her zeal, and without whom life would never have the same color again. She pressed a little bit stronger, with all her weight. If this had to be the last thing she would ever do, then she would do it.

The sword finally gave in, and as soon as it got in touch with the frail and quivering throat of the mare pegasus, with no hesitation, she moved it to the left with precision and control, feeling the blade bumping into a resistance, then burying, and hot blood came to cover her face, her neck, and even the snow around her.

Lightning Dust’s eyes rolled up, and her body was taken over by jolting convulsions, while the hemoglobin kept on pouring on everything it was possible to reach, and when the last puff of immaculate smoke went through her chapped lips, finally, Applejack let herself collapse by her side, breathless, with tears striking the orange coat of her face.

Her strength had left. What she still had, she had poured it in this cold and quick execution, and now, her body refused to move, alive yet motionless like a statue of stone and ice. Blood by blood… The honor had been washed, her brother’s death avenged. Yet would always remain, nestled in a corner of her heart, an emptiness that would never be fulfilled again, something curled up and disappeared forever.

---------------------------------------------

A very few ponies might be suspecting what was hiding under the pink and cozy surface. Since her infancy, when she had been nothing but an orphan filly, her opponents had always been surprised of the bloodlust her soul yet kind and cheerful of nature could conceal.

It was not about leniency and kindness now, no matter how much deep inside she preferred the sweet madness of a celebration. They were expected that she, Pinkie Pie, did what she was expected to do… To fight for hers, for her ideals, for Equestria’s honor and for her surrogate family. Out of question to laugh, or to let her real aspirations put the mission she had been given back up.

She liked to think her apparent good-heartedness was a big advantage, the way it was for Caramel, who, just like her, was a dark horse behind his inoffensive attitude. They were many to think they would make short work of her, dashing in her direction unawares, with their swords out.

All those still alive, if there was any, bucked themselves they had tried. Because the way she fought was not only effective, it also was wilder. The worst was that even without a knife or a sword, she could defend herself, she could attack, and do more damages than any type of blades.

However, Pinkie Pie knew weariness came quickly when too much was given at the same time, and she was trying her best to strike with economy, though they remained of a very particular implacability. She wanted to make sure she would have full energy until the end, that at no moment, taking an advantage from a decline of momentum from her, one of those so-called soldiers would lash out at her, eliminating her permanently from the battle.

Although pitiless, the way she fought was not deprived of a sense of honor. Nothing was forbidden, as long as the other one was prepared, which means if they were real opponents or if they had attacked first, for example. So, when the pink mare saw a stallion trying to harm Twilight by surprise, striking from behind without her seeing him, it made her already hot blood boil.

What she had kept inside, in order to spare herself, Pinkie Pie released it. The battle was advanced enough, anyway. Too bad for them.

She felt her mane falling softly on her shoulders, and did not even care. Thrown at full throttle, she leaped in the air, and thanks to one of her two favorite daggers, she pounced on the disloyal pony who had tried to trick her friend. The stallion saw her in his field of vision, wanted to reply… Too late. She had just buried her knife inside his throat, so deeply the shaft stuck out for a few seconds, until the lifeless pony collapsed, and she took it off, without a care about the blood which spurted against her face.

Twilight thanked her with a smile, but did not have time to do more. An old acquaintance had just arrived in front of her, and in view of the gleam of hostility in her eyes, she was not here in peace.

“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle”, Trixie declared with a half-smile. “Happy to see me?”

“Not as much as you seem happy to see me.”

The young unicorn burst out laughing soundly and dramatically, like she was used to, and Twilight wondered what held herself back to make her close her mouth once and for all with a strike of sword inside her chest.

Then, she noticed in dread that she displayed no trace of injuries or scrapes, conversely to herself. It seemed as if she had not fight at all yet… unless she had used a trick to do so well. No, there was no way.

“Seems like you’d just understood an enigma…”

“You haven’t drunk the traditional cider, have you?”

“What do you think?”

This answer shaped like a question was enough. Twilight frowned and lowered her head, horn forward. Since she undoubtedly would use her untouched magic against her, there was no reason for her to be merciful. If Trixie wanted a magic duel, she was going to have it.

There was no doubt, as far as the purple unicorn was concerned. She had practiced her magic with even more dedication than she had done back when she was the Princess’ student, just in case she would have to use her horn tonight. Trixie, as talented as she could be, was out of her league.

She had not planned the spell of her rival to be so devious… The two magic auras, blue and lilac, confronted for a few seconds, but Trixie’s was able to pierce through Twilight’s attack, without her to understand how, and the latter suddenly found herself levitating in the air.

Her horn lowered, the Main Quartermaster tried a spell to help her getting out of this hold, something that would knock her opponent to the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw the closest mare, a Second Class Fighter, tumbling, unconscious, although she was on the verge of finishing off a soldier from the Unavowed Army.

A spell of target inversion. If she used her magic, anything she would attempt would always turn against the closest pony from her own clan. Obviously, a personal revenge now animated Trixie more than the cause she was supposed to defend, to think that nopony believe in anything in this army of cynicism.

Thus cornered, she was feeling powerless, and knew she was at the mercy of the mare who had never liked her. Only Twilight knew this spell was hard to maintain when focus was lost and that, although the damages on herself for now were limited, a moment would arrive when, tired of levitating, she was going to lose consciousness.

Though she could bet Trixie would have troubles not to crumble before she did, she did not want to take risks and to base her strategy upon this probability. She needed to find something else.

And she did not need to think about it for too long. She possessed a particular advantage, although she yet could not master it for more than a few seconds at a stretch, it could be enough to get her back on track.

Even if, trapped in this magic bubble, it was hard for her to move her limbs, Twilight decided to shake her head, and quickly lowered her eye-patch with her hoof. Immediately, the incredible scald came to gnaw at her eye and she had to gather her whole concentration to replace it with the clearest than clearness itself vision, where everything was slowed down, like taken aback by the violence of a wave.

Everyone was fighting around her, and the sound of metal clicking together was interspersed by moans of pain like she had never heard before. Corpses, injured bodies by thousands lied on the littered floor of the huge ballroom. In front of her, Trixie was speaking and each of her words were enunciated like the sound of an old rusty train. She said she thought she was unable to master the Sacred Eye, that the former time had been nothing but sheer luck. Of course… She did not know she had practiced more since last time, and that she had finally accepted this gift from above she had denied for so many years.

Twilight thought as quickly as she could, since she would not be able to keep the clear vision for a long while before suffering again and risking to turn definitely blind… And illumination struck her.

Eyes closed, she performed a spell that was not targeted at Trixie, but rather the huge crystal chandelier hanging at the ceiling which candles had all flickered, but which was quite heavy. It went off its prop trembling and in a roar like gems, fell straight towards a pony in the middle of a fight who, in order to avoid it, vigorously bucked into it.

Trixie had time to turn around and to avoid it as well, but while doing so, she lost the necessary concentration to keep her spell going, and freed Twilight. She replaced her eye-patch and did not wait longer to dash straight in the direction of her rival, making her stumble. They rolled together in the middle of the injured and the corpses, one trying to stand back up before the other.

They both lowered their horn at the same time, ready to attack. Undoubtedly, the blue unicorn was expecting Twilight to take advantage from it to cast the most powerful spell she knew, but instead, she chose something simpler, more extreme, which would allow her to put an end to this duel without adding material or equestrian damages to the list.

In the following second, Trixie became a lovely tropical plant. For sure, she probably had not expected something like this. Their duel was not really won, not really lost. She was going to want another revenge, but until then, everything could have changed and if it went the way Twilight wanted, her revenge would not be about to happen, since her adversary would have to answer her crimes in front of the Royal Court.

She teleported the Trixie plant in the alcove where were hiding members of the family and guests of the castle, before going back to the battlefield. There still had soldiers to kill, but also guards of the aforementioned family, came to join the party. The Militia needed its Main Quartermaster, and she would make sure her position here was not usurped. Even if it meant giving her life for this cause.

> Chapter 38
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soarin knew this moment would arrive, somehow. He did not know how many fighters he still had to confront with, nor who was on the winning side, but he knew this dreaded face to face would eventually take place.

Orange Steel, his cinder coat, earthy mane and cold water eyes, was in front of him in the air, a disturbing smile upon his face. The fight before, he had avoided it, the Fallen Heir Apparent thinking this battle could be won without him. This time, he wouldn’t have any chance of a deferment.

If he followed the logics that had formerly brought him in Clousdale, Orange Steel would have chosen to lash out at Rainbow Dash. She was the one with the most redoubtable reputation, her who was regarded as Ponyville’s best fighter and him, Soarin, was nothing but a Member of the Head’s Council, and the latest one, with it.

These logics no longer were relevant. Now, the mercenary had changed the way he liked to play the game – since all this was only a game to him, and he had not consideration about Prince Blueblood’s cause. He had way too much fun with Soarin and with the fear he kept on suppressing, and that seemed to take over him again only once his adrenalin level had lowered. Or only once he took a break in order to think things through.

Fine. That was what his rival thought. With Ponyville’s Militia he had fight more than once, with belligerence and courage, and he had defeated his enemies each and every time. Fear, though it had not completely vanished away, had turned out to be his best ally, the essence in which he drawned a new limitless and merciless energy.

Rainbow Dash and him had promised to each other. They stopped to be who they were until the last of fighters would have succumbed. Feelings no longer existed. Actions were the only things that counted.

“So, ready to settle old matters straight, Soarin?” he asked with sarcastic notes in his voice.

He had always discoursed on before a fight, telling how he thought he was the strongest and the most resistant of stallions, and how he was going to win every of his duals hooves down. All this blathering, Soarin regarded it as useless, especially in these circumstances. Everyone was fighting around them, and if Orange Steel did not give a single care about the cause he was supposed to defend, he was here with a very precise goal in mind and had no intention of running away.

So he did not do things by half and dashed straight towards his target who, fooled, barely had time to avoid him. He boasted like he was used to, arguing he had already told him attacking by surprise was a trick for weak ponies, or something of this kind. He could brag as much as he wanted, Soarin no longer was impressed. He had a marefriend who was the all-time champion of this type of behavior. He had learned to laugh in the face of chin music to focus on the essential.

Once again, frowning with no answer for his opponent, he darted his sword in his direction, and when the other replied, they both crossed swords for a short while. Orange Steel pressed with all his might towards Soarin, hoping he would liberate his weapon from above or under in order to be the one to attack.

Soarin forced a bit more on his side, and was able to lower his sword first, and touched the pegasus at his shoulder. Most importantly, he needed not to rejoice too soon of this victory, and not to hesitate striking one more time, even if at the same spot. What he did immediately, though this time he reached the upper part of his limb.

He saw Orange Steel wincing, and determination increasing in his almost translucent eyes, which always had him shaking with terror until now. To see him suffering, as he boasted to be almost untouchable thanks to tactics, made Soarin realize what was in front of him was nothing but an ordinary pony, and he had no reason to shiver.

The adversary tried to attack as well, targeting his wings, but he avoided it, and instead, touched him again, this time right under his wingpit. Of course, his injuries did not stop him from using his sword but the amount of blood he lost and pain was weakening him visibly. He already was flying a little less high, and was almost knocked down by the other pegasi fighting around them.

Soarin was more resolute than ever, and did not seem to fear him anymore. He had to find something to gain back a bit of advantage, since he was not able to hurt him like the previous times, especially during his moment of glory in Cloudsdale, when he almost had killed him.

Orange Steel took a glimpse at the balcony where Prince Blueblood had been before the attack began. And an odious smile materialized on his almost angelic face. The pegasus stallion still had a flaw… He would really enjoy to remind him, in fact.

While Soarin was trying to hurt him again, he was able to react right on time to cross swords again. He had to be able to talk to him, at least for a few seconds, so he would launch his plan B since the usual method had failed.

“So, you think you’ve won, Soarin Skies. But you’re a liar. I know you’re still scared…”

“Not of you, anyway.”

“No, not of me. Of something else… Your little sweetheart seems to be behind the eight ball.”

He did not want to look. He had promised. He did not want it yet he was unable to resist. Despite himself, his emerald eyes took a glimpse at the balcony, where Rainbow Dash was busy fighting.

Prince Blueblood was gone, but she probably wanted to follow him before he would flee for real. For this, she had to confront with soldiers from the Unavowed Army and guards of the family rallied to his cause, and Soarin could see it rather easily, she was having a hard time.

They were many trying to attack her at the same time, and as talented as she was, she had troubles to get rid of them all without being touched as well. She had forbid him to come and help her, under no excuse. Prince Blueblood was her business, and nopony else’s. Because of him, a part of Ponyville had burned to the ashes, peace had been threatened more than once and many ponies she loved had been killed or seriously injured.

Take an advantage from the inside panic shaking his guts, and his attention being focused on his marefriend, Orange Steel attacked Soarin, who barely had time to notice the deception, and felt the cold of a sword burying between his two wings, right where his opponent had already touched him in the past.

The pain, horrible, recalled to him. Memories too, with the sensation of falling endlessly towards the rocks, this white sensation of irrepressible fear sweeping everything away.

It was what the mercenary from the Unavowed Army wanted, and there was no way he would let him win again.

Soarin got together, and despite his injury, tightened the grip of his teeth around the shaft of his sword, so he would dash straight towards his opponent. As expected, he was prepared to reply, thinking he was about to repeat the same strike as the ones he made him suffer from already.

But he thought about something more radical. Maybe it was unappropriated, or maybe it was not, it did not matter to him. Mercy should not be part of his vocabulary tonight. A promise had to be kept, and when he moved away at the last moment, and lowered his blade towards Orange Steel’s neck, he tried to convince himself this was the best of solutions, and that if he did not make sure it was over once and for all, it could turn against himself.

Abruptly, he felt his sword burying again inside the flesh, banging into a bone before going the other way. Orange Steel’s head went rolling a bit lower, where injured and dead ponies of all kind and clan were piled up, and his wings fluttered one last time, before the rest of his body  met the floor as well, not without bathing in blood everything around.

He had just got rid of his worst nightmare, and did not even have the time to cheer up. The battle was still raging around him, and rest was not an option.

Soarin tore up a part of his cloak and wrapped it around his body to bandage his wound, that was not as deep as he had thought at first, and he plunged back to the fight with all his heart, faithful to his promises and oaths.

------------------------------------------------------

How many pegasi were there in this fucking army? Had they all spread the word to stop her to achieve her ends? Sure. This coward of Prince Blueblood would certainly not have ordered his ponies to let her go. It seemed to her the reserve was bottomless, unless it came from the fact that the fucking guards from this fucking family all had fucking wings.

Rainbow Dash could not understand why they were so keen to defend the one who had all let them down as soon as he had a chance. They were fighting for him, after all.

She did not stay sitting in a corner, waiting for everything to be over to claim victory, so why did he do this and everyone seemed to think it was perfectly normal, as if there was nothing to add about it?

This army was nothing but a big joke, most of the time. Those who were dying during fights, combating with honor, they might have a good reason to do this, other than a greedy need for money and power. In her opinion, these were not noble causes to give yourself body and soul to the battle. Integrity and dignity were vectors of virtues. They were what filled her with life. Loyalty. Mixed with a subtle desire for revenge, bad proneness that no pony was really able to annihilate.

Each time a pegasus came her way, her sword darted forward, she got rid of them with belligerence, despite the wounds, despite the number. She could not be submitted to a downturn, and anyway, she was exhilarated by a certain kind of aggressiveness and would keep on the same rhythm until she would have reached her main goal – chopping the dissident Prince Blueblood’s head.

She settled poised on the rim of the balcony after she had knocked over an opponent who had arrived from behind, and was fighting against two ponies at the same time, in equilibrium on the gilt. The stronger they tried to strike, aiming at her chest and throat, the fiercer she was in her own strikes, and not without problems, she was able to chop off the wing of one and to injure the other badly enough to send him back near his comrades on solid ground.

A dry sound revealed her there were other ponies behind her on the balcony. Not hesitating, Rainbow Dash jumped off the rim, and threw herself in the new fray, who had climbed here to the rescue, seeing the last of opponents falling. Unicorns and earth ponies were mixed up, united in their curse.

It felt strange to think that Equestria’s hymn, supposed to sing the virtues of friendship between all the races, was illustrated in such a circumstance.

She had a jump back seeing every of her assailants hit on the back of their heads by something she did not perceive at first. They all crumbled down one after the other, like a gigantic pins game knocked over by a big invisible ball. The few survivors of the trick left without further ado, running before they would be mortally injured as well.

Rainbow Dash then had a glimpse at Rarity, the Fallen Heir Apparent’s former Main Servant, her elegant mane undone, her hooves skinned and her breath short. She fell back on her forelegs, exhausted from gathering her last strength to take back her mini-blades and using her personal spell in order to help her getting rid of these new opponents.

Rainbow Dash stepped closer to her, and mumbled thanks.

“You’ll thank me later”, she answered. “When you’ll have chopped off his fucking head, if I can talk so badly. He had fled to the North wall. It’s the closest one to the Everfree Forrest.” 

A nod was enough to show her she had understood, and Rainbow Dash took the way Prince Blueblood had taken to escape without being caught up by anypoy. This castle was flooded with hidden passages he had all the time of the world to study, in case of a potential escape.

If he really thought he could escape her, well he was wrong. Maybe she already had fought a lot, maybe she was injured at many spots, but her determination and rage had not decreased. The real issue of the battle was going to be played between them two. And she was certain, he would never be a match for her. At least, that was what she kept on telling herself.

> Chapter 39
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was easy to get lost in the maze of secret doors and underground passages of this damn castle. Disoriented in the dark, Rainbow Dash had probably bang into walls of stone more than twenty times, before finding the way out.

Beyond the fortifications surrounding the indoor yard, she had seen by flying over that the Cavalry had arrived as backup. It was no part of the plan that the royal guard would help their way through victory, right the opposite actually, but it seemed that a smarter pony had the good idea to call on to them.

All this time, she had been scared Prince Blueblood had time to escape. It was leaving aside the fact that he was greedy and materialistic… The stallion unicorn had not helped but gathering many precious items, trophies of his almost victory on the established order. It probably was in order to make his travel easier, without an army to defend him.

Rainbow Dash found him in front of a defensive wall, in a part of the yard where it was easier to hide. The snow on many bushes had started to melt, letting naked branches appear. The layer of frost around the huge fountain representing the King Sunset Sunrise and his spouse, Queen Harmony, had started to split, and the soft sound of water running down was rocking the silence of the night.

Prince Blueblood, holding a bindle full of trinkets clinging against one another, wearing one of the white cloaks from his Army, was trying to flee by jumping over the fortification, but because he still not had access to magic, he wasn’t able to climb high enough.

Her own cloak half in pieces, and her sword ready to be unsheathed, Rainbow Dash landed on the wet snow, a few inches behind the stallion. He kept on trying to climb, out of breath…

“Stop tiring yourself”, she told him with a hint of pride. “No one from The Militia could have jumped over here without wings, or the help of another pony. And, you wouldn’t get very far… The Cavalry’s right behind.”

At the sound of her voice, though he had already sensed her presence behind him, he stopped his attempts to go over the wall, and sighed in resignation. He should have known… This damn Twilight Sparkle had a brother who was leading the Cavalry, and betting on the shame he probably still felt about her for being banished after trying to play it smart was not enough to make sure the famous Royal Guard would not stick their oar in this matter.

If the incompetent Trixie had killed him as he had ordered her to, maybe the issue of all this would have been different. He hoped she would pay the highest price for this, but doubted it would depend on his only will.

Since there was nothing else left to do, Blueblood let his bindle fall and turned to Rainbow Dash who was patiently waiting for him to decide to come to terms with his fate. She was not in the same state than a little earlier, when she was pointing a sword at the mare he should have married. Bruises and injuries sprinkled her hooves, her face and the visible parts of her body. His Army had given her a hard time, obviously.

It was nothing but benefits for him. He was not tired by the fight yet, and all his energy was complete. In fact, he meant it sincerely, if he was able to beat her, nothing would stop him from getting rid of the Cavalry as well after that. In this case, success still was worth considering.

“Fine”, he said pushing away his bindle with his hind hooves. “But I’d rather warn you, dear little Rainbow Dash… I’ve been trained during foalhood by the best Royal Fighting Masters. And I can tell you it’s quite something, conversely to this miserable Crimson Moon of yours.”

He did it on purpose. It was a dangerous bet which she could not understand. If he outraged her and made resurface her Black Blood Infection, she would turn uncontrollable, and would only stop once he would be dead. Even begging had no impact whatsoever on her decisions at these moments… Or, he was only trying to make her act on impulses, since this was her deep nature.

In no way Rainbow Dash had the intention of being trapped like this. She would never let herself be guided by impetuousness, it was too important. More than ever, instructions taught by both Time Stellar and Master Crimson Moon echoed in her mind, and she would follow them without bowing. He would never win without a good real fight. So he would sweat blood too, for a once.

“We’ll see that. I’m more than ready, personally”, she answered, unsheathing her sword already soiled by the blood of ‘unavoweds’.

Well, she probably thought it would impress him to show how merciless she had been with those fighting in his name. it could have worked if Blueblood did have compassion for them. But he did not give a single care. Even the fate of his favorite ones barely mattered to him and more than anything else, he hoped someone had pierced through the immaculate coat of Rarity.

In his turn, the stallion unsheathed his sword.

In reality, he knew he would not be that easy. Even worn out, Rainbow Dash remained Equestria’s best fighter, and no one had beat her yet. His own training was rather far, though he had practiced a bit in sight of his coming campaign, since he had wanted more than anything else to kill his aunts with his own hooves.

They both threw themselves in at the same time, with the same flame of determination burning in their eyes. They both knew that, right now, the number of losses of each clan no longer mattered, and that the issue of their dual would determine the Equestrian future.

Prince Blueblood was taller than Rainbow Dash, yet, he had not been able to touch her. For so small a filly, she knew perfectly how to play with her sword so her small size would not be a disadvantage. This was at least something he could admit about her…

If he touched her first, in his mind, it was clear he would take the lead. This small tired metabolism would never stand a serious injury.

But the energy she displayed caught him off-guard. Without no real difficulty, she was able to avoid the attack he had succeeded to initiate, thanks to her agility and quickness of reaction. Her wings… He had to wound her wings to have a chance. It was her big advantage on him, who could not even use his magic.

Rather proudly, the stallion also succeeded to avoid one of Rainbow Dash’s attacks. She was fierce, did him no favors, faithful to her reputation. It was not enough to scare him, and he tried to reached her again, this time targeting her wings.

And so, during long minutes, one like the other tried attacks they avoided, with a certain sense of dexterity. What he was worth with a sword, Rainbow Dash did not it yet, on the other hand, she realized he mastered the art of sidestep. And this, undoubtedly, would give her a harder time than she had first thought.

But it did not matter. Hard or not, nothing could stop her. Ponyville and Equestria were what mattered to her, and she refused to even envision what this earth she loved so much would become with a pony such as Prince Blueblood at the lead, since he did not even possess a single hint of filial piety.

Her mind might have been distracted for a few seconds because of that. A few seconds enough so that, against all expectations, one of the attacks from her opponent was able to touch her. With uncontrollable tears in her eyes, she felt the fresh blade burying inside her right thigh, the scald of the wound, her blood draining slowly against the immaculate snow.

As soon as he took off his sword, Rainbow Dash tried to step back, but pain had her stumbling, and allowed Blueblood to reach her again… This time, at the very spot he was targeting since the beginning.

The Fallen Heir Apparent’s blade had just swept her right wing lengthwise, sketching a neat crimson print in the middle of the blue feathers.

A knee down, out of breath, Rainbow Dash had to bite the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood, in order not to scream from pain and frustration. From her mouth escaped a thin white smoke, replicating the rhythm of her messy exhalation, and of her thumping heart.

This were the same wounds she had got recently, at the same spot, which both had barely healed, especially the one at her wing. It was this that made these injuries so unbearable and difficult to accept.

“Moron. Despite everything that’s said about you, you’re too self-confident, too emotional… That’s what killed your precious Time Stellar and what is going to kill you as well. When I’ll be done with you, I’ll embellish the chimney of the throne room with your head.”

Obviously, this might be of an incredible gloating for him. Her chances to win were now fewer, and because she had thought for a while that her love for her family was a strength he would never possess, he had been able to harm her, and thought he had already won.

It was not by evocating Time Stellar or by mocking Master Crimson Moon like he did a bit earlier that he would get rid of her. Too emotional, he said… However, it was by thinking about all those fighting right now and that she loved deeply, by thinking about her own parents as well, that Rainbow Dash found enough strength to prove him wrong.

For them, for the oath she had claimed when she had become the Head of the Militia, she had to carry on and not to let go until one of them was dead and gone.

He was a moron too. When winning, it was not recommended to stay gazing it the victory for too long, but to keep on acting until being in the right. She was not dead, after all…

Her sword between her teeth, Rainbow Dash did not hesitate long. He was the one to blame, he had stayed close to her to play the smartass… So, she buried her blade inside his lower hoof, the deepest she could. Feeling the metal popping out of the other part, she outlined a slightly arrogant half-smile, and curled up in order to step back, while he bended his knee in his turn.

Knocked out too, this time, Prince Blueblood had to admit he had underestimated her. The mare Pegasus had seen worse… Two wounds, as deep as they were, were not going to be enough to stop her and allow him to be the winning one. He had been trapped by his excitation from triumph, just like it had happened to August Charmer, who had tasted what the Black Blood Infection had of worse.

Conversely to this little boasting at the beginning of the fight, he admitted it would be quite a bad idea to stimulate the infection… Although, he also had to admit, it seemed she was able to control it better than what had been told him.

Rainbow Dash had stood back up, and her earlier roll in the snow had been able to anesthetize the pain from her wounds at least a little. She knew it kept on draining, but decided to flout it, in order to focus on the essential – to make sure her opponent would never harm her again.

This time, she did not wait for Prince Blueblood to be ready, and rushed in before he could recover enough. However, he was able to avoid her once again, narrowly, rolling in his turn behind one of the bushes of the yard.

Never mind! Although it was really painful, she used her wings and flew to his hiding place, before harming him again, this time at the shoulder.

This strike was not as violent as the one at his lower hoof, but was enough to make him go out of his hideout, trying to confront her again. She landed a few inches away from him, and for a while, they both stayed motionless, catching their breath.

This short truce was welcome, for the both of them. Now both injured, they were even. There no longer were exhaustion in the scale, no comparison to make between royal methods and the ones of the most competent Fighting Master of all Equestria. What would happen next would define the future of their lands, and both knew that.

It was an essential moment, where each reminded what has been done, and tried to teach themselves the right lessons in order to give another dimension to the rest of the fight. And, they had to admit their judgement about the adversary’s skills had been a little incorrect… though Rainbow Dash remained convinced she was better than him. Because that was the way she was and nothing would ever change that.

Prince Blueblood started to scratch the sticky snow at his feet, and she regarded this gesture as the signal that the fight could now resume back. Her aim was to be able to harm him again without being harmed as well, but she knew in advance it was not going to be as easy as it sounded.

They rushed in at the same time, like they did at the start of the conflict, each with something on their minds. It would be up to the agilest one, to the most strategic one, to be able to reach for their goal first. None of them doubted to succeed.

At the other side of the wall, the Cavalry probably waited for a precise signal before going into action. That was fine with Rainbow Dash, since she wanted to be able to kill the Fallen Heir Apparent, without any kind of help.

More determined than ever, she rushed in with her head low and a plan in mind she hoped to be able to accomplish. For this, she needed to understand what kind of fate her opponent had in store for her. Despite her wounds, she was able to take off in the air when she felt Blueblood’s blade brushing her back without harming her, and with a few flap of her wings, lowered her own blade towards the stallion’s neck, almost offered.

Abruptly, and with all her strength, she felt the metal doing its work. It seemed to her Blueblood had understood one second too late what was going to happen to him, but nothing came to confirm her intuition since the second after, the lifeless – and headless – body of the white unicorn stallion fell back against the snow, painting the immaculate with a slimy and scarlet liquid.

Exhausted, Rainbow Dash let herself fall back as well. It all happened so fast she still could not really believe it had happened. Prince Blueblood was dead, killed by her own sword. Ponyville was now saved and so was Equestria, and all her deceased had been avenged, as well as Surprise’s wing, and Big Macintosh, and Double Diamond…

Yet, she felt no joy nor despair. Not even a real satisfaction. Only exhaustion. What had to be done had been done. The price to pay for peace was high, and seemed absurd for a short while. Life was a struggle of every second, for each of the ponies of this earth, however it seemed to her that existence had to be determined in other words.

To soothe her wounds, still as painful, she rolled again in the snow, again and again, by the Fallen Heir Apparent’s headless body, not having a care about the blood sticking at her coat. It was nothing that mattered in this very moment. She was suffering, and it needed to be soothed. If only the Cavalry had brought Physician Mares with them!

Sounds of hooves in the snow obliged her to stand back up abruptly. If one of the Unavowed Army’s minions was around, she hoped he would not demand a fight in order to revenge the late True King’s honor.

Her relief was huge when she saw Applejack appear in the half-dark. She was in a bad state and suffered of many injuries as well, bandaged hastily with pieces of fabric, but she was alive, and that was everything that mattered. Her Second-in-Command, her best friend, her sister.

They both gathered what was left of their strength to run to each other, and hold each other in their hooves. They had made it. They had made it and it was only now that joy could finally reach Rainbow Dash’s heart.

Now they only hoped the damages were not too important for The Militia, which they both ignored, focused as they had been on their own fights. They also had to dispense another kind of justice to the survivors of the Unavowed Army, dissolved by the death of their leader.

He had fought bravely, but it had not been enough in front of Rainbow Dash, who remained unvanquished. And who wanted things to stay this way.

> Chapter 40
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With her teeth, she slit de throat of the pony in front of her, his blood spurting into her face. Pinkie Pie couldn’t remember how many of her Equestrian pony folks she had murdered… Her pink coat was almost completely covered with hemoglobin, and she felt that if she ever stopped, her hooves would not hold her anymore. The fight was exhausting, but she had to keep on fighting, just like the other Members of the Militia. 

It had been a while now that the Fallen Heir Apparent had disappeared, and so had Rainbow Dash… Applejack also was nowhere to be found, and the pink mare hoped it didn’t mean her two friends had perished. 

Until they appeared again, may it dead or alive, they had not to let go any of their efforts. With a strength born of despair, Pinkie Pie kept on chopping, cutting, crushing… And to say that all she really wanted was to make the others happy. But a mare had to know when to be implacable and to put her sensitivity aside in order to survive. Laws of this country were tough, although they all were fighting to make sure they would not become worse. 

Pinkie Pie tried to take a glimpse at the amount of remaining fighters. It had diminished in the most dramatic way, and now only about twenty ponies from each clan were still standing, even if it didn’t mean they all were dead. Cloaks in pieces and injuries couldn’t help her to determine who was the winner. Not by looking that furtively, anyway. 

A stallion like from out of nowhere suddenly attacked her, a sword full of dried blood between his teeth. Her hoof scratched the wet and reddish floor, and frowning, she dashed forward with the intention of isolating him at a corner of the room, in order to cut his throat like the others. 

It demanded to jump above injured and dead ponies, and most importantly, to have a strong stomach. Anywhere the eye fell on, it met with death, agony and suffering, and among the ponies also were torn off limb and vital organs out of their box. 

But before she even reached her destination, she heard the pony behind her gasping in surprise, his mouth so opened it could get off his jaw, looking up. To the balcony where Prince Blueblood was standing earlier tonight. 

Her heart thumping in fear, Pinkie Pie stopped her race and looked up as well. 

Her two forelegs leaning against the bannister, Rainbow Dash was standing, with Prince Blueblood’s head between her teeth, that she held by the horsehair. 

All the fighting had stopped immediately, in a racket of metal and hooves. They all were staring at the mare, covered with blood too and which injuries had been bandaged. Behind her was Applejack, injured and healed as well, and alive as well. 

Rainbow Dash threw the late Fallen Heir Apparent’s head and it flew in the air for a couple of seconds, before it landed on the floor and rolled to reach the corpse of a soldier from the Unavowed Army. 

They could have responded, wanting to save their leader’s honor at any cost, but each had to face the obvious… Now Blueblood had died, their army was meaningless. They had been fighting for his Cause, for him to establish something no one else was able to accomplish now. A revenge would not have much impact on the future of Equestria. 

The only solution left to the remaining soldiers was fleeing. 

All those who tried did not have time to go any further. By the main door appeared Ponies of the Cavalry, led by their Leader Shining Armor, who was no one else than Twilight Sparkle’s brother. They intercepted the deserters, and gathered them all at the same spot, and went to unearth the guests of the wedding who had hid in an alcove during all this time – as well as the Trixie tropical plant, that Twilight hurried to disenchant. 

“Listen to me everypony”, Rainbow Dash said in a loud voice. “The Fallen Heir Apparent Prince Blueblood has passed away. Your army has passed away with him. All those who fought in the name of what they called the Cause, as well as all those who helped, are going to be judged by the Royal Court for Treason toward Our Highness Celestia and Luna, the only true rulers of Equestria. There will be no mercy for anyone, except dissident Fluttershy who’d been the tool of her own parents. Shame on them! Shame on them all!” 

The young pegasus mare, gathered with all the other actors of this rebellion which had costed so many lives, hid her face in her thick baby pink mane. Without further ado, since the Cavalry wasn’t famous for being delicate, she was led out of the circle of dissidents… Her parents’ imprisonment for Treason meant the loss all their aristocratic titles of all kind. She had nothing now… Except one thing, more precious than anything else – she was free. 

The only cloud on the horizon was that she would probably never see them again, which saddened her more than she would have first thought, after she hated them so much for everything they put her through. Even freed of his influence, these years spent as Prince Blueblood’s suitor would keep on haunting her. 

The ponies of the Cavalry busy arresting, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash went down in order to join their friends and Members of the Militia still standing. The loss was more important for the Unavowed Army, but their fighters weren’t in a sufficient number to protect Ponyville correctly. The months to come were not exactly going to be a walk in a park… They would have to recruit new members. 

As soon as they reached the floor, they both were welcomed by their mutual coltfriends. Caramel and Soarin, without even discussing it before, had both dashed forward in order to fly into their marefriends’ hooves. 

The pegasus stallion in particular was holding Rainbow Dash as if she could vanish away in the air. When she had gone to follow Prince Blueblood outside, he had not been able to help himself from being afraid… Although she was the most talented fighter he ever met, she was not perfect, neither was she sheltered from doing mistakes. If he had lost her, Soarin did not know what would have become of him. In so short an amount of time, she had become everything to him. 

Usually, such a display of intimate emotions in front of everypony would have disgusted her, but tonight (or was it this morning?), Rainbow Dash did not want to argue anymore. She too had been scared to lose him forever, not to be able to see him again. In the secret of her heart, she had promised this to herself: if anyone killed him, she would have ignored the laws in order to find this pony and to make sure they would die in the worst of agony. 

Thankfully, it did not happen. Soarin was alive, injured like all of them, but alive. Each of those who were her closest and dearest friends, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Caramel, Surprise, Twilight… They were still standing and no one had succumbed. She would never thank the Spider God enough for such a gift from above. Although nothing would ever redeem for the tragic loss of Big Macintosh… 

Cutting short these moving reunion, Shining Armor stops in front of her, straight like justice, a hoof against his forehead with his chest staged out, like the tradition wanted. 

“We’re ready to transport the convicts in the royal prison. Waiting for your signal, my Commander.” 

In the Cavalry, the Head of the Militia had to be called Commander. Rainbow Dash realized it was the first time she heard anyone calling her this way… Before Ponyville was attacked by the Unavowed Army, she would have drawn a great satisfaction out of it, proud of the honor from such a title. But today she realized how deprived of deep meaning the titles were for her. 

In Equestria, there were so many traditions that withhold the Continent from advancing towards progress, from protecting itself efficiently. It was about time that a pony comes and sets the cat amongst the pigeons! Things had to move. 

“Fine. Proceed to the pursuit of operations.” 

“Yes, my Commander.” 

Shining Armor was about to turn around to get to the convicts locked up in a cage Twilight had made created, when a big racket drew the attention of everypony towards the balcony. 

Unsure of why they did, they all dreaded for one last rebel from the Unavow Army to be here, or that a trap had been put in case of defeat and that this trap was about to clasp around them… 

Out of the corpses and injured ones, emerged a stained white coat and a messy purple mane… The whole Militia sighed in relief. It was Rarity. She was in a miserable state and seemed completely worn out, but she was standing and alive. 

“Tell me you had that jerk’s head chopped off”, she groaned between her teeth. 

“We actually did”, Pinkie Pie trumpeted with her high-pitched voice. 

In her turn, the beautiful unicorn sighed in relief. At least, she hadn’t done everything she had done for no result. While getting down the stairs in order to meet the others, Rarity went the reflections about how now she knew what she mistook for love had been nothing but a starry-eyed filly crush. If it had lasted for so long, it was because she got herself stuck in the mud of what she thought were true feelings. For years she had refused to face the truth – the image she had of him and who he really was were the same deformed reflection of a painting filled with flaws. 

Now dangers of any kind were removed, Shining Armor could finally lead his troops to the exit, not without holding his younger sister in his hooves first. With this simple gesture, he showed her she was forgiven for everything. 

Even the glance of hate Trixie addressed her as she was leaving in her prison brought by the Cavalry couldn’t get Twilight out of some kind of intoxicating euphoria. Inappropriate yet intoxicating. She had fought on the right side, had been glorious though she never been a real combatant, but a magician and a manager, what she considered a curse she had overcome and her family had ceased to repudiate her. Despite the pain from the loss, her joy was here and she could not ignore it. 

“Fine… And what about now?” Caramel questioned once the Cavalry and convicts were out. 

“Now, the Physician Mares are going to come and take charge of the injured, and AJ is going to bless the dead ones. Then we’ll need someone to bring the Princesses the proof of Prince Blueblood’s death”, Rainbow Dash answered by showing the stallion’s head with her chin. 

“If it doesn’t bother you, I would really like to take this responsibility”, Rarity intervened. 

“It doesn’t bother me at all. I’ll even say that this is perfect.” 

The unicorn levitated the Fallen Heir Apparent’s Head, surrounded by a dark blue aura and wrapped it in a makeshift package, made out of a piece of cloak. Once back home, she would wrap it inside tissue, and would transport it until Canterlot in a very chic hat box. Just because she would walk with the piece of a corpse did not mean she had to lose track of the elegance she characterized – usually. 

Applejack had taken back her first-aid kit, in which also was her necessary for the dead’s blessings, whether they were destined to go to the Cloth or to the Blaze. 

In a glass phial that was to break against the floor were cinders of a spider species destined to be sacrificed in order to feed the Spider God with strength. From these cinders were supposed to ascend a bit of this strength, which was helping the deaths to be guided to their final rest, along with a prayer, that they all whispered after Applejack, only one allowed to recite the words out loud. 

This step done, it was the Physician Mares who would take the relay until the funerals, also in charge of the Masters of Rituals. 

To the Members of the Militia that were no part of her Council, Rainbow Dash gave the order to go back home and rest. Only once each of them had left the Council was allowed to leave as well. 

The only pony whom was no part of the Council – and still no part of the Militia either – and allowed the stay with them was Rarity, since she had the duty to bring the dissident’s head to the princesses. 

Once back, surely the Head would think about giving her a well-deserved role in their organization. Or at least, it would be part of her directions. 

When they left the inside of the castle and stepped outside, something struck them… The sun. the thick clouds of the Ceaseless Night were removed one by one by the Weather Patrol, and its warm rays came to brush their muzzles. 

At their hooves, snow had already started to melt and its layer was nothing but a thin deposit of frost, now. A few trees had been cleared as well, and some animals were already reappearing. 

“We were so caught up in this war we all forgot Spring was on the forecast for this morning”, Twilight declared, her muzzle up. 

“Yes”, Pinkie Pie simply answered, measured for once. 

“It’s absolutely gorgeous”, Rarity went on. 

“Gorgeous…” Rainbow Dash repeated. 

The mare pegasus breath the Spring air on top of her lungs… And she realized. It was not because of this “war” they all had forgotten about the coming of Spring. It was because of the wars they were leading every day, as protectors of Ponyville and Equestria. 

Since she had been chosen as Head of the Militia, she had not seen any real rays of the sun until this very moment. Feeling this sweet warmth against her coat reminded her how much she enjoyed flying fast into the fresh air, caressed by nature, how much she enjoyed taking naps on trees and clouds, and fooling around in the water. 

She missed it all much more than she thought. To see her parents at broad daylight, to spend time with them outside of the Royal Tavern and Inn. Not to have her dreams poisoned with remembrances of the Night Watch. Not to wake up in the middle of the day with a thumping heart, scared to discover a threat had reached town and she had done nothing against it. 

“You know what? I quit!” 

They all turned to her, surprised, while she was taking off what was left of her cloak and transferred it on Applejack’s back. 

“You’re in charge, now.” 

“But… Dashie… Are you sure?” Pinkie Pie asked. “You’re the greatest Head the Militia ever had. The Cavalry calls you Commander!” 

Rainbow Dash softly laughed, and patted Pinkie Pie’s back. 

“That’s just a title, you know… A title doesn’t really matter. What matters is to stay true to your principles. I’ll never give up on Ponyville and Equestria nor on the oath I’ve made to protect them at the expense of my own life. But I’m only considering that my work as Head of the Militia is done. Now, I’ll be acting as a Member of the Greater Council… And they really need somepony like me to shake their feathers!” 

Conversely to what was believed, her decision was a rational decision, and not a simple impulse. While trying to fight against the Unavowed Army she had realized how much laws ruling Equestria stopped the Militia from reacted quickly in order to protect efficiently. 

Ponyville’s Militia had the most important voice in the Greater Council, and now Time Stellar was dead, she was the only one left to take charge of this duty. If she was elected Head of the Greater Council, she would have an even larger possibility to deeply reform the laws ruling their Continent. 

And, if she had visited Master Crimson Moon so often lately, it was not without a reason. The sour-tempered Fighting Master wanted to retire and, in her very personal matter, had repeatedly made her understand she was the only one on whom she relied to educate the new First Class Lieutenants, Members of the Head’s Council and Main Quartermasters of Equestria. 

So, when Caramel asked her what she thought she was going to do now, outside of the Greater Council, she did not hesitate: 

“I’m going to be the Militia’s Main Fighting Master, instead of Master Crimson Moon, of course… But just, like, twenty percent cooler!”